Led Zeppelin Is Getting Sued Over “Stairway to Heaven”

[Prunepicker]

From Time Magazine
Fans have noted the similarity to Spirit's "Taurus" for decades

You may have never heard of the band Spirit, but Led Zeppelin has.

Not only did they play shows with Zeppelin in 1969, but Spirit has now sued
them for allegedly lifting what may be one of the most famous riffs in rock
history — the opening notes of “Stairway to Heaven.”

“It’s been a long time coming,” attorney Francis Alexander Malofiy said in
Bloomberg Businessweek. Malofiy is representing a trust for writer Randy
California, the deceased Spirit guitarist who wrote “Taurus,” the instrumental
track that appeared on the band’s eponymous 1968 debut album and from which
the chord progression is allegedly lifted.

Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page allegedly wrote “Stairway to Heaven” in 1970, two
years after “Taurus” was released, and a year after the band shared stages at
gigs across the United States in 1969. According to the band’s bass player,
Spirit always included “Taurus” in their sets.“It was such a pretty moment,”
said Mark Andes to Businessweek. “It would typically come after a big forceful
number and always got a good response.”

Take a listen and judge for yourself:

[RadicalModerate]

I have to say that I scoff/laugh at the pretention of the sue-er . . .
and fart in the general direction of "Time Magazine" and it's ilk
for dissin' the best band ever.

[Prunepicker]

I have to say that I scoff/laugh at the pretention of the sue-er . . .
and fart in the general direction of "Time Magazine" and it's ilk
for dissin' the best band ever.

I've got the Mothership CD and a t-shirt. Some students of a student
gave them to me when I bought a bass at Guitar Center.

[RadicalModerate]

The dude from Norway or Denmark or wherever (surf music fakir jorgenson or whatever) should sue this guy . . .
Maybe The Shadows . . . or The Apaches?

[Prunepicker]

The dude from Norway or Denmark or wherever (surf music fakir jorgenson
or whatever) should sue this guy . . . Maybe The Shadows . . . or The
Apaches?

Wow! That sounds exactly like Nevaeh Ot Yawriats. I see another
lawsuit.

The bass player needs to raise his bass about a foot and lose the
Knuckleball baseball grip.

[Achilleslastand]

It is not that uncommon of a chord progression and good luck proving that in a court of law.
Wankers................

[Dennis Heaton]

Why? After alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllll these decades?

[Urbanized]

They need some retirement money?

[Just the facts]

...or they just needed to wait until we had a supply of lawyers willing to take the case.

[Urbanized]

These things are more common than you might think actually. For instance, OKC's own The Flaming Lips paid Cat Stevens a few years back for unintentional use in their song "Fight Test" of a riff very similar to one used in one of his songs.

What is uncommon is the elapsed time and the notoriety of the song in question. I predict a quiet settlement for an undisclosed amount. No way Zep wants this to drag out in court, and they have the resources to make it go away quietly.

[Zuplar]

Is there not a statute of limitations on this sort of thing?

[OKCisOK4me]

Ohhhhhhh crap, guess the licensed owners of the Wizard of Oz are going to sue Pink Floyd now because Dark Side of the Moon magically makes sense when played as a soundtrack to it...

I can hear a similarity but there's definite differences between the two songs...especially that little frilly bit at the end of that sample that makes me think of old dudes with white mops on their heads in the 18th century.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5

[RadicalModerate]

Honestly, I can't say exactly why this discussion reminded me of this.
But it did.


In fact, I can't believe that the Beatles didn't sue THIS band, or vice-versa . . .

[hoya]

I hear some similarities, but...

There were a few places were it sounded close for about a second and a half, but then it went off into some non-Stairway stuff that wasn't as good.

[RadicalModerate]

I seem to recall that my younger brother actually had a copy of an LP by Spirit.
I think it was called "Clear Spirit" or something like that.
I don't remember it being a bad album . . . In fact, I don't remember it at all.
Looks like a clear-cut case of Zeppelin Envy here.

[Dennis Heaton]

Ohhhhhhh crap, guess the licensed owners of the Wizard of Oz are going to sue Pink Floyd now because Dark Side of the Moon magically makes sense when played as a soundtrack to it...I can hear a similarity but there's definite differences between the two songs...especially that little frilly bit at the end of that sample that makes me think of old dudes with white mops on their heads in the 18th century.

I am glad you brought that up. Didn't Pink Floyd get into some sorta wrangling with a group from Sweden or Switzerland over their (PF) version of "House of the Rising Sun?"

[Bill Robertson]

I hear some similarities, but...

There were a few places were it sounded close for about a second and a half, but then it went off into some non-Stairway stuff that wasn't as good.

Exactly what I thought too.

[OKCisOK4me]

I am glad you brought that up. Didn't Pink Floyd get into some sorta wrangling with a group from Sweden or Switzerland over their (PF) version of "House of the Rising Sun?"

That is beyond my knowledge :-(

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5

[RadicalModerate]

Wow! That sounds exactly like Nevaeh Ot Yawriats. I see another
lawsuit.

The bass player needs to raise his bass about a foot and lose the
Knuckleball baseball grip.

Nice catch!

Did you also catch that little run on the lower E-String near the end of Jimmie Thackery's ripoff of Apache?
I think that what's left of The Astronauts needs to form a class with whoever wrote Pipeline and file an action suit.

[Just the facts]

Remember the lawsuit by Queen/David Bowie against Vanilla Ice over his lifting the music from the song Under Pressure. Here is an excerpt of Vanilla explaining why his version was different.

"We sampled it from them but it's not the same bassline. It goes 'ding ding ding di di ding ding… ding ding ding di di ding ding.' That's the way theirs goes. Ours goes 'ding ding ding di di ding ding… DING… ding ding ding di di ding ding.' That little bitty change -- it's not the same."

Queen:


Vanilla Ice

[OKCisOK4me]

Remember the lawsuit by Queen/David Bowie against Vanilla Ice over his lifting the music from the song Under Pressure. Here is an excerpt of Vanilla explaining why his version was different.

I had honestly thought he paid them the rights for that sample. What a douche lol.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5

[RadicalModerate]

I think Ice T needs to file a lawsuit against Vanilla Ice for sampling his name . . .

[Achilleslastand]

Honestly, I can't say exactly why this discussion reminded me of this.
But it did.


In fact, I can't believe that the Beatles didn't sue THIS band, or vice-versa . . .

You didn't know that McCartney had a hand in getting them signed to Apple records?
And if you listen in the you can hear McCartney singing backup in this tune during the knock down the old gray wall and the if you would give me all lines.

[Urbanized]

Yeah, Badfinger had a strong business/personal connection with The Beatles.

[RadicalModerate]

You didn't know that McCartney had a hand in getting them signed to Apple records?
And if you listen in the you can hear McCartney singing backup in this tune during the knock down the old gray wall and the if you would give me all lines.

Sounds like, "Entrapment" to me . . .
(no . . . i didn't know about The McCartney Connection . . . =)

Have you ever noticed how many Country/Western Songs sound almost exactly the same? =)
(to wit) . . .