Did Led Zeppelin Copy Stairway to Heaven?

[whirlybirds]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd8AVbwB_6E

A lawsuit is claiming Zeppelin stole the main riff of Stairway to Heaven from another band. Today, Led Zeppelin lost their first day in court. Riff stars at 0:43 seconds in.

 

[State43]

It was obviously taken from the other band but slightly modified

 

[Cyclonick182]

I'm still at work so I can't check out the link but as someone who doesn't buy into all the hype of rock legends(Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, etc etc) it wouldn't surprise me. I will definitely check this out once I'm home.

 

[Mr Janny]

Of course they did. Zeppelin even played some shows with Spirit early on, so they would have had plenty of opportunity to hear it. If royalties are due, pay them and move on. Zep is long known for their borrowing of music. They still rule.

 

[19clone91]

I've read this quote online that sums it up perfectly,

"Sooo zeppelin stole the very common chord progression from part of a 2 1/2 minute song that only vaguely sounds similar, then just happened to write an additional 5 1/2 minutes of song with different timing around it?

So if this chain of events is accurate, they basically heard a tune, then wrote a song that had a similar chord progression, structured it completely differently, added lyrics, verses, a breakdown, drums, a solo, and a bunch of other ****?

If this counts as plagiarism, then 99% of bands that have ever existed are criminals."

 

[Clone96]

Geez it only took them 40 years to notice it. :biglaugh:


But seriously, there are thousands of chords in guitar, but there is a limited number of chord progressions. To make it unique, people change the melody, tempo, style of play, etc. That's why songs can sound alike, but not infringe on copyright.

http://thornepalmer.wordpress.com/2...-chord-progressions-in-pop-and-rock-and-roll/

 

[HFCS]

I've read this quote online that sums it up perfectly,

"Sooo zeppelin stole the very common chord progression from part of a 2 1/2 minute song that only vaguely sounds similar, then just happened to write an additional 5 1/2 minutes of song with different timing around it?

So if this chain of events is accurate, they basically heard a tune, then wrote a song that had a similar chord progression, structured it completely differently, added lyrics, verses, a breakdown, drums, a solo, and a bunch of other ****?

If this counts as plagiarism, then 99% of bands that have ever existed are criminals."

It's almost impossible to avoid, I'm in design and it may be even harder. Even for an honest and talented person, they don't live in a vacuum but quite the opposite.

 

[whirlybirds]

A lot of songs have similar chord progression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHBVnMf2t7w

 

[cyrocksmypants]

Yeah, there's only a finite amount of chord progression you can use. I was all pumped about a song I'd written all by myself and then someone pointed out to me that it pretty much sounded exactly like a song I've never heard before in my life (which it did end up sounding almost identical to).

 

[Mr Janny]

A lot of songs have similar chord progression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHBVnMf2t7w

awesome

 

[CyBroncos]

I've read this quote online that sums it up perfectly,

"Sooo zeppelin stole the very common chord progression from part of a 2 1/2 minute song that only vaguely sounds similar, then just happened to write an additional 5 1/2 minutes of song with different timing around it?

So if this chain of events is accurate, they basically heard a tune, then wrote a song that had a similar chord progression, structured it completely differently, added lyrics, verses, a breakdown, drums, a solo, and a bunch of other ****?

If this counts as plagiarism, then 99% of bands that have ever existed are criminals."

This. I've heard the Spirit song and the opening riff sounds similar but after that Stairway becomes one of the most unique, sprawling, epic songs ever wrote. Who gives a s**t

 

[Fitzy]

What??? Next you're going to tell me Nicki Minaj ripped off Sir Mixalot...

 

[CyBroncos]

Pages doesn't mention borrowing the riff in this video ha ha. This video does have some interesting tidbits into the process of writing and putting together such an epic song

[video=youtube;DDo4CA13LbY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDo4CA13LbY[/video]

 

[pourcyne]

Been a long time since I did the Stroll.

 

[HFCS]

They also stole lyrics and story from Tolkien!!! BOOOO!!!

OK...now I've been listening to Led Zeppelin for the past hour. To the main point though, you hear Stairway in that song, but it's like just so obviously missing something.

I'm a Beatles fan of ridiculous proportions and the My Sweet Lord/She's So Fine thing form George Harrison's solo work is pretty comparable...even though the type of music/bands are much more different. I've always believed him that if he absorbed any of it, that it wasn't consciously, but then again the Beatles may as well be the Cyclones in terms of my objectivity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT_XATsYQnE

 

[Rabbuk]

I think that song is one of their more overrated songs.

 

[cyclone83]

I hear similarities to the Rain Song as well.

 

[HFCS]

I think that song is one of their more overrated songs.

I like it a lot but no better than Over the Hills and Far Away that has some similarities, at least the second half of stairway is very similar to Over the Hills.

 

[CyBroncos]

I think that song is one of their more overrated songs.

I'm a huge Zeppelin fan and it's not in my top ten of my favorite Zeppelin songs. It's overrated by the masses, not Zeppelin fans. I do respect it though for being unique in its style of slowly accelerating til it hits top speed with Jimmy's solo

 

[GTO]

What??? Next you're going to tell me Nicki Minaj ripped off Sir Mixalot...

His looks?