Led Zep to face copyright trial over Stairway

kjdowd

On Lloyd Webber, Kit and the Widow used to do a very good song/sketch (never thought I'd write those words..) on his borrowings from classical music.

The problem with plagiarisms suits generally, though, is that they often - as in this case - just look like chancers trying to benefit from someone else's success, which is just tedious. Not always the case, I know, but seems to be here.

axisus

I hope it gets thrown out. Yes, it's similar, but that bit in itself does not define the world famous Stairway to Heaven. 

I was a massive fan of Spirit back in the 80s (got most of their output - on vinyl!) but I can't side with them on this one. The fact is that Randy California (writer of the song in question) never cared to follow it up in his lifetime, despite the fact that Spirit never made a lot of money. 

We can't get to the stage where everyone is suing everyone else just because a bit of something that they wrote sounds a bit like something else. 

axisus

ICBM said:

lloyd said:

If they lose this, they could get hit for half their back catalogue!

Not as much as that, surely.

At least three-quarters .

Page with be hoping for no quarter

blobb

This caused some friction for a fair few years:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUODiodNfBM&nohtml5=False

RocknRollDave

Skarloey said:

RocknRollDave said:

Skarloey said:

Honestly, if this case wins I shall change my name to 'Trad Arr' and absolutely clean up.

I thought about using Les Beat as my nom-de-plume, so that when my albums are in the rack in alphabetical order they are listed as "Beat, Les"....and I may at least gain a few sales down to short-sghtedness....

However, if the shop does as they sometimes do here (and certainly do abroad) and list things by alphabetical order going by FIRST name, then you'll have to hope there are a few shoppers about interested in what sounds like it could be a French Ska tribute band.

Oh la laaaaa!

mart

Paul_C said:

scrumhalf said:

You can pull bits out of songs that sound similar with a bit of time and effort.

Pink Floyd's Echoes v Andrew Lloyds Bank's Phantom Of The Opera
The Kinks' Lazy Sunday Afternoon v Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made For Walking.

Sometimes it's deliberate - I am no Oasis fan but a friend told me that they use small bits of Beatles songs.

Lloyd Webber has long been considered a borrower of other people's work.

I remember back in the early '90s, Q magazine had an article with Waters where he accused ALW of stealing the riff from Echoes and using it in Phantom. But then a month or two later they had to publish an apology, admitting that the music had actually appeared in a film soundtrack written by ALW in 1971. I found the apology online: http://www.pink-floyd.org/artint/52.htm

Neil

I'm a big Spirit fan and noticed the similarities between Taurus and Stairway a good while back, but that's all it is, a similarity.

Just some money grubbing and possibly hoping LZ will settle out of court.

Chalky

I can remember my parents saying "that new music all sounds the same" about the Beatles in the early Sixties. I hope the jury is not of that ilk!

57Deluxe

They had better then take half of Andy Williams' stuff into court next then because this progerssion is integral to many of the arrangements used in his croonings...

Here it is here slightly sped up...

xSkarloey

RocknRollDave said:

Skarloey said:

RocknRollDave said:

Skarloey said:

Honestly, if this case wins I shall change my name to 'Trad Arr' and absolutely clean up.

I thought about using Les Beat as my nom-de-plume, so that when my albums are in the rack in alphabetical order they are listed as "Beat, Les"....and I may at least gain a few sales down to short-sghtedness....

However, if the shop does as they sometimes do here (and certainly do abroad) and list things by alphabetical order going by FIRST name, then you'll have to hope there are a few shoppers about interested in what sounds like it could be a French Ska tribute band.

Oh la laaaaa!

I always thought Ooh La laaaaaa were a Rod and the Faces tribute act from Nantes. :-B

Fuzzdog

I remember last time I had that Spirit video playing, a friend walked behind me and said "Cool, I love Stairway, crank it up" so there certainly might be a case there.  Let us not forget that most of the population do not have musicianly ears.

Fretwired

Maybe Plant and Page can sue Al Di Meola ... new tune .. Dog Tango .. ;-)

FX_Munkee

If there's any lawyers in the house you could probably make a mint from this

Forge

Ridiculous after so long...someone's after a nice retirement. At least this could spell the end for Euro pop and R&B, always rehashing the same sh@t and putting it in a different can.

thecolourbox

Fretwired said:

Maybe Plant and Page can sue Al Di Meola ... new tune .. Dog Tango .. ;-)

I did actually accidentally "write" Black Dog the other week while at the gym, I walked home singing what I'd come up with over and over as I was thinking "ooh yes this is good you must not forget this!" got back, played it and thought...oh yeah it's Led Zep. In my defence, the vocal bits were a bit more like Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well"...oh hang on that's not going to stand up very well as a defence is it

victorludorum

Will losing this trigger a big money reunion tour?

skankdelvar

Funny how Page gets a bad rap even though many of the settled 'plagiarisms' seem to be about lyrics - which wasn't exactly his department. 

Step forward and take your medicine like a man, Bob; the ghost of Steve Marriot is watching.

chillidoggy

I was totally unaware of any possibility of plagiarism going on. I just thought Zep was an amazing band, and still do. I hope the court case fails.

MrSwanson

It's a bloody trust doing it too, not even the guitarist. Fair enough if it was the guy who wrote it but someone doing it on his behalf after he's dead is a bit of a piss take.

thecolourbox

chillidoggy;1035157" said:

I was totally unaware of any possibility of plagiarism going on. I just thought Zep was an amazing band, and still do. I hope the court case fails.

Is a quote for the defence from Mr Page?