Agree about the similarities between Spirit’s instrumental and Led Zep’s megahit. Jimmy Page, and British blues bands generally, ‘borrowed’ heavily from Delta blues of course. Page also wrote 12 of the 10 best rock hooks, so maybe we should just let him give that highest form of flattery (i.e., stealing) to other greats.
Rob – don’t you think virtually all blues player “rip off” riffs from other players? What’s at issue here is a 4 bar phrase which for sure has a similar feel – but no one would ever confuse Stairway with Taurus. Page was/is a great musician and Randy C was a very good one. Think we’re lucky to have heard from both.
I knew Randy briefly a long time ago. Page stole the lick, he stole many of them from other artists but made a wonderful song out of this one. Randy got his stage name from Hendrix as he was too stoned to remember his last name so he called him California. Listen to the 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus. A late 60’s gem.
I have listened to these two recordings and I cannot possibly consider them the same. So the right ruling has been made. However, Led Zeppelin are well known for taking licks off old Bluesman. Read about it in the book “Cross town Traffic”. However, Bluesman always borrowed from each other, it was considered a compliment. Somehow the big money has played the part. Most Bluesman were very poor until the sixties. The tolerance level changed when someone else made a huge worldwide hit out of someone elses song.
These are not at all similar, and secondly, both songs utilize pretty common cord progressions. You cannot “copy” chord progressions, just like you cannot “copy” scales–these are so universally used in music that no one could claim to have seriously “invented” them. The idea that something so generic could be “copied” is absurd. Akin to copyrighting a “4/4” beat.
Melodies can be copyrighted, chord progressions cannot. For example, I could use the chord progression from Stairway to Heaven, change the tempo and use a different melody and there would be absolutely zero copyright infringement. However, if I took the chord progression, tempo and melody then I would be infringing on the copyright. For example, Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice Baby” stole the melody, tempo and progression of “Under Pressure” by David Bowie/Queen, so Vanilla Ice–as part of his court settlement–was forced to buy the rights to the song…
I love Zep, but the similarities between “Stairway” and “Taurus” are really uncanny. Zep was also well-known for ripping off a lot of blues riffs.
Agree about the similarities between Spirit’s instrumental and Led Zep’s megahit. Jimmy Page, and British blues bands generally, ‘borrowed’ heavily from Delta blues of course. Page also wrote 12 of the 10 best rock hooks, so maybe we should just let him give that highest form of flattery (i.e., stealing) to other greats.
Over the Hills and Far Away, to Grandmother’s House we Go.
Rob – don’t you think virtually all blues player “rip off” riffs from other players? What’s at issue here is a 4 bar phrase which for sure has a similar feel – but no one would ever confuse Stairway with Taurus. Page was/is a great musician and Randy C was a very good one. Think we’re lucky to have heard from both.
12 bars, but who’s counting
I knew Randy briefly a long time ago. Page stole the lick, he stole many of them from other artists but made a wonderful song out of this one. Randy got his stage name from Hendrix as he was too stoned to remember his last name so he called him California. Listen to the 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus. A late 60’s gem.
I have listened to these two recordings and I cannot possibly consider them the same. So the right ruling has been made. However, Led Zeppelin are well known for taking licks off old Bluesman. Read about it in the book “Cross town Traffic”. However, Bluesman always borrowed from each other, it was considered a compliment. Somehow the big money has played the part. Most Bluesman were very poor until the sixties. The tolerance level changed when someone else made a huge worldwide hit out of someone elses song.
These are not at all similar, and secondly, both songs utilize pretty common cord progressions. You cannot “copy” chord progressions, just like you cannot “copy” scales–these are so universally used in music that no one could claim to have seriously “invented” them. The idea that something so generic could be “copied” is absurd. Akin to copyrighting a “4/4” beat.
Melodies can be copyrighted, chord progressions cannot. For example, I could use the chord progression from Stairway to Heaven, change the tempo and use a different melody and there would be absolutely zero copyright infringement. However, if I took the chord progression, tempo and melody then I would be infringing on the copyright. For example, Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice Baby” stole the melody, tempo and progression of “Under Pressure” by David Bowie/Queen, so Vanilla Ice–as part of his court settlement–was forced to buy the rights to the song…