Artistic license or plagiarism!

[loner_t 2,568]

Plant/Page of Led Zeppelin and Stairway to Heaven is embroiled in a lawsuit - here.

 

This is what they are supposed to have copied. 

 

 

 

[weitrhino 1,443]

Piffle. Aside from being descending chords on acoustic guitar there's no further resemblance to structure. This is a money grab.

[Charlie 16,430]

Piffle. Aside from being descending chords on acoustic guitar there's no further resemblance to structure. This is a money grab.

 

 

I'd have to agree on that... 

[Rockster2U 668]

Tough call - quite similar but I'll leave it for the lawyers to figure it out while withholding my own opinion. Either way, this will remain among my all time favorites and one of the best renditions I've ever heard has to be Heart's performance of this song at the Kennedy Center. It gave me a whole new impression of Heart's talent.

[loner_t 2,568]

Piffle. Aside from being descending chords on acoustic guitar there's no further resemblance to structure. This is a money grab.

 

The lyrics have an intrinsic value of their own, which is being completely ignored for a set of notes. Hopefully no one has a copyright on Music Theory. 

[chiroacademy 833]

Tough call - quite similar but I'll leave it for the lawyers to figure it out while withholding my own opinion. Either way, this will remain among my all time favorites and one of the best renditions I've ever heard has to be Heart's performance of this song at the Kennedy Center. It gave me a whole new impression of Heart's talent.

 

That was one of the best performances I have ever seen/heard anywhere of any song and it was on TV.  I wish I could have seen that live. I watch it on youtube all the time.  It's amazing!!! I would love to know if it is available somewhere on CD or vinyl (pipe dream). 

[niccolosito 328]

Aside from a few notes that anyone could have put together, I couldn't hear any other similarities that can be concluded as having been lifted intentionally or unconsciously by Page and Plant from that song. Jury verdicts are as unpredictable as the weather. And as sound and music appreciation is one very subjective endeavor influenced by personal tastes, good or bad memories related to the song, and any other factor that would prevent a jury from making an impartial decision, I submit that the two songs subject of the litigation be fed to a super computer that will then decide if one song is a almost a xerox copy of the other. The computer will make a note for note comparison not influenced by human frailties like some grudge against one band and sympathy for the other or some hidden agendas.

On the other hand, and not meaning to offend the singer and song's fans, listen closely to Chris Rea's Road to Hell and see how closely it sounds like Hotel California in some sections and like The Boxtops' The Letter in other parts. Even the feint piano notes in the intro is a note for note playing of a traditional piano piece entitled "Love and Devotion".

Give it a listen just for kicks and have your similarly subjective verdict..

 

[mas52indy 82]

I have been listening to "classical" music for many decades and it never ceases to amaze me how many popular tunes are direct "copies" of many of those composers. I suppose it is alright to "borrow" from dead guys who did not have the "protection" of modern copyright laws. One example of this is the sheet music for "All By Myself" that credits the lyrics and music to Eric Carmen. I cannot at this time recall the composer's name, but the music claimed to be written by and copyrighted by Eric Carmen is a note for note copy of that composer's work.

[martin1970 361]

I loved me some Led Zep as a teenager.

Still, they plagiarized the hell out of many blues greats

and they've lost many lawsuits as a result.

 

 

It was only a matter of time until this thing with Stairway and Spirit finally went to court.

They were on tour with Spirit and had to have heard it.

It's great that they brought this music to a wider audience. I'll give them that. 

 

 

Full article here

[aslan7 954]

That was a great summary of the "Zepp copies" Martin.  Love that band but dang some (most) of those are pretty blatant.

 

Thanks for posting. 

[DaveStL 85]

 

 

 

Tough call - quite similar but I'll leave it for the lawyers to figure it out while withholding my own opinion. Either way, this will remain among my all time favorites and one of the best renditions I've ever heard has to be Heart's performance of this song at the Kennedy Center. It gave me a whole new impression of Heart's talent.

That was one of the best performances I have ever seen/heard anywhere of any song and it was on TV. I wish I could have seen that live. I watch it on youtube all the time. It's amazing!!! I would love to know if it is available somewhere on CD or vinyl (pipe dream).

I think I have that whole program on the uverse dvr, from Palladia (now MTVlive). It should be available, but I have not found it online. The song, at least, is on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B59OY48/175-9704382-5008339?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

 

[loner_t 2,568]

I cannot at this time recall the composer's name, but the music claimed to be written by and copyrighted by Eric Carmen is a note for note copy of that composer's work.

 

Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto.  (Fantastic piece).

[mas52indy 82]

 

 

 

I cannot at this time recall the composer's name, but the music claimed to be written by and copyrighted by Eric Carmen is a note for note copy of that composer's work.

 

Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto.  (Fantastic piece).

 

Thank you. I am off to play that after the current album completes.

[oldtexasdog 2,456]

Heck they were on tour together. Can't help hearing what the other band is playing and a riff gets into your mind and the next thing you make something that you feel is yours but everything you have heard is gonna influence it. It's all a progression, and music, along with creating it is a journey in itself.

[RodH 4,866]

Eric Carmen and Sergei Rachmaninoff toured together?

[loner_t 2,568]

Eric Carmen and Sergei Rachmaninoff toured together?

 

Spirit and Led Zeppelin did. In the other case, one plagiarized from the other.

 

(We need more with your sense of humor, DR).  

[RodH 4,866]

Wait? What?

 

Led Zep, Spirit, Eric Carmen And Rachmaninoff on the same bill?????

 

 

Mind blown!!!!

[loner_t 2,568]

 

 

Wait? What?

 

Led Zep, Spirit, Eric Carmen And Rachmaninoff on the same bill?????

 

 

Mind blown!!!!

 

You should add David Helfgott to this mix as well.  

[SteveMKentucky 70]

I have been listening to "classical" music for many decades and it never ceases to amaze me how many popular tunes are direct "copies" of many of those composers. I suppose it is alright to "borrow" from dead guys who did not have the "protection" of modern copyright laws. One example of this is the sheet music for "All By Myself" that credits the lyrics and music to Eric Carmen. I cannot at this time recall the composer's name, but the music claimed to be written by and copyrighted by Eric Carmen is a note for note copy of that composer's work.

 

 

There are a lot of classical rips.   Elvis Presley's "It's now or Never" is "O' Sole Mio."  Billy Joel used the melody from Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 (Pathetique) for one of his songs (I can't remember which one).

 

Edit:  The Billy Joel tune ripped from Beethoven is the chorus of "The Night." 

[loner_t 2,568]

 

 

Billy Joel used the melody from Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 (Pathetique) for one of his songs (I can't remember which one).

 

Edit:  The Billy Joel tune ripped from Beethoven is the chorus of "The Night." 

 

THIS comes to mind. A very nice DVD presented by Billy Joel. He talks with Hung-ki Joo and how playing Beethoven brought the 'girls' flocking to the piano. Thibaudet and Grieg sound pretty good on this DVD, too. 

[kve777 6,881]

I noticed some similarity to a song by Pink Floyd on The Wall, too. Can't put my finger on the song, though. Guess I'll have to listen to the whole thing again real soon!

[martin1970 361]

I noticed some similarity to a song by Pink Floyd on The Wall, too. Can't put my finger on the song, though. Guess I'll have to listen to the whole thing again real soon!

Been trying to put my finger on it, too. 

Could it be Is There Anybody Out There? from about 1:24? 

 

 

This part kind of reminds me of it. 

 

 

Still thinking there might be something else in The Wall that's closer.

 

[kve777 6,881]

That's IT!

[RodH 4,866]

The intro reminds me of stairway to heaven.......

[aslan7 954]

The intro reminds me of stairway to heaven.......

 

I agree Rod.  More like stairway.