Did a band from Los Angeles get ripped off by Led Zeppelin? That's the claim in a new lawsuit by representatives of the band Spirit, which played some dates with the British rock legends in their early days in America.
The story is a familiar one: A band plays a bit of music that sounds a lot like another song; a debate ensues. But in this case, the band is Led Zeppelin, and the song is "Stairway to Heaven," a megahit so popular it's been ubiquitous in bars and on the radio for decades.
The similarity of the meditative guitar-picking in both 1971's "Stairway to Heaven" and 1968's "Taurus," an instrumental track on Spirit's self-titled album, has been discussed by music fans for years. Now a lawsuit over the songs' similarities has sent the debate toward a court date.
You can listen to the Spirit song and see for yourself what you think.
Rest of the article here - http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...elin-sued-over-stairway-to-heaven-guitar-line
Thoughts? I know it's not the first time Zep has been accused of plagiarism.
The story is a familiar one: A band plays a bit of music that sounds a lot like another song; a debate ensues. But in this case, the band is Led Zeppelin, and the song is "Stairway to Heaven," a megahit so popular it's been ubiquitous in bars and on the radio for decades.
The similarity of the meditative guitar-picking in both 1971's "Stairway to Heaven" and 1968's "Taurus," an instrumental track on Spirit's self-titled album, has been discussed by music fans for years. Now a lawsuit over the songs' similarities has sent the debate toward a court date.
You can listen to the Spirit song and see for yourself what you think.
Rest of the article here - http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...elin-sued-over-stairway-to-heaven-guitar-line
Thoughts? I know it's not the first time Zep has been accused of plagiarism.