A couple of months ago, we posted the article below. Here’s an update:
A few hours ago, an LA Jury found that Led Zeppelin did not steal Stairway To Heaven‘s iconic opening riff from Randy Wolfe (a.k.a. Randy California) who wrote the song “Taurus” for the band Spirit. Best of all — according to the LA Times, the jury based their decision on hearing the music! Here’s an excerpt from the article:
Shortly before making that decision, the jury returned to the courtroom and asked U.S. District Court Judge R. Gary Klausner to hear recordings of both songs played on an acoustic guitar again. They were played twice, and the jury returned to deliberations.
Just 15 minutes later, the court reconvened, and jurors announced they had reached a verdict.
See the full article here.
Do you agree? Below is our April 14 post on the subject along with a video of each song (the passage in question begins at :45 seconds into the song Taurus).
A recent article in the Boston Globe tells the story of several lawsuits against Led Zeppelin, with particular detail on a Los Angeles judge’s ruling to proceed to a jury trial this May in order to determine whether Jimmy Page stole the opening guitar riff to “Stairway to Heaven” from Randy California, composer of “Taurus” by the band Spirit.
Below are the two songs. Listen to the intro of each one — especially the acoustic guitar parts.
Do you really think Page stole the lick?
Good Morning Gloucester 
Led Zeppelin certainly borrowed liberally from other musicians but I love them just the same.
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So do I!
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I dont think so. Its such a popular chord pattern and it doesn’t resolve the same way. And even if it did, That intro to Stairway is maybe one of 10 hooks that make that song.
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Excellent point. How many other songs have 1-2 bar chord patterns that match?
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Reduced to individual notes, all music is a copy of an earlier work. As I understand it, you can’t copyright rhythm or harmony so outright copies of those music elements are legal if not always ethical. But lyrics and melodies are fair game for lawsuits, at least in the U.S. In my opinion quantity is a determining factor, and this seems to me to be about as short a “copy” as you could get away suing over. It will be interesting to see how this works out. I hope there’s a musically inclined lawyer FOB who can comment.
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Yes, VERY short! In fact if you take the whole phrase, it isn’t a copy at all. I hear fewer than 3 bars that could be close enough even to be considered sounding alike. Seems to me like a fishing expedition.
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Okay, so I watched the video, I love the song, but I have no particular opinion. But as far as greatest rock song ever, if you think that anyone was better than Eric Clapton (except for Stevie Ray Vaughn), I respectfully disagree . And if you think there’s a greater rock love song than “Layla,” you’re just plain wrong. Respectfully —
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Sorry but I don’t think the “he’s my son and he would never hurt anyone” defense ever works in a court of law. I love Zep’s music as much as anyone. But Page has a history of this. (He put his name on “Dazed and Confused” but a guy named Jake Holmes wrote it.) Spirit and Zep have a history too. But don’t take my word for it. Google any of this. Our heroes may be great but they certainly have feet of clay.
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Good artists borrow from other artists. Great artists steal.
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I still love the song – words will always stay within! 🙂 Dave
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Did Not!
Similar…yet so, so very different.
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I was always told you can copyright melodies but not chord patterns. Out of the context of this I don’t think I’d ever think one song was the rip off of the other. It make me wonder.
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