Did Led Zeppelin steal Stairway to Heaven's opening notes?

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  • Опубликовано: 13 июн 2016
  • Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are accused of stealing Stairway to Heaven's iconic opening notes from another band.
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Комментарии • 1,9 тыс.

  • @dominicmangone9920
    @dominicmangone9920 4 года назад +238

    I wrote a song called Escalator to Paradise in my Ford Taurus and was wondering if I should hire a lawyer

  • @ayhamshaheed7740
    @ayhamshaheed7740 4 года назад +463

    Technically, Ludwig Van Beethoven’s estate has the right to sue Spirit because he used chromatically descending notes before any of the members were born

    • @PianoHooks
      @PianoHooks 4 года назад +17

      LOL! And Bach's estate was suing Beethoven for playing with counterpoint

    • @SuburbanRuralist
      @SuburbanRuralist 4 года назад +1

      Lol!

    • @de4llyfe798
      @de4llyfe798 4 года назад +4

      except, time releases copyrights

    • @ayhamshaheed7740
      @ayhamshaheed7740 4 года назад +2

      DE4L Lyfe yeah I know. But I was just saying it for the sake of saying it

    • @DB-pi3fs
      @DB-pi3fs 4 года назад

      Good point you know your stuff

  • @TurboNeon185
    @TurboNeon185 5 лет назад +282

    I've never heard of spirit until this but I do remember laughter.

  • @learpilot7459
    @learpilot7459 5 лет назад +555

    I think I am going sue all bands that use the E string....I used it in my song......

    • @Brian-nd1se
      @Brian-nd1se 5 лет назад +1

      Lol it was a simpl silly joke :)

    • @keymaster430
      @keymaster430 5 лет назад +2

      @@Brian-nd1se Yeah, but I think Hideo_22 was just being sarcastic and playing along with the joke.

    • @vincepetrovic8700
      @vincepetrovic8700 5 лет назад +2

      Learpilot74 - everyone that uses the chromatic scale is plagiarizing. I think they need to invent their own musical notes.

    • @learpilot7459
      @learpilot7459 5 лет назад

      @@vincepetrovic8700 there is a difference of using the same modes and scales and actually using the same pattern for your song lol...almost exact!

    • @dmssuch4253
      @dmssuch4253 5 лет назад

      I think they should invent their own instrument

  • @Mr2006explorer
    @Mr2006explorer 6 лет назад +269

    Wtf, it's not even the same riff. If you could copyright riffs every rock guitar player from the 60s
    & 70s would owe Chuck Berry a fortune!

    • @carlwilson5339
      @carlwilson5339 5 лет назад +10

      Almost Everybody stole from Chuck Berry,

    • @iamcarbonandotherbits.8039
      @iamcarbonandotherbits.8039 5 лет назад +13

      I think those royalties should be heading Marty McFly's way.

    • @kingscotimus
      @kingscotimus 5 лет назад +2

      I'm guessing you've never heard of Sun House

    • @LFC-Star
      @LFC-Star 5 лет назад +5

      @@carlwilson5339 Chuck Berry stole from Muddy Waters and then he stole from others before him.. The list goes on.

    • @SuperZiggyCraft
      @SuperZiggyCraft 5 лет назад +2

      Even chuck berry took Johnny b goods intro from somewhere else

  • @charlieball6135
    @charlieball6135 5 лет назад +76

    Its a chord progression. Many songs use the same progression. But it doesn't have the same soul as Jimmy's.

  • @1AvrgJoe
    @1AvrgJoe 4 года назад +11

    NO. They used a common chord progressiin in the intro. Everything else about the song was the most incredible example of musical genius in the history of rock. Stairway is the #1 rock n roll song ever. it gives me chills after 40 years.

    • @drmidnight680-kz2le
      @drmidnight680-kz2le Год назад

      Pagey has the same dream when sleeping after Spirit dreamed it first.
      That's all that proves.
      Then pagey was smart enough to change it just enough to avoid a lawsuit

  • @tedlandry6865
    @tedlandry6865 5 лет назад +41

    they wouldnt of sued if stairway didnt make it to the top

  • @DAVET0NE
    @DAVET0NE 8 лет назад +1281

    If Taurus' songwriter didn't care back then, how the hell does his estate expect to win this now? I smell greed.

    • @blackmayb3
      @blackmayb3 8 лет назад +25

      The album was re-released which reset the statute of limitations. It had expired previously...that's why there was no action

    • @RGMUFC1
      @RGMUFC1 7 лет назад +32

      Red numbers on bank account, i said enough.

    • @FinsUpDolphins1710
      @FinsUpDolphins1710 7 лет назад +4

      That's all it is.

    • @edlok8113
      @edlok8113 7 лет назад +8

      Dave Tone the family is suing them not the actual band

    • @josephcoleman57
      @josephcoleman57 7 лет назад +23

      Dave Tone 100% agree.. If the writer passed then case closed. Add to the fact these bars were played in some classical pieces such as Bach. If l were on the jury I'd vote against the plaintiff

  • @baron_von_brunk
    @baron_von_brunk 6 лет назад +59

    Do they sound similar? Yes, definitely -- they sound rather similar at first. But then, Zeppelin's version doesn't just end at that particular intro, rather it progresses further -- much further -- than the intro, and continues beyond the part that sounds like Spirit's version. Zeppelin's version also has the key changes, progression, the extended guitar solo, and the upbeat heavy rock part towards the end. I can definitely see how Zeppelin used Taurus as an inspiration for the intro, but everything beyond that is completely theirs.

    • @Red4350
      @Red4350 5 лет назад +3

      that all nice but did they listen to the Taurus song and jip them ...thats the only question ...nothing wrong with doing that but give them the recognition

    • @As_in_gamer
      @As_in_gamer 5 лет назад +2

      @@Red4350 i mean this chord progression and style of holding a minor key with a descending bassline actually pre dates pop music and copyright laws. also the stairway arpeggio is very different (i can play the openings to both on guitar) its a lot more technical with a melody line and even the bass line is different.

  • @botchedonce7159
    @botchedonce7159 4 года назад +212

    The Tuarus song goes nowhere. Stairway To Heaven takes you on a journey. It is a different song that Zeppelin deserves the credit for.

    • @IFFIkillaWard
      @IFFIkillaWard 4 года назад +1

      botchedonce i love you for saying this

    • @user-pp5oh9ee1k
      @user-pp5oh9ee1k 4 года назад +15

      Yes, but Taurus also deserves credit. Just because you took something and made it better doesn’t mean you didn’t take it.

    • @user-pp5oh9ee1k
      @user-pp5oh9ee1k 4 года назад

      D B A, whether you like zeppelin or not has nothing to do with your ego or this argument. B, while saying half of their stuff is ripped off is a bit of hyperbole it’s basically true.

    • @DB-pi3fs
      @DB-pi3fs 4 года назад

      Sir . You are a who fan as I suspected. Stepped on toes

    • @user-pp5oh9ee1k
      @user-pp5oh9ee1k 4 года назад +1

      D B I edited my original comment to add examples after I saw you asking for them.

  • @AdrienW
    @AdrienW 5 лет назад +58

    Judge: "Randy Wolfe had no issue with it."
    Estate: *sweats*

  • @BongzillazGaming
    @BongzillazGaming 7 лет назад +48

    They fit the "Does anybody remember laughter" clip in! Whoever edited this KUDOS!

  • @41point2
    @41point2 8 лет назад +114

    Joe Walsh pointed out that this progression of chords was used in 100's of songs from the 50's and Mr. Emit points it out perfectly. IN FACT, Ric should be a witness.

    • @inquisitor4635
      @inquisitor4635 7 лет назад +8

      Smokin' Joe is an encyclopedia of musical knowledge. I would take his opinion on it.

    • @songsforsale427
      @songsforsale427 5 лет назад

      Sorry, those did not sound like it

    • @bobmcquier2001
      @bobmcquier2001 5 лет назад

      I agree. People only notice this because stairway is so popular, and they are both arpeggiated riffs.

    • @As_in_gamer
      @As_in_gamer 5 лет назад +2

      there are also several songs that use a similar progression of the A minor chord with a descending baseline from over a hundred years ago. ill say as someone who plays guitar the only notes they share in the same place is the first 3, after that they are out of time and even the base line is different. Stairway to heaven also has a melody line on the top and the bass line is intertwined with the melody line.

    • @songsforsale427
      @songsforsale427 5 лет назад +1

      Yet only one song sounds like Stairway. And what a coincidence, they were fans. Went to see them. Played with them and owned their records. Oh but wait, Jimmy said that one never got played (I'm sure). And another coincidence, Zep always steals and has to be sued. I'm sure it's all coincidence. Come on guy's.

  • @cambell9
    @cambell9 5 лет назад +110

    Its definetely NOT the same at all. Its a common note progression

    • @shanemurphy3417
      @shanemurphy3417 4 года назад +2

      No it’s not

    • @ayhamshaheed7740
      @ayhamshaheed7740 4 года назад +4

      Mordecai and include the fact that stairway also has a rising sequence as well then you can see how different they are

    • @nightjaronthegate
      @nightjaronthegate 4 года назад +1

      @@shanemurphy3417 Watch the video. Spirit weren't the first to use it. 3:43

    • @sampuatisamuel9785
      @sampuatisamuel9785 3 года назад

      I just adore LZ but it does sound very similar to the Taurus song

    • @sampuatisamuel9785
      @sampuatisamuel9785 3 года назад

      BS it sounds very similar

  • @gasolinewine801
    @gasolinewine801 4 года назад +28

    Many people don’t understand that a lot of these riffs were built from classic scales. So there will always be similarities.

    • @anz2441
      @anz2441 Год назад

      Amen ! It is impossible to not hit notes that someone else has already hit !

  • @photodube
    @photodube 8 лет назад +334

    Zeppelin conceded in the past, but I'm with them on this one, not plagiarized. Four measures of a common progression is nothing new in music - they should play the 4 Chord Song by the Axis of Awesome to the jury to demonstrate. It's what you do with those chords that matters.
    On that note (pun intended), Robin Thicke really is a hack fraud.

    • @InTecknicolour
      @InTecknicolour 8 лет назад +7

      one chord does not make a legendary song. stairway is so much more than that.

    • @DoBap_
      @DoBap_ 8 лет назад +6

      Just going to stop at Robin Thicke? Why not Taylor Swift, One Direction and literally every top 40 artist?

    • @pippipster7705
      @pippipster7705 8 лет назад +3

      +John Cornell yeah just all very very very very very coincidental that sort

    • @bignizzle6973
      @bignizzle6973 8 лет назад +7

      the progression differs in the ascending high notes

    • @user-ge2vc3rl1n
      @user-ge2vc3rl1n 6 лет назад +5

      Not only that but this chord progression in particular is cliche as hell, to the point where practice routines for chord changes in jazz involve several voicings that sound exactly like this, the only difference would be the passing tones here and there.
      People that think this progression/entire guitar intro is original are out of their minds, it's been in music for a very long time.

  • @ernieblanchard8879
    @ernieblanchard8879 4 года назад +44

    Sounds to me like Spirit copied the intro to Johnny Rivers’ “Summer Rain”...

    • @nightjaronthegate
      @nightjaronthegate 4 года назад

      And another Summer Rain starts with a quote from Robert Schumann. ruclips.net/video/V297D6mEw9A/видео.html

  • @eddyfrank4583
    @eddyfrank4583 5 лет назад +27

    I'm a huge Zep and Spirit fan. These chords are similar but not the same.

  • @assassingio9847
    @assassingio9847 4 года назад +17

    I love Led Zeppelin but recently i did some digging and found out that the first 2 albums especially the first have many songs that are straight up plagiarism.Now i don't mind a song or melody being a homage to the original that's like a love letter to the creator and it's a form of respect but when your notes are similar with only minor changes to it's predesseccor then their's a problem.It's all right to take inspiration everyone has mussicians,directors,artists,game disigners and so on but when you take something that is already out there change it a little and call it your own then this is called theft.

    • @anz2441
      @anz2441 Год назад +2

      And at the end of the day, Led Zep is the greatest Rock band is History....Stairway is the greatest song ever recorded, and Jimmy page is an absolute genius !

    • @drmidnight680-kz2le
      @drmidnight680-kz2le Год назад

      @@anz2441 amazing what you can get away with and make tons of money.

    • @flerbus
      @flerbus 3 месяца назад

      @@anz2441 you spelt "The Who" wrong

    • @anz2441
      @anz2441 3 месяца назад

      @@flerbus 😂😂😂 ..nice try 😜

  • @robin3
    @robin3 8 лет назад +161

    05:32 .. this dude explains it in 20 seconds!!

    • @MrCannedguds
      @MrCannedguds 5 лет назад +10

      Dude, that "dude" is Rick Emmett, the guitarist virtuoso of Power Trio band, "Triumph", in case you didn't know. Triumph is one of the most underrated bands in the world! They are great and they play real tight!

    • @mattsweadner8318
      @mattsweadner8318 5 лет назад

      Exactly @jehst'

    • @frankbreuer42
      @frankbreuer42 5 лет назад

      spot on!

    • @melodymakermark
      @melodymakermark 5 лет назад +1

      nah, he’s just a dude. I’m a dude, you’re a dude, we’re all dudes. All this dude talk makes me wanna go to a dude ranch.

    • @Red4350
      @Red4350 5 лет назад +1

      yeah he basically makes it sound like addidng a note to someone's elses chord progression...super innovative lol "it creates a melody" of course it would...

  • @thedukeofdukers
    @thedukeofdukers 8 лет назад +724

    Inspired maybe, but definitely not a carbon copy.

    • @gabrielp9646
      @gabrielp9646 5 лет назад +12

      The problem is not the beggining of this song. There are compilation videos of 45-50 minutes of duration on RUclips, showing how led zeppelin stole more than 20 songs through their carreer... Some of the best ones :S:S And they not only didn´t admit they were doing covers, or being influenced by... But they pretended to be the real songwriters and got paid in royalties for years, and charged young musicians who wanted to play the song in their album. Fuckng shameless thiefs, if you ask me. And here is the proof: ruclips.net/video/n4zcuNUfdsI/видео.html

    • @rydera9121
      @rydera9121 5 лет назад +8

      @ A lot of classic songs have been inspired by other songs. Artists often take a progression they've heard and make it their own. The Beatles have done it and Keith Richards has said that he does it on record. The evolution of rock and roll music is based around this idea, taking ideas from blues artists from the 40's and 50's, so unless they're straight up covering a song, a writing credit is not needed.

    • @milosdunjic8718
      @milosdunjic8718 5 лет назад +2

      Just 99%?

    • @atourdeforce
      @atourdeforce 5 лет назад +2

      Lol I've no dog in this fight, and its a complete copy with extra fills in between to try throw you off. But the melody is 100% there.
      However I don't feel for a second they did it on purpose. Our brain picks up sounds we never even knew we heard untill they come out of our subconscious.
      Ok I take it back. They actually have history of pinching others music. They totally robbed it. And it wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't the opening bars of the song, but it is, however little it is, those opening bars define that song.

    • @horsedark
      @horsedark 5 лет назад +3

      @@rydera9121 I LOOOOOVE LED ZEP, but cmon, they ripped off this lick, they should have just admitted it, and everything would go away. Led Zep is still one of the best, but where there is smoke, there is....well you know....btw, this is NOT THE ONLY SONG THEY NICKED

  • @pancakefrenzy9285
    @pancakefrenzy9285 5 лет назад +76

    By this logic people in bands should sue each other for using power chords in their songs

    • @eroccha
      @eroccha 3 года назад

      @Ted Aldrich Armageddon vs Deep Impact. They both had comets ending Earth.

  • @PepperS72
    @PepperS72 5 лет назад +21

    They both have a Medieval kind of vibe, but no... Stairway to Heavan not stolen!

    • @randyrazor6780
      @randyrazor6780 5 лет назад +2

      As for Stairway to heaven, I agree not stolen. But is no secret that Led Zeppelin totally ripped off ALOT of old black blues players riffs and lyrics. The Lemon Song by Led Zeppelin is a prime example. Led Zeppelin got sued by the blues guy who Robert Plant ripped off most of his lyrics that were under that song title. For that song Led Zeppelin settled out of court and admitted guilt. I love Led Zeppelin, but they ripped off SO many old blues players lyrics in their early days.

    • @outis439-A
      @outis439-A 4 года назад

      @Randy Razor When the Levee Breaks as well I think. Only the lyrics though

  • @quentinm4967
    @quentinm4967 6 лет назад +167

    Zeppelin's Jimmy Paige has said before he takes inspiration from other people , but this is a very common chord progression.

    • @mysticx0
      @mysticx0 6 лет назад +5

      yeah theyve taken "inspiration" from lots of artists. taken is such a perfect word for it too.

    • @Solidsnaik
      @Solidsnaik 5 лет назад +11

      mysticx0 yes ALL music TAKES inspiration -just steals it-from others because nobody reinvents music every time they write a damn song.

    • @ripiwripiw1611
      @ripiwripiw1611 5 лет назад

      Quentin M f

    • @songsforsale427
      @songsforsale427 5 лет назад +3

      Not common at all. All commoners say "Oh that's Stairway"

    • @nsc217
      @nsc217 5 лет назад

      Quentin M So then why is the intro so famous?

  • @aylbdrmadison1051
    @aylbdrmadison1051 5 лет назад +58

    As a guitar instructor, player, performer and recording engineer; I can assure you this is the most absurd lawsuit. That same exact line has been used for literally hundreds of years. There are songs that are actually much closer to it than this. Saying this was stolen is like saying people are constantly stealing the I IV V progression. It even has a name, it is called a _line cliche,_ and has been used in almost every genre of music for the last 1,000 years. Line cliches have been used in hundreds of flamenco tunes, hundreds more classical tunes, and probably thousands of blues songs. It is literally the easiest thing to play on a stringed instrument.
    Saying Led Zeppelin stole this from Spirit, is like saying you can no longer play a G chord after a C chord because someone else did it first. Also, you can no longer play the standard I IV V blues progression (witch pretty much eliminates 99% of all blues), you can never again use a pedal point, or even a straight counter point line. Those have been done thousands of times as well. Lets see, oh, you can never again play over 90% of country music for the same reason as the blues, the I IV V progression. And of course the jazz standards will all have to be done away with, especially the most common progression known to jazz, the II V I. And we already heard some famous jazz standards that have that exact same line cliche as Spirit. Hmm, what else is there? Oh, no more classic rock riffs, sweep arpeggios, no one bass note chugs..... if fact, now that you mention it, if this lawsuit is legit; *no one should ever be allowed to write music ever again.*
    That is literally what this lawsuit boils down to. As a matter of fact, I'd say Spirit should be sued as well, since they so obviously stole it before Led Zeppelin did.

    • @zoraster54
      @zoraster54 5 лет назад +2

      It's sounds like to me the relatives are getting greedy

    • @songsforsale427
      @songsforsale427 5 лет назад +2

      It's not just the guitar. It's the synth too. Sorry, you're wrong

  • @davehines3137
    @davehines3137 5 лет назад +18

    I love Spirit - 12 Dreams is one of my all-time favorite albums. But this is a blatant attempt to cash in by people who weren't even in the band.

  • @36742650885
    @36742650885 5 лет назад +27

    Every artist builds on another’s foundation

  • @evilpandakillabzonattkoccu4879
    @evilpandakillabzonattkoccu4879 5 лет назад +24

    When I was a kid, I was so religious that I didnt listen to anything I thought sounded anti-Christian (I'm not like that anymore and I mention it for a reason). When I started playing guitar, I wrote a riff and showed my friends....and they go "so, you learned to play a Godsmack song? Why pretend like you wrote it?"
    ....I wasn't pretending. I didnt listen to Godsmack because I thought they were 'against my religion' and without having heard the song, I wrote the same riff that is used in the song Keep Away.
    Later, I was listening to Filter's song 'Hey Man, Nice Shot' and I realized....that's that same goddamn riff. 0.o
    That was the first time it opened my eyes to just how easy it is to write a piece if music and have be original to you....but not original at all to the rest of the world.

    • @outis439-A
      @outis439-A 4 года назад +1

      Godsmack are not that good

    • @kurtcobain8316
      @kurtcobain8316 4 года назад +1

      Yep same thing has happened to me many times.

  • @blueshowlar
    @blueshowlar 5 лет назад +32

    Not the same at all. let them alone.

  • @TacomaPaul
    @TacomaPaul 5 лет назад +38

    Robert Plant says that Ann Wilson sings the greatest cover of "Stairway" ever.
    Mark Andes (bassist for Spirit) ended up joining Heart. Ann dated him for a while.
    One would have to think that they discussed "Stairway" a few times !?
    I'd like to ask her that question. ;-)

    • @m.e.d.7997
      @m.e.d.7997 5 лет назад +5

      I have to believe they did!!

  • @HPayne62
    @HPayne62 5 лет назад +438

    The song hated by all guitar store employees.

    • @ethnicleanserberg7975
      @ethnicleanserberg7975 5 лет назад +9

      DaleJrFan_62 Pink Floyd is the best !

    • @dampcarpet2607
      @dampcarpet2607 5 лет назад +19

      Racemixer Berg lol. That’s random

    • @imagiro3218
      @imagiro3218 5 лет назад +6

      I remember first learning the guitar, it was required learnin STH. Glad Van Halen came along.

    • @ethnicleanserberg7975
      @ethnicleanserberg7975 5 лет назад +2

      @@dampcarpet2607 it isn't, Dale's profile Pic is The Wall cover

    • @dampcarpet2607
      @dampcarpet2607 5 лет назад +2

      Racemixer Berg but this vid about Led Zeppelin’s most Successful song. Nothing about Pink Floyd. That’s why random.

  • @bennito2463
    @bennito2463 7 лет назад +46

    Oh my gosh it's not plagiarized I'm pretty sure a bunch of songs repeat the same opening notes

    • @m.e.d.7997
      @m.e.d.7997 5 лет назад +1

      Many more than we ever pick up on. Tons I would imagine.

  • @MemoriesDestroyUs
    @MemoriesDestroyUs 8 лет назад +215

    10:53 how many zeppelin fans caught that.. lol

    • @cpad007
      @cpad007 7 лет назад +25

      Giving no quarter.... :o)

    • @rachelchan4186
      @rachelchan4186 7 лет назад

      jcpad007

    • @josephcoleman57
      @josephcoleman57 7 лет назад +6

      all of us l hope =0)

    • @MarkLipka
      @MarkLipka 6 лет назад +3

      MemoriesDestroyUs -- yeah, of course. So obvious.

    • @mikshank5039
      @mikshank5039 6 лет назад +5

      I immediately caught it. LOL

  • @au8329
    @au8329 5 лет назад +20

    Pretty sure Johan Sebastian Bach came up with this progression. I remember having to sing this from a chorale book for music theory classes in HS.

    • @toysintheattic2664
      @toysintheattic2664 4 года назад +4

      Jimmy page said himself that it was “watered down Bach” so maybe spirit also took inspiration from Bach

    • @kenbray5682
      @kenbray5682 4 года назад +1

      Toysinthettic All musicians take inspiration from previous musicians ! For instance George Thorogood got a lot of his music from rythm and blues... Everyone gets inspiration from someone else !

    • @leonvrins7549
      @leonvrins7549 4 года назад

      @@toysintheattic2664 He just stole it from Bach's Musik für Laute

  • @matthewbirkeland-green4356
    @matthewbirkeland-green4356 5 лет назад +18

    Why would you steal a song no-one was buying? If it were the same song, people would have bought it instead of Stairway.

    • @Renwoxing13
      @Renwoxing13 5 лет назад +3

      That is just an outright ridiculous argument. The progression is obviously beautiful, and certainly holds a strong appeal. Even if Zeppelin did steal it《and they are known, admitted thiefs》 they improved upon it, and made it their own!

    • @digitalkoh
      @digitalkoh 4 года назад +1

      @@Renwoxing13 Yep, in art, it's what you do with what you stole that matters... not where the idea came from.
      Spirit simply didn't have the talent to be great with the so claimed same prigression...

  • @juannepomucenocortinagosea2515
    @juannepomucenocortinagosea2515 4 года назад +27

    Not a stealing progression ... it´s just a VERY common preogression in Am... if you play guitar... you know that.
    Bread, America and a lot of others bands made use of this kind of progressions... we use to call them "diminished" progression or descending licks.

  • @jonashby4950
    @jonashby4950 5 лет назад +11

    The test at the end is total horseshit.
    Nobody bar hardcore rock fans knew of Taurus until this law suit became public knowledge.

  • @nicksaggio6155
    @nicksaggio6155 5 лет назад +5

    People seem to forget that zepp was born from artists that were essentially doing covers from country,gospel and folk! Remakes were a normal thing with rock and roll origins

  • @aadityasarma1874
    @aadityasarma1874 4 года назад +5

    (Video ends)
    *starts listening to Stairway *
    Me:- Nah this is too good to be stolen

    • @DebbieTomkoSUNSHINE
      @DebbieTomkoSUNSHINE 3 года назад

      Thank the recording studio for what your listening too. Ha...
      Robert Plant, Page, Bonahan , are and were very talented. I know.

  • @sdushdiu
    @sdushdiu 5 лет назад +22

    Gee, has anyone 'borrowed' riffs from John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley or Howling Wolf?

    • @BibleStorm
      @BibleStorm 5 лет назад +1

      Heard of george thorogood?

    • @sdushdiu
      @sdushdiu 5 лет назад +2

      @@BibleStorm Another who has built their career on lifting rifts...

    • @katmon7756
      @katmon7756 4 года назад

      @COVID-19 😧🤐🙊 you’re named covid-19 and that comment was 9months ago .. 🧐
      🤯hol**#!+😵

  • @paulburrows7908
    @paulburrows7908 8 лет назад +68

    take it from Rik Emmett he knows his music, plus he is funny as hell.

    • @livemusic8248
      @livemusic8248 5 лет назад

      Imagine a singing comedian he could be just that.

    • @songsforsale427
      @songsforsale427 5 лет назад

      He is great, but he himself says at the end he could be sued too

    • @fall3n245
      @fall3n245 5 лет назад

      Who?

    • @naldorgarnier
      @naldorgarnier 5 лет назад

      Well he is kind of protecting hes own interests.

    • @peterwinters8587
      @peterwinters8587 4 года назад

      @@fall3n245 Get an education

  • @adamhernandez3165
    @adamhernandez3165 5 лет назад +45

    “On stairway the band is giving no quarter”
    Pun intended

    • @MosaidDeath
      @MosaidDeath 4 года назад

      Adam Hernandez That’s not a pun.

    • @kostantinos2297
      @kostantinos2297 4 года назад

      @@MosaidDeath
      How on earth is that _not_ a pun?

    • @MosaidDeath
      @MosaidDeath 4 года назад

      Kostantinos T. Because playing a song “without mercy” doesn’t make sense. If it did then it would be a pun. How many more times do I have to ramble on about communication breakdowns like this? Those are puns.

    • @kostantinos2297
      @kostantinos2297 4 года назад

      @@MosaidDeath
      It still is a pun. In this case, it can be interpreted as performing Stairway decisively or without hesitation - at least that's how it seems to me. Anyway, if it was not a pun, why would they phrase themselves like this? Surely "no quarter" can't be referencing the song in the phrase above.

    • @foxymetroid
      @foxymetroid 3 года назад +1

      @@MosaidDeath It's a pun because "No Quarter" is the title of another Led Zeppelin song.

  • @mistergee3604
    @mistergee3604 5 лет назад +28

    Led Zeppelin toured as the opening act for Spirit...yeah, they stole that riff...or what we musicans call "they were inspired by it."

    • @thomasfoss9963
      @thomasfoss9963 5 лет назад +4

      You got it--Of course it was stolen-- Zeppelin was the warm up band to Spirit in their 1st American tour---

    • @shanemurphy3417
      @shanemurphy3417 4 года назад

      If you don’t credit it you stole it. That’s how basic morals work

    • @MachineThatCreates
      @MachineThatCreates 4 года назад +1

      Yep...Plant and Page were chronic "inspirees". In fact there's that 2 part series on LZ plagarism. But we forgive them because they are Ledzep.
      Kashmir... probably still my favorite song.

  • @NikolaDanaylov
    @NikolaDanaylov 8 лет назад +25

    This was an absolutely fantastic report and the jury should watch it before deliberating on a decision!

  • @Pelllaw26
    @Pelllaw26 8 лет назад +95

    like that guy says "NO! THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!"

    • @nikoyochum6974
      @nikoyochum6974 5 лет назад +1

      Taurus sounds more similar than While My Guitar Gently Weeps than Stairway

  • @LFC-Star
    @LFC-Star 5 лет назад +11

    same argument could be used for Sweet Home Alabama v Werewolves of London. simalar chord progression

    • @Beanzoboy
      @Beanzoboy 3 года назад

      Both those songs ripped off Kid Rock. He should sue. ;)

  • @heralddinkldorf2608
    @heralddinkldorf2608 4 года назад +6

    Just because you have a descending lick doesn’t mean it’s the same as stairway

  • @st4rdust413
    @st4rdust413 8 лет назад +438

    No they didn't. Stop ruining the legacy of this incredible song.

    • @nothingsixsixsix
      @nothingsixsixsix 6 лет назад +22

      Howard Stern exposed Zepplin as being thieves awhile back and later on Robert Plant admitted Zepplin stole certain songs.

    • @NoahSwagcool1337Zomb
      @NoahSwagcool1337Zomb 6 лет назад +6

      Electronic Surveillance But not this song, stairway to heaven gives a feeling like not many other songs does, an also the solo is craaaazy. But for example baby im gonna leave you, that one was stolen completly

    • @essscott1661
      @essscott1661 6 лет назад +3

      Electronic Surveillance there is a difference between using songs as influence and stealing them.

    • @theflyluciano7877
      @theflyluciano7877 6 лет назад +4

      Electronic Surveillance yeah they did but Stairway to heaven is there own. I believe them at that. Some songs are "Stolen" from others yes indeed. But not Stairway, like I said Stairway to heaven is there own

    • @jcripp7974
      @jcripp7974 6 лет назад +10

      Every musician borrows , steals, uses, nicks, put your own word to it. Bends things differently, takes them in different directions. Always been done, always will be. Some good, some bad. Thats how rock n roll grew from the blues and such. To say Zeppelin ripped off these blues riffs is naive at best and just ignorant of music altogether

  • @NullVoid241
    @NullVoid241 7 лет назад +58

    Randy California didn't care, then he died. Sounds like a Cash Crab to me.

    • @dynjarren7523
      @dynjarren7523 5 лет назад

      Actually he did care! Whenever he heard Stairway on the Radio he would think how they copied it from Taurus. And Led Zep played at concerts with his band and Page heard Taurus live! But he died in an accident saving his sons life. So he couldn’t sue.
      Now the case is back in Court Again!
      I think this time they will settle. Zep was Guilty of borrowing many other songs without credit!

  • @MrFairlane58
    @MrFairlane58 5 лет назад +13

    The Beatle's 'MICHELLE' uses it :)

  • @Sam-oq1zm
    @Sam-oq1zm 5 лет назад +3

    “Dazed and Confused” was a version. The song it was derived from has the same name.

  • @jerbear1601
    @jerbear1601 8 лет назад +30

    completely ridiculous!

  • @CasioGreg
    @CasioGreg 7 лет назад +16

    rik emmett explained it best....

  • @CyrusOG666
    @CyrusOG666 4 года назад +5

    Thank you Jimmy Page. Where you took your inspiration should be grateful you turned it into pure magic. I’ll be listening to Led Zeppelin “In My Time Of Dying”.

  • @marklittle1651
    @marklittle1651 5 лет назад +2

    It's hard as a songwriter not to step on others before you. One of the fist songs I wrote in the 90s was about a good friend who died in a car crash . I rarely write songs about real life but many years later a friend was listening to my old cd's and said that's house of the rising sun and sure enough it was , chord for chord . I just made it up because it was all the chords I knew at the time that seemed to fit together .
    So I put words ,bass , drums , strings and vocals to it . the outcome was far from house of the rising sun but after it was pointed out the guitar was identical. Honestly I think copy write should be lifted after 10 years on all music .

  • @Davy.J.Y
    @Davy.J.Y 7 лет назад +37

    I'm glad i watched this,, Led Zep are off the hook with this one, they are not guilty.

    • @songsforsale427
      @songsforsale427 5 лет назад +2

      They're one of the biggest kleptomaniacs of all time.

  • @wesworach7441
    @wesworach7441 8 лет назад +25

    One thing is certain - Rick Emmett still rocks !

  • @jerrymorganjr
    @jerrymorganjr 5 лет назад +5

    That descending thing has been around for HUNDREDS of years!! There is classical arrangements that have this same sort of thing going on.

  • @aidenhaney7071
    @aidenhaney7071 5 лет назад

    that song single handedly introduced me 2 rock and now its all i listen to. i first heard it when listening to riffs because i had just picked up a guitar

  • @judemallari9357
    @judemallari9357 6 лет назад +92

    ♦️♦️♦️ Led Zeppelin ♦️♦️♦️

  • @The_Gallowglass
    @The_Gallowglass 5 лет назад +3

    That'd be like having two paintings featuring a similar waterfall and calling one theft of the other.

  • @jennygore9833
    @jennygore9833 5 лет назад +20

    There are a finite number of chords of course songs will sound alike

  • @BibleStorm
    @BibleStorm 5 лет назад +3

    6:55 This sums it up. Musicians understand we only have so many notes and (within a few minutes) finite amounts of things to do with them. Yes they're similar, maybe one was even inspired by the other. But it's not the same

  • @Aristotelezz
    @Aristotelezz 7 лет назад +11

    LZ is known for copying and stealing but IMO Stairway to Heaven is theirs. At best it's inspired by Taurus and not copied.

    • @Red4350
      @Red4350 5 лет назад +1

      inspired??? it's the same thing but they added one note to it lol

    • @MmpM123YT
      @MmpM123YT 4 года назад

      @@Red4350 nope
      Its completely different
      It sounds similar
      But so do dozens of other songs as the video shows
      Its like processing everyone that uses an E chord because i used one in my music

  • @parkercrone9281
    @parkercrone9281 5 лет назад +3

    As a guitar player one thing we all have to understand, everything you make on guitar has already been done, there is no such thing as a “new riff” because somebody has already done it it a million times. It’s clear they didn’t copy that, but I do see the resemblance

  • @logurt_5618
    @logurt_5618 5 лет назад +6

    4:18 he's fighting for zeppelin bless his soul

  • @nqobizwenyide7436
    @nqobizwenyide7436 5 лет назад +6

    Robert Johnson surely underated as Page admitted him as his foremost guitar influence.

    • @kingscotimus
      @kingscotimus 5 лет назад

      I'm guessing you've never heard of Sun House

  • @nzxtzaval2797
    @nzxtzaval2797 8 лет назад +8

    IT'S NOT A COPY!!!!

  • @pedrodeeg3893
    @pedrodeeg3893 6 лет назад +27

    They would not be making an issue if stairway was not popular and a flop. Since it is a massive hit, they want to cash in on some of that money

  • @joeframo3347
    @joeframo3347 4 года назад +1

    He's absolutely right two different songs very educational thank you for sharing this video there's no way they could be sued

  • @118crazyhorse
    @118crazyhorse 5 лет назад +1

    People said "Highway Song" by Blackfoot was a rip off of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" just because they were both slow ballads with long fast guitar solos at the end. in reality, those two songs werent even in the same key

  • @Zopf-international
    @Zopf-international 5 лет назад +5

    Although Zep didn't take Whole Lotta Love straight from Muddy, they did take it rom the Small Faces.

    • @CDJF1
      @CDJF1 5 лет назад

      They took it from Willie Dixon who wrote it....after they lost all zep records now credit Dixon on whole lotta love.

  • @edwardburner2721
    @edwardburner2721 5 лет назад +8

    Why didnt they sue Jim Croce for Time in a Bottle. Its closer to Taurus then Stairway. Answer: $$$$$$$$$$

    • @paulhine1061
      @paulhine1061 5 лет назад

      Have a listen to the chord sequence in the first part of the verse of "Old Compton Street Blues" by Al Stewart (Love Chronicles album). Again, similar to the opening chords to Stairway. Guess who played the lead guitar parts on the Al Stewart track? Anyway, Stairway is not a steal but Zeppelin could have been more forthcoming about where they "borrowed" material from if only to acknowledge the artists that influenced their tracks. Guess not doing interviews didn't help :) Btw, Spirit were a cool band and Randy California a fab guitarist.

    • @chrishorton615
      @chrishorton615 5 лет назад +1

      Is There Anybody Out There? Off of the Wall sounds more like Taurus than Stairway to Heaven.

  • @musclecarfan74
    @musclecarfan74 Год назад

    Taurus is a 2:37 instrumental song off the debut album from Spirit on January 22, 1968 written by Randy California, at age 16. He passed away in 1997

  • @Razzlyn
    @Razzlyn 4 года назад +2

    They just took a small idea and made it grow. ..."And it Always Grows!"

  • @philchaser3018
    @philchaser3018 8 лет назад +14

    Well they won. So they didnt steal it.

  • @ktarnik
    @ktarnik 5 лет назад +7

    chord progression? C'mon. What's next? C and G chords played one after another?

  • @mackosvira540
    @mackosvira540 4 года назад

    Stairway to Heaven is like unfolding wave, becoming bigger and bigger. The opening phrase gives a signature (stolen or not), but moments when drums entering the song, iconic solo part and ending verse, this is what makes it one of the greatest.

  • @rayfunk5659
    @rayfunk5659 5 лет назад +1

    Saw an interview with Ronnie Montrose discussing the making of his iconic album. He attributed everything to very spontaneous composition and specifically mentioned drummer Denny Carmassi mimicking John Bonham's unmistakeable beat to "When the Levee Breaks', itself a cover of an old blues standard. This became Montrose's "Rock Candy". Far as I know, nobody is suing over that. Rock on.

  • @ronrow3
    @ronrow3 8 лет назад +63

    This Led Zeppelin copyright lawsuit thing is utterly absurd. Maybe everybody should sue God for making any 2 things in the universe the same.

    • @PotatoeChipz
      @PotatoeChipz 6 лет назад +5

      not sure god would show up at the courthouse

    • @pxngz7154
      @pxngz7154 5 лет назад

      Po Tato lmaoo

    • @dustinnoonan7883
      @dustinnoonan7883 5 лет назад +1

      Start a class action I'm on board

    • @damionsunderpants498
      @damionsunderpants498 5 лет назад +1

      @@PotatoeChipz I think he'll be there. God is omnipresent.

    • @lewisner
      @lewisner 5 лет назад

      Led Zeppelin existed, god doesn't.

  • @moodblue81
    @moodblue81 8 лет назад +15

    I agree too, "Stairway" is a Zep tune!

  • @dougaldhendrick3497
    @dougaldhendrick3497 5 лет назад

    It's also the same sequence for Johnny Rivers 'summer rain', the other part is exactly all along the watch tower!

  • @rationalrabbit797
    @rationalrabbit797 5 лет назад +2

    I am confused by this whole business. Surely its the melody of a song which is protected by copyright, not the chord sequence behind the melody or a guitar intro. The melody of Stairway is completely different to the song its claimed to infringe. I am amazed this could even get to court.

  • @mgn3320
    @mgn3320 5 лет назад +3

    I think to people who don’t play guitar it may sound similar but people who do think otherwise

  • @dianekershaw3315
    @dianekershaw3315 5 лет назад +3

    If your a true Zep fan you couldnt mistake the Zep intro from Taurus. If I heard Taurus's intro come on the radio I wouldn't even consider thinking this is Stairway To Heaven.

  • @CmdrTomalak
    @CmdrTomalak 5 лет назад +1

    Holy crap... that's Rick Emmett? That dude could walk past me on the street and I never would've known. LOL

  • @duncansluder9411
    @duncansluder9411 5 лет назад

    Was that record store towards the middle in Toronto?

  • @wdwd11tr
    @wdwd11tr 5 лет назад +5

    “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” by Pink Floyd, the Beatles’ “Something” and “Michelle,” Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle,” “Into the Great Wide Open” by Tom Petty and the jazz standard “My Funny Valentine” ,"While my Guitar Gently Weeps".... infinite other songs with chromatic descending from the root of a minor chord. What makes "Stairway" unique (or more unique) is the simultaneously ascending melody from the root. This is like when Saul Zarntz sued John Fogerty for "self plagiarism" because "Old Man Down the Road" sounded like "Run Through the Jungle" (Fogerty wrote them both)

  • @JayRenn
    @JayRenn 5 лет назад +3

    The blues would not exist had the players of the 1930's started suing the players of the 1940's over the I, IV, V progression. That would have been the end of it.

  • @johntherevelator2020
    @johntherevelator2020 5 лет назад

    3:26-40: what's the name of that song?

  • @comicblueswithjonygitar36
    @comicblueswithjonygitar36 5 лет назад

    It's a standard blues turnaround built off an A chord. Oye Como Va has a bridge that's the same. The use of part of descending turnaround doesn't come close to Stairway. It's a different resolution too, not the same. I think the court case agrees.

  • @maxbrazil3712
    @maxbrazil3712 5 лет назад +4

    There's an acoustic bit in Pink Floyd's "The Wall" that is also similar. So what?

  • @Pelllaw26
    @Pelllaw26 8 лет назад +32

    OK the lyric stuff are bullcrap. how the fuck are rappers not get copyrighted for saying "Yo" or "Hoe" and other stuff.

    • @thomashope373
      @thomashope373 8 лет назад +4

      +Michael Jackson Michael, you also don't need a fullstop with a question mark. There is also a fullstop missing at the end so i'm not sure if you got confused or what.

    • @streghewitch77
      @streghewitch77 7 лет назад +1

      I hate grammar Nazis. they can't find fault with your content so they pick apart your syntax spelling and punctuation (I used NONE on purpose..hoping to piss her off) because it is the only way they can feel good about themselves...the only way they can feel superior!

    • @Grendal54
      @Grendal54 7 лет назад +1

      My phone changes half the stuff I write and doesn't let me change it.

    • @PotatoeChipz
      @PotatoeChipz 6 лет назад

      sacred, you forgot to capitalize the t in they asscheese

  • @johnbatinovic6593
    @johnbatinovic6593 5 лет назад

    At Steve's Music (in Toronto) they have (had?) a sign - No Stairway To Heaven, No Smoke On the Water, No Sweet Home Alabama. I wonder if it's still there.

  • @kerry9025
    @kerry9025 4 года назад

    *I’m a little behind .... Does anyone know if this has gone to court yet & if so, the outcome?*

  • @lizardof78
    @lizardof78 5 лет назад +6

    The estate is trying to climb a "stairway to" riches.

  • @m0j0b0ne
    @m0j0b0ne 8 лет назад +9

    Most civilians don't understand what gets copyrighted; it's lyrics and melody, not chord progressions and definitely not basslines and beats. You're never gonna see Meghan Trainor sued for All About That Bass, even though it has a classic Rhumba bassline that's heard in nearly all the rhumba music you'll ever hear and a LOT of 50s pop and rock tunes, as well as The Ballad Of John & Yoko.

    • @m.e.d.7997
      @m.e.d.7997 5 лет назад

      What about My Sweet Lord and One Fine Day.??

  • @jacobshaffer3726
    @jacobshaffer3726 5 лет назад +2

    Rick Emmett low-key looks like Christoph Waltz lmao

  • @edward4840
    @edward4840 5 лет назад

    Anyway, at the end there's the final verse which has the ending of Am, G, F, G repeated. Isn't that the same as the whole of All Along The Watchtower by Bob Dylan?