In what could become one of the more entertaining court battles in music history, Led Zeppelin is being sued for stealing parts of "Stairway To Heaven" from a song by the 60s band Spirit called "Taurus" more than 45 years after the song was written. The estate of Spirit guitarist and "Taurus" songwriter Randy California filed the lawsuit, which is going to trial on May 10th.
All this stems from the fact that Zep opened for Spirit several times during their first tour of the United States during which Spirit performed "Taurus" as part of their set. OK, we get that, but why wait 40+ years to sue?
If you listen to the Spirit song below, you'll hear some vague similarities to the intro of "Stairway," but it's of a rather generic guitar pattern and nothing like the song's melody. That said, after last year's "Blurred Lines" plagiarism lawsuit won by the estate of Marvin Gaye, suits like this are now leaning more in favor of the plaintiff than ever before.
It's been estimated that "Stairway" has made the Zeps $540 million over the years, and the California estate is obviously hoping for at least a reasonable piece of that, but songwriters Jimmy Page and Robert Plant (who are the only Zeps named in the suit) obviously have deep pockets and are willing to fight as necessary.
So songwriters beware, there's nothing new under the sun given the 12 note scale that western musicians use, so you're probably copying a previous song without even knowing it. And today, that's enough to get you sued.
Go to 0:45 on the video below to hear what's considered to be the similarities between songs.
(photo: Jim Summaria via Wikipedia)
"Stairway To Heaven" has been a staple of classic rock radio since the song was released in 1972 on Led Zeppelin 4 and for many, it's the song that epitomizes that era of music. Have a listen to Jimmy Page describe the creation of the song to BBC News.
One of the cool things Page describes is how the song intentionally accelerated as it went along, going against the sensibilities of the band's studio musician mindset.
I haven't done a song analysis for quite a while as I've been saving them up for some new editions of my Deconstructed Hits series. Here's a preview from Classic Rock Volume 2. It's "Kashmir," one of Led Zeppelin's most iconic songs.
"Of all the songs recorded by Led Zeppelin, “Kashmir” may be the most highly regarded. Considered to be the peak musical achievement by all four members of the band, the song was a radio staple from when it was released (even with 8:28 running time) until this day.
“Kashmir” was originally titled “Driving to Kashmir” and reflects a time when guitarist/producer Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant were driving through the Saharan Desert on their way to play the National Festival of Morocco. The song carries Moroccan musical influences, despite Kashmir actually being a province of India, a country half a world away.
This was one of the few songs by the band that featured outside musicians, as uncredited string and horn players were brought in to provide the power that only an orchestra can provide. The song actually took three years to complete, as it started out on a home recorded work tape of Page. The song is only credited to three of the four band members as bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones was late getting to the studio when the song was being worked out.
The Song
Few Led Zeppelin songs follow the traditional rules of popular songwriting, and “Kashmir” is no exception. The verses are principally in 6/8 time but the drums play in a 4/4 rhythm against it, yet instrumental choruses and bridges come back to 4/4 so the song seems anchored and closer to what we’re used to hearing. Plus, there’s no traditional vocal chorus, as only the orchestral riff at the end of each verse acts like a chorus.
Even though the song might be considered a dirge by some, the lyrics are fairly positive and uplifting, being set around the idea of life as an adventure. The verses are written as poetry with few forced rhymes (save for the second verse, which feels unfinished), but the bridges are somewhat contrived and seem almost like they were improvised or tacked on at the last minute. The form looks like this:
“Kashmir” has an arrangement as interesting as the song demands. The song is very long because the sections repeat multiple times (except for bridge 1 that only happens once in the song), but we don’t lose interest not only because of the power of the orchestra, but because of the subtle arrangement changes.
The intro and verse are the same instrumentally with the guitar on the left, strings on the right and drums up the middle, except for the vocal entering on the verse. The instrumental chorus has an additional guitar doubling the line on the right, and horns in the center.
The second verse is identical to the first except a string counter line enters, with the basses holding the lowest note on the right side. The second chorus is the same as the first except for the strings doubling the guitar on the left.
The first bridge is entirely different from the rest of the song in that it’s much more open and funky, especially the drums. The elements remain the same as the chorus, with the second string line on the left doubling the guitar original guitar line, and Page’s guitar now playing harmony to it. The next chorus is identical in arrangement to the previous one.
The second bridge sees the Mellotron strings playing a high line on the left and the lower strings from the orchestra playing a different, almost answering line on the right, with the horns punctuating the accents.
The third verse is identical to the second, except that low horns answer the end of the string counter phrase. The next chorus is the same as the previous, as is the last verse and chorus, except for the last time through the pattern when low strings fill out the sound.
The final bridge sees the Mellotron strings begin on the right, punctuated by horns at the end of each line. After 4 bars, a new ascending line enters with the orchestra strings on the left and Mellotron on the right, accompanied by much more active drumming, including fills at the end of each string line.
Arrangement Elements
The Foundation: bass and drums
The Rhythm: none
The Pad: strings and horns, Mellotron (bridge 2)
The Lead: lead vocal
The Fills: strings and horns
The Sound
The mix balance of “Kashmir” is very interesting as it centers around John Bonham’s drums with Jimmy Page’s guitar and John Paul Jones’ bass somewhat buried in the mix. Even the vocal is laid back into the mix, which is typical of many rock songs in order to help emphasis the power of the band.
Bonzo’s drum sound is typical of all Led Zeppelin albums in that it’s somewhat distant and roomy, mostly because the drummer insisted on recording with two or three mics (when recording in stereo) in order to adequately capture the sound of the drums as he heard them. That said, by this time most other producers were resorting to using more mics closer in on the drums in order to capture the full sound of each, which helped to make them sound more dramatic. You can hear the difference in Bonzo’s many drum fills on the last bridge of the song where you can hear a bit of a stereo effect, but not what we’re used to hearing on other records. The drums were also put through an Eventide phaser suppled by engineer Ron Nevison, which can be heard clearly on the cymbal crashes of the first bridge.
Probably the most interesting thing on the record is how much producer Page used the stereo field. Guitar is panned to the left and the strings are panned to the right during the bridge and the strings are in wide stereo during the chorus. As the song progresses, you hear two different strings lines on the left and right in the second bridge, and a low horn pans left to center, then right to center at the end of the string counter phrases during the third and fourth verses.
LISTEN UP
To the guitar on the left and the strings on the right playing the same line during the verses
To the wide stereo reverb on the vocal
To the stereo orchestra panned hard left and right during the choruses
To the two different string lines left and right on the second bridge
To the low horn that pans left to right at the end of the string line during the third and fourth verses
To the phasing effect on the drums during the first bridge
The Production
The production of “Kashmir” is truly a departure for both Led Zeppelin and rock music at the time. Being known as the most influential rock band of the era didn’t stop them from coming out of left field to employ an orchestra on a recording that was the centerpiece of the album, and some say even the band’s career.
The fact that the guitar is somewhat buried in the mix turns out to be a brilliant move. It’s there in the mix and an essential part, but it doesn’t need to be front and center like on other songs.
Another interesting production point is that’s it’s difficult to tell the difference between the simulated strings and the real ones, a tribute to arranger John Paul Jones skills. The Mellotron strings can be more clearly heard as a line on the bridge 2, but they interweave so well with the real strings that it takes a conscious effort to discern the difference.
Yet another interesting production trick is the panning of the instruments in the mix. There are elements constantly entering and exiting from all sides, as well as parts moving from one side to the other. The moves are subtle, and in no way make the recording seem as drastic as a stereo demonstration record, instead adding the interest that an 8+ minute song needs to keep the listener’s attention.
All this leads to one of the most important and influential track of the era, and one that seems destined to be played on radio and streaming to people’s headphones for decades to come.
Here's a very interesting isolated track from "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin. It's the isolated lead guitar track, and while there isn't that much music of it (most of the track consists of only headphone leakage), it is pretty telling of how Zep recorded.
What you'll hear is Jimmy Page's guitar parts in the turnaround before choruses, the solo harmony parts, and an interesting part at the end that's not on the record. Here's what to listen for:
1. The first part enters at 1:05 and it's the pre-chorus clean guitar part. Nothing particularly remarkable here; it sounds just like the record.
2. The first solo begins at 1:55 and it consists of long sustaining distorted notes that are a harmony to the main guitar part. Listen to the end, where Page plays a very busy fill that doesn't make the final mix.
3. The second solo comes at 2:31 and once again it's a harmony part. It's not performed with great precision but it certainly works within the context of the part.
4. At 4:00 the reverb is turned way up and Page plays some harmonics and sustained notes, then some fills at the end. This is something that you won't hear on the record as the song is faded by the time these parts enter.
5. The interesting thing in this track is that it appears that Page knew exactly what he was going to play in every section beforehand. Where today we would take each section at a time and work on it, in this case it was more like, "Go into record for the entire song and let me take a pass." As a result, this might have been the only take of these parts.
For all of you guitar fans who love history, here's a look at Jimmy Page's rhythm guitar parts from Led Zeppelin's classic hit "Whole Lotta Love." The song might've ripped off Willie Dixon, but it exposed millions of kids to maybe the world's most basic blues riff. Here are some things to listen for:
1. The riff is doubled (1958 Les Paul Standard through a 100 watt Marshall Plexi) but it's in mono. It's also pretty loose, as you can hear either one or both parts misplayed at a number of places in the songs. Of course, that wouldn't get by today, but did that ever bother any of us before?
2. The bridge begins at 1:24, but the guitar ad libs don't begin until 1:50. At that point the amp noise increases, perhaps as a result from switching in the delay.
3. Something that you don't hear too clearly in the final mix is the new guitar riff that begins at the outro at 4:40.
4. If you listen all the way to the end you'll hear two endings. The first is rather tame, but listen a little more and you'll hear a more wild ending from the previous take at 5:50.
Here's a rare interview with Led Zeppelin founder/producer Jimmy Page. It's an excerpt from 2012 on the BBC News. It's a bit of a promo about the DVD from their 2007 reunion show, of which bits and pieces are shown during the interview, but it's still great to hear from him.
You can tell from the conversation that he still wants to tour and there's been some rumors that Robert Plant has softened on the prospect. Here's hoping that it happens.
Last week I posted a great out-take from the film "It Might Get Loud" featuring Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White. Here's another excerpt that features a great lesson for guitar players and another for musicians in general.
The lesson for musician's is that dynamics are so important in music and they can't be overlooked. "Whisper to the thunder," as Page says and displays during a solo look at "Ramble On."Dynamics are one of the secrets of success for any major act and Jimmy provides a great example here.
Guitar players should also check out Page's playing during this clip. No, not the notes, but how clean he plays with the volume turned back on the front pickup during the verse and B-sections, and then how it gets big, loud and raucous when the chorus hits and he switches to the rear pickup.
I got a chance to see the movie "It Might Get Loud" again the other day when I was gifted it as a DVD. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a movie revolving around guitarists Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White. You find out what makes them tick, their earliest days, and their musical development from each ones own personal perspectives, which is fascinating.
Jack White proves that being a musician is about attitude; knowing down to your core why you're making music and not caring what anyone thinks about it. He's a sloppy player technically, but he's also a real-deal guitar player; a guy that loves the blues and is constantly trying to get to the essence of his feelings and passion, much like Neil Young. I've only met a few players like this, but their vibe is so strong that it transcends any mis-fingered notes or being out of tune. The vibe is so thick you forget all that and just enjoy.
The Edge is an innovator. His technique is limited but you'd never know it because he plays within himself and his limitations so well. That doesn't work for someone playing in a cover band or as a studio musician, but it's the only way to go as an artist. He's developed a whole style around a Memory Man echo unit that is totally his. He's one of the few players in any genre that all you need to hear are a few notes to identify him. How many artists can say that? He also seems like such a nice down to earth guy as well.
Jimmy Page is an icon. He's rock and roll aristocracy. He's on a pedestal and deserves it. He's now influenced several generations of guitarists with his arrangements, choice of notes, and songwriting, and will probably continue to do so way after he's gone. Yet he's a somewhat sloppy player as well, not that that every bothered anyone. Just like Jack White, it's his passion that makes every mis-fingering a joy. His sense of dynamics is a must for any musician to learn, as evidenced in the spot where he plays "Ramble On." If I were a guitar teacher I would insist that every student watch and learn what he's doing dynamically. The notes don't matter, but the dynamic feel is the essence of great music.
Notice a pattern here? None of the three are virtuoso technicians, yet their revered for their playing. They're stylists, they're passionate, and they're masters of their heart. That's what music should be.
But probably the best part of the movie is when the three of them sit down and play together on a soundstage. There's a part in the movie (shown below) where Page begins to play "Whole Lotta Love" and Edge and White are like little kids at their first music lesson. Their jaws are on the floor and their eyes are big. For that brief period of time, they weren't stars, they were us.
I never believed that there should be a Rock & Roll hall of fame. This just seems like an honor that isn't needed, since it hinges more on sales than on musical influence.
That being said, the show is frequently enjoyable, and I must admit that I'd like to see one in person sometime (missed my chance when the Ventures were inducted).
The induction will take place in Cleveland on April 4 and be televised live by Fuse. Here's who we'll see:
Jimmy Page will induct his Yardbird mate Jeff Beck
Red Hot Chili Pepper Flea will do the honors for Metallica
Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood will introduce singer Bobby Womack
Eminem will induct rappers Run-D.M.C
Smokey Robinson will introduce Little Anthony and the Imperials.
In the sideman category, E Street Band members Garry Tallent and Max Weinberg will induct their opposite numbers for Elvis Presley, drummer DJ Fontana and the late bassist Bill Black, while Paul Shaffer will intro legendary session keyboard player Spooner Oldham.
In what could become one of the more entertaining court battles in music history, Led Zeppelin is being sued for stealing parts of "Stairway To Heaven" from a song by the 60s band Spirit called "Taurus" more than 45 years after the song was written. The estate of Spirit guitarist and "Taurus" songwriter Randy California filed the lawsuit, which is going to trial on May 10th.
