The Blame Remains the Same!?

Led Zeppelin – and the Classic Rock Universe – was jolted by a news of a recent lawsuit filed by representatives of the band Spirit claiming that the intro to the Zeppelin classic ‘Stairway To Heaven’ was lifted from the song ‘Taurus’, which appeared on the Spirit self-titled 1968 debut album. Spirit guitarist Randy California – who passed away in 1997 – always contended that Zep ripped off the intro, noting that the two groups toured together during Zeppelin’s formative years.

The timing of the lawsuit casts a dark cloud over a legacy that has seen a strong resurgence over the last several years. When Zeppelin announced a series of reunion shows in 2007, tickets went in matter of minutes. They also are Kennedy Center Honorees and Jimmy Page was given an honorary doctorate from the Berklee School Of Music. Page put aside his long aversion to the press, doing a series of extended interviews to promote a massive remastering and reissue of the entire Zeppelin catalog. The legendary guitarist went through the band’s vaults and in some cases, making deals with the same bootleggers his team used to fight against, to find rare tracks, outtakes and prime live performances. There’s also a high demand for a Led Zeppelin to tour, which promoters estimate could gross over a billion dollars.

Now, Page will have answer another round of plagiarism charges that have dogged the band since their inception. Folk singer Jake Holmes has a pending suit asking for writing credit (and royalties) for the Zep classic ‘Dazed and Confused’, claiming it was directly taken from his song ‘I’m Confused’. In two separate cases, the band made out of court settlements involving blues legend Willie Dixon after it was revealed that Dixon never received proper credit for the songs that opened and closed the iconic album Led Zeppelin II: ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and ‘Bring It On Home’.

It should be interesting to see how this plays out. In the past, news like this came and went in a flash, with settlement terms getting buried, if mentioned at all. But now in the age where nothing is kept secret, and involving what is considered one of the most recognizable opening riffs (and songs) in rock history, it could place one of their genres most beloved bands in an entirely new context.

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Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.