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Led Zeppelin Examples of Plagiarism


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I just saw this vid on Youtube.. I knew about some of them but not all.. The info on the vid says the owners of all these songs have either won their case or its pending...

 

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Yeah, they were pretty bad about that. A lot of the English guys were into super charging the American blues they learned on. Most guys just lifted a riff and then wrote a new lyric and re-titled it, but Zeppelin would take the whole thing... title, lyric, riff.. and not credit it. Guess they still got rich.

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Is this a new thing? We have known about it for years. It like saying Keith Richards did Heroin. Old News.

No.... I just thought it was interesting hearing them all side by side... nothing else...

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I listened to about half or more...taking a chance on my computer crashing cause it doesn't like vids (old laptop...lol)

 

I'm gonna tell the truth: nearly ALL the examples here contain traditional licks and even lyrics that have been used many, many times before by others. It's a lot of blues and folk music.

 

Other examples, they don't even sound the same to me, and also, it's a combo of some sounding not the same, and some trying to claim something played by EVERYONE ELSE is somehow theirs because Zep did the same thing they did.

 

Really. this is ALL about money. Zep has done better and is the BEST target for those looking to cash in IF they could win a case. It's nothing more than that as far as those making claims.

 

For those that believe the claims and/or hear similarities, it's a matter of not being educated or familiar with the Blues or traditional folk music and it's origins.

 

As it is, the TRUTH, is that Mr. Page was such a good guitar player, ans so studied and familiar that he was able to play a wide variety of traditional music and do it well and do it right, and they made some great songs being creative on what they were able to do with that. The ability to play well what others have been playing for hundreds of years, and make rock and roll out of it is what's happening here. He is/was a master of interpretation and re-interpretation.

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Here is another example of Led Zeppelin's plagiarism or are they just doing a cover, but why chance the original title of the song? Ritchie Valens "Oh my Head" and Led Zeppelin "boogie with stu"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaXA_Hr0CE8

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYyHfztkPUY

 

Well, they did give a credit to "Mrs. Valens" on that album.

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Well ya they ripped off songs.

I don't necessarily admire that but what they did steal they took it and kicked a$$ with it.

The poor saps they ripped off are free to seek compensation. Not my problem.

I do and always will love Zep.

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After watching the video, I checked the album credits for two of the songs listed, I Can't Quit You Baby & Bring it on Home and they are both credited to Dixon. That's on the updated versions released last year though, I don't feel the urge to go looking for my old vinyl copies.

I think it's probably safe to say that most musicians probably rip off other peoples riffs or tunes at some stage, either consciously or subconsciously. How many of the lead licks that we use when we're improvising have we picked up off records and don't even realise it? Most of them I suspect.

 

Ian

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Me too. Custard Pie still kicks my a$$ when hear that opening riff.

 

Agreed, and hell, even their tag of 'world's greatest covers band' contains the phrase 'world's greatest'!

 

And Stein, I agree your sentiments about Mr Page's reinterpreting skills, but he would have benefited from his mate Mr Plant being bothered to take the time to at least change the lyrics and delivery on some of those tunes [laugh].

 

Frinstance..

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3_pYjcoXG5c

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Jimmy Page is in my top 2 favorite guitar players. That being said, about this plagiarism video:

Some of it was blatant some I wouldn't call plagiarism. Bring it on home didn't sound like the Willie Dixon song at all.

On the blatant rip offs like Bert Jansch's tune, John Lennon said of George's My Sweet Lord troubles, Change it a little bit.

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I always found it absolute genius how Zep "borrowed" so heavily from their heroes, yet created something so unique at the same time.

 

Never made any difference to me. The history of rock 'n' roll is just one generation devouring and regurgitating the generation before it. The true talent rises to the top.

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Jimmy Page is in my top 2 favorite guitar players. That being said, about this plagiarism video:

Some of it was blatant some I wouldn't call plagiarism. Bring it on home didn't sound like the Willie Dixon song at all.

On the blatant rip offs like Bert Jansch's tune, John Lennon said of George's My Sweet Lord troubles, Change it a little bit.

 

 

Jimmy is in my top two as well, I was fortunate enough to see them on their last tour of the U.S. that was later cut short due to the death of Plants boy.

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I only knew about 4 or 5 of those Zep tunes, but knew all about the plagiarism.

I was always a much bigger Bert Jansch fan than a Zeppelin fan so knew about the 'Black Water Side' ripoff the moment I saw Page play it on TV.

 

It was not such a big deal in those times. That doesn't excuse Plant/Page, but the culture was less observant of litigation in general. For example, Randy California made no attempt to bring about proceedings over 'Stairway to Heaven'. It was long after his death that his people did that.

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I only knew about 4 or 5 of those Zep tunes, but knew all about the plagiarism.

I was always a much bigger Bert Jansch fan than a Zeppelin fan so knew about the 'Black Water Side' ripoff the moment I saw Page play it on TV.

 

It was not such a big deal in those times. That doesn't excuse Plant/Page, but the culture was less observant of litigation in general. For example, Randy California made no attempt to bring about proceedings over 'Stairway to Heaven'. It was long after his death that his people did that.

 

No man, I do believe he did. I do believe he was stymied and stonewalled all along the way. I do believe some recent changes to criteria are why his peoples were able to, something about the rights to anything Randy claimed was his material.

 

I think that, I may be wrong, so I'm not arguing with you.

 

Well, I am technically.

 

I kinda like it so, no, you're wrong you git.

 

rct

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It was cool that he played ripped off songs using a Tele but everyone thought it was a Les Paul. Woulda been better if he played ripped off songs using a fake guitar and then smashed it.

 

rct

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...I do believe some recent changes to criteria are why his peoples were able to, something about the rights to anything Randy claimed was his material....

I could be wrong but I think it was because the original tapes were re-mastered which meant that the re-released material, unlike the original release, wasn't outside the time-period for litigation. Statute of Limitations? Something like that.

 

I don't give a monkeys. Folks have been ripping off 'borrowing' from earlier sources since the days of Gregorian chants.

A bit later than that but Handel 'borrowing' heavily from the final movement of Beethoven's 9th also comes to mind.

 

The blues? Seriously? We, as a peoples, have been playing and recording this stuff for over eighty years.

How much wholly-original variation can there be with a basic three-chord trick?

 

Pip.

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I always found it absolute genius how Zep "borrowed" so heavily from their heroes, yet created something so unique at the same time.

 

Never made any difference to me. The history of rock 'n' roll is just one generation devouring and regurgitating the generation before it. The true talent rises to the top.

 

It might have mattered to you if you were a musician who had written a tune and someone comes along and copies it and makes millions. Riping off is ripping off and we all know that. I'm a Zep fan too. But they ripped these people off. And they knew it.

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It was cool that he played ripped off songs using a Tele but everyone thought it was a Les Paul. Woulda been better if he played ripped off songs using a fake guitar and then smashed it.

 

rct

 

I know someone who was determined to get Page's sound. He spent money on this, only to discover later that he had lied about what he used.

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I just saw this vid on Youtube.. I knew about some of them but not all.. The info on the vid says the owners of all these songs have either won their case or its pending...

 

I used to be a heavy critic of zepplin, then i watched this video, talked to some friends in bands and seen a few more like this were the artist mentions influeces and i realized that every good guitar player borrows from someone before them. Zepplin was no doubt a talented band, but my only issue was when they took songs word for word and tried to claim ownership. A simple rift like the beginning of stairway really doesnt make a difference, they wrote the rest of it themselves.

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