• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Is "Stairway to Heaven" opening based on "Taurus" by Spirit?

RayDunzl

Grand Contributor
Central Scrutinizer
Joined
Mar 9, 2016
Messages
13,202
Likes
16,982
Location
Riverview FL
I wonder how many similar suits have been filed by folks in the Country Music genre.
 

Phelonious Ponk

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Feb 26, 2016
Messages
859
Likes
215
I always find these suits amusing. If it got past the opening lick, if a singer came in and sang "There's a girlfriend I know, and she loves to snort blow, and she's riding freight train to Cle-e-v-land." to the same melody as Stairway, I'd get it. But that opening riff? It's an arpeggiated Am chord with the bass line walking down from the root to end in a C chord. Jimmy Page didn't invent that and neither did Spirit. If you played guitar in isolation, without ever listening to pop music, you'd probably get to it eventually.

Tim
 

TBone

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
1,191
Likes
348
These often get settled out of court and then hushed, like Huey Lewis & News vs Ray Parker Jr. / Ghostbusters. IIRC, Parker later sued Lewis based on non-disclosure ... Huey didn't "hush" when spilling the beans in his bio/doc Behind the Music, also settled out-of-court.
 

TBone

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
1,191
Likes
348
my favorite ... (sued for sounding like himself; "the Fogerty ruling") ...
 

RayDunzl

Grand Contributor
Central Scrutinizer
Joined
Mar 9, 2016
Messages
13,202
Likes
16,982
Location
Riverview FL
I like it.

It has one chord... Oops, there's another one...

Zappa - from the Real Frank Zappa Book

"Gimme the tune. Do I like this tune? Does it sound like another tune that I like? The more familiar it is, the better I like it. Hear those three notes there? Those are the three notes I can sing along with. I like those notes very, very much. Give me a beat. Not a fancy one. Give me a GOOD BEAT -- something I can dance to. It has to go boom-bap, boom-boom-BAP. If it doesn't, I will hate it very, very much. Also, I want it right away -- and then, write me some more songs like that -- over and over and over again, because I'm really into music."

Bodes well for the lawyers, I guess.
 

Wombat

Master Contributor
Joined
Nov 5, 2017
Messages
6,722
Likes
6,459
Location
Australia
I always find these suits amusing. If it got past the opening lick, if a singer came in and sang "There's a girlfriend I know, and she loves to snort blow, and she's riding freight train to Cle-e-v-land." to the same melody as Stairway, I'd get it. But that opening riff? It's an arpeggiated Am chord with the bass line walking down from the root to end in a C chord. Jimmy Page didn't invent that and neither did Spirit. If you played guitar in isolation, without ever listening to pop music, you'd probably get to it eventually.

Tim

Definitely.
 

Wombat

Master Contributor
Joined
Nov 5, 2017
Messages
6,722
Likes
6,459
Location
Australia
Down Under and The disastrous copyright case for the band Men At Work.

It is generally considered so unfair that changes to Australian copyright law is likely.

I grew up singing 'Kookaburra' and later loved 'Down Under'. I never really connected them and doubt that many others did. I wouldn't like to be judged, musically, by the average jury.

:mad:

Down Under Case
 

NorthSky

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 28, 2016
Messages
4,998
Likes
937
Location
Canada West Coast/Vancouver Island/Victoria area

DonH56

Master Contributor
Technical Expert
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 15, 2016
Messages
7,835
Likes
16,497
Location
Monument, CO
You grow up listening to music, make a career (or lifetime passion) of it, then it seems to me it is almost impossible to not quote some other riff/tune/whatever and most of the time have no idea what you are quoting. Just as I have often said I am not sure I can not invent any circuit that was not conceived by someone in the (original) tube days, I think it is virtually impossible for a songwriter to avoid using some sequence of notes from the baroque or classical era, knowing or not...
 

Sal1950

Grand Contributor
The Chicago Crusher
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 1, 2016
Messages
14,073
Likes
16,607
Location
Central Fl
Always found it distasteful that the Brit's stole the music from USA's My Country Tis of Thee for their God Save The Queen tune. o_O:p
 

Wombat

Master Contributor
Joined
Nov 5, 2017
Messages
6,722
Likes
6,459
Location
Australia
Always found it distasteful that the Brit's stole the music from USA's My Country Tis of Thee for their God Save The Queen tune. o_O:p

And event organisers feel they need to have vocalists with second-rate skills perform them solo at events.
5untitled3.jpg
 

DonH56

Master Contributor
Technical Expert
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 15, 2016
Messages
7,835
Likes
16,497
Location
Monument, CO
Always found it distasteful that the Brit's stole the music from USA's My Country Tis of Thee for their God Save The Queen tune. o_O:p

Don't forget about setting SSB to a British drinking song...
 

derp1n

Senior Member
Joined
May 28, 2018
Messages
479
Likes
629
Michael Skidmore is a leech.
 

NorthSky

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 28, 2016
Messages
4,998
Likes
937
Location
Canada West Coast/Vancouver Island/Victoria area

And if you like to see how much love is in the music industry (I know because some of my family and friends are professional artists/musicians/filmmakers/writers/all that jazz) and you feel to take the time, this is only one facade of it. This is not a pink world, there is lotta love sound in people's heart and soul. Love has nothing to do with it; it's a private dancer for money.


I could write four books, but I won't even write a paragraph.
Live and let live.
______

Bonus (rrrrrrr)
 

FrantzM

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 12, 2016
Messages
4,337
Likes
7,731
Top Bottom