Songs That Sound A Little Too Similar

CliffMcTainshaw

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This was in the news a couple of years ago when Spirit sued Led Zepplin.
Spirit claimed that "Stairway to Heaven" was a rip off of their song "Taurus".
They lost, but it sounds a lot like it to me.
Have a listen and see what you think. From about the 30 sec mark in Taurus.


 
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This was in the news a couple of years ago when Spirit sued Led Zepplin.
Spirit claimed that "Stairway to Heaven" was a rip off of their song "Taurus".
They lost, but it sounds a lot like it to me.
Have a listen and see what you think. From about the 30 sec mark in Taurus.



It's definitely there for me, but the end of the riff differs also the declining bass notes differ to stairway. I'm sure I remember reading about this a few years back, and if its the same claim LZ actually did some gigs with the other band before Stairway was released, so may have been exposed to their music live.
 
This was in the news a couple of years ago when Spirit sued Led Zepplin.
Spirit claimed that "Stairway to Heaven" was a rip off of their song "Taurus".
They lost, but it sounds a lot like it to me.
Have a listen and see what you think. From about the 30 sec mark in Taurus.




definitely close but probably no cigar given the differences
 
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This was in the news a couple of years ago when Spirit sued Led Zepplin.
Spirit claimed that "Stairway to Heaven" was a rip off of their song "Taurus".
They lost, but it sounds a lot like it to me.
Have a listen and see what you think. From about the 30 sec mark in Taurus.



it's no secret that Led Zeppelin stole/borrowed/ripped off/appropriated/whatever you want call it, parts of songs or entire songs without crediting the source.
Page and Plant have admitted as much. hell, even Bonham borrowed the Rock N Roll intro from Little Richards Keep A Knockin.
given that this thread is 22 pages long it's probably littered with them.

so yeah, when you consider their history and hear the similarities with Taurus it's too much to be just a coincidence.
...they're still one of the best cover bands ever.
 

CliffMcTainshaw

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I've since had a look online and there is a plethora of stuff on this. It seems that the chord progression can be traced back to the 1600's. To me it sounds similar, but the real experts don't think so.

A couple of other things I found out were:
Led Zepplin seemed to borrow a lot of things from a lot of people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Led_Zeppelin_songs_written_or_inspired_by_others

Brian Wilson has admitted "Surfin USA" ripped off Little Richard's "Sweet Little Sixteen" and in the end Little Richard was give give the publishing rights to Surfin USA in 1966.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politi...396/the-beach-boys-vs-chuck-berry-1963-65098/

Scroll down after the Brian Wilson, Little Richard article for more stuff on LED Zeppplin and Willie Dixon. If you read the article all the way through there are 12 cases of music copyright infringements. Some interesting stuff there.
 
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Interceptor

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Yes, it has been common for various musicians over the decades/centuries to borrow/lift/steal riffs/ideas and so on.
Some are blatantly copied and others are re-worked to various degrees in an effort to produce something that appeals and seems original.

Here's Ritchie Blackmore admitting some of the lifts he used to create a few of Deep Purple's best known tracks.

 

CliffMcTainshaw

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There have been millions of songs over the years, how can you tell if a song has been plaigurised, or is simply the result of someone hearing a song earlier and later coming up with it from their sub-conscious memory?
 
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There have been millions of songs over the years, how can you tell if a song has been plaigurised, or is simply the result of someone hearing a song earlier and later coming up with it from their sub-conscious memory?
That'll never hold up in court!
 

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Aggrovators - "None Shall Escape the Judgement (Dub)" & Jonathan Richman's biggest hit "Egyptian Reggae".

About 45 seconds into the first tune you can hear the same rhythm used on Egyptian Reggae. (NB: there are several variations of this Jamacian song)



 
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CliffMcTainshaw

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This is Time. Co-written by Rita Coolidge and Jim Gordon and recorded by Priscilla Coolidge and her husband at the time Booker T. Jones


This is Layla, co-written by Jim Gordon and Eric Clapton.


And this is what Rita Coolidge had to say about it.


In addition to all that. Jim Gordon attacked and killed his mother with a hammer and butchers knife. He was diagnosed as schizophrenic and is still in a Californian medical and psychiatric prison.
Priscilla Coolidge was murdered by her husband (not Booker T.) in a murder-suicide in 2014.
 
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This is Time. Co-written by Rita Coolidge and Jim Gordon and recorded by Priscilla Coolidge and her husband at the time Booker T. Jones


This is Layla, co-written by Jim Gordon and Eric Clapton.


And this is what Rita Coolidge had to say about it.


In addition to all that. Jim Gordon attacked and killed his mother with a hammer and butchers knife. He was diagnosed as schizophrenic and is still in a Californian medical and psychiatric prison.
Priscilla Coolidge was murdered by her husband (not Booker T.) in a murder-suicide in 2014.

Actaully while were on this, do you know.
3 preeminent love songs from George Harrison and Eric Clapton were all about the same Woman. (Patty Boyd)
An ex lovers of Harrison and Slowhand, she Married George Harrison first for 9 years and soon left him for Clapton. (Yet Clapton and George still remained friends, and George got him to come play lead guitar on "While my Guitar Gently Weeps, when The Beatles were fracturing)
George wrote arguably the greatest love songoff all time "Something"
Clapton Wrote "Layla" about her and what i would view as the weakest of the three songs "Wonderfull tonight"
Just something for you.
 
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CliffMcTainshaw

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Actaully while were on this, do you know.
3 preeminent love songs from George Harrison and Eric Clapton were all about the same Woman. (Patty Boyd)
An ex lovers of Harrison and Slowhand, she Married George Harrison first for 9 years and soon left him for Clapton. (Yet Clapton and George still remained friends, and George got him to come play lead guitar on "While my Guitar Gently Weeps, when The Beatles were fracturing)
George wrote arguably the greatest love songoff all time "Something"
Clapton Wrote "Layla" about her and what i would view as the weakest of the three songs "Wonderfull tonight"
Just something for you.
And 51 years since this was released. Both this song and Layla are about the same woman, Pattie Boyd. She was married to George Harrison at the time Clapton wrote Layla. She later left Harrison and married Clapton. Not too many people get a smash hit written about them, let alone two songs like Something and Layla!

Yes I posted that a little while ago. Pattie Boyd was one good looking girl.
 
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Not sure if this one's already been posted - one of the most blatant examples of plagiarism where Marc Bolan of T Rex not only stole the melody but didn't even bother to alter some of the lyrics from Webb Pierce's 'Teenage Boogie'. Soon after its release, rockabilly fans organised a record burning protest at a local London pub and when the inevitable lawsuit from Webb Pierce came, Bolan settled out of court.

In fairness to Bolan, his version was an improvement on the original -
What Marc Bolan claimed as his original in 1976 -


Webb Pierce's original from 1956 -
 
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