Disco Duck
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On 2/6/2016 at 3:03 AM, Tea41 said:
Well done. 2 very different songs, not even a shadow of a doubt this is a frivolous golddigging lawsuit, should have been thrown out, in fact, laughed out of court immediately. Stairway is such a higher class of original music it's mindboggling, not to mention the song as a whole could not be more different. STH is a timeless masterpiece, and "Taurus" is a turd that is best forgotten. In fact STH is the best thing to ever happen to Spirit, any fame they got, which isn't much, is because of it's unfounded "association" with Stairway. NO CASE WHATSOEVER.
IMO, turd is too harsh a description for Taurus. It has a pleasant, meandering quality that sounds soothing. Randy California's estate should peddle the song to companies that sell mood music for spas, message parlors and telephone hold systems.
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Just now, Patrycja said:
Led Zeppelin Rock Gods Deposed in Stairway to Heaven Lawsuit
Copyright claim unearths early recordings and financial records
Vernon Silver VTSilver
February 3, 2016 — 12:37 PM EST
Singer Robert Plant, right, and guitarist Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin in 1976.
Source: Michael Ochs Archives via Getty ImagesThe surviving members of Led Zeppelin have all been questioned in a lawsuit that alleges their hit Stairway to Heaven was filched from an obscure song by the band Spirit. Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Robert Plant were each deposed separately over the past month as part of pretrial discovery in the copyright infringement case, new filings in Los Angeles federal court show.
During the depositions in London, they all said that they had no idea what their finances or earnings were with Led Zeppelin, according to a filing by the plaintiff's lawyer asking for more time to investigate. The musicians and their record company, Warner Music, deny the infringement allegations and say Plant and Page alone composed the 1971 song.
To many ears, the opening notes of Stairway to Heaven sound a lot like Taurus, an instrumental piece released on Spirit’s debut album in 1968 (decide for yourself here). At the end of that year and throughout 1969, Spirit and Led Zeppelin shared the bill at several concerts.
Led Zeppelin's guitarist, however, testified his memory of the era was vague, according to the filing by plaintiff's lawyer Francis Alexander Malofiy, who conducted the questioning. "Jimmy Page’s discovery answers [the] claim that he remembers virtually nothing about the 1960s or 1970s despite many public interviews concerning Spirit where he stated that he listened to the band’s albums and that they struck him on an emotional level, despite the fact that he played and attended concerts where Spirit performed," Malofiy wrote.Spirit guitarist Randy California, who composed Taurus, died in 1997. Malofiy, representing the head of the trust that oversees California's royalties, filed the suit in May 2014. The Philadelphia-area lawyer now wants the court to push the trial date from May to July, in part to give him more time to process the mountains of information he's gotten in discovery—including 40,000 pages of financial records.
The fight has potentially high stakes. By 2008, when Conde Nast Portfolio magazine published an estimate that included royalties and record sales for Stairway to Heaven, the hit had earned at least $562 million. If the suit succeeds, a three-year statute of limitations would limit the award to the most recent earnings. "Stairway to Heaven is notoriously one of the most protected and valuable pieces of intellectual property in history and thus it is crucial for Plaintiff’s damages experts to be able to fully evaluate all relevant information to come to a competent opinion," Malofiy wrote.
Should the case come to trial, it might make for good listening. The Led Zeppelin legal team says preliminary recordings prepared in the creation of Stairway to Heaven have been located, according to their response to discovery requests. And the two sides are still battling over whether the defendants should turn over a so-called multi-track version of the song that would allow music experts to isolate the different elements of the song. According to Malofiy's filings, the very existence of the multi-track was unknown until recent weeks.
The ultimate rock star defense: "Dude, we're talking about the late Sixties and the Seventies. Drugs and booze were there for the taking, much like the groupies. I spent much of that period high or wasted so my memory of specific events is kinda fuzzy."
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Just now, ScarletMacaw said:
Paul Kantner. Founder of one of the most underrated bands of all time, the Jefferson Airplane:
http://www.sfgate.com/music/article/Jefferson-Airplane-s-Paul-Kantner-dies-at-74-6791483.php
RIP. The above link won't work for me but didn't Paul Kantner have a daughter with Grace Slick?
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Just now, ScarletMacaw said:
In truth I don't like the way this lawsuit is being handled. It seems to be being handled in a way that maximizes profits for the attorneys. These are just delaying tactics and we know lawyers charge by the hour (actually they charge by the minute. One of my patients had a lawyer who charged her in six minute increments for phone calls). The members of Zep have deep pockets. Why not just get to the meat of the suit? It has no validity on musical grounds. (although, I have to admit I was shocked at the successful suit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell because even though I can't stand them and that song (or maybe especially because I can't stand that song) that song had almost no resemblance to the Marvin Gaye tune).
It may have come down to the cow bell. Without it I might have listened to Blurred Lines and thought: "this song has a nice retro vibe." The inclusion of the cow bell made me think: "this sounds like that Marvin Gaye song they always play at family reunions and block parties."
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On 1/20/2016 at 6:29 AM, SteveAJones said:
Do you normally see them coming?
What's going on is most well-known musicians of the '60s & early '70s are in their sixties (or older). Besides, all passings are inevitable.
As a matter of fact, I do. Not that I claim special powers or anything. Many celebrities divulge their health problems to the public so their deaths, while sad, aren't a surprise. Also, I'm sure you're aware that the average life expectancy in the U.S. is 78.74 years. Nowadays, to die before the age of 70 in the U.S. is to die early; particularly if you can afford the best health care.
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Damn, Glenn Frey just died. Another rock star death I didn't see coming. First Lemmy, then Bowie and now Frey. What the heck is going on?
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Did Satriani tour with Deep Purple several years ago or am I misremembering?
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Happy belated birthday, Mr Page. To quote the Isley Brothers: "It's your thing, do what you want to do. I can't tell you, who to sock it to."
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Just now, Moddey Dhoo said:
Does Jimmy Page have any brothers or sisters? Was his parents wealthy? Did his folks put him through college?
Just some things I never knew.
Check out the Wikipedia entry on Jimmy Page for the answers to most of your questions. From what I've read, Page left school at 16 to pursue his musical career. He later attended art school for about a year or so. Not many British rockers from Page's generation attended university but, lots of them attended art school: John Lennon, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Ronnie Wood, Chris McVie and Freddie Mercury all come to mind.
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Led Zeppelin's 19 greatest ever songs - ranked
To celebrate John Paul Jones' 70th Birthday, we revisit their best tracks3 January, 2016: To celebrate John Paul Jones' 70th birthday we have ranked Led Zeppelins best tracks. From 'Stairway To Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love' via 'Black Dog', to their folk explorations on Led Zeppelin III, this list gives some back ground to the rock classics that have made the world a better place.
John Paul Jones has had a remarkable career so far. He started out as a session musician as a teenager before meeting Page when he was playing in The Yardbirds. The two connected musically and were considered virtuoso's of their instrument. With such a powerful ability, the two recruited Robert Plant after he was refred to them by Terry Reid. Page saw Plant do a version of 'Somebody To Love' at a college gig in Birmingham and knew straight away they had their man. With Plant's friend Bonham convinced to be the drummer, the New Yardbirds as they were first named, were born then in 1968.
They soon changed their name to Led Zeppelin and conquered the world - setting the bar musically and writing the rule book in terms of how to behave and dress like proper rock stars. What was really special about Led Zeppelin was how each band member was important as the last, each irreplaceable, as was proved when Bonham passed away and the band ended.
Since then John Paul Jones has continued to make great music in other groups, forming his solo group and performing in Them Crooked Cultures and with Seasick Steve. Meanwhile, there's always hope there could be another reunion and we'll see Jones team up with Page, Plant, and Bonham's son, Jason again.
A few corrections: 1) Jones met Page when they were both working as session musicians BEFORE Page joined the Yardbirds. According to Jones, they first worked on the same session in 1965, but he had been aware of Page since seeing him play guitar with Neil Christian and The Crusaders during the early 1960's. 2) From what I've read, it was Chris Dreja, not Jones, who accompanied Page and Grant to Birmingham to see Robert Plant perform.
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Hello and welcome notfadeaway!
Enjoyed the read. I would love to see the interview with Robert. Thank you for sharing
Thanks for sharing this with us. I had heard of Tony Franklin over the years, but I didn't realize he is younger than I am. Working with legends like Page and Rogers at such a young age!
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On the official FB page.
There is no easy way to say this…our mighty, noble friend Lemmy passed away today after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer. He had learnt of the disease on December 26th, and was at home, sitting in front of his favorite video game from The Rainbow which had recently made it’s way down the street, with his family.
We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren’t words.
We will say more in the coming days, but for now, please…play Motörhead loud, play Hawkwind loud, play Lemmy’s music LOUD.
Have a drink or few.Share stories.
Celebrate the LIFE this lovely, wonderful man celebrated so vibrantly himself.
HE WOULD WANT EXACTLY THAT.
Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister
1945 -2015
Born to lose, lived to win.
Goodness! He died two days after his diagnosis. Not even enough time to get his affairs in order. My condolences to his family.
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Cornish game hen
Beef briscuit
Baked ham slices
Dressing
Cottage cheese casserole
Kale
sweet potatoes
pecan pie
apple pie
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What always struck me about 80's solo Robert is it seemed 80's fashion and musical trends were more important to him than doing his own thing in a certain way. Back in Zep it seemed to me he, nor any other in the band, really cared about any trends, they were the ones making them in fact. When he came back in 83' and toured though, Robert is wearing the fashion of the day (Billy Squire was wearing an almost identical stage wardrobe at the time), sporting a mullet (???), and somewhat tailoring his music to musical trends at the time. Take Shaken & Stirred for example. I really hated that album when it first came out as to me the whole damn thing (except for Pink & Black) sounded like whatever Robert had on his own playlist at the time but redone with a Robert twist. The first time I heard Sixes & Sevens I thought Robert was listening to way too much U2 & Cure. IMO he did not really come into his own again musically until Manic Nirvana, which is also the first tour he quit having stupid stage outfits. Though I always did like his live presentation, weird clothes and all, and Shaken & Stirred has really grown on me as an album through the years.
Like many here the 17 year old me wanted to see the Robert from Zeppelin, however the 47 year old me is glad he came into his own and did his own thing, bad dancing and jumpsuits as well.
There is a lesson to be learned here, imo. An artist has to be willing to look ridiculous in order to grow. Maybe it's best not to wait for divine inspiration. Instead pick a musical "style" that interests you and see where it takes you. Even if the project flops, you'll learn something along the way; make valuable contacts, etc.
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You just joined and already posted three spam links.
Try another forum, no remedies for suicidal tendencies are to be found here, and neither are they needed, darling honey sugarpie.
I only counted one link within one Kate Stone post. Did I miss another?
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Kalodner said that 'by not having Robert Plant with him, he (Jimmy) was just not that inspired'.
Again, I'm just not getting the same things from CP that Kaldoner's getting!
Apart from Northwinds, CP is actually the only thing I've got of Coverdale's since Deep Purple.
Admittedly, that's down to Jimmy being on it.
I saw Whitesnake in 1979 and 1980 and at the time I thought it was pretty good - but two weeks after the second gig, I heard Free for the first time and realised what Coverdale was channelling! That was the end of that.
Far from being 'not that inspired', however, Jimmy quite clearly enjoyed himself in CP and appears to have genuinely liked Coverdale himself. Like Charles said, there was chemistry there and a further collaboration would've been interesting.
I don't think the Coverdale/Page album was a disaster by any means. As other posters pointed out, Page did some of his best post-Zep playing on that album and they did have decent chemistry. However, I do think it was a missed opportunity. Like most British rockers of their generation, Page and Coverdale both know their blues. An album of blues covers, properly credited would have been a great project for them. One song I think Coverdale could have done justice to in his prime is A Change Is Gonna Come. True, it's more of a soul anthem than a blues song, but it's got that potent mixture of anguish and hope. Then again, I've always thought Coverdale could have been a good blue-eyed soul singer.
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I reckon the Firm was his best live playing post-Zep. Everyone says the Outrider '88 and PP '98 tours were awesome, but they were essentially looking backwards, not forward. The Firm was last time he was plowing ahead, trying new things. He wasn't just churning out rock 'n' roll for the 800th time.
IMO, Outrider was a more forward move for Page than the Firm. Much of the that band's music sounds rather pedestrian to me. The musicianship was solid for the most part but their songs were the same old, same old.
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Page really compromised the Zeppelin "brand" with the companions. No one thought of this, but perhaps he is/was too old to take this
project on properly. I say this because there seem to be so many lazy choices. No Zep studio archivist is going to convince me that much
of the material was taped over, discarded, lost, blah, blah,blah.
The tapes in question are nearly 40 years old. Any material will degrade over time; it's why so many Hollywood films from the Thirties and Forties have been lost. I don't know if this is the reason why Page made the choices he did with the companion discs but it's something you should consider.
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To the question of this thread by the OP:
Not all decisions are meant to be for the public, sometimes decisions are made based only on the people who need to make them.
Good point.
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Yeah, the odd angles are not just in Page's riffs, the odd angles between Page and Plant
don't add up to anything resembling a functional triangle. The whole thing is very complex but even though I do think Robert has turned into a serious control freak, I'm sure his
hair-pulling experiences with Jimmy as an addict/alcoholic would have tried anyone's
patience. Some fans have heard of the 77' show where Page stumbled out onto the
stage for the opener, TSRTS, with the dbl-neck, with his hands on the wrong neck,
Plant looking worriedly on. Forget this is the 70's, everybody's high. You still had to
play like a pro, Page is my fave, but I believe that in private, Page developed a pretty
bad reputation from all this. Otherwise, there would be soundtrack offers, other musos
knocking down his door, etc.. Beck for example gets all kinds of offers, constantly.
It would explain some things about his post-Zep career.
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Homemade chili; saltine crackers and cole slaw
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I didn't feel like cooking this evening so I stopped at a local vegetarian restaurant and ordered a lentil burger, roasted carrot & beet salad and truffle fries. The lentil burger is tasty but the truffle fries are to die for; delicious spears of Yukon Gold potatoes oven roasted with garlic, Parmesan cheese and a splash of truffle oil.
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Trampled Underfoot: An Oral History of Led Zeppelin by Barney Hoskyns.
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Kinda funny that Plant in 85' says Page would not be a good fit for his music, yet two years later records Now & Zen with Page adding guitar solos to Heaven Knows & Tall Cool One. I guess Mr. Plant changed his mind.
Page added guitar solos to the above but was he Plant's main collaborator on either project?
Coverdale/Page
in Pre / Post-Zeppelin Forum
Posted
Yet another reason, it's a pity the Coverdale/Page collaboration didn't continue.