Try it, it works!

[dapmdave]

 

[walrus]

Great song, great guitar riff!

Just finished reading "Light and Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page" - highly recommended!

walrus

 

[5thumbs]

Speaking of Led Zep, has anyone else seen this?:

http://time.com/105016/led-zeppelin-is-getting-sued-over-stairway-to-heaven/?hpt=hp_t3

 

[walrus]

Page/Plant have admitted taking liberally from the blues greats, and you can go on Youtube and find several examples of alleged plagiarism. His argument is that Zeppelin enhanced them and changed them into something totally different - your opinion may vary. Some are credited properly now (but not all), for example "The Lemon Song" now includes a credit to Howlin' Wolf (from "Killing Floor"). Plant took liberally from the blues lyrics canon in their early days. Given Zeppelin's overall quantity of songs, it's a very small percentage that "copy/steal" from some classic blues songs.

But this allegation from Randy California (and now his heirs) seems like a large stretch to me - that descending bass line can be found in tons of songs. And that's about all the similarity I can find to "Heaven", is that 5 note line.

Anyway, opinions vary. Anyway, if anyone's interested, here's a good "neutral" article that gives some other examples.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/25/did-led-zeppelin-steal-stairway-to-heaven.html

walrus

 

[K.O.M.A.]

I play that damned song pretty much nightly trying to perfect it. I have been for years. It still drives me nuts trying to get it right.

 

[twocorgis]

Saw this earlier today on Facebook, and it's very clever.

I never liked Zep much when I was younger, but I've changed. We play "Good Times, Bad Times" in my band, and the bass line is a bear! One of our guitarists is the biggest fan ever, I think.

 

[dapmdave]

Saw this earlier today on Facebook, and it's very clever.

I never liked Zep much when I was younger, but I've changed. We play "Good Times, Bad Times" in my band, and the bass line is a bear! One of our guitarists is the biggest fan ever, I think.

Same here. I've really developed an appreciation for the creativity in Jimmy Page's body of guitar work. Simply awesome.

 

[fronobulax]

Saw this earlier today on Facebook, and it's very clever.

I never liked Zep much when I was younger, but I've changed. We play "Good Times, Bad Times" in my band, and the bass line is a bear! One of our guitarists is the biggest fan ever, I think.

Go for Moby Dick. Easier line and you get to drink during the drum solo

 

[walrus]

+1 on appreciation for Page. I was not a big Zeppelin fan either, but the "Celebration Day" video really got me into what Page was doing. Also, the "It Might Get Loud" documentary was extremely interesting (at least when it was about Page!). As above, the "Light and Shade" book that goes over his work was a great read.

I've been learning some Zeppelin songs, which I would not have done earlier - not bad for a geezer! For example, "Ramble On" is a blast to play!

Here's 2 quick links from the "It Might Get Loud" show that I have on my favorites list because I enjoy them so much. The "Ramble On" one particularly impresses me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gDsbOraiqg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyePzUi4EQg

walrus

 

[walrus]

Hey KOMA, I assume you are talking about "Taurus" not "Stairway", right? I don't know if you are talking about being "able" to play it, or figuring out the notes. If it's the latter, these links might help.

This link has a guy who plays both guitar parts, but no tabs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhjEtRoMdzE

This link has the tabs for all the instruments in the song:

http://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/taurus-spirit-tab-s62702t0

walrus

 

[griehund]

Page/Plant have admitted taking liberally from the blues greats, and you can go on Youtube and find several examples of alleged plagiarism. His argument is that Zeppelin enhanced them and changed them into something totally different - your opinion may vary. Some are credited properly now (but not all), for example "The Lemon Song" now includes a credit to Howlin' Wolf (from "Killing Floor"). Plant took liberally from the blues lyrics canon in their early days. Given Zeppelin's overall quantity of songs, it's a very small percentage that "copy/steal" from some classic blues songs.

But this allegation from Randy California (and now his heirs) seems like a large stretch to me - that descending bass line can be found in tons of songs. And that's about all the similarity I can find to "Heaven", is that 5 note line.

Anyway, opinions vary. Anyway, if anyone's interested, here's a good "neutral" article that gives some other examples.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/25/did-led-zeppelin-steal-stairway-to-heaven.html

walrus

The blues tradition involves heavy use of same and similar lyrics in lots of songs. You take a song and make it your own. Lifting lyrics from a blues song and putting them in a rock song does seem a little odd but whatever.

"the woman that I love, stole from my best friend.
one night he got lucky, stole her back again."

I've seen this in at least two different songs.

 

[twocorgis]

The blues tradition involves heavy use of same and similar lyrics in lots of songs. You take a song and make it your own. Lifting lyrics from a blues song and putting them in a rock song does seem a little odd but whatever.

"the woman that I love, stole from my best friend.
one night he got lucky, stole her back again."

I've seen this in at least two different songs.

Music is all derivative, and it's really as simple as that.

 

[adorshki]

Same here. I've really developed an appreciation for the creativity in Jimmy Page's body of guitar work. Simply awesome.

"Veddy Interesting"...I lo-oved 'em for a couple of years in high school (first 5 albums) 'till I heard the "Live on Blueberry Hll" bootleg which was full of playing flubs. The final straw was "Physical Graffiti" which I disliked intensely..however in the spirirt of keeping an open mind I gave "Presence" a listen and consider "Achilles Last Stand" to be a masterpiece and gifted a copy to my then 13-year old younger brother.
Since then I've gone back and replaced those first 5 and "Presence" on CD.
BUT, virtually noone ever cites his seminal explorations with the Yardbirds which evolved into Zepp material, There's this little ditty which obviously received only a tiny bit more development to become "Black Mountain Side" on Led Zeppelin:

There's another one I think you'd like but I just ran into the "one video per post" limit.
As for Mr. California's estate suing over "Stairway", one's gotta wonder why it took 'em so long.
Spirit certainly deserves more recognition for their influence, and I remember stumbling across this reference in Wikipedia a couple of years back, when I was trying to figure out what album "Fresh Garbage" originally appeared on:
"The guitar riff that occurs about :43 into "Taurus" is said to have influenced Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page in 'composing' his famous intro to "Stairway to Heaven".[3] Led Zeppelin opened for Spirit on an American tour in 1968, and also borrowed the riff of "Fresh Garbage" during early live performances of the song 'As Long as I Have You'.[4]"

 

[adorshki]

Just for you Dave, here's another link, this cut and that one I posted previously appeared on the last Yardbirds album "Little Games".
Note the title tune features what I think must be his first recorded bowed solo, and I recently even began to wonder if the backing strings might actually be him too:

Another memorable cut on that album that presages the Zepp style is "Think About It".
Enjoy!
:wink: