Post by blaze on Jun 29, 2007 16:34:01 GMT -5
From classicrockcentral.com
You may have heard Howard Stern break the silence when he brought up the issue of whether Led Zeppelin are rock royalty or just the greatest cover band of all time. Howard went to the source to find out the facts and now we present them to you in the new syndicated series, Cold Cases of Rock 'n Roll.
Cold Cases of Rock 'n Roll is a new radio/TV/Internet series which will launch soon. The program will take an investigative look behind the scenes of some of the most prominent legal wrangling in the world of rock ‘n roll. Each episode examines a different legal situation involving musicians, songwriters, managers and related parties. Evidence will be presented and interpreted, arguments will be made, witnesses will be called, etc. Our host will explain from a legal point of view and in easy to understand terms what it all means.
Cold Cases of Rock 'n Roll will give listeners and viewers the scoop they won’t find anywhere else. The program will involve the audience in every aspect of the proceedings. They will get to see and hear actual court records, review related insider info and will be asked to evaluate the investigation and decide the fate of each case. That’s right…the audience will decide the verdict!
Case #1
Did Led Zeppelin steal the majority of their songs from other sources?
Over the years Led Zeppelin has been accused of borrowing music and lyrics from other artists, especially some of the greatest blues legends of all time.
Led Zeppelin has been taken to court over the matter on numerous occasions. Several of the cases are yet to be resolved.
Background of the case and issues:
Led Zeppelin rose out of the demise of the English blues/rock band the Yardbirds. The band is best known for the fact that Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were all members at one time or another.
The other members were singer Keith Relf, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja and drummer Jim McCarty. The Yardbirds best known songs include For Your Love, Train Kept A-Rollin', Shapes of Things, I’m a Man, Heart Full Of Soul and Over, Under, Sideways, Down.
Jimmy Page joined the Yardbirds in 1966 originally to play bass guitar after the original bassist, Paul Samwell-Smith, left the group. Dreja later switched to bass and Page became the second lead guitar with Jeff Beck. Beck eventually left to form the Jeff Beck Group and Page remained and became the group focal point till they disbanded in 1968.
Led Zeppelin was formed in 1968 and consisted of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant John Paul Jones and John Bonham. The group's self-titled debut album was released on January 13, 1969 and received generally positive reviews. The first indication of potential song stealing was cited by John Mendelsohn in his Rolling Stone Magazine review of Led Zeppelin. Mendelsohn cited the band for stealing Black Mountain Side from Bert Jansch's Black Water Side and nicking the riff from Your Time Is Gonna Come from the Traffic classic Dear Mr. Fantasy.
In this preview episode of the show Cold Cases of Rock and Roll will focus on the first album, Led Zeppelin. The following is a song by song analysis of the debut album
Led Zeppelin.... Released 1969 ....
Song #1 "Good Times Bad Times" appears to be the only completely original song on this debut album.
Song # 2 - Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You
On all the re-releases and box sets since 1990, a credit has been added for Anne Bredon, an obscure folk musician who wrote and recorded the original song in the 1950s.
In the early 1980s her son heard his mother playing what he (and the rest of the world for that matter) thought was a Led Zeppelin song.
After a discussion with his mother, he saw a lawyer and eventually the case was settled. This resulted in Bredon’s name appearing on the song credit and royalties directed to her.
Led Zeppelin's version is very reminiscent of Joan Baez's cover of the song [Listen]. When Jimmy and Robert got together at Jimmy's home in 1968 to discuss the band, Page told Plant he had an arrangement of this song in mind which had a lot of "light and shade."
Song # 3 - You Shook Me
This is a cover of a Willie Dixon song of the same name. Parts of the song appear to be borrowed from Robert Johnson's Stones in My Passway: 'I have a bird that whistles, and I have birds to sing, I have a bird that whistles, and I have birds to sing.' Before Zeppelin's cover of this song, the Jeff Beck Group released a version on their album Truth and Beck later claimed Page copied his arrangement. The fact is that Page plays on a song he gave Jeff (Beck’s Bolero) for this album. John Paul Jones also makes an appearance and both he and Page heard the Truth album at least six months before the first Led Zeppelin album saw the light of day. The song was originally recorded by Muddy Waters.
Song # 4 - Dazed And Confused
This started out as an acoustic folk song by New York singer Jake Holmes. The song first appeared on Holmes's 1967 album The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes.
Page re-arranged it for the Yardbirds and called it I'm Confused. And by adjusting the title and modifying a few of the lyrics, Page changed the original theme of the song. Holmes' version is supposedly about an acid trip. Led Zeppelin may have changed the title to avoid legal action just as the Yardbirds had changed the title of Train Kept A-Rollin to Stroll On for the Blow Up soundtrack.
Song # 5 - Your Time Is Gonna Come
This song appears to resemble parts of two other songs. Traffic’s Dear Mr. Fantasy contains a guitar riff that is identical and Blind Faith’s Can’t Find My Way Home has a similar chord pattern and melody. There have also been some remarks made that indicate the organ melody after the intro sounds just like the James Taylor’s Fire and Rain.
Song # 6 - Black Mountain Side
Page has stated in interviews that he had seen the song performed in folk clubs and coincidentally, Annie Bredon (Briggs) was the first one that Page ever heard perform it.
There is Bert Jansch's version with a different guitar part which is most likely the source of Page’s interpretation. Jansch’s version appeared on the 1966 album Jack Orion.
Song # 7 - Communication Breakdown
This song is nothing more than a rewrite of Eddie Cochran's Nervous Breakdown. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant site Cochran as an influence on Led Zeppelin. On occasion, Zeppelin covered Eddie Cochran tunes in concert, and the BBC Sessions include a live performance of Eddie’s Somethin' Else.
Song # 8 - I Can't Quit You Baby
This is based on a blues song by Willie Dixon that he wrote for Otis Rush, who recorded it in 1956.
Song # 9 - How Many More Times
The song was nicked from Howlin' Wolf'’s How Many More Years with snippets borrowed from Albert King's The Hunter. In his solo, Page borrows from the Yardbirds own Shape of Things. and during the instrumental break the band plays an excerpt from the Page composition, Beck's Bolero.
Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham took the writing credit for How Many More Times and decided not to credit any of the blues musicians whose contributions they ‘borrowed.’
They would face a similar situation on another Howlin' Wolf tune, Killing Floor which was opted for the Lemon Song. Wolf took action and was eventually credited for the song that appeared on Led Zeppelin II.
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VIDEO-
Denny Somach of Classic Rock Central appeared on The Howard Stern Show this past week. Here's the transcript:
GREATEST (COVER) BAND EVER?
Denny Somach came in to talk about how Led Zeppelin “borrowed” practically every note of their first record from other artists. Denny said he was the world's leading expert in classic rock and accused Led Zeppelin of “using” other people's songs. Denny said Zeppelin stole from a Joan Baez version of Ann Breeden's “Babe I'm Gonna Leave You,” for their own song also titled “Baby I'm Gonna Leave You.” Howard played both songs and agreed it was a “dead rip-off.” Howard then played a song by Jake Holmes called “Dazed and Confused” that was identical to Zeppelin's version. Jake opened for the Yardbirds when Jimmy Page was in the band, and that's where music historians claim Jimmy first heard the song.
Howard also compared clips of Bert Jansch's “Black Water Side” and Zeppelin's “Black Mountain Side,” and the riffs were the same. Howard then played Eddie Cochran's “Nervous Breakdown” and Zeppelin's “Communication Breakdown,” which were shockingly similar. Denny then asked Howard to play a Spirit song, and everyone immediately recognized the riff from “Stairway to Heaven.” Denny then handed Howard his ticketstub from a Led Zeppelin concert from 30 years ago that they both had attended. Denny said Howard hasn't changed much in 30 years, as he even left the Zeppelin concert early. Howard admitted that he left early, saying he only did so because people were setting off M80s in the theater.