The Led Zeppelin Plagiarism Compendium

altho that one is fairly more engaging because it's ongoing as he's still making movies

My problem with Zeppelin (besides Robert Plant’s voice) is not so much that they borrowed or stole songs, but that they didn’t even bother to acknowledge those artists who helped shape their sound. The Rolling Stones once refused to appear on a TV show unless Howlin’ Wolf was given a spot, too. In the folk or blues tradition, it’s quite common to “borrow” themes, melodies, etc. — Dylan’s been doing it his whole career. But the guy has always trumpeted his admiration for those who influenced him, naming names in countless interviews for nearly 50 years now. He helped bring a lot of his musical heroes to the public eye and, yes, increase their record sales (whether they actually saw a dime of the profits or not).
LZ basically said: “This is our song. Fuck you.”

hey, and you guys don't have Morbs to deal with in this thread!

xpost

I love Robert Plant's voice. also I don't think anybody here is saying "plagiarism is a-ok".

except for anagram

well I dunno if I would say it was a-ok. and I'm no Led Zep fan. but in general the knowledge that some riff or lyric or something is ripped off is not enough to spoil my enjoyment of it.

Hey, I think they were an awesome-sounding group (again, except for Plant, whose shrieking is more painful to my ears than nails on a chalkboard). But they managed to distinguish themselves as being even bigger twats than nearly every other multiplatinum-selling band. That takes some doing.

Led Zeppelin is just ripped off blues, in fact their music is exactly the same as Blind Willie Johnson. In fact if people weren't so racist you could have put Blind Willie Johnson in front of an arena and it would have had the same effect on the audience as Led Zeppelin because Led Zeppelin did not actually bring anything to the music.

The Bob Dylan Plagiarism Compendium

The Pablo Picasso Plagiarism Compendium

― Hadrian VIII, Thursday, August 19, 2010 12:22 AM Bookmark

The Robert Johnson Plagiarism Compendium

The Miles Davis Plagiarism Compendium

etc

The Stones ones are different though - those aren't ripping off existing songs, it's ripping off the guys who were playing with them.

this is a boring argument/thread in general but I would just like to point out that this is historically inaccurate (see: Staple Singers, tons of others)

but that they didn’t even bother to acknowledge those artists who helped shape their sound.

I don't think this is true at all either fwiw

Page namechecks the author of In My Time of Dying from the stage in How the West Was Won iirc

this is a boring argument/thread in general....

^ then why did you click on it?

I didn't think Moka's post was argumentative or critical - it is interesting to pore over Zep's sources (as I enjoyed doing with this comp: http://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Roots-Of-Led-Zeppelin/release/519398). But when it turned into: RIPOFF ARTISTS! J'ACCUSE then it got bad.

sorry Bill

I said this on some other thread but one of the things that I think gets overstated is that while Zep borrowed/stole liberally (I don't think there's anything at all wrong with this, fwiw) they're stuff rarely actually SOUNDS like the original. the production/arrangement/performance of material was a central aspect of Zeppelin, and claiming that, for example, they're version of Nobody's Fault But Mine bears anything more than a passing resemblance to Bukka's stripped-down, lo-fi original is just ridiculous.

Yeah, that.

^^^^^^^

Totally disagree. I like how you picked that one and not a complete and utter ripoff like Dazed and Confused. And Ive never heard Bukka White's version, but a steal is a steal.

rock must be virtuous

Just because you turn your amps up to 11 and feed Bonham some extra-fine Bolivian prior to recording what was originally a mellow number doesnt justify the plagiarism.

If they had been a real band, they wouldnt have to rip guys off. Has nothing to do with virtue.

you think they're that bad? i'm no fan, mind you, but that's QUITE A CLAIM.

man what am i gonna do with these fake Led Zeppelin cds

i mean before today i considered myself a led zeppelin fan but after being smacked in the face with this 20+ year old evidence that everybody already knew, I think it's time to reconsider....

lol "real band"

I dunno Bill these are just kinda lame ad hominem attacks

So i guess what Im saying is that this point is irrelevant:

"they're version of Nobody's Fault But Mine bears anything more than a passing resemblance to Bukka's stripped-down, lo-fi original is just ridiculous"

I can't comment on that cuz I haven't heard Bukka's, but how you got from that to Led Zeppelin not being a real band = o_O.

you think they're that bad? i'm no fan, mind you, but that's QUITE A CLAIM.

― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, August 19, 2010 12:50 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I'm not a fan.

you think this sounds JUST LIKE the Zep version = you have no ears

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTsvs-pAGDc

I never said that. Check my post at 12:51. Arrangement and songwriting are two completely different things.

they weren't writing a term paper jeez

so let me ask this, if Led Zeppelin went back and time and wrote the exact same music but gave proper credits/recognition from the bungee, would you be a fan?

a complete and utter ripoff like Dazed and Confused

it is not a complete and utter ripoff fyi

a complete and utter ripoff would have also kept the Zep version under 4 minutes

I suspect that Bill is just butthurt that Sabbath's "War Pigs" is a COMPLETE AND UTTER RIPOFF of Zep's "Good Times, Bad Times"

like just cuz they changed some words around and added a long improvisatory section in the middle and slowed it down doesn't mean it isn't the worst most unforgiveable sin imaginable and btw Sabbath are not a real band

Just because you turn your amps up to 11 and feed Bonham some extra-fine Bolivian prior to recording what was originally a mellow number doesnt justify the plagiarism.

― Sabbath to Ulver: "Suck It" (Bill Magill), Thursday, August 19, 2010 12:46 PM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

just because you take a boring song and make it awesome oh wait

the whole point of music, and especially hard rock music, is to be awesome

led zep and black sabbath were both awesome. case closed.

man what am i gonna do with these fake Led Zeppelin cds
OK I laughed.

anyway ... back to Moka's list:

does Bonham quoting Max Roach in Moby Dick count?

Ok this list totally left off that they lifted "Immigrant Song" from The Osmonds' "Hold Her Tight."

I'm being sued by John Cage for ripping off "4'33" while sleeping

so let me ask this, if Led Zeppelin went back and time and wrote the exact same music but gave proper credits/recognition from the bungee, would you be a fan?

― michangelo wuz a party d00d (San Te), Thursday, August 19, 2010 12:54 PM (28 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

no

I suspect that Bill is just butthurt that Sabbath's "War Pigs" is a COMPLETE AND UTTER RIPOFF of Zep's "Good Times, Bad Times"

― glitter hands! glitter hands! razzle! dazzle! (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, August 19, 2010 12:56 PM (27 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

When did I once mention Black Sabbath on this thread?

you just did

hilarious, i mean before that

so let me ask this, if Led Zeppelin went back and time and wrote the exact same music but gave proper credits/recognition from the bungee, would you be a fan?

― michangelo wuz a party d00d (San Te), Thursday, August 19, 2010 12:54 PM (28 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

no

― Sabbath to Ulver: "Suck It" (Bill Magill), Thursday, August 19, 2010 12:23 PM

Ok then, it seems that you don't like them as a band simply cuz you don't like their songs, or in the case of the 'ripped off' songs, the way they perform them. upthread you seemed to be implying that the uncredited ripoff played a large part in your dislike of the music is why I asked.

Correct. I understand i am in the minority

oh this is TOOMUCH