Awesome blog post! I knew Led stole a ton of tunes, but I never knew each of their exact origins.

I saw this EXACT post on MY blog in 1966. THIEVES!!

Nice list. Also can’t forget “How Many More Times” ripping off “The Hunter” and “Gallows Pole” rewriting an old traditional.

Thieves! But I can’t help myself. I still LOVE “their” songs!

Don’t forget Bach “Prelude in G” on “Death Wish 2″. It’s called “Prelude” credited to Page…

its okay my children. most work has alrady been done. there are no new original ideas anymore. just listen to oldies and motown. everything is the same. as things get older they begin to get more complex and people dont notice. listen to the original and then led zeppelin. the originals bow down to LZ in all forms. and they never took action because the original artist knew that they were rock gods. give it up. they are kings.

Dazed and Confused and the Lemon Song are the only rip-offs, have you heard Bobby Parker’s “Watch your Step”, if you want to hear a “note for note” copy listen to the Beatles “I Feel Fine”. Tuddd, Gallis Pole was credited as Arranged by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, they didn’t claim to have written it, Leadbelly did it, Bob Dylan did it, and every time it was ever done it was credited to the person doing it or credited as arranged by, that is what happens in folk music, that is what folk music is. Criticizing Led Zeppelin for being rip-off artists has been done a THOUSAND times, how many more times do you think you can get away with ripping off other peoples articles?

Like the Jesus dude said:
Dont get yer knickers in a twist.
Cripes- so musicians gets influenced by their peers.
Do you do YOUR work like no one else?

Yeah, let’s keep beating that dead horse. Give me a break, many artists sample other artist’s work. Take a gander at the rap industry.

Rob, your ‘how many more times’ comment made me smile.

uh, people… Led Zep were formed completely over a love of the early bluesmen and they not only played as many songs but added all the licks to all their music . That was the entire point - to share the sounds, licks and amazing possibilities of the Mississippi Blues genre. Page admits it so many times. Why is it such a surprise to you folks ? Is it this New Age Copyright crap idea that you have fallen for? Copyright only helps lawyers. Music is to be shared.

it doesnt matter if they reused those tones…their tones are thousands of times better than the other idiots tones….led zeppelin is the greatest band of all time still…nothing can change that…they are the best and will be forever. even though other guys didnt create those tones led zeppelin would create them anyway…bow now this way made their job easier thats it.

Zep never had a problem admitting they sampled from other artists. The fact of the matter is, Page, Plant, Bonham and Jones were all individually brilliant musicians. I don’t see how that is any different from an orchestra playing a popular symphony.

this aint news. half of eveything in the zep ouvre is either a nick or a cover. but that’s not the point - they ripped off a whole culture, a whole genre or two, and were self-indulgent egomanics to boot.

“It’s not where you take things from — it’s where you take them to.” Jean-Luc Godard.

Led Zeppelin no more “stole” songs than the old time bluesmen did. Blues (and folk) musicians have always used melodies or lyrics from other pieces of music.

For instance the line “squeeze my lemon…” from The Lemon Song was used in Travelling Riverside Blues by Robert Johnson , but Robert Johnson himself most likely “stole” it from another song called She Squeezed My Lemon by a blues musician called Art McKay. That song (as well as twenty four other songs) is available on a CD called Led Zeppelins Jukebox on the Chrome Dreams record label.

Anyway they’re more original than most musicians in the charts today. Madonna can now go to the top of the charts by blatantly ripping off an Abba song and I haven’t heard anyone complain. At least Led Zeppelin actually re-played the music, and usually in a different way to the original song.

I just read the comment about Led Zeppelin being better than the “other idiots” that they were inspired by. If it wasn’t for these “idiots” like Robert Johnson and the other early bluesmen, rock and roll and subsequently most (if not all) music that people listen to today would never have happened.

it’s not where you take things from, it’s where you take it to.
-jean-luc Godard

I love all these people who are so disappointed with Led Zeppelin because they used some rhythm and lyrics from other songs. The thing is, they choose to ignore the fact that half the famous rappers in the world take beats and pieces from Led Zeppelin. I remember last Halloween I was at a party and the song “Me Love” came on; apparently it was all the rage at the time. I instantly recognized it as D’yer Maker by, yes, Led Zeppelin (the lyrics, tune and rhythm were identical). Does that mean the artist didn’t get the ok with Atlantic Records or Robert Plant first? No. So all you people who claim that Plant and Page are song-thieves, get your facts strait first. I know for a fact a good amount of these were legally used, and i’m doubting any of them were actually stolen.
I actually do like the quote above me as well. Sure parts of songs might have been used. But Led Zeppelin took it to legendary levels. Stairway to Heaven MAY have some similar notes and chords (I personally don’t hear it) but Zeppelin took it to the point where it became the best rock song of all time, the most reproduced, and the most widely known. I dont care how many lyrics were taken for “Whole Lotta Love,” Zeppelin still made it good. So whoever claims they are not as good, think again. They are dynamic.
One more point, Coldplay. Look it up.

A fascinating post! I do still like Zeppelin’s versions!

@ greg aspinall:
Oeuvre has an “e” in it, love, but ‘Good word!’ nonetheless.

this is stupid those are zeppelins songs..who cares if they sound a little alike.. the bands prolly practiced together and where just experimenting..thats how alot of music is created

the stairway “comparison” isn’t even close, and page was in the Yardbirds and probably helped that guy write dazed and confused. As for the rest of it, what music is original? That’s how we create better music, by building off of what others have done. Most of the originals aren’t very good and it took a band with real talent to put their own creative twist to it.

The section about Moby Dick is really silly. The Bobby Parker song that is supposedly “note for note” copied is a very simple riff that gets played by everyone and their brother. Heck, I learned that simple pattern taking lessons at a music store. It’s very common. Let’s not forget that Moby Dick is a drum showcase–the guitar riff is just a simple intro. I don’t see you saying Bonham was ripping anyone off…. Also, that Spirit song sounded almost nothing like Stairway to Heaven. It was practically a major scale played over and over with an organ whispering in the background. How is that similar enough to Stairway to accuse Led Zeppelin of plagiarism?

given the fact that zep toured with spirit before writing “stairway” dont you find it at least a tad curious that they ended up with a song featuring a similar intro?

is it just a coincidence that they settled numerous copyright infringement lawsuits out of court?

the real issue here is that twofold, one - led zep borrowed from tons of past musicians. sure everyone does it, but they did it without giving proper credit and thus profited from it in a way that someone like hendrix did not when he appropriated all of the blues and folk tunes he did.

all of you led zeppelin fans are like junkyard dogs barking and pissing all over this post to mark and defend your territory without any real understanding of why your getting pissed off.

anyway this does nothing to deflate the great led zeppelin. they still rule.

Taurus sounds remotely similar, however if you are attempting to say that arpeggios are unique to the the creators of the songs then I must say that you are wrong, good sir.

Who cares? no one is original anymore.

and Led Zeppelin made those songs better…

and, way to steal the idea for this website from about 20 other ones just like this.

Wow, this is news! I had never heard any of this before! I am no longer a Led Zeppelin fan, I’m off to burn my records! Can you detect the sarcasm? None of this is news. None of these songs has been deemed to be enough of a copy to warrant any lawsuits (other than Whole Lotta Love). I’m pretty sure someone would’ve tried sued over them otherwise. Besides, when did the last new Zeppelin song come out? 1982 I believe. Please send this post back 26 years when people may have given a rats ass about it!

While were on the topic of late breaking music news, did you know that the Monkees didn’t even play their own instruments?

you gotta remember that while they did “rip them off,” lots of these are just blues standards.

TRIBUTE PEOPLE
TRIBUTE.
led zeppelin grew up with all this music and an artist doesn’t have to explain their work to the ignorant.
a lot of the tribute work isn’t quoted exactly like it should but most of the time, the people that know understand this.
they gave birth to a new genre coming from blues jazz and all the music the grew up, yes folk included in here.

I agree 100% with haters and all the legions of others who think that your comparisons of Zep songs to other peoples songs are bogus and utter crap. Comparing “Stairway” to “Taurus” is an insult to both bands, neither of whom would agree with your postulate. I know “Stairway” by heart, and after hearing Taurus, had to call bullshit on your claim of similar “main guitar riff.” They sound almost nothing alike, except for the calm, tranquil beginning. And, also its not a crime to take some lyrics from songs. It happens all the time. For “Dazed”, Zep made it their own; they made their own lyrics and did the song as THEIR song. Jake wrote his version of it, and Zep wrote theirs. So, nice try to discredit the almighty Led.

do you people making comments even read the article?

This is just what you did in the 60’s and 70’s. Cover, borrow and reuse.

Another example of this blog hating on Zeppelin…where the hell is The Song Remains the Same in this list of the Best Concert Films of All Time?!?!

http://earfarm.com/features/daily-feature/monday/1989

I always wonder what the point is when I run across this kind of post. Are you making people aware of the original artists? Or just slinging mud? An artist should no doubt be credited for his work… but is this what you are proposing, that the so called inventors of the music should be credited?

There is no denying the talent of this group. Few people in the world can come together like they did and play the way they did. Almost every band would love to do what they did in creating such awesome stuff… but few if any can succeed… this places Zep in the top tiers of performers.

There is also no denying the huge blues influence on Zeppelin. And in some of the cases you pointed out… it is absolutly ridiculous that Zep didn’t give proper credit. In other cases… its kinda meh…

I think Zeppelin felt they changed all the ones based on the Blues stuff enough to make it their own… not to mention that all of Rock at that point was using old Blues songs to get inspiration and influence from. It would be a crime to say that the majority of these were stolen or were just “covers.” I think we can safely say a lot of Zep stuff like this started as covers and then changed SIGNIFIGANTLY, enough for Plant and Page to feel it was theirs.

Either way, Led Zeppelin is no doubt the best Rock band the world has ever seen.

i have read several articles were jimmy page and robert plant give credit to numerous influences, some of which you have named. thus giving credit to the original writers, not ripping them off. your an insignificant ass hair that has zero hit songs so go fuck yourself.

Little did you know that Led Zeppelin credit all those groups as influences and inspirations. For example, Willie Dixon is a BIG influence of theirs. Perhaps you should read more into bands before you post blogs slandering their name.

fuck you guys

Ok, first of all, they DID give credits to the original songs that they covered.
2nd, do you guys compose music?

I’m a composer, and I listen to a lot of music. Sometimes I “come up” with riffs that I’ve already heard before. The same thing probably happened with Zeppelin.
But people like you don’t see it, you just think they ripped off the bands without giving them credits.
Way to go.

Just because you want things to be a certain way doesn’t make them so.

Zep has been sued over this. They did not originally give credit for some of these. They were sued. Look:

“In 1972, ARC music sued Led Zeppelin, claiming that they had plagiarized Howlin’ Wolf and a settlement was reached out of court. Chester Burnett (Howlin’ Wolf’s real name) is now given songwriting credit for ‘The Lemon Song’.

To be fair, in ‘The Lemon Song’ Led Zeppelin took a number of influences to produce something that was uniquely theirs. Still, they drew heavily enough on one source, Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Killing Floor,’ to be forced to change the songwriting credits under threat of legal action.”

IT HAPPENED. It’s fact, just deal with it. It doesn’t make them any better or worse than they always have been. It just is. Deal with it.

Source for the above:
http://www.turnmeondeadman.net/Zep/LemonSong.php

give me a break this is bull. I’m hardly a led zeppelin fan so you can’t say i’m just a fanboy etc. but seriously at least for stairway, the closest similarity is about 5 notes in the guitar part and the same acoustic sound. The whole feel of the two songs are completely different. If you didn’t tell me that they “stole” parts of this song I don’t think I would have even noticed the similarity. There are songs that are a lot more closely related than these and really from what I’ve heard it doesn’t even seem like the influences of the song’s that they’ve “stolen” from reflect in the “plagiarized” piece. My point… Listen to more music so that you can get a better feel for where the roots of a song lie before you go jumping to conclusions.

If you can find it Mojo magazine had a free CD entitled tThe Roots of Led Zeppelin which was complied by Robert Plant and contains many of the songs referanced.

this is the dumbest thing ever, a). if your trying to say that stairway is the same as another song, you might as well say that Let it Grow is that song too, which is preposterous, not to mention that that was an original song with a completely different melody, if you even know what that is. b). the songs that were in fact the same, like the lemon song (also done by hendrix, only it was called killing floor), were given proper credit. c). for the songs where you suggest that the song wasn’t given proper credit, have you ever seen the original liner notes on the vinyls? because if you had taken these things into credit, or maybe done your research, you would realize how stupid this article is. enough said.

“Dazed and Confused” from Led Zeppelin’s 1969 debut album was one of the group’s signature numbers. The songwriting credits list Jimmy Page as the sole author of this song, but “Dazed and Confused” was originally written by Jake Holmes and included on his 1967 album The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes. A 1990 interview with Jimmy Page in Musician is revealing:

http://www.turnmeondeadman.net/Zep/DazedAndConfused.php

INTERESTING BLOG!!!!!!!!!! I COULDN’T AGREE MORE…..WITH ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!
YES; L-Z DID SETTLE A COUPLE OF LAW-SUITES OUT OF COURT(FOR WHATEVER REASON)-AND YES AGAIN; MUSICIANS FROM ALL OVER OUR BIG,TINY WORLD HAS FROM THE DAWN OF TIME “COPIED”,”BORROWED” OR “STOLEN” FROM EACH OTHER! THIS IS OLD NEWS AND WILL CERTAINLY BE DONE IN YEARS TO COME,OR AT LEAST UNTIL A CLEVER BASTARD COMES UP WITH A SCALE THAT SENDS THE OLD “C TO C”-SCALE INTO OBLIVION!!!! THIS COULD BE “A TASK FOR A TYSON” IF THERE EVER WAS ONE!!!!! (pardon the rusty English.Doesn’t use it that often here in the Norwegian Woods! Oops,sorry sir Paul, can we settle that theft of lyrics in quiet,do you think!! speedhog

dude whoever made this is an idiot. this isn’t accurate at all. not only that but specifically, the spirit song that’s supposed to be stairway to heaven…. no, sorry. that’s not even close. people are idiots stop putting your own damn perspective online and trying to get people to believe it. you’re wrong, you’re dumb, its inaccurate. fucking morons.

Were your mother and elder sister groupies of Page? Why the fuck do you defend them like they fucked your mother you dipshit? The blog owner did a great job by depicting Zep’s dirty underwears.

I wasn’t aware that having similar chord progressions meant that you stole a song.

many of these claims were heavily exaggerated:

10. Nobody can receive credit for a traditional song, so the problem is only a technical one.

9. Credit ultimately given

8. The only similarities are the first four lines of the song. (*Been working from seven …*)

7. The riffs share only five notes in common. Chord progression is 12-bar blues, which we can’t credit to anyone.

6. See #10. Also, just about everything except the vocal melody *was* original.

5. Credit ultimately given

4. Credit ultimately given

3. Different riff, different lyrics, and the instrumental interlude/guitar solo is all original

2. Spirit doesn’t own the chromatic scale, nobody does.

1.The riff/bass line and title are the only similarities. See #2.

if you are going to bust on Zepplin you will have to bust on every other band out there as well… The blues is the roots. the rest is the fruits. Stones yardbirds cream bloodwyn pig john mayall Eric Clapton Stevie Ray. They all pay tribute to the great blues men in one way or another and lot’s of the old blues men love what the newer guys did with and for their music. read your history.

Interesting insight. But the comments are cracking me up! Keep up the good rants guys and gals!

Led-Zeppelin just “borrowed” those riffs/licks to make their millions,
Just like Drew Curtis “borrows”news stories to make his millions on FARK.com. The only difference is that Led-Zeppelin was a music icon where as Drew’s only talent is in phelching roadkill.

Hip is 100% right.

“uh, people… Led Zep were formed completely over a love of the early bluesmen and they not only played as many songs but added all the licks to all their music . That was the entire point - to share the sounds, licks and amazing possibilities of the Mississippi Blues genre. Page admits it so many times. Why is it such a surprise to you folks ? Is it this New Age Copyright crap idea that you have fallen for? Copyright only helps lawyers. Music is to be shared.”

Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, et al, borrowed and refashioned tunes and lyrics from songs written by their predecessors, offering no credit to said predecessors, and this is acceptable.

Page, Plant, et al, borrow and refashion tunes and lyrics, and this is theft?

There seems to be a bit of a double-standard at play here.

first of all that sririt and stairway comparison is lame.who cares about the lyrics to whole lotta love the guitar riff was what made the song great which is original.alot of people like the sound of plants voice no one cares about lyriics in sex driven rock songs that much anyway.using old standard blues lyrics and reworking the song as your own and calling it your own has always been a tradition in blues music anyway.should they have given credit in some way on the albums ?yes,but c,mon countles of other rock bands have been inspired by other musicians work and im sure did not cite all the sources of thier songs c,mon now.people on both sides of this should calm down and look at the big picture especially with a band with a huge wall of music like zeppelin.alot of true zeppelin fans dont even consider most of these songs among thier best anyway and yes that includes stairway.so here are 20+ led zeppelin songs all thier own creations u can look it up that shows why they are still the greatest hard rock band of all time.good times bad times,what is and what should never be,ramble on,all my love,the ocean,achilles last stand,black dog,immigrant song,the rain song,going to california,over the hills and far away,ten years gone,no quarter,dyer’mker,in the light,battle of evermore,fool in the rain,thank you,the wanton song,the rover,dancing days,in the evening,the song remains the same,and kashmir the best zeppelin song ever produced.so the songs they “stole” if thats what u want to call it just add one more notch under zeppelins belt they were also the best cover band ever .u should always look at the big picture and judge purely before jumping to conclusions.

i never cared about the begining and end of bring it on home anyway the middle guitar section which is a jimmy page original is what makes the song great.what a lame comparison.

It is hard to dictate what belongs to who. Folk and Blue (being the founding genres of modern music) is really hard to keep track of. During the days in which they were made money wasn’t really the goal, but now with stricter copyrights people certainly do try.
I (as much as i am ashamed to admit) have not listened to much LZ. In fact I’ve only recently delved into old blues,.. like sonny boy and wolf ( Wolf was here in Mississippi not too long ago and had a show quite a guy to talk with).
Business is business.. Zep wouldn’t put stuff like that out on the albums they released for fear of losing fans. A professor I had used some quotes from the New York times.. they charged him 50 cents a word.. a non profit organization, the music industry would be god awful im sure. The fact that most all of this isn’t “widely” known hold true to that. I cant attest to who or what all zep did to credit their inspiration/sources… cause I simply have done the research nor do I feel like busting peoples balls because something insignificant was said about a band I tend to like.
“Creativity is knowing how to hide your sources”

correction… ” have not done the research”

This would have sounded better if you’d done any original research instead of copying things that have been well known and written about extensively for 30 or more years and passing it all off as your own work.

Does that remind you of anybody?

http://www.zharth.net/roots/ for more.

Oh. My. God.

I am getting sick and fucking tired of this same old, beating-a-dead-horse story.

How about the 10 songs Eric Clapton stole? Or the 10 songs The Beatles stole? Or the Ten songs Elvis Presley stole?

Or better yet, how about the 10 fucking songs ROBERT JOHNSON stole?

It’s a fucking Blues tradition! Blues would not exist without artists stealing (whether or not they give credit is a separate issue, but giving credit is actually rarer then you think) past artists work. It’s how the Blues exists.

In My Time of Dying HAS NO original writer! It was first RECORDED by Blind Willie Johnson, but he didn’t write it. In fact, nobody knows WHO wrote IMTOD. It’s origins are hazy at best. And Zeppelin’s version sounds like their own. I’d say that song is original enough to get away with calling it their own.

I will agree with Black Mountain Side.

On Dazed and Confused, Jake Holmes said “let them have it. They’ll probably do more with it then I ever could” or something to that effect.

Babe I’m Gonna Leave You sounds nothing like Ann Bredon’s.

Robert admits to using Moby Grape lyrics in Since I’ve Been Loving, as a tribute to them. You don’t have to credit an artist to tribute them.

Like Rob said, The Beatles I Feel Fine is more of a Watch Your Step rip-off then Moby Dick.

I will give you The Lemon Song, as well, although I’ll point out that if you listen to the two songs, with the exception of the lyrics, Zeppelin’s version is definitely their own.

Willie Dixon liked Zeppelin’s version of Bring it on Home, and when his label sued Zep for it, Dixon disapproved, and then had to sue his label for the money, after which he apologized to Led Zeppelin for it. As for Whole Lotta Love, it was not Dixon’s label, but Dixon himself who sued, and he settled for an out-of-court deal which included restitution as well as his name being put as a writer of the song.

As for Stairway to Heaven, Jimmy asked Spirit if he could use that intro. The members of Spirit wanted to know what he could do with it. When he showed them, not only did they give it to him, but they gave it to him with no strings attached. All members of Spirit have been quoted as saying that they love Stairway to Heaven and they themselves don’t really see the similarities to Taurus. Page changed it too much.

Of course, most people aren’t going to understand all this. “Zeppelin stole! they’re bad! Boo Zeppelin!” take time to learn the facts before you make such idiotic posts.

And sorry for the biting and angry tone, but I’m sick and tired of people yelling “Zeppelin stole!” when they don’t understand all the facts. As a member of the music industry and an aspiring musician myself, I do understand.

wow dumb fuck its called a cover. besides half these are coincidinces and they admit to the ones they covered, they just improved them

Zeppelin is still awesome. they took the music better. Good list that rock fans should read it . give thumbs up on su!!

Great music!! still one of the greatest bands ever.. Give thumbs up on SU!!

thieves maybe but hes still good……still like him.

what about all the fuckin great songs that r their own that r better than most all these songs anyway dork.they made them different and better if they credited them back then it wouldnt matter they would still b what they r already considered by most.kashmir,immigrant song,black dog it just dont matter.im a musiician i know this.

“thieves maybe but hes still good……still like him.”

Hey aidan?

Led Zeppelin is 4 guys: Jimmy Page (guitarist), Robert Plant (singer), John Paul Jones (bassist, pianist, mandolin-player, guitar-player, etc…), and John Bonham (drums and other various percussion).

Led Zeppelin is not the name of one guy and, quite frankly, it’d be a rather dumb name for one dude, don’t ya’ think?

Also (and for the last time), they aren’t thieves. They’re blues musicians.

You forgot one of the most obvious — “Boogie With Stu” is lifted almost note for note from Richie Valen’s “Ooh, My Head.” Listen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm1oI6TbORU&feature=related

Wikipedia says they got sued for that one by Richie’s mother.

they didnt get sued by valens mom her name was on the original album sleeve i own it ,and” truth” is right think of all the great songs they wrote on thier own anyway.tey just made great covers if thats whay u wanna call it.

Great article!

stop whining who really cares

[...] like the recent 10 Songs Led Zeppelin Stole From Other Artists countdown, we’re not “so serious” about tripping anyone up here, we’re just [...]

nice post and great information thank you very much.

Seriously? These are called ‘covers,’ no stolen songs you morons. Everybody knows Zep pulls from blues and other roots for their music. Listen to it for what it is, not the title on it.

you people are so fucking stupid, you should be disappointed because Led Zeppelin is not original. You people probably never heard of these blues artists. Fuck the british invasion, all they do is cover blues artists and claim the fame while commercializing. I’m not so surprised that you people defend these idiots because they have you so hypnotized. I hate commercialization, music should be for the goddamn soul not the fucking money. Look at Zeppelin… they show fucking movies, sell t-shirts, posters, have a private jet…. etc. this sickens me.

besides… think about it….. you put countless hours in the studio making a fucking song that rocks to have it stolen by some other idiot.

People like john who think they know about music crack me up what a dork.this is such old news to people whos opinions really matter like any true musician.musicians have known this for decades bands like the who and black sabbath and mettalica have always known this. go to a fye and by the dvds about it stop overreacting to way over exagerated info u think that fake tough talk makes u sound rite but it makes u look like a dork. .

I know I know john its frustrating when people like u WHO DONT KNOW ALL THE FACTS who try to come off as open minded r simply EXAGERATING THINGS its so funny how mad yous are getting.This has BEEN KNOWN FOR DECADES and critics and other musicians still see how much ORIGINALITY LED ZEPPELIN BROUGHT TO MUSIC.Songs like WHOLE LOTTA LOVE and BRING IT ON HOME only SMALL PARTS ARE USED the only part of whole lotta love THATS USED IS SIMPLY LYRICS THE RIFF,SOLO ,BASS LINE AND DRUMS ARE ALL ORIGINAL ITS FACT.There are countless DVDS on this topic LED ZEPPELIN WOULD STILL BE CONSIDERED WHAT THEY ALREADY ARE IF THEY HAD GIVEN CREDIT BACK THEN OR NOT.This is only a small portion of thier music anyway THEY MADE TWICE AS MANY SONGS ALL ORIGINAL THAT ARE JUST AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER THAN ALL THESE SONGS AND THAT INCLUDES STAIRWAY. TO TRUE MUSIC CRITICS.So many other great songs KASHMIR ,BLACK DOG,IMMIGRANT SONG ,THE OCEAN,GOOD TIMES BAD TIMES,IN THE LIGHT,NO QUARTER,GOING TO CALIFORNIA,OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY,THE RAIN SONG and countless others.YOU CAN LOOK IT UP so stop trying to make more out of this ANCIENT INFO thats exagerated.SPIRIT GAVE PAGE THE INTRO TO TAURUS THERE ARE INTERVEIWS ABOUT THIS AND BESIDES ITS ONLY THE INTRO. THE SOLO AND RYTHYM SECTION IS ALL ORIGINAL AS WELL AS THE LYRICS.They created something totaly different from thee original songs they borrowed in every case if u cant SEE THAT YOUR A STUPID FUCK.LED ZEPPELIN COULD DO EVERYTHING GREAT.Stop streching info to try to hurt the image of something just cause you dont like it or your just a dumbass JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS like the people who made this dumb blog.There are BLUES TRADITIONS involved here people like You dont even know about.THE BAND HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE MISTAKE OF NOT GIVEN CREDIT IN SOME INSTANCES.But it does nt take away from theIr legendary TALENT,ORIGINALITY ,OR CREATIVITY.SO EXAGERATED AND MISLEADING!

[...] You can hear some of these original tunes from links HERE. [...]

okay, so they took LYRICS from other songs… in my time of dying, for example. sure, the lyrics are from a much older song but the MUSIC is so orginal in theirs that they cant really be accused of ripping someone else off.. and what about all of the music that they completely made up themselves? achilles last stand, ten years gone anybody? the whole stairway/taurus thing is total bull, ive listened to the songs’ intros and they are definately not the same thing. its such a simple chord progression in the intro that its no surprise that more than one person used it

Take all these songs away from them and they still have the BEST collection of HARD ROCK MUSIC anyway.They arent even my favorite band but you look dumb if u dont know that.SOME BANDS PUT OUT GREATEST HITS ALBUMS WITH TEN SONGS ON THEM AND THEY ARE CONSIDERED LEGENDS.Get over it this doesnt matter as much as you think it should.WE KNOW U PEOPLE THAT DONT CARE OR LIKE ZEPPELIN WANT THIS TO DIMINISH THEYRE PLACE IN ROCK HISTORY.They have like 40 other songs all theyre own and most are better than these songs anyway.ITS SO FUNNY HOW MAD YOUS ARE GETTING CAUSE PEOPLE KNOW MORE THAN U THINK ABOUT THIS TOPIC ITS OLD NEWS!

It doesn’t matter that LZ is one of the most popular bands out there. It doesn’t matter that I like them. It still doesn’t excuse them using other people’s materials without giving due credit.

There’s nothing to be done now. No action to be taken. This article just gives people information. Those who’d like to know it, read it. Others can of course just leave. Stop gnawing at the author.

Acknowledging intellectual property DOES count. Somebody did that work. He/ she deserves the credit. It’s only as long as the artist is appreciated and given his due that we can expect people to be motivated.

It may be ‘common knowledge’ to you guys that these songs had been lifted. It’s news to me. And I certainly do appreciate this page… It’s good info. Doesn’t mean I won’t listen to LZ. It does mean I have lesser respect for them than I used to.

Ok, here we go…

10. Black Mountain Side. If it was a traditional folk song, and that’s how you yourself described it, how did Zeppelin steal it?

9. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You. Firstly, Zeppelin genuinely thought it was a traditional, simply covered by Baez. Secondly, what about the middle section?

8. Since I’ve Been Loving You. Are you kidding? That’s the first 5 words in a 7 minute song… The progression is a variation of the 12 bar blues (not copyrighted AT ALL) and the lead guitar line is definitely original.

7.Moby Dick. As multiple people said before, I Feel Fine is a much closer copy. Also, you have it wrong about the Parker thing. Page wanted to sign Parker, true. Page went to Washington DC and recorded some of Parker’s playing, and showed it to the rest of the band in New York. They hated it. You talk about it as though Parker declined Zeppelin. Actually, Parker was ecstatic that members of Zeppelin even noticed him.

6. In My Time Of Dying.This is traditional. The lyrics have most probably been handed down from decades of recordings. The main point of the song is just the riff anyways, and that’s (as far as I know) 100% original.

5. Lemon Song. The closest to stealing out of any of your songs, but the lyrics are the only thing close to the Dixon version, what about the riff, middle section? And don’t forget thefantastic bass work from JPJ.

4. Bring It On Home. Only the last 10 seconds are even close, and the ending is a genuine blues progression, not copyrighted by ANYONE. The main point of the song is the fantastic heavy riff in the middle.

3. Whole Lotta Love. People don’t care about what Robert was blabbering about, the whole point of Whole Lotta Love is that chugging riff. Another original riff from Page.

2. Stairway to Heaven. The only thing FAINTLY similar to Taurus would be the descending line. But if that’s copyrighted, what about Hotel California? The Eagles were never flagged for that, yet the bass line is descending, like Taurus, in b minor rather than a.

1. Dazed And Confused. The bass line was borrowed from Jake Holmes, but the lyrics are completely different, Holmes didn’t use a bow on the guitar, and holmes didn’t have the racing guitar solo/riff.

And while we’re on the subject of stealing songs, what about the millions of times other bands have ripped off Zeppelin? So many riffs have been taken, changed by a couple notes, and made into new songs. These people aren’t flagged by Zeppelin…

And don’t forget the tons of completely original songs by Zeppelin, songs just as good, or BETTER, than the ones you mentioned. I’m talking about No Quarter, Battle For Evermore, Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, The Ocean, The Song Remains The Same, THe Rain Song, Over The Hills And Far Away, Immigrant Song, That’s The Way, Going To California, The Rover, Sick Again, Kashmir, Achilles Last Stand, Ten Years Gone, In The Evening, All My Love, Royal Orleans, Long Black Wavy Hair, Good Times Bad Times, Communication Breakdown, Heartbreaker, and the list goes on?

So, in conclusion… Just forget it. No matter what you say, you can’t change the fact that Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest bands ever, monumental in the history of rock. And even if you don’t believe me, just remember that they had SIX albums in the Top 10 at once…

The Youtube video is no longer available. Why?- “This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by WMG.” Ironic.

[...] Originally Posted by Tre West LED ZEPPELIN IS NOT OVERRATED. Even opinions that suggest that should not be allowed. Hahahaha. They are thieves nonetheless read this Zep Steals [...]

THEY WILL BE KNOWN AS THE GREATEST THIEVES IN ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY!!!

[...] while the Beatles were nowhere near as crass as, say, Led Zeppelin in stealing from Black American musicians – nor anything like as derivative of their source texts [...]

Willie Dixon was a huge influence on Led Zep. And they did admit it. And they also had to pay out when he sued their asses. So, since Zep settled several cases “out of court” for plagiarism, I ask you — does the settle before rulings make them any less guilty? Did you think Michael Jackson was innocent in the 90’s when he “settled” his child abuse case?

Also, Page ripped off his old band mates from the Yardbirds as well. All he had to do was put a name next to his on authorship. But Page, knowing damned well he stole this stuff, decided to put, by Page. Think about the deliberateness of this. And I’ve heard the Spirit tune Taurus and the opening, the melody, is the same, note for note, as Stairway to Heaven. Those who deny this are delusional. He didn’t rip off the whole song, but he did rip off the opening. No doubt learned when Led Zep opened for Spirit in the late 60’s.

Even though Zep has been sued many times, things were less litigious back in their day. If Page were doing this now, he’d be sued left and right.

Yeah so I can see why some people would be so suspicious about led zep’s songs sounding a lil familiar.. BUT….

i’m listening to these comparison songs.. and i can hear a CLEAR DISTINCTION in these songs.

Long rant cut down: all bands have ther favorites.. all bands have their influences… we ALL are guilty of learning from eachother and even mimicking eachother to some degree.

Led Zeppelin has a very idiosyncratic sound…. as well as an undeniable habit of getting perhaps a slight bit too much inspiration from their band faves… but the songs ARE their own.

AND I NOW WHAT YOU’RE GONNA SAY! (-_-)

“but… helllloooooo!? they STOLE credits to ‘in my time of dyin”…!”

maybe they weren’t stealing credit for the writted song.. maybe they were writing in who …PERFORMED THE SONG!…!

because WHO.. in their right mind would try and blatantly STEAL rights to a song.. that is soooooo popular…. like… who would try and say they wrote “twinkle twinkle little star”?.. you know? it’s not common knowledge who wrote the damn song but.. everyobody knows it’s been around too long for ANYONE to take credit for it’s EXISTENCE!

… i don’t know if i’ve gotten to you.