Dave J Hogan/Getty ImagesTestimony continued Friday in Los Angeles at the trial stemming from a lawsuit claiming Led Zeppelin ripped off the Spirit song “Taurus” for its classic tune “Stairway to Heaven”.
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Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has told a court he hadn’t heard a song he is accused of plagiarizing for the iconic “Stairway to Heaven” until a few years ago.
Meanwhile, a lawyer for the estate of late Randy California argued it’s an original stolen from Spirit’s song, “Taurus”.
Jones, whose real name is John Baldwin, told the federal court in Los Angeles that Page never said he was a fan of Spirit in the late 1960s.
The musician said he remembered first hearing what would become Stairway at a rehearsal room the band used in Hampshire, England, as he and guitarist Page worked up an early arrangement. “I didn’t know where it was from”. He said it was just something he heard that he thought was catchy.
It was quirky and it caught my ear.
He said he didn’t even realize he owned Spirit’s first album that contained “Taurus” until he looked through his collection after the comparisons surfaced.
Asked whether he had ever met Wolfe, Jones replied: “Not that I recall”.
Led Zeppelin made its United States debut in 1968, incidentally opening for a concert in Denver that Spirit performed at.
Page, under questioning by an attorney for the plaintiff, repeatedly said he was not sure whether any similarity exists between “Stairway to Heaven” and “Taurus”.
In this October 9, 2012 file photo, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, left, and singer Robert Plant appear at a press conference ahead of the worldwide theatrical release of “Celebration Day”, a concert film of their 2007 London O2 arena reunion show, in NY.
“I may have said the chord sequences are very similar because that chord sequence has been around forever”, Page said.
Jones said he played the “Fresh Garbage” passage without knowing what it was or who it was by. Page recruited Plant as singer and drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980.
Page, who wore a black suit and his white hair in a ponytail, said his chord progression probably had more in common with “Chim Chim Cher-ee” from the 1964 film musical “Mary Poppins” than anything else.
Ferrara admitted that the songs share a similar descending chromatic minor line, but pointed out that many well-known songs also feature that melodic sequence, including “My Funny Valentine” and The Beatles’ “Michelle”.
Meanwhile, the defense started its case by calling Dr. Lawrence Ferrara, professor of music at New York University, as an expert witness.
The defense used a musicologist who denied that the songs were similar.
Stewart said the descending chord progression and other elements have been found in songs dating to the 1600s.
“It was not something anyone can possibly own”, he added.
A lawsuit filed by his trustee and friend Michael Skidmore two years ago seeks damages and claims California deserves a songwriting credit so that he can “take his place as an author of rock’s greatest song”.
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An economist has testified that Led Zeppelin works that include “Stairway to Heaven” had revenues of almost $60 million over the past five years.
