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tomhug
Intermediate Member
Username: tomhug

Post Number: 158
Registered: 7-2008
Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2014 - 6:05 am:   Edit Post

Argh - Somehow my browser picked up the last new thread title I used.

This post was supposed to be about something else entirely.

Admins, can you please delete this post?

Sorry, everyone.

(Message edited by tomhug on November 30, 2014)
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 11578
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2014 - 12:08 pm:   Edit Post

Rather than delete the thread, I thought I would just rename it and see if it might be useful as an open thread.

And since there's an open thread here, I thought I would mention that I ran across something this morning that I somehow never knew about; the resemblance between the opening progression of Stairway To Heaven and a similar progression in Spirit's "Taurus". Back when I was much younger I would have listened to that Spirit album, what I don't recall that particular song or the similarity between it and Led Zeppelin's song. Here is Taurus; it's a pretty nice tune.
rraymond
Advanced Member
Username: rraymond

Post Number: 394
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2014 - 1:03 pm:   Edit Post

Spirit! I hadn't thought of those guys in - decades. I used to love the "Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" album. I wore out the "Nature's Way" and "Mr. Skin" tracks.

"Taurus" is a great tune, BTW. Maybe it and "Stairway To Heaven" could be mixed together for "Taurus To Heaven" and the remaining band members could tour together with sponsorship from Ford. Or, maybe not...
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 5903
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2014 - 1:10 pm:   Edit Post

I believe there is current litigation with the owners of Taurus suing the owners of STH.

Bill, tgo
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 11580
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2014 - 1:44 pm:   Edit Post

I remember that when I first heard Twelve Dreams I thought it was amazing; and some band I was in at some point, I think in '73, did Nature's Way.
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 5904
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2014 - 2:25 pm:   Edit Post

Songs that can be mixed together...

I played with some guys where we combined the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" with the marching song of the army of the Wicked Witch of the West: "oh wee yo. woooooooooh hoh"

Bill, tgo
sonicus
Senior Member
Username: sonicus

Post Number: 3763
Registered: 5-2009
Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2014 - 2:46 pm:   Edit Post

Bill , The Army song;___ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvrhEw-NZNc

The Flying Monkeys made me run and hide behind the couch when I was 3 !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SESI19h4wDo
flpete1uw
Senior Member
Username: flpete1uw

Post Number: 421
Registered: 11-2011
Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2014 - 3:45 pm:   Edit Post

"Oh we loath the Old One"
Bit of trivia. :-)
jimmyj
Senior Member
Username: jimmyj

Post Number: 552
Registered: 8-2008
Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2014 - 4:59 pm:   Edit Post

Spirit was one of the odd bands my brother and I were into back in the day. Part of the curiosity was "old guy" Ed Cassidy on drums. Ha! I'm sure he wasn't nearly as old then as I am now!!

I view this litigation with some discomfort. One of the main "coincidences" of the situation is that (apparently) Spirit toured as an opening act for Zep before "Stairway To Heaven" BUT, Randy California never tried to file any claim against Jimmy Page as far as I know. Only now, after Randy's untimely death does his "estate" seem to be going after the dough. I may not have all the facts straight in this case but it makes me feel kinda queasy.

Jimmy J
jon_jackson
Advanced Member
Username: jon_jackson

Post Number: 210
Registered: 12-2008
Posted on Monday, December 01, 2014 - 5:41 am:   Edit Post

As I understand it, Mark Andes originally pushed the lawsuit on behalf of California's family. While it may be hard to grasp now, Zep was the opening act on their early US tour while Spirit was the headliner, playing Taurus in their set. Some reports have Zep covering Spirit's song "Fresh Garbage" at the time. Randy California was quoted post-STH as being upset with not receiving any credit for the music. I believe Zep also had a few other issues with credits on their early music, whether deliberate or accidental, which have subsequently been revised and re-credited.
Jon
jimmyj
Senior Member
Username: jimmyj

Post Number: 553
Registered: 8-2008
Posted on Monday, December 01, 2014 - 11:37 am:   Edit Post

Thanks for that Jon, that's really interesting. Didn't realize Spirit was the headliner, love it! I hope everybody does the right thing and this litigation works out somehow.

You know, ownership of a song, or melody, or chord sequence is a really tricky thing. How many people are holding copyrights on the blues? Lyrics yes, but within "popular" music's general musical framework it would be hard to come up with a completely new melody or chord progression. Didn't somebody recently do a mashup of like 12 current pop tunes with the same 4 chords?

When James Taylor plays his song "Something In The Way She Moves" he describes it as the tune he used to audition for Apple Records in '68. He says; "I played it in a small room in London for Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Paul liked it so much he signed me to the label and George liked it so much he went home and wrote it himself." Then after a laugh he says "It's all good, I stole everything I possibly could from the Beetles".

Jimmy J
edwardofhuncote
Intermediate Member
Username: edwardofhuncote

Post Number: 121
Registered: 6-2014
Posted on Monday, December 01, 2014 - 1:24 pm:   Edit Post

As an aside to this conversation (like the open thread, btw) one of the things my neo-oldtyme ensemble does is research the melodies of traditional Appalachian fiddle tunes in search of the "source" songs. It's often tricky, because these melodies weren't necessarily written down longhand, and certainly not recorded until the last century. Well before publishing and copywriting were established, fiddlers/musicians just passed these tunes down to each other, often multi-generationally.

Even today here in Virginia, oldtyme music is VERY territorial... often when playing in unfamiliar company, we have to determine which region a particular tune came from so you know what/where the changes are. Seriously, it's commonplace to hear - "Are you doing the Carroll County version or the Southern West Virginia version?"

The jokes about it all sounds the same... yeah. It does if you don't know any better. =)
cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member
Username: cozmik_cowboy

Post Number: 1796
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Monday, December 01, 2014 - 8:05 pm:   Edit Post

"...within "popular" music's general musical framework it would be hard to come up with a completely new melody or chord progression. Didn't somebody recently do a mashup of like 12 current pop tunes with the same 4 chords?"

How about this one?

Peter
tomhug
Intermediate Member
Username: tomhug

Post Number: 160
Registered: 7-2008
Posted on Monday, December 01, 2014 - 8:36 pm:   Edit Post

I am honored that my cantankerous browser and Dave Houck's ingenuity created this thread (I love randomness).

Speaking of mashups, my band used to do
40 Lashes / Jesus Christ Superstar / Sympathy for the Devil. We were a Marquette University band, and we thought we were so subversive. It sure was a crowd pleaser, though.
bigredbass
Senior Member
Username: bigredbass

Post Number: 2279
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Monday, December 01, 2014 - 9:43 pm:   Edit Post

I think what will be interesting is as thousands of tunes age, with all manner of ownership, presumably some percentage of songs we've all played and know backwards will become Public Domain. . . as if in this day of digital file sharing anyone really 'owns' them as before in the analog age.

Joey
bigredbass
Senior Member
Username: bigredbass

Post Number: 2280
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Monday, December 01, 2014 - 9:47 pm:   Edit Post

I think what will be interesting is as thousands of tunes age, with all manner of ownership, presumably some percentage of songs we've all played and know backwards will become Public Domain. . . as if in this day of digital file sharing anyone really 'owns' them as before in the analog age.

I often wonder how much of the constant touring of very 'mature' artists (I think of Paul McCartney, for instance) is due to the collapse of record, songwriting, and airplay royalties. Of course, if I'd been able to afford Paul's ticket prices for his last two trips to Nashville, I'd have seen a Beatle . . . and a billionaire. All you need is cash . . . .

Joey
pauldo
Senior Member
Username: pauldo

Post Number: 1348
Registered: 6-2006
Posted on Monday, December 01, 2014 - 10:33 pm:   Edit Post

"All we own, we owe her." ?

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