The Murky Origins of "Stairway to Heaven"
A few days ago, I was listening to Spirit's self-titled debut album (1968), and I was shocked when the fourth song on the album, "Taurus," came on. About a minute or so in, a haunting guitar line emerges out of the ephereal opening: the guitar line of "Stairway to Heaven"! Since Spirit came out a good couple of years before IV, I fumbled around for the liner notes to the Spirit album, and found that Randy California, their guitarist, wrote that people ask him all the time why "Stairway to Heaven" uses the exact same guitar line as "Taurus," and California responds, without any trace of bitterness at all, that Led Zeppelin's first American tour was as the opening act for Spirit, and they often played Spirit songs as part of their set. Neither California nor I would consider it a "rip-off," but instead one of the most blatant liftings of another song by a band known for its reworkings of older songs. In that context it doesn't surprise me, but what does surprise me is that I had never heard of the "Taurus" connection before. Has anybody else heard about this? Anyone know the song "Taurus"? If you haven't, download it from itunes and let me know what you think.
I just got that album. I listen to "Taurus" and tell you what I think!
I think you'll be pretty surprised. As an aside, I think the album is good anyway; hopefully, you'll like it.
Johnny Waco
Lol, just listened and it doesn't get much closer than that before the tablature is exactly the same! Both Spirit and IV are good albums.
Thanks to Johnny, I have heard the passages in dispute, and I tell ya, I AM A BELIEVAH!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Hey, if the "Spirit" moves ya to believe...
Johnny Waco
I just taught myself the intro to Stairway to Heaven so I've been reading up about it a lot...you know if it weren't for Zeppelin's affiliation with Spirit I would have said it was a coincidence and just a common use of the chromatic scale, I'm sure it's in some classical music piece somewhere. But since Zeppelin opened for Spirit, what can I say? They've been robbed of greatness, haha!
But Stairway is still an EPIC song, can't deny that. Great lyrics and guitar solo.
"Taurus" is a good song, but no doubt, "Stairway to Heaven" is a great song. Whether Zep borrowed the guitar line or not, they definitely transformed it into an amazing song...
And that's cool that you taught yourself the intro to "Stairway," but remember the scene in Wayne's World when Wayne goes to the guitar shop to look at guitars, and when he asks to play one, they point to a big sign that says "NO STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN"? ;)
Johnny Waco