The jury is still out (literally) on whether Led Zeppelin plagiarized elements of Spirit’s “Taurus” for “Stairway to Heaven,” and whether that Wayne’s World scene will have to be updated with a sign that says NO STAIRWAY AND/OR TAURUS. But that’s not the only time Plant and Page cheekily borrowed somebody else’s work–I wrote up […]

posted 23 June 2016 in Articles. no comments yet

Monday morning seems like a good time for Zeppelin appreciation. Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy (1973) When George Harrison met John Bonham, the Beatle told Led Zeppelin’s drummer, “The problem with your band is you don’t do any ballads.” Singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page could have taken umbrage–they had written the gorgeous […]

posted 31 January 2011 in Reviews. 7 comments

One of the pleasures of shuffle-play on an iPod is learning new things about old songs through your headphones. This happened to me recently with two songs: 1. Billy Joel, “Big Shot.” I had forgotten Billy Joel’s vocals in the first five seconds of “Big Shot,” which I would transcribe as, “Sssssshmt. Oooh.” It sounds […]

posted 7 December 2010 in Tasty Bits. 2 comments

The conundrum for any music fan: would you rather have more songs from your favorite band on their new album, even if it meant the album wasn’t as good? Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin’s 1975 double disc, epitomizes that paradox. The great tracks are among the band’s very best, but they get a bit lost when […]

posted 27 August 2008 in Tasty Bits. 6 comments