Page vs Blackmore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjOHFYPuuHk

This is the ukulele origins of Stairway. Actually the thing is "composed / derived of two pieces. There's some nice harp versions about on You Tube. Stairway to Carolan is the correct title.

The court case is about the intro which dates from c. 1500 and this which Page" wrote" later on. I saw this on you tube as well - the footage lasted surprisingly well over 600 years, technology really does last the distance. Anyway, I'm, not sure the Spirit crowd want to draw too much to this really. I mean R. California nee Wolfe didn't write it either. Neither did Bach and he's used it here and there to fill in those "difficult" bridge pieces when required, y'know how it is.... it's been hanging around for centuries.

Yet to find where Robert found the lyrics. Bacon? Marlowe? ... Shakespeare even? Who can say?

Bet Jonesy is glad he is not involved in this.
"Were you involved in the writing of Stairway, Jonesey?"
"No. But very few in the band were actually..."

Yep, it's one of the reasons he took the gig.

Come on, really?

Friggin' Jimmy.

What Chopper said.....and I was going to say that to Davesax but chopper beat me to it.

The question for me is which one do I prefer to listen to? and the answer for me is Page, because he has the best riffs and songs - Custard Pie, Whole Lotta Love, Immigrant Song to name but three.
I like Purple and Blackmore as well (although from what I gather as a basic guitar player, Blackmore tends to stick to the same key most of the time) but Blackmore (or at least did) have an ego problem.

Oh dear.

I definitely like Blackmore better - but I also always preferred Deep Purple to Led Zeppelin. 

Blackmore over Page & Iommi over Blackmore.

Jp is great at working his solos in with the rhythm section (Dazed); his odd choices for phrases I think confuse and annoy anyone who wants everything to start on the one. When all this is happening at lightning speed it can induce bewilderment.

On the last ever performance of Stairway in Berlin he hijacks Plants vocal (not sure the singer was aware) and performs the vocal line on guitar (in case anyone was wondering...). Then the piece finishes normally. It really is quite something. Check it out.

As for the plagiarism, it was complicated. Y'see Jimmy and The Yardbirds were signed to (then) CBS. SO was Plant. But not JP who was signed to Atlantic. The Erteguns (in common with JP and PG) did not want to fork out loads of money in split royalties to CBS so credits were apportioned to avoid this. Dodgy old music biz in the 1960s.

But this is down to the record companies, publishers and management not up to the mere pop musicians. The Lemon Song was originally credited to Chester 'Howlin' Wolf' Burnett until Atlantic changed that. Saw a original copy once with this.

Anyway Purple's Black Night is a steal. I heard an interview on the radio with IG who told the story. The main riff is a Ricky Nelson B side (a bit was played) and Blackmore asked him if he (IG) had ever heard of it. IG said no and Black Night was born. Bit like the riff for Moby Dick. I must admit these dodgy origins have reduced my perceptions of this still classic second album.

Anyway the plagiarist most at fault is Plant - Whole Lotta Love, HMMT, NFBM (ironically) a verse of SIBLY (why??). Still I think he was not well advised by those in charge of the business. Anyone noticed that Plant now has a writing credit for BIGLY where none had existed? Not absolutely sure why. He never had a writing credit on the first album- the Erteguns again did not want to fork cash out to CBS; they waited 'til RP's out of contract.

Now everyone knows the song's (Babe I'm Gonna Leave You that is) origins. They had always said they were doing the version heard on a Joan Baez album. No one accused her of ripping anyone off (both correctly attributed the number to a traditional arrangement).

I think both are fine live but as was mentioned when Blackmore (and Lord) made lots of noise it might have been thrilling at the time but it was hell on the ears....  anyway they made great studio albums. But I think I'd credit Page with being the ultimate rock band guitarist. Blackmore has been influenced by Page. He used to think the world of Kashmir which originated the real epic style of heavy rock around then. But RB's great on the classical influence in hard rock.


Edited by uduwudu - April 02 2016 at 05:04

Blackmore wins for me, even if he became slightly obsessed with Kashmir-style riffs. I've read somewhere an opinion I agree with: Blackmore wasn't the fastest guitarist around, nor the most technical, nor the most flashy, but he excelled in all three areas as a whole.