Inspired by a post in this thread, I’m wondering if Led Zeppelin ripped off this Little Richard intro for Rock and Roll?
That’s one of the standard songs offered up as examples of Led Zeppelin stealing songs. To be honest, that particular one I think is an obvious quote or variation of the Little Richard song, but is just meant to evoke that classic rock and roll sound. I would not call that particular case ripping off.
You can read about the genesis of the song here:
If that’s a ripoff, this is an atrocity.
Led Zep did so many other blatant rip-offs of sometimes whole songs that this in comparison is just a minor crime in my book. Yes, they stole the drum intro, and both songs are rhythmically similar in general, but hey, it’s basic r’n’b/rock’n roll. Both the vocal variations and the lyrics are different. This happens all the time in popular music.
For example, here’s Van Morrison, a man who has complained of having been ripped off himself ad nauseam, stealing from/being inspired by a James Carr song (also just the intro).
They also totally ripped off the Beastie Boys
Dammit, you need to warn us before we risk hearing PAT BOONE.
Fortunately I was quick enough on the back button to avoid permanent brain damage.
Zep ripped off The Beastie’s…?
Totally. They ripped off Puff Daddy, too, those bastards.
“Stealing a song.” What a joke. It has a similar drum intro, and then it’s a total different song. I guess if I start a song with “A One-Two, A 1-2-3-4” then my whole song would be a ripoff.
“Rock and Roll” is one of the most energetic and awesome rock songs ever made, and to consider it “stolen” from Little Richard is such a joke.
Led Zep were, at least in the beginning, at their heart, a blues band.
Early rock ‘n’ roll was, essentially, the blues.
The blues is a musical form made up of, essentially, a single song.
Thus, I’m not sure it’s even possible to “rip off” a blues song.
I was expecting “Stairway to Heaven” from this album. Amazingly enough, the album is kind of interesting… not so much because of Mr. Boone, who has a limited instrument, but because of the arrangements, which are lush, complex, and in some cases provide very creative alternative interpretations of the material. I would say “Stairway to Heaven” is by far the strongest cut, both in terms of the arrangement and the vocal performance.
I don’t personally consider it is stolen, as I have said, but Led Zeppelin have a history of borrowing a lot of music. “Rock and Roll,” to me, is clearly an homage to Little Richard and rock history, meant to evoke that era of rock, and that drum intro is a paraphrase of the intro of “Keep on Knockin.” But calling it a straight “rip off” is silly.
Exactly. No different from dropping a Chuck Berry riff into a lead guitar fill or something (vs., say lifting a whole Chuck Berry song structure like the Beach Boys did with Surfin’ USA vs. his Sweet Little Sixteen). Just using the vocabulary of rock vs. ripping something off.
Zep has issues with not providing sufficient credit and therefore royalties, but this doesn’t seem like one of them, IMHO…