Led Zeppelin accused of being 'session musicians' in Stairway to Heaven trial
After five days in court, eight jurors are now deciding whether Led Zeppelin lifted the iconic ‘Stairway To Heaven’ guitar intro from the Spirit track ‘Taurus’.
In a typically charged closing statement in the Los Angeles courtroom, prosecutor Francis Malofiy, representing late Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe’s estate, sensationally hit out at Led Zeppelin’s musical integrity.
The lawyer said the rock legends were mere “session musicians” who have a habit of “playing other people’s music.”
Mr Malofiy also reiterated his point that the whole case hinges on one thing: credit. He added: “We respect and value creation. ‘Creation’ does not mean copying. ‘Creation’ means doing something that is unique and memorable.”
He continued: "We're asking for one-third credit. It doesn't minimise (Page and Plant’s) amazing contribution to the song."
Questioning Page and Plant’s credibility, Malifoy accused the duo of "selectively mis-remembering things that happened many years ago."
In response, Led Zeppelin’s representative Peter Anderson said that although the band toured with Spirit, there is “no evidence ‘Taurus’ was ever performed in the presence of these two gentlemen (Page and Plant).”
Anderson repeated his claim that the chord sequence was “commonplace” and dates back centuries and hit out at the allegedly exaggerated claims about how much money ‘Stairway to Heaven’ has earned.
Furthermore, Anderson questioned why legal action hadn’t been taken previously in the decades since the release of ‘Stairway To Heaven’: “Why didn’t Hollenbeck (record label) sue? Why didn’t Randy Wolfe sue?”
At times unimpressed with some of the arguments, Judge Klausner said at one point: “Any other catfights or anything else?”
The jury of four men and four women are now deliberating.