http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9TGj2jrJk8Led Zeppelin: Spirit Lawyer Trying to 'Taint the Jury Pool'Band blasts Francis Malofiy for falsely claiming Jimmy Page, Robert Plant have refused to appear at "Stairway to Heaven" copyright trialRolling Stone - By Jon Blistein - May 24, 2016
Led Zeppelin have claimed the lawyer for the estate of former Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe attempted to "taint the jury pool" by claiming the band would not appear in court when the copyright dispute over "Stairway to Heaven" goes to trial next month.
In a motion, the band's lawyers wrote that Francis Malofiy falsely claimed that Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones had refused to appear in court during a pretrial conference in April. They also claimed that Malofiy reasserted this claim to reporters outside the courthouse. The motion called the move a "PR stunt," and added that after the reports died down, Malofiy attempted to revive them by filing a motion designed to make it seem like the court had ordered Zeppelin to appear.
Zeppelin's motion, however, called these claims "pure fiction," and insisted that Plant and Page had always intended to attend the trial. It also noted that Jones would appear as a witness for the defense, even though the claims against the bassist were dismissed in April.
Zeppelin's lawyers accused Malofiy of attempting to delay the trial and refusing "to take 'yes' for an answer." The motion additionally called out Malofiy for trying to serve subpoenas to Plant and Page that not only listed the wrong date, but were void because the two musicians resided in England outside the court's jurisdiction. The band's lawyers also claimed Malofiy wanted to submit videotaped testimony from a deposition, in lieu of live testimony, but failed to submit the proper transcripts in time. "Plaintiff’s gambit, and his ongoing efforts to try this case in the press, should be rejected," the motion read.
Led Zeppelin declined to comment further on the trial. Malofiy did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The copyright case over "Stairway to Heaven" dates back to 2014, when Michael Skidmore — a trustee for Randy Wolfe's estate — sued Zeppelin, claiming the band stole the intro to the classic rock staple from Spirit's 1968 song "Taurus." The two bands played several shows together between 1968 and 1970, and Zeppelin reportedly played a medley of songs during their first tour that included Spirit's "Fresh-Garbage," which appeared on the same LP side as "Taurus." Led Zeppelin have denied the claim.
While Zeppelin had hoped to avoid a trial, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Klausner ruled in April that "Stairway" and "Taurus" were similar enough to warrant a hearing in front of a jury. The trial is set to begins on June 14th.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/led-zeppelin-spirit-lawyer-trying-to-taint-the-jury-pool-20160524
There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she's buying a stairway to heaven.
There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.
There's a feeling I get when I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
And it's whispered that soon, if we all call the tune,
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long,
And the forests will echo with laughter.
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.
And it makes me wonder.
Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know,
The piper's calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The band's heavy, guitar-driven sound, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors of heavy metal, though their unique style drew from a wide variety of influences, including folk music.
After changing their name from the New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin signed a deal with Atlantic Records that afforded them considerable artistic freedom. Although the group was initially unpopular with critics, they achieved significant commercial success with albums such as Led Zeppelin (1969), Led Zeppelin II (1969), Led Zeppelin III (1970), Led Zeppelin IV (1971), Houses of the Holy (1973), and Physical Graffiti (1975). Their fourth album, which features the track "Stairway to Heaven", is among the most popular and influential works in rock music, and it helped to secure the group's popularity.
Page wrote most of Led Zeppelin's music, particularly early in their career, while Plant generally supplied the lyrics. Jones' keyboard-based compositions later became central to the group's catalogue, which featured increasing experimentation. The latter half of their career saw a series of record-breaking tours that earned the group a reputation for excess and debauchery.
Although they remained commercially and critically successful, their output and touring schedule were limited during the late 1970s, and the group disbanded following Bonham's death from alcohol-related asphyxia in 1980. In the decades that followed, the surviving members sporadically collaborated and participated in one-off Led Zeppelin reunions. The most successful of these was the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert in London, with Jason Bonham taking his late father's place behind the drums.
Led Zeppelin are widely considered one of the most successful, innovative, and influential rock groups in history. They are one of the best-selling music artists in the history of audio recording; various sources estimate the group's record sales at 200 to 300 million units worldwide. With RIAA-certified sales of 111.5 million units, they are the second-best-selling band in the United States.
Each of their nine studio albums placed in the top 10 of the Billboard album chart and six reached the number-one spot. Rolling Stone magazine described them as "the heaviest band of all time", "the biggest band of the Seventies", and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history". They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; the museum's biography of the band states that they were "as influential" during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_Zeppelin
