Rolling Stone report
On the second day of the trial in the case of Michael Skidmore vs. Led Zeppelin et al., which is judging the possibility of plagiarism by Led Zeppelin in the song " Stairway to Heaven" due to its similarity to the song "Taurus" by Spirit, Jimmy Page was called as a witness.
According to Rolling Stone, which is covering the trial, the day was turbulent in court. Page was called to testify and questioned about his familiarity with Spirit's discography, and admitted to having bought the albums "The Family That Plays Together" and "Clear" from 1969. The guitarist, however, claimed to have never heard of the band's debut album, which contains the track " Taurus" . The album also contains the track "Fresh-Garbage" , which Led Zeppelin played as a cover in their early shows.
Read about the first day of the trial.
Page claimed it was impossible to know all the albums he'd ever had, as he owned approximately 4,329 LPs and 5,882 CDs. Although he said he may have bought or received the album as a gift, Page stated that he only heard the song after someone heard plagiarism allegations online and showed him the track: “When I heard the orchestral part at the beginning, I knew I’d never heard the song before… When it started, I was confused by the comparison, ‘What does this have to do with Stairway?’”
Rolling Stone also reports that much of the discussion in court on this second day involved the performance on December 26, 1969, when Led Zeppelin and Spirit played a show. According to Page, Led Zeppelin had to leave immediately after their performance, making it impossible for them to have seen Spirit's show.
Page also claimed to have no recollection of interviews in which he praised Spirit or said he had played with the band.