Max Norman , a music producer known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne and other metal artists in the 1980s and 1990s, has accused Led Zeppelin and Europe of plagiarizing their biggest hits.
When discussing copyright and the bureaucracy behind proper recognition of songwriting credits, the producer commented on some famous cases. “There’s a whole issue with Sting and The Police on ‘Every Step You Take,’ the guitarist came up with the whole idea and basically doesn’t get any royalties. And he actually wrote the whole song,” Norman began in an interview with The Metal Voice (via Ultimate Guitar) . “It’s the same thing with Led Zeppelin ripping off Spirit on ‘Stairway to Heaven.’”
The accusation made by the producer is nothing new. The band Spirit sued Led Zeppelin for plagiarism of the track "Taurus," released three years before "Stairway to Heaven." The legal battle lasted from 2014 to 2020, Jimmy Page 's band emerged victorious even after an appeal by the prosecution.
“Page actually stole that from someone else. He said Robert Plant said, ‘Look, we kind of stole this’ when they made ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ And he said, ‘Just keep walking.’ It’s a famous thing. Jimmy Page knew because he knew the law,” Norman continued.
In the accusation against Europe the issue is closer to Ozzy . The producer maintains that the song "is exactly the same as one by Randy [Rhoads] " he pointed out without citing the specific work that was allegedly plagiarized. "You just took everything and turned it into a new song. Because you're writing new lyrics and putting a different melody on it, now it's a new song. But, to me, that's not fair. You should give credit to the people for writing a great riff."
READ ALSO: Former Europe guitarist regrets not suing Poison for plagiarism
