Led Zeppelin Sued Over 'Dazed And Confused'
Monday, July 5, 2010 | By Anonymous
Rock giants Led Zeppelin are being sued over their copyright relating to their classic track 'Dazed And Confused'.
Led Zeppelin are one of the most important rock acts of all time. Giving birth to heavy rock, their material continues to inspire forty years after it was first laid down. However their attitude to copyright leaves a lot to be desired.
Over the years the band have fought numerous law suits over who actually wrote their songs, and have lost a surprising amount. Blues legend Willie Dixon took the band to task over their classic track 'Whole Lotta Love' which he claimed resembled one of his own songs.
Winning in court, the credits for the track now contain his name. Elsewhere, 'The Lemon Song' borrows heavily from Howlin' Wolf's classic blues track 'Killing Floor' with many fans accusing Led Zeppelin of plagiarism.
To give the band credit, blues and folk artists regularly lifted each other's arrangements with many tracks effectively be traditional.
However 'Dazed And Confused' is apparently not. Jimmy Page allegedly first heard the track performed in a New York coffee house in 1968, and introduced it into the set for the final line up of The Yardbirds.
Becoming a showstopping part of Led Zeppelin's live set, the track appeared on their classic debut album. Yet it seems that the singer in that coffee house has now come forward claiming that the song is not traditional at all.
According to TMZ, a singer named Jack Holmes claims that he wrote 'Dazed And Confused' in 1967, a whole two years before Led Zeppelin eventually recorded their version.
Yet in good news for Jimmy Page the statute of limitations means that he would only have to pay three years worth of royalties. Why did Jake Holmes wait so long? Who knows..