Free Republic

Exactly 52 years after the release of Led Zeppelin’s fourth studio album—widely referred to as Led Zeppelin IV—the identity of the man gracing its cover has been revealed, The Guardian and The New York Times report. The cover artwork famously features an elderly man hinged at the waist, weighed down by a bale of long twigs strapped to his back. Now, a research fellow in South West England named Brian Edwards has discovered that the original source of the scene: a late Victorian era photograph of a Wiltshire thatcher named Lot Long. A visiting research fellow with the regional history...

Did you see the idiotic triumphalism from Anne Applebaum in the wake of Ukraine’s recent battlefield triumphs? “It’s Time To Prepare For A Ukrainian Victory” said the headline. She wrote in the Atlantic, in part: But even though the fighting may still take many turns, the events of the past few days should force Ukraine’s allies to stop and think. A new reality has been created: The Ukrainians could win this war. Are we in the West really prepared for a Ukrainian victory? Do we know what other changes it could bring? She goes on to fantasize about Putin’s fall....

British rock band Led Zeppelin on Monday effectively won a long-running legal battle over claims it stole the opening guitar riff from its signature 1971 song “Stairway to Heaven.” The band, one of the best-selling rock acts of all time, was handed victory after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the case, meaning that a March 2020 decision by a U.S. appeals court in Led Zeppelin’s favor will stand. Lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page had been accused in the six-year-long case of lifting the riff — one of the best-known openings in rock music —...

Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart perform a triumphant "Stairway to Heaven" as a tribute to 2012 Kennedy Center Honorees Led Zeppelin.

A Los Angeles jury has decided the band Led Zeppelin did not steal the opening to its classic anthem "Stairway to Heaven."

Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven copyright trial could end as quickly as it got started Tuesday over whether a video played as evidence was properly submitted in the case. Almost immediately a debate arose about a possible mistrial as a result of the dispute, the Independent reported. Band frontman Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page are facing a jury trial over claims they stole their iconic 1971 song's introduction from Spirit's 1967 instrumental track Taurus, The plaintiff's lawyer Francis Alexander Malofiy said previously that this case is about "credit where credit is due" not winning damages. Malofiy is seeking a...

Led Zeppelin have given a clear hint that they are thinking about staging a full-scale tour after their reunion gig next month. Speaking to Guitar World magazine in the States, guitarist Jimmy Page suggested the one-off show may lead to something bigger. "It's a bit silly not to because there is such massive demand," he said. Until now, the band had said they were only planning to do the one show at the O2 Dome, in honour of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. But following what Page described as the "overwhelming" reaction to the show, clearly they are re-thinking things....