What is actually covered by copyright?
Top line melody and lyrics; isn't it?
I guess IF the bass line IS the melody its covered?
Too much is a stake, in the case of Estate of R. California vs Led Zeppelin, to settle out of court?
Not near as "cut and dried" as Page/Plant's "fair use" of many Dixon, Johnson, et al. lyrics...
 
T

At least we can all sing Happy Birthday now with legal impunity.

I think the USA should be renamed as lawyerland. There are more legal practitioners per capita there than any place on the planet. Everyone sues everyone eventually. It's a twisted version of 6 degrees of separation. 

Well there are 3 tunes I grew up listening too that there ain't nobody in this world is gonna be able to copy the changes of and call their own with out getting a can of whip a$$ from a lawyer ...
Aqualung , Smoke on The Water and Iron Man ....
Dem 3 tunes I still listen to occasionally 
 
Kenny

that chromatic descending line is pretty much melodic jazz 101, with the tonic, maj7, etc, etc...  Ends you on that groovy minor 6 chord

http://www.ted.com/talks/...uson_embrace_the_remix

michaelhanson
I think Bapu owns Am.

The beauty is that I'm the only juan who can play that note. It's a mystery to all others.

Here I always thought Smoke on the Water was just Proud Mary in reverse.

"From Bob Dylan to Steve Jobs, he says our most celebrated creators borrow, steal and transform"
Good artists copy, great artists steal.
Someone famous said that; didn't he?
 
t

bitflipper
Here I always thought Smoke on the Water was just Proud Mary in reverse.

And here I thought "Space Oddity" was just "Space Truckin'" slowed down.