What could Jimmy Page and Justin Timberlake possibly have in common?, asks BusinessWeek.com's Vernon Silver.

Her name is Helene Freeman, an entertainment lawyer who litigated a series of victories for Timberlake’s former boy band, NSYNC, and is now defending Page and fellow members of Led Zeppelin in a dispute over "Stairway To Heaven"‘s authorship. As we’ve reported, Led Zeppelin faces a copyright infringement suit that alleges parts of the 1971 hit were filched from an obscure song by the band Spirit.

By hiring Freeman, a partner at New York law firm Phillips Nizer, Led Zeppelin has gone for an industry specialist who has also done work for singer Diana Ross and corporate clients that include record distributors and advertising agencies. In NSYNC cases from the late 1990s and 2000s, Freeman secured the band’s ability to leave its old record label and won dismissal of a copyright suit over pictures on concert merchandise, according to her firm bio. She declined to comment for this story.

In the Zeppelin case, the crux of the claim is that, to many ears, the opening notes of "Stairway To Heaven" sound a lot like "Taurus", an instrumental piece by the late Spirit guitarist Randy California, released on his band’s debut album in 1968. At the end of that year and through 1969, Spirit and Led Zeppelin shared the bill at several concerts. Randy California’s trust filed the complaint on May 31st in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, citing as a cause for action the “Falsification of Rock N’ Roll History.”

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October sees Led Zeppelin’s deluxe reissue program continue with expanded versions of Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy. Check out a new trailer for Led Zeppelin IV below featuring a sample of “Black Dog” (Basic Track With Guitar Overdubs):

The second round of Led Zeppelin reissues, due in Europe on October 27th and in North America on October 28th, begins with one of the most artistically influential and commercially successful albums in the history of music, Led Zeppelin IV, and continues with 1973's chart-topping Houses Of The Holy.

 

 

As with the previous Deluxe Editions, both albums have been newly remastered by guitarist and producer Jimmy Page and are accompanied by a second disc of companion audio comprised entirely of unreleased music related to that album.

 

 

Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy, each album is now available for pre-order in the following formats: Super Deluxe Edition Box: - Remastered album on CD in vinyl replica sleeve - Companion audio on CD in card wallet featuring new alternate cover art - Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl in a sleeve replicating first pressing - Companion audio on 180-gram vinyl in a sleeve with new alternate cover art - High-def audio download card of all content at 96kHz/24 bit - Hard bound, 80 page book filled with rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia - High-quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered

 

 

 

 

Deluxe Edition 2CD: - Remastered album, plus a second disc of unreleased companion audio

 

 

 

 

Deluxe Edition Vinyl 2LP: - Remastered album and unreleased companion audio on 180-gram vinyl

 

 

 

 

Single CD: - Remastered album packaged in a gatefold card wallet Original Album Vinyl: - Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl, packaged in a sleeve that replicates the LP's first pressing in exacting detail

 

 

 

 

Digital Download: - Remastered album and companion audio will both be available Order here.

Led Zeppelin IV tracklisting:

"Black Dog”

“Rock And Roll”
“The Battle Of Evermore”
“Stairway To Heaven”
“Misty Mountain Hop”
“Four Sticks”
“Going To California”
“When The Levee Breaks”

Companion Audio Disc:

“Black Dog” – Basic Track With Guitar Overdubs

“Rock And Roll” – Alternate Mix

“The Battle Of Evermore” – Mandolin/Guitar Mix From Headley Grange

“Stairway To Heaven” – Sunset Sound Mix

“Misty Mountain Hop” – Alternate Mix

“Four Sticks” – Alternate Mix

“Going To California” – Mandolin/Guitar Mix

“When The Levee Breaks” – Alternate UK Mix

Houses of the Holy tracklisting:

“The Song Remains The Same”
“The Rain Song”
“Over The Hills And Far Away”
“The Crunge”
“Dancing Days”
“D’yer Mak’er”
“No Quarter”
“The Ocean”

Companion Audio Disc:

“The Song Remains The Same” – Guitar Overdub Reference Mix

“The Rain Song” – Mix Minus Piano

“Over The Hills And Far Away” – Guitar Mix Backing Track

“The Crunge” – Rough Mix - Keys Up

“Dancing Days” – Rough Mix With Vocal

“No Quarter” – Rough Mix With JPJ Keyboard Overdubs - No Vocal

“The Ocean” – Working Mix