Great song - but completely ripped off the tune

[Buzzer]

I thought I'd start a music thread inspired by Jam the Man's predicament. This is a music thread of songs that are great but are complete rip-offs.

The greatest ones for me are: Radiohead, Creep completely and utterly ripping off the Hollies, Air that I breathe. 2 absolutely mesmerising and life-affirming pieces of music.

Others that I can recall are

Radiohead (again) with No Surprises ripping off Mark Owen, Child - not surprising (excuse the pun) as they were both produced by the same person

Kinky Afro, Happy Mondays ripping of Lady Marmalade

Inspiral Carpets, this is how it feels to be lonely. One particular bit completely ripping off Level 42 Lessons in Love

Charlatans, only one I know ripping off Deep Purple, Hush

Pet Shop Boys, its a sin ripping off Cat Stevens, Wide World (it WAS a rip-off despite what the courts say).

Any others chaps?

 

[clapham_gull]

Elastica's "Waking Up" >> Stranglers "No more Heroes"

 

[tedebear]

Spohie Ellis Bextor (cough not a musician cough) has ripped off loads - I'll attempt to remember some in a mo....if I can be bothered to think about her music...

 

[clapham_gull]

Last Christmas - WHAM

I write the songs - Barry Manilow

 

[Buzzer]

Bloody hell you're right.

How about Radiohead (yet again) Paranoid Android - theme tune to HitchHikers guide to the Galaxy

Black Grape - shake your money maker, Rolling Stones Fool to Cry

The Verve, Bittersweet Symphony ripping off Rolling Stones this'll be the last time(?)

of course Oasis must get an honourable mention with every f***ing song they've written.

Tears for Fears, sowing the seeds of love - Beatles, all you need is love

 

[clapham_gull]

Not that obvious but "My Way" (Sinatra etc..) and Life on Mars by David Bowie.

There is a reason they sound similiar, check on Wikipedia about My Way if anyone is interested.

 

[clapham_gull]

George Harrison "My Sweet Lord"

The Chiffons "He's so Fine"

So similiar it cost him $587,000

 

[clapham_gull]

One from the 80s

Huey Lewis and the News - "I Want a New Drug"

and the Ghost Busters Theme

this ended up in the courts as well,

 

[Buzzer]

Brilliant stuff, CG.

 

[Dover]

This was done a couple of months ago, but I will add Taxman by The Beatles, and Start by The Jam.

 

[Robbie G]

Ice Ice Baby and Under Pressure?

 

[Robbie G]

Just re-read the title 'Great song...'

 

[Cian]

Additionally, the was a sample not a dodgy lift...

 

[clapham_gull]

I'm not into music that much to be honest, but I find this subject fascinating.

Software will be developed (and is being developed) that one will be able to find songs that

1. You are likely to like and..

2. Will highlight every single song that sounds the same as another.

The lawyers are gonna have a field day.

Apparantly the technique relies on a modelling of the timbral characteristics of a music signal by distributions of Cepstrum coefficients. The resulting models are then compared to yield a similarity measure.

 

[Hercules Rockerfeller]

The View - Same Jeans is a total rip off of Brimful of Asha by Cornershop. But it is still darn good!

 

[Buzzer]

I'm not into music that much to be honest, but I find this subject fascinating.

Software will be developed (and is being developed) that one will be able to find songs that

1. You are likely to like and..

2. Will highlight every single song that sounds the same as another.

The lawyers are gonna have a field day.

There's a website or online radio station that put in a song, it then suggests a similar and you go on from there.

Plagiarism is difficult because I believe most songs are like books, only 12 original stories and the rest are all copies/inspired by etc.

If no-one's prepared to take Oasis to court today over such blatant ripping off then will anybody in the future?

 

[clapham_gull]

There's a website or online radio station that put in a song, it then suggests a similar and you go on from there.

Plagiarism is difficult because I believe most songs are like books, only 12 original stories and the rest are all copies/inspired by etc.

If no-one's prepared to take Oasis to court today over such blatant ripping off then will anybody in the future?

I think it depends, it someone rips off an obscure B side from a lesser band (then makes a packet) then yes.

Having said that the Stones are very very quick to sue.

 

[Cian]

Pandora.com is that site (theres last.fm too but it works off recommendations); it works off musical types - genre, speed, syncopated beats or not and so on as adjudged by music professionals. Does a good job but fails a bit on dance, the musicians in question are all american and its not their kind of music really.

 

[clapham_gull]

Oasis rarely er "sound" the Beatles - just everyone else.

There are so many examples..

"Morning Glory" = REM's "The One I Love."

"Shakermaker" = New Seekers "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing"

 

[Wienergull]

The very distinctive riff from Steely Dan's Ricky Don't Lose That Number was ripped off from something very obscure, but good. It featured on Bob Dylan's excellent Theme Time Radio Hour, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. Can anyone help?