Sounds Familiar...

Lou Reed has been a source of "influence" for quite a number of songs. Bowie certainly borrowing heavily from some of the Velvet Underground material.

The latest excellent Richard Ashcroft album RPA& The United Nations of Sound has a great track:

Richard Ashcroft and The United Nations of Sound - Royal Highness

this on another day would be called

The Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane

incredibly similar, so much so that the guitar solo on the former I reckon is heavily influenced by the Lou Reed Live Rock n Roll Animal version, where Alice Coopers guitarist Steve Hunter is very prominent.

Blame Holland-Dozier-Holland... “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” uses the same melodic and chordal progressions as “Where Did Our Love Go.”

There's nothing new under the sun and everything owes something to something else. 'If there had been no Elvis' said John, 'there would have been no Beatles'.

Thus T Rex - Hot Love owes a great deal to Blowin' Away - Laura Nyro

and it follows on

Goldfrapp - Oh La La owes much to T Rex - Jeepster

Sorrow - The National owes a great deal to Take My Breath Away - Berlin

Come Together - The Beatles directly borrows from 'You Can't Catch Me - Chuck Berry

Spanish Stroll - Mink De Ville borrows heavily from I'm Waiting For My Man - The Velvet Underground

I could go on forever but that'll do - however - there's the daddy of them all, of course - and indisputable - My Sweet Lord - George Harrison is a direct lift from He's So Fine - The Chiffons.. but eveybody knows that one..

regardez - youse

henri

And there is the beauty of it Henri. I've had the Velvets records all my life practically and Mink DeVille and not once did I make the connection!

Either by design, chance or something else:
Foo Fighters Wheels
sounds a lot like Tom Petty Learning To Fly
Pet Shop Boys Where The Streets Have No Name sounds a lot like
Frankie Valli Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Klaxon: George Harrison and The Chiffons/ My Sweet Lord/ He's So Fine.

Generalities:
Scissor Sisters songs sound like early Elton.
Rumer sounds like Linda Carpenter.
Oasis tried to sound like The Beatles.
Mika tries to sound like Freddie.

#3 Sorry, henri, about the klaxon. Slow typer (dog distracted me), didn't see your post! At least we agree! ;o)

Meant to say Pet Shop Boys version ...
Ma heid's mince. Niteall!

#4 Norrie your example just goes to prove that theft is justifiable on occasions. I had the same experience with....

4th Time Around - Bob Dylan

.....allegedly based on....

Norwegian Wood - The Beatles

I had heard both tracks many times before learning that Dylan had supposedly written it as a rebuke to the Beatles and imbued it with a similar quality in the rhythm. When you think about it you can hear the connection but both stand as great tracks in their own right.

Paul from Ayr

#4|: me too, Norrie - but,in fact, I only noticed a couple of weeks ago. The Velvet Underground came on the ipod and I mistakenly thought I was listening to the beginning of Spanish Stroll.And then it clicked.

#5/6 no problemo, actually, having made the comment I'd much rather one of my other suggestions is played so strike the comment, Bryan - someone else will ask for George.

And I've remembered that the first time I heard 'Human Racing' by Nick Kershaw I was quite convinced I was listening to a new Stevie Wonder single.I've just checked it again, I still think it's uncanny.

regardez youse

henri

#8 Paul I can't resist....

I don't believe you! You're a Liar!

oh and I think Sky Blue Sky - Wilco owes much to I'll Be You're Baby Tonight - Bob Dylan

but Bryan I doubt we'll be hearing Wilco, so it doesn't matter.

I'm going to try that Norwegian Wood thing on Spotify...

I heard it through the showdown / ELO and marvin Gaye

The song remains the same ...

'Run2'. ... New Order. V's. 'Leaving on a Jet Plane. ... John Denver
'Creep' ... Radiohead. V's. 'The air that I breathe'. The Hollies
'Beautiful Day! ... U2. V's. 'The sun always shines on TV'. ... Aha
'Quicksand' ... La Roux. V's. 'When Doves Cry' ... Prince

Or does it?

Bringing the theme right up to date again (old themes never die):

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Come Undone

a huge nod to

James Brown - It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World

an ever bigger nod to the Van Morrison version on a Night in San Fransico.

'Sex & Drugs & Rock and Roll' ... Ian Dury. V's 'Last Child'. ... Aerosmith

I love "Crying Blood" by V.V. Brown for many reasons, including the fact that the chorus sounds like a high-speed, insane "Monster Mash."

Rich in North Carolina

#10 Lying, Havering, whatevah, if it gets a play on GIO it'll be worth it :-)

More recently I heard a single by Diana Vickers ( who was an also-ran on x-factor a few years back) it was supposedly self-penned but I found it very similar to something else from back in the day. Luckily I can't remember either track as I don't really want to hear it anyway!

Primal Scream = Rolling Stones

'Rocks' in particular but 'Country Girl' is pretty close.

Does this theme mean that Bryan will play two tracks for every request, so that we can make judgement for ourselves?

Barrett / Figure 5

The first time I heard this jolly indie number was one friday night on Radio Scotland last year. Never caught the title or band and it bugged the hell out of me what the start of the song reminded me off. I soon realised it was Brain Damage from Dark Side of the Moon and thought what a rip off , how can they get away with that. Heard it a again a couple of weeks later with the title and realised it was a tribute to Syd Barrett. Actually quite clever and a good wee ditty.

In My Arms - Teddy Thompson
Working On A Dream - Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen

These songs are twins separated at birth

obvious one to start

Who'd Of Known - Lily Allen and Shine - Take That

also

We Can Be Strong - Willy Mason and Layla - Eric Clapton from Unplugged

The Lodi - Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Rock - Frankie Miller

Phil Collins - 'Sussudio'
influenced by
Prince -'1999'

I'm pretty sure Franz Ferdinand are ripping somebody off. I just can't figure out who it is.

;o)

Speaking of Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen, the master tapes to the Boys Are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy were lost until someone opened up the box marked "Kitty". Lynott had been trying to recreate the sound of "Kittys Back" by the aforementioned Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen and marked the master tapes simply Kitty. Not really that similar though and certainly not plagiarism.

Senga - according to Noel Gallacher it is Right Said Fred....

Listen to JJ Cale and you get where Clapton got his sound from. Cocaine is the obvious choice, being recorded by both.

The Scissor Sisters - Mary is particularly Elton. Although their cover of Comfortably Numb is extremely Bee-Gees.

Listen to the twiddly instrumental bit at the start of Tears of a Clown. Now overlay Annie Lennox - It's All Right: Baby's Coming Back on it. The same, innit?

The bassline of U2 - With or Without You is basically The Magic Roundabout theme.

Then there's the uber-nexus of similarity:
* Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London
* AC/DC - Back in Black
* Boston - More than a Feeling
No, not in the melody. Listen to the backing track. That chord sequence.

Although if you want to do similarity of chord sequences, then the old I-VI-IV-V (G-Em-C-D for example) is prevalent in huge numbers of songs from the 50s and later. Try singing Every Breath You Take to the backing track of Stand By Me and you'll see.

And I'm not even going near the 12 bar blues (Dear Ross, R: It's "Bars of 12 or fewer", dammit), or the entire output of the Quo.

#20

Oh well played Sir! Excellent track!

#22
22. At 09:36am on 13 Jan 2011, gaie wrote:
obvious one to start


Oooo thought for a second I could hear klaxons there but it was something else you were picking. You tease.

#26

You've only to listen to their cover of Substitute to realise that Oasis have been fooling us - they're really straining very very hard to be The Who.

#29 I just thought because it had been in the papers and all - I couldn't believe it when I first heard, it's such an obvious steal, but apparently she doesn't care and neither I presume do they.



this is going to drive me nuts because there are several instances where I can think of one song but can't remember what is reminds me of eg

Come See About Me - the Supremes - maybe it's just any girl band, but the influence is very clear on Girls Aloud etc

#27 Your uber-nexus should also include Sweet Home Alabama

Have Love Will Travel - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and
Little Wing - Derek & the Dominos

not really a steal, but the same slidey guitar thingy that the Capt can give a technical term to.

and wasn't Tom right when he said on the Classic Album programme that he was going to offer Don't Do Me Like That to the J Geils Band because it sounded like a J. Geils song?

#32

Yes - spot on. Forgot that one. And it's the more obvious one too.

(I have a mashup of all 4 tracks called Sweet Werewolves of Alabama)

#34 What are the odds on Mr Rock being played tonight?

the Bo Diddley riff

Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly
Willie and the Hand Jive - the Johnny Otis Show
New York Groove - Hello
Magic Bus - the Who
Faith - George Michael

no doubt many more and one last year that guess what..

#34 sounds good. Can you email me it

oh sometimes I just amaze myself with astonishing feats of recall:

Shark in the Water - VV Brown

https://www.gmp.police.uk/live/disorderly.nsf/index.html?readForm

Accommodation for next blog night out!

'If You Want My Love' by Cheap Trick clearly illustrates the influence of The Beatles...not any particular Beatles track I can name but maybe Henri could spot it. A bit more of a power ballad than we're used to hearing by them too.

Allegedly John Lennon, when asked what he thought The Beatles would have sounded like had they stayed together, answered...Cheap Trick!

Twisted 'Familiar' Themes

Forget About You ~ T. Motors V’s Grandstand Theme
Just Can't Get Enough ~ Depeche Mode V’s Family Fortunes with Vernon Kay Theme
It's No Good ~ Depeche Mode V’s Doctor Who Theme
Want A New Drug ~ Huey Lewis & The News V’s Ghostbusters Theme ~ Ray Parker Junior
Hitchin’ A Ride ~ Green Day V’s Tweenies Theme






































Z,Z,Z,z,z,z,z,z,z,z,z,z,z,z,z,z,z,z,z,z.....

#37

Available here

#5
Mary Doll, you do realise that that Pet Shop Boys thing was a medley dont you?

This tickled Norrie the last time we had this theme. Its the song Rod nicked "Da ya think I'm Sexy" from.
For the new bloggers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0_rQhtKGPA&feature=related

"Aint Good Enough For You" - Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen

and

"Some Girls" - Racey

#43 I did afterwards, Adam. And I don't know why I called Karen Carpenter Linda, either. Blame it on the mince heid. ;o)

Better make amends -
Don't like the Robbie Williams song "Shame", but its intro does sound suspiciously like
The Beatles Blackbird an altogether superior song.

Lets not forget the classic

Air On A G String: J. S Bach
and
A Whiter Shade Of Pale: Procol Harum

It is a belter Adam.

What about Racey - Lay Your Love On Me and

The Cure - Love Cats?

Noel Gallagher 'borrowed' part of Neil Innes - 'How Sweet to Be an Idiot' for 'Whatever' by Oasis.

#47

Didn't Racey nick Mud's dance routines?

#48

More than *part* I'd say.

Anyone want to catalogue pop music's debtors to Pachelbel?

Songs which may have been...er....heavily influenced by other songs: ~

Everything by the smiths and morrissey from their second song onwards may have been…er…heavily influenced by their first song.

HOTEL CALIFORNIA by THE EAGLES rips off WE USED TO KNOW from STAND UP by JETHRO TULL.

TAROTPLANE from MIRROR MAN by the late great CAPTAIN BEEFHEART AND HIS MAGIC BAND is remarkably like YOU’RE GONNA NEED SOMEBODY ON YOUR BOND from GIANT STEP by TAJ MAHAL – mind you, TAJ MAHAL was in the original MAGIC BAND before DON VAN VLIET.

COMBINE HARVESTER by THE WURZELS is very similar to BRAND NEW KEY by MELANIE SAFKA in my opinion.

The music to 'Hello I Love You' by The Doors is very similar to 'All Day And All Of The Night' by The Kinks.

#50 Was giving Noel the benefit of the doubt. More than the judge did!

'All Together Now' - The Farm?

Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger, starts as Imagine then ends up like a Mott The Hoople Medley.

Songs which may have been...er....heavily influenced by other songs: ~

Everything by the smiths and morrissey from their second song onwards may have been…er…heavily influenced by their first song.

HOTEL CALIFORNIA by THE EAGLES rips off WE USED TO KNOW from STAND UP by JETHRO TULL.

TAROTPLANE from MIRROR MAN by the late great CAPTAIN BEEFHEART AND HIS MAGIC BAND is remarkably like YOU’RE GONNA NEED SOMEBODY ON YOUR BOND from GIANT STEP by TAJ MAHAL – mind you, TAJ MAHAL was in the original MAGIC BAND before DON VAN VLIET.

COMBINE HARVESTER by THE WURZELS is very similar to BRAND NEW KEY by MELANIE SAFKA in my opinion.

Oops!

Relax Fish repeats are the norm.

Led Zeppelin ~ Immigrant Song - Sweet ~ Burning
All Right Now ~ Free - Barenaked Ladies ~ One Week
Salsbury Hill ~ Peter Gabriel - New Song ~ Howard Jones
You Could Be Mine ~ Guns N Roses - Kiss Me Where... ~ Bloodhound Gang

"No Promises" - Icehouse. Nod to Bowie.



#56 Relax Fish - Great name for a band Mad Mac!

That is another cracker Adam, never heard that before.

The obvious conclusion from the above is that we are running out of notes. It confirms my belief that there is no point in listening to current music which is lacking in invention and intelligence, often illiterate (Lily Allen) and only a pale copy of the great songs of the 60s and 70s.

Quite right Glen. I only listen to records made between 1970 and 1980 and featuring either B. Springsteen or D. Bowie. Nothing else needed.

# 57

Now I wonder who they'd copy from? One things for certain, inability to spell!

Did anyone notice in the Ray Davies documentary that the video for Oasis - 'The Importance Of Being Idle' was nicked from The Kinks video for 'Dead End Street'!

#56
Ace spot on Gabriel/Jones - I love both tracks and had never spotted it.

#59
You know all the words and you sung all the notes
But you never quite learned the song
The Incredible String Band

You know all the words and you sung all the notes
But you never quite learned the song she sang

Worthy of Lily Allen (or the Beijing phone directory).

I seem to remember the Spanish winner of 1968 Eurovision "La La La" being very similar to Dave Davies hit of the same year "Death of a Clown"He sued and won his case.Other examples that come to mind are The Coral's"Dreaming of You"ripping off the Supremes"My World is Empty Without You".Everybody seemed to copy Chic's fabulous riff on "Good Times"including Wham on "Wham Rap".The Jam's "Start"reminds me of the Beatles "Taxman"but the oddest example that I've come across involves Kiki Dee's "Amorouse" translated from a French hit.Some American obviously thought they could do a better job with the lyrics and Helen Reddy had a big US hit with "Emotion",same melody,different lyrics!Cheers WIllie Bartke

Oh help ma boab, I've just realised what I've done.

The ONLY songs I'd like to hear are



We Can Be Strong - Willy Mason and Layla - Eric Clapton from Unplugged

The Lodi - Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Rock - Frankie Miller

Have Love Will Travel - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and
Little Wing - Derek & the Dominos

New York Groove - Hello

everything else I disown

Too late.....

#65

In which case:
* Father Ted Crilly & Father Dougal Maguire - My Lovely Horse
-v-
* Nin Huguen and the Huguenotes - Unnamed B-side of song that came 5th in Song for Norway in 1976

Ah gwan, we've been trying to get My Lovely Horse played for 3 years now! Ah ya will. Ya will ya will ya will.

(If it helps, it was released by The Divine Comedy who of course wrote & performed it)

#58 Thanks Norrie, though I am very surprised you've never heard it before.

There are bits of Van Halen's "Jump" which remind me of Be Bop Deluxe and Soul Asylum's "Runaway Train" would surely fool even Gaie into thinking that she was listening to her beloved Tom.

#64
sung sang blue,
everybody knows one
sung sang blue,
every garden grows one .......

#65

* The Jam - Start
* The Beatles - Taxman
* The Batman theme

Just run the bassline from Start against the vocals of Taxman, replacing "Taxman!" each time with "Batman!"

But not as blatant as
* Van Morrison - Crazy Love
Sounds awfully like he was listening to
* The Band - The Weight

or

* Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl
It's Lust for Life, no?



Just to prove that the classical world isn't immune, listen to the opening of The Schumann Piano Concerto, completed in 1845. Familiar? No? Try what Mr Grieg wrote in 1868.

#71,the intro to "Lust for Life"could have been lifted from The Supremes"You Cant Hurry Love!Going way back to 1964-65 was an anglophile US group called Sir Douglas Quintet who repackaged the Beatles "She's A Woman"as "She's About a Mover"I liked it,mind you,Cheers Willie Bartke

#71

"Just run the bassline from Start against the vocals of Taxman, replacing "Taxman!" each time with "Batman!"

My. The time in Bathgate must just fly by.




:)

#66 and #67 yep retractions aren't allowed on this programe









paoloonebadapplepablo

#72

Also very similar to serial offender P.Weller's Town called Malice.
And the Clash's Hitsville UK

Yer Honour: I'd like to bring the court's attention to:
* Ricky Nelson: Summertime
Nice bassline, eh Deep Purple fans?

#67 please don't say that


#69 ach don't be silly, I'd know it, I'd just know it. We're talking a different astral plane here.

* The Jackson 5: I Want You Back
* New Edition: Candy Girl

No, please don't play New Edition. I've had enough of it just checking my suspicion.

Oh, I almost forgot - maybe I'm the only one one but everytime I hear , Lust For Life by Iggy Pop there is something about it that reminds me of Tiger Feet by Mud

There is some kind of close correlation between Iggy Singing "Lust For Life" and Les Gray singing "That's Right That's Right That's Right Thats Right"....

anyway, there you have it...

regardez youse

henri

#79

Nope: these guys agree with you. Their combination of the two isn't online any more, sadly.

But then again, they play a live mashup of Smells Like Teen Spirit's backing track with Billie Jean's vocals.

#79

Officially sanctioned[1] download of the Jackson/Nirvana live mash.

By SmashupDerby anyway. I presume that because neither the Cobain nor Jackson estates have issued takedown notices, must be OK with both of them too.

Capn is this another one of your specialist subjects?

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

#83

That was not part of the plan!

>8-D

#82

It's impinging on my specialist areas of covers & mashups, yes.

I rermain convinced " Billie Jean" is based upon "I Can't Go For that" by Hall & Oats...

I think we should hear it..

regradrez youse

henri

Anything by Leona Burke, as they all sound like anything by Alexandra Lewis. Or is it the other way around, I get them mixed up.

T. Stranglers - No More Heroes ~ Elastica - Wake Up
















Tee Hee....