Songs that rip off riffs/rythyms from older, obscure bands

[Colin Droidmilk]

Is "I'm Free" a straight up cover? Never really got into the Stones, so if it is, I find it fascinating and want to hear the original... since the Soup Dragons suuuuck.

Yeah, it's penned by Jagger and Richards. Stones rock, man. Get with it, lol. Here's the song live from their epic '69 Hyde Park concert. Bit out of tune, but the Stones never let that get in the way of a good knees-up.
YouTube - ‪The Rolling Stones-" I'm Free" -hyde Park 1969‬‏

Plus you might dig this from the same concert. Stones at their rocking peak:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HriefYc5c6g&feature=related

 

[the_batdemon]

I can't listen to Twisted Sister's "We're not gonna take it" without singing "Oh come all yea faithful" along with it.

Is that because of their X-mas album?

 

[moffeaton]

Thanks! Yeah, I never plumbed their catalog. I was a Beatles kid because of my parents, and when I got my own musical tastes, I delved into the Cure and that scene. Later expanded into Bowie, Big Star, T-Rex, etc...

In fact, I just recently wrote about my Cure obsession: Jason Eaton » Blog Archive » The Cure and me

But that's a major thread derail and of course, most of the RPF seems to be made of metal heads, so this kind of confession never goes over well.

Yeah, it's penned by Jagger and Richards. Stones rock, man. Get with it, lol. Here's the song live from their epic '69 Hyde Park concert. Bit out of tune, but the Stones never let that get in the way of a good knees-up.
YouTube - ‪The Rolling Stones-" I'm Free" -hyde Park 1969‬‏

Plus you might dig this from the same concert. Stones at their rocking peak:YouTube - ‪The Rolling Stones-" Jumpin' Jack Flash" -hyde Park 1969‬‏

 

[jcoffman99]

Oasis Cigarettes and Alcohol YouTube - ‪Cigarettes & Alcohol‬‏

T-Rex Bang a Gong YouTube - ‪Bang a Gong (Get It On) by T.Rex‬‏

Paul McCartney has admitted he stole the bass line for I Saw Her Standing There from a Chuck Berry song, who also had many of his licks stolen by the Beach Boys.

 

[binkleywalker]

Men at Work's chart topping song "Down Under" ripped off a fellow Ozzy song called "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree", which only came to light a few years ago.

Kookaburra (song) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've heard both and yeah, they copied it, but what amazes me is that it took 30 years for them to realize it.

As much as I've heard 'Down Under', I would think the lady who wote the 'Kookaburra' song would have heard it years ago.

Brian

 

[Colin Droidmilk]

^Oasis are shameless, yeah...

The Beatles occasionally nicked stuff but always added massively to what they pilfered. Good example: I Feel Fine. Lennon took the riff and Ringo stole the drums from Watch your Step by Bobby Parker (1961 - nice going, Bobby, that's damn early for this type of exciting riff sound). Having stolen the riff, though, Lennon then added proto-psychedelic colours by replacing some of the notes with the major third and fourth, giving it a Beatles trademark, i.e mixolydian sunshine, an effect amplified by then playing the riff across the proto-psychedelic chord sequence of D, C, G.

Watch Your Step by Bobby Parker:

YouTube - ‪Watch Your Step - Bobby Parker (1961)‬‏

I Feel Fine:

YouTube - ‪Beatles - I feel fine 1964‬‏

The riff Lennon stole from Parker was also used again by Deep Purple in Rat Bat Blue: YouTube - ‪Deep Purple Rat Bat Blue‬‏

 

[Colin Droidmilk]

Holy crap, yeah - That's The Stone Roses "Fool's Gold", haha!

Straight up thievery - Ray Parker Jr's "Ghostbusters" is Huey Lewis' "I Want a New Drug". Went to court and everything...

Ghostbusters is also 'Pop Muzik' by M from 1979. YouTube - ‪M - Pop Muzik 1979‬‏

(PS I read your Cure blog. Nice. Heh, for me it was early Pink Floyd man Syd Barrett - big influence on the Robert Smith look IIRC. In 1984 I was going round in Paisley cravats while everyone else was into Frankie Goes to Hollywood... but it was through Barrett that I finally understood what to do with my hair, lol.)

 

[moffeaton]

Syd Barret - yessss. "Effervescing Elephant" was the perfect thing to cram on a mix tape when you knew you had very little tape left, and it always confounded the listener (especially since I'd never write the name on the J-card - a hidden track, haha). I got so good that I could pop that song on the end of a Maxell XLII 90 spool with less than ten seconds to spare.

Oh! "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer is also "Where is My Mind".

 

[Bobtherocker]

As an art teacher, I tell my kids that all artists steal from one another. The trick is to steal in a clever way rather than just be obvious about it. I might even go so far as to say that it is nearly impossible to do anything creatively that is not also derivative in some way.

Sooner or later the only truly original thing left to do will be to blow up the planet.

 

[micdavis]

2 words....Vanilla Ice.

How come the Brothers didn't beat the crap out of that guy?

I would have thought right out of the gate they'd have pounded that guy for stealing their gig.

Plus he just sucked, that would have been reason enough.

 

[0neiros]

Ghostbusters is also I Want a new drug by Huey Lewis and the News. Lets put it this way, Huey sued and won, Ray Parker Jr. Apologized, cited unconscious copying and paid up in an out of court settlement with a gag order. And yes, both took the Bass line from pop music.

 

[Amish Trooper]

My all time favorite band (been listening to them since I was 14) Skinny Puppy. The bass line for Dig it was supposedly ripped off by NIN Down in it.

Skinny Puppy
YouTube - ‪Skinny Puppy - Dig It [Official Music Video]‬‏

NIN
YouTube - ‪Nine Inch Nails - down in it (shred) official video‬‏

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

How come the Brothers didn't beat the crap out of that guy?

I would have thought right out of the gate they'd have pounded that guy for stealing their gig.

Plus he just sucked, that would have been reason enough.

There is a story about Suge Knight dangling him over a balcony. You are not too far off base.

 

[digger2307]

My all time favorite band (been listening to them since I was 14) Skinny Puppy. The bass line for Dig it was supposedly ripped off by NIN Down in it.

Skinny Puppy
YouTube - ‪Skinny Puppy - Dig It [Official Music Video]‬‏

NIN
YouTube - ‪Nine Inch Nails - down in it (shred) official video‬‏

I think I remember Reznor talking about this in an interview, if I mind right it was about him being a fan of skinny puppy and it being a nod to them. It was a long long time ago I think so I could be totally wrong. :wacko

 

[Amish Trooper]

I know SP was a big influence on NIN so it could've been a homage

 

[Wolfie]

This came first:
YouTube - ‪Pixies - Where Is My Mind‬‏

And this seemed to me to be the same thing:
YouTube - ‪The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream - Today‬‏

When I was younger i was a fan of both of those bands... Pixies were listed as a big influence for Smashing Pumpkins.

To keep the chain going, compare Today with Collective Souls, "Listen". Same riff played faster.

YouTube - ‪Collective Soul - Listen‬‏

 

[Colin Droidmilk]

Ghostbusters is also I Want a new drug by Huey Lewis and the News. Lets put it this way, Huey sued and won, Ray Parker Jr. Apologized, cited unconscious copying and paid up in an out of court settlement with a gag order. And yes, both took the Bass line from pop music.

And of course, the bass line came originally from 'Gloria' by Van Morrison.