Tune Burglers!

..But sometimes it is! Some odd soundalike songs have been bugging me, I want to know is it just me?? Read on...




CAN: Vitamin C vs 24 Carat Black: 24 Carat Black Theme

This is an odd one simply because of the disparate background of the bands involved. German prog rockers Can released the weirdly groovy Vitamin C in 1972 and then in 1973 a very similar introductory bass line appeared on the debut album of 24 Carat Black, a black american funk band signed to the legendary Stax label (home of Isaac Hayes). Can are still a pretty cult band now, let alone in 1973, before file sharing and Youtube, Can albums were hard to get even in Europe, so it is interesting that an American band, let alone a black band would have even heard of let alone ripped off Can!







Gorillaz: Feel Good Inc vs U2: Staring at the Sun

Everyone knows that Damon Albarn is now seen as some opera composing national treasure despite his former incarnation as a complete dickhead when the clown prince of Britpop. Gorillaz became inexplicably popular, mainly because we didn't have to see "Damian All-Bran"'s little ratty face in the vidz and the music made some concessions to modern tastes rather than trying to sound like The Kinks on coke. Not only that but they were "cool", doubly gratifying to "the artist formerly known as a prick" as former arch rivals Oasis slid into self parody. However amid all the middle eastern synths and guest rappers some less enticing inspiration hid like a turd in a punch bowl within the middle of "Feel Good Inc"...Check the folky melody that comes in at about 1 .05 minutes and compare to the verses of the dreaded U2's hideous Castalike "Staring at the Sun", oddly seen at the time as U2's belated repost to Britpop...






Led Zeppelin: Stairway to Heaven vs Spirit: Taurus

The mighty Zep were world famous for ripping off old blues singers and not paying them a jot, even as the platinum records mounted up, but it is less well known that they also raided lots of American psych for ideas with a similar lack of reimbursement. "Stairway" is beyond parody by now, mocked by both Waynes World (denied!), Dread Zeppelin and The Butthole Surfers with their album "Hairway to Heaven". But its famous intro is a straight steal from obscure hippy band Spirit and their instrumental "Taurus". Zeppelin toured with Spirit on their first US tour which is where they must have got the idea...By the way I have got into Spirit and their excellent album "The 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus", but when I tried to convert my hip hop loving friend to it but he loathed them...don't you hate when that happens!

Texas: Say What You Want vs Marvin Gaye: Sexual Healing

Texas will occupy the same circle of hell as Simply Red and Go West, horrible horrible Ikea "soul" for people with plastic brains. Not content with writing grimly unpleasant elevator music they had the temerity to burgle Marvin Gaye's sultry classic 'Sexual Healing" for the hook of "Say What You Want"...ok then I will, this is shit! Check the bit at 0.35 in the Texas song with 0.42 in Gaye's. Some odd footnotes; apparently Gaye played all the instruments on the song and the title was inspired by a visit from co-writer David Ritz to the trailer in Belgium Marvin had somehow ended up in during his coke induced breakdown in the late 70's. Gaye had a vaste collection of dodgy porn which prompted Ritz to tell Gaye he needed some "sexual healing"...







The Beatles: Eleanor Rigby vs The Stranglers: Duchess

A lot of people at the time it was released said that the Manic Street Preachers No1 hit "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" is a steal from The Stranglers "Duchess", something I have never been able to decipher. I think "Duchess" itself sounds far more like a robbery of "Eleanor Rigby"...










The Doors: Hello I Love You vs The Kinks: All Day and All of The Night

The idiotic film "The Doors" portrayed Jimbo and his merry men as existential poets traveling into the heart of musical darkness, in fact they were as fond of cheesy garage pop as the desperately uncool Herman's Hermits (who are even mocked in the film). Trying to revive a career staggering under the weight of Jim Morrison's acid drenched ego and alcoholism they neatly borrowed the tune of The Kink's infinitely more rocking "All Day and All of The Night" and got a No1 in the states....

Blur: M.O.R vs David Bowie: Boys Keep Swinging

And bringing us full circle back to Damon Albarn and his days with Blur we have a robbery that they had to pay for. Successfully sued for the similarly between their track "M.O.R" and Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging", the song credits now list Bowie and Brian Eno as co-writers. Thankfully for Blur the track was only a minor hit. I don't see a massive similarity myself but then I'm not a music business lawyer thank Ja!







Maningrey