Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Basing your sound on another band's record

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Basing your sound on another band's record

    After Status Quo's psychedelic period came to an end, Francis Rossi admits that the band heard Roadhouse Blues by the Doors and decided this was the way forward. From then on, Quo records were generally in this shuffling 12-bar blues style. In fact, Roadhouse Blues was a staple of the band's live set for many years.

    And I'd argue the Monkee's entire sound is pretty much based on Paperback Writer by the Beatles. Their first single, Last Train to Clarksville, is very much in that style.

    #2
    Madness started out as essentially a British group version of Prince Buster, even down to the name, but the key difference from Quo is that they then evolved.

    Elastica and The Stranglers?

    There must be a few metal groups who were/are retreading one track by Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple or Black Sabbath.

    Comment


      #3
      American band Starcastle borrowed heavily from the sound of 'Fragile' / 'Close To The Edge' era Yes for their first couple of albums. It's all there - vocal harmonies, guitar/keyboard styles off pat, even Chris Squire's signature Rickenbacker bass. I realise that I'm posting a link that probably very few will be tempted to click, but here it is...

       

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Stumpy Pepys View Post
        After Status Quo's psychedelic period came to an end, Francis Rossi admits that the band heard Roadhouse Blues by the Doors and decided this was the way forward. From then on, Quo records were generally in this shuffling 12-bar blues style. In fact, Roadhouse Blues was a staple of the band's live set for many years.

        And I'd argue the Monkee's entire sound is pretty much based on Paperback Writer by the Beatles. Their first single, Last Train to Clarksville, is very much in that style.
        I heard this story from Shaun Ryders last book.

        From Last Train To Clarksville Wikipedia

        "Hart got the idea for the lyrics when he turned on the radio and heard the end of "Paperback Writer." Thinking Paul McCartney was singing "take the last train," Hart decided to use the line himself after he found out that McCartney was actually singing "paperback writer"

        Comment


          #5
          Italian band The Watch demonstrate an unabashed love for Gabriel-era Genesis.
           

          Comment


            #6
            Oasis?

            Comment


              #7
              There's as much Slade as the Beatles there. While being immeasurably worse than both.

              Comment


                #8
                Elastica rather infamously "borrowed" from Wire, didn't they?

                Comment


                  #9
                  I vaguely remember an old NME/MM interview where Nick Cave was asked if he'd heard the Tindersticks' records and he replied "no, but I understand they've heard mine".

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Early Pavement/the Fall, which I didn't get at the time as early 90s Fall were a very different beast to the records Malkmus was ripping off.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Teenage Fanclub probably did Big Star better than Big Star (at least with Alcoholiday).

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by gjw100 View Post
                        Italian band The Watch demonstrate an unabashed love for Gabriel-era Genesis.
                        Is it all like this? Voice is Gabriel-isk, but the music veers, for me at least, towards early post-Gabriel Genesis.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by gjw100 View Post
                          American band Starcastle borrowed heavily from the sound of 'Fragile' / 'Close To The Edge' era Yes for their first couple of albums. It's all there - vocal harmonies, guitar/keyboard styles off pat, even Chris Squire's signature Rickenbacker bass. I realise that I'm posting a link that probably very few will be tempted to click, but here it is...
                          I clicked and you are right. Horrible vocals.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Sporting View Post

                            Is it all like this? Voice is Gabriel-isk, but the music veers, for me at least, towards early post-Gabriel Genesis.
                            I'm not that familiar with The Watch, but as far as I recall, their early albums were broadly similar in style. I'd say that it's more like 'The Lamb Lies Down....' than those first couple of post-Gabriel releases, but I guess we all hear different things in the music.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by gjw100 View Post
                              I'd say that it's more like 'The Lamb Lies Down....' than those first couple of post-Gabriel releases
                              That's a fair comment.

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Lady Gaga has always seemed a Madonna regen to me, although it seems she (Gaga) is a superior actor.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Lenny Kravitz always seems to be doing a cheap Jimi Hendrix knock off.

                                  Yes on the Elastica / Wire thing. Someone did a track-by-track equivalency at the time.

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Interpol were knocking off Joy Divisions. Still might be.

                                    The Tea Party were clearly doing The Doors.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Originally posted by jwdd27 View Post
                                      Lady Gaga has always seemed a Madonna regen to me
                                      I'd agree with this, but also to say "not in a bad way".

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Originally posted by WOM View Post
                                        Interpol were knocking off Joy Divisions. Still might be.
                                        Editors are/were knocking off Interpol.

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          In 1970, Australian band The Mixtures had a bigger hit at home with "In The Summertime" than the song's originators, Mungo Jerry. Their follow-up was their own song, and became a hit throughout the world, including a #2 in the UK in early '71. Thing is, "The Push Bike Song" is a total (though inferior) imitation of Mungo Jerry. Apparently Ray Dorset was quite peeved about out at the time. But many years later he recorded "The Push Bike Song" himself, presumably as a bit of a joke.

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            Originally posted by Satchmo Distel View Post
                                            Madness started out as essentially a British group version of Prince Buster, even down to the name, but the key difference from Quo is that they then evolved.

                                            Elastica and The Stranglers?

                                            There must be a few metal groups who were/are retreading one track by Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple or Black Sabbath.
                                            I was going to ask about Ska Revival, but that also begs the question of 70s British Doo Wop too?


                                            Comment


                                              #23
                                              Originally posted by G-Man View Post
                                              In 1970, Australian band The Mixtures had a bigger hit at home with "In The Summertime" than the song's originators, Mungo Jerry. Their follow-up was their own song, and became a hit throughout the world, including a #2 in the UK in early '71. Thing is, "The Push Bike Song" is a total (though inferior) imitation of Mungo Jerry. Apparently Ray Dorset was quite peeved about out at the time. But many years later he recorded "The Push Bike Song" himself, presumably as a bit of a joke.
                                              'Seaside Special' by Jonah Lewie (under a pseudonym) also followed that template, I think. 'Seaside Special' was in turn covered by Felt.

                                              Comment


                                                #24
                                                Originally posted by G-Man View Post
                                                In 1970, Australian band The Mixtures had a bigger hit at home with "In The Summertime" than the song's originators, Mungo Jerry.
                                                There were specific circumstances for that, which I'm sure we've covered (no pun intended) it on here before (you might even have raised it ?):

                                                Behind the music: Can artists stop people from covering their songs? | Pop and rock | The Guardian

                                                In Australia, there was "The Great Radio Ban of 1970", when big record companies demanded a fee from commercial radio in return for the use of their copyrighted material. Radio refused and all British and Australian records controlled by the majors were dropped from commercial airplay. The ban only lasted for six months, but resulted in independent labels releasing covers of all the big hits with local artists. Many Australians who were around at the time had no idea that In the Summertime was a Mungo Jerry song, they thought it was by the Mixtures. And they thought Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head was a John Farnham original.

                                                Conversely, as discussed on the recent Chart Music, Chicory Tip's "Son of My Father" was a copycat cover of the Giorgio Moroder original, and they went into some detail about how at the time you couldn't release a cover unless the original had been played on UK radio, so they got a sympathetic presenter on local radio in Kent to play it once, so that they could release their cover.

                                                Comment


                                                  #25
                                                  I think it's fairly common knowledge that Abba 'borrowed' ideas from Roy Wood and Wizzard to compose Waterloo. (Elvis Costello then borrowed from Abba for the piano motif in Oliver's Army - which, of course, he is now disowning.)

                                                  Originally posted by Satchmo Distel View Post
                                                  'Seaside Special' by Jonah Lewie (under a pseudonym) also followed that template, I think. 'Seaside Special' was in turn covered by Felt.
                                                  Seaside Shuffle. (As Terry Dactyl & The Dinosaurs.)

                                                  Comment

                                                  Working...
                                                  X