Songs that ripped other songs (without crediting!)

[jason r. baur]

I'll start off with Beck's "New Pollution," which is an obvious Taxman rip--pretty much the same beat. Actually, a review I read described it as a cross between Taxman and Tomorrow Never Knows.

[Grant]

Jason, you're talking about the history of rock music! Everybody borrowed from someone else.

[jason r. baur]

Grant,

Let's stick to the REAL obvious ones!

[PsychFan]

One pretty shameful example: the Rolling Stones stole "The Last Time" from the Staple Singers, and took all the credit (and money).

[TimB]

Neil Youngs "A borrowed Tune" or was it "A borrowed song"

[Matt]

There's a track on the Strokes album with a beginning similar to the one on "Let The Good Times Roll," by the Cars.

[jason r. baur]

By the way, you can also cite examples where artists ripped themselves. I'm thinking of that Psychedelic Furs cut that sounds almost exactly like "Love My Way"--and the two songs are on the same album!

[PsychFan]

I always thought the Kinks' "Destroyer" sounded way too much like the Doors' "Hello I Love You" -- which sounded quite a bit like the Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night," so I guess what comes around goes around ...

[jason r. baur]

The Godfather of Soul raped (not ripped) Bowie's "Fame" with his own "Hot" (though, if memory serves, he claimed the opposite).

[jason r. baur]

Boston's Don't Look Back sounded like a more mechanical version of their more fluid Peace of Mind.

Do I have to give all the examples myself?

[poe_man]

There's a track on the new Weezer disc that sounds a lot like Mellencamp's, "Hurt's
So Good". They play the main riff during the verses of their song.

[jason r. baur]

Originally posted by TimB
Neil Youngs "A borrowed Tune" or was it "A borrowed song"
Good one, though technically Neil Young does credit the Stones during the song. There's another Young-Stones example almost as glaring:

Buffalo Springfield's "Mr. Soul" and the Stones' "Satisfaction."

[jason r. baur]

OK, I'm used to playing with...umm, BY myself.

What about when all those old bluesmen had to bend over and take it while Led Zeppelin made zillions with their first two albums?

[Matt]

In the Bo Diddley Chess Box liner notes, Robert Palmer points out the similarities between the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?" and Bo Diddley's music. The rhythm played out on that song's guitar, plus the wavering sound of the guitar and the whole recording's thick atmosphere...classic update of Bo's sound, or a rip-off, if you want to be cynical about it.

[jason r. baur]

Matt,

Springsteen (She's the One), The Who (Magic Bus) and U2 (Desire) also borrowed from Diddley, and I'm sure there's a lot more!

[Steve Hoffman]

Well, Buddy Holly took the Bo Diddley beat and wrote "Not Fade Away", and Brian Wilson took Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little 16" and ripped "Surfin' USA", but I don't think there was any malice involved...

Led Zep on the other hand did a real rip of Ritchie Valens' "Ohh My Head"....

Did the Stones give proper writing credit for "Love In Vain"? Can't remember & am too lazy to go and pull out "Let It Bleed"...:rolleyes:

[Craig]

Originally posted by jason r. baur

What about when all those old bluesmen had to bend over and take it while Led Zeppelin made zillions with their first two albums?
There was a CD released in the U.K. called Led Astray that "covers" this nicely. I think it's still in print.

1. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Joan Baez
2. Ooh Ooh My Head (Boogie with Stew) - Ritchie Valens
3. Black Water Slide (Black Mountain Side) - Bert Jansch
4. How Many More Years (How Many More Times) - Howlin' Wolf
5. Killing Floor (Lemon Song) - Howlin' Wolf
6. You Need Love (Whole Lotta Love) - Muddy Waters
7. You Shook Me - Muddy Waters
8. Bring It On Home - Sonny Boy Williamson
9. I Can't Quit You Baby - Willie Dixon
10. Levee Breaks Blues (When The Levee Breaks) - Memphis Minnie
11. Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed (In My Time Of Dying) - Blind Willie Johnson
12. Nobody's Fault But Mine - Blind Willie Johnson
13. Travelling Riverside Blues - Robert Johnson
14. Dazed & Confused - Jake Holmes
15. Gallows Pole - Fred Gerlach
16. Shake Em Down (Hats Off To [Roy Harper] - Bukka White
17. Drop Down Mama (Custard Pie) - Big Joe Williams

[jason r. baur]

I'm pretty sure the Stones did credit Robert Johnson(?) with Love In Vain. I don't think they played Zeppelin's ugly game (at least not to the same extent).

[Craig]

Play Brave Strangers by Bob Seger off Stranger In Town back to back with Moonshine Whiskey by Van Morrison off Tupelo Honey. Although I wouldn't call it "ripping" Van off. More a tribute to his influence.

[jason r. baur]

Originally posted by Craig

There was a CD released in the U.K. called Led Astray that "covers" this nicely. I think it's still in print.

1. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Joan Baez
2. Ooh Ooh My Head (Boogie with Stew) - Ritchie Valens
3. Black Water Slide (Black Mountain Side) - Bert Jansch
4. How Many More Years (How Many More Times) - Howlin' Wolf
5. Killing Floor (Lemon Song) - Howlin' Wolf
6. You Need Love (Whole Lotta Love) - Muddy Waters
7. You Shook Me - Muddy Waters
8. Bring It On Home - Sonny Boy Williamson
9. I Can't Quit You Baby - Willie Dixon
10. Levee Breaks Blues (When The Levee Breaks) - Memphis Minnie
11. Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed (In My Time Of Dying) - Blind Willie Johnson
12. Nobody's Fault But Mine - Blind Willie Johnson
13. Travelling Riverside Blues - Robert Johnson
14. Dazed & Confused - Jake Holmes
15. Gallows Pole - Fred Gerlach
16. Shake Em Down (Hats Off To [Roy Harper] - Bukka White
17. Drop Down Mama (Custard Pie) - Big Joe Williams
Craig, and here I thought it stopped after Led Zeppelin II! I'm burning my Zeppelin CDs as I write this. Thanks.

[jason r. baur]

Tasteless, I know, but:

George Harrison, anyone? (Or is there now a credit?)

[Matt]

Originally posted by jason r. baur
Matt,

Springsteen (She's the One), The Who (Magic Bus) and U2 (Desire) also borrowed from Diddley, and I'm sure there's a lot more!

One of the cool things about the Springsteen concerts in 78 is the "Diddley beat" medleys that would include She's The One, Not Fade Away, and various other songs, all linked together by the Bo Diddley beat.

If you haven't yet, I highly recommend getting that Bo Diddley Chess Box. Not just a great collection, Palmer wrote some killer notes. You can't copyright a rhythm, which is too bad for Bo, because he'd be making millions in royalties.


Oh, and I heard George actually bought the company that owns "He's So Fine" (the publishing company, I think). This was after the lawsuit, of course.

[JonUrban]

There was a BIG hit a while ago called "The Greatest Love of All". I remember that the bridge fo the song was a complete rip off of Gordon Lightfoot ("If You Could Read My Mind"), and the main section of the song was very similar to a song called "We're All Alone", which I think was written by Boz Skaggs, and released as a single by Rita Coolage!

This freaking song won all kinds of awards (Grammy's, I think), and it drove me crazy everytime I heard it, as I kept linking back to the two afore mentioned tunes.

:-jon

[Matt]

What about all those riffs and hooks that Motown and Stax/Volt borrowed from one another? I know the guitar figure in "(I Know) I'm Losing You" is quoted in the middle of "Tramp," and a bunch of others.

Jeff Beck did Chuck Berry's Guitar Boogie as Jeff's Boogie (in his own style, of course).

Springsteen quotes Jeff Beck and Robbie Robertson on Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Mr. Tambourine Man, Whiter Shade Of Pale, and others borrow from Bach...

Sheesh, and people thought "My Sweet Lord" was a big deal.

[Richard Feirstein]

This was the entire point of Dylan's Love and Theft. His web site even has posted audio samples of some of the source material he stole.

A classic example is Liz Cotton's Freight Train. PP&M assumed it was a traditional folk song and gave poor Liz no credit on the record. (They now know better).