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From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Recycled music ( Re: Collins Bashing )
Message-ID: <1253@pyuxd.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Jul-85 18:53:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxd.1253
Posted: Fri Jul 19 18:53:15 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Jul-85 12:30:54 EDT
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Organization: Whatever we're calling ourselves this week
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>[Rich Rosen discussing performers who recycle ...]
>> Get them off their duffs!  Make
>> them do some creative work for a change.
>
>Complete agreement.  Since I wrote my last message, I
>have encountered new evidence which back up your claim
>about _Sussudio_.  It's a shame that talented musicians
>are too lazy to come up with their own ideas all of the 
>time.  Speaking of which ...
>
>> (admittedly, "Another Lonely Night", though an incredibly wimpy
>> song, had the best McCartney melody in ten years!) 
>
>Try listening to _Yesterday_ by the Beatles.  Paul
>seems to have copied from himself!  [BRYAN COUGHLAN]

The only similarity I had detected between "Another Lonely Night" and
"Yesterday" is that they are both in F, and I really can't think of any
other.  (let's not get carried away)  Could you elaborate?

> There are alot of songs which are influenced by other
> songs.  They range the spectrum from complete ripoffs
> (eg. _My Sweet Lord_ - George Harrison) through 
> incomplete plagiarism (_Sussudio_) to bands with only
> one musical idea that they keep repeating (over and
> over and over and ...).  Actually, I find it fun to 
> try a figure out the precursor songs when hearing a
> new song which seems vaguely familiar!  BUT ...
> I want to hear some new ideas now and then.

John Lennon was a big fan of musical genealogy or "history of riffs".
The first two notes of "Instant Karma" were actually lifted from a song
the Beatles used to do in clubs (apparently very hard to find on vinyl)
called "Some Other Guy"---they are shown performing it in "The Compleat
Beatles".  There's nothing wrong with quoting, but when the whole idea
of a song is blatantly stolen, that's despicable.  In a way, I understand
the notion of "subliminal plagiarism"---I only recently noticed that a song
I had written some years ago, though utilizing completely different
rhythm and vocal part, took its sequence of chords from the "AH... AH.. AHAH"
section of "Court of the Crimson King" (and I didn't even own the album!)
It was in a different key and used a completely different context, but
when it struck me it felt very strange to be a subliminal plagiarist.
-- 
"Do I just cut 'em up like regular chickens?"    Rich Rosen    ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr