Stolen Riffs

[cgannon64]

I'm making this thread out of frusteration with modern pop. Don't you get mad when you hear a riff or even entire song stolen, without any credit? I never really noticed how widespread this was...for example:

One of the only rap songs I liked was "Rock Superstar" by Cypress Hill. It was a pretty popular rap song a while ago. Anyway, I really liked the riff in the beginning. And then I heard "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. They TOTALLY ripped it off! Its identical!

So what are some riffs that you recognize in modern pop, or even older rock, that were totally ripped off? The more I think about this, the more it bugs me...is there any way the victimized band can get credit or something?

 

[Immortal]

are you sure its not "come with me" by Puff Daddy you are thinking of?

 

[cgannon64]

Originally posted by Immortal
are you sure its not "come with me" by Puff Daddy you are thinking of?

No, I don't think so. I immediately recognized the riff when I heard "Kashmir". I'm downloading Come with Me and Rock Superstar to check...this is really bugging me now.

 

[Immortal]

Ill do the same then, rock superstar or rap superstar? Ive heard both before...

 

[cgannon64]

I think it goes either way, I'm not sure. And yes, you're right! Puff Daddy ripped it off too! That makes three artist using the same riff...if this wasn't legally agreed upon, its hilarious!

 

[Immortal]

oh yeah! I hear it now, that SUCKS!

No-talent bastards

 

[cgannon64]

It seems that "Rock Superstar" is slightly different. I'm playing them back and forth, and "Rock Superstar"'s opening riff seems slightly different. I guess its not enough to press charges. But "Come with Me" is blatently the same...they probably lifted it off the original recordings...

 

[Immortal]

yeah, jimmy page did to the guitar playing when it was performed on SNL a few years ago (its from the godzilla soundtrack by the way).

 

[cgannon64]

Originally posted by Immortal
yeah, jimmy page did to the guitar playing when it was performed on SNL a few years ago (its from the godzilla soundtrack by the way).

Really? I guess they got permission then.

Another song that pops into my head: One of the latest Janet Jackson songs, forget the name, stole a riff from America, I forget the song. Safe to say America sued and got money and an apology.

Can you think of any others?

 

[Immortal]

Oh man, there are countless ones, usually the perpetrators are rap and dance musicians. If only I could remember them...

 

[cgannon64]

Originally posted by Immortal
Oh man, there are countless ones, usually the perpetrators are rap and dance musicians. If only I could remember them...

Of course. If they don't play their own instruments, why not leech off people who do?

What I find hilarious is that my friends will like that Puffy song and hate the original Zeppelin song...

 

[kmad]

What pissed me off is when Kid Rock stole Metallica's riff from "Sad But True" for American Badass.

Kid Rock Sucks Donkey Balls.


Oh also, this doesn't concern me, but Jennifer Lopez stole a riff for her "Song" jenny from the block. It was around in 1999 or something, she didn't ask for it, or give any credit to the guys, and now the guys are suing her

 

[Immortal]

and I hope they cash in on her ill-gotten sucess with that obviously untrue song.

 

[cgannon64]

Originally posted by Immortal
and I hope they cash in on her ill-gotten sucess with that obviously untrue song.

I can't stand how she tries to be 'street'. I forget what actor said it. He was from the Bronx, but he said, "Yeah, I'm sure she wants to go back to the Bronx. She will until she gets shot."

Or, as the New Yorker put it, "Best Millionairess Trying Desparetly to Stay in Touch with her Fans."

 

[Raijer]

I hate to be the one who breaks this to you, but ripping off other musicians has long been a tradition in rock/pop music.

Let's take Led Zeppelin, for example. Many of their older songs are simply covers and/or reworkings of traditional blues music (Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf to name a couple of the pillaged artists). The lifted music was arranged for a "rock" trio, the words were fiddled with a bit, and next thing you know, it says "The Lemon Song" - by Page/Plant, on the album.

Like the coversation you guys are having in this thread, when the first Led Zep album came out, this was the type of thing that Zeppelin was being dissed about (copying, no-talent, etc...).

 

[smalltalk]

Adding some math flavour, I can provide a crude guess:

3 chords * 1 bar * 8 * 1/8th note = 3561 different songs. That is songs, different by one chord.

There aren't so many musicaly striking combinations. For most songs it is cadenca: I - V - IV or a variation of this.
On piano for example: hit C - G - F
Always sounds good. As will any comibination of black keys. Or, to a lower extent, all white keys.

I guess, it might not be stealing a riff, musical themes just lay around, waiting to be picked up in any context.

I will admit, there a lot of cover versions around, which lack the class of the original song.

 

[cgannon64]

Originally posted by Raijer
I hate to be the one who breaks this to you, but ripping off other musicians has long been a tradition in rock/pop music.

I know it does. But usually it seems to be official 'covers'. And while there are cases of total theft, I've never seen one like this - two seperate bands copying one riff in the same couple of years!

 

[Raijer]

That's mainly cuz technology has simply made it easier to cop riffs. Before, you had to cop riffs by, say, copying a finger pattern on a guitar. With computers, the process of creating sound is greatly simplified, and you can do the same thing Howlin' Wolf or Jimmy Page did though digital technology. Now the fingers only need to spin a dial or press a button, putting the power to create music in many many more hands - which in turn, makes the music more representitive and democratic, IMHO.

I'll be the first to agree though: whether it's Page, P-Diddy, or anyone copping riffs, props to the OGs are ALWAYS a must!.

 

[CivCube]

And apparently, if what a friend of mine says is true, a solo/group can take an entire song, just change ONE note of it, and legally use it without credit!

 

[Perfection]

Originally posted by smalltalk
Adding some math flavour, I can provide a crude guess:

3 chords * 1 bar * 8 * 1/8th note = 3561 different songs. That is songs, different by one chord.

There aren't so many musicaly striking combinations. For most songs it is cadenca: I - V - IV or a variation of this.
On piano for example: hit C - G - F
Always sounds good. As will any comibination of black keys. Or, to a lower extent, all white keys.

I guess, it might not be stealing a riff, musical themes just lay around, waiting to be picked up in any context.

I will admit, there a lot of cover versions around, which lack the class of the original song.

I agree, I play Jazz Piano and almost everything I come up with is derivitive of something else, I don't try ripping others off but it's hard to keep things from being completly origional.