theft

Music industry lingo lesson #1

Inspired = stolen.



Post Edited (10-05-08 22:01)

As in:

inspired by = stolen from

You're learning.

Nah, that's crap. There's a difference between influence and theft. But even if you accept the premise that being influenced by someone equals stealing their ideas, who gives a flying fuck? Is there anyone out there that HASN'T built on someone else's ideas? What was the last musical style that wasn't built on the musical style that came before it? Reggae Toasting? Gregorian Chant? It just depends on what someone does with what they take.

My Bloody Valentine was definitely influenced by the Jesus and Mary Chain, but I think it would be stretching things to say that MBV "stole" from the J&MC, just as it would be to say that Ride, Lush or Curve stole from MBV. They took aspects of what the earlier band was doing and ran with it in another direction, just as the Jesus & Mary Chain did with the Velvets, just as the Velvets did with Bob Dylan and LaMonte Young. That's not thievery - or if it is, like I said before, who gives a fuck? Do they do something worthwhile with the parts they lift? Cool by me. I'm not so purehearted and superior in conduct myself that I'd be willing to condemn anyone for it, especially if they do something good with it.

To me, thievery would be someone like Creed in relation to Pearl Jam - Creed just took that band's entire sound and said "Hey, we like this, we're going to use this for a while." They brought absolutely nothing new, personal or worthwhile to it. They were just hacks with no ideas of their own making money off someone else's sound and persona.

Originality in art is all well and good, but fetishizing originality in and of itself is a dead end. I'm sure that an awful lot of what produced by the average post-rock band is a hell of a lot more original and creative than anything churned out by the average power pop band. But deep down, we all know that anyone who says they would rather listen to Tortoise than Cheap Trick is just being a pretentious blowhole and they have too much time on their hands.

>
> To me, thievery would be someone like Creed in relation to
> Pearl Jam - Creed just took that band's entire sound and said
> "Hey, we like this, we're going to use this for a while." They
> brought absolutely nothing new, personal or worthwhile to it.
> They were just hacks with no ideas of their own making money
> off someone else's sound and persona.
>


stone pimple toilets!!!

Ha! Yeah, that was the part where the Jameson started to kick in. I stand by the basic point (that innovation for its own sake is of limited value if the results aren't worth paying attention to), but comparing post-rock and power pop is indeed pretty apples & oranges. And as someone who would rather listen to Tony Conrad than, say, the Raspberries, I'm pretty much hoist by my own petard with that declaration anyway.

Then again, I've never actually denied being a pretentious blowhole, so I guess maybe I'm not technically hoisted.



Post Edited (10-05-08 21:02)

Amen, breno! Well argued. I find that critics who accuse a band of stealing or recyclng from another band frequently cannot draw a line from song A to song B to back up the claim. When they try, it is typically unconvincing to me.

By the by, I dont like Cheap Trick or Tortoise, and I think John Cougar Mellencamp's Uh-Uh is a cracklin' good record. Cant believe I am saying this but Authority Song sounds fresher to these ears when it comes on the radio than I Fought The Law. Must be that hot rockabilily guitar solo....



Post Edited (10-05-08 22:39)

"Jackie O" from Uh Huh just came up on my iPod yesterday. Great song.

I like the Coug, but as a Midwesterner I pretty much am obligated to. But he started out his career as a joke but worked hard and made something of himself, and by cracky, I admire that.

And Falling From Grace was a damn good movie. Jeffrey Lyons and Michael Medved hated it when they hosted Sneak Previews, but Lyons is a lousy critic and Medved is a right wing assfuck blowhard, so who cares what they think?



Post Edited (10-05-08 22:55)

Quote

listen to Tortoise than Cheap Trick is just being a pretentious blowhole and they have too much time on their hands.

I was all over your rant until you got to that part... huh? I really don't find them that similar at all. Post-rock has a lot more in common with jazz overall and power-pop is just wussy-downed rock for the most part.

If anything, Reno's rant made me want to check out Tortoise. If they do have similarities to Cheap Trick, then IMO, that's a good start.

To me, power pop is rock that doesn't forget to have a good melody, and some snap (rather than heaviness) to its groove. If that's "wussy-downed" (great choice of words, MJM ... no, really ... oh yeah, I mean it, really), then so be it. Mark me down, and sign me up.

John Cougar Melonball's Authority Song is definitely 50 steps down from I Fought The Law.

Melonball's the kind of thief that reduces the value of what he steals.

Quote

Melonball's the kind of thief that reduces the value of what he steals.

I think the summation of this sentiment is GM/Chevy making such a formal announcement (last year?) that they were switching their official jingle pawn from Bob Seger to JCM. Can I get a 'irrelevant hallelujah'?!

[begin spiteful sarcasm]

That's the sort of forward thinking that results in us just handing another 25 billion to bail out the big 3 (and hopefully you all caught that - hard to keep up in these 'end days')

And I'm sure feeling extra patriotic now that Springsteen finally gets his super bowl half-time appearance next year.

[end spiteful sarcasm]

What have I done? This thread has turned into a monster! Melloncougar an accomplished artist? HELP!!

"they were switching their official jingle pawn from Bob Seger to JCM."

Which makes it all the more ironic that one of the most often misheard lines in music is from Mellencamp's "Pop Singer," in which many people (my brother included) thought Mellencamp was saying "Never wanted to be no Bob Seger."

Elastica might tell you that it's not worth it.

everyone steals. especially souless white men in suits.

and now you can TOO!

[www.youtube.com]

.........or souless black men in velour sweat suits..............