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highplainsdem

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22. The Beatles were accused of being derivative at times, too.

Reply to underpants (Reply #21)

Sun Oct 5, 2025, 05:53 PM

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Last edited Sun Oct 5, 2025, 10:18 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beatles-5-boldest-rip-offs-54145/

Beatles’ 5 Boldest Rip-Offs
From the "Revolution" intro to the "I Feel Fine" riff, here are five times when the Fab Four swiped musical material from their influences
By Gavin Edwards
December 23, 2015

Accused of exploiting other artists’ songs in the Beatles, John Lennon defended himself by saying, “It wasn’t a rip-off; it was a love-in.” Paul McCartney’s take: “We pinch as much from other people as they pinch from us.”

“In the early years, I’d often carry around someone else’s song in my head,” Lennon said. “And only when I’d put it down on tape — because I can’t write music — would I consciously change it to my own melody, because I knew that otherwise somebody would sue me.” Perhaps the best example of the Beatles transforming a piece of music is in “Because”: It was drawn from Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, but Lennon reversed the chord progression and then mutated it into something else.

While the Beatles drew inspiration from artists both famous and obscure, they almost always made whatever they were borrowing into something new, because they were a creative group of lads and because they were careful to cover their tracks. That’s almost always. Here’s five examples where their pinches got more blatant.

-snip-

The Beatles had four songwriters, too, and tons of help from a genius producer, George Martin, so they'd be more likely to catch anything derivative and rework it.

Except for a handful of songs from his brother Liam and other band members, Noel Gallagher wrote all the songs for Oasis himself. They'd be finished before anyone else in the band could notice something derivative Noel had missed.

And Noel's very open about having been influenced by other artists. He did go way overboard lifting a song from a Coke commercial for Shakermaker, but I believe Coke got about half a million dollars for that, and there weren't any hard feelings since they used another Oasis song later for a Coke commercial.

As for this song...

I've always loved Get It On. My very favorite T.Rex song. One of my favorite songs ever. Brilliant - perfect - production. Tony Visconti is one of the greatest producers ever - like George Martin, a genius.

But if I compare Get It On to Cigarettes & Alcohol...

In terms of sound, Get It On would be a sleek little Vespa, purring along. Cigarettes & Alcohol is a Harley.

Get It On is more pop, while Cigarettes & Alcohol really rocks.

I can't imagine Get It On ever rocking a stadium the way Cigarettes & Alcohol does.

And the message of Cigarettes & Alcohol, about using those and cocaine to cope with dead-end jobs, hits much harder than Marc Bolan singing about his built-like-a-car girl with the blues in her shoes and her stockings.

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Oasis borrowed from T.Rex's Get It On for Cigarettes & Alcohol, but rocked much harder. Earthshakingly harder. [View all] highplainsdem Sep 30 OP

I'm reposting the OP above after mistakenly posting it in GD first. highplainsdem Sep 30 #1

Reply posted in GD by johnp3907: 1. Marc Bolan cast a big big shadow! highplainsdem Sep 30 #2

Reply posted in GD by flvegan: 2. Score one for Oasis! highplainsdem Sep 30 #3

Funny that they called it BritPop speak easy Sep 30 #4

The term was first used before Oasis had that huge instant success. It never really fit them. highplainsdem Sep 30 #5

Ahem ... speak easy Sep 30 #7

The Beatles, Sex Pistols and Stone Roses are the bands they mention most. But you're right that glam rock, highplainsdem Sep 30 #8

Ditching the glam costumes speak easy Sep 30 #9

Considering that Liam's standard uniform is a parka, baggy jeans and athletic shoes, I don't think he'd've highplainsdem Sep 30 #10

I can see Liam doing glam. speak easy Saturday #15

Nope. That's a colorful parka, and Liam and Noel both own a lot of colorful as well as fairly drab parkas. highplainsdem Saturday #16

I think we are talking at cross purposes, speak easy Saturday #17

Okay. I didn't realize you were talking about what Liam might've done if he'd been born 20 years earlier highplainsdem Saturday #18

Rod Stewart? Working class / Football fanatic. speak easy Saturday #19

Liked his music, thought the glam costumes were ridiculous. No matter who wore them. highplainsdem Saturday #20

How many people danced to "You're in my heart, you're in my soul" unaware of the soccer ⚽️ reference? underpants Sunday #24

You can't copyright a rhythm sequence speak easy Sep 30 #6

Something in that live clip I don't understand... LudwigPastorius Sep 30 #11

That's the Poznan, which was started by a Polish football (soccer) team and adopted by the Manchester highplainsdem Sep 30 #12

Thanks! LudwigPastorius Sep 30 #14

Oh, and that Polish football team thanked Noel and Liam: highplainsdem Sep 30 #13

I love Oasis ....but.... I've always found them to be a bit derivative underpants Sunday #21

The Beatles were accused of being derivative at times, too. highplainsdem Sunday #22

I get that and I agree. The "British Invasion" was basically selling American black music back to white people underpants Sunday #23