Thursday, 19 January 2017

The Songs We Were Singing

That's the way to do it
Lennon and McCartney wrote many songs together; and many more apart. But if you were to add up the ones neither of them had a hand in - but should have got a co-write on -  you'd need a supercomputer. You know what (and who) I'm talking about: take your pick from any of this lot's back catalogues just for starters: Crowded House, World Party, Squeeze, Cheap Trick, Dodgy, Badfinger, Big Star, Oasis, Cotton Mather, ELO, Pugwash, XTC, Utopia, and (don't forget) The Rutles - the list is endless. Interestingly, these days Macca himself can't write a Paul McCartney song anymore without it sounding like a Wings pastiche. How tragic is that?

As this blog enters its eighth year you can see there's been a lot of Beatles related activity (the leader board on the left hand side of the screen is a dead giveaway) since 2010. But I've never before mentioned this trio of moptastic Macca infused Beatles soundalikes: from the top - The Rembrandts condensing the White Album into three minutes, followed by the Chili Peppers melding 'Helter Skelter' & 'Vanilla Sky'. And, finally, Jellyfish, who probably lived on a very limited diet of Rubber Soul and Revolver.

Macca is currently taking Sony through the courts, trying to get his hands back on 'Love Me Do', 'Please Please Me' and all the other tunes he and Lennon wrote which are soon coming out of copyright quarantine. If I was his him I'd be setting my legal rottweilers on all the artists I've mentioned above. And the hundreds more I haven't.

The Rembrandts - Johnny Have You Seen Her?


Red Hot Chili Peppers - Aeroplane


Jellyfish - She Still Loves Him

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9 comments:

  1. C20 January 2017 at 17:59

    There can't be many bands either whose name can be used so often in adjective form. Funnily enough earlier today, before reading this post, we were listening to Blossoms' 'Blown Rose' - do really like it but we both remarked that it's definitely quite Beatlesque!

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  2. John Medd20 January 2017 at 21:03

    When John and Paul started writing songs the canvas was pretty much blank. It soon got filled up, though, didn't it? And, unfortunately, for everyone else who stepped up to the easel, they found Lennon & McCartney's stamp all over the place. Hardly their fault.

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  3. Unknown24 January 2017 at 12:36

    I never liked Oasis, in principle. They just sounded like a complete Beatles rip off to me and acted like they thought they were musical geniuses. There, that's my rant of the day. See what you've started!
    OTH

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    1. John Medd28 January 2017 at 00:38

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. John Medd28 January 2017 at 00:41

      R - You really must listen to the B-Sides (the acoustic ones that Noel used to sing). Songs like this - Talk Tonight/

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    3. Anonymous23 April 2018 at 21:48

      Slade have always sounded like a post-La's "scally" band mixed with Slade's Beatlesque pop songs like Far Far Away and How Does It Feel - give or take a Tomorrow Never Knows pastiche

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  4. Chris27 January 2017 at 16:17

    I was listening to Abbey Road last year and the guitar work in I Want You (She's So Heavy) is quite similar to Still Loving You by Scorpions. Both are great, but the newer track from 1984 I prefer. I think that's normal innovators inspire the next generation. As long as the new stuff has its own personality.

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    1. John Medd28 January 2017 at 00:44

      Beatles and Scorpions; sounds like a battle of the bugs to me Chris.

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  5. Matt Blick19 May 2020 at 23:10

    Love Jellyfish - they always vigorously insisted they were influenced ... by Wings and ELO!

    Second generation?

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