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U2 accused of ripping off song

TownieDeac said:
When U2 started, The Edge didn't really know how to play guitar. He taught himself as they went along. Was never really all that strong of a guitarist, but created a unique sound that lots of people have since sounded like. Also the band is a lot greater than the sum of its parts, which is to say there's not a lot special going on there, but they made some very good albums before it all went to shit.
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The weak link is Adam Clayton, aka Mr. 8th Note, but he does all he needs to do. Root notes and keeping time. Larry Mullen is easily the most underrated dude in the bunch. Very good drummer with his own style much like Edge. Bono is a great frontman with a unique and soaring voice, at least in his heyday. The Edge used delay like nobody before him. It was as much a part of his instrument as the actual notes coming from it. He found his own thing and executed it beautifully. I think a lot of people are just pissed they didn't think of it before him. It gave him the ability to fill space that he otherwise couldn't fill, and to blend rhythm, lead, and atmospherics into one guitar, something that usually requires two. Look at the difference between something early like I Will Follow, with its four notes total (2 for each section), and contrast that with something like New Year's Day a few years later, which really was the first song to really signal his future direction. Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree had a little bit of Eno and Lanois to help, but even contemporary live renditions of the songs from those albums show that the studio versions are not just studio trickery.
 
EatLeadCommie said:
The weak link is Adam Clayton, aka Mr. 8th Note, but he does all he needs to do. Root notes and keeping time. Larry Mullen is easily the most underrated dude in the bunch. Very good drummer with his own style much like Edge. Bono is a great frontman with a unique and soaring voice, at least in his heyday. The Edge used delay like nobody before him. It was as much a part of his instrument as the actual notes coming from it. He found his own thing and executed it beautifully. I think a lot of people are just pissed they didn't think of it before him. It gave him the ability to fill space that he otherwise couldn't fill, and to blend rhythm, lead, and atmospherics into one guitar, something that usually requires two. Look at the difference between something early like I Will Follow, with its four notes total (2 for each section), and contrast that with something like New Year's Day a few years later, which really was the first song to really signal his future direction. Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree had a little bit of Eno and Lanois to help, but even contemporary live renditions of the songs from those albums show that the studio versions are not just studio trickery.
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Hard to believe, but I'm going to pos-rep an ELC post. War, Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby are amazing albums. Edge is no Trey Anastasio, but he is so unique, LMJ is a really good drummer and 25 years ago Bono had one of best voices in rock music.
 
Three of the biggest music plagiarism suits I can remember are:

George Harrison vs. the Chiffons- My Sweet Lord vs. He's So Fine - Harrison lost
Huey Lewis and the News vs. Ray Parker, Jr. - Ghostbusters theme. Huey won
I'm not sure about the songs, but a couple of years ago Robin Thicke and Farrell lost big time the estate of Marvin Gaye. I think the estate got something like $5M.
 
We must also remember that Adam Clayton landed peak Naomi Campbell, which vaults him right to the top, regardless of his bass skillz.
 
RJKarl said:
Three of the biggest music plagiarism suits I can remember are:

George Harrison vs. the Chiffons- My Sweet Lord vs. He's So Fine - Harrison lost
Huey Lewis and the News vs. Ray Parker, Jr. - Ghostbusters theme. Huey won
I'm not sure about the songs, but a couple of years ago Robin Thicke and Farrell lost big time the estate of Marvin Gaye. I think the estate got something like $5M.
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Harrison was judged to have lifted it unintentionally, I believe, though, unlike his buddy Clapton and the outro to Layla.

There was also the recent Spirit v. Led Zeppelin case, where Zeppelin was exonerated from lifting the opening to Stairway to Heaven.

And who can forget Vanilla Ice v. Queen?
 
Blurred Lines/Got To Give it Up award was $5.3 million plus part of the cost of the case (Not lawyer fees). Case is still under appeal.

Harrison wound up buying the rights to "He's so Fine."

My favorite of these cases is Jagger/Richards taking all of the money for "Bittersweet Symphony" and being nominated for a Grammy.
 
BiffTannen said:
Blurred Lines/Got To Give it Up award was $5.3 million plus part of the cost of the case (Not lawyer fees). Case is still under appeal.

Harrison wound up buying the rights to "He's so Fine."

My favorite of these cases is Jagger/Richards taking all of the money for "Bittersweet Symphony" and being nominated for a Grammy.
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The Verve got World Cup finals tickets out of that, at least. I think I remember reading that. Great album.
 
El Chupacabra said:
Harrison was judged to have lifted it unintentionally, I believe, though, unlike his buddy Clapton and the outro to Layla.

There was also the recent Spirit v. Led Zeppelin case, where Zeppelin was exonerated from lifting the opening to Stairway to Heaven.

And who can forget Vanilla Ice v. Queen?
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Harrison's was much lighter than some other one.

Didn't Zeppelin lose a case to some old blues guys?

My uncle was in the music biz and sometimes joked that he wished someone would steal one of his songs and make it a bigger hit.
 
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RJKarl said:
Harrison's was much lighter than some other one.

Didn't Zeppelin lose a case to some old blues guys?
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Zeppelin ripped off much of their first two albums from "some old blues guys." They talk about Willie Dixon and Sonny Boy Williamson in the RS article I linked.
 
I think Dirty just mind fucked the board (Trump-style) to make us praise The Edge.
 
awaken said:
I think Dirty just mind fucked the board (Trump-style) to make us praise The Edge.
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No, I was just trolling Biff bc I know he is seeing them this summer and he fucked up all our summer plans bc of his trip. Biff has great taste in misic. We don't have the same taste. I don't care for U2 but who gives a shit if it makes other people happy and fun.
 
EatLeadCommie said:
The weak link is Adam Clayton, aka Mr. 8th Note, but he does all he needs to do. Root notes and keeping time. Larry Mullen is easily the most underrated dude in the bunch. Very good drummer with his own style much like Edge. Bono is a great frontman with a unique and soaring voice, at least in his heyday. The Edge used delay like nobody before him. It was as much a part of his instrument as the actual notes coming from it. He found his own thing and executed it beautifully. I think a lot of people are just pissed they didn't think of it before him. It gave him the ability to fill space that he otherwise couldn't fill, and to blend rhythm, lead, and atmospherics into one guitar, something that usually requires two. Look at the difference between something early like I Will Follow, with its four notes total (2 for each section), and contrast that with something like New Year's Day a few years later, which really was the first song to really signal his future direction. Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree had a little bit of Eno and Lanois to help, but even contemporary live renditions of the songs from those albums show that the studio versions are not just studio trickery.
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The edge is an incompetent television wannabe
 
there is no universe where the edge wanted to be in or play like television
 
BiffTannen said:
Blurred Lines/Got To Give it Up award was $5.3 million plus part of the cost of the case (Not lawyer fees). Case is still under appeal.

Harrison wound up buying the rights to "He's so Fine."

My favorite of these cases is Jagger/Richards taking all of the money for "Bittersweet Symphony" and being nominated for a Grammy.
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And then the Stones went and ripped off k.d. lang, IIRC.
 
I discovered a STRIKING similarity between the opening riff of Joni Mitchell's "Coyote" and the Stones' "Waiting on a Friend." I might bring suit!





Well? WELL???
 
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surfin usa sounds almost identical to chuck berry's sweet little sixteen
 
El Chupacabra said:
I discovered a STRIKING similarity between the opening riff of Joni Mitchell's "Coyote" and the Stones' "Waiting on a Friend." I might bring suit!





Well? WELL???
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Not to mention the topical similarities with the Velvet underground's "Waiting for my man":

 
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