Re: [Harp-L] A Whiter Shade of....Yikes!

[Philharpn@xxxxxxx]

There was something similar to this several years ago when a band member gave 
himself credit for a Bob Dylan hit by suggesting a different key ("Let's play 
it in A.") during the recording session. 






In a message dated 12/21/06 7:05:14 PM, winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx writes:


> This is interesting. The hysterical claims at the end of the article
> are pretty silly.
> 
> Quick, hum the beginning of Whiter Shade. It's an integral part of the
> song as known by the buying public, and the most interesting part
> musically. If it hadn't been for that organ intro, the song might never
> have been a hit.
> 
> Does that mean that every studio musician who plays an interesting or
> memorable solo on a recording deserves songwriting credit? If it helps
> to sell the record to the public, it bears consideration.
> 
> In this specific case, regardless of when the song was written, Booker
> was an integral part of the band (therefore not a work-for-hire hourly
> session musician, which might have lessened his claim), and what he
> played begins the song - it's the first thing the listener hears.
> 
> However, this case blurs the line between arrangement and composition.
> If an arrangement significantly alters the public perception of a song,
> and helps to sell it in the process, maybe that has economic value
> beyond work for hire.
> 
> If you've ever seen the sheet music for "I Left My Heart in San
> Francisco" as originally written, it's a mess (as I recall, it's also a
> waltz). Whoever rescued it from the dustbin of history and rearranged
> it into one of the most memorable tunes in the last 50 years deserved
> more than arranging credit - without their work, it might never have
> made a dime and Tony Bennett might be best known for the Hank Williams
> covers he was singing at the time.
> 
> Harp content: To what extent did Tommy Morgan and George Fields come up
> with those parts they made memorable? I suspect they were playing
> written parts.
> 
> But all-written scores are a relic of a bygone era. For the last thirty
> years or so records have depended heavily on the chops, imagination,
> and stylistic savvy of the actual players of instruments, and less on
> the on-paper scoring skill of a single individual. Record producers
> won't shun musical contributions from session musicians and go back to
> all written parts because the records won't be as good or sell as well.
> Maybe it means creative musicians will be better compensated. Remember,
> it wasn't so long ago that songwriters were treated very badly by the
> music industry, and there was probably similar grousing by the industry
> when they started demanding their due - though I suspect the Beatles
> basically annihilated the status quo before a shot was fired.
> 
> Winslow
> 
> --- robert paparozzi <chromboy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> > Yikes, check this out, I think Gary Brooker will be turning a"Whiter
> > Shade
> > of Pale" when he see's his NEW royalty checks!....what do y'all think
> > about
> > this??!!
> >
> > Harp Content:
> >
> > What if George Fields, Tommy Morgan or Delbert McClinton claimed
> > partial
> > writers credit for contributed such MEMORABLE parts on "Moon River",
> > "Rainy
> > Days and Mondays" and "Hey Baby".................Yikes!!!!
> >
> > Procol Harum Organist Wins Court Case
> > Dec 20, 11:44 AM EST
> >  A judge awarded a 40 percent share in the copyright of "A Whiter
> > Shade of
> > Pale," one of the most famous pop songs of all time, to a former
> > organist
> > for Procol Harum.
> >  Lead singer Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid always claimed
> > credit for
> > the hit, which became part of the soundtrack for the hippy "summer of
> > love"
> > of 1967.
> >  But in his ruling, the judge decided that organist Matthew Fisher
> > was
> > entitled to both credit and royalties.
> >  "I have come to the view that Mr. Fisher's interest in the work
> > should be
> > reflected by according him a 40 percent share of the musical
> > copyright," the
> > written judgment said. "His contribution to the overall work was on
> > any view
> > substantial but not, in my judgment, as substantial as that of Mr.
> > Brooker."
> >  The judge said the song's organ solo "is a distinctive and
> > significant
> > contribution to the overall composition and quite obviously the
> > product of
> > skill and labor on the part of the person who created it."
> >  The judge said Fisher, 60, was entitled to royalties from May 2005,
> > when he
> > began court proceedings.
> >  "A Whiter Shade of Pale," famous for its cryptic lyrics - "We
> > skipped the
> > light fandango, turned cartwheels 'cross the floor" - topped the
> > British
> > charts for five weeks in 1967 and was a Top 5 hit in the U.S.
> >  Rolling Stone magazine has ranked it 57th in a list of the 500
> > greatest
> > songs of all time.
> >  Brooker says he and Reid wrote the song before Fisher joined the
> > band in
> > March 1967. It was released in May.
> >  Fisher, now a computer programmer living in south London, left the
> > band in
> > 1969. Brooker, 61, still tours with Procol Harum.
> >  In a statement, Brooker and Reid said Fisher's court victory created
> > a
> > dangerous precedent because it meant any musician who had played on
> > any
> > recording in the past 40 years could claim joint authorship.
> >  "It is effectively open season on the songwriter," they said. "It
> > will mean
> > that unless all musicians' parts are written for them, no publisher
> > or
> > songwriter will be able to risk making a recording for fear of a
> > possible
> > claim of songwriting credit."
> >  They intend to file an appeal.
> >
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> 
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