[Harp-L] Re: Harp-L Digest, Vol 47, Issue 1

["Glenn Weiser" <celticguitar1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Message: 1
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:05:27 -0700
From: Tom Ball <havaball@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] plagarism
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID: <f06230902c2ac60161ed1@[72.205.204.132]>
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Just my humble two-cents:  Glenn has a point, but I reckon that when
using a diatonic harp (sans overblows) and playing blues in cross
position, there probably isn't a single lick that could be done that
hasn't already been done by *somebody* before. <shrug>

What's more interesting to me is the varied history of musical
"plagiarism" itself.  I mean, "Love Me Tender" is the Civil War
ballad "Aura Lee."  The American patriotic song "My Country Tis Of
Thee" is the same tune as "God Save Our Queen" --the British National
Anthem.  Country Joe's "Fixin' To Die Rag" ('One, two, three, what're
we fighin' for?') is Kid Ory's "Muskrat Ramble."  Tom Petty's
"Breakdown" is the Animals' "Cheating," which might have been
something else before that.  The Beach Boys' "Surfin' USA" is Chuck
Berry's "Sweet Little 16."

Alan Price's "Changes" (from the film O Lucky Man) is the old hymn
"What a Friend We Have in Jesus." "My Sweet Lord" is the Chiffons'
"He's So Fine" (sorry, George, it may have been inadvertent but it's
nonetheless true.)  Ry Cooder, for whom I have nothing but respect,
acknowledges building his "Theme from Paris, Texas" around Blind
Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was The Ground."  The
Tokens "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a rip-off of a 1940's hit record
from Swaziland called "Mbube."  Walter Horton's "Easy" is Ivory Joe
Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind."

Elvis' hit "It's Now Or Never" is the 1901 Italian opera song "O Sole
Mio."  Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale" is at least partially
based on a combination of two Bach compositions.  Charlie Parker's
breakthrough be-bop classic "Koko" is a reworking of the old Ray
Noble hit "Cherokee."  Even our own national anthem the "Star
Spangled Banner" is actually "To Anacreon in Heaven," an 18th century
English drinking song!

Like R. Crumb says, "Always steal from the best."  :)

cheers,
Tom Ball
Santa Barbarian

Tom

This is someone you probably know-I'd be surprised if you didn't, in fact- 
taking whole 12-bar choruses note-for note from Little Walter and Sonny Boy 
II and slipping them into other songs without attribution. This appears to a 
case of covering up a defiency in improvising to make oneself  look better 
than one really is. I now doubt copyright infringment happened, but in my 
view this practice is artistically dishonest. That's all I'm saying. Making 
your own musicial statement, for better or worse, is the goal as far as I'm 
concerned.

-Glenn