Zappa.com

Just goes to show. All this time I thought it was an updated version of "Tell Me You Love Me" off Chunga's Revenge.

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You're probably wondering why I'm here
(not that it makes a heck of a lot of a difference to ya)

Well, take my word for it.
I can sure recognise a funky 4 notes bassline when i hear one.

TrendyJohn & his amazing monent of observation.

...and what were you trying to say? Zappa ripping off Zappa? That just doesnt make sense.
Please think twice before you post, this is serious matter!

As far as I remember, Zappa was always ripping off Zappa and also anyone else that he liked or didn't like - one of the reasons I love his music so much.
However, if you want to hear the ultimate ripoff of "Billie Jean" then listen to the Residents' version of Hank Williams' "Kaw-Liga" and they wrote a whole song denigrating him too ("Just For You" from "Disfigured Night").

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"I have learned from my mistakes, and I am sure I can repeat them exactly."

I always found the following two songs a good example of plain theft:
- It's A Beautiful Day: Bulgaria (1968)
- Deep Purple: Child In Time (1970)

BTW:
It's A Beautiful Day is a very, very hippie-like band. It's all about love & peace and some other deep-thought philostophy.

I do think it's good to make a distinction between stealing a tune or using it.
American culture has a large tradition of using existing works of art: Andy Warhol, Charles Ives. many works of Charles Ives can be seen as collages of known melodies.
Also Zappa often uses it effectively.
And there is good reason for it: well known songs or images have already found a place in people's consciousness. So using that melody or image can make a strong and immediate comment on what the original represents. Think of how many times the Mona Lisa has been used!

Now with Zappa there are many examples, but there is one song that always strikes me: Watermelon in Easter Hay on Joe's Garage. I always get a strong association with Pink Floyd. It starts with Zappa's laugh, which has the same kind of feel to it as how Pink Floyd laughs on Eclipse (Dark Side of the Moon). And the solo itself has something of the same slow moving development that Pink Floyd uses a lot. I always think that Zappa could have named the song The David Gilmour Secret Chord Progression.

Am I the only one who gets the association?

Hey my friend, i was trying to instill irony in my answers but it seems i failed to do so.
I promise you i realized WHY DON'T YOU LIKE ME was about MJ and that he used BILLY JEAN bass line (and riff) on purpose.
And just like you i love his musical "quotes" of other artists and musicians, some obvious some less so (ie someone - Ike Willis? - humming Verdi's Rigoletto at the end of CATHOLIC GIRLS)

Wow! WATERMELON and PINK FLOYD, never thought about that one, probably because Zappa's and Gilmour's soloing are...well...very different.
But now that i think of it, WIEH time sig is alternated bars of 4/4 and 5/4 just like...MONEY!
More seriously, i understand what you mean by slow developpement and leaving space in the solo.
If only Vinnie had taken some downers in order to sound more like Mason...

The time sig on WIEH does make it more sound like Pink Floyd.
But, and this is a personal preference, I do like any drummer that ever played in a Zappa band over Nick Mason...
Nick Mason wants to play symphonic/orchestral, using a lot of timpani and, if not, playing the drums like he is playing timpany.
Zappa drummers always create an interesting texture within a composition.

that's probably one of the most blatant steals in the history of rock music.
amazing how deep purple could get away with it.
both 'versions' are really good, though.

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"bit of nostalgia for the old folks."

Zappa-five five five
Pink floyd-Dogs
also this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fw6Bsz639E
At 1.35
I never heard the 1975 version Zappa band did,only SUNPYG
was there a diffrence

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

Both Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest ripped off aspects of 'Lucifer's Friend's' "Ride in the Sky" from 1970.
The song opens with a sax or other brass instrument that Robert Plant must have heard and used on the "Immigrant Song" (he sings the exact melody used by LF) and Judas Priest's "the Island of Domination" is nearly a note for note rip off.

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Music > Everything
CLETUS must now, regretfully, dispose of the ones who refuse to alter their unmusical ways.
http://www.vulturesawait.com

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"bit of nostalgia for the old folks."

The outro of Todd Rundgren's "King Kong Reggae" off of the album Todd sounds like "Flakes" at times. Makes me sing "Flakes, Flaaaakes" pretty much every time.


1974

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Don't Be Stupid Unless You Want To

Brotherhood Of Man-Save All Your Kisses
Dawn-Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

bob dylan songs go on and on sometimes? tea anyone?

lets all sing along together on zappa radio sing as loud as u can all together now.......... :mrgreen

Captain Beefheart-Alice in Blunderland from 0.55min
And
Spencer Davis Group - Gimme Some Lovin From 0.12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFaT69Cy ... re=related

gum gum
Ripping A taffy of

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

Returning to the subject of Abbey Road rip-offs, has anyone mentioned:

the You Never Give Me Your Money riff at the end of Elvis Costello's Party Girl (sorry folks, but EC is my real favorite lyricist)

and

the slightly altered I Want You She's So Heavy riff which dominates the Cranes' Adrift (sorry folks, but Ali is one of my favorite female singers)

Flying Burrito Brothers - Christine's Tune
or every song buy the allman brothers

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

Has anyone else ever noticed the similarities between "The Only One I Know" by Charlatans
U. K. and "Hush" by Deep Purple" ?

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Hey, pass me the dog food.

The music seems to be nearly identical.

I honestly liked Antipop. While some of the songs absolutely blow(Electric Uncle Sam, Mama Didn't Raise No Fool), I think it also has some of their best work(Eclectic Electric, The Final Voyage Of The Liquid Sky, Dirty Drowning Man).

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The Ceiling Is Bendin' by The Flaming Lips is an obvious ripoff of Alice Cooper's Levity Ball

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'soul kitchen' and 'when the music's over' by the doors.

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"bit of nostalgia for the old folks."