Showdown: Homages/Rip Offs 3

Apologies if you've read most of these on my previous Homages/Rip Offs post but you can consider this my extra post for the month.
The aim of this opinion-based post is to compare two separate songs by different bands and establish whether I believe the latter was written as a homage to the original, a shameless rip off or its own entity that just happens to sound like an older tune. If you think I'm being too harsh with my comparisons or believe I've missed a better example by either band in the round, let me know via the comment section or Twitter.

ROUND ONE: Mason Williams vs. Electric Light Orchestra
Classical Gas - An instrumental piece that uses an orchestral accompaniment whilst the main melody is played on an acoustic stringed instrument. It's a lovely tune with various easily recognisable guitar sections that will stick with you even if you only listen to the track once or twice. So what am I comparing it to?
First Movement (Jumping Biz) - An instrumental piece that uses an orchestral accompaniment whilst the main melody is played on an acoustic stringed instrument. It's a pretty deep cut in ELO's back catalogue but if you can make it this far into their slog of a debut album, you're rewarded with a nice little Folk track that seems to be heavily inspired by "Classical Gas", often going as far as to straight up copy some sections.
VERDICT - If it's not a homage, ELO must have done a bit of cheeky copying to come out with this track. Whilst I love "First Movement (Jumping Biz)" arguably more than "Classical Gas", I have to give the win to Mason Williams here for coming up with the tune that gave birth to my personal favourite. Plus, he didn't ruin Jeff Lynne's career by trying to sue him back in the early 70s.

ROUND TWO: Budgie vs. Red Hot Chili Peppers
Breadfan - For a Hard Rock band, Budgie didn't really play an awful lot of Hard Rock compared to bigger bands from a similar time period like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. However, when Budgie DID write a heavier song, it was a fucking belter. "Crash Course In Brain Surgery" could be one of my all-time favourite Hard Rock songs and the majority of "Breadfan" (killer riff definitely included) is so awesome that it deserves more recognition.
Around The World - I'm starting to get more into this band after listening to By The Way and The Getaway but I don't know if I'll ever listen to Californication, the album in which this is the title track of. However, I do quite like the intro and middle of this song...you know, the bits where Flea plays a tweaked version of the "Breadfan" riff on bass before the band break into a completely different song.
VERDICT - Budgie, easily. Both songs sound like two different tracks spliced together but at least both parts of Budgie's track are great, as opposed to the short lived intro and bridge of the RHCP one.

ROUND THREE: Judas Priest vs. Iron Maiden
Running Wild - I accused Judas Priest of borrowing from two different songs in the last Homages/Rip Offs post so it's time to give them a bit of well deserved praise for a change. Killing Machine is a great album and this is one of the album highlights (along with "Hell Bent For Leather", of course) but once again, it's the intro we're looking at here. Fans of Iron Maiden will immediately know what I'm getting at here but I still have to spell it out.
The Wicker Man - I bloody love this band but even I can't deny that it's practically the same fucking intro. Whilst I probably prefer this song overall, one of my favourite aspects of this track is the intro riff and now all I can think about when I hear it is how Judas Priest came up with it almost 30 years earlier.
VERDICT - It's tricky, as Judas Priest deserve the win for coming up with the riff first but Iron Maiden did write the better song. I'm giving the win to both Judas Priest and Iron Maiden for those reasons, even though we all know I probably would've just awarded it to Judas Priest if an inferior band had copied them.

ROUND FOUR: Rush vs. The Darkness
Red Barchetta - It may be a fan favourite but I'm not overly fond of this track. It's good but I wouldn't call it great compared to some of Rush's other songs like "Freewill" or even filler tracks off the first two albums. I will say that it's very Rush, though; it's a perfect microcosm of their Prog Rock sound, all backed up with a simple but powerful recurring four note tune.
Stuck In A Rut - Whilst this may be a completely different song in almost every aspect, there is one small but undeniable similarity. The Darkness couldn't help but accidentally use the same four note/chord combo for their chorus melody, albeit jazzed up a little bit to make it sound more like Aerosmith than Rush.
VERDICT - I like both songs for different reasons so, again, both Rush and The Darkness get the win for this round. I'm not sure if The Darkness intentionally copied Rush here, as they played "Tom Sawyer" through the speakers before they played when I saw them live but they may have heard this track after recording the Permission To Land album.

ROUND FIVE: Deep Purple vs. KISS
Burn - I've talked about this song enough on this blog but for those who can't remember, it's my all-time favourite track. Classic riff, great lyrics and excellent performances from each member of the band. That's all that needs to be said, really.
I Stole Your Love - The band have acknowledged that the main riff from this song was inspired by the riff from "Burn" so whilst it's not as identical as some of the comparisons on this list, it earns a place for being a homage. It's not as heavy as the Deep Purple track but as far as Hard Rock songs go, it's a decent little number that pisses all over most of the band's well known material. In fact, Love Gun is a pretty sweet album if you ignore the fact that it's KISS behind it.
VERDICT - Even though I like both songs, Deep Purple take the victory here for simply writing the better track.

ROUND SIX: Prince vs. Magnum
Little Red Corvette - Nope, still not sold on Prince. To me, his 80s Pop songs are about as iconic as literally every other generic 80s Pop song, this track included. The part of the song I'm comparing is the chorus, specifically the vocal delivery of the song's title. I have no idea if the rest of this song has any other similarities to 80s Pop or Rock because I can't bring myself to listen to more than about 40 seconds of it. Again, I'm still welcoming any recommendations of Prince tracks that show off his amazing guitar skills; please educate me on this man.
On A Storyteller's Night - Outside of recalling a couple of tracks from this album and "Too Many Clowns" released a couple of years ago, I couldn't tell you anything about Magnum. One thing I can tell you is that the chorus from this song, you know the bit where he sings "keep your nightlight burning", sounds a little too close to the Prince chorus for comfort.
VERDICT - Ugh, I don't know. Both songs are rubbish but I suppose Prince deserves to win just for beating Magnum to the punch by a couple of years. I was about about to make a "Punch And Judy" pun there but realised that was a song by Marillion, another relatively mediocre 80s Rock band..."Hooks In You" is pretty good though...and "Incommunicado".

ROUND SEVEN: Black Sabbath vs. Blue Oyster Cult
The Wizard - Black Sabbath have been mentioned quite a few times in these posts; probably because they're responsible for so many iconic riffs and melodies. This one isn't among that band's best riffs but it's pretty damn solid, even if it is played alongside a harmonica. Unfortunately the mix isn't great, seeing as how Tony Iommi's guitar is quite tricky to hear under the shrill noise of the harmonica, but if you listen closely, you can make out the riff in question.
Cities On Flame With Rock & Roll - I absolutely love this song, from the epic riff to the two solos. One of Blue Oyster Cult's best but quite clearly inspired by the previous Black Sabbath track. However, since the song is about the awesome power of Rock, maybe it was intentionally supposed to sound like a great example of Rock, similar to "R.O.C.K In The U.S.A." - John Mellencamp containing aspects of tunes by Neil Diamond and The Troggs.
VERDICT - "Cities On Flame With Rock & Roll" is clearly a homage, meaning the fact that Black Sabbath's song came first has no relevance in my books. Blue Oyster Cult get a well deserved win.

ROUND EIGHT: John Lennon vs. Oasis
Imagine - Out of all the post-Beatles careers from the Liverpool Four, John Lennon's is probably my second least favourite (did Ringo even have a solo career?). That being said, "Imagine" is a great lyrically driven song with an iconic piano melody carrying the majority of the song. It's not complex but it doesn't need to be as the song's message is the star.
Don't Look Back In Anger - Arguably Oasis' most popular song after "Wonderwall" and one of the highlights from the (What's The Story) Morning Glory album, along with the album opener and title track. It's no secret that the Gallagher brothers were heavily inspired by John Lennon and it really shines through in this song, seeing as how the first piano chords are basically a reworked version of the "Imagine" melody. However, the rest of the track stands apart from the 1971 hit so that's where the comparison ends.
VERDICT - I'm still on the fence as to whether this is a homage or a sly rip-off but at least Oasis came through on the rest of the song, even adding a solid guitar solo for good measure. "Imagine" is easily the far more influential song and even though I think I'd rather casually listen to "Don't Look Back In Anger", the win has to go to John Lennon.

ROUND NINE: T. Rex vs. Foo Fighters
Ballrooms Of Mars - Not a favourite of mine by any stretch but as far as softer songs by T. Rex go...yeah, I'm still not sold on it. It's too slow for my tastes but you don't have to like any of these songs to hear comparisons. The part of this song we're looking at is the introduction, or rather the combination and tone of instruments.
Up In Arms - I doubt Dave Grohl listened to this song and decided to copy it so I'm filing this under "Neither Homage or Rip Off", although you have to admit that both songs start off pretty damn similar. Luckily, this track gets a much needed energy injection around the 50 second mark and becomes a completely different song without lasting long enough for Dave to get all shouty. A highlight on The Colour & The Shape along with "New Way Home", easily trumping the lead singles off the album in my books.
VERDICT - No question, Foo Fighters win this. I don't believe they copied T. Rex and they wrote the better song, easy win.

ROUND TEN: Killing Joke vs. Motley Crue
Love Like Blood - Time to end the third of these posts with another semi-tenuous link. After the drums first come in, there's a guitar and bass melody that continues for the majority of the song. You could argue that this is where the song truly starts, as the guitar/synth intro don't really do much except establish the chord sequence. Either way, that guitar/bass melody and their particular rhythm is the key factor here.
Dr. Feelgood - I once read a review where someone accused this song of being a horrible rip off of "Walk This Way" - Aerosmith which, compared to this link, is fucking pushing it. Instead of copying them, I chose two songs that I actually think sound alike...at least as far as the guitar rhythm in the introduction goes. As is often the case, the rest of the song stands far apart from Killing Joke's track but it's weird to hear two different songs from two completely different bands with one similarity, especially when compared to the other Killing Joke song I discussed on this blog which Nirvana clearly copied.
VERDICT - I like both songs (one a hell of a lot more than the other) and there's only about four years difference between both tracks so I don't think it's a question of Motley Crue ripping off Killing Joke. However, I do think it's a question of which song I prefer in general which makes Motley Crue an easy winner.


The other post for this week will likely be video game related but I'll try to tie it into Rock music as well. If I hear any other tracks that suit these posts, I'll be sure to include them underneath; knowing my luck, I'll probably hear another five in the next couple of days.