Showdown: Homages/Rip Offs 2

Back again for more songs that sort of sound like something else!
Once again, this is a work of opinion and is in no way accusing these songs of blatant and borderline offensive plagiarism, no matter how sure I sound or how direct I am in calling these artists out on their alleged thievery.
If you can't remember how Showdown posts go, please refer to the first Homages/Rip Offs post. All you need to really know is that for this post, I'm not just considering songs that are officially Homages/Rip Offs; any song that has a notable similarity is fair game to me. Now that you've done that, let's get comparing!

ROUND ONE: The Rolling Stones vs. Buffalo Springfield
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - I once saw an interview with a Rock producer where he called Keith Richards "the riff master" because of this song and all I wanted to shout was "Fuckin' why?!" Everything about this song is just shit to me, from the mediocre riff that gets old real fast to the dull vocals. However, personal opinion aside, this song is regarded as one of the band's signature hits...so who would think of ripping it off? Neil Young, that's who!
Mr. Soul - Granted this song came before "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (a much better version of the previous Rolling Stones song) so I can't touch the vocal delivery here. What I can touch is the song's main riff, a shoddily tweaked impersonation by a band that are far too tepid to be considered Classic Rock in my books. Maybe it's because nobody wants to take Mr Young to court but I'm surprised none of the Stones have got the lawyers involved here, especially if the Spirit lads can with Led Zepp. Sure, they might have lost but there's no fucking doubt here, right?
VERDICT - I hate both songs equally but I'm giving the win to The Rolling Stones, as their riff clearly came first and "Mr. Soul" isn't good enough to justify the cheeky riff pinching that may or may not have gone on...but probably did.

ROUND TWO: Bad Company vs. Arctic Monkeys
Feel Like Makin' Love - One of the great Classic Rock tracks that perfectly blends soft and heavy guitar to make an awesome song. It's also got a pretty sweet guitar solo during the fade out that often gets ignored in favour of the chorus riff. Anyway, it's that heavy chorus riff that I'm focusing on in this post. It's pretty damn iconic and I defy anyone who's heard this song to listen to those three power chords and not belt out "Feel like makin'!" or at least hum it/sing it in your head. Can't be done, seriously.
Arabella - I discussed this song on my Rock Band 4 blog post and yes, I compared it to Bad Company's track there too. The riff actually fits this song well and I don't feel like the band are trying to steal some of Bad Company's cred in the slightest (although they are trying to steal some of Black Sabbath's cred). This one might not be my favourite Arctic Monkeys track but it's decent, I'll give it that.
VERDICT - This time, I like both songs but not equally. The win goes to Bad Company for what I believe is the far superior song and use of the heavy riff, especially in that outro where the band just fucking go for it. Whilst I may have accused the Arctic Monkeys of plagiarism in my RB4 post, claiming that their song "pretty much rips off the chorus without shame", I'm starting to reconsider my opinion. I think the only thing the band are guilty of is not knowing a freaking awesome Classic Rock track before recording "Arabella"...that and the "War Pigs" moment from that video link.

ROUND THREE: Gary Glitter vs. The Black Keys
Rock And Roll (Part 2) - It's a shame we can't remember Gary Glitter for this song instead of the whole Vietnamese paedophilia scandal (you know, that whole thing) but that's the way it goes. Sometimes, you make enough of an impact for people to remember you for your music instead of being a bit of a crazy prick and sometimes, a couple of hits aren't enough to wipe away the reputation of a nonce. Gary should've written some more iconic Pop hits if he wanted people to remember him fondly, something like "Purple Rain" or "Thriller".
Howlin' For You - Chances are this is a similar situation to the last songs I compared but if you listen to the first couple of bars of each song, the similarities are there. Solo drum intro? Yep. Same drum rhythm? Oh yeah. Same bass intro? Well, no, not exactly but both songs introduce bass next (if you ignore Gary's random yelling, since that's not really an instrument) and both riffs are kinda close. I could forgive these guys if it was just the drum intro but man, those first bass notes add that little element of doubt.
VERDICT - You probably think I'm going with Gary Glitter, right? I mean, his song predates the other by over a good couple of decades and I will always choose singing along to that guitar riff over the one in "Howlin' For You", a song with all the energy of a piece of incidental music in a dull roadhouse bar scene on TV. HOWEVER, I have to give the win to The Black Keys for slightly hypocritical reasons. I don't believe they intentionally stole the riff and I reckon on this occasion, it was purely chance that these lads rewrote the intro to a much better song before passing it off as their own. The main difference between this and the last round, though, is that Paul Rodgers never travelled abroad to fuck a kid.

ROUND FOUR: Neil Diamond vs. The Romantics
Cherry Cherry - I'm not a huge Neil Diamond fan but damn, I love this song. Everything about the mix and song's structure is flawless, it's a masterclass on how to create a catchy Pop/Rock song without sticking a soulless guitar solo in the middle or sellotaping two different songs in the same key together. It's basically the same riff throughout but it doesn't get stale or grating at any time, unlike the first song in this post. Both that and the bass riffs easily stand out, making them pretty hard to copy, right?
What I Like About You - Another case where I love this song but I'm not overly fond of the band. It's a party song but it also has pretty similar riffs to "Cherry Cherry" after the guitar intro. Whilst it's not illegal to use similar chord structures to other songs (see "4 Chords" - Axis Of Awesome), I think it's fair to say that at least one of The Romantics likes a bit of Neil Diamond.
VERDICT - Tricky one. I reckon I like both songs equally for separate reasons so I'll have to give it to Neil Diamond for being the first to write the song. Once again, I'd like to reiterate that I doubt The Romantics set out to copy this song or write it as a homage but I do think they'd heard the track and maybe even subconsciously let that bleed through into their music, which is OK in my books as long as their inspiration doesn't go unrewarded in one way or another.

ROUND FIVE: The Beatles vs. 10cc
Dear Prudence - It's not one of the band's hits (and it didn't even have Ringo on drums) but it was one of John Lennon's favourites. The song is instantly recognisable by the guitar melody, the swaying rhythm created by the bass and the psychedelic vibe aided by the gradual build up of the backing vocals...but enough about how great this song is, let's look at the bit that 10cc copied.
Feel The Benefit - I don't know if the band paid to use the identical fucking guitar melody in the intro but up until about a minute in, the song is just a flat rip off of "Dear Prudence", albeit with a slightly different guitar tone (but still similar enough to conjure memories of the Beatles track). The rest of this 11 minute song is a progressive Art Rock number until it comes back to the intro melody again towards the end, just like "Dear Prudence" does!
VERDICT - Yeah, The Beatles easily get this one. I like the 10cc song (the intro, at least) but prefer "Dear Prudence" overall.

ROUND SIX: Dio vs. Foo Fighters
Holy Diver - One of Dio's, hell, one of METAL's most iconic songs with a heavy riff and great vocal delivery. I wouldn't call it the best song on the album (the whole album is awesome, if you're wondering) but it has its moments, the intro riff being one of them.
Something From Nothing - I'd probably love this song if it didn't have that goofy clavinet section in the middle. As it stands, I think it's a decent Foo Fighters track...a decent track that borrows the same riff from "Holy Diver" but still a decent track. I'd probably rate the album fairly highly too if it didn't feel like the band jerking off in my ears.
VERDICT - I doubt Dave Grohl is blissfully unaware of "Holy Diver" or the song's main riff so Dio get the win for this one. I'm not saying he plagiarised it but a man with a gift for coming up with great Rock riffs like Mr Grohl should've spent a little longer fooling around with riffs before finalising this track. Funnily enough, this isn't the only Dio track I could've written about. "Battle Lines" - The Temperance Movement full on copies the intro to "The Last In Line" but I doubt the band even know who Dio is, let alone what one of his title tracks sounds like.

ROUND SEVEN: Black Sabbath vs. Alice Cooper
Paranoid - One of the three classic Black Sabbath tracks that every Rock fan should know. A pretty straightforward track with a simple riff and a solid solo (even if it does sound a little off on repeat listens). Since it was one of the earliest classic Metal tracks, it's pretty obvious that its influence and subsequent similarity to other tracks is a given by this point.
Dirty Diamonds - I'll admit this connection is a little forced but once the intro has finished, the guitar riffs in the verse sound like a mix between the "Paranoid" intro and verses. Other than those superficial connections, there's no real relation between either track...told you it was a little forced.
VERDICT - Clearly, Alice Cooper didn't steal or intend for this song to be a subtle wink towards Black Sabbath. It just sounds a little like it, that's all. As for which one is my favourite, it's tricky to say. "Paranoid" is a classic but since I've heard it so many times, I'd rather listen to "Dirty Diamonds" now. Both are great songs in their own right so both Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper get the win here.

ROUND EIGHT: The Who vs. One Direction
Baba O'Riley - Named after two of Pete Townshend's musical and philosophical mentors, this song has multiple iconic moments that are easily recognisable. The opening batshit keyboard solo, the three piano power chords, the introduction of Keith Moon's drums, the line "out here in the fields", the list goes on. It may sound like I'm just naming shit from the song but the fact of it is each of those components are all iconic moments in Rock, just like all the various moments of "Won't Get Fooled Again". My point is that anyone invested in Rock music should know at least the intro to this song.
Best Song Ever - Oh. Granted One Direction aren't proper Rock but the opening to their hit song "Generic Shite Written To Make A Fuckton Of Cash #8" is clearly designed to remind older listeners of "Baba O'Riley". I'm not entirely sure why, as "Baba O'Riley" isn't even The Who's best song ever and I doubt there's a single 1D fan who could tell you anything about The Who (most would probably reply "The Who?" to being told about them), but there it is.
VERDICT - The Who win, hands down. My theory is some shitbag executive had the genius idea of ripping off one of the biggest Rock bands in the world due to their ability to create an iconic hit that's stood the test of time and after they were found out, they claimed that it was an intentional homage even though it would be completely wasted on 100% of the band's demographic.

ROUND NINE: The Hollies vs. Rush
Look Through Any Window - I believe I've mentioned The Hollies before on this blog but if I haven't, they have a special place in my heart as one of the first Rock bands I got into as a child. This song opens with a guitar riff played with what sounds like a chorus or clean tone (not as harsh as overdrive or crisp as acoustic) and revisits said riff just before a key change later on. The rest of the song is good too but it's that opening riff/tone that I'm focused on.
Time Stand Still - It might not be the same string of notes or exactly the same tone but you have to admit, the intro to this song does sound pretty similar. The speed at which the notes are played are a little slower too but the sound of the same basic melody is there. As for the rest of the song? Yeah, it's completely different.
VERDICT - There's no way Rush wrote "Time Stand Still" as a homage or cheeky rip off. It's its own song that happens to share a similar riff at the start and that's that. Both songs are great tracks in their own genres so, once again, the win goes to both The Hollies and Rush. If I had to pick the genuinely better song, I think I'd go with Rush just for the lyrics. Musically, I'm happy with both though.

ROUND TEN: Saxon vs. Metallica
Heavy Metal Thunder - What's that? You thought I was going to talk about "Princess Of The Night" and "Seek & Destroy"? I was tempted, as I'm pretty sure it's been confirmed that Metallica basically stole the riff from that, but instead opted for a comparison many of you probably haven't made. This song isn't one of the band's biggest known tracks but it's got a great rhythm and a sweet riff before the solo/outro. It's those two factors that I believe heavily inspired this next song.
The Four Horsemen - Yes, I know this song was technically written by Dave Mustaine and a much faster version appears on Megadeth's debut as "The Mechanix". However, Metallica rearranged it and came out with a longer (and better) track that, according to James Hetfield, also contains a section inspired by the main riff from Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama". However, the song's rhythm and main intro riff that occasionally gets repeated throughout does have slight similarities to Saxon's track, potentially another case where a great song bleeds through subconsciously and affects the songwriting.
VERDICT - Saxon are awesome but if I had to pick a better song, I'd definitely go with Metallica here. Their riff and rhythm combo sound similar to "Heavy Metal Thunder" but I feel like they've done enough with the rest of the song to justify their clear inspiration.


Once again, let me know if you agree or disagree with my comparisons and/or verdicts via the comment section or Twitter. I'm not sure what my next post will be about (maybe another Rapid Fire one) but if I don't get one posted next week due to being away for a few days, I'll get two up the next week.


UPDATE: So about a week after posting this, I either discovered or remembered FOUR different pairs of similar songs that would've been much better than some of the tracks I included here.
Rather than write up another post and scrape the bottom of the barrel for six more homages/rip offs, I'm adding the four tracks here as a bonus. When I can bring that number up to ten, I'll move all the extra songs here into a third homages/rip offs post (along with any others that I haven't included). With that, here are some more similar sounding songs!

UPDATE UPDATE: Yeah, those songs aren't here anymore. I've taken the eight that I added here and pasted them into a new Showdown post, as well as adding two others. If you want to read them again, you'll find the new post here.