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Gonza-Arg
Joined: 27 Mar 2005
Posts: 1680
Location: Argentina
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 Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 02:24 |
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Plagiarism in "Alright" ?
Listening to a mixtape of 70s funk I found something very interesting, something I hadn't noticed until today.
The bassline in this song by Idris Muhammad, "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This"
is very, very similar to Alright. It starts at 1.36 approx. I checked the samples for alright and it says nothing about this song...
so.. 
(I haven't seen this posted before, it it already has, please delete it or do whatever you want) |
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robotscantadlib
Joined: 28 May 2005
Posts: 242
Location: san francisco
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 04:05 |
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Yes, you're right - this has been discussed before in another thread. The chords and bass-line are borrowed from that song. Virtual Insanity and Cosmic Girl are interpretations of Djavan's 'Samurai' and Deodato's 'Superstrut', respectively. In each case, the band has modernized and perfected the tracks for today's audiences while keeping the jazz-funk flavor. |
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Júlia*
Joined: 13 Jul 2008
Posts: 1744
Location: São Paulo, Brasil
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Lex
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
Posts: 26
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freeetz!
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 351
Location: Ukraine
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| Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 20:04 |
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Re: Plagiarism in "Alright" ?
| Gonza-Arg wrote: |
| Idris Muhammad, "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This" |
Sounds more like Love Foolosophy to me, especially in terms of chord progression. |
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Knjaz
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Posts: 803
Location: Stuck in your computer
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| Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 21:59 |
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Re: Plagiarism in "Alright" ?
| freeetz! wrote: |
| Gonza-Arg wrote: |
| Idris Muhammad, "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This" |
Sounds more like Love Foolosophy to me, especially in terms of chord progression. |
Wait - I always thought that funk and funk-esque music were completely modal, therefore lacking any sort of chord progressions, alongside with general avoidance of mode progressions. Or am I wrong? 
Also, I'd like to hand out two notes:
#1 - "Los Conquistadores Chocolates'" tune was actually licensed by Hammond after Jay asked him so nicely. It even appears in the liner notes to the single.
#2 - Everything, yes, EVERYTHING is plagiarism to some extent. Although we're talking here about possible conscious plagiarism, I'd like to point out that unconscious plagiarism can happen too. (Actually, it happens to everyone sometime)
#2.5 - I don't know how far we're going to strectch the meaning of this word, but influence combined with subconscious earworms does equal unconscious plagiarism oftenly, although I'd like to add that if you'd want to compose something completely and absolutely original, you'd have to (paraphrasing my bass teacher here) grow up in a jungle, all alone, free from any outside musical influence - only then will you be original.
#3 - By playing any single note, you're effectively plagiarising every single composer and improvisational performer that has ever played that note, no matter what compositions or melodies that note might have been a building block of.
Not that I'm defending anyone here, just talking about how plagiarism percieved is like that heap of sand in the Sorites paradox. |
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freeetz!
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 351
Location: Ukraine
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| Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 18:44 |
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Re: Plagiarism in "Alright" ?
| Knjaz wrote: |
| Wait - I always thought that funk and funk-esque music were completely modal, therefore lacking any sort of chord progressions, alongside with general avoidance of mode progressions. Or am I wrong? |
Wait, are you serious? |
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Knjaz
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Posts: 803
Location: Stuck in your computer
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| Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 21:59 |
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Re: Plagiarism in "Alright" ?
| freeetz! wrote: |
| Knjaz wrote: |
| Wait - I always thought that funk and funk-esque music were completely modal, therefore lacking any sort of chord progressions, alongside with general avoidance of mode progressions. Or am I wrong? |
Wait, are you serious? |
Completely. Have you ever, ever noticed a change of tonal center in any funk song from the 1970's? You most certainly haven't, since there were none. You know, R&B and Soul - they have progressions, be they modal or chordal. Funk, on the other hand, is a hard and violent cousin of those two, and is pounding rhythm-centered music, and gives no butt-chocolate about chords, progressions and all those vignettes which serve no real purpose. It is, to put it shortly - "Thump 'n' bump" music, stripped down to POW! the ground and spin the two-bar bass around 'n' 'round. (Wow, that rhymed...) |
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freeetz!
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 351
Location: Ukraine
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| Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 08:49 |
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Well, yes, you are right about most "raw" funk songs (e.g. many James Brown songs) having no or very little chord changes, but we're talking about Jamiroquai here, and most their songs do have chord progressions, because Jamiroquai have almost never been a "raw" funk band (jazz-funk, pop-funk, whatever). I mean, don't tell me you don't hear chord changes in Jamiroquai songs.  Many of their tracks have beautiful chord progressions. |
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Costa Grande
Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 97
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 19:09 |
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Re: Plagiarism in "Alright" ?
| freeetz! wrote: |
| Gonza-Arg wrote: |
| Idris Muhammad, "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This" |
Sounds more like Love Foolosophy to me, especially in terms of chord progression. |
Definitely agree on this one!
And let me recommend you the cover of this song made by Bugz In The Attic and Alice Russell!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdFUzbqwLaA |
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freeetz!
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 351
Location: Ukraine
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| Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 09:25 |
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Wow, this cover is fantastic!! Thanks!  |
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Knjaz
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Posts: 803
Location: Stuck in your computer
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| Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 09:36 |
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The double-clap thing from Little L was possibly taken from Patrice Rushen's "Forget Me Nots". The clap pattern from the song is |-2-4|-2-44|, which is the same as the one found in "Little L's" chorus. |
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Costa Grande
Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 97
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 09:24 |
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| Knjaz wrote: |
| The double-clap thing from Little L was possibly taken from Patrice Rushen's "Forget Me Nots". The clap pattern from the song is |-2-4|-2-44|, which is the same as the one found in "Little L's" chorus. |
You know what, I don't thinh it's the same pattern!
If we graphically write the one in "Froget Me Nots" like this: |-2-4|-2-44|
Then "Little L" would be like this: |-2-4|-2-4|-22-4|-2-4|
It's more simple if you sing "little l" over "forget me nots", you'll notice that the douple clap comes in too early, more precisely while you're singing "... be like this", whereas it should be after you sang the whole line |
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Mr.Jamoon
Joined: 30 Jul 2007
Posts: 23
Location: Albania
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| Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 17:56 |
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Its true that Allright b-line is very similar to Idris Muhammad, "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This".
Lately I discovered a great Brazilian Funk singer, Ed Motta. And I noticed in one of his songs a very similar b-line with Alright, but its faster and its a great song.
Ed Motta - Que Bom Voltar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPAN43-qRAE
But did you know that one part of the Travelling Without Moving b-line is inspired from Larry Graham's - POW b-line, they are pretty similar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1IuD6F3R5I |
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Júlia*
Joined: 13 Jul 2008
Posts: 1744
Location: São Paulo, Brasil
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