A lot of fun in spite of errors
This book was a lot of fun. It included the sound-alikes every one knows – “My Sweet Lord” and “He’s So Fine,” “Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Surfin’ U.S.A.” – and a good deal of surprises. Did you know, for example, that Radiohead’s “Creep” borrows from the Hollies’ “The Air That I Breathe,” and that Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name” was re-worked from a Bonnie Tyler song? I didn’t, and it made me listen to those songs to listen the resemblances.
I wish the book had been twice as long, as there surely are more such examples. I also wish the author had included a CD with examples, but I’m sure that would have been a copyright nightmare.
The book, as fun as it is, is full of printer’s errors. Who are “Nirvina” and “Holwin’ Wolf?” I hope the sequel is more cautiously edited.
Sounds Like is a Behind The Hits winner
As a music author (Behind The Hits) and a radio dj/musicologist, I was very excessively affected emotionally to learn of Timothy’s book. Smells Like Teen Spirit has put together some of the songs I have chronicled over the years that sound suspiciously like others.
On my radio shows I have played them in a feature named “Call The Lawyers!” — and, indeed, galore of these song pairings went to court. Others didn’t but perhaps ought to have. All in all, they represent a arousing and attention holding side of rock music history. Rip offs or inspirations? Homages or stolen riffs? No matter — it’s what was in the grooves that counts. Some are obvious, but one is often amazed by the musical connection Tim’s ears have made. There are some songs here that even I never put together (or didn’t recognise about), like Jorge Ben’s “Taj Mahal” as the basis for Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”. And the song by John Lennon’s father? Imagine that!
This is a very well-researched, well-documented and well-written reference as well as being a fun read. I commend and commend Timothy’s book to all who love and take delight in the respective decades of rock and roll and the artists who made (or ought to we say, “re-made”?) the music.
–Bob Shannon
Fun and quick, but could be so much more
If you’re into the history of rock music and love dissecting songs to see where they came from, you’ll take pleasure in this book. It has galore interesting examples of songs that were either directly ripped off from something else, or just sound suspiciously similar. The author gets into the history of the songs, the lawsuits and the stories behind the scenes. You’ll be astonished and amused when you realize how galore classic songs were ripped off from others, and that’s the real joy of the book.
On the down side, the writing isn’t dynamic and the book is a very quick read. You may probably get through it in half an hour. Also, it’s tough to take delight in without hearing the music you’re reading about. But if you may flip through it and listen to the songs at the same time, it’s a lot of fun.
