Comments on: Rant: I hate that Coldplay stole from Joe Satriani http://www.thenomenclature.com/2009/01/04/rant-i-hate-that-coldplay-stole-from-joe-satriani/ We don't make music. We just talk about making music. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:52:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Mark Truman http://www.thenomenclature.com/2009/01/04/rant-i-hate-that-coldplay-stole-from-joe-satriani/comment-page-1/#comment-135 Mark Truman Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:52:59 +0000 http://www.thenomenclature.com/?p=102#comment-135 @Angelica - You're really arguing that the songs don't sound the same? The real issue here is that Coldplay has been on a downward path since X+Y. This little incident just reminds us that they are not the artists we thought they might be... @Angelica – You’re really arguing that the songs don’t sound the same?

The real issue here is that Coldplay has been on a downward path since X+Y. This little incident just reminds us that they are not the artists we thought they might be…

]]> By: Angelica http://www.thenomenclature.com/2009/01/04/rant-i-hate-that-coldplay-stole-from-joe-satriani/comment-page-1/#comment-134 Angelica Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:42:06 +0000 http://www.thenomenclature.com/?p=102#comment-134 I heard the song they are arguing about, doesnt sound a bit like Viva la Vida, some looser is just trying to get some money off of Coldplay's success, depressed for his own failure at sucking in music. Looser, its not the first time someone tries this I heard the song they are arguing about, doesnt sound a bit like Viva la Vida, some looser is just trying to get some money off of Coldplay’s success, depressed for his own failure at sucking in music. Looser, its not the first time someone tries this

]]> By: Justin http://www.thenomenclature.com/2009/01/04/rant-i-hate-that-coldplay-stole-from-joe-satriani/comment-page-1/#comment-49 Justin Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:30:26 +0000 http://www.thenomenclature.com/?p=102#comment-49 "The rest is..." Yeah, um... the rest of that sentence is "missing", I guess. I forget what I was saying there. No, not the band Interpol, the original International Criminal Police Organization, whose name appears on the copyright warnings in French after the FBI warning when you start a movie. Here's a cheery little footnote to this controversy: "Viva La Vida" is up for a Grammy for "Song of the Year", an award given for songwriting (as opposed to the recording)! So hooray for the Grammies and the industry as a whole for paying attention to this! In the end, I think there's two separate points to this argument -- the artistic one and the legal one -- and I'm not terribly concerned about the latter. Artistically: is the melody pretty much the same as the Satriani song? Yeah, it's pretty close. Is the Coldplay song still a good song, and better than the first one? I'd say yes. Not getting permission to use the melody falls into the legal category. “The rest is…” Yeah, um… the rest of that sentence is “missing”, I guess. I forget what I was saying there.

No, not the band Interpol, the original International Criminal Police Organization, whose name appears on the copyright warnings in French after the FBI warning when you start a movie.

Here’s a cheery little footnote to this controversy: “Viva La Vida” is up for a Grammy for “Song of the Year”, an award given for songwriting (as opposed to the recording)! So hooray for the Grammies and the industry as a whole for paying attention to this!

In the end, I think there’s two separate points to this argument — the artistic one and the legal one — and I’m not terribly concerned about the latter. Artistically: is the melody pretty much the same as the Satriani song? Yeah, it’s pretty close. Is the Coldplay song still a good song, and better than the first one? I’d say yes. Not getting permission to use the melody falls into the legal category.

]]> By: Mark Truman http://www.thenomenclature.com/2009/01/04/rant-i-hate-that-coldplay-stole-from-joe-satriani/comment-page-1/#comment-14 Mark Truman Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:26:57 +0000 http://www.thenomenclature.com/?p=102#comment-14 Ben's right. The weird part here is that everyone in the industry is just downplaying this. Nobody expects it to go anywhere and nobody wants to take a stand on it. Ben’s right. The weird part here is that everyone in the industry is just downplaying this. Nobody expects it to go anywhere and nobody wants to take a stand on it.

]]> By: Ben Vossler http://www.thenomenclature.com/2009/01/04/rant-i-hate-that-coldplay-stole-from-joe-satriani/comment-page-1/#comment-13 Ben Vossler Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:15:38 +0000 http://www.thenomenclature.com/?p=102#comment-13 You know how I know y'all are gay? Y'all are talking about Coldplay. Yet here I am. Parachutes was cool. Three songs off of Rush to the Head were good. The rest is crap. And I'm not gonna be so bold as to say U2 sucks, but I never really "got it." Who names themselves "The Edge?" Was he a dodgeball instructor at the local Y on the weekends? It's completely ridiculous that with all of their money and industry pull that they had to rip off some no-name douche - couldn't they just have paid a writer? But it's even more ridiculous that they haven't REALLY had to own up to this in a big way. The industry is treating it like a minor, bothersome legal speedbump, when in fact it's abhorrent. You know how I know y’all are gay? Y’all are talking about Coldplay. Yet here I am. Parachutes was cool. Three songs off of Rush to the Head were good. The rest is crap. And I’m not gonna be so bold as to say U2 sucks, but I never really “got it.” Who names themselves “The Edge?” Was he a dodgeball instructor at the local Y on the weekends? It’s completely ridiculous that with all of their money and industry pull that they had to rip off some no-name douche – couldn’t they just have paid a writer? But it’s even more ridiculous that they haven’t REALLY had to own up to this in a big way. The industry is treating it like a minor, bothersome legal speedbump, when in fact it’s abhorrent.

]]> By: Mark Truman http://www.thenomenclature.com/2009/01/04/rant-i-hate-that-coldplay-stole-from-joe-satriani/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Mark Truman Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:06:50 +0000 http://www.thenomenclature.com/?p=102#comment-12 The rest is? Which Interpol? The band? ;) I forgot about that interview. Do you know where it is on YouTube? That would make me smile... The rest is?

Which Interpol? The band? ;)

I forgot about that interview. Do you know where it is on YouTube? That would make me smile…

]]> By: Justin http://www.thenomenclature.com/2009/01/04/rant-i-hate-that-coldplay-stole-from-joe-satriani/comment-page-1/#comment-11 Justin Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:48:41 +0000 http://www.thenomenclature.com/?p=102#comment-11 It doesn't match note for note, though. It's six notes out of fifteen in the Coldplay melody ("rule the world"..."rise when I"). The rest The Satriani song has 2 chords in the verse; Coldplay has 4. And as for the beat, two songs at the same tempo with beats on quarter notes: OMG, call the Interpol! (They're also in different keys, but I'm not going to insist that that matters. A uniform transform to the frequencies does not change the relative melodies). And I wasn't ripping VI for sampling, I was mocking him for insisting that he wasn't. :) It doesn’t match note for note, though. It’s six notes out of fifteen in the Coldplay melody (“rule the world”…”rise when I”). The rest

The Satriani song has 2 chords in the verse; Coldplay has 4. And as for the beat, two songs at the same tempo with beats on quarter notes: OMG, call the Interpol!

(They’re also in different keys, but I’m not going to insist that that matters. A uniform transform to the frequencies does not change the relative melodies).

And I wasn’t ripping VI for sampling, I was mocking him for insisting that he wasn’t. :)

]]> By: Mark Truman http://www.thenomenclature.com/2009/01/04/rant-i-hate-that-coldplay-stole-from-joe-satriani/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Mark Truman Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:19:57 +0000 http://www.thenomenclature.com/?p=102#comment-10 Justin, Did you read the moron's article? It's not a stirring defense of his position. It's a clumsy "everybody copies so that should make it legal" argument. I'll agree with you that it's hard to say who exactly stole a riff or melody. There can be multiple claims to ownership and that makes any legal claim difficult to pursue. However, I think that this case is pretty cut and dried. It matches...note for note And Vanilla Ice was SAMPLING. That's totally different. The rest of us shouldn't suffer because you don't understand rap music. ;) Justin,

Did you read the moron’s article? It’s not a stirring defense of his position. It’s a clumsy “everybody copies so that should make it legal” argument.

I’ll agree with you that it’s hard to say who exactly stole a riff or melody. There can be multiple claims to ownership and that makes any legal claim difficult to pursue. However, I think that this case is pretty cut and dried. It matches…note for note

And Vanilla Ice was SAMPLING. That’s totally different. The rest of us shouldn’t suffer because you don’t understand rap music. ;)

]]> By: Justin http://www.thenomenclature.com/2009/01/04/rant-i-hate-that-coldplay-stole-from-joe-satriani/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Justin Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:21:13 +0000 http://www.thenomenclature.com/?p=102#comment-9 Wow, we're not easing ourselves into the blog by starting off with meek statements here, are we? Quick thoughts: 1. Yes, Jared is cruel. A Rush of Blood is a very good album. Running neck-and-neck with Recovering the Satellites for my third-favorite "R" album. And then you go and diss The Edge? That's just uncalled for. Go and listen to Achtung Baby and tell me that's not some of the most creative and original guitar work of the generation. 2. I expect Andy to offer a stirring defense of the validity of Satriani as a credible musician. 3. You know what? I actually agree with the "idiot" who defends allowing free copying in music, to a point. Not saying we should do away with copyrights and royalties, but all music sounds like all other music in some way or another; there's no qualitative difference between something that is "ripped off" and something that shares some of the same elements of melody, harmony, and rhythm. Kudos to the rare artist who makes something entirely original and unlike any other work, but one song sounding like another is something that happens ALL THE TIME. In fact, this is not even the first plagiarism allegation involving "Viva La Vida". The singer of an indie band called Creaky Boards posted a video showing how the melody was similar to his song, before it turned out that Coldplay demoed the song six months before Creaky Boards played theirs live. Now he says they both have a resemblance to the "Fairy Song" from the Legend of Zelda. Maybe Satriani ripped that off, too! For the time being, I'll give Martin the benefit of the doubt that the similarity, if not entirely coincidental, was at least subconscious. 4. I hate that Vanilla Ice stole from Queen and David Bowie... oh wait, no, one goes "Dun dun dun da da DUN dun", and the other one goes "Dun dun dun da da DUN dun TSSSH". Wow, we’re not easing ourselves into the blog by starting off with meek statements here, are we?

Quick thoughts:

1. Yes, Jared is cruel. A Rush of Blood is a very good album. Running neck-and-neck with Recovering the Satellites for my third-favorite “R” album. And then you go and diss The Edge? That’s just uncalled for. Go and listen to Achtung Baby and tell me that’s not some of the most creative and original guitar work of the generation.

2. I expect Andy to offer a stirring defense of the validity of Satriani as a credible musician.

3. You know what? I actually agree with the “idiot” who defends allowing free copying in music, to a point. Not saying we should do away with copyrights and royalties, but all music sounds like all other music in some way or another; there’s no qualitative difference between something that is “ripped off” and something that shares some of the same elements of melody, harmony, and rhythm. Kudos to the rare artist who makes something entirely original and unlike any other work, but one song sounding like another is something that happens ALL THE TIME.

In fact, this is not even the first plagiarism allegation involving “Viva La Vida”. The singer of an indie band called Creaky Boards posted a video showing how the melody was similar to his song, before it turned out that Coldplay demoed the song six months before Creaky Boards played theirs live. Now he says they both have a resemblance to the “Fairy Song” from the Legend of Zelda. Maybe Satriani ripped that off, too! For the time being, I’ll give Martin the benefit of the doubt that the similarity, if not entirely coincidental, was at least subconscious.

4. I hate that Vanilla Ice stole from Queen and David Bowie… oh wait, no, one goes “Dun dun dun da da DUN dun”, and the other one goes “Dun dun dun da da DUN dun TSSSH”.

]]> By: Mark Truman http://www.thenomenclature.com/2009/01/04/rant-i-hate-that-coldplay-stole-from-joe-satriani/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Mark Truman Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:45:58 +0000 http://www.thenomenclature.com/?p=102#comment-8 "I disagree with your assessment of Rush of Blood to the Head though. Whatever good is in that album–which I assure you is miniscule if present–is probably not the work of Chris Martin or the other nameless, non-celebrity members of the band. Someone, be it their producer or record label, must have said: “Look guys two things about you sell: Chris Martin’s falsetto and repetition of whatever riff/drum combination you have.” That’s exactly what they left in the album. There is nothing else there." How cruel! Someone else back me up here. Rush of Blood is damn near incredible. It's moving, well-written, and musically dynamic. Sure, it's got a lot of repetitive piano parts and falsetto, but that's like saying Nevermind has a lot of crashing drums and loud guitars....it's why you listen in the first place. “I disagree with your assessment of Rush of Blood to the Head though. Whatever good is in that album–which I assure you is miniscule if present–is probably not the work of Chris Martin or the other nameless, non-celebrity members of the band. Someone, be it their producer or record label, must have said: “Look guys two things about you sell: Chris Martin’s falsetto and repetition of whatever riff/drum combination you have.” That’s exactly what they left in the album. There is nothing else there.”

How cruel!

Someone else back me up here. Rush of Blood is damn near incredible. It’s moving, well-written, and musically dynamic. Sure, it’s got a lot of repetitive piano parts and falsetto, but that’s like saying Nevermind has a lot of crashing drums and loud guitars….it’s why you listen in the first place.

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