Dear guitar riff experts...

I think I have a three song stolen riff. Was listening to the radio and Tom Petty's Refugee came on and in the chorus, I hear Kiss' main riff throughout Got To Choose. Sample and see if I am right.... then I started playing that riff over and over and it sounds like JJF except the last two notes differs. Again, not a guitar expert so feel free to shoot me down on it.

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bigmac7895
Dear guitar riff experts...

I think I have a three song stolen riff. Was listening to the radio and Tom Petty's Refugee came on and in the chorus, I hear Kiss' main riff throughout Got To Choose. Sample and see if I am right.... then I started playing that riff over and over and it sounds like JJF except the last two notes differs. Again, not a guitar expert so feel free to shoot me down on it.

What about the "Theme from Mary Tyler Moore" by Sonny Curtis (once of Buddy Holly's band) and its partial usage in the chorus to Electric Light Orchestra's 1979 "Last Train to London" (listen to when Jeff Lynne sings "And I really want tonight to last forever..." )? But that isn't all Lynne ripped off... the melody itself is reminiscent of Heatwave's "Boogie Nights" (listen to the keyboard bassline) as well as the Eagles' "One of These Nights."

~Ben



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-11 00:59 by BrianJones1969.

Actually, all riffs are stolen from Satisfaction.

Released January 26, 1973




Released June 18, 1973






Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-10 21:06 by tatters.

Haven't investigated those BJ1969... forgot about Walsh ripping off Deep Purple also. There are a ton- just wanting to see if there are some out there that I haven't thought of.. Gene Simmons said he ripped off the riff of Bitch for the song Deuce, but I don't really hear it so much.

Iggy pop nce said he wrote "Lust 4 Life" and "The Idiot" by playing and altering classic rock songs till he came with soemthing somewhat new.

Sounds like a great advice for aspiring songwriters...

That brings up the band Jet who steals many riffs. Several of their songs sound like others before them.

Sounded like Joe Walsh was getting ready to do a cover of Woman From Tokyo for a minute. Never heard that before! Also, now I feel like my computer is going to be flagged by the child predator police for watching that Deep Purple video. I was just listening to the song, honestly!!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-11 02:23 by spsimmons.

-Hendrix "stole" Jeff Beck's 'Rice Puddin' for In From The Storm

-Deep Purple's 'Smoke On The Water' riff was taken from this:




Green Day used The Kinks' 'Picture Book' riff for 'Warning'.

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stones78

-Deep Purple's 'Smoke On The Water' riff was taken from this:

I think we might be able to take it back even further!









Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-11 03:53 by tatters.

... oh yeah, stolen riffs....

For those of you who have compared the backbeat of the Stones' "Too Much Blood" to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," I must also say that same backbeat is copied from Rick James's "Give It To Me Baby."

~Ben

I guess riffs have to be recycled since there are only so many combinations that sound original and good to the ears. Interesting- figured this would generate more interest than it did.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-11 16:44 by tatters.

A close cousin:

Rock and Roll is nothing but stolen riffs, including great Rock and Roll -- maybe especially....

OK, one more bout:

"Suddenly" by Billy Ocean vs. "Hello" by Lionel Richie

If "Suddenly" by Billy Ocean sounds similar to Lionel Richie's "Hello" during part of the choruses, as well as during the opening riffs, then I think Richie would've hit back at this criticism with the song "Say You, Say Me" (from the White Nights movie score but not soundtrack LP because of a Motown policy) because both it and "Suddenly" open with a DX7 electric piano sound.

"Hello" by Lionel Richie:




"Suddenly" by Billy Ocean:




"Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie:




~Ben

Now a VERY famous rip-off that ended in a painful out-of-court settlement for Wacko Jacko...

The Cult - Dirty Little Rockstar direct rip off/riff from Undercover

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DiscoVolante

I am a huge Stones and Crowes fan and never could put my fingers on a direct riff lift, but that one is pretty much on the money. Always heard Sister Luck and Sway, but I just don't hear it. Would they sound good if one was segued into another? Yeah, I think so. So many said the Crowes were just a Stones/Faces band, but seems to me they are unique with most of their own stuff.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-14 01:41 by tatters.

Ah-ha, Steely Dan stole the riff from an old jazz song. Where are you guys finding these stolen riffs? Is there a website or are y'all that diverse in your musical interests? Did anyone catch the JJF > Got To Choose > Refugee (chorus)? Was I right?

Bored- checked out ripped riffs/chords on You Tube and found this. It says all these songs were ripped off from Journey's Don't Stop Believing but it really falls back to Let It Be... they sing at different speeds to see how each song uses the same chord progression, Kind of funny..

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bigmac7895
Ah-ha, Steely Dan stole the riff from an old jazz song. Where are you guys finding these stolen riffs? Is there a website or are y'all that diverse in your musical interests? Did anyone catch the JJF > Got To Choose > Refugee (chorus)? Was I right?

There's a jazz program I listen to once in a while and they play that Horace Silver track all the time. First time I heard it I had that same "Ah-ha" moment. Stevie Wonder took that great horn riff and turned it into this

Not exactly a note-for-note "stolen" riff, but I always thought the lean, dry sound and feel of this 1980 song by the Motels influenced that monster Police hit a couple years later.

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bigmac7895
Bored- checked out ripped riffs/chords on You Tube and found this. It says all these songs were ripped off from Journey's Don't Stop Believing but it really falls back to Let It Be...

It goes back much further: