4 Jul
2003
4 Jul
'03
7:10 a.m.
Eric Clapton pays royalties to the
writer on everything he covers
Sure, where it's a straight cover version. Assuming the original
songwriter signed an excellent record deal, or somehow retained their
copyright, they could have done very well. Unfortunately I don't
think that was the case with most of the blues and R n' B artists. As
Bo Diddley said, the word contract has the letters C O N in it.
The Stones didn't cover much music, theirs was
mostly original.
I think Chuck Berry might start to cough a bit at this point. Mr
Diddley too, if he's still alive. But more than just cover versions,
these 'British invasion' bands lifted guitar licks, vocal styles and
even complete sounds from those artists. The Stones' 'Not Fade Away'
is a Bo Diddley song in all but the name on the label.
If you're trying to say that writing a blues tune
is stealing just
because it's 12 bar you're in pretty deep.
I wouldn't call it stealing. But music is part of a cultural commons,
so to put a fence around it and call it exclusive 'property' is out
of order.
If that's the case who
"owns" 12 bar blues?
That's my point exactly.
If you really want to nail those who stole
verbatim and put their name on it why not try Led Zeppelin
For sure. I think I already mentioned Zeppelin's jumbo jet. I've seen
inside one of Jimmy Page's fine houses in London (they did a TV
documentary on the Arts and Crafts architecture) and it's quite
something.
I think the Bonzo Dog Band put it best in the song "Can Blue Men sing
the Whites?", a Clapton musical parody about a well-heeled musician
who changes out of his mohair suit to put on some dirty jeans and
sing songs about the Depression, "when people were really...
depressed. Alright! Whoooo!"
Cheers
Daniel