The New Donald Fagen Album Track Rip OFF?
Posted by: Gale 401 on 20 October 2012
After playing the new album a few times one track had me thinking?
I have heard this before many times ,But who did it???
The track in question is the first track on side two, Weather In My Head.
It just came to me it could be a Robert Cray cover, words have changed but the Guitars and guitar solo drums and timing are almost the same.
Is it just me or have others heard this?
I wonder if working with Mark Ronson had anything to do with this?
Stu.
Have you managed to pin it down to a particular track. Or is that difficult considering a lot of Cray's music sounds the same.
At first i thought it was Stevie Ray's Can't Stand The Weather.
Then the Robert Cray track Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark came into my head.
Not sure if its that Cray track or one of his others though?
It will come to me .
Stu.
At first i thought it was Stevie Ray's Can't Stand The Weather.
Then the Robert Cray track Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark came into my head.
Not sure if its that Cray track or one of his others though?
It will come to me .
Stu.
Hi Stu.
Donald has form for this sort of thing. Jazz composer Keith Jarrett claimed that the title song on Gaucho had been based on one of his own compositions, titled "Long As You Know You're Living Yours". Fagen later admitted he'd loved the song and was strongly influenced by it. Jarrett sued for
copyright infringement and eventually settled for a sum of approximately one million dollars, the deal stipulating that Becker and Fagen keep the songwriting credit. Fagen later told the press that maintaining their reputations as songwriters was an important factor in the decision to settle for such a substantial sum.
Graham.
As to Fagen's song Weather In My Head, it's not a ripoff, it's just a generic minor-key blues with a mid-tempo feel and typical instrumentation. By "generic" I don't mean mediocre; it's very well done, as is pretty much all of Fagen's work. What I mean is that there are dozens and dozens of songs out there which can be described as "minor-key blues with a mid-tempo feel and typical instrumentation" ... I'm sure Cray has one, Stevie Ray, too, and many others. If it reminds a listener of some other song, it's only because they're of the same type ... there's no unique melodic or harmonic content.
As to the Gaucho Jarrett issue, my understanding is that Fagen and Becker agreed to share writing credit with Jarrett and include him in royalties accrued from that point on. And, indeed, if you search the BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) or ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers), two of the three major licensing companies (Becker and Fagen are affiliated with ASCAP, Jarrett with BMI), you will find Jarrett listed as one of the three writers.
Fred,
I hear and fully understand what you are saying, but there is a song/track?
It will come to me when i stop thinking about it.
Regards,
Stu.
Talking of 'form', of course, there's Rikki Don't Lose That Number which uses the riff from Horace Silver's Song of My Father - but this is well-known.
I really like the new album, but several of the tracks are similar to recent Fagen/Dan output - e.g. Miss Marlene is reminiscent of The Last Mall, New Breed a bit like Janie Runaway etc. Still it has a freshness which I think has been lacking recently. Planet D'Rhonda could be my favourite track!
Talking of 'form', of course, there's Rikki Don't Lose That Number which uses the riff from Horace Silver's Song of My Father - but this is well-known.
I really like the new album, but several of the tracks are similar to recent Fagen/Dan output - e.g. Miss Marlene is reminiscent of The Last Mall, New Breed a bit like Janie Runaway etc. Still it has a freshness which I think has been lacking recently. Planet D'Rhonda could be my favourite track!
Salmon +1
IMO it is a very consistent album. Not his best but any new Donald is better than no Donald at all.
Also hope Stu can find the riff before it drives him mad, reminds me of ‘Sparky and the lost cord’.
Regards Graham.