Who doesn’t love a good rock and roll lawsuit? I know I do. Let’s see who’s on the docket for today. From Billboard.
Lawyers for the Black Crowes have served copyright infringement notices to Gretchen Wilson, TNT, Sony BMG and publishing company J Money Music over the band’s 1991 hit “Jealous Again.”
The Crowes claim Wilson exploited the track for her own song, “Work Hard, Play Harder,” which TNT in turn then used in ads for its show “Saving Grace.”…
…”We find the musical verses of Wilson’s song to be such an obvious example of copyright infringement that I expect all parties to reach a relatively quick resolution to avoid litigation,” Crowes manager Pete Angelus says in a statement.
heh heh…I love lawyers. You know it’s going to be good when you hear a lawyer discussing nuances of song structure like “musical verses”. As opposed to…??? And, playing the “we” card; “we think that the musical verses of Wilson’s song to be such an obvious example of copyright infringement”. Like old Pete Angelus is having a barbecue with the Robinson brothers. You know, kicking back, cooking some pork steaks, having some beers, maybe playing some horseshoes and they have TNT on real loud in the house and the promo for the new hit show “Saving Grace” comes on. “Wait a minute there, Robinson brothers”, says Pete Angelus; “What do you think of that?”
“Gretchen Wilson, she’s hot, in a Ramada Inn lounge, cocktail waitress sort of way,” say Chris.
“No, not that, Chris,” says that other Robinson brother. “That sounds like our 1991 hit “Jealous Again”.
“I think so too.”
“Me too.”
Well let’s put it to the test, shall we?
As always….hit pause…on the music player to your left before playing the YouTube.
First, The Black Crowes, “Jealous Again”.
Now the TNT promo featuring Gretchen Wilson’s “Work Hard, Play Harder”.
Woah! Did that make your hair hurt? Did mine.
Yeah, I guess it’s pretty similar. During the musical verses at least. But, I got to say I’ve heard a lot worse lifts than that one. I don’t know. You can never tell how these things are going to pan out if they make it to a jury. Angelus did say, “I expect all parties to reach a relatively quick resolution to avoid litigation”. Sounds like the last thing he wants to do is get in front of a jury. Like maybe, he’s worried that if this thing goes on, the ghost of Steve Marriott will show up and sue Chris Robinson for ripping off his whole act or something.
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Tags: black crowes, gretchen wilson, infringement, lawyers, litigation, robinson brothers, Woah
Pat Darnell and Friends wrote,
Isn’t the Tele player for the Crowes Holly Hunter’s body double?
I was eliminated in the jury selection because I tapped out the time signatures on the two songs they tested each of us with.
The majority of jurors picked were from the Divorced Catholics of Wentsville Fellowship…
I asked the prosecution if it was supposed to be a jury of peers? He just said, “Eh?”
My purely objective comment on the two songs causing this party — is that the Black Crowes “Jealous Again” is a very good song, with lots of pretty men playing and singing it. On the MooPig Wisdom nit-pickers music appreciation scale: 4.5
The latter songbird is sung by a lot of women in Levis about being the girls that the previous band is singing a lament about: On the MPW nit-pickers music appreciation scale: 3.0
The songs, to this layman, are so different that I am wondering why I ever listened to them.
I hope this helps in the long run somehow. pd/mpw
MooPig scale of music appreciation low to high, least to most:
1– Grimace
2– Nervous
3– Eyes shut, nasal cavity resonating
4– BTU at normal respiration of 3.14 btu per hour
5– Sporadic Yawning
6– Tingling Sensations from head to foot on one side
7– Tingling “Ditto” on both sides
8– Full frontal body resonating
9– Entire body quaking to point of dancing in the aisles
10– Converging arts in cranium resulting in visions and edifications of mind, heart, and soul
Link | July 30th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Pat Darnell and Friends wrote,
After thought: I think you are messing with me ole’ Boheme. Both tunes start out like ABH by Billy Ray Cyrus…
HERE
Yep! Whenever this happens I just throw my hands up and play some air drums; throw my head back and let my hair flow in the wind; and say “Desiree, get me my MetaMucil!!!!”
over and out…
Link | July 30th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Sans Direction wrote,
Luther Dickinson of the great North Mississippi All-Stars has taken lead guitar duties for the Black Crowes. Interview with both him and the Tele-toting body double in the most recent Guitar Player. Luther said they gave him a plexi Dan Armstrong, which he loved because he loved Black Flag and Greg Ginn played one.
I so don’t want to sully a player whose work I like, just to point out that the band he’s just joined is full of dumbasses.
Really, I’d give “Jealous Again” a 5.5 on that scale. I actually kinda like it. Less for the Gretchen. Last song of hers I dug was “Chariot”.
Link | July 30th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Ovidiu - GuitarFlame.com wrote,
Isn’t there a mathematical law like we have here, with 4 measures being identical? I know that it isn’t always a good criteria since you can mess one note and the rule won’t apply anymore. Indeed, the verse is identical, you can not imagine how many cases we had here in Romania. But hey, things happen, you can not know all the music around, depends on how you treat it, I guess. You sometimes hear something on the radio, you don’t pay attention and 3 years later you remember something while playing the guitar and have the impression you composed that…
Link | July 31st, 2008 at 5:05 am
Pribek wrote,
Ovidiu-I don’t know that there is any mathematical formula that is set in stone but, even if there was some kind of four measure rule, I think it would be easy to manipulate it in court. Most of the time, almost all of the time these cases are designed by lawyers and the goal is to reach a settlement.
And, it’s kind of funny because, we are talking about music lawyers which are different than regular lawyers. One of the secrets of this whole silly industry is that there are only maybe, I don’t know a couple hundred or so, competent music lawyers that handle all of the agreeing and disagreeing and, they all know each other, play golf together and such. If I had to place a bet, I would say that the lawyers from both sides have already shared a latte and at least got the ball rolling towards settlement.
Here’s the thing about this whole thing; this stuff happens all the time. Sometimes it’s like you say Ovidiu where somebody uses somebody else’s stuff inadvertently. Sometimes, it is calculated.
But, the only times it really matters are cases when thee derivative
song makes some genuine money. And, what’s really a little strange with this situation is, Gretchen hasn’t even released the record yet. She’s probably made a little chunk of money from licensing the thing to TNT, a minor league cable TV network but, is it the kind of money that’s worth getting the lawyers involved? I’m guessing no. So, it makes me wonder if this isn’t a case where whichever Crowes were responsible for writing the song, took personal offense and made it a point to go after Gretchen.
Sans-”I so don’t want to sully a player whose work I like, just to point out that the band he’s just joined is full of dumbasses.”
You should be commended for showing remarkable restraint.
PD-”I am wondering why I ever listened to them.” Everything happens for a reason, Sport. Perhaps this will be something to meditate on throughout the day and you will find answers to questions you have yet to ask.
Link | July 31st, 2008 at 6:47 am