Daniel Amos Message Board | Print: MWS rips off TST

Posted by Ritchie_az on 08-30-2008 at00:37:

He's got some bulletins on the radio
You turn the beatles up instead

Posted by Jimmy Brown on 09-02-2008 at08:05:

Even if the writer of "New Halleluiah" is aware of "Author of the Story," it's not such a rip-off. He even used a suspended note that's not in AotS. If this was a rip-off, Bo Diddley would have been a very, very rich man.

Posted by Ritchie_az on 09-02-2008 at09:15:

...and Vanilla Ice didn't rip off Queen and David Bowie.... Roll Eyes

Posted by Jimmy Brown on 09-03-2008 at09:42:

What Vanilla Ice did, directly sampling a bass line from a song and adding a single-note anacrusis, is complete different from this. Even if the person who developed the guitar part for "New Halleluiah" did base his riff on AtoS, it has several differences: it starts on the beat where AtoS does not, it repeats the lowest note in the middle, and it has a suspension near the end.

Edit: just listened again. The lowest note repeats twice during the riff.

And even if this were the same riff, shouldn't it really be: Unnamed Guitarist rips off Greg Flesch?

Posted by Ritchie_az on 09-03-2008 at10:08:

quote:

And even if this were the same riff, shouldn't it really be: Unnamed Guitarist rips off Greg Flesch?

Maybe. I'm not sure who's idea the TAotS guitar riff was (Terry or Greg) or how much creative control MWS had on ANH. So it still could be MWS ripping off TST.

Even so, I still don't see how it's different than the Vanilla Ice thing. You change one small thing and it's wrong. You change three small things and it's ok? Everyone I've played ANH for has agreed that the guitar riffs are (basically) the same.

Posted by Jimmy Brown on 09-03-2008 at16:27:

Okay, let's assume "New Hallelujah" is in the same key as "Author of the Story". Sorry I can't write out the rhythm in proper notation. As a substitute, beats given as 1 1+ 2 2+ etc., pitch letter occuring on that beat following the number.

Author of the Story: 3+ G 4+ G | 1 D 3 B 3+ C 4+ B |

New Hallelujah: 1 G 1+ G 2 D 3 G 3+ D 4+ G | 1 C 2 B

As much as I like Greg's playing, he doesn't own the open fifth. If you want a spacious, soaring sound, that's the interval you emphasize. Aaron Copland and Richard Strauss taught us that. Big Grin

Until pop music abandons functional tonality, there are only so many ways to do this.

Greg's line is less rhythmically active, but more syncopated.

In addition, "New Hallelujah" pretty much sits on the tonic chord for at least the first part. AtoS obviously does not.

Posted by navfox on 09-03-2008 at16:46:

it sounds alike a little like it but to me its different, Nothing like Vanilla Ice rip.

Posted by Ron E on 12-13-2008 at15:40:

I just heard this song the other day and had to read this thread that I'd ignored before. It reminds me of this thread...

77s thread

Posted by joey on 12-14-2008 at01:23:

Mad

shame on all of you who listen to mws to begin with!

Tongue

Posted by Mountain Fan on 12-14-2008 at09:53:

i cannot believe any good, self-respecting DA fan would really listen to MWS Tongue

Posted by Ritchie_az on 12-14-2008 at17:28:

I hear the song on the radio sometimes (my wife likes to listen to KLOVE).

What bothers me is that MWS gets all sorts of recognition and money, and TST--the real genius--gets almost nothing. I really don't care that someone borrowed from DA (or if DA borrowed from someone else), but MWS is kind of the poster boy of CCM and he'll get a Dove award and maybe a Grammy and a nice paycheck. Terry, on the other hand, who has been one of a few progressive minds in CCM, got barely any notice and certainly is squeaking by financially.

It's a reminder of the shame of it all, because we all know Terry deserves much more.

That's how I take it.

Posted by joey on 12-14-2008 at17:36:

don't tell anybody but my wife listens to him too............ Shocked

but you are 100% right........... Frown

Posted by James on 12-15-2008 at18:19:

I saw MWS up close at GMA Week back in the late '90s. He was very orange. God only knows what color he is now.