Rock Court, Small Claims Division: Killing Joke v. Nirvana

All rise.

The rules of this courtroom are simple. You will be presented with two songs, one by the plaintiff and one by the defendant. It is your task to decide if the defendant’s track is only coincidentally similar to the plaintiffs or, as members of the Bar Association put it, they’re down with O.P.I.P. (Other People’s Intellectual Property.) You have been duly instructed.

Today’s docket: Killing Joke, plaintiffs vs. Nirvana, defendants.

Killing Joke – Eighties from Night Time (1984)

Bad enough the riff is the same, but they also copped the chorus pedal warble on the guitar sound. They call it “borrowing” – Mind if a borrow a couple million, boys?

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/7cvIPqMjORE" width="600" height="344" allowfullscreen="true" fvars="fs=1" /]

Nirvana – Come As You Are from Nevermind (1991)

Innocent tribute, that’s all. Don’t like it? Oh whatever, never mind.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/0uPkRDxGOIc" width="600" height="344" allowfullscreen="true" fvars="fs=1" /]

 Loading ...