Artists Who Succeeded Because They Sound Like Other Artists

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by slideroni, Jul 26, 2016.

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  1. slideroni

    slideroni Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Robin Trower sounds like Hendrix. Kind of.
    Men At Work sounded like the Police, a bit.
    Creed sounded like Pearl Jam. So did Stone Temple Pilots.
    What other artists succeeded because of sonic resemblance to other artists?
     
  2. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    ELO and Oasis sounded like the Beatles.

    You could argue the Monkees did as well.
     
    theMess, blackg, Sean and 2 others like this.
  3. lightbulb

    lightbulb Not the Brightest of the Bunch

    Location:
    Smogville CA USA
    Upon first listen, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers sounded like The Byrds.
    All critics used that lazy tag line.
    Of course, the band grew their own "wings" and musical style very quickly.
     
  4. Slokes

    Slokes Cruel But Fair

    Location:
    Greenwich, CT USA
    Hard to know if an act succeeded because they sounded like someone else, or had other things go their way. Billy Joel reminded a lot of people of Paul McCartney when he started, but I don't think his success was that of a sound-alike.

    The Faces had a distinct Rolling Stones vibe, as did Aerosmith. I wouldn't say Rod and Steve were Mick impersonators, but the bands were very reminiscent of the Stones in a Badfinger/Beatles way.
     
  5. Izozeles

    Izozeles Pushing my limits

    Bruno Mars sounds like Michael Jackson
     
  6. lightbulb

    lightbulb Not the Brightest of the Bunch

    Location:
    Smogville CA USA
    I always thought that John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band gained national success from sounding like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
    Have I been overly harsh and too quick to assume this over the years?

    I would welcome any info to adjust my perception....
     
  7. lightbulb

    lightbulb Not the Brightest of the Bunch

    Location:
    Smogville CA USA
    Over the years, weren't there some "imitators to the throne" of Prince?
    I think so, but I've forced myself to forget...
     
    Slokes likes this.
  8. wwaldmanfan

    wwaldmanfan Born In The 50's

    Location:
    NJ
    Robin Trower started imitating Hendrix's sound when he first picked up a Strat and went solo. Before that, he was playing Gibsons with Procol Harum, and had a unique and compelling style and sound all his own.
    I always loved his playing with Procol Harum. They were very much a group ensemble. His solo stuff bores me, and I neither own nor care to listen to it.
     
  9. mbrownp1

    mbrownp1 Forum Resident

    I second John Cafferty. I still like his stuff tho. Used to watch him play at the clubs on the RI beaches.

    The first time I heard "Something About You" by Level 42, I thought it was Joe Jackson.

    The first time I heard "Take Your Mama" by the Scissor Sisters, I swore I was hearing a new Elton John tune.
     
    driverdrummer, Slokes and lightbulb like this.
  10. wallpaperman

    wallpaperman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    I don't know if this is the only reason they succeeded, but America took a little bit of Neil Young and added a dash of CSN. I like them a lot though, not surprising they were fairly popular in the early/mid 70's with that sound.
     
  11. Brother Maynard

    Brother Maynard Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    Wasn't "Eddie and the Cruisers" basically a mashup of Bruce/E. St. Band with Jim Morrison?
     
  12. Slokes

    Slokes Cruel But Fair

    Location:
    Greenwich, CT USA
    Terence Trent D'Arby was the biggest one, as he was hailed by critics as the next iteration of the Purple One. He didn't sound much like Prince, his voice was a bit lower, but his music had some of the same pop/soul eccentricity, and he had a Prince-like flashy wardrobe and dance moves.
     
  13. Bowland

    Bowland Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    Everybody after the Beatles sounded like the Beatles.
     
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  14. JohnnyQuest

    JohnnyQuest Forum Resident

    Location:
    Paradise
    Future clone.
     
  15. the pope ondine

    the pope ondine Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    mark knopfler def got the Dylan tag early on
     
    Keith V, JerolW and SixtiesGuy like this.
  16. geo50000

    geo50000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canon City, CO.
    In the wake of The Beach Boys' success, new groups sprung up overnight, or acts that had been around awhile changed their style to "Surf/Hotrod" music. Such as:
    Jan & Dean
    The Rip Chords
    Bruce & Terry
    The Fantastic Baggys
    The Hondells
    The Sunrays
    Ronny & The Daytonas
     
    theMess, Tord and SixtiesGuy like this.
  17. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Probably be easier to list artists that succeeded in spite of not sounding like other artists. Most listeners want a connection to which they're already familiar, but you still won't normally succeed without some good songs.
     
    eric777 likes this.
  18. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    That Beatles/Beach Boys/Who hybrid The Raspberries.
     
  19. majoyenrac

    majoyenrac Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    Stone temple pilots initially (until Tiny Music) hit/radio wise sounded like Pearl Jam...their albums showed a bit more character though

    Funny enough, the opposite happened with U2, they got huge by incorporating Mike Scott's Big Music just as he went to folk
     
  20. sixtiesstereo

    sixtiesstereo Senior Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    And of course Ral Donner, who sounded more like Elvis than, well, Elvis....
     
    Mr. Explorer likes this.
  21. vivatones

    vivatones Forum Resident

    Bobby Vee / Buddy Holly
    Ronnie McDowell / Elvis Presley
    Jason D. Williams / Jerry Lee Lewis
     
  22. proudy

    proudy Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    Possibly bold assertion: Joy Division got successful by taking the sound of Berlin era David Bowie/Iggy Pop.
     
    blackg likes this.
  23. Certainly bold, and waay off the mark. They might've been inspired by those albums but they sure didn't ape them.
     
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  24. idleracer

    idleracer Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    Some people will make a strong argument to the effect that not only did Billy Joe Royal sound exactly like Gene Pitney, but "Down In The Boondocks" sounded exactly like "24 Hours From Tulsa."
     
  25. For the Record

    For the Record Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario Canada
    I'm a big Wolfmother fan. Got into them because they sounded like Led Zeppelin / Black Sabbath. (Well, their FIRST album did)

     
    blackg likes this.
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