Songs that sound like The Beatles... but aren't by them

I know of two...

1) "I get Along", Pet Shop Boys, Release. Not only does it *sound* like the Fab Four, but the lyrics seem to come straight out of Lennon / McCartney!

2) "Little Hans", Eric Woolfson & Alan Parsons, Freudiana. An unknown little gem, "Freudiana" was supposed to be The Project's final album, yet EW & AP parted ways before it was finished. "Little Hans" is a perfect copy of "Penny Lane". I always wondered how they avoided a lawsuit!

 

Nilsson was thrown by "Without You" by Badfinger and spent days trying to figure out who it was after hearing it at a Phil Spector party...

 

"Lies" by the Knickerbockers (see Nuggets comp CD). This one blew my mind when I first heard it in the late 80's. Still a pretty impressive Beatles copycat record.......

------ Chris

 

Chris just beat me to the punch on The Knickerbockers.

Okay then, how about The Monkees' "Last Train To Clarksville"?

 

Eegads reechie! Same song.....posted at the same time! Scary!!

----- Chris

 

There's also a Knickerbockers outtake (later released by Sundazed) called "She Said Goodbye" which is pretty close. Probably too close to "Lies", which is probably why it sat in the vault so long, but it's one of my favorites.

 

There's also Todd Rundgren's Utopia with the "Deface the Music" album. Though it was intentional it's really funny if you've never heard it. Plus you can find it just about anywhere for a buck!

------- Chris

 

"Wonderwall"--Oasis
"Sowing the Seeds of Love"--Tears for Fears
"Ouch!"--the Rutles

 

Post-Rutles Neil Innes song called "Montana Cafe" from his Innes Book Of Records album

 

the whole Bikinies and Martinis album by Sam Phillips.

 

"Lies" gets my vote too.

There are many songs that have been influenced by the Beatles. This is the one song that could almost be them.

 

How about Good Girls Don't by The Knack? I know it was probably intentional, but the first time I heard their album, I thought "They're trying to sound like The Beatles." and they did pull it off pretty well. (Of course Capitol really tried to sell them as the next Beatles, right down to reviving the old rainbow label.)

 

"Hang On Paul" - Nazz (from Nazz Nazz)
"Movie Man" - The Osmonds (from The Plan)

 

Mentioning Badfinger's "Come And Get It" is probably cheating, given that McCartney wrote (and produced?) it, but when I was a wee lad I assumed from the sound of it that it was a Beatles record and was puzzled that I couldn't find it on any of the Fab Four's albums.

 

"Here I Go Again" Spongetones

"Live" The Merry Go Round

"Just A Chance" Badfinger

"So You Are A Star" Hudson Brothers

"Lonely Days" Bee Gees

"40 Watt Solution" Cotton Mather

"Flying Junk" - 10cc

 

"That Thing you Do" from the movie of the same title done by Adam Schlesinger

 

"Scandinavian Skies" by Billy Joel

 

Box "Bad Girl."

I'll post an MP3 exerpt if you want, as I doubt anybody here has heard it.

 

There was a music TV channel briefly going in New Zealand a few years back. Every time I turned it on they were playing a video with two guys who looked like the brothers from Oasis, to the tune of Wonderwall, but singing:

"But after all, we're not John and Paul"



Never did find out who it was...

 

Every time I hear it I think of Revolver.

 

"Pulling Mussels From a Shell" -Squeeze

 

Pleasant Valley Sunday-Monkees

Paperback Writer in reverse!

 

The Gants, singing "I Wonder" and "My Baby Don't Care."

George

 

Actually, a lot of Squeeze sounds Beatle-esque to these ears: "Is That Love," "Someone Else's Bell," "In Quintessence."

 

The Dukes of Stratosphear's (better known as XTC) Mole From The Ministry is a classic Beatles homage.