When I was younger and first getting into what used to be called ‘classic rock’, I thought “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” by ELO was actually a John Lennon solo song. In fairness, Lennon referred to ELO as “son of the Beatles”, so it’s an easy mistake to make.
I love “Lunatic Fringe” and “Life Is A Highway” was a hit the summer I graduated from high school, but I only recently (unrelated to this thread) learned Tom Cochrane was the singer of Red Rider and thus both songs.
High praise for Knopfler, though he left out a lot of notes that Clapton wouldn’t have…
Tom Petty sounded more like Dylan after they worked together. In fact, I think the Traveling Wilburys all rubbed off on each other.
Knopfler started sounding more Dylanesque after their collaboration.
I honestly thought that Bob had done another song with Mark Knopfler (who’d just produced and played tasty guitar on Dylan’s “Slow Train Coming” album) when I first heard “Romeo and Juliet”…
(live version… love when Mark switches to electric guitar at 7:25)
Written and produced by Paul McCartney, so that’s understandable. Badfinger was the only other band on Apple Records, I believe.
ETA: Hey, RitterSport, why don’t you finish reading the thread?
Small nitpick (I can’t help myself as a hobby Dylanologist): Mark Knopfler played guitar on “Slow Train Coming” (especially well on “I Believe In You”, but the producer was Jerry Wexler. Knopfler though did produce Dylan’s “Infidels” and played guitar, in a dream band with Mick Taylor and Sly & Robbie.
To his credit, IMO. That song’s musicality has been praised by many.
Perhaps digs meant that Knopfler produced his guitar, in the 'Whiskey in the Jar" lyric sense:
I first produced my pistol
I then produced my rapier
Orrrr, I just made a mistake…
Was thinking of Knopfler producing Infidels. He did play on some great albums, was just listening to The Shouting Stage by Joan Armatrading.
Ahhh… Joan and Mark… the last minute and a half is just instrumental, with his compelling, haunting guitar.
When I first saw Born on the Fourth of July, and within it first heard “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” sung with a strong female lead, I assumed it was the Indigo Girls singing it. Turned out to be Edie Brickell, a performer of whom I hadn’t previously heard.
“Walk of Life” by Dire Straits I thought was Bruce Springsteen. Yeah the vocals aren’t quite right but it sounds like a rockabilly Springsteen song like “Working on the Highway.”
“Lunatic Fringe” by Red Rider I thought was a Fleetwood Mac song, the tempo, vocal style, and guitar melody.
I can understand that. Both Van and Jagger started out trying to sound like Howlin’ Wolf.
My seven-year-old ears also could not distinguish between Paul McCartney and Gilbert O’Sullivan. In 1973 it seemed the latter was all over the radio.
The first time I heard the song, I thought “Your Saving Grace” was by Traffic rather than Steve Miller. (Also, why can’t I embed a YouTube video on this site? EinsteinsHund and digs did it without any problems.)
Lunatic Fringe by Red Rider. For years, YEARS I tell you, I thought that was Pink Floyd and was quite surprised to find out a few months ago that it wasn’t.
Today I learned that Lunatic Fringe wasn’t Pink Floyd.
Though I don’t think either of both quite achieved that goal (a futile attempt anyway, both Van and Mick are small guys and don’t have the sheer bodily volume to resonate like the Wolf), the early Van Morrison still with Them sounded even more like Mick Jagger.
Remember Napster? Back in circa 2000 somebody on Napster was attributing that song to Dylan. “Clown” and “joker” being frequent words in Dylan’s vocabulary.
Recently when “Tin Machine” by Tin Machine came up on rotation, I exclaimed* “My God, they sound exactly like David Bowie!”
*in jest
Yeah, I have a version of Brick House attributed to George Clinton.
I could have sworn it was the Carpenters.
If I’d heard Starcastle without first knowing it was Starcastle, I would have thought it was Yes. Starcastle’s whole raison d’être was to sound exactly like Yes, and they did it so well, they deserve credit for being excellent imitators. I’m serious, I love Starcastle’s music. It’s Yes music for Yes fans who just couldn’t get enough.