Sounds Like Teen Spirit: Stolen Melodies, Ripped-off Riffs, and the Secret History of Rock and Roll

Ever heard a song and thought “Hey, they ripped that off!” Sounds Like Teen Stolen Melodies, Ripped-off Riffs and the Secret History of Rock ‘n’ Roll is the first book ever to examine the phenomenon of songs that appear to have “borrowed” their melodies from earlier songs. While many are familiar with the similarities between George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord and the Chiffon’s oldie He’s So Fine, did you also know · The first rock ‘n’ roll hit, Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock took part of its melody from Hank William’s Move it on Over?
· The guitar riff that powered Nirvana’s classic Smells Like Teen Spirit had its origins in Boston’s More Than a Feeling?
· Bob Marley’s Buffalo Soldier shares its melody with The Theme from the Banana Splits, a kids show from the 1960s? Come along for an exiting and informative journey through The Secret History of Rock ‘n’ Roll. You’ll find out how ultra-hipsters the Strokes borrowed a melody from ultra-dork Barry Manilow; why Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. over Ghostbusters, how a novelty record cut by his dad may have influenced John Lennon’s Imagine, and how an obscure song by the band Spirit was a likely inspiration in the creation of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven. Sounds Like Teen Spirit will delight any music fan, and is sure to send you running to your stereo or I-Pod to hear the songs for yourself! “A fun and fact-filled book that you can either read from cover to cover, or skip around and open up at any page and dig in. Most of the songs you can hear in your head (or dig out the cds!) and you’ll find yourself going again and again ‘Oh yeah, this song really does sound like that song!’ An enjoyable read.”- Bob Brainen , WFMU, Jersey City, NJ “The book is a winner, one of those why didn’t-I-think-of-that projects.guaranteed to elicit laughter and/or fistfights among your friendly neighborhood music geeks.” -Kirkus Discoveries