Song Writing

Dub Sex vs. Blur


Impossible to talk about mere coincidence: for the album cover of Parklife, Blur copied or paid tribute to the image on Then and Now by the Manchester band Dub Sex, who had some success at the end of the 1980s. Released in 1994, Parklife, Blur's third album, made it possible for the band to confirm their reputation as a major group of the 1990s Britpop movement, with hits like "Girls And Boys" or "Parklife."

Simon & Garfunkel vs. Kruder & Dorfmeister


For their first album, the Austrian electro duet Kruder & Dorfmeister paid tribute to Simon & Garfunkel's album Bookends, which contained the hit "Mrs. Robinson." If you disregard Pete Kruder's moustache, the similarity is perfect!

Earth, Wind & Fire vs. Iron Maiden


If there is one similarity to be found between Earth Wind & Fire and Iron Maiden, it is in the covers of these two albums. On the one side, Earth, Wind & Fire's All 'N All funk soul album released in 1977; on the other side, Iron Maiden's Powerslave heavy metal album (featuring the track Two Minutes To Midnight), released seven years later. The similarity between the two album covers is striking. However, don't try and find musical influences between the two bands; there aren't.

The Mountain Goats vs. Coldplay


It doesn't look like Coldplay tried hard to find a cover for their first album Parachutes. The photo bears a similarity to the 1995 album Nine Black Poppies by the California Indie-Rock group The Mountain Goats. In 2000, Chris Martin's band was just starting to get introduced to the public with Yellow, their first single which propelled them at #1 in the UK charts.

Massive Attack vs. Flying Lotus


Even if the electo act Flying Lotus's music doesn't sound like Massive Attack's distinctive Bristol trip-hop sound, you can still find plenty of similarities between their album covers. That's Massive Attack's 1998 album Mezzanine on the left and the Flying Lotus 2008 offering Los Angeles on the right.

Kiss vs. Lordi


In 1982, Creatures of the Night celebrated Kiss's comeback. For their 2009 single Beast Loose in Paradise, the Scandinavian band Lordi, whose members also wear masks and make-up on stage, didn't hide their admiration for this mythic band.

Booker T. vs. Caribou


Plagiarism or strange coincidence? On the one side Booker T.'s 2009 blues rock album Potato Hole, featuring the smash hit "Green Onions"; on the other side is Caribou's 2010 electro album, Swim, featuring the song Odessa. These albums feature two musical styles that are diametrically opposite, but with cover albums which show great similarities.

The Beatles vs. Frank Zappa


One year only after the release of The Beatles' Sergent Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band album, Frank Zappa released We're Only In It For The Money as a satire of the flower power of that time. The album cover includes all the details of the original, with the flowers replaced by vegetables.

The Rolling Stones vs. Motley Crue


Replacing glimmer with glam and jeans for leather, Motley Crue paid tribute to the Rolling Stones famous 1971 Sticky Fingers album cover on their 1981 release Too Fast For Love.

Thanks to Bertrand - Paris, France for putting this together.