Songs That Sound the Same

February 22, 2020 3:09 AM

Songs That Sound the Same.
posted by WCityMike (38 comments total)

I've heard these songs a million times but never made the connections this guy has.

It feels like a fourth dimension of musical reality has been revealed.
posted by superelastic at 3:35 AM on February 22, 2020 [3 favorites]

This is great fun.

Also, I don't understand how all the records look the same. Is he pressing his own records? Relabeling records? Using a turn table as an input device to control another music source? Synching the video to independent audio? It doesn't really matter, but it seems very intentional and surprising.
posted by eotvos at 4:02 AM on February 22, 2020 [4 favorites]

He's using a midi controller with time-coded vinyl. But in some cases it looks like he's using the original records.
posted by jordantwodelta at 5:11 AM on February 22, 2020 [7 favorites]

This is awesome! Thank you!
posted by Shepherd at 5:42 AM on February 22, 2020

I could do without so much scratching, but otherwise this is great. Thanks!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:17 AM on February 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

The first one with Badfinger and Joe Jackson was striking. The rest? More like mashup material rather than outright copyright infringement, but still, much fun was had listening to these. We even get a Ultimate Spinach sighting in video #6!
posted by NoMich at 6:39 AM on February 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

Some CBC shows have a segment called Distant Cousins. They don't present it like this so it isn't as obvious, nor is there a direct link but there's some youtubes.

And yeah, those Badfinger and Joe Jackson songs are crazy similar!
posted by ashbury at 6:44 AM on February 22, 2020 [4 favorites]

The Earth, Wind and Fire / Lenny Kravitz one was close enough that I was able to guess the second song before it was revealed. But the rest of these were fun surprises.
posted by Navelgazer at 7:07 AM on February 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

I feel like there's also an XTC song that would fit right in with that first pair of Badfinger / Joe Jackson songs.
posted by straight at 8:12 AM on February 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

Hmm, doesn't have the songs in the titles. I wonder if John Mellancamp's ROCK in the USA vs. On the Dark Side by Beaver Brown band is in there somewhere.
posted by smcameron at 8:18 AM on February 22, 2020

Heeeee, #10!
posted by Don Pepino at 8:45 AM on February 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

I have no turntabling talent, but every once in a while when I notice something like this I edit the songs into playing simultaneously. It's fun. (yes this is a check out my soundcloud post, sorry)
posted by a car full of lions at 9:10 AM on February 22, 2020 [4 favorites]

Vol. 9 slaps (and I called the initial mash-up).
posted by merriment at 9:41 AM on February 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

Vol. 9 slaps

I was expecting this after the set-up
posted by thelonius at 9:48 AM on February 22, 2020

sameness aside, I'm struck by how much I immediately prefer one to another -- certainly in the first three cases.

Badfinger are better than Joe Jackson.
Sly + the Family Stone are better than Phil Collins.
Tom Petty's better than Bryan Adams.

So, I wonder what is that we actually love, when we love something in a song?
posted by philip-random at 10:19 AM on February 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

Oh man, these are so good.
posted by cortex at 10:34 AM on February 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

Fast Car and Jack and Diane
posted by sixswitch at 1:31 PM on February 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

Cool! You could definitely add 867-5309 (Jenny) to Vol. 3.
posted by capricorn at 1:37 PM on February 22, 2020

And I'm a Man on Vol 7
posted by capricorn at 1:42 PM on February 22, 2020

capricorn: And I'm a Man on Vol 7

Oops, posted before the video ended!
posted by capricorn at 1:43 PM on February 22, 2020

I’ve always suspected a common lineage between “Heart of Glass” and “Tarzan Boy.”

The intro to “Edge of Seventeen” always tricks me into thinking I’m in for “Bring on the Night” by the Police, and I’m always disappointed.

Thanks for sharing this channel. I’m wild about it!
posted by armeowda at 2:25 PM on February 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

"...but it's not the same baseline. Like, it goes, ding ding ding - diddy ding ding, ding ding ding - diddy ding ding, ding ding ding, that's the way their's goes. Our's goes ding ding ding - diddy ding ding - ding DING ding ding - diddy ding ding."
posted by Wetterschneider at 3:41 PM on February 22, 2020 [10 favorites]

With or Without You vs every second Taylor Swift song. I love breaking in to the chorus with some bad Bono just to annoy my kids.
posted by simra at 4:11 PM on February 22, 2020 [3 favorites]

Fantastic. Can he try three at a time? Like blue oyster cult’s Don’t fear the Reaper with Tom Petty’s Refugee and that Bryan Adams song?
posted by Morpeth at 4:51 PM on February 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

Also#7 could also include Pucho and the Latin Soul Bros “Fried Neckbones”
posted by Morpeth at 5:02 PM on February 22, 2020

I LOVED guessing the next one,, probably had a 40% or so success rate.
Most proud of nailing Panini/In Bloom.... cannot hear the former without thinking of the latter.
posted by wats at 5:53 PM on February 22, 2020

Dude must have raided his dad's record collection.
posted by sjswitzer at 6:52 PM on February 22, 2020

This sounds like a job for 12tone. I'm not that much of a music person, but... if you watch The Vineland Saga (anime, gorey) on Amazon the initial production company's intro has a motorcycle that I swear starts playing Ballroom Blitz as a motorcycle starting up would. Triggers me.

probably explains why I have a ton of mixup/mashup in my music collection. things go together better than alone.
posted by zengargoyle at 8:38 PM on February 22, 2020

I think Panini famously samples In Bloom "accidentally," whatever that means.

I am also extremely confused about why the records look identical
posted by tofu_crouton at 8:43 PM on February 22, 2020

No Satriani vs. Coldplay? I feel robbed.
posted by Chuffy at 10:39 PM on February 22, 2020

I strongly suspect one of the reasons why he's using DVS, while he obviously has an impressive collection of original vinyl, is because it allows him to more easily pitch-match the songs together.
posted by WaylandSmith at 1:35 AM on February 23, 2020 [3 favorites]

If only there was someone out there with the time and the inclination that could cull a Spotify playlist of these....
posted by MorgansAmoebas at 5:15 AM on February 23, 2020

a Spotify playlist of these...

I used to keep just such a playlist for myself, adding to it from time to time when I noticed songs that were similar. I learned that song references in Spotify playlists have a disappointingly short half-life due to something like link-rot. Now the playlist contains a bunch of songs that sounded like another song no longer on the list.
posted by sjswitzer at 8:47 AM on February 23, 2020

Today I learned about time coded vinyl. Thanks!

As someone who knows nothing about the field, I'm curious if there's a reason it's better than just putting a fine rotary encoder on a spinning thing and skipping the vinyl bit. Using analog records and adcs seems like the most complicated possible way to map table position to time. (Which doesn't mean it isn't very cool.) Is there something about using real turntables that makes it better than endlessly reusable fake turntable?
posted by eotvos at 5:35 PM on February 23, 2020 [2 favorites]

"Werewolves of London" + "Sweet Home Alabama" = "Werewolves of 'Bama"
posted by kirkaracha at 6:29 PM on February 23, 2020

Yeah but No.11 is essentially this classic Kenny Dope jam...
posted by prismatic7 at 8:40 PM on February 23, 2020

"Werewolves of London" + "Sweet Home Alabama" = "Werewolves of 'Bama"

Or, y'know, Kid Rock's All Summer Long.
posted by hanov3r at 11:16 AM on February 24, 2020

Sounds like he's modding the pitch & tempo to match them closer, of course. I forget who said (paraphrase): "A lot of songs actually sound like something else. If you happen to write one, just change the key & tempo."
posted by ovvl at 11:53 AM on February 24, 2020