Me too. And there are only a few songs by other bands that sound like songs The Beatles produced. "Lies" (by The Knickerbockers) could have been one of these. But isn't.
My biggest faux pas was the first time I heard the Bee Gees singing "New York Mining Disaster 1941." The second time it wasn't the Beatles but it sure sounded good; IIRC it was their first hit.
Maybe I'm too old, but I already knew almost all of these artists. How could I make such a stupid mistake? Some songs are nice, like that one from Lemon Tree and ELO and Badfinger are okay. @yayorag I never listened toe "Lies" from The Knickerbockers as a Beatles rip-off. I like this song very much. There is a world outside The Beatles (and The Stones).
@@LenQueridoat age 15, Robin Gibb sang "Out of Time" by the Rolling Stones. Mick said he didn't like singing it after that, he said Robin sang it better. And Robin said of Mick "you are playing with fire if you're playing with Mick!" They both had great respect for each other.
@@masonresnick5105 I'll be honest, I've never understood one of the points that people used to make about Calling Occupants. Yes, I'll agree the guitars sound like John and George. The drums are kind of Ringo-ish. But I will NEVER understand why people sometimes say that the singer sounds like Paul. He clearly doesn't. He does a bit more on Sub Rosa Subway, but you can't tell me that the voice on that is the same voice from And I Love Her, Eleanor Rigby, and Get Back.
I never heard of Klaatu until the late seventies when I read Nicholas Shaffner's book "The Beatles Forever" where he spends a couple of paragraphs or so on them. And then it wasn't until the TH-cam era when I actually heard one or two of their songs. To confuse these songs as being by the Beatles, you'd at best have to be only a casual fan.
@@masonresnick5105 I discovered "Calling All Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (the Official Theme Song for 'World Contact Day')" from the Carpenters and was always entertained by how bonkers it was for them. But then I discovered it was a cover and learned more about Klaatu. Of course they got a mention here, but glad they did...
In my opinion, The Knickerbockers' "Lies" is the most beatllesque song ever. They nailed the Lennon-like voice and doubletracked it, composed a lovely middle eight, used the riff from "I want to hold your hand".... I love that song, that would have fitted perfectly in "A Hard Day's Night" 😂 Interesting video, as always th-cam.com/video/gimeFYu29x4/w-d-xo.html
@@kathyhollenbach7413 You're welcome.I'm really glad you liked it! A talented person made an edit of some perfomances of the Beatles to make them look like they are singing the song Have a nice day! th-cam.com/video/jcvTr5s92Ns/w-d-xo.html
I was just going to say where's "Lies" by The Knickerbockers! Another song that sounds a lot like The Beatles (in particular the lead sounds like Lennon) is The Chocolate Watchband's cover of "In The Past"
Yes! _Lies_ deserves to replace at least two of the songs on this video: _California Dreamin'',_ and _The Sound of Silence._ Both of those songs were breakout hits by their respective bands; both debuted in Dec. 1965 if memory serves (the "electrified" version of SoS, that is). I was in college when they came out, and neither I, nor absolutely anybody I knew, confused those with The Beatles. Not even close. The Knickerbockers' 2nd release, _One Track Mind,_ was also very Beatles-confusable. Both songs are very similar to The Beatles' _Run for Your Life,_ which was on (the American release of) Rubber Soul, with which they were contemporaneous. Fred
Klaatu managed (intentionally or not) to sound like the Beatles till the end of their career, in the early 80s. It's a good band, I recommend it to anyone who likes melodic and adventurous music.
Roger that. I would add The Turtles' _Happy Together_ to the "nobody thought it was The Beatles" list. (BTW, the song is _The Sound of Silence;_ the album title is "Sounds of Silence.") Fred
I agree with those that picked "Lies" by 'The Knickerbockers'. Naone of these other picks come close (IMHO). 'ELO' & 'TFF' were able to emulate the sound and writing the best, while still maintaining their originality.
Ah yes, the Pre-Fab Four. The late Neil Innes showed his genius in writing all those songs which were so close to Beatles songs, he had to be warned more than once (usually by McCartney) that he was getting too close for copyright comfort. Ouch! (Help!) and Double back Alley (Penny Lane) were two of the main culprits.
@@nellgwenn Yes, Cheese and Onions is genius. I love the orchestral build up to the finale, just like Day In The Life, then comes the single unsustained note. It gets me every time.
@@gary1961 The music for 'Piggy In The Middle' was almost a complete rip off of the original though. George and John gave their blessings to the parodies, unfortunately they didn't own the music (the rights had been sold by Dick James to Lew Grade's ATV music), and Neil was forced by ATV Music to credit some of the songs to Lennon-McCartney-Innes. . George tried to get Neil some of the rights back from ATV, but it was hard going. However Neil did successfully sue Oasis for "Whatever" which was a ripoff of "How Sweet To Be An Idiot".
@@SuperNevile Wow. I never knew about the Oasis song being like a Neil Innes song. I just checked it out and I can honestly say it is the closest rip-off I've ever heard. Even more so than Robin Thicke / Marvin Gaye.
"Kind of a Drag" came out around start of 1967, and I later heard that some people, anxious for new Beatles material (after Yellow Submarine single and Revolver album), thought it was The Beatles. Soon, the Beatles pulled Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever from their early Sgt. Pepper work and sent them out on back-to-back single.
I have a few tracks here and listened to them for so many Years. They have those tiny Beatles overtones and If You Listen to them the first time, You'd probably think It might be The Fab Four. The Titles: 1. Please Don't feel too bad - The Hollies 2. Cherry Red, In My Own Time, Birdie Told Me, The Ernest of Being George, All of my Life, Barker of The U.F.O, Kitty Can, I Close My eyes > The Bee Gees 3. Hourglass - Squeeze 4. Give It a Try, When I Say, I'll Be the One, Midnight Sun > Badfinger 5. Can't Get You out of my Head, Midnight Blue, Turn to Stone > Electric Light Orchestra 6. I Don't Remember Your Name, Hearts in her Eyes > The Records 7. Sweets for my Sweet, Saturday Night Out, Da Doo Ron Ron > The Searchers 8. I Can't Make up my Mind > The Zombies 9. Your Turn to Cry, Don't Let me Down, I Miss You > The Dave Clark 5 10. All Good Things > Klaatu 11. My Sharona > The Knack 12. Every Little Thing > Jeff Lynne 13. Generals and Majors > XTC 14. Under my Wheels > Alice Cooper (Sounds like John Lennon) 15. True Love Ways > Peter and Gordon ( Half John and Paul and the other half By Buddy Holly ) 16. Sorry Suzanne ( The Hollies with Terry Sylvester ) 17. Stuck in the Middle with You > Stealers Wheel 18. Connection > The Rolling Stones 19. Go All the way > The Raspberries 20. All by Myself > Eric Carmen 21. I Need You> America (Three Part Harmonies) 22. Never Let her Slip Away > Andrew Gold ( Sounds like Paul M.) 23. Mary Mary > The Monkees 24. Tell Me Why > April Wine ( A Bit like McCartney with good back up vocals by Myles Goodwin 25. Wonderwall > Oasis 26. Saltwater > Julian Lennon ( Of course, It's John's Son) 27. All Songs by The Hudson Brothers because Mark and Brett copied Paul and John and Idolized them .................... Vocally 28. Hippy Hippy Shake > The Swinging Bluejeans 29. Like Dreamers Do > The Applejacks ( McCartney and Lennon wrote It ) 30. The Myth > Michael Penn 31. Say It Isn't True > Chad and Jeremy ( There is that sort of John and Paul influence on the Melodic voice blend -------- And many more to mention. Please forgive me for the Long List ! Mike
I don't think ANY of these would be perceived to be performed by The Beatles. The only one close is the track by Klaatu...but it sounds more like a 1970's McCartney solo piece, than a work by The Beatles.
I bought the Klattu album in answer to the rumors when it came out. The guy sounded a little like Paul on that one song. That album also had a song covered by the Carpenters: " Calling occupants of interplanetary craft".
Badfinger and ELO sounded the most like the Beatles. When ELO's 1st album came out I thought it was Paul or John's solo album, but John and Paul hadn't made their solo albums yet. None of the others sounded like the Beatles, however, Sowing the Seeds of Love by Tears for Fears came close. What was great was that I became a big fan of ELO and Tears for Fears and Badfinger.
With the exception of the opening track on ELO's first album, '10538 Overture' there's nothing else on that record to lead you to thinking Paul or John. And given the fact that the album was released in December 1971, US title as 'No Answer', you would already have heard Paul's 'McCartney' issed April 1970 and 'Ram' issued May 1971 and John's 'John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band' issued December 1970 and 'Imagine' issued September 1971. You had heard four solo albums before ELO's first. As for Badfinger sounding like The Beatles? What baloney.
Not baloney! I was just a kid in the 70s, and I totally thought the Badfinger songs on the radio were the Beatles. Of course I only knew those couple songs, and maybe if I heard a whole album, I would probably think otherwise. Knowing more is always better. It's like people saying that all punk sounds the same, or all metal, or all jazz, classical, country, or whatever, but the fans know better.
@@apollomemories7399 I guess you would have had to be there at the time. When "come and get it" was released...there were questions in a lot us us kids' minds.
Two words; Vinyl Kings. Nashville studio wizards, made an album A Little Trip, which was consciously a pastiche of Beatles' sounds and songwriting styles. It's very good. I cried when I first heard it, I so miss the Beatles songs.
Four songs stand out for me ... 1/ Lies - The Knickerbockers. 2/ Anything by The Rutles, of course. 3/ Voices - Cheap Trick and 4/ Sowing The Seeds of Love - Tears for Fears. You can clearly hear both the Lennon and McCartney styled vocals in "Voices" and "Sowing The Seeds of Love". "Sowing The Seeds of Love" definitely has an "I Am The Walrus" themed backing track. Cheers from the Land Down Under.
@mikedavis8008 It is too over produced and over engineered. The Beatles could not have produced anything like that back in the 1960s. Spector did use his "Wall of Sound" technique on "The Long and Winding Road" but he did not have the tools at his disposal that TFF had in 2005. It's more of a modern homage to the mid 1960s Beatles for me.
Who ever thought these songs sound like the beatles must be idiots.. Esp The Mamas and the papa's with 2 female singers... And Simon and Garfunkel.. Have their own unique sound
Badfinger were one of the closest bands that sounded like The Beatles as far as harmonies go. It's really sad how they got screwed by their manager. Rest in Peace Pete Ham and Tom Evans.
I'm glad you mentioned so you are a star by the Hudson Brothers. I was actually going through the comments to see if someone would. The first time I heard that I thought I had found a new Beatles song. Great tune
I'm glad you mentioned Sowing The Seeds Of Love by Tears For Fears. For me, that is the closest ever to sounding like a Beatles song. Don't forget Start! by The Jam. That sounds very similar to Taxman.
Others in the 1960s are: "Lies" by the Knickerbockers, a New York City group in 1965; and "Live" by The Merry Go Round, written and sung in lead vocals by Emmit Rhodes, 1967.
Emmit Rhodes?? He had an album out in early 1970s, and was thus compared to Paul McCartney. Songs on that Emmit Rhodes album included "With My Face on the Floor", "Somebody Made for Me", "Fresh as a Daisy".
@@carlmoore3215 An example of America's desperation to come up with any kind of associative competition. They would have opened an envelope if it could sing.
In 1974 John Lennon revealed his admiration for Electric Light Orchestra: “It’s a nice group,” he said. “I call them Son of Beatles, although they’re doing things that we never did, obviously.” He also compared ‘Showdown’ to one of The Beatles’ most beloved tracks: “I remember the statement they made when they first formed was to carry on from where The Beatles left off with ‘[I Am the] Walrus,’ and they certainly did.”
NONE of those non-Beatles songs were confused with coming from the Fab Four. "Lies" by the Knickerbockers was thought by millions of people to be a Beatles tune.
OK, this comment is NOT about The Beatles, rather Paul ; There is a song released in 1988 by a German band called Freiheit - "Keeping The Dream ALive". They were one hit wonders here in UK, but the song is played lots in December as it is very very Christmassy, even though it is not about Christmas !This song sound EXACTLY like Paul in the 1980s - serach it out on YT !
Badfinger was signed onto Apple Records. A label founded by The Beatles. As the narrator said Come & Get It was written by Paul McCartney. Beatles members produced many of their records. In reference to Jeff Lynne & ELO, John Lennon once called ELO "The sons of The Beatles".
That album came about because a movie being made that was supposed to use Beatles music, but they couldn't get the rights,so they asked Todd, Deface the Music was his answer. They got Beatles rights after all so Utopia released the album
Yes! My top 10 or 11 or 12, if you want! 1. The Roulettes - Bad Time 2. The Kinks - You Do Something to Me 3. The Knickerbockers - Lies 4. Dave Clark Five - Glad All Over 5. Pretty Things - Baron Saturday 6. Kaleidoscope - Dear Nelly Godrich 7. Zombies - Butcher's Tale 8. Pink Floyd - Corporal Clegg 9. John Cale - Paris 1919 10. Pink Floyd - Summer '68 11. Squeeze - Up the Junction 12. Wallace Collection - Daydream But you can add so much songs by hundreds and thousands!!!!
In late 1977, KISS released their album Alive II. On that album is a cover of the Dave Clark Five song, "Any way you Want It". I went back to the original track, and it sounds a lot like early Beatles. Later, when I bought the first KISS album from 1974, I thought the song " Let Me Know" had a lot of the same chord structure as early Beatles music. And a few of the songs on dressed to Kill were structurally similar as we. Gene Simmons has said in various interviews that early KISD was meant to sound like "heavy Beatles".
I remember Gene saying in an interview that he wanted or had asked the Beatles to make a guest appearance singing back up on his 1978 solo album. They never returned his call so he got the guys from the Beatlemania to do it.
Oasis, Wonderwall Album, Stone Temple Pilots "Lady Picture Show", The Blur, "Beetlebum", Cage The Elephant" Cigarettes Day Dreams", The Knack, "My Sharona"
I must be old. Earlier than your picks, the Knickerbockers recorded 'Lies", The two main rock n' roll radio stations announced it as the new Beatles song and for one week had all of NYC fooled. BTW, it's a pretty good song.
Not only do the Knickerbockers sound like the Beatles, "Lies" is even structured like a Beatle song. The middle eight sounds just like John! I had a friend in high school come up to me and ask what I thought of the new Beatles record. I said: "We Can Work It Out" and Day Tripper"? He said, "No, Lies"!! LOL I had to set him straight.
MA BELLE AMIE by the Tee Set. Background vocals sound just like McCartney. Listen to the high part on "Man after him waits here..." No one was confused about Alone Again Naturally being the Beatles, nor Mr. Blue Sky, nor Happy Together, nor California Dreaming, nor Sound of Silence, nor No Matter What, and especially not Imagine. Sowing the Seeds of Love is very much Beatlesque. I think Ma Belle Amie should be added here.
My quick list of sounds like JPG&R songs: Friday on My Mind (Easy Beats), Needles and Pins (The Searchers), Lies (The Knickerbockers), Glad All Over (Dave Clark Five), Last Train to Clarksville (The Monkees), and, for somewhat a stretch, You May Be Right (Billy Joel)
Two others,besides thevFormost song I mentioned:obviously Lies by the Knickerbockers,which is mentioned in the comments,but ALSO:Hold Tight by Dave Dee,Micky ,Beak and Tich from '66.John's double pops up there too("You never call,each time we call",whatever that line is-"Hold Tiiieht,Hold TiiiehtHold Tieieieighhhhhhhhhttt!!!!!"
I never in a month of Sundays ever thought that ELO or Badfinger or anybody else sounded like The Beatles. The only time I can recall having any quizzical doubts was in August 1966 upon first hearing 'Yellow Submarine', because as a near seven-year old (7 in Sept), I wasn't all that familiar with Ringo's voice. I knew the Beatles' sound very well from the many BBC programmes as heard during the previous three years and they'd become imprinted in my mind. I can still remember the feeling listening to these Saturday morning radio shows on the BBC Light Programme on our big old valve radio.
A few of the early Bee Gees songs sound especially "Beatelesque". I'm referring to _New York Mining Disaster 1941_ as well as to the lesser-known _Exit Stage Right_ and _Coalman._
A few other Beatles-sounding songs you should have mentioned are New York Mining Disaster 1941 by the Bee Gees, Good Times Bad Times by Led Zeppelin, Magic by Pilot, and two Paul McCartney songs -- My Brave Face and This One.
Just to be a bit different. ELO's 'Telephone line' sounds a bit like Johns 'Jealous guy' and America's ' Sister golden hair' a bit like Georges 'My sweet lord'
I remember when Sub Rosa Subway came out. Our local DJs were promoting it as a new song by the Beatles and because it sounded like the Beatles of the mid to late 60's everyone believed it. One mid 60's song not on the list that many people thought were the Beatles was called "Because". It was by the Dave Clark Five
Songs that, in some parts, remind me of The Beatles: "Sowing the seeds of love" (Tears for Fears), "You are my love" (Liverpool Express) and "In for a Penny" (Slade).
The Pretty Things had a couple of songs on their album "Parachute", "The Good Mr. Square", and "Grass" that sound very much like Beatles. Emmitt Rhodes as part of The Merry Go Round did ""Live", and then as a solo artist did "Ashamed" and "Live 'til You Die" which sound just like McCartney. When I first heard The Stars on 45 playing through the speakers in a healthclub back in the '80s, I thought someone had very cleverly taken Beatle songs and spliced them together with a disco-style clap track. The instrumental break on "Reflections of My LIfe" by Marmalade sounds exactly like the Beatles. And of course there are The Rutles.
For a channel called Music Box, that was an awful lot of talking. Not enough of each song was played to get a feeling for it sounding Beatle-esque or not :-(
Imagine's piano part reminds me of I Am The walrus which also reminds me of Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue. Thank you for this awesome video. Please make a second one as this first one is great! 😊
Sounds of Silence, California Dreamin', and Happy Together I've never once thought sound like The Beatles. "Lies" by the Fabulous Knickerbockers would be one that definitely does.
Noddy Holder (slade) once regaled how he happened across John Lennon, in a New York Recording Studio. Lennon, apparently upon hearing that Slade were nearby, popped his head thro' a door and said `hey, your that guy who sounds like me' I've always thought that there vocal range would've been comparable, and exchangeable for that matter.
Jeff Lynne of ELO worked with George Harrison on one of his albums, was the producer of Free As A Bird and was in The Travelling Wilburys with Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison. Julian Lennon sounds like his father John. ♥️ Oasis started out as a Beatles tribute band, before changing their name to Oasis and writing their own compositions. Noel Gallagher's music often pays homage to his hero John Lennon and he has worked with Paul McCartney. The best Beatles tribute band is reckoned to be The Bootleg Beatles, who started their career not long after the demise of the real band. By far the best Beatles sound alike is the parody band The Rutles, whose music was created for a comedy film, written by Eric Idle of Monty Python fame and produced by George Harrison's Handmade Films, by the late and brilliant music parody composer Neil Innes. George Harrison appears in the film disguised as a reporter towards the end of the parody band's comedy biography. May I recommend Piggy In The Middle, Ouch! and Cheese And Onions as some of the outstanding tracks. 🤣🎶❤
I would add to that my favorite of the early Pre-Fab boys, "I Must Be in Love." First time I heard that I thought, OMG that's the Beatles. I would actually put it way up there with the real songs of the era.
Lots of people thought, "Lies" by The Knickerbockers was The Beatles. When it finally came out, "In The First Place" by The Remo Four was thought to be The Beatles.
Of course, the Knickerbockers' "Lies" is a prime Beatle soundalike. However, the Bonzo Dog Band's "Don't Get Me Wrong" sounds like John on the chorus and is very Beatleish. Slade's "When Your Light's Turn On" is pure Beatles. Don't forget the Beatle verse in Peter, Paul and Mary's "I Dig Rock and Roll Music" too. The Spongetones from North Carolina. Van Dyke Park's Beatleish arrangement of "The Four Mills Brothers".
Without looking at the video, I can't remember the title but the band was The Knickerbockers. Do You Love me by DC5. I Love You by People (not the original by the Zombies).
There is one song that soungs like The Bealtles, but not mentioned: Lies byThe Knickerbockers and it sounds just like The Beatles. I remember hearing it on the radio for the first time years ago and I thought it was The Beatles.
It was the opposite for me. I thought that "Got to get you into my life" was by Earth Wind and Fire because it sounds so like them only to find out that it was a Beatles original.
as a kid who grew up in 90's, i still remember how lemontree really close enough to the beatles vibe. And i thought it was paul at the first , because in that era, paul still productive released new materials.
I have been listening to these songs songs for the last 45 years and never noticed the mistakes mentioned. It is incredibly though, just how professional the beatles were, when you think of the volume of work produced and these tiny mistakes are all there was.
As an American teenager in the '60s, the only record I recall 'us kids' wondering whether it wasn't really The Beatles was the dual hit 45 'New York Mining Disaster 1941 / I Can't See Nobody' attributed to a new group called the Bee Gees. There was clearly a 'British' accent (we couldn't distinguish between English and Australian), it was a 2-sided hit (typical of only The Beatles at that time), and the group name seemed cheekily like a stunt John, George, Paul, and Ringo would have enjoyed taking part in. I remember even the AM radio deejays saying they weren't sure if the Bee Gees were a real group or The Beatles using an alias. The following is from Wikipedia concerning the 45 - "At the time, rumours circulated that the Bee Gees were The Beatles recording under a pseudonym (the Bee Gees' name was alleged to be code for "Beatles Group"), in part because the record referenced NEMS Enterprises (Brian Epstein's management agency, which had just been joined by Bee Gees' manager Robert Stigwood)... Atco distributed promos with a blank label and the suggestion that it was an English group whose name started with B. Many DJs thought it was a new Beatles song and played the song heavily. "
As for " No Matter What", I already wrote of excerpt "Break down the old gray wall"; change that music excerpt to waltz tempo and get the music of excerpt "Oh how long will it take" from Beatles" late 1964 "Baby's in Black". I never thought "No Matter What" was by the Beatles but was very appreciative of it being Beatles-sounding.
The Turtles? Mommas and Poppas? Simon and Garfunkel? Please. Many caught "Lies by the Knickerbockers, but "New York Mining Disaster 1941" was a BG's tune that sounded like the Beatles.
The perfect illustration of this would be "Dr. Pepper’s Open Heart Club Sandwich" by Mr. Encrypto, involving clips from Buffalo Springfield, Bee Gees, David Bowie, The Kinks, ELO, Deep Purple, and The Rutles which when pieced together sounds like A Day In The Life
I'm glad you had Klaatu and ELO, I would have added Tears for Fears because of their very Beatlesesque Sewing the Seeds of Love but you did at least mention it at the end.. Ps. Klaatu's "Sub-Rosa Subway sounds very much like a McCartney Song and tells the true story of Alfred Ely Beach who built the first Subway in NYC. Cheers!
Lies by the Knickerbockers should absolutely have been in this list. Also Last Train to Clarksville by The Monkees copies the Beatles style (it’s songwriters admitted they wrote it by continuing it from the end of Paperback Writer). Lonely Days by The Bee Gees is very Beatles like, too.
Sowing the Seeds of Love is a song that I always thought sounded la lot ike the Beatles, I'm not exactly sure why, but I felt that way every time I heard it and really enjoyed it. I wasn't so sure about others you commented on, like Sounds of Silence or Happy Together...but that's just me.
I agree on 'Melody Fair' by the Bee Gees sounding like The Beatles and would also add the trio's tunes: 'Morning Of My Life' and 'New York Mining Disaster 1941'.
Two others worth mentioning : Lies by The Knickerbockers (1966) : Not only it perfectly emulates the youthful sound of the Beatles circa 1965, the singer's voice is close to Lennon's. Nice harmonies, great melody and really fun song overall. th-cam.com/video/106px_9OgqI/w-d-xo.html Laugh by the Beau Brummels (1965) : It has this haunted melancholic vibe we hear in Thing We Said Today. Going back and forth between minor and major sections, it's a folk rock composition that wouldn't have sounded out of place on A Hard Day's Night, Help! or even Rubber Soul. th-cam.com/video/doZl80fBYow/w-d-xo.html
A local band here in the Philippines (The Eraserheads: popular in the 90's) had a few songs that if I may say carry the DNA of the some Beatles songs; Fruitcake, Shake Yer Head & Huling El Bimbo (Last El Bimbo). & many more. Feel free to check them up.
Since we're talking about sounding like the "Beatles" , back when the "Beatles" we're still new to the U.S. the "Wyncote" label tried to ripoff Beatles fans with a record titled "Beatlemania in the U.S.A." featuring a group of studio musicians named "The Liverpools" who were trying to do their best to sound like the Beatles , performing Beatles like songs .
What jayorag said about the Knickerbockers (below) is true. "Lies" sounds more like the Beatles than even the Beatles do sometimes. (For years I thought it WAS the Beatles, and couldn't understand why it wasn't on any of their albums.) Other, more recent artists, have worked Beatlesque harmonies and riffs into their songs as deliberate nods to the FF, e.g., Billy Joels "All You Wanna Do Is Dance" th-cam.com/video/jt1ZyoAOfhk/w-d-xo.html mentions the Beatles, and has an added harmony to emphasize the point, and Joe Walsh's "Life of Illusion" th-cam.com/video/VGM43B_kyxk/w-d-xo.html is very Beatlesque throughout. And, no, I never thought Klaatu was, or even sounded like the Beatles, though at least one person tried to convince me it was them. Schmuck.
None of these songs sound like the Beatles, but they forgot about " Lies" by the Knickerbockers, which people were convinced it was the Beatles under an assumed name.
I remember thinking "lonely days" by the bee gees and ringos "it dont come easy" were beatles songs. Of course badfingers "come and get it" sounded like them. McCartney wanted it that way
You omitted songs by The Monkees, who were the American contemporaries to The Beatles, although nowhere nearly as successful: "What Am I Doing Hanging Around" (1967), "Last Train to Clarksville" (1966), and "Valarie" (1967). Also, "God Only Knows" (1966) by The Beach Boys.
"God Only Knows" was part of Pet Sounds LP, which album led to misgivings by the Beach Boys other than Brian Wilson. Brian Wilson was influenced by the Beatles "Rubber Soul" LP, and the question of which version of "Rubber Soul" (U.S. or British) he had was put forward by me on Wikipedia and elsewhere on TH-cam. But that's getting off-topic here, because I never confused Pet Sounds with Beatles records.
This included songs like California Dreamin', which nobody in their right mind could confuse with the Beatles. it didn't include Lenny Kravitz' "I build this garden for us", which sounds like a mix between "I am the Walrus' and "Eleanor Rigby' to everyone I've played the the song for.
You need to add to the list "break it all" by Los Shakers, an uruguayan band from.those times. In despite of the accent, it sounds like an early Beatles song. Look at it!! The Fattoruso brothers developed later as excellent players and musicians. Hugo is very well known in the latin jazz scene until today.
Badfinger members have played with all 4 Beatles. ELO, 10cc, BADFINGER and Splinter sound very much like the Beatles and members of those 4 bands have been featured on Solo Beatles songs. This is why John, Paul, George and Ringo had them on their records. So, there you go, folks!
True, a lot of the initial British invasion groups sounded much alike, tho they weren't copying the Beatles, it was just the British sound of that time.
The Dave Clark Five sounded nothing like the Beatles. They were a stomping sound closer to early 60s bands and had a saxophone. Mike Smith was the main vocalist while the Beatles had three and even occasionally Ringo.
A first draft of Imagine had been recorded by John Lennon during the Get Back / Let It Be sessions ... It's present on the Nacked version of Let it be.
Pure nonsense. The only material of the ten that had me wondering, certainly not nearly convinced, was material by Klaatu. Then again, I was about 27 then and attribute it to a lack of sophistication and experience on my part. I had to laugh with your inclusion of ‘Sounds of Silence’. Do you not know that the popular version of ‘The Sounds of Silence’ was the second release of that song, exactly the same as the first release of it, on the all-acoustic Simon & Garfunkel album, ‘Wednesday Morning 3 AM’ ? The difference, attributable to Tom Wilson (who produced two of Dylan’s greatest albums), is the instrumental track with electric guitars, drums, etc. which takes ‘Sounds…’ from the ethereal to the ridiculous. Paul Simon had a fit when he first heard it. One thing is for sure: had the song been left as it was, people who could not decide if it was Beatles a number would never have even conjured such a comparison. I’m not convinced that nearly all of the songs you presented were widespread in having been confused with The Beatles. The matter comes down to the essential reality that no one but The Beatles sounded like the Beatles. Serious Beatles fans never listened to a newly-released Beatles albums and greeted it with something like ‘that’s not them’.
I've always had one. Never thought it was The Beatles, just because I knew what it is. But the first time I heard it gave me goosebumps. It's an early Pink Floyd song. According to wikipedia, the lead singer is Roger Waters, although I've never heard him sound like that anywhere else. And if I didn't know what it is I would bet it's Paul McCartney or The Wings. I am surprised that in the comments below the song no one mentions the similarity. What do you think? th-cam.com/video/gvCNJdUExts/w-d-xo.html
Missed one: just before McCartney's first solo release Emitt Rhodes released his 1st album. Many thought it was McCartney. Try "Fresh As A Daisy" or "She's such a Beauty"
The only songs that really sounded like The Beatles were Lies by The Knickerbockers and Because by The Dave Clark Five. Everyone has their own sound. If they don't, they never get noticed. Klaatu was a band that tried to sound like the Sgt. Pepper Beatles and did very well at it but never really made it as big as they should have.
I grew up with the Beatles, and I never confused California Dreaming with the Beatles
Nobody did. They did all those TV shows for crying out loud.
lord no..i knew that totally.
No one ever did. Happy Together, either. Mr. Blue Sky-- maybe, and that was intentional.
Me too. And there are only a few songs by other bands that sound like songs The Beatles produced. "Lies" (by The Knickerbockers) could have been one of these. But isn't.
My biggest faux pas was the first time I heard the Bee Gees singing "New York Mining Disaster 1941." The second time it wasn't the Beatles but it sure sounded good; IIRC it was their first hit.
None of those songs sound like the Beatles to me. I can see style similarities, but I'd never assume it was the beatles.
Maybe I'm too old, but I already knew almost all of these artists. How could I make such a stupid mistake? Some songs are nice, like that one from Lemon Tree and ELO and Badfinger are okay. @yayorag I never listened toe "Lies" from The Knickerbockers as a Beatles rip-off. I like this song very much. There is a world outside The Beatles (and The Stones).
Exactly!Way too far..
@@LenQueridoat age 15, Robin Gibb sang "Out of Time" by the Rolling Stones. Mick said he didn't like singing it after that, he said Robin sang it better. And Robin said of Mick "you are playing with fire if you're playing with Mick!" They both had great respect for each other.
@@mixaliskokkinos1496precisely.
I agree.
So glad to see klaatu get some recognition, you don’t see them come up often
Surprising Sub-Rosa Subway was the choice when all the buzz (as I recall) was for "Calling Occupants." But yes, good that Klaatu is mentioned.
@@masonresnick5105 I'll be honest, I've never understood one of the points that people used to make about Calling Occupants. Yes, I'll agree the guitars sound like John and George. The drums are kind of Ringo-ish. But I will NEVER understand why people sometimes say that the singer sounds like Paul. He clearly doesn't. He does a bit more on Sub Rosa Subway, but you can't tell me that the voice on that is the same voice from And I Love Her, Eleanor Rigby, and Get Back.
I never heard of Klaatu until the late seventies when I read Nicholas Shaffner's book "The Beatles Forever" where he spends a couple of paragraphs or so on them. And then it wasn't until the TH-cam era when I actually heard one or two of their songs. To confuse these songs as being by the Beatles, you'd at best have to be only a casual fan.
@@masonresnick5105 I discovered "Calling All Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (the Official Theme Song for 'World Contact Day')" from the Carpenters and was always entertained by how bonkers it was for them. But then I discovered it was a cover and learned more about Klaatu. Of course they got a mention here, but glad they did...
No one thought the Turtles sounded like the Beatles 😅
Or the Mamas and Papas.
In my opinion, The Knickerbockers' "Lies" is the most beatllesque song ever. They nailed the Lennon-like voice and doubletracked it, composed a lovely middle eight, used the riff from "I want to hold your hand".... I love that song, that would have fitted perfectly in "A Hard Day's Night" 😂 Interesting video, as always
th-cam.com/video/gimeFYu29x4/w-d-xo.html
@jayor...thanks for the link. They do sound just like the Beatles!!!
100 pct correct..the only one to really sound like the Beatles..the Lennon voice is dead on..plus the scream in the background sound like McCartney.
@@kathyhollenbach7413 You're welcome.I'm really glad you liked it! A talented person made an edit of some perfomances of the Beatles to make them look like they are singing the song
Have a nice day!
th-cam.com/video/jcvTr5s92Ns/w-d-xo.html
I was just going to say where's "Lies" by The Knickerbockers! Another song that sounds a lot like The Beatles (in particular the lead sounds like Lennon) is The Chocolate Watchband's cover of "In The Past"
Yes! _Lies_ deserves to replace at least two of the songs on this video: _California Dreamin'',_ and _The Sound of Silence._
Both of those songs were breakout hits by their respective bands; both debuted in Dec. 1965 if memory serves (the "electrified" version of SoS, that is).
I was in college when they came out, and neither I, nor absolutely anybody I knew, confused those with The Beatles. Not even close.
The Knickerbockers' 2nd release, _One Track Mind,_ was also very Beatles-confusable.
Both songs are very similar to The Beatles' _Run for Your Life,_ which was on (the American release of) Rubber Soul, with which they were contemporaneous.
Fred
I’m surprised that you didn’t mention The Knickerbockers single “Lies” in this one.
That’s the first song I thought of. It sounds just like a John song.
@@deanevangelista6359 That's the only one I ever mistook for the Beatles other than Admiral Halsey which is I guess a de facto Beatles song
_Lies_ and The Knickerbockers' second single, _One Track Mind,_ both sound, to me, very similar to _Run for Your Life_ from Rubber Soul.
Fred
Oh, I shouldn't admit this. I'm in my 60's, and up until today I thought Lies was done by The Beatles.
Until very recently I thought it was the Beatles and John was singing lead vocals.
Klaatu managed (intentionally or not) to sound like the Beatles till the end of their career, in the early 80s. It's a good band, I recommend it to anyone who likes melodic and adventurous music.
No one in the '60s thought "The Sounds of Silence" or "California Dreamin" sounded like the Beatles. This is total BS. Emitt Rhodes sounds like Paul.
Roger that. I would add The Turtles' _Happy Together_ to the "nobody thought it was The Beatles" list.
(BTW, the song is _The Sound of Silence;_ the album title is "Sounds of Silence.")
Fred
I was hoping I wasn't the only one who remembered Rhodes.
I agree with those that picked "Lies" by 'The Knickerbockers'. Naone of these other picks come close (IMHO). 'ELO' & 'TFF' were able to emulate the sound and writing the best, while still maintaining their originality.
The Rutles sound track was amazing. Though a spoof they caught the style and sound.
Ah yes, the Pre-Fab Four. The late Neil Innes showed his genius in writing all those songs which were so close to Beatles songs, he had to be warned more than once (usually by McCartney) that he was getting too close for copyright comfort.
Ouch! (Help!) and Double back Alley (Penny Lane) were two of the main culprits.
I never thought any of the songs listed were Beatles tunes.
The Rutles however were spot on. Especially Cheese and Onions.
And those trousers.
@@nellgwenn Yes, Cheese and Onions is genius. I love the orchestral build up to the finale, just like Day In The Life, then comes the single unsustained note. It gets me every time.
@@gary1961 The music for 'Piggy In The Middle' was almost a complete rip off of the original though. George and John gave their blessings to the parodies, unfortunately they didn't own the music (the rights had been sold by Dick James to Lew Grade's ATV music), and Neil was forced by ATV Music to credit some of the songs to Lennon-McCartney-Innes. . George tried to get Neil some of the rights back from ATV, but it was hard going. However Neil did successfully sue Oasis for "Whatever" which was a ripoff of "How Sweet To Be An Idiot".
@@SuperNevile Wow. I never knew about the Oasis song being like a Neil Innes song. I just checked it out and I can honestly say it is the closest rip-off I've ever heard. Even more so than Robin Thicke / Marvin Gaye.
As someone who was a teenager in the 60s I don't recall any confusion as to which were Beatles songs and which weren't.
Yeah, except for the songs Because and Lies
@@terryworth7 Perhaps not. Some of us British fans were absolutely clued up.
"Kind of a Drag" came out around start of 1967, and I later heard that some people, anxious for new Beatles material (after Yellow Submarine single and Revolver album), thought it was The Beatles. Soon, the Beatles pulled Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever from their early Sgt. Pepper work and sent them out on back-to-back single.
@@carlmoore3215 It was George Martin's decision to release Penny/Strawberry.
It's only people born 1970's and later that would be confused.
I remember Lies by the Knickerbockers of late 1965 was very Beatlesque.
And so was their second release, _One Track Mind._
To me they both sound a lot like _Run for Your Life_ on Rubber Soul.
Fred
Mind blown! I always thought that was the Beatles!
I have a few tracks here and listened to them for so many Years. They have those tiny Beatles overtones and If You Listen to them the first time, You'd probably think It might be The Fab Four. The Titles: 1. Please Don't feel too bad - The Hollies 2. Cherry Red, In My Own Time, Birdie Told Me, The Ernest of Being George, All of my Life, Barker of The U.F.O, Kitty Can, I Close My eyes > The Bee Gees 3. Hourglass - Squeeze 4. Give It a Try, When I Say, I'll Be the One, Midnight Sun > Badfinger 5. Can't Get You out of my Head, Midnight Blue, Turn to Stone > Electric Light Orchestra 6. I Don't Remember Your Name, Hearts in her Eyes > The Records 7. Sweets for my Sweet, Saturday Night Out, Da Doo Ron Ron > The Searchers 8. I Can't Make up my Mind > The Zombies 9. Your Turn to Cry, Don't Let me Down, I Miss You > The Dave Clark 5 10. All Good Things > Klaatu 11. My Sharona > The Knack 12. Every Little Thing > Jeff Lynne 13. Generals and Majors > XTC 14. Under my Wheels > Alice Cooper (Sounds like John Lennon) 15. True Love Ways > Peter and Gordon ( Half John and Paul and the other half By Buddy Holly ) 16. Sorry Suzanne ( The Hollies with Terry Sylvester ) 17. Stuck in the Middle with You > Stealers Wheel 18. Connection > The Rolling Stones 19. Go All the way > The Raspberries 20. All by Myself > Eric Carmen 21. I Need You> America (Three Part Harmonies) 22. Never Let her Slip Away > Andrew Gold ( Sounds like Paul M.) 23. Mary Mary > The Monkees 24. Tell Me Why > April Wine ( A Bit like McCartney with good back up vocals by Myles Goodwin 25. Wonderwall > Oasis 26. Saltwater > Julian Lennon ( Of course, It's John's Son) 27. All Songs by The Hudson Brothers because Mark and Brett copied Paul and John and Idolized them .................... Vocally 28. Hippy Hippy Shake > The Swinging Bluejeans 29. Like Dreamers Do > The Applejacks ( McCartney and Lennon wrote It ) 30. The Myth > Michael Penn 31. Say It Isn't True > Chad and Jeremy ( There is that sort of John and Paul influence on the Melodic voice blend -------- And many more to mention. Please forgive me for the Long List ! Mike
aw that's very nice, Mike, thank you -- better than the video's choices by far
I don't think ANY of these would be perceived to be performed by The Beatles. The only one close is the track by Klaatu...but it sounds more like a 1970's McCartney solo piece, than a work by The Beatles.
I bought the Klattu album in answer to the rumors when it came out. The guy sounded a little like Paul on that one song. That album also had a song covered by the Carpenters: " Calling occupants of interplanetary craft".
Badfinger and ELO sounded the most like the Beatles. When ELO's 1st album came out I thought it was Paul or John's solo album, but John and Paul hadn't made their solo albums yet. None of the others sounded like the Beatles, however, Sowing the Seeds of Love by Tears for Fears came close. What was great was that I became a big fan of ELO and Tears for Fears and Badfinger.
Kathy...those have been my thoughts for decades.
The one song that had me guessing for a time because it sounded like John Lennon singing was "Hold On Tight To Your Dreams" by ELO.
With the exception of the opening track on ELO's first album, '10538 Overture' there's nothing else on that record to lead you to thinking Paul or John. And given the fact that the album was released in December 1971, US title as 'No Answer', you would already have heard Paul's 'McCartney' issed April 1970 and 'Ram' issued May 1971 and John's 'John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band' issued December 1970 and 'Imagine' issued September 1971.
You had heard four solo albums before ELO's first. As for Badfinger sounding like The Beatles? What baloney.
Not baloney! I was just a kid in the 70s, and I totally thought the Badfinger songs on the radio were the Beatles. Of course I only knew those couple songs, and maybe if I heard a whole album, I would probably think otherwise.
Knowing more is always better. It's like people saying that all punk sounds the same, or all metal, or all jazz, classical, country, or whatever, but the fans know better.
@@apollomemories7399 I guess you would have had to be there at the time. When "come and get it" was released...there were questions in a lot us us kids' minds.
Two words; Vinyl Kings. Nashville studio wizards, made an album A Little Trip, which was consciously a pastiche of Beatles' sounds and songwriting styles. It's very good. I cried when I first heard it, I so miss the Beatles songs.
I just found vinyl kings on Spotify. And you’re right, it’s a nice listen. Thanks.
Thanks, just started listening, so far so good!
Four songs stand out for me ... 1/ Lies - The Knickerbockers. 2/ Anything by The Rutles, of course. 3/ Voices - Cheap Trick and 4/ Sowing The Seeds of Love - Tears for Fears.
You can clearly hear both the Lennon and McCartney styled vocals in "Voices" and "Sowing The Seeds of Love". "Sowing The Seeds of Love" definitely has an "I Am The Walrus" themed backing track. Cheers from the Land Down Under.
@mikedavis8008 It is too over produced and over engineered. The Beatles could not have produced anything like that back in the 1960s. Spector did use his "Wall of Sound" technique on "The Long and Winding Road" but he did not have the tools at his disposal that TFF had in 2005. It's more of a modern homage to the mid 1960s Beatles for me.
You forgot "Day After Day" by Badfinger. When I first heard it I thought that was Paul.
Who ever thought these songs sound like the beatles must be idiots.. Esp The Mamas and the papa's with 2 female singers... And Simon and Garfunkel.. Have their own unique sound
The Beatles actually recorded a demo of Come And Get It that was later included on the Anthology album.
That was just Paul, not the Beatles on the demo. Tom Evans told me this about a year before he died.
Yes luv that's right.
Badfinger were one of the closest bands that sounded like The Beatles as far as harmonies go. It's really sad how they got screwed by their manager. Rest in Peace Pete Ham and Tom Evans.
Well, Paul did.
And Mike Gibbins @@ludwigfan3013
Oasis - "Don't Look Back In Anger" has Beatles written all over it. Great song!
Nah, oasis-those swollen hand blues
1974's "So You Are a Star" by the Hudson Brothers has a very Beatles-like sound IMO.
Mark Hudson always puts a British accent into his vocals.
Hey, how about "Glad All Over" (Dave Clark Five)?
@@ritam9132 ... Also, Many casual music listeners tend to think the song 'Because' by The Dave Clark Five, is a Beatles song.
I'm glad you mentioned so you are a star by the Hudson Brothers. I was actually going through the comments to see if someone would. The first time I heard that I thought I had found a new Beatles song. Great tune
I'm glad you mentioned Sowing The Seeds Of Love by Tears For Fears. For me, that is the closest ever to sounding like a Beatles song.
Don't forget Start! by The Jam. That sounds very similar to Taxman.
I'm not a musician but Sowing the Seeds of Love has me imagining George Martin's arrangement on Penny Lane
XTC or Dukes of stratosphere?
Others in the 1960s are: "Lies" by the Knickerbockers, a New York City group in 1965; and "Live" by The Merry Go Round, written and sung in lead vocals by Emmit Rhodes, 1967.
The Merry-Go-Round vocals are not even close to The Beatles.
@@apollomemories7399 Ha! To you maybe.
Emmit Rhodes?? He had an album out in early 1970s, and was thus compared to Paul McCartney. Songs on that Emmit Rhodes album included "With My Face on the Floor", "Somebody Made for Me", "Fresh as a Daisy".
@@carlmoore3215 An example of America's desperation to come up with any kind of associative competition. They would have opened an envelope if it could sing.
"Listen" sounds like a lost track from Sgt. Pepper's lonely Hearts Club Band.
I'll agree with you about one thing, on each solo album I heard from those guys, I was waiting for the song that sounded like The Beatles.
I just listened to Lemon Tree. The vocal doesn't sound like Paul, it sounds like Sting.
In 1974 John Lennon revealed his admiration for Electric Light Orchestra: “It’s a nice group,” he said. “I call them Son of Beatles, although they’re doing things that we never did, obviously.” He also compared ‘Showdown’ to one of The Beatles’ most beloved tracks: “I remember the statement they made when they first formed was to carry on from where The Beatles left off with ‘[I Am the] Walrus,’ and they certainly did.”
Listen to '(Just Like) Starting Over' (1980) by Lennon to hear perfect ELO backing vocals.
NONE of those non-Beatles songs were confused with coming from the Fab Four. "Lies" by the Knickerbockers was thought by millions of people to be a Beatles tune.
OK, this comment is NOT about The Beatles, rather Paul ; There is a song released in 1988 by a German band called Freiheit - "Keeping The Dream ALive". They were one hit wonders here in UK, but the song is played lots in December as it is very very Christmassy, even though it is not about Christmas !This song sound EXACTLY like Paul in the 1980s - serach it out on YT !
Badfinger was signed onto Apple Records. A label founded by The Beatles. As the narrator said Come & Get It was written by Paul McCartney. Beatles members produced many of their records. In reference to Jeff Lynne & ELO, John Lennon once called ELO "The sons of The Beatles".
Todd Rundgren & Utopia did a Beatles pastiche album called "Deface the Music" that's great to listen to.
Great album, all songs copying the different Beatles styles.
That album came about because a movie being made that was supposed to use Beatles music, but they couldn't get the rights,so they asked Todd, Deface the Music was his answer. They got Beatles rights after all so Utopia released the album
Oh yeah! Love that record!
Yes!
My top 10 or 11 or 12, if you want!
1. The Roulettes - Bad Time
2. The Kinks - You Do Something to Me
3. The Knickerbockers - Lies
4. Dave Clark Five - Glad All Over
5. Pretty Things - Baron Saturday
6. Kaleidoscope - Dear Nelly Godrich
7. Zombies - Butcher's Tale
8. Pink Floyd - Corporal Clegg
9. John Cale - Paris 1919
10. Pink Floyd - Summer '68
11. Squeeze - Up the Junction
12. Wallace Collection - Daydream
But you can add so much songs by hundreds and thousands!!!!
NOBODY thinks Imagine is a Beatles song!
Imagine is actually a Yoko Ono song. Lennon credits Yoko with the inspiration for that song and she wrote most of the lyrics.
I never confused Imagine as a Beatles song but so many people truly do.
Day after day by badfinger the most beatle sounding song ever.
Hey you might enjoy a band called the Doublejumps if you like music like The Beatles and Badfinger
@mikedavis8008 Julian Lennon singing Johnny B. Goode with Chuck Berry live sounds the most like the Beatles. Chuck said, "Don't he sound like his pa"?
In late 1977, KISS released their album Alive II. On that album is a cover of the Dave Clark Five song, "Any way you Want It". I went back to the original track, and it sounds a lot like early Beatles.
Later, when I bought the first KISS album from 1974, I thought the song " Let Me Know" had a lot of the same chord structure as early Beatles music.
And a few of the songs on dressed to Kill were structurally similar as we.
Gene Simmons has said in various interviews that early KISD was meant to sound like "heavy Beatles".
I remember Gene saying in an interview that he wanted or had asked the Beatles to make a guest appearance singing back up on his 1978 solo album. They never returned his call so he got the guys from the Beatlemania to do it.
"Glad All Over" sounds much more like the Beatles than any other DC5 song.
@@sd31263 So does the song "Because" by Dave clark5.
Oasis, Wonderwall Album, Stone Temple Pilots "Lady Picture Show", The Blur, "Beetlebum", Cage The Elephant" Cigarettes Day Dreams", The Knack, "My Sharona"
I must be old. Earlier than your picks, the Knickerbockers recorded 'Lies", The two main rock n' roll radio stations announced it as the new Beatles song and for one week had all of NYC fooled. BTW, it's a pretty good song.
Not only do the Knickerbockers sound like the Beatles, "Lies" is even structured like a Beatle song. The middle eight sounds just like John! I had a friend in high school come up to me and ask what I thought of the new Beatles record. I said: "We Can Work It Out" and Day Tripper"? He said, "No, Lies"!! LOL I had to set him straight.
MA BELLE AMIE by the Tee Set. Background vocals sound just like McCartney. Listen to the high part on "Man after him waits here..." No one was confused about Alone Again Naturally being the Beatles, nor Mr. Blue Sky, nor Happy Together, nor California Dreaming, nor Sound of Silence, nor No Matter What, and especially not Imagine. Sowing the Seeds of Love is very much Beatlesque. I think Ma Belle Amie should be added here.
My quick list of sounds like JPG&R songs: Friday on My Mind (Easy Beats), Needles and Pins (The Searchers), Lies (The Knickerbockers), Glad All Over (Dave Clark Five), Last Train to Clarksville (The Monkees), and, for somewhat a stretch, You May Be Right (Billy Joel)
Two others,besides thevFormost song I mentioned:obviously Lies by the Knickerbockers,which is mentioned in the comments,but ALSO:Hold Tight by Dave Dee,Micky ,Beak and Tich from '66.John's double pops up there too("You never call,each time we call",whatever that line is-"Hold Tiiieht,Hold TiiiehtHold Tieieieighhhhhhhhhttt!!!!!"
I never in a month of Sundays ever thought that ELO or Badfinger or anybody else sounded like The Beatles. The only time I can recall having any quizzical doubts was in August 1966 upon first hearing 'Yellow Submarine', because as a near seven-year old (7 in Sept), I wasn't all that familiar with Ringo's voice. I knew the Beatles' sound very well from the many BBC programmes as heard during the previous three years and they'd become imprinted in my mind. I can still remember the feeling listening to these Saturday morning radio shows on the BBC Light Programme on our big old valve radio.
A few of the early Bee Gees songs sound especially "Beatelesque". I'm referring to _New York Mining Disaster 1941_ as well as to the lesser-known _Exit Stage Right_ and _Coalman._
I think Lonely Days sounds very much like a Beatles hit..
@@pennymcneela7095 Yes, I quite agree.
@@pennymcneela7095 Very much agree with you
A few other Beatles-sounding songs you should have mentioned are New York Mining Disaster 1941 by the Bee Gees, Good Times Bad Times by Led Zeppelin, Magic by Pilot, and two Paul McCartney songs -- My Brave Face and This One.
Elvis Constello's "Veronica' as well...
And don't forget Doris Day's Que Sera, Sera . Lol. I have never confused any of the songs listed here with Beatles songs.
LOL! Too funny! Well done.
Just to be a bit different. ELO's 'Telephone line' sounds a bit like Johns 'Jealous guy' and America's ' Sister golden hair' a bit like Georges 'My sweet lord'
I remember when Sub Rosa Subway came out. Our local DJs were promoting it as a new song by the Beatles and because it sounded like the Beatles of the mid to late 60's everyone believed it. One mid 60's song not on the list that many people thought were the Beatles was called "Because". It was by the Dave Clark Five
Very few of these songs could actually be mistaken for The Beatles. But I did get into Klaatu partly because of all the rumors. I love that band!
I never heard of anyone claiming the Turtles or the Mamas and Papas had anything that sounded Beatles. S & G as well.
Songs that, in some parts, remind me of The Beatles: "Sowing the seeds of love" (Tears for Fears), "You are my love" (Liverpool Express) and "In for a Penny" (Slade).
The Pretty Things had a couple of songs on their album "Parachute", "The Good Mr. Square", and "Grass" that sound very much like Beatles. Emmitt Rhodes as part of The Merry Go Round did ""Live", and then as a solo artist did "Ashamed" and "Live 'til You Die" which sound just like McCartney. When I first heard The Stars on 45 playing through the speakers in a healthclub back in the '80s, I thought someone had very cleverly taken Beatle songs and spliced them together with a disco-style clap track. The instrumental break on "Reflections of My LIfe" by Marmalade sounds exactly like the Beatles. And of course there are The Rutles.
For a channel called Music Box, that was an awful lot of talking. Not enough of each song was played to get a feeling for it sounding Beatle-esque or not :-(
Imagine's piano part reminds me of I Am The walrus which also reminds me of Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue. Thank you for this awesome video. Please make a second one as this first one is great! 😊
Sounds of Silence, California Dreamin', and Happy Together I've never once thought sound like The Beatles. "Lies" by the Fabulous Knickerbockers would be one that definitely does.
Jasmin is a hidden gem - thanks! Its on Spotify!
Noddy Holder (slade) once regaled how he happened across John Lennon, in a New York Recording Studio. Lennon, apparently upon hearing that Slade were nearby, popped his head thro' a door and said `hey, your that guy who sounds like me' I've always thought that there vocal range would've been comparable, and exchangeable for that matter.
I've always thought so too that Noddy and John had similar voices - that leather tonsil sound!
Jeff Lynne of ELO worked with George Harrison on one of his albums, was the producer of Free As A Bird and was in The Travelling Wilburys with Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison.
Julian Lennon sounds like his father John. ♥️
Oasis started out as a Beatles tribute band, before changing their name to Oasis and writing their own compositions. Noel Gallagher's music often pays homage to his hero John Lennon and he has worked with Paul McCartney.
The best Beatles tribute band is reckoned to be The Bootleg Beatles, who started their career not long after the demise of the real band.
By far the best Beatles sound alike is the parody band The Rutles, whose music was created for a comedy film, written by Eric Idle of Monty Python fame and produced by George Harrison's Handmade Films, by the late and brilliant music parody composer Neil Innes. George Harrison appears in the film disguised as a reporter towards the end of the parody band's comedy biography. May I recommend Piggy In The Middle, Ouch! and Cheese And Onions as some of the outstanding tracks. 🤣🎶❤
I would add to that my favorite of the early Pre-Fab boys, "I Must Be in Love." First time I heard that I thought, OMG that's the Beatles. I would actually put it way up there with the real songs of the era.
Lots of people thought, "Lies" by The Knickerbockers was The Beatles.
When it finally came out, "In The First Place" by The Remo Four was thought to be The Beatles.
Of course, the Knickerbockers' "Lies" is a prime Beatle soundalike. However, the Bonzo Dog Band's "Don't Get Me Wrong" sounds like John on the chorus and is very Beatleish. Slade's "When Your Light's Turn On" is pure Beatles. Don't forget the Beatle verse in Peter, Paul and Mary's "I Dig Rock and Roll Music" too. The Spongetones from North Carolina. Van Dyke Park's Beatleish arrangement of "The Four Mills Brothers".
Peter and Gordon 1964 "A world without you" written by Paul McCartney.
That was 'A World Without Love'
LIES by the Knickerbockers is my choice as the number one song sounding like a Beatle song from the early 60's.
For years I thought 'Because' (1964) was The Beatles, but it was actually by The Dave Clark Five.
Without looking at the video, I can't remember the title but the band was The Knickerbockers. Do You Love me by DC5. I Love You by People (not the original by the Zombies).
There is one song that soungs like The Bealtles, but not mentioned: Lies byThe Knickerbockers and it sounds just like The Beatles. I remember hearing it on the radio for the first time years ago and I thought it was The Beatles.
“Lies” by the Knickerbockers sounds exactly exactly like early Beatles. Much more than most songs cited here.
It was the opposite for me. I thought that "Got to get you into my life" was by Earth Wind and Fire because it sounds so like them only to find out that it was a Beatles original.
as a kid who grew up in 90's, i still remember how lemontree really close enough to the beatles vibe. And i thought it was paul at the first , because in that era, paul still productive released new materials.
I have been listening to these songs songs for the last 45 years and never noticed the mistakes mentioned. It is incredibly though, just how professional the beatles were, when you think of the volume of work produced and these tiny mistakes are all there was.
As an American teenager in the '60s, the only record I recall 'us kids' wondering whether it wasn't really The Beatles was the dual hit 45 'New York Mining Disaster 1941 / I Can't See Nobody' attributed to a new group called the Bee Gees. There was clearly a 'British' accent (we couldn't distinguish between English and Australian), it was a 2-sided hit (typical of only The Beatles at that time), and the group name seemed cheekily like a stunt John, George, Paul, and Ringo would have enjoyed taking part in. I remember even the AM radio deejays saying they weren't sure if the Bee Gees were a real group or The Beatles using an alias. The following is from Wikipedia concerning the 45 - "At the time, rumours circulated that the Bee Gees were The Beatles recording under a pseudonym (the Bee Gees' name was alleged to be code for "Beatles Group"), in part because the record referenced NEMS Enterprises (Brian Epstein's management agency, which had just been joined by Bee Gees' manager Robert Stigwood)... Atco distributed promos with a blank label and the suggestion that it was an English group whose name started with B. Many DJs thought it was a new Beatles song and played the song heavily. "
That's exactly how I remember it, too. We were sure that was the Beatles.
Badfinger's "No Matter What" was their most "Beatlesque" song, structure-wise.
Day After Day is the one that fooled me.
As for " No Matter What", I already wrote of excerpt "Break down the old gray wall"; change that music excerpt to waltz tempo and get the music of excerpt "Oh how long will it take" from Beatles" late 1964 "Baby's in Black". I never thought "No Matter What" was by the Beatles but was very appreciative of it being Beatles-sounding.
George Harrison actually played slide guitar on that one. @@wangobadankas4038
The Turtles? Mommas and Poppas? Simon and Garfunkel? Please.
Many caught "Lies by the Knickerbockers, but "New York Mining Disaster 1941" was a BG's tune that sounded like the Beatles.
The perfect illustration of this would be "Dr. Pepper’s Open Heart Club Sandwich" by Mr. Encrypto, involving clips from Buffalo Springfield, Bee Gees, David Bowie, The Kinks, ELO, Deep Purple, and The Rutles which when pieced together sounds like A Day In The Life
I'm glad you had Klaatu and ELO, I would have added Tears for Fears because of their very Beatlesesque Sewing the Seeds of Love but you did at least mention it at the end.. Ps. Klaatu's "Sub-Rosa Subway sounds very much like a McCartney Song and tells the true story of Alfred Ely Beach who built the first Subway in NYC. Cheers!
Imagine making a video about songs that sound like The Beatles, but not including the actual songs that sound like The Beatles in the video !!!!
Lies by the Knickerbockers should absolutely have been in this list. Also Last Train to Clarksville by The Monkees copies the Beatles style (it’s songwriters admitted they wrote it by continuing it from the end of Paperback Writer). Lonely Days by The Bee Gees is very Beatles like, too.
Badfinger were on Apple, produced by Macca and some of their songs such as Come and Get It were L-Mc
Sowing the Seeds of Love is a song that I always thought sounded la lot ike the Beatles, I'm not exactly sure why, but I felt that way every time I heard it and really enjoyed it. I wasn't so sure about others you commented on, like Sounds of Silence or Happy Together...but that's just me.
I agree on 'Melody Fair' by the Bee Gees sounding like The Beatles and would also add the trio's tunes: 'Morning Of My Life' and 'New York Mining Disaster 1941'.
Two others worth mentioning :
Lies by The Knickerbockers (1966) :
Not only it perfectly emulates the youthful sound of the Beatles circa 1965, the singer's voice is close to Lennon's. Nice harmonies, great melody and really fun song overall.
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Laugh by the Beau Brummels (1965) :
It has this haunted melancholic vibe we hear in Thing We Said Today. Going back and forth between minor and major sections, it's a folk rock composition that wouldn't have sounded out of place on A Hard Day's Night, Help! or even Rubber Soul.
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A local band here in the Philippines (The Eraserheads: popular in the 90's) had a few songs that if I may say carry the DNA of the some Beatles songs; Fruitcake, Shake Yer Head & Huling El Bimbo (Last El Bimbo). & many more. Feel free to check them up.
Since we're talking about sounding like the "Beatles" , back when the "Beatles" we're still new to the U.S. the "Wyncote" label tried to ripoff Beatles fans with a record titled "Beatlemania in the U.S.A." featuring a group of studio musicians named "The Liverpools" who were trying to do their best to sound like the Beatles , performing Beatles like songs .
What jayorag said about the Knickerbockers (below) is true. "Lies" sounds more like the Beatles than even the Beatles do sometimes.
(For years I thought it WAS the Beatles, and couldn't understand why it wasn't on any of their albums.)
Other, more recent artists, have worked Beatlesque harmonies and riffs into their songs as deliberate nods to the FF, e.g., Billy Joels "All You Wanna Do Is Dance"
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mentions the Beatles, and has an added harmony to emphasize the point, and Joe Walsh's "Life of Illusion"
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is very Beatlesque throughout.
And, no, I never thought Klaatu was, or even sounded like the Beatles, though at least one person tried to convince me it was them. Schmuck.
None of these songs sound like the Beatles, but they forgot about " Lies" by the Knickerbockers, which people were convinced it was the Beatles under an assumed name.
The song "Lies" by the Knickerbockers should be included.
Lies by the Nickerbockers in 1966 had all us kids thinking it was the Beatles!!
I never thought of Lemon Tree sounding like The Beatles
I remember thinking "lonely days" by the bee gees and ringos "it dont come easy" were beatles songs. Of course badfingers "come and get it" sounded like them. McCartney wanted it that way
It don't come easy was written by George Harrison for Ringo.
I was expecting a song from the Deface the Music album, such as "I Just Want to Touch You," or "Alone," by Utopia.
You omitted songs by The Monkees, who were the American contemporaries to The Beatles, although nowhere nearly as successful: "What Am I Doing Hanging Around" (1967), "Last Train to Clarksville" (1966), and "Valarie" (1967).
Also, "God Only Knows" (1966) by The Beach Boys.
"God Only Knows" was part of Pet Sounds LP, which album led to misgivings by the Beach Boys other than Brian Wilson. Brian Wilson was influenced by the Beatles "Rubber Soul" LP, and the question of which version of "Rubber Soul" (U.S. or British) he had was put forward by me on Wikipedia and elsewhere on TH-cam. But that's getting off-topic here, because I never confused Pet Sounds with Beatles records.
This included songs like California Dreamin', which nobody in their right mind could confuse with the Beatles. it didn't include Lenny Kravitz' "I build this garden for us", which sounds like a mix between "I am the Walrus' and "Eleanor Rigby' to everyone I've played the the song for.
You need to add to the list "break it all" by Los Shakers, an uruguayan band from.those times. In despite of the accent, it sounds like an early Beatles song. Look at it!! The Fattoruso brothers developed later as excellent players and musicians. Hugo is very well known in the latin jazz scene until today.
Badfinger members have played with all 4 Beatles. ELO, 10cc, BADFINGER and Splinter sound very much like the Beatles and members of those 4 bands have been featured on Solo Beatles songs. This is why John, Paul, George and Ringo had them on their records. So, there you go, folks!
There’s the bands following the Beatles in the mid 60’s like the Dave Clark Five that seemed to deliberately sound like the Beatles.
True, a lot of the initial British invasion groups sounded much alike, tho they weren't copying the Beatles, it was just the British sound of that time.
The Dave Clark Five sounded nothing like the Beatles. They were a stomping sound closer to early 60s bands and had a saxophone. Mike Smith was the main vocalist while the Beatles had three and even occasionally Ringo.
A first draft of Imagine had been recorded by John Lennon during the Get Back / Let It Be sessions ... It's present on the Nacked version of Let it be.
Pure nonsense. The only material of the ten that had me wondering, certainly not nearly convinced, was material by Klaatu. Then again, I was about 27 then and attribute it to a lack of sophistication and experience on my part. I had to laugh with your inclusion of ‘Sounds of Silence’. Do you not know that the popular version of ‘The Sounds of Silence’ was the second release of that song, exactly the same as the first release of it, on the all-acoustic Simon & Garfunkel album, ‘Wednesday Morning 3 AM’ ? The difference, attributable to Tom Wilson (who produced two of Dylan’s greatest albums), is the instrumental track with electric guitars, drums, etc. which takes ‘Sounds…’ from the ethereal to the ridiculous. Paul Simon had a fit when he first heard it. One thing is for sure: had the song been left as it was, people who could not decide if it was Beatles a number would never have even conjured such a comparison. I’m not convinced that nearly all of the songs you presented were widespread in having been confused with The Beatles. The matter comes down to the essential reality that no one but The Beatles sounded like the Beatles. Serious Beatles fans never listened to a newly-released Beatles albums and greeted it with something like ‘that’s not them’.
When the The Beatles were new "Lies" by the Knocked blockers was thought to be the beatles
Another song that sounded like The Beatles was "Lies" by The Knickerbockers.
I've always had one. Never thought it was The Beatles, just because I knew what it is. But the first time I heard it gave me goosebumps. It's an early Pink Floyd song. According to wikipedia, the lead singer is Roger Waters, although I've never heard him sound like that anywhere else. And if I didn't know what it is I would bet it's Paul McCartney or The Wings. I am surprised that in the comments below the song no one mentions the similarity. What do you think?
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Paul McCartney, OMG yes. No similarity to their music though. JMO.
Missed one: just before McCartney's first solo release Emitt Rhodes released his 1st album. Many thought it was McCartney. Try "Fresh As A Daisy" or "She's such a Beauty"
Hey you might enjoy a band called the Doublejumps if you like music like The Beatles and Emitt Rhodes
I already wrote of Emmit (sp) Rhodes album resembling Paul McCartney. Emmit Rhodes LP also had "With My Face on the Floor", "Somebody Made for Me".
"Day After Day" by Badfinger
"Start" by The Jam
These two sound more like the Beatles than the songs on the list.
The only songs that really sounded like The Beatles were Lies by The Knickerbockers and Because by The Dave Clark Five. Everyone has their own sound. If they don't, they never get noticed. Klaatu was a band that tried to sound like the Sgt. Pepper Beatles and did very well at it but never really made it as big as they should have.
Lots of bs here... I thought sunny afternoon by the kinks was a Beatles song when I was a kid
Emitt Rhodes song Fresh as a Daisy