Dick's Automotive

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weirdalfan95
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Post by weirdalfan95 »

I agree with Emily... Albuquerque's much better... Plus, I didn't hear the part in DA in which the guy would do the yelling near the end... or the part where he finds out he can't spell "automotive". :P I'm kidding. Albuquerque's nuch better, nonetheless.
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Post by KnottyEmily »

I said A...U....T.... :P
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Post by weirdalfan95 »

And he'd only get up to 'auto' "I said D (D!) I (I!) C (C!) K (K!) Automotive!! Dick's automotive! (repeat 3 times)". :P That would've been hilarious if that was in the song... However, I asked Bermuda in an email if Al's aware that Albuquerque sounds a lot like DA.
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Post by weirdojace »

Okay I heard Dick's Automotive. Albuquerque is VERY similar to it. The guitar patterns are basically the same, and so is the chord structure. But it's not that much different than The Night Santa Went Crazy sounding almost exactly like Black Gold, or Germs sounding almost exactly like Terrible Lie.
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Post by KnottyEmily »

i always thought that Germs sounded a lot like Closer, but maybe that's just me
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Post by TMBJon »

Guys,
If you listen to "Dick's Automotive" it is abundantly clear that it's not a coincidence that the songs sound so similar. Al was doing a style-parody / tribute to this song, just like he has in the past. It just so happens that this is one of his closest ones. Is it a little disappointing to realize it wasn't all Al? I guess, but Albuquerque is still a lot funnier than this song.
As far as Al being "aware" that there is a similarity, I think that's pretty obvious.
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Post by Elvis »

He didn't get in trouble, and (probably) didn't get permission because it's a style parody. There's no mistaking that "Dare To Be Stupid" could pass for a Devo song, and "Everything You Know Is Wrong" for They Might Be Giants, so I don't really see a difference here.

That's the sign of a good style parody. "It's about as close to plagerism as you can get without actually being plagerism." In this case, it could almost be considered a parody, but I guess there are enough differences between the two to call it a style parody rather than a straight parody. I wouldn't be surprised to find out it started as a parody, like "Buckingham Blues" did.

I actually ended up liking "Albuquerque" more once I heard "Dick's Automotive." If Al put this much effort into a style parody virtually no one ever would recognize, that says he really takes a lot of pride in his work.

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Post by Nafziger »

I like the style parodies of songs or groups that aren't instantly recognizable because it gives us kind of a peek into the music that Al personally enjoys. The Rugburns seems like a band that Al would like, so it's not a suprise that he would pay a little homage to them, and that is CLEARLY what has happened here. DA is amusing, but not intended to be laugh-out-loud funny like Albuquerque.

Al has done this before, borrowing phrases from TMBG for EYKIW, and Slime Creatures bears many similarities to Thomas Dolby's "Hyperactive."

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Post by cody »

I hate to say it, but I like "Dick's Automotive" as a whole better than "Albuquerque". I do like the lyrics of al's song better though.

I suppose the song is too obscure to make a direct parody. There is no way this is plagiarism though. The lyrics are totally different, despite both main characters being in similar situations. If only the lyrics were changed, it would be a parody, which is not illegal. But on top of that, Al changed the music a bit too, making it even more different than a direct parody.

If Al would have made it more similar to "Dick's Automotive" and called it a parody, nobody would be upset.
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Post by TheLazenby »

I never got the similarities between "Everything You Know Is Wrong" and TMBG... I know that Al was referencing them with the "prosthetic lips" thing, but that's all...

Besides, there is NO way John Linnell could play that accordion solo. ;)
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