I Don't Like Mondays: Geldof fesses up, Fingers vindicated

[skankdelvar]

Geldof Caves In: Payday for Fingers

Johnny Fingers and Bob Gobshïte in happier days

The world reeled on Friday as the longstanding cash-driven feud between Britain's Favourite Irishman^TM Bob Geldof and formerly pyjama-clad pianist Johnny Fingers (real name John Moylett) came to an end in a welter of grudging agreement.

Fingers has long claimed that elements of the Boomtown Rats' hit record 'I Don't Like Mondays' were of his composition, unsurprising since the song is more or less an extended piano solo with occasional instrumental stabs. By contrast, the world's whiffiest pop star has resisted requests to share in the deriving financial bounty, having insisted that the excessively pessimistic ballad formed entirely within his own head. The mordant yet ultimately meaningless lyrics certainly carry the authentic Sir Bob Geldof stamp of saying nothing very much in a loud, hectoring voice.

Mr Fingers - long since accustomed to wearing normal daywear - has lived in Japan for some time and it was from the land of the rising sun that the spurned ivory tinkler launched his High Court bid to wrest sole composing credit from Mr Geldof. Eventually the matter was settled out of court and Mr Finger's name will be added to the copyright.

Some might assert that authorship of the drab, overblown ditty which did as much as anything else to drive a stake through Punk's heart is nothing to be proud of; they would miss the point. It's all about the money.
 

Edited January 27, 2019 by skankdelvar

[Ricky 4000]

What a super post... a similar tale applied to Cardiff boy Shaking Stevens and his band. Court and all that, but allegedly Shakey had spent all the money.

Edited January 27, 2019 by Ricky 4000

[skankdelvar]

Just now, Ricky 4000 said:

What a super post... a similar tale applied to Cardiff boy Shaking Stevens and his band. Court and all that, but I think Shakey had spent all the money.

... See also Fisher vs Brooker - A Whiter Shade of Pale: Authorship litigation

[Ricky 4000]

7 minutes ago, skankdelvar said:

... See also Fisher vs Brooker - A Whiter Shade of Pale: Authorship litigation

Hrm, quite a precedent set there, by the Law Lords... interesting. ☺️

[RedVee]

Britain's favourite Irishman my bottom!

Edited January 27, 2019 by RedVee

[NancyJohnson]

Harking back to a similar period, and covered in the Anthony Reynolds book Japan - A Foreign Place, somehow or another 80% of Japan were coersed into signing away writing credits to have David Sylvian as sole composer on everything.

In a roundabout way, this is telling us why Rob Dean relocated to Costa Rica and does birdwatching tours and Mick Karn, who died riddled with cancer while trying to crowdfund money for treatment, was pretty much penniless at the time of his death. 

Meanwhile, Mr Batt continues to reap the 100% rewards from his pre-solo career.

 

[mikel]

What a florid and overly wordy piece. Also the song was a true story about an American schoolgirl who shot a number of schoolmates. When questioned by the police as to why she allegedly replied "I dont like Mondays"  

[musicbassman]

1 minute ago, mikel said:

What a florid and overly wordy piece

I think you've slightly missed the point, mikel.

[PaulWarning]

7 hours ago, skankdelvar said:

... See also Fisher vs Brooker - A Whiter Shade of Pale: Authorship litigation

 J S Bach's relatives should get in touch about their share of the royalties 

[Rich]

3 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

Harking back to a similar period, and covered in the Anthony Reynolds book Japan - A Foreign Place, somehow or another 80% of Japan were coersed into signing away writing credits to have David Sylvian as sole composer on everything.

In a roundabout way, this is telling us why Rob Dean relocated to Costa Rica and does birdwatching tours and Mick Karn, who died riddled with cancer while trying to crowdfund money for treatment, was pretty much penniless at the time of his death. 

Meanwhile, Mr Batt continues to reap the 100% rewards from his pre-solo career.

 

Outrageous isn't it? Japan's music would have been, I hesitate to say 'nothing' but you know what I mean, without Karn's extraordinary and imaginative bass work. Imagine 'Visions Of China' with just ploddy root notes. Exactly.

[wateroftyne]

See also Ray Jackson vs. Rod Stewart - still unresolved, but I suspect we haven’t heard the last of it. 

[Billy Apple]

And there you have it. Self-righteous Gob-Shite likes a penny over all other.

Are the books on Live Aid open to inspection one wonders?

[fleabag]

Summed up Bob Gobshite in a nutshell, and that awful ditty too.

 

[spongebob]

Talking of credit (or lack of it!), been reading this week about Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, and the whole Ozzy and Sharon thing. Apparently Lee lost everything in the court case. 

Neither Ozzy or Sharon come out of it very well..... 

[Billy Apple]

15 minutes ago, spongebob said:

Talking of credit (or lack of it!), been reading this week about Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, and the whole Ozzy and Sharon thing. Apparently Lee lost everything in the court case. 

Neither Ozzy or Sharon come out of it very well..... 

Because they'd re-recorded the drum and bass. stinky poos trick if there ever was one. Ozzy was never more than the people behind him. Whether it's Geezer Butlers lyrics or Randy Rhodes relaunching his career. If it wasn't for them, he'd just be sitting in a Wetherspoons.

[mikel]

6 hours ago, musicbassman said:

I think you've slightly missed the point, mikel.

Ok, I'm thick, enlighten me.

[yorks5stringer]

I always thought Johnny Fingers had has fingers in....

[Lozz196]

Strangely this doesn’t surprise me at all, as I’d always suspected that BG was far less admirable than he’d like us to believe.

[skankdelvar]

6 hours ago, Billy Apple said:

Are the books on Live Aid open to inspection one wonders?

One doubts Sir Bob dipped into the till but there's some amusing stories about the recording of 'Do They Know It's Christmas' here on Rolling Stone.

[KevB]

I don't know how these things work. Does the beneficiary get their share of royalties backdated to when it was written or just from when the court ruling happens? The latter would seem unfair (diminishing returns on many songs you'd think). 

[PaulWarning]

Royalties is a mine field because the songwriting credits are based on the lyrics and the melody line so you get situations where a guitar lick makes a song like  the Police's Every breath You Take but Andy Summers gets no royalty at all and to make matters worse when Puff Daddy sampled the riff Sting got all the royalties.

Andy Summers has every right to be p*ssed off I reckon

[bazzbass]

I wanted songwriting credits on a song we recorded years ago because my bass riff was the most recognisable riff in the song.

Guitard said that you can't copyright a bassline, a bassline does not make a song

 

I replied with Pink Floyd's Money. Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side,  Sir Paul's Silly Love Songs...........

[BreadBin]

... The Chain 

[Geek99]

22 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Strangely this doesn’t surprise me at all, as I’d always suspected that BG was far less admirable than he’d like us to believe.

i honestly never thought he was an admirable at all.

[tauzero]

4 hours ago, PaulWarning said:

Royalties is a mine field because the songwriting credits are based on the lyrics and the melody line so you get situations where a guitar lick makes a song like  the Police's Every breath You Take but Andy Summers gets no royalty at all and to make matters worse when Puff Daddy sampled the riff Sting got all the royalties.

Andy Summers has every right to be p*ssed off I reckon

U2's system of simply splitting it four ways has a lot to be said for it.