Jane’s Addiction vs. Judas Priest – Song Parallels
Nine times out of 10, Song Parallels finds examples of younger bands lifting chords and/or melodies from older acts — but sometimes the roles are reversed, and bands who have already established their artistic legacies end up borrowing back from their musical descendants. For example, there was that time Judas Priest recorded a song that sounded just like an older track by Jane’s Addiction.
The Jane’s track in question, ‘Mountain Song,’ proved one of the early hallmarks of the band’s sound when it was released as part of their debut album, ‘Nothing’s Shocking,’ in 1988. With its swaggering, appropriately mountain-sized riff and Perry Ferrell’s soaring, serrated vocals, ‘Mountain Song’ fused the newfangled ‘tude of the ’120 Minutes’ generation with the old-fashioned, Camaro-friendly songcraft of AOR legends like Led Zeppelin and… well, Judas Priest.
Priest returned the favor in 2005, when they sat down to write songs for their ‘Angel of Retribution’ album, which found singer Rob Halford returning to the fold after a 12-year absence. To commemorate the reunion, the band put together a set of songs that marked a pronounced return to its classic sound — one of which, ‘Revolution,’ rested on pretty much the same exact riff that powered ‘Mountain Song’ nearly 20 years earlier.
As you’ll see from the clips below, the similarities are hard to miss — but to his credit, guitarist Dave Navarro was thoroughly magnanimous when a reporter asked him what he thought about the mini-metal controversy. “I have heard that, but I haven’t heard the track,” he shrugged. “I do know that ‘Mountain Song’ contains the ‘Metal 101′ chords and progression, so it might just be a coincidence. If not, then it’s a compliment.”
Listen to Jane’s Addiction, ‘Mountain Song’
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Listen to Judas Priest, ‘Revolution’
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