Copyright Criminals & Opinions on R.E.M.
Jim and Greg look at the role of sampling in music today. They talk about the history of this postmodern art form and subsequent legal debates with Kembrew McLeod, producer of Copyright Criminals.
Copyright Criminals
Musicians throughout time, from Igor Stravinsky to MC Hammer to Girl Talk, owe a great debt to sampling. The act of quoting, re-contextualizing or "stealing" from other artists has become an art form in itself. But the practice of sampling has also caused a lot of controversy when it comes to the law and ideas about intellectual property. So Jim and Greg spend the bulk of today's episode digging into sampling. First they talk to Kembrew McLeod, a filmmaker and professor of communication studies at the University of Iowa. His latest documentary, Copyright Criminals, examines debates about the value and legality of sampling.
Jim and Greg also play their favorite sample-based songs:
Jim
- "Loser" by Beck
- "Kick Push" by Lupe Fiasco
- "Groove Is In the Heart" by Deee-Lite
Greg
- "Power," by John Oswald
- "Welcome to the Terrordome" by Public Enemy
- "Stem" by DJ Shadow
Collapse Into Now R.E.M.
It's hard to believe, but R.E.M. has put out its fifteenth album. The formerly indie quartet from Athens is now a major label trio, and many fans have been waiting for a "return to form." Well, they get it with Collapse Into Now...sort of. As Jim and Greg explain, the record is full of nods to older R.E.M. material, but nothing as strong. Why not just sit back and listen to the albums from the '80s and '90s? They add that the loss of drummer Bill Berry keeps getting magnified as the years go by. Collapse Into Now gets a double Burn It.
Featured Songs
- MC Hammer, "U Can't Touch This," Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em, Capitol, 1990
- Public Enemy, "Can We Get A Witness?," It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Def Jam, 1988
- Beastie Boys, "Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun," Paul's Boutique, Capitol, 1989
- Danger Mouse, "What More Can I Say," The Grey Album, self-released, 2004
- Girl Talk, "In Step," Feed The Animals, Illegal Art, 2008
- Parliament, "Flash Light," Funkentelechy Vs. The Placebo Syndrome, Casablanca, 1977
- Slick Rick, "Children's Story," The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick, Def Jam, 1988
- The Verve, "Bittersweet Symphony," Urban Hymns, Virgin, 1997
- The Andrew Oldham Orchestra, "The Last Time," The Rolling Stones Songbook, Decca, 1966
- Beck, "Loser," Mellow Gold, DGC, 1994
- John Oswald, "Power," Plunderphonics 69/96, Seeland, 2001
- Celeste Legaspi, "Magtaksil Man Ikaw (Bolero Medley)," Bagong Plaka, Lumang Kanta Vol. 2, Universal, 1980
- Lupe Fiasco, "Kick, Push," Lupe Fiasco's Food And Liquor, Atlantic, 2006
- Public Enemy, "Welcome To The Terrordome," Fear Of A Black Planet, Def Jam, 1990
- A Tribe Called Quest, "Can I Kick It?," People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, Jive, 1990
- Deee-Lite, "Groove Is In The Heart," World Clique, Elektra, 1990
- DJ Shadow, "Stem,/Long Stem/Transmission 2," Endtroducing, Mo Wax, 1996
- R.E.M., "Mine Smell Like Honey," Collapse Into Now, Warner Bros., 2011
- R.E.M., "Discoverer," Collapse Into Now, Warner Bros., 2011
- R.E.M., "Endgame," Out Of Time, Warner Bros., 1991
- Phoenix, "Long Distance Call," It's Never Been Like That, Astralwerks, 2006
- Vaselines, "Sex With An X," Sex With An X, Sub Pop, 2010
- Paul Butterfield Blues Band, "Buddy's Advice," Keep On Moving, Elektra, 1969
Dear Listeners,
For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!