3 Classic Rock Albums That Sound Eerily Similar To Other Bands

Sometimes, albums from a particular band will sound like they were produced by completely different bands. It happens all the time, actually. Often, those albums sound like copycat imitations and should never have been made. Others, though, are so good because they took inspiration from other musical geniuses. And while these albums kind of sound like they were produced by very different bands, they’re still solid pieces of work. Don’t expect any trash-talking here. Let’s take a look!

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‘Hunky Dory’ by David Bowie Sounds Like The Velvet Underground

Hunky Dory is one of David Bowie’s most well-loved and famous works. With songs like “Changes” and “Life On Mars?” padding this record, how could it not be well-loved and famous? That being said, there are lots of elements of Bowie experimenting on this record. And one such element leans toward clear inspiration from The Velvet Underground.

Bowie didn’t rip anyone off. But it’s hard to ignore that songs like “Queen B*tch” and the entire vibe of the album feel like something Lou Reed would have put together. Reed and The Velvet Underground’s influence can be felt down to the composition of many of this album’s tracks, sprinkled with some previews of the direction that Bowie would take with later albums.

‘Anthem Of The Peaceful Army’ by Greta Van Fleet Sounds Like Led Zeppelin

Where is the line between imitation and inspiration? That line gets even more difficult to pinpoint when you consider revival movements, which are more or less born from imitation and inspiration in tandem. 

Did Greta Van Fleet rip off Led Zeppelin? I personally hear parallels between Anthem Of The Peaceful Army and Led Zeppelin II. Or, were they just influenced by the iconic rock band? It’s hard to say factually, but I think with just a little bit more innovation on GVF’s part, they could plant themselves firmly on that thin line with future releases.

‘Be Here Now’ by Oasis Sounds Like The Beatles (Or Any Other British Invasion Band)

Let’s be real. Oasis won the battle of Britpop bands for a reason. They’re an amazing outfit, and Be Here Now is an amazing album. It’s also worthy of a spot on our list of albums that sound like different bands produced them. But is that really a bad thing? 

Sometimes, sticking to a script and preconceived notions of what a particular band should sound like can be a death knell for a band’s success. Be Here Now clearly has major British Invasion influences, but Oasis was part of the natural progression of the British Invasion into the Britpop movement. It’s a fine album that sounds more like Oasis looking back for inspiration, rather than a record copied from another artist.

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