"Talent borrows, genius steals"

...that Bela Bartok gets his name on the composer credits for The Barbarian these days, and, if memory serves, also in intros to live performances of the same. Yes, KE was a very naughty boy. But maybe what he did to a composer who did the same himself with Hungarian traditional music is no worse than (maybe not even as wicked as) ripping off still-living, improverished bluesmen, as did so many notables back in the 60s.

...different country when it comes to ripping off long dead classical composers. It's disappointing that Focus' 'Hamburger Concerto' is credited wholly to focus members when it's very substantially built on Brahms' 'St Anthony Chorale'. And, from memory the - cunningly titled- John Evan showpiece in Jethro Tull's repertoire, 'By Kind Permission Of', is basically a medley of classical and jazz bits - from memory, all credited to Evan.

And it's part credited to Bartok. I thought it was common knowledge that Knife Edge was based on a piece by Bartok, but obviously not.

The Barbarian (Emerson/Lake/Palmer) (based on the Allegro Barbero - Bartok)

These copies were issued in 1973, on the launch of the label, as far as I can remember, so the track was properly credited from then on.

just goes to show that you sometimes need 40 years to realise something (I've got the original 1970 issue) but heartening to hear it was acknowledged relatively quickly, probably got heat from Peel or Fluff or the BBC.

The upshot is that I'm now seeking out Bartok stuff.

that Ye Olde classical musicians (Mozart etc) would regularly steal from other classical musicians, the thieving little tinkers!

I recently read the Zep book 'Walking With Giants' in which it is detailed how much of Zep's early stuff was based on other artists material, and I don't mean the odd blues riff. Bert Jansch said that Jimmy Page 'could never quite look me in the eye.' Deep Purple were keen on nicking things left, right and centre also. It wasn't until the 1980's with Willie Dixon's Blues foundation that some of the original composers were able to fight for royalties. People will make excuses but at the risk of sounding like Jack Regan nicking is nicking.

sings a couple of lines from "C'mon in my kitchen" on Deja Vu - not as part of the song, just while he's proceeding to entangle the entire area or whatever.

But they can't put that little bit on the reissue because he has to pay royalties. To the devil presumably.

I was working at the music publishers Universal Edition in Fareham Street (at the Oxford Street end of Dean Street) in the West End and remember the furore about the ELP track very well.

Universal Edition were the UK publishers for Bartok and it was they who took legal action against ELP over the similarity between Barbarian and Allegro Barbaro.

Although I was only a general dogsbody at UE I well recall the buzz around the place and there were lots of Island pink label copies of the debut ELP album sitting around the office.

Although it took a couple of years, I think they got the credits changed, but possibly not until the Manticore pressings appeared.

...you are the Zelig of rock!

Does Mr Lake credit Prokofiev on I Believe In Father Christmas?