h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: 'Medley: Intro - Venus - Sugar, Sugar - No Reply - I'll Be Back - Drive My Car - Do You Want to Know a Secret - We Can Work It Out - I Should Have Known Better - Nowhere Man - You're Going to Lose That Girl - Stars on 45' - the Song - A88025727
Author: Bluebottle - U43530

Restoring to Peer Review.

<BB<

Just giving this another readthrough ready for it to be Picked

"a legal loophole at the time prevented him from taking legal action. This was titled 'Let's Do It in the 80s'" - can you say something about what the loophole was?

"remarkably identical" - "remarkably similar"?

"In the US it still holds the record for the being the longest titled song " - is this saying it no longer holds the record elsewhere?

"was because of copyright laws" - the title of the song was so long because of copyright laws?

"desperately bought this record" - it didn't get to Number One, though?

"but um, yeah, I think." - sounds as though something is missing?

"'The Beatles' Movie Medley' single was released two in the US on 22 March, 1982, two days before album Reel Music." - sneaky two 'two's?

Thanks for re-reading, tweaks have been made.

I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with 1980s Dutch copyright laws - surprisingly it wasn't until the mid-90s that EU countries started to have standardised copyright and trademark regulation. I would guess that it either was a case where the law had not caught up with existing technology (as tape allowed greater ability to splice tracks than vinyl) leaving medleys unlicenced gray rather than blackmarket, or potentially it may have been similar to the situation in the US where, when a copyright act was finally passed, it only applied to music recorded after the passing of the act and not songs recorded before its implementation.
It still looks like the Netherlands has unusual music laws today, as Stars On 45's Willem van Kooten was interviewed in this article: http://www.ftm.eu/articles/discoleaks-the-all-stars-band-of-tax-evaders - though sadly it doesn't answer the question.

I've added a section on long song titles too.

"but um, yeah, I think." - sounds as though something is missing?
- That's exactly what he said - I've heard the tape interview. Sometimes when you are talking you don't speak in complete sentences and instead trail off - particularly if you are asked something you hadn't expected to discuss. That's exactly the sort of thing I would say if I was being interviewed. So personally I like it, as it is nice to be reminded that celebrities don't always talk in soundbites all the time.

<BB<

That is interesting about how cross-border legal/financial issues are more complicated... Makes sense about it being tricky for a Dutch rights holder to prove a medley produced by Canadian DJs was illegal.

"the finished song was 11½-minutes long and contained a mixture of Beatles and non-Beatles tracks that was identical to its illegal inspiration" - the illegal inspiration used the actual vocals and was 16:20 compared to 11:30 with cover vocals and intro/outro, so 'identical' is a bit strong..? Why are some items in the table highlighted in bold?

Thanks for quote checking

I like the Long Song section

I've shaken it up baby now, tweaked and shout

Hopefully it is now clear what I meant that, while obviously 16 minutes isn't identical to 11 and certainly not 4 minutes, these 11 and 4 minutes of the shorter songs are virtually identical to the corresponding 11 or 4 minutes in the middle of the longer song.

<BB<

Yes, that reads well now

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Congratulations!