sosgemini said:

Nah, Robert Palmer's versions of "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On," "You Are in My System," "Early in the Morning" and "Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming (Too Good to Be True)" were not soul songs in the slightest, despite Palmer adding minimal creativity to them. They were never marketed to the same audiences in which those genres, nor were they really intended to be heard in those markets.

With Palmer, you had this feeling that if he was alive and still recording music he would be making covers of Tyrese's or Usher's recent music. If Palmer should have learned anything, it should have been the following:

* His first significant hit was as a member of The Power Station with "Some Like It Hot" -- AN ORIGINAL COMPOSITION.

* His first signifcant hit as a solo artist after more than a decade of trying to cover songs was "Addicted to Love" -- AN ORIGINAL COMPOSITION.

* He won Grammys for "Addicted to Love" and "Simply Irresistable" -- ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS.

He should have gotten the point -- it was original compositions that put Palmer on the map, and made him a relevant star. And sorry, but deliberately swiping a new act's initial song and trying to push it out in the market as if it was his original composition (The System's "You Are in My System") while the new group was trying to copyright it is FOUL.

I'm not expecteing that some of Luther Vandross' most famous covers are liked by a certain audience -- after all, it wasn't like songs like "Superstar" or "If This World Were Mine" were meant to be geared toward a crossover audience in the first place. It still doesn't change the fact that Vandross' versions are some of the most memorable sides in the soul music genre over the past 20 years and are considered staples on Quiet Storm formats.

"He never tried to PUSH "Your In My System", as his own. All he did was make his version of the song. If people had trouble figuring who's song it was,it was not his job to say something. It was totally the job of the System's people."

none of what your saying are facts...its all just your opinion. which you are free too...

sosgemini said:

Robert Palmer winning Grammys for "Addicted to Love" and "Simply Irrestible" are FACTS, Mr. Moderator.

Just like Palmer's most significant songs and arguably his most successful songs being original compositions are FACTS.

Palmer's soul music covers never marketed to the genres in which those songs originated are FACTS. Palmer never come remotely close to having a hit song on the Billboard R&B Singles charts, but in all fairness he was never marketed to that audience.

Palmer taking The System's first song and trying to release his version first before the group did is a FACT.

It's not my fault you don't like the facts.

It's your OPINION you don't like Luther Vandross' covers -- but it's a FACT that Vandross' covers of "Superstar" and "If This World Were Mine" (among others) have been evergreens on soul music formats (most notably Quiet Storm formats) for years.

So if you live in a world where Robert Palmer was relevant in soul music because on the basis he was relevant in a pop world ... well, wake up.
[Edited 1/31/07 20:19pm]

Paisley4u said:

"You Are in My System" was the first single by the group The System:



http://www.youtube.com/wa...9eZQbdCVJ4

I'm not getting the "Robert Palmer was underrated" comment, either. He had a string of hit songs in the latter 1980s and a good portion of the 1990s not only in the United States but overseas. Sometimes, I wonder if some people on the Org have an appropriate context when evaluating some artists' careers.
[Edited 1/31/07 17:31pm]

Palmer ripped off the demo from The System (who were in the process of applying for the copyrights) and raced to put his version out...they came out weeks apart

panther514 said:

To make matters worse,MTV placed the Robert Palmer video in heavy rotation but didn't show the System at all At the time,I thought this was really unfair.

He is so underrated!!
He always got great critics but it seems the public forgot about this man.
Never became a huge star,maybe 4 a while with Addicted to love,
I don't think that was his goal.

panther514 said:

To make matters worse,MTV placed the Robert Palmer video in heavy rotation but didn't show the System at all At the time,I thought this was really unfair.

Unfair and foul...It was their first big hit...and they should have been able to enjoy the full success of it....but had to split it with pilfering Palmer's version...he was no different than Pat Boone hijacking Little Richard and everyone elses successful R&B songs.

panther514 said:

It seems to me they could have said no to his use of the song, so it's hardly pilfering.

jtfolden said:

Do your homework...anyone can record another person's song...Prince was pissed off at Genuwine for recording "when doves cry" without permission.....but what Palmer did with "You are in my system"...recording a song that was a demo of someone else before they could copyright and release it...is stealing.

but i thought prince (and other artist) have refused others from covering...am i just remembering wrong?

sosgemini said:

... I could have sworn I've heard this over the years, as well.

However, I need clarification here. Did Robert Palmer claim the song as his own and attempt to claim authorship at the copyright office? If not...

I thought RP released his version after the original? According to Allmusic.com the original came out as a single in 1982 and RP's followed in 1983. If this is the case, according to the link above then he did nothing wrong at all. You may have the opinion that what he did was wrong but it wouldn't be stealing or pilfering according to the letter of the law.
[Edited 2/2/07 22:42pm]

This is the same story that I have always heard. Again, if Frank and Murphy did not like his idea, they could have very well turned him down. How could it have been stealing, as someone here stated before, if his version came out an entire year later?

I have never heard the story of Robert Palmer covering "You Are In My System" without permission. I always heard that he got permission to do it from Frank and Murphy. In fact, David Frank's keyboards are used on the track, that's why they sound so much alike! I still think The System's version is better.

shorttrini said:

The System's "You Are in My System" was relased as a single at the very end of 1982 -- as in December 1982/January 1983. I remember that because I bought the single went it came out and later their first album, "Sweat," when it was released in early 1983.

Robert Palmer's version came out as a single shortly afterwards. If you look at the copyright for Palmer's "Pride" that featured his version of "You Are in My System," it also has a 1982 copyright date though it officially was released in 1983.

Like Panther said, it was never an issue of Palmer wanting to make a cover of a song he heard on the radio or in the studio, because his version was out as The System's version was on the soul charts.
[Edited 2/3/07 10:42am]

Exactly...Palmer had the song recorded BEFORE The System had a chance to release their version of the song...they actually had to release it earlier than they had planned because of it...Palmer somehow got a DEMO of the song...not something that he heard on the radio and decided to cover...knowing that it wasn't copyrighted...he knew he could put it out without repercussions...in laymans terms...he stole it.

jtfolden said:

This is the same story that I have always heard. Again, if Frank and Murphy did not like his idea, they could have very well turned him down. How could it have been stealing, as someone here stated before, if his version came out an entire year later?

panther514 said:

To make matters worse,MTV placed the Robert Palmer video in heavy rotation but didn't show the System at all At the time,I thought this was really unfair.

Like Panther said, it was never an issue of Palmer wanting to make a cover of a song he heard on the radio or in the studio, because his version was out as The System's version was on the soul charts.[/color]

Exactly...Palmer had the song recorded BEFORE The System had a chance to release their version of the song...they actually had to release it earlier than they had planned because of it...Palmer somehow got a DEMO of the song...not something that he heard on the radio and decided to cover...knowing that it wasn't copyrighted...he knew he could put it out without repercussions...in laymans terms...he stole it.

Najee said:

Exactly...Palmer had the song recorded BEFORE The System had a chance to release their version of the song...they actually had to release it earlier than they had planned because of it...Palmer somehow got a DEMO of the song...not something that he heard on the radio and decided to cover...knowing that it wasn't copyrighted...he knew he could put it out without repercussions...in laymans terms...he stole it.
[Edited 2/3/07 10:55am]

Though the album wasn't the smash Clues was, it did feature standout tracks in the title song and Palmer's cover of The System's "You Are In My System", with The System's David Frank contributing keyboard tracks to the latter song.

"You Are In My System" was an example of Palmer's passion for R&B covers. He jammed the song onto the Pride album after the other tracks were finished. Hearing the track in a Paris club, Palmer rushed back to his Bahamas hometown, where the reconvened band (co-composer Frank included) put together the number.

Esquire magazine recounted the tale of the last-minute addition later that year. Palmer did the same in liner notes for his 1992 Addictions Volume 2 CD, which included his re-voiced version of "You Are In My System."

The System was a U.S. American synth pop band from the 1980s.
The two band members were Mic Murphy (vocals, guitar) and David Frank (keyboards). The band was founded in 1982 in New York.

Where he heard it is immaterial. If RP's version was released to the market after the original then he followed legal guidelines. Nothing to 'steal'.

It happens all the time....WHY is it so unbelievable that Palmer did it? It was not an entire year that both singles were released....Frank and Murphy had to move up the release date for their single after finding out about Palmers hijacked version...with the song not yet copywritten when Palmer recorded it....there was really nothing they could do to stop it.