Lying in album liner notes

[BDG135]

Do you care if liner notes are not accurate? Do you care if not all the songwriters are listed? Do you care if ghost musicians aren't credited?

[Whatever Happened To…]

"Bollocks to the landlord of the Ship, because he's a stroppy old rectum head" - anyone on here remember those liner notes?

[Bono Nettencourt]

Do you care if liner notes are not accurate? Do you care if not all the songwriters are listed? Do you care if ghost musicians aren't credited?

Yes.

Sincerely, Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner

[Danzig in the Dark]

Do you care if liner notes are not accurate? Do you care if not all the songwriters are listed? Do you care if ghost musicians aren't credited?

Yes.

Sincerely, Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner

Bill Susan and Bob Daisy too.

[DonJuanDeMarco]

Back when people actually bought records, cassettes and CD"s....yes, I would love reading through the booklet. Photos, lyrics, thank yous and of course the credits!

The most infamous one is the one we're not allowed to talk about. The band that shall not be named mysteriously left out writing credits entirely. It turns out 8 out of 10 songs (I think!) were written by their original guitar player who wasn't even in the band anymore.

Leaving out key information is called the Sin of Omission and it's the same as lying.

[BDG135]

...

[Psychobolia.com]

Not lying per se, but I recall reading the Piece of Mind liner notes where Maiden proudly proclaimed that "no synthesisers were used on the album", lol, that pride didn't last long...

[Black Stuff]

Do you care if liner notes are not accurate? Do you care if not all the songwriters are listed? Do you care if ghost musicians aren't credited?

Yes.

Sincerely, Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner

[DonJuanDeMarco]

2 more that have been talked about so much….

Warrant and Mike Slamer on the first 2 records or at least the first one.

Twisted Sister Love is for Suckers. Reb Beach is mentioned as additional guitars but it sounds like he did the majority of the guitar work on that album!

[WentEast]

I got a witchcraft book from the library in 1982 so I could figure out the notes in Diary of a Madman and Speak of the Devil. They were sort of accurate. Sort of.

[Love_Industry]

It would be interesting to have the proper credits for some things mentioned in later interviews only:

Blackie claimed he played all rhythm guitars on the early WASP albums because Holmes and Piper took too long time in the studio.

Joe Holmes said himself he did not play much on Lizzy Borden's Visual Lies

Kiss Unmasked album - six songs have only one member of Kiss on them - Ace sings and plays guitar and bass on his songs, and Paul does the same on two of his songs. On Shandi, the bass is played by his tech. The only person who plays on all songs is Anton Fig who isn't credited at all, and Holly Knight plays keyboards on eight out of 11 songs. And then we have the mess that is Creatures of the Night, and Rick Derringer's solo on Exciter....

[GoodJudge]

Danzig's first album claimed all songs were written by him. Including The Hunter, originally well known when it was by Free, and an old blues song before that. Slayer just ignored the Judas Priest cover in the credits and lyrics of South of Heaven. But did more than 1% of buyers of physical product ever care about these or any other examples?

[GoodJudge]

It would be interesting to have the proper credits for some things mentioned in later interviews only:

You went on to list performers, but using your same principle on writing credits, original Led Zeppelin album sleeves would look very different if they were truthful.

[Mister Freeze]

Danzig's first album claimed all songs were written by him. Including The Hunter, originally well known when it was by Free, and an old blues song before that. Slayer just ignored the Judas Priest cover in the credits and lyrics of South of Heaven. But did more than 1% of buyers of physical product ever care about these or any other examples?

I think anyone can cover any song as long as the royalties go to the right place, but lyrics need permission to be reprinted.

Anyway, I'm sure most of these ghost musicians are happy. They got paid to not be in the liner notes.

[Mister Freeze]

Speaking of Danzig's first album... James Hetfield is a good example of a guest performer not credited in the liner notes because he was under contract to another label.

[diablomozart]

Danzig's first album claimed all songs were written by him. Including The Hunter, originally well known when it was by Free, and an old blues song before that. Slayer just ignored the Judas Priest cover in the credits and lyrics of South of Heaven. But did more than 1% of buyers of physical product ever care about these or any other examples?

I think anyone can cover any song as long as the royalties go to the right place, but lyrics need permission to be reprinted.

Anyway, I'm sure most of these ghost musicians are happy. They got paid to not be in the liner notes.

closer to right than you may think...d.m.

[BernieTaupson]

Bark At The Moon liner notes says ALL SONGS WRITTEN BY O. OSBOURNE.

[BDG135]

Sometimes they can get around it with Additional Guitars: Mike Slamer or listing a bunch of publishing companies next to the lyrics. Other times they'll just list the name with another 50 roadies.

[Grendel]

Speaking of Danzig's first album... James Hetfield is a good example of a guest performer not credited in the liner notes because he was under contract to another label.

What song did he play on?

[wildside1969]

Speaking of Danzig's first album... James Hetfield is a good example of a guest performer not credited in the liner notes because he was under contract to another label.

What song did he play on?

James did background vocals on Twist of Cain and Possession.

[Einstein Lawless]

I’ll have to revisit those two Danzig songs and listen for “rrrruh!” at the end of the lyrics

[Z28]

Just read Gene Simmons 1978 solo album thank you list

[Grendel]

Speaking of Danzig's first album... James Hetfield is a good example of a guest performer not credited in the liner notes because he was under contract to another label.

What song did he play on?

James did background vocals on Twist of Cain and Possession.

Damn I did not know that.

[Hellsinkey]

I have a version of Bang Tango's Dancin On Coals, which has a cover of Hanoi Rocks' Futurama, which is credited to music and lyrics by: Bang Tango.

[Hell'sHungryChild]

Not about songwriting, but an album from Dead Youth thanked "all the hot young bitches who sucked and fucked us , there's too many to name."
One obese member and 3 ugly dorks ...they probably had never seen a tit in real life .

[Love_Industry]

One obese member and 3 ugly dorks ...they probably had never seen a tit in real life .

Any dork can get laid just playing in a local cover band. And those guys had from what I can see two albums out on a real label (=not self-released)

I don't doubt their quantity claim at all, but probably not all their "bitches" were "hot" or even "young"...

[Ziggy Sawdust]

Pretending Tommy Aldridge & Sarzo playing on Diary was bad.

[MOON]

Thomas Dolby did all synthesizers on Def Leppard's "Pyromania" but had to be credited on liner notes as Booker T. Boffin

[Van Ailin']

The liner notes on Vanilla Fudge bass player Tim Bogert's early 80s EP misnames one of the guest guitar players due to contractual reasons. Song is ok, but the solo really is a good one. He calls the guitarist A. Halvenen.

[BernieTaupson]

Clapton is all over All Things Must Pass but wasn’t credited until the 2001 remaster.

Prince played keys on Stevie Nicks Stand Back uncredited.