It's getting out of control, all the musical references attributed to the 'Bot. Let's make a list of the ones that have appeared in print:

Suede (Brett Anderson) (6x)
The Alpinestars
The Ark (2x)
The Attractions (Elvis Costello)
Devo (27x)
Berlin
Big Audio Dynomite
Blondie
Bloodhound Gang (2x)
Blur (3x)
Bowie (27x)
The Breeders (2x)
The Buzzcocks (5x)
The Cars (9x)
The Clash (2x)
Gaz Coombes
Dead Kennedys (3x)
The Dickies
Thomas Dolby (2x)
Enon (3x)
Evil Superstars
60 Foot Dolls
The Cure (Robert Smith) (10x)
The Faint (2x)
The Fall
A Flock Of Seagulls
The Knack
The Locust
Gary Numan (6x)
Grandaddy (2x)
Hawkwind
The Hives
Hot Hot Heat (8x)
Iggy Pop
The Jetsons
John Lydon (3x)
The Kinks
Kool Keith (2x)
Kraftwerk
Talking Heads (10x)
Mad Capsule Markets
Mental As Anything
Mindless Self Indulgence
Muse
The Smiths
Queen (2x)
Johnny Rotten (breaking all the Pistols references out here for consistency's sake) (4x)
PiL (11x)
Placebo
Prick (3x)
Sparks (6x)
The Sweet (2x)
The Virgin Prunes
B52s (4x)
Adam Ant (4x)
Television (4x)
!!!
Ifihadahifi
The Ramones
The Rapture
Jonathan Richman
New Order (2x)
Duran Duran (4x)
Gang of Four (3x)
LCD Soundsystem
Missing Persons (2x)
Oingo Boingo (2x)
OMD
Psychedelic Furs
Radio 4
Rage Against The Machine
The Ran-dells
Roxy Music (4x)
Sid Vicious
(Sex Pistols) (4x)
The Streets
The Strokes
Suicide
Supergrass
The Swingers
Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd) (3x)
Tim Booth (James)
Tones On Tail
T Rex / Mark Bolan (4x)
The Undertones
The Voidoids
Hawksley Workman
Remote Control
Joy Division (6x)
OMD (2x)
Pulp (2x)
Weezer (Rivers Cuomo)
Wire
X-Ray Spex

And who they have explicitly been contrasted to:
David Lee Roth


[Edited on 1-15-2004 by draconian]

There's a ton more in the ones you just posted! It really is kinda interesting...

I know! I think I'm going to keep a running tally, just to see what the most original ones wind up being.

I'm a little surprised at OMD myself, but I haven't heard the new record!

Righto, I believe that comparison was made to "The Beat Goes On," which I haven't heard yet, either.

Don't forget Mission of Burma my friends

Wow, that's rad that someone mentioned the Virgin Prunes as a comparison; you don't see that often. I'd have to say their live shows aren't similar at all, but the way a few Ima Robot songs transition (like My Number) are kind of reminiscent of the Virgin Prunes.

As soon as I heard Ima, Alex's voice reminded me of Andi Sexgang's from Sex Gang Children, and that was one thing that drew me to the band initially. It's not any one particular aspect of his voice, but the inflection and intonation, and a similar vibrato. Does anyone else (who knows Sexgang) hear it?

I would say that their lyrics are in many ways similar to the Prunes', but with a lot more references to outer space. Maybe if Ireland had a better (read:any) space program, there would be more lyrical similarities!

I'll have to give My Number a closer listen; I remember Alex said in some interview that their old demos had all sorts of strange composition schemes, with bridges leading to bridges and choruses in places you wouldn't expect them to land. Makes me want to go back and pick apart the demos again.

Let's just for fun go ahead and jot down
Kraftwerk
David Bowie (was he in the list? I'm drunk)
The Germs
Morrissey
The smiths
Six finger sattellite
Brainiac
Wire
Cheap Trick
and...
Alice Cooper

you want colorful comparisons, you got it...

Andi Sex gang.. Ha ha.. Yeah come to think of it.. Batcave-baby Are you English and now living in the US or are you a born and bred American..
Also there sound is early Antish.

Once I heard a song by "The Rapture" and for a split second I thought it was the bots.......Bought the Cd and it was okay. They stretch out 1 sentence into like 5 minute songs

yeah yeah yeahs

Sorry, not English. Just a dirty ol' American. But Sex Gang has been a staple of my collection since I was 14. So you noted the (slight) similarities in the voices? Like I said, it was initially one of the things that drew me to Ima Robot. Ooooh, you know that Sex Gang song "Funny Man"? Speechless, I tell you!

"Fat boys should be flogged with a thin white cane"..

It's not very clear and a bit of an old photo but... Mr Sex Gang at the Clarendon,Hammersmith bloody hell 22 years ago.

wow! thats scary!

I think im gonna have nitemares!! :o

Quote:

Originally posted by TurtleEnterprises Once I heard a song by "The Rapture" and for a split second I thought it was the bots.......Bought the Cd and it was okay. They stretch out 1 sentence into like 5 minute songs

the rapture! I really like that album, another great mixture of technoid and strange rock songs - but indeed the songs are more monotonous than the robots' ones. though I love their weird sounds!

I bought that album cause that song "House Of Jealous Lovers". I heard it playing while shopping at Anchor Blue pretty catchy.