As Jane's Addiction head to court, here are seven more epic rock legal battles
Oasis
What happened: The sibling rivalry between Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher is well established. Their brawls not only led to the band's dissolution in 2009, before their 2025 reunion, but also a legal upset. In 2011, Liam sued Noel for saying Liam's hangover caused the cancellation of a 2009 festival performance. He said in a statement that the lawsuit was not about money, but that he wanted an apology and for Oasis fans 'to know the truth' – that laryngitis prevented him from performing.
How it was resolved: The lawsuit was dropped.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
What happened: The post-breakup decades of Creedence Clearwater Revival were marked by so much legal and personal infighting that you might think CCR stands for Conflict, Clash, Repeat. In 1996, singer-songwriter-guitarist John Fogerty sued ex-bandmates Doug Clifford and Stu Cook for performing under the name Creedence Clearwater Revisited. That case settled in 2001, but the bandmates sued Fogerty in 2014, alleging he was violating the settlement by continuing to publicly slag off the Revisited name. And they said Fogerty himself was now illegally using Creedence Clearwater Revival in concert advertising. Fogerty sued back in 2015, saying Cook and Clifford weren't paying him proper songwriting royalties for their performances.
How it was resolved: A federal court merged the two cases, and the resulting hybrid was settled under confidential terms in 2017.
Fleetwood Mac
What happened: Fleetwood Mac and feuds are practically synonymous. Breakups and divorces between members are essential to some of their best songs. The conflict resumed in the 2010s when the band kicked lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham off their 2018 tour, and he sued. Buckingham claimed he was told five days after the group appeared at Radio City Music Hall that in January the band would tour without him. He says he would have been paid at least $12 million for his share of the proceeds.
How it was resolved: Later that year, Buckingham said they had settled the lawsuit.
Journey
What happened: At some point, two key members of Journey stopped believin' in each other. And all over an Amex. Longtime guitarist Neal Schon sued longtime keyboardist Jonathan Cain in 2022, saying Cain was refusing to let him use the band's American Express card. A counterclaim came from Cain, alleging that Schon was running up enormous personal charges on the band's account.
How it was resolved: A judge appointed a custodian over the band's financial decisions in 2024, specifically empowered to settle disagreements between Schon and Cain.
Hall & Oates
What happened: In 2023, Daryl Hall sued his longtime music partner John Oates, arguing that Oates' plan to sell off his share of a joint venture would violate the terms of a business agreement the Hall & Oates duo had forged long before. The move quickly prompted a judge to temporarily block the sale.
How it was resolved: The lawsuit and arbitration are ongoing.
The Beatles
What happened: Their artistic partnership had been over for months, but the Beatles had to break out the barristers to break up their business. Paul McCartney went to London's High Court of Justice in 1970 to dissolve the Fab Four's 1967 contractual partnership, which included the Apple record label. McCartney wanted, above all, to get rid of manager Allen Klein, who John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr wanted to keep to oversee their business affairs. 'The only way for me to save The Beatles and Apple,' McCartney told British GQ in 2020, 'was to sue the band.'
How it was resolved: The court ruled in McCartney's favour and appointed a receiver to oversee their ventures in 1971. But negotiations and wrangling continued until a long-term solution – that would become known as 'The Beatles Agreement' – was signed by all four members in 1974.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Oasis' most memorable lyrics revealed
Don't Look Back in Anger's closing lyric has been voted Oasis' most memorable. Brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher are currently in the midst of their reunion tour, and fans have been singling out their favourite lyrics, and not only did 'Don't look back in anger, I heard you say' from the group's 1996 single top the list, another line from the song – 'So, Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as we're walking on by' – made it into third place. In second, was Wonderwall's chorus line 'I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me', while lyrics from Live Forever and Stand by Me rounded out the top five. The research also looked at the lasting emotional connection fans have to Oasis songs, with 44% citing emotional impact as what makes a lyric iconic, while 35% value clever wordplay or rhyme and 13% credited one of the group's tracks for helping them reconnect with someone. Car hire company SIXT, who commissioned the research, have celebrated the Supersonic lyric 'Can I ride with you in your BMW?' by running a competition to win a premium BMW rental over the upcoming weekend 1-3 August, which will see Oasis take to the stage for another three shows at Wembley Stadium. Andrew Smith, SIXT UK Managing Director, said: 'The level of excitement around the band's reunion is rarely seen, so this is our own tribute, inspired by the lyrics we love. We're thrilled to celebrate their legacy by giving fans the chance to live out a bit of that rock and roll magic with a ride in one of SIXT's premium BMWs. 'We've seen a real surge in demand for premium vehicles, especially in cities along the tour route, and it's clear fans are keen to travel in true rock and roll style.' And that's not all as SIXT will be handing out free bucket hats to anyone named Liam or Noel renting from their London Wembley, Heathrow, and Edinburgh branches during the tour dates in those cities - while stocks last. The top 20 most memorable Oasis lyrics: 1. 'Don't look back in anger, I heard you say' – Don't Look Back in Anger 2. 'I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me' – Wonderwall 3. 'So, Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as we're walking on by' - Don't Look Back In Anger 4. 'You and I are gonna live forever' – Live Forever 5. 'Stand by me, nobody knows the way it's gonna be' – Stand By Me 6. 'Tonight, I'm a rock 'n' roll star' – Rock 'n' Roll Star 7. 'All your dreams are made when you're chained to the mirror and the razor blade' – Morning Glory 8. 'Tomorrow never knows what it doesn't know too soon' – Morning Glory 9. 'We're all part of the masterplan' – The Masterplan 10. 'In my mind, my dreams are real' – Rock 'n' Roll Star 11. 'Let there be love, let there be love' – 'Let There Be Love 12. 'I'm feeling Supersonic' – Supersonic 13. 'I want to talk tonight until the morning light 'bout how you saved my life' – Talk Tonight 14. 'You gotta keep your dreams alive' – Keep the Dream Alive 15. 'True perfection has to be imperfect' – Little by Little 16. 'We see things they'll never see' – Live Forever 17. 'We believe in one another and I know we're gonna uncover what's sleeping in our soul' – Acquiesce 18. 'I met my maker, I made him cry' – D'you know what I mean? 19. 'Can I ride with you in your BMW?' – Supersonic 20. 'The future's mine and it's no disgrace' – I Hope, I Think, I Know
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
This Rebel Wilson spy caper wants you to turn your brain off
BRIDE HARD ★½ (M) 105 minutes Hell hath no fury like Rebel Wilson armed with a pair of curling irons – but even if you're enticed by that image, or more broadly by the concept of a blend of spy caper and chick flick, I can't recommend Bride Hard as a fun night out. Credit where it's due, however: Wilson at this point ranks as one of Australia's more durable international movie stars, something no one could have predicted when she started out in the early 2000s as Toula in Fat Pizza. On screen, Wilson is all about making it look as if she's barely trying. Yet, her career trajectory implies relentless determination, especially the way she's graduated from supporting roles, such as Fat Amy in the Pitch Perfect films, to comic vehicles of her own. This paradox comes close to being the subject of Bride Hard, where her character Sam Doolan allows her friends to believe she makes a living designing plinths for cat shows when in fact she's a reckless but highly competent secret agent in the James Bond mould. How was she recruited into the world of espionage? We never find out, nor is it clear what motivated her to shake off her usual bored indifference for long enough to acquire the required skill set. Her Australian accent, too, remains a mystery, considering she's been friends since childhood with the all-American Betsy (Anna Camp), who's about to be married on a private island off the coast of Georgia when the nuptials are interrupted by terrorists (the plot is a riff on Die Hard, if you hadn't guessed).
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
This Rebel Wilson spy caper wants you to turn your brain off
BRIDE HARD ★½ (M) 105 minutes Hell hath no fury like Rebel Wilson armed with a pair of curling irons – but even if you're enticed by that image, or more broadly by the concept of a blend of spy caper and chick flick, I can't recommend Bride Hard as a fun night out. Credit where it's due, however: Wilson at this point ranks as one of Australia's more durable international movie stars, something no one could have predicted when she started out in the early 2000s as Toula in Fat Pizza. On screen, Wilson is all about making it look as if she's barely trying. Yet, her career trajectory implies relentless determination, especially the way she's graduated from supporting roles, such as Fat Amy in the Pitch Perfect films, to comic vehicles of her own. This paradox comes close to being the subject of Bride Hard, where her character Sam Doolan allows her friends to believe she makes a living designing plinths for cat shows when in fact she's a reckless but highly competent secret agent in the James Bond mould. How was she recruited into the world of espionage? We never find out, nor is it clear what motivated her to shake off her usual bored indifference for long enough to acquire the required skill set. Her Australian accent, too, remains a mystery, considering she's been friends since childhood with the all-American Betsy (Anna Camp), who's about to be married on a private island off the coast of Georgia when the nuptials are interrupted by terrorists (the plot is a riff on Die Hard, if you hadn't guessed).
