Originally posted by badmoon I won't argue with Lennon/Mcartney. But Robert Smith of The Cure? I haven't heard enough of Craypools writings but I know him as a top rate musician.
My point is that a fan of music should listen before and beyond what they've heard since they were a kid in high school. Some of these lists are so, so limited that I can hardly believe that they truly love music.
Well, I've been listening to music my whole life. A bit of everything, but with usually a rocky flavour, although all sorts make it through.
But I thought Robert Smith was underated as a songwriter.
Originally posted by badmoon I won't argue with Lennon/Mcartney. But Robert Smith of The Cure? I haven't heard enough of Craypools writings but I know him as a top rate musician.
My point is that a fan of music should listen before and beyond what they've heard since they were a kid in high school. Some of these lists are so, so limited that I can hardly believe that they truly love music.
It seems you underestimate the power of simple music.
Music is subjective and , imo, should never be rated by genre.
And yes, I truly love music. Truly. Despite your disbelief.
Originally posted by karoly aczel It seems you underestimate the power of simple music.
Music is subjective and , imo, should never be rated by genre.
And yes, I truly love music. Truly. Despite your disbelief.
Obviuosly, I don't know you, and it would be stupid on my part to in anyway define you as a music fan or anything else. It really was pointed to how so many, including most of my friends in their fifties and sixties, only listen to what they heard when they were young men and woman and with no attempt to expand their musical interests.
Edit -I'll just add that saying that the best songwriters of all time were all rock musicians is really naive.
Originally posted by badmoon Obviuosly, I don't know you, and it would be stupid on my part to in anyway define you as a music fan or anything else. It really was pointed to how so many, including most of my friends in their fifties and sixties, only listen to what they heard when they were young men and woman and with no attempt to expand their musical interests.
I like the Cure b u wouldn't be the first. I'm the same way with movies and books. I just can't get enough.
The thing is, the composers you mentioned are almost never heard so how could someone from the 21st century judge them? There were great songwriters from the 19th century too, like Steven Foster but you don't see him on any of these lists either. For instance, Hard Times Come again no more, sung by Mavis Staples from the Staples singers is one incredible song and her version has to be the best I ever heard and I look for different versions of this song:
Originally posted by sonhouse The thing is, the composers you mentioned are almost never heard so how could someone from the 21st century judge them? There were great songwriters from the 19th century too, like Steven Foster but you don't see him on any of these lists either. For instance, Hard Times Come again no more, sung by Mavis Staples from the Staples singers is one incredible ...[text shortened]... ?v=-ixbah9u234
I'll bet the same thing can be said for the 18th century, 17th century, etc.
I agree. But when the question is asked I get mildly annoyed when I see narrow lists. But if I answered the same when I was 20, my answer would look approximately the same as others have responded.
In my own clumsy way I'm just encouraging music fans to expand their universe.
Don't get me wrong, I know that I'm no music expert by any means, but I'll keep on sampling sounds from all over the world and I'll keep on looking back to those who created the benchmarks of what we hear today.
Maybe I misread the thread, I thought it was about great songwriters, not who my favorite bands are.
Isn't a great song one that is re-interpreted through future decades at least? Do you see Bowie's music being redone 50 years after he is gone?
Originally posted by badmoon Don't get me wrong, I know that I'm no music expert by any means, but I'll keep on sampling sounds from all over the world and I'll keep on looking back to those who created the benchmarks of what we hear today.
Maybe I misread the thread, I thought it was about great songwriters, not who my favorite bands are.
Isn't a great song one that is re-interpr ...[text shortened]... future decades at least? Do you see Bowie's music being redone 50 years after he is gone?
Did you listen to Hard times come again no more? That is a song written 150 years ago and still is powerful.
Originally posted by badmoon Obviuosly, I don't know you, and it would be stupid on my part to in anyway define you as a music fan or anything else. It really was pointed to how so many, including most of my friends in their fifties and sixties, only listen to what they heard when they were young men and woman and with no attempt to expand their musical interests.
Edit -I'll just add that saying that the best songwriters of all time were all rock musicians is really naive.
Ok. Understood.
I'll agree there, most of my aquiantances that are my age late 30's ,early 40's, also listen to the same radio stations with the same repetivive music.
But lets not go too far, just because rock mucis had been prostitutionalized does not mean that listening to say Janis Joplin is still not a very sublime experience- even if the song writing is more about riffs and sounds rather than the actual musical structure.
Originally posted by badmoon Don't get me wrong, I know that I'm no music expert by any means, but I'll keep on sampling sounds from all over the world and I'll keep on looking back to those who created the benchmarks of what we hear today.
Maybe I misread the thread, I thought it was about great songwriters, not who my favorite bands are.
Isn't a great song one that is re-interpr ...[text shortened]... future decades at least? Do you see Bowie's music being redone 50 years after he is gone?
"Do you see Bowies music being re-done after 50 years he is gone?"
Good question. I do.
But maybe because I have the best of no1 and no2 to listen to 😀
I've been going beck through my lists of influentual music (influential to todays songwriters), and have found that the year 1980 was a paricularly profound one as far as songs that influenced other artists are concerned.
It was said that not many people saw the Velvet Underground live, but all who did started a band.
I see the Pixies in the same sort of boat.
As Kurt Cobain confirmed, he was trying to rip off a Pixies song when he wrote "smells like teen spirit".
Originally posted by badmoon I won't argue with Lennon/Mcartney. But Robert Smith of The Cure? I haven't heard enough of Craypools writings but I know him as a top rate musician.
My point is that a fan of music should listen before and beyond what they've heard since they were a kid in high school. Some of these lists are so, so limited that I can hardly believe that they truly love music.
Not to worry, Whodey has more.
1. Michael Bolton
2. Barry Manolow
3. Brittney Spears.
Originally posted by karoly aczel Tom waits definatley.
I think it would be fair to say that it becomes harder to write original tunes when all the great chord progressions have been taken by the songwriters in the 60's and 70's.
Can anyone think of any song that actually sticks with them from say 2000 onwards?
Can anyone think of any song that actually sticks with them from say 2000 onwards?
I've recently become quite a fan of Alex Turner, I think the lyricism of the Arctic Monkeys is vastly underrated. Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold is another incredibly talented songwriter of recent times, I haven't listened to their first album, but I bought Helplessness Blues and I was impressed.
Originally posted by sonhouse Brittany Spears? You've got to be kidding. Put her up against the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton and the like?
Best songwriters
06 Mar '12 15:35
YouTube
Back to Top