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io_rage better stop calling me a puppet ...but...

Best songwriter pertains to both instruments and lyrics. Please don't just pick the singer if you think a certain band's music is the best written; make sure you know who actually writes the music.

In order of preference

Trent Reznor NIN - As more time goes by, his songs impress me more and more.
Peter Gabriel - His lyrics a literature-quality poetry, and his stylistic singing and often funky melodies are exquisite.
Frank Black Pixies etc. - Pure insane genius.
Billy Corgan Smashing Pumpkins etc. - He writes so many songs, and even his b-sides and outtakes are better than most bands.
Martin Gore Depeche Mode - His church-choir-inspired sexy lyrics with dark atmospheres are the true power behind Dave Gahans charismatic energy.

There are, of course, other awesome ones, but I know you guys will cover that .

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Get me off this Disciplinary Committee so I can play any FF except for FF8!!!

Michael Jackson - (seriously) he has written some of the most popular music in history and is absolutely great at what he does
Elton John and Bernie Taupin - have been one of the greatest songwritting partners ever. having over 40 someodd successful singles, and are the most well known
Ashford and Simpson - Fairly popular motown lyricists
Stevie Wonder - Has composed some of the best music i have ever heard and the fact that he's blind and can play the piano.... well that just makes it so much better

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~ A Hero Is Someone Who Stands When Their Legs Are Gone~

James Hetfield- Metallica. The lyrics and riffs are mindblowing.
Ozzy Osbourne. Great songs for him and Sabbath.

And probably Robert Plant, Jimi Hendrix and some others. I can't think of everyone else at the time

-EDIT- oh yeah, RATM and The Chili Peppers wrote some wicked somgs. Thx DF.
Also Axl Rose & Slash and JPJ & Page

This post has been edited by Sherick on 15th August 2004 03:34

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I fear my heart and fear my soul
Life goes on, it surely will,
Without me and I wonder:
Will I ever see light again?

Life goes on...

I'm with you entirely on Trent Reznor. The man is musically, a genious. He's brilliant with words, and he writes the riffs and beats for every instrument you here in any Nine Inch Nails song. The man is truly talented.

I'd also have to throw points at Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones in the Zeppelin area, since musically speaking, they wrote like no one in their time. Bonham came up with some catchy drumlines and great words too.

Again, I'll agree with you on Billy Corgan, but only regarding Smashing Pumpkins. It was so experimental, so raw that it couldn't have been anything but beautiful.
Zwan, however was total trash.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, as a group, form one very, very sick songwritting machine. The funky musical blend of funk, rock and everything between, the sexually charged and yet, mystically deep lyrics and the way it all goes great together, the true calling card of musical masters.

Rage Against The Machine, the most angry, politically motivated lyrics you can imagine, all spouted from Zach's very angry little mind, melded with the master songwritting skills of Tom Morello, Timbob and Brad make a mind numbing flow of anti-american hell raising anthems that you can't help but classify as genious. I miss em'.

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Okay, but there was a goat!

Some additions I would like to make:

Cat Stevens — before he changed his name to Yusuf Islam and became a Muslim activist, this folk rocker wrote some of the more beautiful songs I have ever heard. "Lady D'Arbanville" comes to mind.

Bruce Springsteen — Don't cross THE BOSS, my friend.

Bob Dylan — Wonderful, wonderful stuff. "Mr. Tambourine Man" is one of my favourite songs of all time.

David Bowie — Remarkable. One of my favourites.... don't even get me started here.

Jim Morrison

David Byrne of the Talking Heads

Maná (don't know who in the band writes the songs) — One of the few songs that can actually bring a tear to my eye is the lovely spanish song by this group, "En el muelle de San Blas."

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Je ne t'aime plus,
Mon amour...

Je ne t'aime plus,
Tous les jours...

joe walsh, elton john, jim morrison, and jerry garcia i think he wrote most of the grateful dead's music (if you know otherwise please correct me)

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And when the band you're in starts playing different tunes,
i'll see you on the dark side of the moon.... - Pink Floyd

Eagle may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines

I'll agree with all 5 on DF's post. Actually, I will agree fully 100%. NIN, Smashing Pumpkins, Led Zeppelin, RHCP, and RATM wrote some of the greatest rock songs in the history of music. Let's add some more to the mix...


Alice in Chains. Fed off of Layne's heroin addiction, AIC made some powerfully emotional music. They were also both sides of the coin, writing dark, dreary, nihilistic, brooding stories of darkness (Would?, Angry Chair, Down in a Hole)... and good-timing, fun, alternative romps (No Excuses, Grind, Heaven Beside You). The two songs that come to mind as AIC's best written is "Would?", which just happens to be favorite AIC song, with the brooding bass intro leading into the haunting guitar melody, and thne Layne's powerful vocals... the other song I think of is "Rooster". A song about Layne's dad in Vietnam, they execute this song so perfectly, from the intro of Layne and Jerry's hoo-ing to the high-voltage chorus. 6 minutes of bliss.

311. Nick Hexum and Tim Mahoney are the writers for the band, and they've written a lot of good-time, cruisin tunes. 311 is one of my favorite bands to have blarin in my car when I drive because of this reason. The most such known song is "Down". It's songs like these that make 311 one of my favorite bands. But the band also places good punk ballads as well (Amber, the cover of The Cure's "Love Song", 123)

Pre-"St. Anger" Metallica. What made the music that Metallica wrote so excellent, in my opinion was their contrast between their thrash songs and their power ballads. Their thrash rock songs were good by any means (Holier Than Thou, Through the Never, Fuel, Master of Puppets). But after hearing those songs and then jumping to "Nothing Else Matters", "Fade to Black", or "the Unforgiven", it's just phenomenal that they're able to do songs so full of emotion after the ripping out hard-rock tracks. And "One" is too stellar for words... In my opinion, has to be considered one of the best written rock songs of all time. Kirk Hammett's solo during that just makes you wonder how the hell he does it, as does the famed "machine-gun" bass drum part. Such a great song.

Chris Cornell is a great songwriter. His time with Soundgarden, they churned out some awesome songs, and I mean more than "Blackhole Sun"... yes, it's a good song but Soundgarden has released better ones.... Like "Rusty Cage"... By far and large, my favorite Soundgarden song. Crunchy grunge riffs melded with Cornell's sultry vocals. Best part of that song is the bridge when the main riff slows down ... and Chris delivers at his best. Other excellently written Soundgarden songs are "Get on the Snake", "Jesus-Christ Pose", "Outshined", "Fell on Black Days", "Pretty Noose"... hell, just get the A-Sides cd, it's awesome. Cornell also did work with his side project, Temple of the Dog, and worked on his solo career... until he joined Audioslave.
Yes, I know we would all rather have Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden rather than Audioslave, but since we can't have either... Audioslave will have to do. And Cornell wrote some well thought out lyrics and music. "Like a Stone" is a great song about death. I really feel Chris's lyrics, though I thought it could've been delivered a little better. "Cochise", of course, is the quintessential "rock the f*** on" song. "Shadow on the Sun" and "Bring Em Back Alive" also deserve to be mentioned.


Bands that deserve to be mentioned: Jane's Addiction, AFI, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Nonpoint, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, Cold, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

This post has been edited by Sabin on 15th August 2004 20:03

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"When I turn the page
The corner bends into the perfect dog ear
As if the words knew I'd need them again
But at the time, I didn't see it."

~"This Ain't a Surfin' Movie" - Minus the Bear

God, this may take a while.

First off, recognition to my favorite early songwriters, the Beatles. John Lenin and Paul McCartney write really deep lyrics when they want to (see "Eleanor Rigby") or just mess around ("I Am the Walrus"), but their instrumentational intuition is remarkabe. I can't even fathom hearing a beautifull song like "Stawberry Fields" and then deciding to add horns and strings. And not just slapping them on at the end, either; legitimately writing intricate parts for each. That takes a lot of skill, in my book.

Apart from that, the first name on my list is Darren Jesse of Ben Folds Five, alongside Ben Folds himself. Ben is an incredible musician, so naturally all of his parts are great, but I like Jesse's songs better. The beautiful, flowing nature of songs like "Magic" really appeal to me, especially with the inclusion of a timpani to climax a building crescendo. I'm a sucker for songs by people who really pour their heart into lyrics.

Next up is Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World. He used to be number 1 on my list, but 1 good album (Clarity) will only get you so far. That one album, however, is the greatest series of love poems put to beautiful layered guitar, bells, and piano. I can't say enough about Clarity, just please give it a shot if you haven't already. Even if you don't like Bleed American, because I don't really like that album either.

Also worthy of mention is Brandon Boyd of Incubus. His intellectual lyrics and condescending tone in songs like "Pardon Me" and "Idiot Box" are right up my alley. Incubus has changed styles so many times, but the lyrics continue to remain consistanly good.

Last up is Jimi Hendrix. Every time I hear any song of his, I am most struck by the blend between the instruments and the lyrics that are amost blues but not quite. Mix that with the fact that he's one of the top guitarists ever, and you end up with some very good songs.

I could go on forever about lyricists or music...ists...but I think these 5 convey my highest regards.

I would have to say Eddie Vedder is the greatest songwriter because it's just so emotionally charged and poetic.

Though, Robert Plant is also very high on the list.

wow, how did i miss this thread, and why hasn't anyone posted in it?

obviously, the top choice is *unequivocally* dylan. there is no man, living or dead, who writes or wrote songs with the poetic intensity that is axiomatic to dylan. he's had some weak times, sure, but for every absolute masterpiece of a song *any* other songwriter has written, dylan has probably ten or twenty. not to mention he's probably the most ripped-off ("covered") songwriter in history. in fact, dylan will be the only songwriter i attempt to order -- it's so manifest that dylan is indeed #1 that it is easy enough to do -- no one else comes close, but consequently no one can "easily" cinch the #2 spot.

johnny cash -- WAIT I LIED johnny cash, the american storyteller, would probably get the #2 -- in my book at least. i mean, there is really no comparison to the man in black when it comes to americana. his total catalogue is surely larger even than dylan's. he influenced quite a few mainstream country folks to start putting *real,* hank williams-style country music back in their repertoire and stop singing about dog piss and beer. countless musicians have tried to emulate his storytelling style, and, of course, all have fallen short. plus he had the manliest voice ever.

paul simon. surprised nobody mentioned him. in case nobody knew, he wrote everything they did from "sound of silence" to "the boxer" to that dreadful hippienoid hit "mrs robinson" -- and the man was a genius. indeed some of his songs rank among the most powerful ever written.

mccartney -- yeah, yeah, everyone knows what goes here. the lennon slight is intentional.

van morrison -- also surprised people missed the irish vocal powerhouse. "stoned me," "wild night," "contemplation rose" -- the list as usual could go on forever. suffice it to say that morrison (*not* jim morrison, whoever actually thinks he was a brilliant lyricist is in serious denial) is one of the europe's goats. too bad you can hardly understand a damn thing he says.

robert johnson -- the fidelity of his recordings might turn off the fan of contemporary music, but as far as blues songwriting goes, robert johnson was *the man* (i thought hard about giving the mandatory blues nod to elmore james or bobby bland, but johnson was arguably the most important pioneer of the mississippi delta). plus, he was probably the best blues lyricist. certainly most blues songs are about MY BABY DON'T LOVE ME NO MORE (walkdown, 7th, you know the gig); johnsons eclectic collection of words and patterns have inspired i'm sure every blues musician to take his genre seriously. and hell, without johnson, we wouldn't have clapton's solo on "crossroads."

woody guthrie -- not much to say here. left us with a damn hefty collection of great folktunes that dealt with serious, gritty topics ranging from class inequality in america to immigrant deportation to children's music. he was a pinko bastard and i don't care for the guy, but what american, whether he likes music or not, can't recite at least the first verse of "this land" by heart?

tupac shakur -- before you scoff, be certain you are at the least familiar with his music. yes, he was a rapper, but he was simultaneously way more than that. pac had some stupid songs about stupid stuff, sure, but a lot of his music was extremely socially conscious -- he hit on all aspects of life, from misogynism to race relations to the state of affairs of the black community -- while still relating to rap's main audience (at the time, at least) and not being pretentious, like EVERY SINGLE OTHER "conscious" rapper.

you know i'm certain i'm leaving out one shitload of great songwriters, but that's all i can think of for now, and anyway i'm sleepy as hell.

edit: uh, "simultaneously" and "at the same time" mean the same thing.

This post has been edited by gozaru~ on 3rd August 2005 07:06

I'll add just a few that no one's mentioned... everything so far has been worthy, though.

Billy Joel - One of rock and roll's greatest poets, his lyrics border on catchy (Only the Good Die Young) to soulful (New York State of Mind), to great storytelling (Pianoman) while always staying well-written lyrics.

Prince - Don't laugh, because Prince is one of the most prolific songwriters ever. He's written and performed in virutally every genre known to man, and is famous for extemporaneous music worthy of great jazz improvisers. Calling the "definition of Minneapolis sound" a musical genius is no exaggeration.

Brian Wilson - Besides composing and arranging most of the Beach Boys' tunes, his more recent work has been rather excellent. despite his issues with mental illness and severe stage fright. But still, the fact that he wrote so many songs about surfing, girls, and cars with that unique sound is impressive in itself.

Bob Marley - Here's the one that I'm absolutely astounded no one's mentioned yet. The king of reggae's music brought the sound to the mainstream and is STILL the most popular of its genre, despite the Rastifari messages and cannabis endorsements. IIRC, Time magazine named Exodus to be the Album of the Century in 2000.

And Goz, how can you forget Paul Simon's post-Garfunkel work? Graceland is one of my favorite albums from anyone, ever.

Edit

For purely sentimental (for me) reasons, I have to include Dexter Holland of Offspring. The lyrics are somewhat generic for quasi-punk, but I always felt that they had a very intelligent edge and some truly great lines. Favorites include the chorus to Gotta Get Away, the entirety of She's Got Issues, and the entirety of Have You Ever. Solid riffs from Noodles and Greg K. don't hurt either.

This post has been edited by laszlow on 3rd August 2005 14:48

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

Jeff Buckley, I feel, wrote some fantastic songs, and is one of pop music's finest lyricists, as well as the composer of some timeless and remarkable songs.

Jim Morrison - Already been mentioned, but a great poet who wrote all sorts of songs, from the sprawling, trippy 'The End' to the rugged bar-room blues of 'Love Me Two Times.'

Robert Wyatt - Put simply, it's had to find a more engaging jazz-pop album than Rock Bottom.

I've mentioned him a few times here, and to me it would be criminal not to mention Captain Beefheart, AKA Don Van Vliet. It has bee said before that Beefheart is one of the few artists who can genuinely claim to have truly given something to music, and John Peel once said of his music that 'If anything in music could be compared to art, in that as other artists would be able to understand it, that would be Captain Beefheart.' Don himself said 'The mother heartbeat in rock 'n' roll is the same thing over and over again. It's pretty boring. I've been trying for fifteen years to change that hearbeat conciousness. It's scary because it's almost like facism.' A truly remarkable songwriter, harmonica, saxaphone and bass clarinet player and vocalist, Beefheart's music reached into every corner of music, and I have read and agree with that, whatever your mood, there is a piece of Beefheart music to match it, from warming love songs to energetic jazz-inflected numbers, summery latino songs and especially, what he was known best for, all-out craziness. And indeed, though he may have retired, that is what Van Vliet is remembered best for - those experiments, those forays into the surreal that lead many of his ever-changing lineup to believe he'd simply taken more acid than anyone else on earth. I'm quite sentimental and pompous when it comes to talking about Beefheart, but again, to paraphrase him, 'It's not about what the words are, it's about where they are and how they feel.' The same is true of trying to describe his music to others, because it's so vast and unique. While perhaps not the most famous or recognised, Beefheart, I think, is the most innovative and unique songwriter of the 20th century atleast, and one heck of a blues singer to boot.

Bob Dylan has to top this list. I don't like everything he's done, and some of the songs I do like are inscrutable to me, but no one can deny that the quality of the man's best work. Many of the songs he's written, especially in the '60s, have been absolutely brilliant. The cultural impact of his work has also been considerable. Last year, there was actually talk in literary circles that he was in the running for the Nobel Prize for Literature. There is no other popular songwriter who would (or should) garner that kind of consideration.

Another favourite of mine is Roger Waters. His songwriting tends to be a bit overblown and didactic, but I never feel that I am being preached at. He relates a somewhat pessimistic world view with a lot of angst but there's no whining. His last album with Pink Floyd, The Final Cut, is one of my favourite records of all time.

Jello Biafra has a great style. His writing is preachy, but it's punk so that's all right. He may come across as being a bit paranoid, but he puts across his ideas with biting sarcasm and wonderful dark humour.


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Always hopeful, yet discontent; he knows changes aren't permanent --
But change is!

For music writing, I'd give it to Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, and Pink Floyd. Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison wrote some of the best guitar cords I've ever heard and I love Elton John's music not so much for his lyrics as his music. Rolling Stones are simply amazing rockers (Can't Get No Satisfaction is the ultimate rock song) and Pink Floyd and the Beatles for their masterful experimentation [at their time].

For lyric writing, I would give an honorable mention to Jim Morrison, but I ultimately choose my all-time favorite musician who ever lived, John Lennon.
He was a guy I truly admired (just by history lessons and looking back on his life in my teenage years) and one guy who wrote the most meaningful lyrics when he set his mind to it and ridiculous, goofy songs when he felt like it. His life, his music, and his ideals and beliefs are what sets him apart from anybody else.

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"Thought I was dead, eh? Not until I fulfill my dream!"
Seifer Almasy


"The most important part of the story is the ending."
Secret Window


"Peace is but a shadow of death."
Kuja

I want to revise my list. I still keep James Hetfield on there, but besides that

Steve Harrris of Iron Maiden. Tons of songs on tons of albums yet they're all original. He writes almost all the lyrics and all the music single-handed, and for those who aren't really into Iron Maiden, you might not agree. Most subject matters deal with fantasy-related things (not as in unicorns and leprechauns, but something in that sector) and of course there' the concept album Seventh Son of A Seventh Son which is so cleverly arranged in a way that gets hard to describe.

And on that note, Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth. I just started listening to them a few months ago, but that's all it took to recognise his mastership of songwriting. Like the former, he writes about everything and once again does deal with mystical things a majority of the time. Of course there's some skepticism, but cummon, how many people can write an entire album about Spawn and manage to make two very tender yet oddly relative love songs which intertwine the story?

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I fear my heart and fear my soul
Life goes on, it surely will,
Without me and I wonder:
Will I ever see light again?

Life goes on...

I wouldn't go and call him the BEST, but my current favourite is Todd Baechle from the Faint. His prose is incredible and musically their unlike anything I've heard before [which is to say alot] They're like a industrio-pop gothic-new-wave dance-punk something-or-other.

Examples of Lyrics with great music:

Posed to Death

Just now the curtain's folding
It falls and lies to rest
So selfish royal brother
You've loved your wife to death
Your ways could not continue
You'd rule with hateful hands
I called you toward the staircase
And I caused your violent end.

Symptom Finger

you've got to get the s**t they sell
the pills that fix the way to feel
now they've shown you what to get
you feel it coming on

low low lowdown
high paid primetime capsule maker
sickness lover
i'm gonna shut it off
down all the power
i'm a doctor today
i'm curing viewers by thousands

The Conductor

confident with your back to the audience.
tremelo strings begin with your gesturing wrist.
start the orchestra slow with an elegant aire,
then a circular sweep crecendoing swell.
leo slatkin, dohnanyi, previne, depaur

your arms are calling out,
they wave like a swarm of sound.
you pull the sound from scores of notes,
you step the stage and take control.

Sorry for pushing the band. They've blown me away and I can't help but beam about them.

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The first duty in life is to assume a pose,
and the second duty is...well, no one's found out yet.

The Cranberries. Dolores O'Riordan, the lead singer, writes most of the lyrics. As far as I'm aware, the rest of the music is a collaboration between the other members of the band.

This post has been edited by karasuman on 7th August 2005 05:11

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Veni, vidi, dormivi.

My idol, the evil elvis himself, Glenn Danzig. There's just something about the songs he creates. There's some that I can't appreciate at first. But I listen to it a few more times, and i'm suddenly entranced. It's like he weaves some sort of magic through his music that when you hear it, and really listen to it, you never want it to end. Listening to it just feels like the most important thing you can do. And he does write dark, metal stuff. Which again is part of the reason why he's number one in my book.

There are people that write about witches, magic, demons, corruption, and hell. But his songs are unlike the others in so many ways. It's a shame that some people can't appreciate the ideas written into his songs like Mother. And the fact that he can write songs to different(ish) styles of music, and still get across the entrancement, the awe, and the evil touch that makes him such a devilishly good metal songwriter. I'm the one, another song by him basically sums up the second argument for me.

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This one time I punched a bear in the forehead TO DEATH! I still have the scars on my chest. I am the manliest man that ever did man.

League: Z3roHawk
Steam: Zero_Hawk
Wii U: Zero_Hawk
FF14 - Goblin - Zero Hawk <Fiend>

Yamanaka Sawao from The Pillows. His guitar melodies are beautifully crafted, carefully weaving a delicate interplay between his rhythmic stylings and the fantastic solo work of Yoshiaki Manabe, accompanied by Shinichiro Sato's trademark drumming style. He is proficient in a variety of musical genres, as evidenced by the band's metamorphoses throughout the past 15 years. Lyrically, he has a great talent for flowing rhymes and emotional outburst that is emphasized by his wonderfully distinct singing voice. In terms of content, his writing skills are equally versatile - his songs can range from break-neck exuberance to smooth, melancholy nostalgia, and everything in between.

In the West, my vote goes to Colin Meloy from The Decemberists. Though musically he can falter, the sheer quality of his lyrics makes him my overall favorite modern American songwriter. He effortlessly blends arcane literary references with timeless sentiment to produce a thoroughly unique sound in the spirit of the great storyteller-songwriters of decades past. I can't begin to describe how much better his erudite wordplay towers above the pitifully juvenile lyricism of so many others in the U.S. market.

I'll also list Seo Taiji for sheer eclectic force. No one has changed the face of Korean music as much or as often as he has, and he's introduced whole genres to his demographic more or less single-handedly. He was never a special favorite of mine until his most recent album, which delves into progressive electronic rock - in addition to being musically exciting, his lyrical themes are politically insightful and at times indignant without being trite or pretentious.

This post has been edited by Super Moogle on 8th August 2005 17:34

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"I always have a quotation for everything - it saves original thinking."
~Dorothy L. Sayers

"The truly remarkable thing about television is that it allows several million people to laugh at the same joke and still feel lonely."
~T.S. Eliot

"Defeat is not defeat unless accepted as reality - in your own mind!"
~ Bruce Lee

My top 5 songwriters:

1. David Bowie
2. John Lennon
3. Tom Waits
4. Sid Barret (ex-member of Pink Floyd)
5. Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys)

Honorable mention: Bob Dylan (better lyricist really than songwriter), Leonard Cohen (same situation that Dylan is in), Johnny Marr of the Smiths (brilliant composer of pop songs, mediocre lyricist), Jeff Buckley also wrote some great, great songs in his short career. There are many others, but me brain is a bit shot. I saw many good choices whilst perusing this thread, good stuff.

This post has been edited by GooseKnight on 9th August 2005 02:32

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"You broke my f***ing sitar, mother f***er."
-Anton A. Newcombe

"Yet another 'use your sword to magically deliver death from above' character comes in somewhere between the Living Cabbage and Milkmaid character options." -red_beard_neo

Rez'd


Top 5
1. Jim Morrison. He may be my favorite poet ever. His songs were always filled with his spirit and his energy, and I think putting yourself in to your work is important in being a good poet.

2.Bob Dylan. Bob is another guy who you know isn't bullshitting you when he sings. His voice isn't pretty, but the stories he tells and the lessons he tries to teach are always wonderfully strung together.

3. Paul Simon. Paul Simon's lyrics never fail to inspire emotion in me, especially in songs like, "The Boxer," "The Sound of Silence," and "The Leaves That Are Green." The way Simon writes he makes everything sound like a quaint story. Well, some of the stuff he writes and performs. A lot more in his earlier career.

4.Robert Plant. I'm surprised more people don't have him, in fact. Zeppelin's lyrics are awesome, mang. Come on.

5. Roger Waters. Another person I'm surprised there isn't more of. Pink Floyd had some of the best lyrics I've ever heard.



Ironically, I agree a lot with Gozaru on this one. Johnny Cash would have been on here along with all the Beatles if I could have put them. I agree a lot with his Bob Dylan reasons too, and if it were a rank of most influential, and not just my own personal taste, I would have put put a lot of the same as he did all the way to Paul Simon.

This post has been edited by MogMaster on 18th January 2007 05:18

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If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Billy Corgan, Roger Waters, and Robert Plant have all been mentioned. However, this does not save you all from the most terrible of crimes.

NO ONE in here has mentioned Maynard James Keenan, and that's beyond shameful. You all get an F-. He was great on APC and Tool, which just goes to show it isn't the musicians who surrond him who make him great (though in both cases he probably does have INCREDIBLE musicians surrounding him). Yeah, he's probably my favorite.

Edit

This is, of course, all lyrically. Instrumentally is a different story.

This post has been edited by FallingHeart on 18th January 2007 05:25

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"We're not tools of the government or anyone else. Fighting... fighting was the only thing I was ever good at, but at least I always fought for what I believed in." - Frank Yeager (a.k.a. Grey Fox)

"Tool" is the most aptly titled band in the world. Maynard is in no way comparable to the lyrical depth of Dylan, Cohen or Morrison. Hell, I'll even take Stephen Patrick Morrissey over Maynard James Keenan and that is saying a LOT.

Oh, and Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre is tops. His songs are beautifully crafted in the neo-psychedelic pop vein of Brian Jones (the band's name sake) and Roger Water/Syd Barret (R.I.P. Syd)

This post has been edited by GooseKnight on 18th January 2007 05:40

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"You broke my f***ing sitar, mother f***er."
-Anton A. Newcombe

"Yet another 'use your sword to magically deliver death from above' character comes in somewhere between the Living Cabbage and Milkmaid character options." -red_beard_neo

I'm more of a pop/punk/rocker, so my listening comes from a slightly different angle then all the classics you all mentioned.

Liz Phair: She's a goddess, hands down.

Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge: I identify with some of the random things that Blink 182, +44, and AVA sing about. That, and Mark Hoppus is my Idol. When I grow up, I wanna be Mark Hoppus.

Michelle Branch: Although she gets a bad wrap coming on the scene with all the ditzy pop princesses, she's smart, writes a lot of her own music, and come on... she plays guitar! That gives hotness points even if you don't agree with the writing points.

AFI: They were once crazy screamo, but they've proven their worth. And in a very emo sense, a lot of Davey's lyrics come straight from poetry he's written, and it all has an eerie feeling to it, which is talent in itself.

Jack Johnson: Half of the time, I can't stand his music, but his words are good. Dave Matthews also classifies into this same category.

Incubus: A group I still discover more and more about them as I go. I recently started listening to more of their less-recent stuff (the album "Make Yourself" in particular), and it's all top notch. And the acoustic versions of the songs are all almost better then their original counterparts, which means it's either Brandon Boyd's singing, Mike Einziger's guitar parts, or both.

This post has been edited by leilong on 18th January 2007 23:17

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If internal struggles were as enjoyable and glamorous as the self conflicted wars within video game characters, we would all be statues, reveling in perpetual self war. -Me

Play me on Rock Band 2, GH-WT, or any other Xbox GH!
Xbox Gamertag-MeanJerry