"Genius"

Driver 8

It's a very over-used term, but who in the field of music would you actually consider a genius?

Stevie Wonder
Bob Dylan
Prince

kinaldo

not many

add Frank Zappa and Sly Stone to Stevie and Prince for "musical" geniuses

but it's really not worth debating imo. Is Michael Jackson a genius>>>>

meh

cornbb

JS Bach and Aphex Twin.

whiskeyman

Probably the answers no one wants to hear, but:
Pete Waterman (and Stock and Aitken)
Simon Cowall
Louis Walsh

How these men got such mediocre acts to sell millions of records is nothing short of genius...

Hermy

whiskeyman wrote: »

How these men got such mediocre acts to sell millions of records...

...is merely a sad reflection on the buying public who bought all the records.:(

Rigsby

whiskeyman wrote: »

How these men got such mediocre acts to sell millions of records is nothing short of genius...

Well said !

My choice : Charlie Parker

Lennon & Mc Carthney

Bubs101

I'd go with the following

Cowell
Prince
Jeff Tweedy
Dylan
Spector
Eminem

and wait for the backlash....
Timbaland

Driver 8

*lashes back*

His solo stuff is dreck

NoQuarter

Jimmy Page!

lordgoat

Chuck D

Rustar

Mahavishnu John McLaughlin
Jan Hammer
Justin Hayward
Peter Gabriel
Sting
Ian Anderson
Robert Fripp
Paul Simon in his early days

Karl Hungus

Devin Townsend.

grumpytrousers

Rustar wrote: »

Paul Simon in his early days

*QI style Klaxon and Siren*

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have the first 'I preferred his earlier stuff' comment of the thread...

now, if the rest of you can just be patient, i'm sure there'll be a 'Jeff Buckley, even though he only had one proper album' along in a minute...:D

Oh - and mine's a Buddy Holly, by the way...if he'd lived, Elvis would only be a footnote in Rock'n'roll...

almidonado

grumpytrousers wrote: »

Buddy Holly

Indeed. People too often overlook him.

My list of musical geniuses would in include him, as well as:

Joe Meek, for being the first independed record producer, inventing reverb, drum loops, and other tricks that are now taken for granted, creating mind-bogglingly amazing sounds out of flushing toilets, and being a DIY inspiration.
The Velvet Underground - How did they get that sound?
The Kinks, or more specifically Ray Davies, for writing the world's greatest songs.
Most of the unknown, unremembered garage bands from 60s America
The Ramones, you have to admit, have had a huge impact. Although it was probably dumb luck rather than genius, and their influence also brought about some terrible, horrible anomalies... so I'm not too sure about that one.
Django Reinhardt, purely for the wow factor, and also the inspiring life story.
The Clash, purely for the choons.

Earthhorse

Don't usually participate in these types of threads but...

Kurt Cobain
Beck
Glenn Miller
Lennon-McCartney

All because they had a unique talent that is fairly inimitable. Can't think of anyone else right now.

whiskeyman wrote: »

How these men got such mediocre acts to sell millions of records is nothing short of genius...

I wouldn't dispute that except to say that they are genii (geniuses?) in the music-business rather than the field of music itself.

MoominPapa

Davey Graham : the man who singlehandedly got the finger out of folkies earholes and thus gave us Pentangle, ISB, Fairport convention etc
Frank Zappa : polymath, moralist, great tunes, funny lyrics, one of the least lazy people in history
Ray Davies & the American Ray Davies - Robbie Robertson : both show us how the past, present and future are one meandering line

Kevster

Ludwig Van Beethoven because he spent about 22 years composing his 9 symphonies. He kept chopping and changing them until they were right in his eyes.

lordgoat

Gram Parsons

Davei141

Moby

MayMay

Moby
Michael Jackson (despite being a freak, he's a genius in my eyes)

lordgoat

Davei141 wrote: »

Moby

Is he really smart??

JIZZLORD

Mike Patton

'Ol Jack Chance

IMO any of these guys: dylan, bruce springsteen, tom waits (what the hell is he building?), bowie, the big O and Johnny Cash.

hobo!

aphex Twin!

Outer Bongolia

Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider (KRAFTWERK)

Richard James (APHEX TWIN)

Holger Czukay, Damo Suzuki, Irmin Schmidt, Jaki Liebeziet, Michael Karoli, what amazing musicians(CAN)

Mark Oliver Everett, plus his father actually was a genius of science (EELS)

Stephin Merritt (MAGNETIC FIELDS)

herbieflowers

Moondog

lucyburn

Girls Aloud
Spice Girls
Take That
Shane Ward
Kylie
Madonna

Anti

lucyburn wrote: »

Girls Aloud
Spice Girls
Take That
Shane Ward
Kylie
Madonna

Seriously GTFO !!

If your 12 you are excused. Otherwise read above.

blueandgreen

beethoven
mozart
lennon
mccartney
dylan

lucyburn

Anti wrote: »

Seriously GTFO !!

If your 12 you are excused. Otherwise read above.

They might not be your cup of tea but those artists have given me so much joy over the years.

Keyzer

lucyburn wrote: »

Girls Aloud
Spice Girls
Take That
Shane Ward
Kylie
Madonna

You're joking right ???

You should be shot for this statement...

We're talking about musical geniuses not wannabe pop crap idiots...


Hendrix
Frusciante
Jimmy Page
Lennon
McCartney
Bowie
Dylan

Chopin
Beethoven
Puccini
Yo-yo ma
Ennio Morricone

Vivaldi's four season is the most amazing musical composition ever in my opinion so he would also be in my list...

I could add to this list all day....