Who is the greatest artist musical talent of all time

Lirange

Not necessarily of all time but from my lifetime I would choose either Bowie or Prince. Prince wrote many songs that would go on to be hits for others (eg Nothing Compares to You, Manic Monday).

Also Tina Turner, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen, are up there for me.

Dog Murphy

Effects wrote: »

That just makes you sound pretentious and narrow minded.

Nah, I'm a true appreciator of the arts.

Cody montana

Bowie.

KathleenGrant

Anus Von Skidmark wrote: »

Nowt to do with ability, but lots to do with his potential musical output, had he lived longer.

Ok apologies for my comment. From now on.
GAFY=
Great
Admiration
For
You

Regardless I love your username

KathleenGrant

Michael Jackson.....?

Bobblehats

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXnJqYwebF8

redlead

Impossible to answer because there have been so many greats. If I had to pick one, it would have to be Beethoven. To think that he composed his 9th symphony when he was completely deaf says it all about his musical talent. Probably the greatest ever piece of music in my opinion.

If I had to pick a modern artist, I'd go with Bowie.

Arghus

Once you don't take classical composers into consideration - because let's face it they were on another level altogether - then Prince has to have been there or thereabouts.

Outlaw Pete

Phil Collins.

In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s. It's about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. The lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've heard in rock. But I also think Phil worked best within the confines of a group than he did as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. Sussudio is a great great song, a personal favorite.

FluffyTowel

Eminem’s lyrics are effortless amazing. Have a listen to Rap God. Think he broke some record there.

Classical music is very nice, but this takes some smarts.

The Rape of Lucretia

Arghus wrote: »

Once you don't take classical composers into consideration - because let's face it they were on another level altogether

This is true.
It is curious, how with so much good music to be listened to by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, etc, people listen to so much music that isnt anywhere near in the same league. Life is short enough. It has been well established what the good music is - and anyone who listens to it universally agrees (nobody ever does come back and say, "Beethoven, yes, good alright, but I do think Leonard Cohen and Prince do still have an edge on him"). The hard work has been done. If you like music, you may as well listen to the good stuff.
On the op's question : Beethoven gives him a very close run. But Mozart edges it.

dubstarr

For me its Madonna.I know she gets some ****.But shes up there for me.Absolute genius,business woman.No one like her. Even though they all try.

Also Brendon Urie is another.Amazing voice,up there wiht Freddie.Plays loads of instruments.

Wibbs

zoe 3619 wrote: »

David bowie spanned many years with different styles of music.

Mostly because of his very canny choice of producers who stamped their style on top of his.

zoe 3619 wrote: »

On reflection,I'll go with this.
Brilliant singers/songwriters.They were huge for a reason,and absolutely ground breaking.

Aye. While genius is an all too often used term, they most certainly were. Even George started to knock out the quality stuff towards the end. Regardless of musical tastes, I think it's hard to fathom for most of us these days just how incredible a mark they left and how quickly too. If we put it in today's context of 2019, they would have made their first album back in 2013, recorded in a day, their last would be this summer where they took months to record and then they were gone.

Through that short period of time they released twelve albums and twenty plus singles(many of which weren't on the albums, contractual stuff and which was normal for the time so they had to come up with singles on top), while in between studio time they played endless gigs all over the world and to huge audiences never seen before, until it was just too much. Oh and made a few films too and music videos and wrote stuff for others and starred in films as "proper" actors and rattled off a couple of books and other side projects. Imagine your fave artist of today or of the last couple of decades. Imagine them having a career of nine years, releasing albums nearly twice a year and every one of them was different and changing and improving. These days they'd be a marketing nightmare.

That would be impressive enough a career, but on top of that they changed music completely, and more, they inspired others, some real giants themselves, to do so. When they hit their stride in the studio, they made songs and sounds you simply wouldn't have heard before at the time. Even in album design it was all new. They came out with the first gatefold, the first to feature lyrics on the back cover, the first to list studio technicians, etc etc. And while everyone and his dog was trying to copy Sgt Pepper, they come out next with a completely blank white cover. For the lulz like. Oh and contrary to some popular belief they were also bloody good musicians(and singers). McCartney is one of the finest bass players of his generation and extremely innovative with it, Lennon was one helluva rhythm guitarist and Harrison, while not flashy knew how to fill a middle eight(and guys like Hendrix, Clapton(even though Eric rode his wife, and they still stayed pals ). And no Ringo was not crap. Not by any means and a load of bloody well regarded drummers from Bonham, Copeland, to Grohl gave him the nod. And he did it with just four drums.

It's again easy to forget these days that they were right on the cutting edge, "avant garde", even really bloody weird, but still stayed hugely popular. Vanishingly few can do that in any medium and even fewer in their lifetime. Recently their record company released a new mix of Here Comes the Sun and it seems like a simple melody and song, but it isn't and it's also chock full of synthesizers, which most people thinking of the song would rarely remember.

I come and go as far as listening to them. I can go for years TBH, but when I do go back it regularly staggers me at the raw unencumbered talent involved.

anewme wrote: »

George Michael is very underrated in terms of how good he was as a singer and also as a songwriter. The sad thing for George is that he never realised just how talented he was.

+1000. Fantastic voice and bloody good songwriter too and one who evolved. Few do.

kildare lad

Jedward

Anesthetize

Merzbow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGzrL8J0t-c

Wibbs

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Phil Collins.

In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s. It's about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. The lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've heard in rock. But I also think Phil worked best within the confines of a group than he did as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. Sussudio is a great great song, a personal favorite.

I'd agree. Very underrated. Though that's more about how music in some ways has changed. "Back in the day" more wrote songs and the song was it and the instruments were there to serve the song. Collins got that and did it very well. Then it became more about the passion or the lyrics or the vibe, or the musicianship skillz on offer. EG Leonard Cohen doesn't really write "songs", he writes poetry with musical accompaniment, and god knows he did that so bloody well. Dylan was similar. Pure song writers are rare enough these days.

dubstarr

I think Madonna and David Bowie share a lot of similarities.Both cutting edge,always ahead of the game.Madonna has said hes the one that most inspired her.Always had the best producers both just brilliant.

dubstarr

Wibbs wrote: »

I'd agree. Very underrated. Though that's more about how music in some ways has changed. "Back in the day" more wrote songs and the song was it and the instruments were there to serve the song. Collins got that and did it very well. Then it became more about the passion or the lyrics or the vibe, or the musicianship skillz on offer. EG Leonard Cohen doesn't really write "songs", he writes poetry with musical accompaniment, and god knows he did that so bloody well. Dylan was similar. Pure song writers are rare enough these days.

Just proves it doesnt always have to be about the voice.When everything comes together its magic.

mr_fegelien

Sting. From his work in the Police to his solo career and I think the masterpiece, Ten Summoner's Tales back in 93

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

Byeatles. John agus Paul. And all those classical music lads.

nkl12xtw5goz70

Depends on how the question is phrased.

Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven are standouts of the baroque, classical, and romantic eras. In terms of pure artistry, they are unparalleled.

For pop/rock music, The Beatles, Elvis, and Dylan probably have the most obvious claims.

But there are so many genres — folk, jazz, blues, hip-hop, country, heavy metal, reggae, and on and on — that it's very hard to pick out one artist from one genre and declare them the "best."

Thepillowman

Mark Knopfler for me couldnt really pick a classical one .Too many good ones.

anewme

Johnny Cash's version of Hurt is hard to listen to, but life summed up.

jpfahy

The criteria you might use to decide this question would include:
Songwriting ability
Ability to play an instrument or play multiple instruments
Having a good singing voice with a good range
Being successful at different types of music
Being innovative
Single sales
Album sales
Concert ticket sales
Respect of his/her peers
Influencing other artists
Longevity of career.

In this regard there is one artist who tops probably every category above........Paul McCartney

pjmn

David Coverdale

Arghus

Wibbs wrote: »

I'd agree. Very underrated. Though that's more about how music in some ways has changed. "Back in the day" more wrote songs and the song was it and the instruments were there to serve the song. Collins got that and did it very well. Then it became more about the passion or the lyrics or the vibe, or the musicianship skillz on offer. EG Leonard Cohen doesn't really write "songs", he writes poetry with musical accompaniment, and god knows he did that so bloody well. Dylan was similar. Pure song writers are rare enough these days.

Carpentry

7 pages gone and not even one mention of James Douglas Morrison ? Thom Yorke ? Dave Gahan ? Ozzy ? Plant ? Page ? Marley ? Cmon

barney shamrock

Does Led Zeppelin count as an "artist"?
Probably not, but that was one band who had four musical geniuses as members while most great bands had one or maybe two.

nkl12xtw5goz70

Carpentry wrote: »

7 pages gone and not even one mention of James Douglas Morrison ? Thom Yorke ? Dave Gahan ? Ozzy ? Plant ? Page ? Marley ? Cmon

All well-respected, but not exactly "greatest of all time" material.

buckwheat

Huey Lewis and the News.

Their early work was a little too new wave for my taste. But when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost.

He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor. In '87, Huey released Fore!, their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip To Be Square". A song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity and the importance of trends. It's also a personal statement about the band itself.

Carpentry

Simon Helpful Ripper wrote: »

All well-respected, but not exactly "greatest of all time" material.

Right

Carpentry

Simon Helpful Ripper wrote: »

All well-respected, but not exactly "greatest of all time" material.

Robert Leroy Johnson ?

RICARDO1982

Philip Lynott. Great musician / frontman poet . I often wonder how he would have developed as an artist . It’s good to see him remembered. Statue / on radio regularly/ stamps etc

barney shamrock

buckwheat wrote: »

Huey Lewis and the News.

Their early work was a little too new wave for my taste. But when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost.

He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor. In '87, Huey released Fore!, their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip To Be Square". A song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity and the importance of trends. It's also a personal statement about the band itself.

Thanks Patrick

JohnnyFlash

barney shamrock wrote: »

Does Led Zeppelin count as an "artist"?
Probably not, but that was one band who had four musical geniuses as members while most great bands had one or maybe two.

Geniuses at stealing ideas, overly long guitar solos, and making slightly pompous cock rock for white dudes.

The Rape of Lucretia

jpfahy wrote: »

The criteria you might use to decide this question would include:
Songwriting ability
Ability to play an instrument or play multiple instruments
Having a good singing voice with a good range
Being successful at different types of music
Being innovative
Single sales
Album sales
Concert ticket sales
Respect of his/her peers
Influencing other artists
Longevity of career.

In this regard there is one artist who tops probably every category above........Paul McCartney

Surely Mozart out does him in all but the one we dont really know about (other than that he was a tenor but didnt sing professionally) ?


Songwriting ability : Maybe Schubert was better. But only maybe.
Ability to play an instrument or play multiple instruments. Outstanding performer on keyboards of all varieties, violin, and viola.
Having a good singing voice with a good range. Did not sing publicly and there are no recordings. So Paul possibly has him on this point.
Being successful at different types of music. McCartney could not touch him here : chamber, symphonic, choral, sacred, opera, solo instrumental
Being innovative : extraordinarily so. Invented the piano concerto as an instrumental 'operatic' genre along the way.
Single sales : not sure they really matter anymore, but probably high
Album sales : Well he wrote approximately 180. I am not sure its even possible to count how many he has sold.
Concert ticket sales. Still selling them out 250 years later. Several live concerts, every night of the year.
Respect of his/her peers. He certainly has it here. All composers since revere him as the best or arguably best to a far greater majority than I suggest you would find for McCartney.
Influencing other artists. 200 years of being studied and influencing all composers since.
Longevity of career. All his life. A star composing masterpieces almost from infant to death bed.

KK4SAM

All things considered Christy Hennessey

anewme

KK4SAM wrote: »

All things considered Christy Hennessey

Very talented and under rated.

Carpentry

jpfahy wrote: »

The criteria you might use to decide this question would include:
Songwriting ability
Ability to play an instrument or play multiple instruments
Having a good singing voice with a good range
Being successful at different types of music
Being innovative
Single sales
Album sales
Concert ticket sales
Respect of his/her peers
Influencing other artists
Longevity of career.

In this regard there is one artist who tops probably every category above........Paul McCartney

Mathew Bellamy from Muse, apart from longevity thing

Bobblehats

I don’t really care for greatest ability, it’s probably some metal guys I don’t really care for anyway it’s what you do with it. Musicians in their prime, with their charisma / cool tend to attract the better personnel / producers and turn out their best work. Usually in their thirties; with the more developed writing combining with more sophisticated / polished production that would not just stand the test of time but always sound ahead of the game. Talking bout Olly Murs

anewme

Bobblehats wrote: »

I don’t really care for greatest ability, it’s probably some metal guys I don’t really care for anyway it’s what you do with it. Musicians in their prime, with their charisma / cool tend to attract the better personnel / producers and turn out their best work. Usually in their thirties; with the more developed writing combining with more sophisticated / polished production that would not just stand the test of time but always sound ahead of the game. Talking bout Olly Murs

Troublemaker.

Bobblehats

anewme wrote: »

Troublemaker.

May be a rabble rouser but the kids got swag.

anewme

Bobblehats wrote: »

May be a rabble rouser but the kids got swag.

A good wig helps too.

interlocked

So! We're at Led Zeppelin or Mozart, **** me that's going to a poll, isn't I
t?🀔

Bobblehats

anewme wrote: »

A good wig helps too.

A sick pair of skinnies bring out his knock knees and all

dubstarr

Bobblehats wrote: »

I don’t really care for greatest ability, it’s probably some metal guys I don’t really care for anyway it’s what you do with it. Musicians in their prime, with their charisma / cool tend to attract the better personnel / producers and turn out their best work. Usually in their thirties; with the more developed writing combining with more sophisticated / polished production that would not just stand the test of time but always sound ahead of the game. Talking bout Olly Murs

I love Olly and to be fair he did really well.Just proves you dont always need a 5 octave range to be successful.

Sometimes being in the "Right Place,Right Time." Is just as good.

JohnnyFlash

Carpentry wrote: »

Mathew Bellamy from Muse, apart from longevity thing

Dude looks like a foetus.

Bobblehats

dubstarr wrote: »

Sometimes being in the "Right Place,Right Time." Is just as good.

Oh his A&R man got lucky with that one. Takes a keen ear though so credit due

EmmetSpiceland

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Dude looks like a foetus.

Aerosmith?

Blazer

Hard to look past the classical composers as their music is still going strong 200-300 years later which is incredible.
Bach is one of my personal favorites.
Looking at today's artists I can't look past The Beatles, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin,Deep Purple/Rainbow from my own music tastes.
I definitely can't see any of today's artists lasting 50 years let alone 300 years.