Who is the greatest artist musical talent of all time

anewme

Bobblehats wrote: »

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

The A&R man said I don't hear a single.

The future was wide open.

Lucy8080

There was a period of time in Brian Wilson's life when the muse was galloping across the fields of his mind. Something beautiful found itself into the world.

Good vibrations ,as they say.

The Floyd p

Brian Wilson, show some respect. Was matching and surpassing The Beatles on his own. Wrote all the music, directed the sessions musicians around, came up with the themes for the albums, to the point where he suffered a mental breakdown. Troubled genius who's influence spans far and wide.

The Floyd p

Lucy8080 wrote: »

There was a period of time in Brian Wilson's life when the muse was galloping across the fields of his mind. Something beautiful found itself into the world.

Good vibrations ,as they say.

Haha you were two minutes faster!!!

Akabusi

Can anyone recommend some classical music, it just hasn't clicked with me yet - is it an age thing?
Btw Right Said Fred definitely worth a mention just for the Power of Love alone

ben.schlomo

I'm sure he's been mentioned ad nauseum but sure I'll to it.....Richie Kavanagh.

Bobblehats

anewme wrote: »

The A&R man said I don't hear a single.

The future was wide open.

Gave him an art attack. It wasn’t songcraft; it was witchcraft I remember being stood there stood there with the limited edition vinyl on the turntable and the sleeve in my hands, wondering what sorcery was this

PressRun

The Orb wrote: »

Prince

Wrote the songs, could play all the instruments and could dance. As an all round talent he takes beating.

Agree with this. Prince was a terrific multi-instrumentalist (played more than 20 instruments on his debut album) and a prolific songwriter and producer, as well as a versatile vocalist. He apparently wrote a song every day and there are hundreds of songs in the vault that have never been released. The man was an exceptional talent by any objective standard.

andekwarhola

This is like the arguments you had as a teenager. There has been many immense musical talents.

dubstarr

No Michael Jackson or Mariah Carey.Thank God

mr_fegelien

Akabusi wrote: »

Can anyone recommend some classical music, it just hasn't clicked with me yet - is it an age thing?
Btw Right Said Fred definitely worth a mention just for the Power of Love alone

These two are my favorite

Stravinsky - The Full Firebird

Duke Ellington - C Jam Blues

Elemonator

That depends on how you define the worlds greatest musical artist. Is it popularity? Technical virtuosity? Soul? Making the most people dance compared to another? Originality? Emotional writing and playing?

For me personally, it’s how the music appeals to your emotions and either raises your mood and makes you want to dance or makes you sad. I play piano and drums for fun. The classical composers previously mentioned had that in spades, Beethoven and Handel etc. But that doesn’t mean that modern players aren’t as good, they are just different. I always loved modern music too for the same reasons. Listened to Iggy Pop’s The Passenger this morning, instant good mood.

anewme

dubstarr wrote: »

No Michael Jackson or Mariah Carey.Thank God

There are quite a few Michael Jackson tracks that are genius.

Smooth Criminal is probably my favourite pop song of all time.
Billie Jean
Beat It

cherryghost

Thom Yorke has produced quality music his entire life. Even the rest of the band is ridiculously talented. Johnny Greenwood writes some amazing orchestral pieces

Carpentry

anewme wrote: »

There are quite a few Michael Jackson tracks that are genius.

Smooth Criminal is probably my favourite pop song of all time.
Billie Jean
Beat It

Dirty Diana

Carpentry

cherryghost wrote: »

Thom Yorke has produced quality music his entire life. Even the rest of the band is ridiculously talented. Johnny Greenwood writes some amazing orchestral pieces

Across the whole spectrum, Thom Yorke will always be my no. 1

sabat

Charles Mingus
Aphex Twin
Maurice Ravel
Bez

Rory Gallagher for his guitar playing
Shane MacGowan as a song writer.
Luke Kelly for both vocals and song writing.

Good few others already mentioned in the thread that are/were brilliant.

Blazer

Elemonator wrote: »

That depends on how you define the worlds greatest musical artist. Is it popularity? Technical virtuosity? Soul? Making the most people dance compared to another? Originality? Emotional writing and playing?

For me personally, it’s how the music appeals to your emotions and either raises your mood and makes you want to dance or makes you sad. I play piano and drums for fun. The classical composers previously mentioned had that in spades, Beethoven and Handel etc. But that doesn’t mean that modern players aren’t as good, they are just different. I always loved modern music too for the same reasons. Listened to Iggy Pop’s The Passenger this morning, instant good mood.

That's a 41 year old song.
Sultans of Swing also the same year.
Most of the great songs of modern music are between 30-60 years old.
In the last 20 years what great songs have been released?
I'm just curious as I'm stuck back in the 80's
Enimem's Marshall LP was the last real album I listened to which I highly rate and loved. And I'm not a fan of rap but he was a genius on that album.
I hear some good songs now and then but album wise nothing sticks out.

Tell me how

Think this lady deserves a shout.
Classically trained pianist, writes her own music and songs.

I've included the video as it is a great example of her talent.
In this, she simultaneously plays the piano with her left hand, beats a varied rhythm with drumsticks using her right while singing the words to the song.

Every time I watch it, I think of just how hard that must be. Very talented.

Blazer

Tell me how wrote: »

Think this lady deserves a shout.
Classically trained pianist, writes her own music and songs.

I've included the video as it is a great example of her talent.
In this, she simultaneously plays the piano with her left hand, beats a varied rhythm with drumsticks using her right while singing the words to the song.

Every time I watch it, I think of just how hard that must be. Very talented.

Not a good song though. You can be talented..hell google kid guitarists on youtube and they're a dime a dozen and their talent is amazing.
But can they write a song that will stand the passage of time?

Tell me how

Blazer wrote: »

Not a good song though. You can be talented..hell google kid guitarists on youtube and they're a dime a dozen and their talent is amazing.
But can they write a song that will stand the passage of time?

I think a good song is very much a subjective thing though is it not? I mean, we all listen to songs which have stood the test of time and we award them a certain degree of quality for that fact, but does that mean that they were lyrically or musically exceptional? East 17 Stay now as just one example.

The reason I think the above video was appropriate was because to track beat and position in 3 planes, left hand, right hand and singing is impressive in my view. Maybe you could argue that makes a one man band musically impressive but I haven't seen many performers do it as Regina did there.

NIMAN

This thread got me thinking about the comedian (can't remember who it was now) who said, "If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees and people think you're a loon".

Elemonator

Blazer wrote: »

That's a 41 year old song.
Sultans of Swing also the same year.
Most of the great songs of modern music are between 30-60 years old.
In the last 20 years what great songs have been released?
I'm just curious as I'm stuck back in the 80's
Enimem's Marshall LP was the last real album I listened to which I highly rate and loved. And I'm not a fan of rap but he was a genius on that album.
I hear some good songs now and then but album wise nothing sticks out.

You’re not wrong unfortunately. A lot of artists that deserve exposure these days don’t get it. I wasn’t even around in the 80’s and I find myself going back to that decade all the time. Listened to Queens Of The Stone Age’s Like Clockwork, a few Nile Rodgers collaborations and The Killers Hot Fuss lately. Can’t say I’d complain about those.

Relikk

Dog Murphy wrote: »

Probably Bach

Bingo. Even when you consider who came after him with the likes of Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin etc., Bach was light years ahead of everyone, and still is.

Bigboldworld

Hendrix

Church on Tuesday

It's impossible to pick one and we all know the obvious contenders. I would suggest off the top of my head;

Phil Lynott
Trent Reznor
Cliff Burton
Scott Weiland
Chris Cornell
Steven Wilson
John Williams
Willie Nelson
Johnny Cash
Rory Gallagher

Bobblehats

Relikk wrote: »

Bach was light years ahead of everyone, and still is.

Carpentry

Tell me how wrote: »

Think this lady deserves a shout.
Classically trained pianist, writes her own music and songs.

I've included the video as it is a great example of her talent.
In this, she simultaneously plays the piano with her left hand, beats a varied rhythm with drumsticks using her right while singing the words to the song.

Every time I watch it, I think of just how hard that must be. Very talented.

Tori Amos beats her hands down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eLSmf76dss

Capt'n Midnight

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

"Wings? They're only the band The Beatles could've been!"

nthclare

David Byrne of the Talking Head's is quite a good artist.

If anyone could be in a movie and play him when he was younger, I give Killian Murphy first audition....

They're the bulb off each other

Odyssey 2005

Stevie Wonder.

Tammy!

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

"Wings? They're only the band The Beatles could've been!"

I know it's a joke but I never liked Wings. Their songs do absolutely nothing for me.

I'll go with Rory Gallagher. The music he made was perfect.

Tell me how

Carpentry wrote: »

Tori Amos beats her hands down.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eLSmf76dss

Link doesn't work

shamrock55

Whatever people think of Michael Jackson, it's hard to deny he was an amazing artist and performer

Capt'n Midnight

Carpentry wrote: »

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

or Miles Davis

Carpentry

Tell me how wrote: »

Link doesn't work

FIXED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eLSmf76dss

Carpentry

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

or Miles Davis

Coltrane or Thelonious Monk

Tell me how

Carpentry wrote: »

FIXED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eLSmf76dss

That looks pretty good, but, definitely don't think it beats Regina hands down.
Regina is drumming and playing piano, do different mechanisms, Tori, is playing piano with both hands (like most pianists do all the time), it just so happens on two different pieces of equipment.

Tori is very talented, their styles are not too dissimilar.

Lewis_Benson

chandlerbing2 wrote: »

For me it would have to be Eminem, lyrical genius and unbelievable songs.

This has to be the worst thread on boards.....ever.

Tell me how

Lewis_Benson wrote: »

This has to be the worst thread on boards.....ever.

'Musical' could imply it is solely to do with instruments but obviously, in today's world many performers are more noted for their singing, and the songs they sing.

It is subjective at any rate, but an interesting discussion.

Capt'n Midnight

Lucy8080 wrote: »

There was a period of time in Brian Wilson's life when the muse was galloping across the fields of his mind. Something beautiful found itself into the world.

Good vibrations ,as they say.

Pet Sounds is one of the most influential albums ever.

It's impossible to understand how different it was back then as the concepts and techniques have been copied so much since.

tayto lover

Did Bob Marley get a mention yet? Great songs, short life though.

Simon & Garfunkel too.

CalamariFritti

Has to be Mozart.

CalamariFritti

The Orb wrote: »

Prince

Wrote the songs, could play all the instruments and could dance. As an all round talent he takes beating.

Probably agree with that when it comes to pop music.

So Mozart overall, modern times Prince. They seem to have been somewhat similar characters too.

trashcan

CalamariFritti wrote: »

Probably agree with that when it comes to pop music.

So Mozart overall, modern times Prince. They seem to have been somewhat similar characters too.

Prince wasn't doing anything Paul McCartney didn't do long before, or Stevie Wonder even. All music opinion is subjective of course, but for modern musicians you'd be hard pressed to look past McCartney, given his overall body of work, and ability to do it all himself.

I thought the thread was a pisstake to be honest when I saw that Eminem was the first name mentioned. Seriously ?

nthclare

Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden deserves a shout too, his vocal range goes from heavy metal to professional Opera singer all in one paragraph.

He's extremely talented, met him once out fishing a real gent.

Capt'n Midnight

nthclare wrote: »

Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden deserves a shout too, his vocal range goes from heavy metal to professional Opera singer all in one paragraph.

He's extremely talented, met him once out fishing a real gent.

And he can fly a 747.

Wibbs

The Floyd p wrote: »

Brian Wilson, show some respect. Was matching and surpassing The Beatles on his own. Wrote all the music, directed the sessions musicians around, came up with the themes for the albums, to the point where he suffered a mental breakdown. Troubled genius who's influence spans far and wide.

Aye. One helluva talent and when the Beatles were asked who they were competing against it wasn't bands like the Stones*, or Dylan or whomever, it was the Beachboys and Brian Wilson. McCartney in particular credits him as the guy to beat outside of his bandmate and Pet Sounds as the kick in the arse to come up with Sgt Pepper. Wilson has said that after Pepper came out the stress of trying to top that was one major feature of his breakdown. And as McCartney later pointed out at least he had Lennon and increasingly George(and George Martin) to help, Brian was essentially on his own. In another universe I hope that at some point in 1968 John, Paul and Brian worked on an album together.





*The Stones were never in the running on that score. Different band entirely, who tried to compete with the Beatles but didn't have the chops in that direction. This pissed Jagger off no end. Not Richards though, he wanted to do his own thing well and did so and had a lot of time for the Beatles, Lennon in particular. They'd be similar in musical tastes if not output. Given their influences it's odd the Beatles only recorded one "traditional" 12 bar blues song. Odder still a load of their songs have non modern western musical structures, even before they went all eastern for a time. Much older choral church music figures a bit, deceptive and plagal cadences another feature. Complex stuff that should sound strange, but didn't.

Carpentry

From wiki page.

Serj Tankian is an Armenian-American musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, poet and political activist. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist, and occasional live rhythm guitarist of the band System of a Down

To write and compose such a song you must be talented, and a bit mad.