[Music] Musical Geniuses

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Is/was

Edward Ka-Spel
Peter Hammill
Prince
Todd Rundgren
Laura Nyro
George Michael
Bowie
Hendrix
Brian Wilson
Bryan Erickson
George Martin (tee hee)
Bill Leeb
Billy McKenzie
Ferry Corsten
Phil Spector
Big Joe Turner
Dusty Springfield
Stevie Wonder
Tom Shear
Frank Zappa
Mark E. Smith
John Mclaughlin
Robert Smith
Vince Clarke
Steven Wilson
Richard Sinclair
Robert Wyatt
Jeff Beck
Leslie West
David Sylvian
Lee Perry
Steve Jones
Ivor Cutler
Bob Marley
Prince Far I
Siouxie
Stanislav Martensitov (Fraunhofer Diffraction)
Rory Gallagher
Joseph Saddler (Grand Master Flash)
Don Van Vleit (Captain Beefhart)
Steely Dan (I'm dodging bands but here the sum is better than the parts, so)
10cc (ditto)
Graham Gouldman of 10cc (special mention for his writing)
Arthur Brown
Robert Fripp
Elizabeth Fraser
Peter Hook
Back Door (another band, my bad)
Andy LaPlegua (Icon of Coil and several other bands)
Adrian Hates
Tom Waites
Richard D James (Aphex Twin)
Declan McManus (Elvis Costello)
Paul Weller
Cool Keith (Dr Octagon)
Alan Stivell
Martin Carthy
Daniel Myer and Dejan Samardzic (Haujobb)
The Doors
John Baine (Attila the Stockbroker)

I could go on and normally would.

I can wax lyrically in justification of all these (innovation, longevity, sincerity etc) but it boils down to personal taste though, innit?

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

Is/was

Edward Ka-Spel
Peter Hammill
Prince
Todd Rundgren
Laura Nyro
George Michael
Bowie
Hendrix
Brian Wilson
Bryan Erickson
George Martin (tee hee)
Bill Leeb
Billy McKenzie
Ferry Corsten
Phil Spector
Big Joe Turner
Dusty Springfield
Stevie Wonder
Tom Shear
Frank Zappa
Mark E. Smith
John Mclaughlin
Robert Smith
Vince Clarke
Steven Wilson
Richard Sinclair
Robert Wyatt
Jeff Beck
Leslie West
David Sylvian
Lee Perry
Steve Jones
Ivor Cutler
Bob Marley
Prince Far I
Susan Ballion
Stanislav Martensitov
Rory Gallagher
Joseph Saddler

I could go on and normally would.


I can wax lyrically in justification of all these (innovation, longevity, sincerity etc) but it boils down to personal taste though, innit?

in fairness H

I think Beethoven trumps the lot

I mean how many symphonies?

 

[Jam The Man]

Bjorn and Benny
Paul McCartney
Brian Wilson
Michael Jackson
Paul Simon
George Michael
Madonna
Carole King

 

[Is it PotG?]

Trevor Horn

Vince Clarke

Paul Anka

John Martyn

 

[Crispy Ambulance]

Joe Strummer
Ian Curtis
Vini Reilly
Ian Broudie

 

[Razzoo]

John Coltrane
Arvo Part
Glenn Gould
Three that I don't think have been mentioned yet.

 

[zefarelly]

Stevie Wonder, Kate Bush, Paul Simon, Chuck Berry, Buddy Hollie, Ray and Dave Davis, Nial Rodgers, Sir George Martin.

I can't believe it took more than a page for Stevie Wonder to get mentioned, 60 years he's been going, I can't think of anyone better.

 

[R. Slicker]

Yes:

Burt Bacharach
Jools Holland
Quincy Jones
Mark Ronson

Definitely not:

Chas n Dave
Status Quo

Bit harsh there. Chas Hodges was an accomplished musician who played with many great bands in the 60's and 70's, And they wrote the Sideboard song after a visit to The Red Lion, Ashington.
And the Quo are.... Well, just THE QUO.

 

[Icy Gull]

I can't believe it took more than a page for Stevie Wonder to get mentioned, 60 years he's been going, I can't think of anyone better.

Marvin Gaye from that genre alone, plenty of others - see my list

Never wrote anything that came close to being as crass as I just called to say I love you either

Talking Book I loved, Inner visions was pretty good but most of his stuff sounds so samey I lost interest after thatb

 

[BN9 BHA]

This will go down well on NSC. Possibly the most HATED band on NSC

Chris Martin

I bloody love live Coldplay!

Definitely a genius, he got millions and millions to buy his shite music

 

[Mellotron]

David Bowie
The Beatles
Radiohead

Stevie Wonder - someone once described him as “a walking musical note”
ABBA - ludicrously high HPM (hooks per minute)

 

[Ghost of Killer Reeves]

Don Van Vliet

 

[jevs]

Jeff LYnne

 

[lawros left foot]

I can't believe it took more than a page for Stevie Wonder to get mentioned, 60 years he's been going, I can't think of anyone better.

He was the first name I thought of.

Brilliant, brilliant musician, I can even forgive him for “I just called to say I love you”

His only UK number one, unbelievable.


Talking book, Innervisions, Songs in the key of life. Hotter than July .

Sheer genius.

 

[blue-shifted]

The word genius being liberally sprinkled around. Ridiculously so.

Everyone taking the conversation as a chance to name a musician they like.

 

[Bakero]

Gza.

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

He was the first name I thought of.

Brilliant, brilliant musician, I can even forgive him for “I just called to say I love you”

His only UK number one, unbelievable.


Talking book, Innervisions, Songs in the key of life. Hotter than July .

Sheer genius.

Spot on - I also agree with the post following yours that genius should really only be applied to a very small subset of highly talented musicians - I’d probably go SW as the leading example

 

[Is it PotG?]

Wacko Jacko
Madonna
Springsteen
Richie

If selling millions and millions over many, many years is a guage.

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

Ian Dury

 

[BN9 BHA]

The word genius being liberally sprinkled around. Ridiculously so.

Everyone taking the conversation as a chance to name a musician they like.

This with bells on.