[Music] Musical Geniuses

[Machiavelli]

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

Chris Martin

I bloody love live Coldplay!

And to think you're a Neil Young fan. You've just gone on ignore*


*I'm joking on that, but dreadful post

 

[Machiavelli]

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

I know of Glenn Gould, but haven't heard him. On the basis of the other two, I'm getting involved

 

[raymondo]

Nitin Sawhney

 

[raymondo]

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?

Broad tastes HWT . Saw Back Door at they 100 Club a few decades back!

 

[Swansman]

To summarise... pretty much all slightly successful musicians from the UK/US + Abba + Mozart are geniuses.

 

[Machiavelli]

Genius

Thanking you muchly. Perhaps you should start up a collaboration thread. Radiohead + Prince so v good.

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

To summarise... pretty much all slightly successful musicians from the UK/US + Abba + Mozart are geniuses.

I think we are supposed to name people we have never heard of or don't remember

 

[Machiavelli]

Waits
Wonder
Young

 

[METALMICKY]

When it comes to music, I do think that the ‘biggest’ acts in the World have a totally unique sound. Maybe unique is the wrong word, what I mean is that if you hear a song by Queen, for instance, that you have never heard before, you immediately know it’s Queen.
They just don’t sound like anyone else, U2, are the same,as is The Stones, The Beatles, Springsteen, Bowie, The Beach Boys Dylan,etc.

This post is not an endorsement of all of the above acts, I’m not saying they’re the best, just the biggest.

OK let's talk biggest and my personal faves. Iron Maiden and Metallica have both been around since early 80's, both sold between 90 million and 120 million records, both still sell out arenas and stadiums, multiple no. 1 albums in the past and present in various countries. Metallica's 1991 Black album is in top 20 selling albums of all time selling around 39 million copies.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I think we all knew this would be the longest and probably most complete list! I’d just like to add Bill Nelson (Be Bop Deluxe fame) and Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash) as my own personal geniuses

Seconded!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Broad tastes HWT . Saw Back Door at they 100 Club a few decades back!

Lucky sod

 

[Swansman]

Some not (as far as I've seen) mentioned but that I think belongs on a list:

Cab Calloway
Herbie Hancock
George Clinton
Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000)
Larry Levan
Curtis Mayfield
Fela Kuti
Bob Marley

Joseph Saddler (Grand Master Flash)

Cant agree with that one. Melle Mel was the only thing close to a musical genius in Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, writing some excellent tracks (including the first rap songs to do any social commentary). GMF was never a genius. He did very little work on all of their hits and was skill and creativity wise surpassed by a lot of DJs very quickly. Him winning tons of awards and shit is just evidence that hiphop is still not taken seriously as he did feck all but being a credible face that Sugar Hill Records could use to sell records to then hardcore hiphoppers who didnt buy into the Sugarhill Gang crap.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Some not (as far as I've seen) mentioned but that I think belongs on a list:

Cab Calloway
Herbie Hancock
George Clinton
Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000)
Larry Levan
Curtis Mayfield
Fela Kuti
Bob Marley



Cant agree with that one. Melle Mel was the only thing close to a musical genius in Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, writing some excellent tracks (including the first rap songs to do any social commentary). GMF was never a genius. He did very little work on all of their hits and was skill and creativity wise surpassed by a lot of DJs very quickly. Him winning tons of awards and shit is just evidence that hiphop is still not taken seriously as he did feck all but being a credible face that Sugar Hill Records could use to sell records to then hardcore hiphoppers who didnt buy into the Sugarhill Gang crap.

Fair enough.

Nice to see you sobered up later during the day

 

[Bry Nylon]

Krispies

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

The word genius being liberally sprinkled around. Ridiculously so.

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

Have to agree.

When you watch docos on how Brian Wilson created the Pet Sounds Album that shows an artist with some musical genius.

The same for the likes of Prince and Mike Oldfield and how many different instruments each could contribute to their own albums takes some genius.

 

[T soprano]

Tom Jones
Another vocal master class yet again on the voice tonight
Not many living legends but he’s still doing it at 80

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Beastie Boys deserve a mention.

Their music evolved and fused so many genres over the years. Artists like Chuck D and LL Cool J when paying tribute to them they give them very high praise for their work.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

Everyone just posts their favourite....which is natural.. For me the term genius is unwarranted for music alone . But if used he would have to write and play , at least. I will suggest two names,
Beethoven and Dylan.

 

[Jaxie]

Yes

Mozart
Eric Satie
Paul Weller
Ian Dury
Joe Bonamassa
John Lennon
I

No

Ed Sheeran

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Mozart was composing at the age of 5 - that’s genius.
I don’t think anyone has mentioned Johann Sebastian Bach yet