Today's pop music debate

[The Large One]

About 10 years ago, I went for a job interview at Guinness Publishing in Enfield. It was to work on the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles. Naturally, one had to show an understanding and knowledge of rock and pop history. However, I was completely thrown by one of the questions (to which I was expected to come up with a fairly immediate answer). The double question was: Who, in your opinion, are the three most important people in rock & pop history, and why? Easy, peasy, huh?

I remember my answers, and I still stick by one of them. One of the other answers, I would change but keep within the same genre, the third was just plain embarrassing. I now throw the floor open for discussion with the same question.

Who, in your opinion, are the three most important people in rock & pop history, and why?

BTW, needless to say, I never go the job...

 

[Marc]

1) Elvis, just for his King like status and the way he ruled the amreican charts

2) John Lennon, inspired more people to start up music/bands than probably anyone else in history

3) Brett Gurewitz (sp?), started Epitaph records and "changed the face of punk rock" which helped get loads of decent bands signed, inspired others to follow suit.

 

[magoo]

Toni Basil. First Cheerleaders in a pop video.

Joe Dolce. For beating that ponce Midge Ure to No.1

Shakin Stevens. Cracking dancer!

 

[CHAPPERS]

1) Buddy Holly. The true king of rock and roll.

2) Brain Wilson. He made be a haggered old man now but on his day!!

3) Bob Dylan.

 

[zefarelly]

Elvis . . .nuff said

(although he's a paedophile) Michael Jackson . . . .biggest seller of pop ever ?

Sir Cliff . . . .for being brave enough to copulate with Sue Barker

 

[Icy Gull]

Buddy Holly - Most pop music stems from him

Bob Dylan - Just about any rock star names him as a massive influence and you can still see and hear "Dylanesque" things in virtually all class rock and pop

The Beatles - you had to grow up with them to comprehend, I can't put it into words .

 

[Hiney]

Elvis Presley - nothing more to say

Malcom McLaren - for realising that sometimes you need something REALLY different to shake up the industry

Mr Blobby - for showing us that lack of talent is NEVER a barrier to success

 

[Wardy]

Elvis - The all time king
John Lenon - Made an entire genration think about where theu were
Madonna - Made pop music fashonable

 

[zefarelly]

I'd just like to Add that none of those are favourites by any stretch, but they have played a pretty major role in the industry over the last 50 years

 

[Man of Harveys]

1. Chuck Berry - brilliant songwriter in his own right, he wrote the book on rock guitar, he blended jazz, blues, country. More important than Elvis.

2. Lennon/McCartney (either of them). For taking the art form to its highest level, probably ever. The equal of the great classical composers but they can't even read music (something which takes about a week to learn to do). Just as Mozart still sounds cool now, people will be listening to Hey Jude in 2204 and thinking it sounds good. They'll probably also wonder why on earth they bothered with "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill".

3. James Brown. For taking the rythyms, rather than the melodies and making them the most important feature of the music. His followers (i.e. just about all modern hip-hop) have generally have a minute percentage of his talent but his influence is everywhere.

Just outside: Elvis, Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, Robert Johnson, Brian Wilson.

 

[Meade's Ball]

Those with the greatest influence will have had the wherewithall not to be famous.

 

[Goodfella]

Elvis-Obvious

Bowie-ch-ch-ch-changed the face of music in the early 70's

Lennon-gave peace a chance

 

[Schrödinger's Toad]

Lennon/Mc Cartney - As already said

Freddie Mercury - Spanned genre like few others, hugely creative & did it all with great self-deprecation

Pete Waterman (& Stock/Aitken) - cursed us with the spawn of kiddy pop, which is still plauging the world. Turned music into a business more than ever before.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Elvis and Lennon are automatic.

You'd have to then look at black music and Berry Gordy, the founder of Tamla Motown, has to be as influential and important as anyone.

 

[Cian]

Elvis, even though I don't like his music
Tony Wilson, started Factory Records, gave the world Joy Division/New Order, Happy Mondays, etc.
Louis Walsh, even though I hate every act he's ever been within ten feet of.

 

[Barnet Seagull]

1. Chuck Berry - brilliant songwriter in his own right, he wrote the book on rock guitar, he blended jazz, blues, country. More important than Elvis.

2. Lennon/McCartney (either of them). For taking the art form to its highest level, probably ever. The equal of the great classical composers but they can't even read music (something which takes about a week to learn to do). Just as Mozart still sounds cool now, people will be listening to Hey Jude in 2204 and thinking it sounds good. They'll probably also wonder why on earth they bothered with "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill".

3. James Brown. For taking the rythyms, rather than the melodies and making them the most important feature of the music. His followers (i.e. just about all modern hip-hop) have generally have a minute percentage of his talent but his influence is everywhere.

Just outside: Elvis, Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, Robert Johnson, Brian Wilson.

Hard to disagree with the top 3, although I'd be inclined to drop James Brown to 4th in favour of Robert Moog, inventor of the first mainstream synth which could be used live, the mini-moog. Just how many tunes have sampled Brown's Funky Drummer?

 

[m20gull]

Picking 3 is tough but I would go for Alan Freed, Sam Philips and Leonard/Phil Chess. Ok, that sounds like an endorsement of black exploitation but they were influential in the the beginning of the cross over that created Rock and Pop.

3 most important artists - Elvis, Lennon/McCartney, Berry (not necessarily in that order).

 

[Cian]

if you're putting in Moog, you need Ikutaro Kakehashi as well - founded Roland Corporation, make the best synths, guitar effects gear, synth pads, etc (as well as very good video editors, but thats off topic)

 

[Barnet Seagull]

if you're putting in Moog, you need Ikutaro Kakehashi as well - founded Roland Corporation, make the best synths, guitar effects gear, synth pads, etc (as well as very good video editors, but thats off topic)

Nah. Roland where just the first to exploit synths and mass produce. Moog IS the godfather of making it a viable live instrument in it's own right.

I could've gone with Thaddeus Cahill as he was the first ever to create an electronic instrument in 1897, but Moog was the pioneer.

 

[Cian]

Yes, but Roland made the first digital synths of any real value, the first MID synths of any real value, the first General MIDI synth, etc

Moog just made a noisy analogue synth....