greatest songwriters

[joeinthebox1980]

alright, these "who's the greatest..." threads seem to generate some action... so let's go with the greatest songwriter thread (which will probably turn into the worst songwriter thread as well, heh)

my list in no particular order:
Lennon/McCartney
Morrissey
Thom Yorke
Jarvis ****er (pulp)
Bernard Sumner (new order)

i'm sure i'll think of more later...

[loudneighbor]

townes van zant

[Matt]

Thom Yorke... all the way...

[Adam]

Robert Pollard is my personal jaw-dropper

[Greyskull]

TOOL
RUSH
Dean/Robert DeLeo
Neil Young
Bob Dylan
Lindsay Buckingham/Stevie Nicks
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker - Steely Dan
Paul Simon

[skip tracer]

jason pierce has written some amazing songs..um who else..eh eric idle is on the daily show. i'll get back to this later.

[The User]

Kurt Cobain
Sonic Youth
Thom Yorke
Hans Zimmer
Beethoven
Motzart
Wagner
John Lennon
Bob Dylan
Neil Young
Tool
Nick Drake
Courtney Love
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Jesus & Mary Chain
My Bloody VAlentine
Rage Against The Machine
Iggy Pop
John Lee Hooker
Robert Smith

Jesus how can I forget so many

[nobody]

Jason Martin (Starflyer 59)
Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Mojave 3)
Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star, Warm Inventions)
Chan Marshall (Cat Power)
Joey Burns and John Convertino (Calexico)
Black Heart Procession
Migala
Alan Sparhawk (Low)
Robert Smith (The Cure)
Ennio Morricone (Fistful of Dollars etc ... )
Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine)
Aaron Blount (Knife in the Water)
Leonard Cohen
Nick Drake
Neil Young
Mary Timony (Helium)
Ash Bowie (Polvo)

[skip tracer]

a couple of the most underrated (or not rated at all) songwriters of the 90's were neil halstead of slowdive and mojave 3 and matt talbott of hum.

[Lenin]

whoever writes for belle and sebastian is a genius.
also, this thread needs more freddy mercury.

[bLuZ_RoCkz]

I cant believe no one has said James Taylor.

Ian moore is also really high on my list.

[AndyLES]

My List -

Elvis Costello

Lou Reed

Bono

Paul McCartney

John Lennon

[trim]

... Bob Dylan
... James Taylor
... John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison
... David Bowie
... Adam Duritz
... Van Morrison
... Paula Cole
... Tori Amos
... Joan Baez
... Bono Vox
... Mike Peters

[Kazanski]

Bob Dylan
Neil Young
Bruce Springsteen
Billy Corgan
Eddie Vedder

[wihaga83]

- Kurt Cobain
- John Lennon
- Bono & the edge
- Jimmy page & Robert Plant
- Ritchie Blackmore
- Jimi Haendrix
- SRV

[stratocaster83]

not in that order:

- lennon/mccartney
- jagger/richards
- thelonious monk
- miles davis
- johann sebastian bach
- wolfgang amadeus mozart
- robert johnson (?!?)
- jimi hendrix
- freddie mercury/brian may

and a lot of other musicians that send shivers down my spine...

[Satch_21]

Bob Dylan,
Pete Townshend,
John Denver...

[skip tracer]

do classical composers really count as "songwriters"?

[Electric Gypsy]

Bob Dylan
Jimi Hendrix
John Lennon
George Harrison
Chuck Berry
Mick Jagger/Keith Richards
Robert Plant/Jimmy Page
Jim Morrison/Robby Krieger
Richard Ashcroft
Matthew Good
Noel Gallagher

[johnny]

elvis costello
pete townshend
freddie mercury
bob dylan
stephen brodsky

[Pointcloud]

Seeing as nobody else has mentioned them....

Alex Chilton
Chris Bell
Brian Wilson
Stevie Wonder
Joni Mitchell
Willie Nelson

[Epiphone8]

ooohhhh

john lennon
bob dylan
kurt cobain
red hot chili peppers
jimi hendrix
thom yorke
jonny greenwood (if you've heard the tourist you know why)
freddie mercury
pete townshend
james hetfield / lars ulrich
rory gallagher
robbie robertson (from the band)

[stratocaster83]

Originally posted by Epiphone8
james hetfield / lars ulrich

are you kidding?

[Epiphone8]

yeh man hetfield and ulrich write 90% of the metallica stuff, hetfield writes all the solos and music

and listen to stuff liek: fade to black, unforgiven, unforgiven 2, nothing else matters, all great songs

oh and they rock liek ****: battery, one, enter sandman

[stratocaster83]

Originally posted by Epiphone8
yeh man hetfield and ulrich write 90% of the metallica stuff, hetfield writes all the solos and music and listen to stuff liek: fade to black, unforgiven, unforgiven 2, nothing else matters, all great songs oh and they rock liek ****: battery, one, enter sandman

I hate metallica. I don't like their music, and I don't find nothing original i them. they just went from stupid tharsh metal to stupid pop covered with big guitars. I don't find them great composers, really. I even saw them live in a festival, and the only song the made the difference was "master of puppets"...

[Epiphone8]

they are definaetly original, i dont think you have stopped and listened to exactly how well crafed songs they are. the lyrics as well are far more superior to usual mindless metal crap at the time (bon jovi etc ie hair metal). what you ahve to take metallica in context of is that ina time of many metal bands going commercial metallica stuck to real metal. how many hair metal bands have succesfully survived since nirvana? very few, whereas real metal has, ie metallica and there songs will stand the test of time. yes i agree in later years metallica have gone slightly commercial but have remained to there roots of metal, and i expect the new album will be as heavy and real as master of puppets, which is still regared as one of the best metal albums ever

[stratocaster83]

no really, dude. I don't want to argue with you about metallica. I think they're dumbasses, and cocaine fueled. I don't like their songs, and I think they're really overated. you mentioned a lot of great songwriters, it's embarassing to see metallice side to side with them... that's all for me, ok?

[Stbok]

garcia, weir, lesh
trey anastasio, gordon, Mcconnel, fishman
elvis costello
bob dylan

[Elnwood]

I'm not a big Metallica fan, but give them their due, their song structures, rhythm, solos, etc. are complex and good. Thrash is more complex than most people give it credit for -- the time sigs are always changing.

Anyway, my list, in no particular order:
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Bob Dylan
Brian Wilson
Frank Black (hasn't been mentioned yet)
Nick Drake
Pete Townsend
Billy Joel (I'm gonna take some flack for this)
Van Morrison
Dave Matthews (just kidding)

[stratocaster83]

Originally posted by Elnwood
I'm not a big Metallica fan, but give them their due, their song structures, rhythm, solos, etc. are complex and good. Thrash is more complex than most people give it credit for -- the time sigs are always changing.

no, you're saying something I didn't said. I think tharsh is complex etc, but there very few bands that play that genre being really interesting: I think of testament, anthrax, annihilator. and of course not all of their albums, but no more than 5 for each band.

but please, lemme say something: kirk hammet is a real sucker...

[LesPaulStrat]

John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Kurt Cobain
George Harrison
Thom Yorke
Bono and the Edge
John Frusciante and the Chillis
Noel Gallagher
Billy Corgan and James Iha
Clapton
Beethoven
Tool
Jimi Hendrix


Man there are so many influences and favourite Songwriters it is IMPOSSIBLE to name them all.

[Epiphone8]

stratocaster i can take your point yeh but you cant argue with how good musically and technically metallica are, from drummer to guitarists there understanding of music is probely second to none. however, i do see how people can be turned off by metallica (some of the stuff is ****, and overrated - ie alot of the black album) but as for the majority they remain a great band.

BUT i think that in the owrld at the moment the best band has to be radiohead by a mile

jonny greenwood and thom yorke rule

[Ex-Cowboy]

Chesney Hawkes.


(He is the one and only.)

[TravisE]

Jeff Buckley! I can't believe noone else mentioned him.


Some others:

Lennon/McCartney
Stevie Wonder
Neil Young
Roger Manning/ Andy Sturmer
Lenny Kravitz


There are sooo many that could be mentioned, but these are the only ones I can think of right now.

BTW, this is my first post here. Nice to meet you all.

[joeinthebox1980]

hey travis! welcome. :)

[reallygeeky]

My top 5, in order of personal preference:

Thom Yorke
Elvis Costello
Pete Townsend
Kurt Cobain
Lennon/McCartney

[Bone Collector]

Paul Westerberg (The Replacements)
Steve Earle
Brent Best (Slobberbone)
Jeff Tweedy (Uncle Tupelo, Wilco)
Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt)

That's all I can think to add for now.

[Welladjusted]

lennon/mccartney
corgan
bono/the edge
chris cornell
james hetfield
tool
dream theater
sparta

[rocknroll321]

Here's my top 5 and why.

1. Ray Davies: Cause he wrote You Really Got Me and around that time it was really a different sound.
2. The Apples: Cause I really like how they have used that 60's sound and it is still uses some new sounds of rhier own.
3. River's Cuomo: he pull songs out all the time. Infact he is known to always be writing songs constantly.
4. Tim Wheeler: He wrote heaps of good songs for Ash and his songs aren't to focussedf on teengae depression which is what you'd expect from the age of 16-19.
5. Jack White: His love of old rock songs has been bought back through his knowledge of how their songs are structured to come up with his own.

My is more based on modern bands but I still listen to the older ones. I'm just not just some loser going on about John Lennon, Kurt Kobain etc. being the best songwriters ever instead have my own different favourites.

[cursivescript]

i'm not saying that these are the best or favorite, but the ones that have influenced me the most:

Lou Barlow (Sebadoh)
Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)
Neil Young

[idealflaw]

i'd have to say the greatest songwrite is probably paul simon. His lyrics have always been so meaningful, and his songs are always catchy.

His carreer has spanned more than 35 years now. He is one of the few musicians who still has 'street cred' from his generation. His Graceland album is a masterpeice, and probably among the best made.

I'm fond of Bono as a songwriter as well,
and Tim Booth from James is a master.

[kansas_parker]

Originally posted by Adam
Robert Pollard is my personal jaw-dropper


YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are SO right! But don't forget Tobin Sprout and Ray Davies.

[jacobhimself]

George Thurgood and jim morrison.

[jonjonbolt80]

brandon from incubus
bradley from sublime
jimi hendrix
lenny kravitz
ben harper
jim croche
BOB DYLAN

[Aquatrotsky]

ROGER WATERS
Robert Fripp
Keith Emerson
John McLaughlin
Ian Anderson
the Gentle Giant people- Minnear and Shulman
etc.

[bellamy_rox]

alot of people say lennon, mcartny, but i think George Harrison was the best song writer in the beatles. I think modern songwriters, possibly Brandon Boyd, Incubus, the lyrics on morning view are inspirational, really emotive.
Definitely Cobain, his lyrics were so wierd, sarcastic, and funny.
But you cannot leave out Bowie, his lyrics were strange too, and Pete Townsend, now he knew howto write a song.

[Handsome Devil]

Morrissey/Marr
Badly Drawn Boy
Noel Gallagher
Lennon/McCartney AND Harrison

So what you guys think of Badly Drawn Boy?

[stratocaster83]

Originally posted by Handsome Devil
So what you guys think of Badly Drawn Boy?

he's not my daily breakfast, but his stuff is somehow nice... let's put it down clearly: I have max respect for those capable of wrting melodies/chords progression as he does. I can't, I have plenty of envy, but I'm most into arrangements and stuff...

[ledbetter]

Tom Petty
Neil Young
Billy Corgan
Pearl Jam collectively (EV lyrics tend to be the best ones)
Pete Townshend

[KevinDTO]

I think Maynard James Keenan creates the best melodies. I'm not calling him the best ever but he's up there.

[BossMXRHarmonix]

in no particular order:
Morrissey/Johnny Marr (The Smiths)
Brett Anderson/Bernard Butler (Suede)
Jagger/Richards
Pete Townshend
Paul Weller
Martin Gore (Depeche Mode)
David Bowie
Lou Reed
Iggy Pop
Lennon/McCartney
Serge Gainsbourg

[BossMXRHarmonix]

also:
Bernard Sumner (New Order)
Matt Johnson (The The)
Steve Kilbey (The Church)
Nick Cave (oh yeah)
Tom Waits
George Harrison
Neil Young
Roger McGuinn/Gene Clark/David Crosby/Chris Hillman (The Byrds)
Arthur Lee/Bryan McLean (Love)
Brian Wilson/Tony Asher/Van Dyke Parks
Frank Black
Joe Strummer/Mick Jones (The Clash)
Bryan Ferry

[malcom]

1) I think this is turning/turned into another "These are bands I like" thread

2) These are a few I feel need to be added

1)Guy Piccioto (Rites of Spring/Fugazi)
2)TOM WAITS (Nobody Mentioned him? In four pages? yeesh!)
3)Shane McGowen (the Pogues)
4)Ian MacKaye (not as good as Guy, but needs to be mentioned)
5)Elvis Costello

And I'll give credit to the bloke who mentioned Belle and Sebastian, because I wish I could write like that.


A few I feel need to be scratched:
1)Frank Black (like the Pixies, but best songwriter? please)
2)Kurt Cobain (let us stop praising every goddamn thing this guy did, just because he started grunge and whatnot doesn't mean he was a brilliant songwriter, guitarist, etc. He was OK, he was successful, "Something in the Way is pretty good," but 90% of his songs were less than hot)
3)JAMC (good with noise, not with words)
4) Red Hot Chilie Peppers (don't make me laugh)

*winces and waits to be impaled with a thousand darts*

[LesPaulStrat]

Malcom,

The person above you said Tom Waits.

Also I don't see anything wrong with saying that Cobain was an excellent songwriter.

[BossMXRHarmonix]

Frank Black was a pretty damn good songwriter with the Pixies, but his solo stuff leaves a lot to be desired. Oh well.
There is one songwriter who just beats everyone else from the early 90s onwards, but almost nobody seems to notice.
His name is Luke Haines and he is a leader of Auteurs/co-leader of the magnificent Black Box Recorder. Top melodist, superb lyricist.

[AndThenTheresMe]

Frank Black (hasn't been mentioned yet)


Damn straight, Elnwood. I bought the Pixies' Doolittle about eight months after I got heavily into Nirvana because I wanted to hear some of Kurt's influences. The Pixies blew me away. Might I add also that Kim Deal is a kickass songwriter: see "Gigantic" on Surfer Rosa, and the entire album "Pod" by her band The Breeders.

My list:
Kurt Cobain (proof that technical prowess is not everything)
Thom Yorke (proof that technical prowess definately has its place)
Frank Black
Kim Deal
Billy Corgan
Lennon/McCartney (and George Harrison: see "Something" "Taxman" "Here Comes the Sun" and many others)
Pete Townshend
the whole Phish crew esp. Trey Anastasio
Jimmy Page
Damon Albarn/Graham Coxon
a million others I can't immediately recall

[AndThenTheresMe]

Just remembered Chris Cornell and Rivers Cuomo!!!!!!
Chris has one of the most utterly brilliant rock voices ever.
Rivers has heart. Miles and miles and miles of heart. And great songs. Not to mention that when I was 15 my first major makeout took place listening to the Blue Album. "No One Else" especially was never the same again.

[guy malone]

definately john lennon and paul mccartney, i mean nobody would come up with the chords to stawberry feilds forever in that order
bob dylan has great lyrics
kurt cobain also has great lyrics and catchy songs
jimi hendrix, even though he really improvised on the guitar parts
pete townshed

[skip tracer]

Three names that should be on this list, that I don't think I've seen:

The Flaming Lips

Ted Leo

Fleetwood Mac

[BlueOrb]

I think Ben folds writes great songs

[fiveways]

The Flaming Lips
The Swans
Low
Songs:Ohia
Joy Division
Slowdive
The Shoes
Cheap Trick
BIG STAR
The Buzz****s
The Wipers (If you haven't heard this band do yourself a favour)
Mary timony
Cat Power
Bedhead
Crooked Fingers
Brian Eno (His pop stuff rules)
Syd Barrett
Idaho
Damien Juraldo
Television
Mattew Sweet
Gary Numan

I could keep going and going and going.......

[wihaga83]

Angus young of AC/DC ?

same things for more than 25 years.... but still sounds soo damn goooood.

[SoullessGhost]

In a particular order, at least the first three are..

Jimi Hendrix
Led Zeppelin
Kurt Cobain
Rivers Cuomo
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Brian Wilson
Billy Corgan
Sublime
Jack White
Ice-BoX;)

[israels_son]

daniel johns and jeff buckley

then maybe radiohead (not just thom yorke) and led zep

[SoullessGhost]

Oh, almost forgot the other two big ones..

Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan

[BlueOrb]

Originally posted by SoullessGhost
In a particular order, at least the first three are..

Jimi Hendrix
Led Zeppelin
Kurt Cobain
Rivers Cuomo
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Brian Wilson
Billy Corgan
Sublime
Jack White
Ice-BoX;)

as far as lyrics go, jimi hendrix wasnt that impressive, i mean hes an awesome guitarist, but his lyrics are lacking for me

[trayofcoke]

Scott Weiland

[flipperbaby]

Originally posted by malcom
2)Kurt Cobain (let us stop praising every goddamn thing this guy did, just because he started grunge and whatnot doesn't mean he was a brilliant songwriter, guitarist, etc. He was OK, he was successful, "Something in the Way is pretty good," but 90% of his songs were less than hot)

*winces and waits to be impaled with a thousand darts* [/B]

that is a comment i feel needs to be "un-scratched"....i sure hope you did not base that comment on "nevermind" or even "in utero"....so many songs off of bleach and incesticide are so hard to play and sing to at the same time...it takes real playing and songwriting talent to be able to play those.

Jimmy page was a good song writer aswell.

[industrialmg]

Michael T. Grace
Lennon/McCartney
Stabbing Westward
James Taylor
U2
Butch Walker
Steely Dan
Queen
TOOL
The Juliana Theory
The Matrix
Holland/Dozier/Holland
Quincy Jones
Skinny Puppy
Type O Negative
Matt Stanzek
Wes Leinon/Sam Fabian
Nick Drake
Radiohead
Mike Ness


and it goes on...

[ledbetter]

some of the best ones that i can think of are the vedder/gossard and vedder/ament combinations

also tom petty, neil young and the music of pink floyd with lyrics by roger waters.

[cubby]

Paul Westerberg
Alex Chilton/Chris Bell - Big Star
John Lennon/Paul McCartney - The Beatles (you may have heard of them)
Ray Davies
David Bowie
Joey Burns/John Convertino - Calexico
Bob Dylan (tough call;) )
Pete Shelley - Buzz****s
Pete Townshend
Stevie Wonder (1972-80)
Jay Farrar - solo, Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo
Jeff Tweedy - Wilco, Uncle Tupelo
Bob Mould/Grant Hart - Hüsker Dü
Lee Mavers - The La's
Nick Lowe
Johnny Cash
Hank Williams
Andy Partridge - XTC
Tom Verlaine
Black Francis
...and many, many more

[FuzzFan]

hehe, bernie taupin

[RandyRhoads]

Originally posted by Epiphone8
stratocaster i can take your point yeh but you cant argue with how good musically and technically metallica are, from drummer to guitarists there understanding of music is probely second to none. however, i do see how people can be turned off by metallica (some of the stuff is ****, and overrated - ie alot of the black album) but as for the majority they remain a great band.

BUT i think that in the owrld at the moment the best band has to be radiohead by a mile

jonny greenwood and thom yorke rule

You've got to be kidding me. Metallica no very little about music, technically. They are all crappy Musicians. Dave Mustaine, and Cliff Burton, both fine musicians, wrote all of the good stuff.

Radiohead is awful. THe best band in the world is Iron Maiden.

Peart/Lee/Lifeson
Steve Harris
Pete Townshend

[howsoonisnow]

-Robert Smith / the Cure
-Ben Gibbard
-Rivers Cuomo
-Morrissey/Marr

[Alecto]

Originally posted by cubby
Paul Westerberg
Alex Chilton/Chris Bell - Big Star
John Lennon/Paul McCartney - The Beatles (you may have heard of them)
Ray Davies
David Bowie
Joey Burns/John Convertino - Calexico
Bob Dylan (tough call;) )
Pete Shelley - Buzz****s
Pete Townshend
Stevie Wonder (1972-80)
Jay Farrar - solo, Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo
Jeff Tweedy - Wilco, Uncle Tupelo
Bob Mould/Grant Hart - Hüsker Dü
Lee Mavers - The La's
Nick Lowe
Johnny Cash
Hank Williams
Andy Partridge - XTC
Tom Verlaine
Black Francis
...and many, many more

You have good taste, bro. :cool:
Also . . .
- Tom Waits
- Tori Amos
- Nick Drake
- Steve Earle
- Peter Gabriel
- Morrissey/Marr
- Page/Plant
- Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets)
- Leonard Cohen
- Mike Ness (post-heroin)
- Lou Reed
- Midnight Oil
. . . and the list goes on . . .

[howsoonisnow]

*shoots self in face for forgetting Johnny Cash*

[apathyisok]

jeff magnum (neutral milk hotel)
sam beam (iron and wine)
conor oberst (bright eyes)


i'm a big fan of the solo guy who uses a band name

[commuter]

Originally posted by apathyisok
jeff magnum (neutral milk hotel)
sam beam (iron and wine)
conor oberst (bright eyes)


i'm a big fan of the solo guy who uses a band name

or girls who do... chan marshall (cat power).

[boone]

Besides the obligitory great songwriters:

Rivers Cuomo (still a little underrated, I think)
Danny Elfman (including Oingo Boingo)
Robert Johnson (with no "?!?")
Hank Williams (he only showed up once?!)
Buddy Holly (I'm hoping I just glanced over that one; I didn't see anybody else mention him)
Johnny Cash
June Carter Cash
Prince (sometimes)
Daniel Brummel/Ryen Slegr (they're still new, but they have the potential to give Lennon and McCartney a run for their money. Their melodies are catchy, and their lyrics are amazing)

[Springbokk]

simple

James Hetfield
Roger Waters

[Omni-Presence5]

kurt cobain
Roger waters
David Gilmour

[ripplefingers]

My list not in order

Eric Clapton
james taylor
robert hunter/jerrygarcia
lindsey buckingham
BOB MARLEY
jonhny cash
bob dylan
john lennon(imagine is the most powerful song ever written period.)
bowie
robert johnson
jack johnson
jimmy cliff
all the guys in pink floyd
johnny lee hooker
jagger/richards
allman bros.
trey from phish
dave matthews
muddy waters
smokey robinson
almost acoustic band
the list goes on

[Adyl]

Paul Westerberg
Kurt Cobain
Paul Mc Cartney/ John Lennon
Billy Corgan
Mirah
Bob Dylan
Greg Dulli (afghan whigs)
Juliana Hatfield
Evan Dando
Elliott Smith
Kevin Shields
Corine Tucker / Carrie Brownstein ( Sleater-Kinney)

[henrybrill]

Okay


Bob Dylan
Jeff Buckley
Jimi Hendrix
Jim Morrison
Lennon/Mcartney
CAT STEVENS
Tom Waits
Miles Davis
Herbie Han****

and the greatest of all: George Gershwin

Hen

P.S Thom Yorke and Scott Weiland are the two most pretentious lyricists EVER

[big Idiot]

I was afraid no one would mention Elliot Smith, but those fears were dashed. YAY!:D

Anyway, no particular order

Bob Dylan
Bruce Springsteen
Neil Young/CSNY
Lennon/McCartney
Elliot Smith
Conor O'Berst
Tim Wheeler (good memories!)
damn... that Eagles guy (Don Henley maybe? something like that)
Ed Vedder

and I'll throw Tim Kasher in there, just because I can relate to his lyrics so much

and there are so many more that aren't on the top of my head right now

[The Lifter]

If I have to see "Roger Waters" again I will vomit up lunch. He may be "good" but, I cant stand him as a person. His lyrics sometimes strike me as corny and after a while they become whiny and boring. Some of them are really intense but, I dont like anything after "The Wall" even though Roger left after "The final cut". He also wrote some good stuff before 1979's "The Wall" and was baiscally "Pink Floyd" after syd's departure. (I dont care what you say). I think that the idea of doing experimentations with sound came from Syd. I believe Pink Floyd was one of the few bands of the 60's-70's (besides the beatles) who were original, at the time. I just dont like Roger because, to me, he didnt create the original sound as far as I'm concerned. Doesnt mean he sucks I just wouldnt consider him the greatest, thats all.......

My favorites are:
The beatles, baiscally (Ringo wrote at least 2 songs for the band but, sang MANY. I know that he wrote "dont pass me by" from the "white album" and "octopus's garden" from "abbey road". I like most of the bands songs....

I've seen Kevin shields mentioned once or twice or, MBV as a whole but......

I'm going to go with Bilinda Butcher on this one, she wrote a few songs for MBV most of them are genius in my opinion. The lyrics are great.

Thats about all I can think of. Thom Yorke is pretty cool mainly because his lyrics arn't what you think they are about. "Ok computer" has political ties to it, makes me want to listen to it.


-The Lifter

[sabbath181]

I'm gunna have a different list then most people probably but im gunna have to say;

Axl Rose
Kurt Cobain
Layne Staley
Jimi Hendrix
Ozzy Osbourne

thats my top 5 in no special order

[godsavetheclean]

lou reed
mark e. smith
bob pollard
stephen malkmus
neil young
bowie
paul simon
wire
kim deal
john fogerty
j mascis
the reid bros (jamc)

Originally posted by malcom
1) 3)JAMC (good with noise, not with words)

*winces and waits to be impaled with a thousand darts*

*impales malcolm with a thousand darts*

[RandyRhoads]

Originally posted by sabbath181
Layne Staley

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but didn't Mr. Cantrell write the majority of AIC's music and lyrics? No offense to Layne.

[zofo68]

dylan
lennon
hendrix
james taylor
lou reed
plant page
waters
cobain

[crazy mime]

1. Thom Yorke
2. Robert Johnson.
3. Eddie Vedder
4. Chris Cornell.
5. Kurt.
6.Matt Bellamy.
7.Billy Corgan.

[Dead horse]

Lee Hazlewood
Ennio Morricone

[Tripp]

radiohead
tool

[Tonic]

Jeff Buckley.

[Beeanooo]

ive been browsing this forum for awhile and this post inspired me to register.....only ONE person mentioned Daniel Johns!

[mahavishnu90125]

JIMMY PAGE ----- The greatest combination of songwriting and virtuoso
guitarist ever.

[Motorhead]

Roger Watters

"Preacher or Poet ... give a man too much rope and he'll hang himself"

[linus254]

instead of just naming the others that everyone else has named (most of which are great), i think we should stop looking to the past and talk about CONOR OBERST --- bright eyes and desaparecidos, BEN GIBBARD --- death cab for cutie, the postal service, and all-time quarterback, THE APPLESEED CAST, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, Q AND NOT U, and last but not least RYAN ADAMS --- whiskeytown, solo, and the finger.

there are many more........also, if you don't recognise someone on this list, be really cool and check them out.

[Slowdive]

ELLIOT SMITH! What a great songwriter, lyrics are great, tunes are catchy and deep. On alot of songs theirs something in his voicve that makes it, like what hes feeling is coming through his voice, its so emotional and powerful. The man stabbed himself in the heart for crying out loud.

[cubby]

Right now I am listening to Lou Reed and I definately have to give him a mention on this thread (as Alecto pointed out).

[imSOwasted]

i think dee dee ramone was a real underrated song writer.

[MisterLove2122]

Originally posted by sabbath181
I'm gunna have a different list then most people probably but im gunna have to say;

Axl Rose
Kurt Cobain
Layne Staley
Jimi Hendrix
Ozzy Osbourne

thats my top 5 in no special order

different list eh? i apologize in advance for the bashing, and dont get me wrong those are some of my fav bands but...

1) ozzy lyrics are not deep at all
2) until a couple months ago, i hadn't found Alice in Chains and thought kurt was great aswell...hes not!
3) Jerry cantrell wrote most of Their songs dude! The only lyrics youll hear from layne is probably Man in the box..wait that probably all you know.
4)Axl Rose...come on he's a nobody two of their biggest hit songs are covers anyways! Now Slash well he rocks.
5) any one heard of Linda Perry, Shannon Hoon, Robert Trower, Joe Walsh, Otis Reading, DIO! come on!

[n/a]

Ok, so I know this thread hasn't been replied to in a while, but I figured I would respond anyway. I noticed that no one had ever responded to the guy who asked if classical composers count as song writers. I think the answer is yes, definitely. And also when talking about song writers, this should include all types of music so I will add another genre to the mix. Benjamin Andre from Outkast is a great hip hop songwriter. He has brought new and interesting textures and sounds into hip hop. Cheers for him.

[_john_]

jesse lacey of brand new- genius

[Ajie]

Don't think anyone has mentioned J.J. Cale.

[anoren]

Not going to post a list because most everyone that I would have listed has been posted. Just my two cents though, what is the deal with Ben Gibbard and Connor Oberst. C'mon, with all the Belle and Sebastian and tight t-shirts, no one was ever accusing the indie rock kids of being tough, but Gibbard and Oberst are definitely two of the whiniest b*tches that have ever put finger to keyboard to write their lame blogs about how Susie never really loved them in the 8th grade (and then insert them in some overwrought maudlin piece of sh*t composition). God, their unintelligent pretentious pap makes me want to vomit. And beat them with a pizzle.

adam

[crazy mime]

-- Thom Yorke : Radiohead

-- Matt Bellamy : Muse

-- The guy from Brand New

-- Bob Dylan

-- Maynard : TOOL

-- David Bowie

-- Freddie Mercury : Queen

-- the girl from Blondie

-- Lenon

--Billie Joe Armstrong : Green Day ( I dont know I just like the way he writes )

--Shanon Hoon : Blind Melon

--James Hetfield : Metallica

--Iggy Pop : The Stooges ( I dont know if he writes his songs though )

-- Rivers Como : Weezer

-- The HIM guy... I cant remember his name

-- oh yeah... Kurt Cobain.

-- Jimmy Buffet

-- Cedric from At the Drive-in

-- Glenn Danzig

-- The guy from Pink Floyd, I dont remember his name

-- Stevie Nicks

-- Eddie Vedder : Pearl Jam

-- Robert Plant

-- Shirley Manson ( ? ) : Garbage

-- Whoever writes in My Bloody Valentine

-- The guy from Fugazi...

There are a few more,, but I dont remember their names

[zoso451]

i think dee dee ramone was a real underrated song writer.

do you speak of his ramones stuff or his solo underground hip hop?


I sort of skipped through a few pages of the thread but it seems like no one has mentioned BECK

that guy may be known for his rap stuff but he's a master song writer.

[sdsmtmike]

Originally posted by trim
... Bob Dylan
... James Taylor
... John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison
... David Bowie
... Adam Duritz
... Van Morrison
... Paula Cole
... Tori Amos
... Joan Baez
... Bono Vox
... Mike Peters

SRV

[MyFriendPeter89]

robert smith/the cure
morrissey
davey havok
robert plant
danzig
gerard way
greg graffin
lennon/mccartney/harrison
maynard james keenon
ian curtis

[Talent?!]

Steve Harris
Neil Young
Pete Townshend

[isuck@guitar]

Can't argue with most of the people already mentioned, but I think Corgan, Cantrell, Frusciante, Johnson, Knopfler and Clapton all deserve another mention because I didn't see their names frequently enough.

And why has no one mentioned Billy Howerdell?

[joeinthebox1980]

Originally posted by zoso451
I sort of skipped through a few pages of the thread but it seems like no one has mentioned BECK

that guy may be known for his rap stuff but he's a master song writer.

yah, Beck is a great songwriter in my opinion.

it may just seem like nonsense to some ... but he is one of the masters of his style and craft.

[guitar_viruoso]

cedric(mars volta, at the drive in)
maynard (tool)
thom yorke
kurt cobain
sonic youth
rage against the machine
nick drake
bob dylan
fugazi
eric clapton

[Ghosts On TV]

Only a few names ever come to mind when i think of songwriters.

Lennon/McCartney
Thom Yorke
Bjork
Prince

Way i see it, there's 2 parts of making music, songcraft and soundcraft. My Bloody Valentine is an example of soundcraft. Also the Flaming Lips. And then there's songcraft, the classic Lennon/McCartney, Thom Yorke types.
When you combine Songcraft and soundcraft you get bands like the beatles or radiohead and albums like OK Computer and Abbey Road.
Thats why Thom Yorke finding Jonny Greenwood was one of the best things to ever happen to music.
p.s. i left out cobain cuz i get sick of hearing the same chords over and over. but i love his lyrics.
p.p.s. Bjork is too a great songwriter, in that she comes up with melodies ive never heard anywhere else. Thats tough.
p.p.p.s Prince is awesome. lissen to Adore.

[pdaconq9]

My top 10:

1. Page/Plant
2. Roger Waters
3. Pete Townshend
4. John Frusciante
5. Lennon/McCartney
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. Hetfield/Ulrich
8. Freddie Mercury
9. Billie Joe Armstrong
10. Dave Matthews

And with regard to the Metallica argument:

Yes, they're all self-righteous assholes. But purely with regard to their music, you can't say that they aren't great songwriters. Hetfield and Ulrich were instrumental in both the development and spread of thrash metal in the first place. While Kill 'em All was largely formulaic thrash (arguably because it was one of the original formulas), Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for All were nothing short of brilliant. Songs like Fade to Black, Master of Puppets, and One are just brilliant pieces - all the pomp of a prog-rock epic, still fast and technical enough to be thrash, but not as gratuitous and monotonous as other "true thrash" bands like Slayer and Testament. Truth be told, thrash was just as much of a fad as boy bands. Testament, Overkill, Antrax, et al really just got the best of it while they could and rode out the wave. Metallica, in a truly Darwinian sense of the music industry, were one of the few to actually evolve, and therefore survive and thrive. And don't give me any of this selling-out bull**** for three reasons:

1) First and foremost, THEY WERE ALREADY SUCCESSFUL. They didn't need to sell out, because thrash was recieving mainstream recognition already. ...And Justice hit something like #4 on the Billboard Top 40, and they were selling out arenas since the release of Puppets. So you see, what they did was definitely NOT selling out, and that's just simple logic.
2) The Black Album is a hard rock masterpiece.
3) Kerry King, Mr. Macho-****-Sellouts-and-Just-Play-Real-Fast, made a little known appearance in a... wait for it... SUM 41 VIDEO. It gets better. It was a song from their first album that they re-recorded so it could be on the... are you ready?... SPIDERMAN SOUNDTRACK. Apparently they needed to show off how badass they are, or something. So don't tell me Metallica sold out the thrash community.

****in A man. I'm goin to bed.

[aut0maticzer0]

Thom Yorke
Shannon Hoon
Beethoven
Motzart
Billy Corgan
John Lennon
Brian Molko
Bjork

[DavyBoy721]

Originally posted by Epiphone8
ooohhhh

john lennon
bob dylan
kurt cobain
red hot chili peppers
jimi hendrix
thom yorke
jonny greenwood (if you've heard the tourist you know why)
freddie mercury
pete townshend
james hetfield / lars ulrich
rory gallagher
robbie robertson (from the band)

+1
that's pretty much my list....

[DavyBoy721]

Originally posted by pdaconq9
My top 10:

1. Page/Plant
2. Roger Waters
3. Pete Townshend
4. John Frusciante
5. Lennon/McCartney
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. Hetfield/Ulrich
8. Freddie Mercury
9. Billie Joe Armstrong
10. Dave Matthews



i take it back.....THIS IS MY LIST.......except for dave matthews (i haven't heard much by him but like what i have heard so he would probably be on there if i knew more of his stuff....

but that list is pretty flawless......except i would probably add cobain.........and metallica would only be on there as their old stuff.....i hate all the new crap