favourite songwriters

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Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but I did see mention of Bowie and Queen, so thought I would see someone mention Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople fame. He's still writing and recording great songs. With MTH, Hunter had some help from Mick Ralphs who went on with Bad Co.

Grimtraveller, I always loved the Brit. bands like Slade (Holder/Lea). I was on my own in H.S. While everyone was listening to Led Zep, Springsteen, etc., I was spinning Slade, T.Rex, and MTH. Speaking of T.Rex, Marc Bolan could write some pretty wierd stuff, but it sucked you in!

Also have to agree with you on Larry Norman and Phil Keaggy. Have you ever listened to Mylon Lefevere? I went through a period where I ditched all my secular music and listened to only Christian rock and Mylon replaced Ian at that time.
 
Songwirters in terms of Lyrics and Composition.

Top 5 in my books....

Mike Ness.
Chuck Ragan
Dustin Kensrue
Greg Graffin
Shane McGowan


All have a way with words that i can only fantasize having the same capabilites.

and 5 more influencial in no particular order.

Dave King
Joel Plaskett
Buck 65
Tom Gabel
Matt Skiba
 
I like Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix...plus all the people who wrote a lot of Elvis songs...Leiber and Stoller...something like that...plus who wrote a lot of all those 50's classics/ standards...Everly Brothers...Hank Williams, Dead Kennedys, Pixies, Nirvana...lots of others. When I mention bands...I mean whoever wrote whatever songs for that band...oh and the Motown songs....all that too
 
Mr. C said:
Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople fame. He's still writing and recording great songs. With MTH, Hunter had some help from Mick Ralphs who went on with Bad Co.

Grimtraveller, I always loved the Brit. bands like Slade (Holder/Lea). I was on my own in H.S. While everyone was listening to Led Zep, Springsteen, etc., I was spinning Slade, T.Rex, and MTH. Speaking of T.Rex, Marc Bolan could write some pretty wierd stuff, but it sucked you in!
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I agree with you about Hunter to some extent. The phrase 'once bitten, twice shy' I got from him in the mid 70s. Whenever I think of that phrase, I remember this documentary I saw as a boy about rabies. The opening shot was of this guy in a hospital bed barking and Ian Hunter's song was playing in the background ! He and Mick Ralphs were the writers in Mott the hoople {incidentally, a superb name for a band} but Bowie 'encouraged' Hunter to assume leadership of the band which led to Ralphs splitting to form Bad co. with similarly disaffected musicians from well thought of bands. And they made and sold millions, neither Mott nor Hunter did.
I also love some of Bolan's stuff, in particular while the band were called Tyrannosaurus Rex, before they became the more commercial but pretty effective and far more accessible T.Rex. Bolans 60s lyrics stand as prima facie evidence for those that feel that lyrics are unimportant or that meaning is irrelevant in a song coz some of them are so close to nonsense that they are nonsense ! Superbly singable nonsense, though ! I thought about including Bolan, but didn't because much as I love his stuff, he's not one that I'd call a favourite. Almost a fave !
Mr. C said:
Also have to agree with you on Larry Norman and Phil Keaggy. Have you ever listened to Mylon Lefevere? I went through a period where I ditched all my secular music and listened to only Christian rock and Mylon replaced Ian at that time.
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For years, right from the 80s, I tried to get into Mylon, especially the LP he did with Alvin Lee. But whenever I'd go to buy an album of his, for some bizarre reason, I'd change my mind at the last minute ! This went on for years and I still can't fathom it. There were a few artists that happened to me with.
I also went through a period where I ditched all my stuff and didn't listen to music for a year. It's daft and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but it did have two good outcomes. Firstly, it caused me to discover, on my own, with no publications to help fathom who was who, lots of rubbish, average, good, very good and exceptional christian stuff, rock in the main, but not exclusively. There is good stuff out there {much of it in bargain buckets !}.
Secondly, as I reconnected with stuff I'd once had and went on to discover loads of new stuff, I was able to appreciate music on all kinds of levels that I wasn't previously aware of. It may well have happened anyway with age, but I don't know that.
 
Hey, that's what happened to me when I put my music away for awhile. When I got back into it I listened to more musicians and styles than I had ever before, but as you said, that could have just been age.

I think Ian has never gotten the recognition he deserves. He, along with MTH, influenced a lot of bands, and his music has been covered by a diverse group of bands. (Best thing for them is most people think they wrote it!). As far as Mick Ralphs leaving MTH, my understanding is that it was due partly to Ralphs writing songs that didn't fit Ian's range. A good example of that is "Ready for Love/After Lights". Most people don't know that "Ready for Love" was originally done by MTH. The song definitely sounded a lot better with Paul Rodgers singing it, in fact it was a hit song for Bad Co.

A good friend of mine from childhood is now playing bass for Ian. He toured with him and played on Ian's newest album "Man Overboard". Of course I'm extremely jealous, but very happy for him.

I forgot Mylon played with Alvin Lee. I never heard anything they did together, I think the record company was called Catillion. I had a video of Mylon's life in which he talked about his friendship with Alvin Lee. I also saw Mylon a few times in concert. He became too commercial and then went solo with syrupy type of songs.

Anyways, great talking to you. By the way, being in the U.K. you didn't happen to go see the MTH reunion did you? I hope they do a reunion in the states (highly doubtful) and it really sucks that they recorded the concert but only sold to people who went to the concert. Does that make any sense?!!
 
Was beginning to wonder at first but, thankfully a couple other people mentioned Nick Cave. It still amazes me how some people have never heard of him, even people a generation before me.

I must have missed it but, I didn't notice any one say Johnny Cash.

In no particular order: Trent Reznor (earlier works), Roger Rasmussen, Gylve Nagell, Rune Eriksen, and Kevin Ogilvie.

Bands/musicians/writers that influence or inspire my creativity, no specifics as it just sort of comes and goes. There may be a part I hear in a song from a band that will encourage me to try some thing similar but, I try do let it come out naturally and not let any one particular musician or band influence my writing style.
 
my short list off top of head would include:

• Beck
• Jim James (My Morning Jacket)
• David Byrne
• Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star)
• Leonard Cohen
• Les Claypool
 
Dylan is an awesome singer, his vocal delivery is one of the most original and engaging. Only fools hear him as a shitty singer. Oh yeah his songs arent bad either. They just keep getting better and better too. Like Tom Waits.
Nick Cave has some moments too.
Paul Simon is gold and he looks up to Randy Newman.
Mose Allison can turn a phrase.
Hoagy Carmicheal, hong kong blues is one of the greatest songs ever.
Those are a couple I like
 
Bitter Dawn said:
Was beginning to wonder at first but, thankfully a couple other people mentioned Nick Cave. It still amazes me how some people have never heard of him, even people a generation before me.

I must have missed it but, I didn't notice any one say Johnny Cash.

In no particular order: Trent Reznor (earlier works), Roger Rasmussen, Gylve Nagell, Rune Eriksen, and Kevin Ogilvie.

Bands/musicians/writers that influence or inspire my creativity, no specifics as it just sort of comes and goes. There may be a part I hear in a song from a band that will encourage me to try some thing similar but, I try do let it come out naturally and not let any one particular musician or band influence my writing style.
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fuckin Nick Cave...man the borthday party were seminal...i saw him in Melbourne back in the nineties..genius


release the bats lol
 
IMO joey.... I would put bowie second only to McCartney/Lennon



(:cool:)
 
Wait tied for 2nd would have to be Tommy Bowlin ....look for his album *private eyes* then get back to me after listening.



(:cool:)
 
moresound said:
Tommy Bowlin ....
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Not in the same class IMO ! But having said that, Bolin was a vastly underrated writer. His hard/fusion rock guitar was much admired but one doesn't immediately think of songwriting when the name "Tommy Bolin" comes up. But his writing on Deep Purple's "Come taste the band" {in conjunction with David Coverdale} was magnificent. Sad end he met....
 
Most of the guys I like have been mentioned.

but I feel that Benny and Bjørn from Abba deserves mentioning, not my cup of tea, but theire work is amazing.
 
Nakatira said:
Most of the guys I like have been mentioned.

but I feel that Benny and Bjørn from Abba deserves mentioning, not my cup of tea, but theire work is amazing.
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Though not among my faves, I love alot of their songs and particularly when you consider that English was not their first language, their lyrics were good and their songs pretty outstanding over a lengthy period of time.
 
there once was a man from nantucket
 
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who sailed to sea in a bucket
 
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Maybe someone should post up a "writers that irritate the patootie out of me !" thread. :D

Back on topic, one of my favourite writers (so favourite that I'd forgotten !) is Seal, at least on his first two albums. He had this way of combining the most wonderful music with unusual elements with lyrics that probably didn't mean a thing, yet were so seemingly deep and poetic. If they were romantic, they weren't slushy, if they were hippiesque, they weren't druggy and drippy. Even his angry ones are very gentlemanly ! They kind of come across like lectures that you never want to end coz everything combines so seemlessly.
 
grimtraveller said:
Not in the same class IMO ! But having said that, Bolin was a vastly underrated writer. His hard/fusion rock guitar was much admired but one doesn't immediately think of songwriting when the name "Tommy Bolin" comes up. But his writing on Deep Purple's "Come taste the band" {in conjunction with David Coverdale} was magnificent. Sad end he met....
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Yes he was great huh Grim? Have you checked out private eyes?



:cool:
 
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