Actual Music Artist

[AerchAngel]

Best all-round composer, writer. We are not talking band, but actual music writing both lyrics and music with accompaniment.

Name your best three all time.

[Krgrecw]

I'd go with John Fogherty, Tom petty and cant think of a third right now


Fogherty and Petty have both written a strong dozen songs a piece

Perhaps Brian Wilson as my third

[yeezus]

Kanye West, Dallas Green, Elliott Smith.
Not saying they're the "best," just my personal favorites.

[jpx7]

Bob Dylan, Jeff Mangum, Thom Yorke, maybe, without peering back too far into the past?

If lyrics weren't a concern, I'd throw in people like Ennio Morricone and Charlie Parker (limiting myself to the past hundred years).

[zitothebrave]

Kanye West, Dallas Green, Elliott Smith.
Not saying they're the "best," just my personal favorites.

The only thing Kanye composes is a bag of dicks.

[zitothebrave]

Without really thinking too hard and excluding what I consider obvious ones like Lennon and Dylan.

Hendrix, Eddie Vedder, Pete Townshend.

Just realize that if I subbed out Hendrix for like Yorke it would be the ultimate Hipster party.

[Carp]

Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and I can't think of a 3rd one I like enough to add.

I guess of my personal faves, I would go with Greg Allman. Even though he's primarily known for his work with the band instead of what he did as an individual artist, he did write or co-write the large majority of the Allman Brothers music.

[Hawk]

Thom Yorke.

+1

[Runnin]

Any list is prejudiced by what time you live in, but:

Bob Dylan

Paul Simon

Tom Waits

Also deserving mention: Burt Bacharach, Stephen Foster, Duke Ellington, Robert Johnson, Lennon/McCartney, Irving Berlin, etc,etc.

[yeezus]

The only thing Kanye composes is a bag of dicks.

And literally all of his songs.
And a lot of other people's.

[zitothebrave]

And literally all of his songs.
And a lot of other people's.

You're confusing composing and producing.

[yeezus]

You're confusing composing and producing.

They're essentially synonymous.
The music has to be made and arranged.
Please enlighten me on the stark differences, though.

[zitothebrave]

They're essentially synonymous.
The music has to be made and arranged.
Please enlighten me on the stark differences, though.

It's like comparing a director to a producer. Or a writer to an editor in the film/tv world.

Only in your twisted world would Kanye bementioned as a composer you know where people traditionally associate that with people who actually write their music, not use other people beats/hooks.

[yeezus]

It's like comparing a director to a producer. Or a writer to an editor in the film/tv world.

Only in your twisted world would Kanye bementioned as a composer you know where people traditionally associate that with people who actually write their music, not use other people beats/hooks.

Huh?
Kanye makes his own music. What are you talking about? The songs aren't there for him, he has to make them. He samples a lot and adds them into his own music, but that doesn't mean he doesn't make it. He uses a keyboard/piano a ton/all the time.
Do you have any knowledge of music production? lol it's not like he has pre-made crap that he throws together like applebees. no, he has to write it, play it out on various instruments.

[Dalyn]

Hard to narrow it down to three, but I would have to say Nick Cave, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen with honorable mentions to Eddie Vedder, Scott Weiland, PJ Harvey, and Bjork. Cave is the most successful with transitioning to fiction (that I've read). And the Ass Saw the Angel is good and The Death of Bunny Munro is one of my favorites. Just a fantastic book.

[weso1]

I didn't think Yorke wrote a lot of the music for Radiohead. I always thought O'Brien was the guy that wrote most of the actual music.

[AerchAngel]

I am saying the total package



1. Nilsson
2. Prince
3. McCartney

[weso1]

I think Trent Reznor is an interesting name in the modern era that nobody has mentioned. Obviously his lyrics and music turn some people off, but he's really written some unique and good songs and he's a good lyricist as well. He's written for movies as well... mostly David Lynch.

Musically I would offer up Billy Corgan, obviously mainly because I'm a big fan, but he's really written some stinkers lyrically so I don't think he's worthy even in the present era. It's not all bad, but some songs are admittedly cringe worthy. But he's got a lot of work folks don't know about like the Spun soundtrack and Stigmata ( ).

[zitothebrave]

Huh?
Kanye makes his own music. What are you talking about? The songs aren't there for him, he has to make them. He samples a lot and adds them into his own music, but that doesn't mean he doesn't make it. He uses a keyboard/piano a ton/all the time.
Do you have any knowledge of music production? lol it's not like he has pre-made crap that he throws together like applebees. no, he has to write it, play it out on various instruments.

I want to see this evidence of Kanye playing a piano as more than to record a simple hook.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/201...nes-kanye-west

[zitothebrave]

I think Trent Reznor is an interesting name in the modern era that nobody has mentioned. Obviously his lyrics and music turn some people off, but he's really written some unique and good songs and he's a good lyricist as well. He's written for movies as well... mostly David Lynch.

Reznor is fantastic, true talent. Like guys like McCartney, Grohl, Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins, Prince, Ben Folds, and a few others aside from writing the music, producing albums, they can play all the instruments of a traditional rock arrangement and a few others too.