Jump to content

The most original musician of all time is....


Hard Truth

Recommended Posts

  • Members

i've got to go with Les Paul. the man has vision and a creativity that few in the "modern era" have.

 

and while adolph rickenbacker may have given birth to the frying pan, Les Paul took it to a new level.

 

GOD BLESS LES

:thu:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 125
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

What about the composers of the 2nd Viennese School in the 20th Centuary? They invented an entirely new musical system baring little relation to anything previously done.

 

Don't think their music is mostly very pleasant to listen to though.

 

Fairly ridiculous to suggest any particaulrly well known artist really. Even the most radical artists are still pushing the boundries forward in small steps. Their system is still based around major/minor, western notes, played by ensembles or solo artists on conventional instruments.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Professor Peter Sheleke(sp) satirized classical music with outstanding skill. He invented instruments and came out with songs such as, "Eine Kliene NICHT Music"

 

 

Peter Schichele's radio show from the 90s, "Schichele Mix", is still played across the country by PRI affiliates. It's still one of the best things ever, imho.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I really can't believe there's not more recognition in this thread for Laurie Anderson. I suspect it's only because there aren't more people aware of the broad body of her work which ranges not only from her innovative live and recorded music in addition to her musical instrument inventiveness but also includes her written and spoken work, books, sculptures, paintings, audio-visual presentations, and more. She ranks with Eno and Kraftwerk very well musically but the broad range of her artistry puts her a step or two ahead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Peter Schichele's radio show from the 90s, "Schichele Mix", is still played across the country by PRI affiliates. It's still one of the best things ever, imho.

 

:thu:

 

I was going to say Peter Shickele, for the most original act in music history - writing several symphonies none of which contain a single original note or phrase, wherein every note and phrase is a quote.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Doh, with a K. After two errors, I can't call it a typo
;)

Yeah, that was the main reason I picked John Oswald, too.

 

That's OK - I left out the first "c".

 

Just watched "PDQ Bach in Houston: We Have a Problem" again this morning.

 

I think Peter Schickele gets brownie points for all those original instruments. I particularly like the tromboon and the slide whistle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

There's no point me pretending to know about genres of music of which I'm essentially ignorant such as classeical and the various claims of the Mozarts, Bachs, Beethovens, etc so I'll plump for the area of music Iknow most about being broadly music since 1960, and I'd have to choose The Beatles. Kraftwerk being a choice one could make with alot of justification but on the other hand, The Beatles create something like Tomorrow Never Knows out of historically absolutely nowhere, and it being one more direction they delve into rather than thoroughly investigating; such creation of genres being par for the course for them at this time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

IMHO The right question should be, who is the most innovative musician.....

 

 

"Most" ..."Truly" was not a parameter. Careful with that "diverging" thing; people will begin to suspect you of thinking for yourself.

 

Gershwin

Zappa

Debussy

Cage

Ayler

Bob Wills

Bill Monroe

Carl Perkins

Stockhausen

Zorn

Williams

Guthrie

Jobim

Coltrane

Russolo

Etc

Etc

Etc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Of course he wasn't fully happy with this situation. Also over the last thirty-five years, apart from the earnest stuff, he also composed several hundred song he never showed to anyone until recently. He always knew that his music is as good as any of the known stuff, but he decided early in his life to not participate in the circus maximus, but live a nice life with a family and looking at the sea...

 

... but he changed his mind a couple of months ago, and founded a new band with another forumite of this board!

 

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

How about that! Tiny Tim was a southpaw. Or maybe the pic was backwards.

 

I just thought of another original group: Gentle Giant. Do a search on you-tube of Gentle Giant and prepare to be amazed. How incredible it is to see them do that music live in concert on video. I saw them in 1975 in Boston and they were amazing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

How about that! Tiny Tim was a southpaw. Or maybe the pic was backwards.


I just thought of another original group: Gentle Giant. Do a search on you-tube of Gentle Giant and prepare to be amazed. How incredible it is to see them do that music live in concert on video. I saw them in 1975 in Boston and they were amazing.

 

Yes, Tiny Tim was a southpaw.

 

Gentle Giant is one of the greatest bands ever! :thu: :thu:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

That's a tough one, and lots of great choices...wasted a ton of time reading this thread!

Becuase I'm a guitar player my first thought was Les Paul, because he's an amazing player, and an inventor who shaped my instrument, recording, and a dozen other areas. Maybe that's because my LP is sitting in staring at from accross the room...But I realize I'm focused on the last 70 or so years and "all time" is a long time!

 

It is interesting to ponder what "original" means. And what do we mean by "musician"? The pioneers who made music for many hundreds of years before recording (which has captured maybe the last 100) we know only by their compositions. Origional composers opens up another huge category!

 

HP has invented a lot of stuff to make music. But then guys like Satch, Getze, Miles, Bird, Herby Hancock, Zappa, Jimi (and a really long list of others) impress me because they invented new sounds with an existing instrument. Maybe one definition of "original" would be who's sound you instantly recognize with only one note? Miles, Santana, Garcia...

 

Or is it someone who makes you think about music in completely different ways than you did before? For me, there's my Mom who played Bach and listend to Dylan, and a guy named Jimmy Nadel who infected me with Jazz and forever changed how I hear things.

 

OK I give up, I can't do it! Can't pick just one...but then is that the point? Maybe the real value is in figuring out what "original" means to you and then going out and making some original music ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

"I guess everybody has someplace they draw the line in terms of what "original" means, but you know... unless you personally invented all the musical instruments you use and the scales you compose in, everything is built on the back of something else"

This is complete denial of the fact that some artists are just more original than others. I don't accept limitations that easily. A common instrument in the hands of an uncommon artist will yield uncommon results. A couple of my favorites who come to mind are...

 

Ian Anderson

Frank Zappa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Let me think of all of the radical musicians from the last 40 years, musicians that completely shifted the musical paradigm in some way.

 

Elvis Presley

 

The Beatles ..........first in heavy studio orchestration for rock n' roll

 

The Rolling Stones

 

The Doors ................a spooky sound of their own

 

Motown productions including Stevie Wonder

 

Donovan ....."Hurdy Gurdy Man" nothing like it back then

 

Bob Dylan

 

Jimi Hendrix ...never heard a guitar like his before

 

Jethro Tull....what a mix of flute and fuzz guitar !

 

Moody Blues.... nothing like them

 

Emerson Lake & Palmer ..........first to use synths in classical type progressive rock

 

Black Sabbath though not one of my favorites anymore they pushed the limits of volume and fuzz guitar.

 

Led Zeppelin We never heard vocals like that until "Whole Lotta Love"

 

ELO .....Cellos in a rock band ?

 

Bee Gees did they start the whole disco thing?

 

Will Smith "Parents Don't understand" ...Dare we call it music, but at least back then the rapping was in time to the beat.

 

Michael Jackson weird or not , great solid POP sound

 

The first band in the 80's to use the DX7 and gated reverb drum sounds. I'm not sure who that was, but after them everyone was using those sounds for the next 5 years.

 

Pet Shop Boys unique sound of electronic pop.

 

Alanis Morissette Isn't it Ironic that she should sell 6 million copies of this? Lots of dynamics in her first hit.

 

INXS very cool , very different.

 

Nirvana or Pearl Jam started the whole alternative sound.

 

Evanescence lots of dynamics and extremes in sound to keep the listeners awake.

 

System of a DownThey are taking heavy metal in a new pop direction.

 

These are only some of the bands that did and will influence the future destination of what we call "music"

 

 

I don't think I've seen a mention for King Crimson yet.

 

 

Yes , yes "21st Century Skitzoid Man" Was Emerson there also?

 

And yes Blue Man Group and yes Craig KRAFTWERK and now Depeche Mode

 

Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Easy. Andy Partridge from XTC.

 

IF you listen to the XTC Back catalogue you will get an idea of just how many stylistic variations this genius comes up with. And now he has a very experimental CD out - Monstrance - in the free improv vein. Truly an original genius.

Same goes for Colin Moulding naturally :).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...