musical genius

[Chah Ngo]

I honestly envy all of you who have never listened to Zappa.
Oh to hear "Joe's Garage" for the first time . . .

edit - to Hell with that. I listened to it again. Crew Slut is as fresh as ever.

[astroglide]

http://members.tripod.com/~navanax/d...interview.html is a really awesome read

[Legend27]

It's not my fault Prince is horrible.

[Duke]

[ QUOTE ]
John Fahey

One of acoustic music's true innovators and eccentrics, John Fahey was a crucial figure in expanding the boundaries of the acoustic guitar over the last few decades.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you're into acoustic guitar, I think Leo Kottke is someone you need to hear. Folk artist, I guess, but a fantastic guitar player.

~D

[zephed56]

Holy christ, 7 [censored] pages of this [censored] and not a single mention of Led Zeppelin?
Forget they even wrote Stairway to Heaven, still some of the greatest [censored] to come out of rock 'n' roll.

[daveymck]

I've come to this thread late but want to comment on the Nirvana thing.

I think Kurt Cobain is totally overated had he not blown his head off I dont think Nirvana would be seen is as much of the light they are seen as now. Yes when they came out they were different to the GNR/Motley Crue Metallica/Megadeth seperate type scenes that were going on but they were the popular face of the Seattle movement that went on at that time.

Yes nevermind is a good album (good but would not make anywhere near mt top 10 all time) but bleach and in utero suck (in my opinion, Cobain was a poor guitarist and a poor lyracist (sic probably) I dont think the band would have stood the test of time, Husker DU also did the same type of stuff better in my opinion.

I belive the influence he had on the bands now is more down to the impact he and his death had on people than the music itself and the reverance these kids making music now have for him based on reputation that the legacy of the music itself.

[Bubbagump]

[ QUOTE ]
I was trying to think of one for R&B(MJ doesn't cut it for me, all he did was make dance music listenable, hardly anything noteworthy ).

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I think either Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder would fit the Bill handily in the R&B category.

Bubbagump

[Bubbagump]

[ QUOTE ]
technically, jimi hendrix doesn't do it for me. great songs though.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is no in between when it comes to Hendrix. People either love him or hate him. But he definately deserves MG status.

If you look at the the other music that was out there during the 50's and 60's, factor in who Jimmy's musical influences were, he did't just push the Rock music envelope, he moved it to a whole new [censored] zip code!

Bubbagump

[KJS]

Mingus, Monk, Trane without a doubt. IMO, jazz has more MGs than any other genre, so I could add a bunch more. These three stand out though.

I think Bob Dylan is a literary genius and since he's a singer-songwriter, I'd add him.

If you can include whole bands I'd say The Clash, for moving their genre forward, and melding non-pop music with intelligent, socially conscious lyrics. Zeppelin for updating the blues and doing it with nearly virtuosic command of their instruments. And believe it or not, Slayer, for combining technique, speed and aggression in a way that was way ahead of their time. The fact that they have been copied by so many for over 2 decades but few have come at all close to reproducing the feeling they induce, is evidence of their genius, IMO. Honorable mentions to Fugazi and Sonic Youth, who others mentioned. Also a nod to local Seattle group The Sun City Girls, who are a must see to believe group of undeniable genius.

There are many more, but those are my top picks.

KJS

[B Dids]

A few points.

Noting Dr. Dre as a genius is hard, because he farms out a lot of his work and takes credit for stuff that isn't his.

I'd add Prince Paul to any list of geniuses. Other than that, it's not a lable that I'd hand out very willingly. (for instance, I'm not sure if I'd give it to Andre 3000).

Whoever said Prince sucks is a horrible person and should give up at life.