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1950-2000: The Top 25 Singer/Songwriters

1.Bob Dylan: I don’t expect any arguments here

2.Curtis Mayfield: Perhaps he should be #1

3. Paul Weller: Hideously underrated in the US, this whiteboy knows soul

4. Tom Waits: He makes two kinds of records: good ones & great ones

5. Van Morrison: If he ever put out a bad record, I haven’t heard it yet

6. Hank Williams: Some of his songs can even make Christianity sound cool

7. Marc Bolan: The pop genius of the 70’s

8. Toots Hibbert: The man who should have been Jamaica’s International Superstar

9. George Jones: A jug of wine, a George Jones album, another jug of wine, and then another…

10. Lou Reed: I’d put him on this list just for “Pale Blue Eyes”

11. Carole King: More for her songwriting than her singing

12. Elvis Costello: Not half as good as everybody says he is, but what a half!

13. Townes van Zandt: Have you heard him? Good, then you know what I’m talking about

14. Eldon “El Duce” Hoke: Hey, this is MY list. I can put anybody I want on

15. Beck: He’s the new Dylan. Honest

16. James Osterberg: It is frightening: The man has supernatural powers!

17. Leonard Cohen: Of course I’m going to include him

18. Bruce Springsteen: “Nebraska” is enough to earn him a place

19. Nick Drake: Volkswagen, The Estate of Nick Drake wishes to thank you

20. Neil Diamond: What if Elvis was a Jew who wrote his own songs, and never did half-assed karate kicks onstage?

21. Lucinda Williams: Great singer/songwriters cover HER songs!

22. Kurt Cobain: An ear for a great tune, and an eye for a pretty lady! Oh muse, sing!

23. Richard Thompson: Continues to delight

24. David Bowie: Demoted from #11 to #24 for failing to die immediately after "Scary Monsters"

25. Gram Parsons: Dude, love that Nudie suit!
tweakgeek
tweakgeek OP
76 posts
 
I rate Paul McCartney, not solely on the basis of his best work, and not solely on the basis of his worst. Paul McCartney: when he was good, he was really good, when he was bad, we was really, really bad. McCartney is going to need far more than one mulligan for his mostly lamentable solo career.

To further torture your quarterback analogy, with The Beatles, Paul McCartney may well have been the Joe Montana of pop songwriters, but since The Beatles disintegrated, he has become Ryan Leaf.
ben_campbell
1,169 posts
 
Tweakgeek-I wouldn't argue too much with your list actually however I think you really need Lennon and McCartney in there basically because they really did write most of their best stuff as individuals-it's well documented from '65 onwards they seldom wrote together .
I'd much prefer a Todd Rundgren to a Marc Bolan,or a Kate Bush to a Lucinda Williams but it's really down to individual taste.
Mark Eitzel,Peter Gabriel,Paul Simon would also be on my list......oh and just to make you happy I find it laughable you rate Weller above Bowie.
moag
34 posts
 
Just a few final points to what has become a silly discussion. In keeping with the quarterback analogy....I don't agree with the Montana-Leaf comparison. More like Montana-Peyton Manning. Either way, it doesn't take away from his achievements as "Montana". A point you seem to be blithely dancing around. A feat even Baryshnikov could not do. I am left wondering if he refused you an autograph, or cut you off in traffic....or perhaps shot your dog. As art is subjective, you are entitled to your opinion, but by all objective standards....McCartney belongs on ANY list of great singer-songwriters. One final point....McCartney's "Silly Love Songs" , based on sales and radio play, has touched far more lives , and brought more smiles to people, than Geeks Tweaking could ever hope to. Put that into your tube amp & smoke it.
moag
34 posts
 
The last sentence of my previous post was a poor attempt at levity. It does not read that way, and I apologize. Cheers
cpdunn99's avatar
cpdunn99
639 posts
 
And I thought it was your comment about "Silly Love Songs" bringing smiles to people that was an attempt at levity! Sorry, but that song has the opposite effect on me.
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