who is the most musically creative person in the industry

[andycam]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say...

Prince

Although i'm not a massive fan, I respect that he is consistently experimental, influential and basically a musical genius.

agree or disagree?

[KalamityKel]

Disagree :p

[Keef]

Agree that he'd have to be up there, but like you I'm not a huge fan. Another very talented musical mind is Elton John, but with the exception of Tiny Dancer I don't really like any of his stuff either.

[mockney piers]

Like em or loathe them you have to at least consider lennon/mccartney (as a partnership, not individually)

I can't say there's a whole lot in the prince / 0|-x-> canon that's great. Reinvention can't be everything else we'd have love Madonna too, who did one class (eponymous)album, and masses of dross. *ducks for cover too*

[SeanMacGabhann]

Can of worms this one ;-)

To say consistently creative we need to be talking about people with a body of work stretching back some time - say the 70s early 80s? as the latest they started producing albums but they can have started as early as they were born. So... Leonard Cohen yes, Boyzone no

Later periods for most of these artists usually polarise opinion - Dylan/Prince/Bowie/Young fans etc might care to disagree but be aware of the notion. And people who aren't even fans of a given artist's peak work are unlikely to give due consideration to the "lesser" albums

As a massive Prince fan I would say he has excelled live over the decade but his recorded output knows no such quality control

I'm going to plump for Bowie - an awful awful awful 10 years from 83-93 (with a few noteable exceptions) turned things around, not with Black Tie White Noise but The Buddah of Suburbia album. Up there with any of the "Berlin" albums for me

Thereafter we get 1.Outside and the Earthling albums - seriously deranged and energetic in equal measure. A blip with "hours" in 99 but then Heathen in 2002 is in my top 5

I expect everyone to disagree with me but I can easily talk at some length about this so be warned

[KalamityKel]

I can't believe you don't consider Boyzone as once great Sean! :o hehe

[Jah Lush]

Actually I largely agree with you Sean. To me Bowie WAS the 70s as Prince was to a large extent the 80s. If you go back further then the Beatles, the Stones and Dylan were the 60s. They have all gone through their creative peaks and troughs though.

[Gerrard]

For a more modern day candidate, I have been very impressed with Damon Albarn. I was never the biggest Blur fan, but there were several quality songs and Parklife is a great album. What he has done recently with Gorillaz shows his musical diversity, and therefore in my opinion, I think he is one of the most creative artists at the moment.

[blinder999]

Bowie's been my favourite artist since I was about fourteen, though personally, I hate everything after 1983 (with the slight exception of the song Absolute Beginners). Still, he made about a dozen of my favourite albums, and no other artist can come close to that - my top ten:

Diamond Dogs

Hunky Dory

Station to Station

Low

Heroes

Lodger

Young Americans

Ziggy Stardust

David Bowie

Man Who Sold The World

[andycam]

I agree with you Gerrard, I'm actually a big fan of Albarn as an artist too. He's certainly grown. I had to film his GBQ (The good, The Bad, The Queen) gig in the Tower of London last year and I thought it was fantastic. He's also composed a chinese opera recently, Monkey and even scored a movie (Ravenous) with Michael Nyman. Doing well that lad.

[Trev]

I'm in the Prince posse, but surely Stevie Wonder has to get a mention? I also reckon Jack White will be veiwed favourably in 20 or 30 years time.

[Jah Lush]

I agree with what you are saying about young Damon. You've also forgotten about his African collaborations, his record label Honest Jons and....well the boy is doing well isn't he. He was certainly shall we say the latter part of the 90s.

[mockney piers]

For consistency and longevity I'd be remiss not to mention Yo La Tengo, it'd be sinful not to, but they don't do reinvention much.

Albums each have a consistent sound, and they can do quiet, touching, mournful, RAWK, happy, noisy, chilled, but their overall sounds haven't budged much over 25 odd years.

snippets

Tom Courtenay

Blue Line Swinger (live)

The Summer

[lozzyloz]

My nomination goes to Brian Eno. He does it all. He's been influential since the early 70's, collaborates with some of the best known names in the industry and produces, composes and performs across several genres.

[mockney piers]

Cathy Dennis anyone?

[SeanMacGabhann]

Blinder

The phenomonen you mention re: Bowie (nothing good after 83) is one that is so prevelant I despair sometimes. That 10 year trough (good word Jah) was, by his standards, awful but even then gems such as Absolute Beginners and even Loving the Alien were knocking around

If you haven't heard Buddah of Suburbia the I will have to fix that.

If you have heard Heathen and can't see it compares with most of his 70s work than I'm convinced the 80s just hacked you off too much you have switched off - but it is a fantastic album.

Earthling from 97 probably tried too hard but I listend to it again the other day and it fair BRISTLES with energy

Trev

Has Stevie done a similar arc, and moved on from Ebony & Ivory and I Just Called...?

[Trev]

Sean - no, probably hard to defend much after 1980 (Hotter Than July), apart from 2005's A Time To Love which was pretty well received. But hey, who knows - maybe his arc is just beginning its belated upward curve?

Even if it isn't, a high percentage of his output from the mid '60s up until 1980 should make him a serious contender for '(previously) most musically creative person (still working) in the industry'.

[barrymarshall]

Tom Waits

Radiohead (but that really is down to Johnny Greenwood).

But maybe we're on the wrong path: it's all producers now, you know ...

[MelbourneGr]

Talk about biased selections.

I'm not a great fan of Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins, Michael McDonald or Prince but those 4 are really creative.

[mockney piers]

David Byrne? Been at it for years and keeps producing quality, if not exactly mainstream.

Phil Collins, great drummer and even did some pretty good stuff with Genesis (and some rubbish). But really, come on, solo?

McDonalds is commercially successful, but that doesn't make it good does it?

Ooh, Peter Gabriel was good for about 20 years (again, including genesis).

[atila the gooner]

Try Smokie Robinson - The man was respsnsible for many of motowns greatest hits. Prince is a pale imitation of cross between Jimi Hendrix and James Brown. Stevie Wonder knocks prince into a rasperry beret. Phil Collins creative??? He's about as creative as a paint by numbers set.

[blinder999]

MelbourneGr Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Talk about biased selections.

biased in favour of what? They're all just opinions

[andycam]

I think Radiohead have made certainly some influential albums, The Bends and OK Computer spring to mind, but you could also say that about, say, Coldplay for example. Everyone sounds like them now.

How about Sting?

Or even Chas & Dave?

[david_carnell]

Springsteen.

Going strong for 30 years with no real trough to speak of.

1970s - Born to Run; Darkness on the Edge of Town

1980s - The River; Nebraska;Born in the USA

1990s - The Ghost of Tom Joad plus Philadelphia

2000s - Devils and Dust; the new album, Magic

Not too shabby.

[mockney piers]

I may be a lone in this, but Half Man Half Biscuit; consistently strong song writing and a large catalogue of quality albums.

Ok, Achtung Bono was a bit weak, but noones perfect.