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Thread: Favorite Songwriters?

  1. #1
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Favorite Songwriters?

    When I listen to music, I often concentrate on the way the song has been written, hoping to learn what to do from good ones, what not to do from terrible records. I love a great songwriter.

    Here are my faves:

    The Beatles and much of their solo work--of course.
    Elton and Bernie
    Elvis Costello
    Jeff Lynne
    James Taylor
    Becker and Fagin
    Gilmour and Waters

    Ask me tomorrow and my choices will change.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

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    Forum Member gibsonjunkie's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    Quote Originally Posted by ch willie View Post
    When I listen to music, I often concentrate on the way the song has been written, hoping to learn what to do from good ones, what not to do from terrible records. I love a great songwriter.

    Here are my faves:

    The Beatles and much of their solo work--of course.
    Elton and Bernie
    Elvis Costello
    Jeff Lynne
    James Taylor
    Becker and Fagin
    Gilmour and Waters

    Ask me tomorrow and my choices will change.
    I agree - James Taylor is also a favorite - Marc Cohn is a great songwriter , too.
    "We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness." Mark Twain

  3. #3
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    Big Hall and Oates fan. Not just the great songwriting but the arrangements are spot on too.
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

  4. #4
    Forum Member melody's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    Tom Petty
    Prince
    T Bone Walker
    Muddy Waters

  5. #5
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    Agree with all those mentioned. I'd add Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell to that list.

  6. #6
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    Quote Originally Posted by pc View Post
    Agree with all those mentioned. I'd add Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell to that list.
    How could I pass over either one of those? They are American treasures.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

  7. #7
    Forum Member redisburning's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    Aoife ODonovan
    Spencer Burton
    Peter Gabriel
    Joan Shelley
    Josh Tillman (NOT for his Father John Misty work, which is great yeah, but for the stuff he did under his own name)
    Nick Drake

  8. #8
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    Neil Young
    Bob Dylan
    Jagger/Richards
    Lennon/McCartney
    Joni MItchell
    JImi Hendrix
    Sérgio Dias (from Os Mutantes)
    Raul Seixas
    Egberto Gismonti
    Eumir Deodato.

    If any of you don't know the Brazilian ones, listen to them.

  9. #9
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    How could I have left Dylan out of my list? I love his work and listen to it a lot.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

  10. #10
    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    I think Willie's closing comment in the original post says it best:
    "Ask me tomorrow and my choices will change."

    I'm currently going through a Beatles revival phase, but I swing back and forth between "soft rock" and "folk rock" (Loggins & Messina, Brewer & Shipley, America, John Sebastian/Lovin' Spoonful, etc.) and harder stuff (Robin Trower, some of Clapton's stuff, Allman Bros., etc.). Tomorrow, I might attach myself to Neil Young, David Crosby, or someone else.

    First and foremost, I listen to the guitar work. THAT'S what attracts me.

  11. #11
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    Robert Johnson
    Lou Reed
    Warren Zevon
    Randy Newman
    Hank Williams Sr.
    Towns Van Zandt
    Jimi Hendrix
    Dave Matthews (Band)

    That's it for song writers. Guitar is what draws me to a song or some other instrument/soloist. Otherwise there may as well not even be any singing on songs.

  12. #12
    Forum Member gibsonjunkie's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    Warren Zevon - YES

    Cat Stevens
    The CSN&Y quartet - in any combination (especially Graham).
    "We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness." Mark Twain

  13. #13
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    I haven't seen one name here that I disagree with.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

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    Forum Member Frat Rettle's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    I'd add John Prine to those already listed.
    I have decided to be happy because it's good for my health.

  15. #15
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    Quote Originally Posted by Frat Rettle View Post
    I'd add John Prine to those already listed.
    Damned right. I think his most recent album is among his best songwriting. "When I Get to Heaven" is a classic.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

  16. #16

    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    In addition to many of the aforementioned names, Pete Townshend's work with The Who was one of my big inspirations when I was learning the guitar, and his "Scoop" demo collection albums taught me the value of home recording as a songwriting tool.

  17. #17
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Favorite Songwriters?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ed Driscoll View Post
    In addition to many of the aforementioned names, Pete Townshend's work with The Who was one of my big inspirations when I was learning the guitar, and his "Scoop" demo collection albums taught me the value of home recording as a songwriting tool.
    I love Pete, even a lot of his solo work. People forget how skilled he is as a producer.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

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