[Doc Sarvis]

Exceedingly difficult and arbitrary, but:

1. Bach
2. Mozart/Haydn (tie)
3. Beethoven
4. Wagner
5. Mahler
6. 20th Century Nationalists/Traditionalists (Hanson, Harris, Diamond, etc.)
7. Shostakovich
8. Bill Evans/Keith Jarrett (tie)
9. The members of Yes - Anderson, Squire, Wakeman, Howe, Bruford (the best incarnation IMO)
10. Leaders of the current "third wave" of prog music - Portnoy, Morse, Stolt, etc.

 

[ry_goody]

Omar Rodriguez (The Mars Volta) - I put first because they are my most recent, longest running favorite band. I think their two most recent albums are the greatest thing to come to rock in years. Yes, I really liked frances of the mute too.

Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom) - master of the metal guitar

Simon Posford (shpongle, hallucinogen) - one of the many key electronica producers that have really progressed the genre. Plus, Shpongle is genius.

Paul Van Dyk - no one can make a smoother, minimilistic electronica better than him

Sasha and John Digweed - these two together and also solo can turn individual 'good' tracks into an amazing compilation that flows so well that they are easily some of the best electronica albums

Amit and duvdev (infected mushroom) - its infected mushroom man... seriously. Who can make a more original, faster, crazier beat? All the while keeping astoundingly good production values.

Davide Tiso (Ephel Duath) - the man behind the painter's pallete album. An excellent album that did alot for the genre of rock in the recent years. (sadly, probably only in my mind though)

Britten - produced some of my favorite compositions, especially when paired with rostropovich.

Maynard Keenan (Tool) - although this band is rather in my past and high school years, I prolly never will forget them because they are what started my obsession with music and continual search for something better and more original

Tom Morello (rage against the machine era) - just awesome and still quite oiriginal

 

[papy]

my 2 cents...:

1) Neil Young (some very inequal albums, but some real gems on almost of them... somehow saves the day everytime)

2) Crosby Stills Nash - discovered that after No.1 - oooh those harmonies...

3) Depeche Mode (reminds me my younger years lol)

4) Loudon Wainwright III - makes me laugh out loud, makes me cry, makes me think...... great storyteller

5) Beethoven - discovered the symphonies thanks to this site.... just great (5.5 - insert Mozart's requiem under that position too )

6) Kat Onoma - a french indie band with a great touch for detail & minimalism

7) Autechre - my gateway to electronic music a couple of years ago - Amber & Incunabula are regular favorites

8) Lambchop - for "Is a Woman" album... a landmark at a personal level

9) Grant Lee Buffalo + Grant Lee Philips - a hugely talented songwriter...afaik...

10) ...... the next album/artist, old or new, that will make me foot tapping, head banging, tune whistling, air guitaring, well.....you know what i mean....the next tune that will give me that buzz...the search goes on....

------
Papy

 

[gordolindsay]

Ok, here are mine:
1. Neil Pert
2. Roger Waters
3. Miles Davis
4. Chick Corea
5. Victor Wooten
6. Jack Johnson
7. John Coltrane
8. Al DiMeola
9. Dave Matthews
10. Eric Clapton

 

[Wmcmanus]

I normally think more in terms of groups than individuals.

Top 10:
The Beatles. I was too young to fully appreciate them but their impact on music and society in general in undeniable.

Bruce Springsteen. A huge influence since I saw him and the E Street Band play at Notre Dame when I was in the 8th grade in 1976. It was four and a half hours of non-stop heart and soul.

Bob Dylan. Enough said.

Neil Young (and to a lesser extent, Buffalo Springfield, CSN&Y)

Elvis Costello

Bob Marley

Steely Dan

Ray Charles. Admired his courage.

The Doors. Mostly Jim, but were it not for Ray, The Doors would have been just another band.

Sarah Vaughn. Opened my mind to jazz.


Honorable mention:
Johnny Cash
BB King
Elvis
Roy Orbison
The Who

Special mention:
Tracey Chapman. I love something about her; the authenticity, I guess.
JJ Cale. Smooth, relaxed, and in no hurry to do his thing. Never got much attention, but didn't really want it anyway.
Acoustic Alchemy
Bela Fleck
Pavarotti

I don't know enough about classical music to comment intelligently, but Beethovan sure did some pretty amazing things, all things considered.

 

[johnjac]

Van Morrison
Ian Anderson
Ray Orbison
Janis Joplin
Ray Charles
Miles Davis
Chuck Berry
Gene Pitney
Jim Morrison
John Lennon

 

[terrymx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fante7 5) Chuck Schuldiner - I never knew music this heavy could be so pleasant.

should be, being that he is relatively the godfather of death metal. i would definitely have someone as important as him in my top 5. Rest in Peace.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saturnine #3) Nick Drake

me too

 

[PATB]

In no particular order.
1. Bob Dylan
2. Neil Young
3. Dave Carter (w/ Tracy Grammer)
4. Bill Staines
5. 10,000 Maniacs/Natalie Merchant
6. Emily Lou Harris
7. Mary Chapin Carpenter
8. Lucinda Williams
9. Wilco
10. Bright Eyes

 

[johnjac]

I would like to add just one more-the musical God of my youth Buddy Holly

 

[elan]

This is tough!!!! Ok, my favorite 10:

Bob Dylan
Miles Davis
Grateful Dead
Pink Floyd
Mark Knopfler (with and without Dire Straits)
Radiohead
The Beatles
Led Zeppelin
Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
Otis Redding

The top 4 are definitely the top four, but after that it gets a little more fluid.

I have an honourable mention list:

Canadians:

Big Sugar
Blue Rodeo

Hey, it's a patriotic thing.

One more band gets special mention for being such a kick-ass example of what raw fury can produce, with or without talent:

The Sonics

For me, bands are like a single entity. I'd rather recognize the group effort over the contribution of any one member.

 

[Spyro]

Peter Gabriel
Pat Metheny
Lyle Mays
Bob Mintzer

 

[PinkFloyd]

1: Roger Waters
2: Beethoven
3: Edgar Froese
4: Mike Oldfield
5: Frank Sinatra
6: Robert Calvert
7: Morrisey
8: Wynton Marsalis (and Ellis Marsalis)
9: Ray Davies
10: Boris Blank

 

[Kikkoman]

01 - Bob Dylan
02 - The Beatles
03 - Bob Marley
04 - The Kinks
05 - Syd Barrett
06 - The Velvet Underground
07 - Kraftwerk
08 - Aphex Twin
09 - Simon Posford
10 - Ofer Dikovsky

 

[Dusty Chalk]

1. Pink Floyd
1. Skinny Puppy
1. Tangerine Dream

4. Rush
4. Yes
4. Mike Oldfield
4. Vangelis
4. Kraftwerk

I know I'm forgetting someone -- it's not so much that they're tied for first and fourth place, it's just a matter of what I'm in the mood for.

Oh:

9. Klaus Schulze
9. Talk Talk
9. Fripp/Crimson

 

[myself, aka me]

1. hide. his albums are so listenable. Each is around an hour long but I never get fatigued even if the songs are hard. It's all rock but various styles in there.

1.5 Yoshiki and X japan. Just 'cause. I like toshi's voice

2. Young MC. The only rapper I like. Intelligent raps? What's the world coming to?

3. Kurt Cobain.

4. Jeff Buckley. I love how he can take a song and play it and make it sound just like the original however not like the original. Some of the songs on the Legacy edition of Grace (second disc) amaze me.

5. Guitar Wolf. Basswolf died, i'm sad. Guitar wolf prove that without any skill at all you can rock. And they rock, even if they can't play.

6. John Coltrane. A Love Supreme, Giant Steps. I don't really listen to Jazz anymore and i'm afraid i'm just listing the obvious ones. But I love how jazz goes together, it's just so complex and fluent, I'd never get bored of listening to it.

7. Miles Davis. Never go back. He always does something different. Kind of Blue to Bitches Brew to Doo-Bop and Tutu. As a musician (well, a player. I'm still just hardly scratching the surface of composition) I would hate to be confined to one genre, especially one style in a genre. I think I'd have a hard time putting a fluent album out..

8. Melt banana and the other noise. Boredoms etc. Just 'cause they're strange but good. Interesting.

9. Billy Corgan. He's honest. I don't know actually, but I wouldn't doubt it.. heh. Am I too trusting?

9.5 Smashing Pumpkins. When I found that there was music outside pop punk (is that an oxymoron?) I went to the Pumpkins and was amazed. In fact, 6 years ago I listened to nothing but pop punk, now I listen to everything but pop punk. That's a lie, I don't mind a little Good Charlotte, but only socially. Like social smoking.. I don't smoke any cigarettes but I don't mind smokers second hand around me. Are my ears still gonna get musical cancer?