rank these artists III

[naughty boy]

I'll give 'em a go! thanks

[The Write Profile]

I'm not sure I'll do the ranking thing, but here we go anyway.

Lee Perry- He's responsible, first with the Upsetters, and then as a producer for seemingly every great artist in Jamaica in the 1970s, for some of my most favourite music. Hell, I'd consider him godhead for Super Ape or African Herbsman alone to say nothing about the stark and occasionally crazed beauty of Heart of the Congos . Yes it's true he's been little more than a self-parody for three decades now. And when I saw him live a decade or so ago he was definitely phoning it in. But there's so much life and verve in his best records, and they sound so otherly too. Which is to say I cherish the important stuff and try to forget about the rest.

Tori Amos- I own Little Earthquakes and kinda like it I guess. There's something a bit disjunctive about it with its pretty melodies offset by the angsty and self-flagellating lyrics. I admire her talent but I don't really need it.

Elton John- I own Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Madman Across the Water, and know all the other hits. He's an artist I haven't really delved deep into, and maybe that might happen one day. Certainly I admire his gift for melody during his classic period, and I'm not as put off by Bernie Taupin's lyrics as some people are.

Pete Shelley- Well, he created his own mini-genre didn't he? Songs that were fast and furious enough to be punk, but also openhearted and genuine enough to be pop. And his often witty and wry lyrics set him apart even before the tunes hit me where I lived. Which is another way of saying that Another Music In A Different Kitchen and Singles Going Steady are unassumingly perfect records. I couldn't care less about the reunion records.

Link Wray- A little goes a long way, but he had a sound that really pierces the skull: short, sharp and violent.

Robert Fripp- I tend to prefer him as a collaborator with Bowie or Eno than I do with him as a bandleader for King Crimson (although I admire the sheer po-faced ridiculousness of In the Court Of...), but he had his own sound and at its best it could cut glass. I really like the needling tone of his guitar.

Captain Beefheart- Safe As Milk is still the one for me, even it verges on parody at times, there's something undeniable about the ferocity of "Electricity" or the the rolling attack of "Zig Zag Wanderer". Another artist I'll eventually dig deeper into.

Harry Nilsson- Well he was such a contradiction, wasn't he? One of the finest songwriters of his era yet arguably best remembered for his covers, a perfectionist in the studio whose best records were all over the shop, an incorrigible drunkard who could produce heart-stoppingly beautiful melodies. Nilsson Schmilsson 's reputation as his best is probably justified. Certainly it runs the gamut of emotions and styles and it validates his ambition. I mean, there are some simply breathtaking melodic twists and turns. Ironically, my second-favourite Nilsson record is Nilsson Sings Newman, which only proves what a good interpreter he was.

Tina Turner- I like the Spector stuff and some of her stuff with Ike. I respect her as an artist. But I don't really have much enthusiasm for her.

John Cale- His contributions with the Velvets would almost be enough on its own, along with his productions with the Stooges and Patti Smith, to cement his position in my personal hall of fame, but he also released a series of wonderful records in the 1970s, whether it's the searing Fear, the often gorgeous Paris 1919, the ambitious Vintage Violence, the cracked Slow Dazzle...hell, he's done his bit. So yeah, I'm a fan.

Terry Hall- I love the Specials, less keen on Fun Boy Three, but his blank, attacking vocals were absolutely vital to the Specials' appeal. And he was a great live performer too, he had this intense charisma to him.

Iggy Pop- Yes, he's done far more bad than good and yes there is a strong self-parody element to him these days. But Christ, those three Stooges records destroyed the neighbourhood in very different ways, his two Bowie-produced records are at once seething and sinister (The Idiot) and absolutely unstoppable (Lust for Life), and when I saw him live he (and the band) definitely brought it. You've gotta love him, really.

Sandy Denny- One of my favourite singers, at her best, she was almost weightless, and yet she could be earthy and gritty when required. She was probably one of the greatest Dylan interpreters, just listen to the sadness she gives her take of "I'll Keep It With Mine", or the grounded, generous take on "Percy's Song".

Henry Rollins- An artist I admire more than I enjoy. I mean, I appreciate what Black Flag achieved, and Damaged is an unrelenting record. And he's an interesting interview subject. But musically I can't really spend much time in headspaces like his.

Jaki Liebezeit- Well, he had this ability on tracks like "Yo Doo Right" , "Halleluhwah"and "Vitamin C" to ensure that no matter how "out there" Can got they always had a really solid foundation. He had a really great sense of groove.

Robyn Hitchcock- Underwater Moonlight is a helluva album. Wired, seething, cynical and filled with pentup energy, right from the opening track. It's powerpop as it's meant to sound, savage yet as catchy as a dose of flu.

Lawrence Hayward- I really like the crystalline tone his guitar has on those Felt records. I haven't explored his post-Felt bands.

Well, that was fun!

[Nikki Gradual]

Done most
Pete Shelley
Sandy Denny
Iggy Pop
Robert Plant (not solo)
Terry Hall (not solo)
George Harrison (solo)

Done a decent amount
Captain Beefheart
Link Wray
Robert Fripp
Robyn Hitchcock
John Cale

Had an impact, but brief or not that great
Lawrence Hayward
Lee Perry
Tina Turner
Jaki Liebezeit
Henry Rollins
Bill Haley
Boy George
Kevin Coyne
Harry Nilsson
Noel Gallagher

Less than zero
Lonnie Donegan
Tori Amos
Elton John
Linda Ronstadt
Huey Lewis
Cher

Who?
This other Terry Hall (there is only one Terry Hall)

[naughty boy]

ACH this has RUINED my day

[Nikki Gradual]

ACH this has RUINED my day

What has?

[naughty boy]

The fact that I'd put Terry in the list twice

[Nikki Gradual]

The fact that I'd put Terry in the list twice

[Tom Waits For No One]

Who?
This other Terry Hall (there is only one Terry Hall)

Shirley you meant to put both on the list?

[sloopjohnc]

Lee Perry
Iggy Pop
Robert Plant
George Harrison
Captain Beefheart
Robyn Hitchcock
Elton John (up to 1980)
Tina Turner
Harry Nilsson
John Cale
Sandy Denny
Pete Shelley
Boy George
Link Wray
Bill Haley
Cher
Henry Rollins
Terry Hall
Linda Ronstadt
Lonnie Donegan
Kevin Coyne
Robert Fripp
Jaki Liebezeit

I just didn't know where to fit in the last three.


Huey Lewis
Tori Amos
Noel Gallagher
Lawrence Hayward

The shame about Huey Lewis is they had a great band and went for the cash. If they had wanted, they could've been NRBQ. The others, I don't like or don't know.

[naughty boy]

Christ, John, you must be bored!

[Neige]

Love quite unreservedly
Lee Perry
Tori Amos
Robert Fripp
Captain Beefheart
Harry Nilsson
Sandy Denny

Good to great
Kevin Coyne
Link Wray
George Harrison
John Cale
Jaki Liebezeit
Robyn Hitchcock

Okayish, some of it I like
Linda Ronstadt
Robert Plant
Pete Shelley
Tina Turner
Terry Hall
Iggy Pop
Lonnie Donegan

Meh
Elton John
Bill Haley
Huey Lewis
Henry Rollins
Boy George
Cher

Who?
Lawrence Hayward

Twat
Noel Gallagher

[Graham Murakami]

Top by miles:
Lawrence Hayward

Second:
Terry Hall

Good:
George Harrison
Pete Shelley
John Cale
Robert Plant
Iggy Pop
Boy George

Meh:
Cher
Harry Nilsson
Lee Perry
Tori Amos
Kevin Coyne
Link Wray
Robert Fripp
Captain Beefheart
Tina Turner
Linda Ronstadt
Sandy Denny
Henry Rollins
Jaki Liebezeit
Robyn Hitchcock
Lonnie Donegan
Bill Haley

Horrible music that plagued my life at some stage or other:
Huey Lewis
Elton John
Noel Gallagher