Vote for Brian! best songwriter of all time

[kookadams]

CCR was great but they were NOWHERE near the BBs cmon! Creedence had s handful of classic singles and two killer albums outta the five they made...the BB have two dozen classic singles and several integral albums.

[Niko]

direct your angers at those haffman guyz. we r not ur enemy kookamadems!! !

[bluesno1fann]

To piggyback on this thread...

For those that have an account on the Hoffman forum, you should go vote for the Beach Boys: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/battle-of-the-best-american-bands-of-all-time-championship-round-please-read-the-initial-post.393327/

It's sort of a silly thing, but I'd like to see them win.

It's kinda sad to see that some people don't see The Beach Boys as a legitimate band.

Hope the Boys win. CCR is great in their own right but c'mon. Surprised that CCR's winning actually.

[The Shift]

Folk need to get over there and vote for our team… how can Creedence even be in the running, let alone in the lead? Bloomin' Hoffmannites…

[beatnickle]

 Using my best John Cleese voice...... "It's a silly list, isn't it."

 In the top fifty having Mozart , Bach, Beethoven and Gerswin on the list and comparing them to people such as Dylan is silly. It's like comparing  Michelangelo to Andy Warhol

 Not having Burt Bacharach in the top fifty is silly.

 Having Brian below Dylan is silly. Dylan is a better lyricist but he can't carry Brian's jock strap musically.

 This list is comparing apples to oranges to lemons etc

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Having Brian below Dylan is silly. Dylan is a better lyricist but he can't carry Brian's jock strap musically.

Personally, I think Dylan comes really, really, really close.

[guitarfool2002]

I usually find these kinds of polls silly and more like a popularity contest, but I read them anyway without taking too much of it seriously. With the case of The Beach Boys as a band in some of these issues, I have to suggest one variable to explain some of the rankings or even perceptions, and I'm doing it not to start a dust-up or anything, but to offer a take on why the results can be what they are.

Creedence stopped making albums over 45 years ago. So did The Beatles. Dylan, he's another subject, but he has an aura among music fans where his status was in place decades ago no matter what he might release in the future, meaning his armor can't be dented at this point even if he releases something awful. Other artists are that way too, they simply stopped making new music of consequence or new music that was visible enough, so fans judge them based on the classic catalog they left behind in their prime of making records.

Now the Beach Boys...

What do you think is the average age of people responding to these polls? Over/under, what do you think? Average ages in the 30's somewhere? Maybe a bit younger or older on either side?

What were the Beach Boys most visible and most public offerings when a lot of those who I think may be answering these polls came of age in regards to listening to music, via albums, MTV, radio, whatever the media? Not as much even the internet.

Kokomo. Wipe Out. Appearances on Home Improvement, Full House, various TV shows, sports events, whatever the case. Could it be that is the more generic image of the band *as a band* which helped shape the perspective which these listeners are using to answer the polls? I know if i were not already more deeply involved and invested in the band's music when a lot of that came out, I might have a different impression of them. If I were not a big fan of songs like I Get Around, Dont Worry Baby, whatever other of the original catalog, and I had been bombarded with the Kokomo and Wipe Out videos as a first impression in those very impressionable years as i was finding my musical taste bit by bit, I might not be as into the band as it turns out I was before all that. Add to that, when there was some interest in the music, renewed interest perhaps, in the 90's, this same band under the name "Beach Boys" gave new listeners perhaps looking for new product to explore, albums like Summer In Paradise, Still Cruisin, the Stars N Stripes country project...there was no meat on the bone. How many times do you think fans got a similar reaction as I got talking Beach Boys in my younger years when I'd bring them up based on the music I knew, and the person's reply would mention the "new" albums in record stores at the time, and the Kokomo video, etc. "Is this the same band?" might be one of the knee-jerk replies you'd hear.

Whether it's good or bad or indifferent, these other groups and artists that regularly top these polls have the benefit of not needing much of an explanation or a backstory because their recordings pretty much start and end at a specific year, and that's it. Or else, like Dylan or perhaps the Stones, whatever they did later wasn't strong enough to shift opinions of their 'classic' body of work that put them in the polls in the first place. If Dylan did something less than stellar, it usually sank out of the public eye anyway, and remains inconsequential for most fans judging his catalog.

Listeners who are now in their 30's or 40's, The Beach Boys they may have seen first in those formative listening years were not the Beach Boys we'd like to have seen at the top of these lists and polls, and it's all about perspective and age/experience.

[beatnickle]

Having Brian below Dylan is silly. Dylan is a better lyricist but he can't carry Brian's jock strap musically.

Personally, I think Dylan comes really, really, really close.

You have got to be joking.  Dylan can't touch the subtleties of Brian in his prime.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Having Brian below Dylan is silly. Dylan is a better lyricist but he can't carry Brian's jock strap musically.

Personally, I think Dylan comes really, really, really close.

You have got to be joking.  Dylan can't touch the subtleties of Brian in his prime.

I'm not joking and I disagree with that point too.

[Amy B.]

I laughed out loud when I saw the classical composers. They're probably not even on there for their songs...

I laughed too. Currently Freddie Mercury is ranked right above Bach.     And Mozart? Well, he's OK, but he's no Elton John.

[rab2591]

Having Brian below Dylan is silly. Dylan is a better lyricist but he can't carry Brian's jock strap musically.

Personally, I think Dylan comes really, really, really close.

You have got to be joking.  Dylan can't touch the subtleties of Brian in his prime.

I'm not joking and I disagree with that point too.

I definitely think that Dylan comes close....the entirety of Blonde On Blonde is not only a stroke of lyrical genius, but also musical genius.

They are definitely two different beasts, but they both deserve top ranking in any songwriter's poll.

[Generation42]

http://m.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-songwriters-of-all-time?utm_expid=16418821-2.PAaBT_MORcmI67lBYq2pgw.0

Put those damn mop tops in place

He's currently 12th

I just put the "damn mop tops" in their place. At #1.

Right on!!!

[alf wiedersehen]

Yes, what Rab says.

Bob doesn't write music in the way that Brian does (strange chord progressions, harmonies, key changes, etc.), but if you actually listen to the music, it's pretty incredible. Bob, like Brian, has always been one to go on a feeling, and will drastically change the way a song is played on the fly. Blonde on Blonde is a really great example, and has one of the best recorded performances I've ever heard in "One of Must Know (Sooner or Later)", a gorgeous arrangement in "I Want You", and clever chord changes in "Just Like a Woman". Just waiting for that BOB box set to come out...

Anyway, there's room for both.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I definitely think that Dylan comes close....the entirety of Blonde On Blonde is not only a stroke of lyrical genius, but also musical genius.

They are definitely two different beasts, but they both deserve top ranking in any songwriter's poll.

Absolutely! On the basis of the music alone, Blonde on Blonde ranks as one of the greatest albums ever recorded.

[beatnickle]

I definitely think that Dylan comes close....the entirety of Blonde On Blonde is not only a stroke of lyrical genius, but also musical genius.

They are definitely two different beasts, but they both deserve top ranking in any songwriter's poll.

Absolutely! On the basis of the music alone, Blonde on Blonde ranks as one of the greatest albums ever recorded.

 I never said Dylan didn't deserve to be near the top of the poll, I said I think Brian should be above him.  Some people prefer figs over plums

 

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I never said Dylan didn't deserve to be near the top of the poll, I said I think Brian should be above him.  Some people prefer figs over plums

Erm, but when I said that I thought he was really close to Brian, you said that I must be joking.

[rab2591]

Just waiting for that BOB box set to come out...

You and me both! It'll definitely be my favorite of the bootleg series, that's for sure.

[alf wiedersehen]

Just waiting for that BOB box set to come out...

You and me both! It'll definitely be my favorite of the bootleg series, that's for sure.

Have you seen this? It's an article a guy wrote after being given access to the Blonde on Blonde session tapes. It's a really great read.

[The Shift]

Credence still ahead. Ah well…

[beatnickle]

I never said Dylan didn't deserve to be near the top of the poll, I said I think Brian should be above him.  Some people prefer figs over plums

Erm, but when I said that I thought he was really close to Brian, you said that I must be joking.

 Alright... I admit That I am not a huge Bob fan.... I am a partial fan and I am biased toward Brian but I do know one thing...... Bob Dylan couldn't carry John Lennon's jock strap.

[alf wiedersehen]

I never said Dylan didn't deserve to be near the top of the poll, I said I think Brian should be above him.  Some people prefer figs over plums

Erm, but when I said that I thought he was really close to Brian, you said that I must be joking.

 Alright... I admit That I am not a huge Bob fan.... I am a partial fan and I am biased toward Brian but I do know one thing...... Bob Dylan couldn't carry John Lennon's jock strap.

Yet, John would happily carry Bob's.

[rab2591]

Just waiting for that BOB box set to come out...

You and me both! It'll definitely be my favorite of the bootleg series, that's for sure.

Have you seen this? It's an article a guy wrote after being given access to the Blonde on Blonde session tapes. It's a really great read.

Fantastic article! That release can't come soon enough...

[bluesno1fann]

Credence still ahead. Ah well…

Currently, it's 80 votes for the Boys... and 89 votes for Creedence...

[The Cincinnati Kid]

I made an account (great another forum to waste countless hours at lol) and voted.   

[GhostyTMRS]

I usually find these kinds of polls silly and more like a popularity contest, but I read them anyway without taking too much of it seriously. With the case of The Beach Boys as a band in some of these issues, I have to suggest one variable to explain some of the rankings or even perceptions, and I'm doing it not to start a dust-up or anything, but to offer a take on why the results can be what they are.

Creedence stopped making albums over 45 years ago. So did The Beatles. Dylan, he's another subject, but he has an aura among music fans where his status was in place decades ago no matter what he might release in the future, meaning his armor can't be dented at this point even if he releases something awful. Other artists are that way too, they simply stopped making new music of consequence or new music that was visible enough, so fans judge them based on the classic catalog they left behind in their prime of making records.

Now the Beach Boys...

What do you think is the average age of people responding to these polls? Over/under, what do you think? Average ages in the 30's somewhere? Maybe a bit younger or older on either side?

What were the Beach Boys most visible and most public offerings when a lot of those who I think may be answering these polls came of age in regards to listening to music, via albums, MTV, radio, whatever the media? Not as much even the internet.

Kokomo. Wipe Out. Appearances on Home Improvement, Full House, various TV shows, sports events, whatever the case. Could it be that is the more generic image of the band *as a band* which helped shape the perspective which these listeners are using to answer the polls? I know if i were not already more deeply involved and invested in the band's music when a lot of that came out, I might have a different impression of them. If I were not a big fan of songs like I Get Around, Dont Worry Baby, whatever other of the original catalog, and I had been bombarded with the Kokomo and Wipe Out videos as a first impression in those very impressionable years as i was finding my musical taste bit by bit, I might not be as into the band as it turns out I was before all that. Add to that, when there was some interest in the music, renewed interest perhaps, in the 90's, this same band under the name "Beach Boys" gave new listeners perhaps looking for new product to explore, albums like Summer In Paradise, Still Cruisin, the Stars N Stripes country project...there was no meat on the bone. How many times do you think fans got a similar reaction as I got talking Beach Boys in my younger years when I'd bring them up based on the music I knew, and the person's reply would mention the "new" albums in record stores at the time, and the Kokomo video, etc. "Is this the same band?" might be one of the knee-jerk replies you'd hear.

Whether it's good or bad or indifferent, these other groups and artists that regularly top these polls have the benefit of not needing much of an explanation or a backstory because their recordings pretty much start and end at a specific year, and that's it. Or else, like Dylan or perhaps the Stones, whatever they did later wasn't strong enough to shift opinions of their 'classic' body of work that put them in the polls in the first place. If Dylan did something less than stellar, it usually sank out of the public eye anyway, and remains inconsequential for most fans judging his catalog.

Listeners who are now in their 30's or 40's, The Beach Boys they may have seen first in those formative listening years were not the Beach Boys we'd like to have seen at the top of these lists and polls, and it's all about perspective and age/experience.

I have to disagree with that. The canonization of Pet Sounds and Smile only really took root in the 90's. Every young music junkie has them on their list of "God-like albums". That reappraisal of The Beach Boys took place while the rest of the guys were doing their Full House stuff, whatever, and Brian's elevation was practically carved into stone with the 1993 box set. I'd be more worried about a lot of people over 45 who came of age when Pet Sounds was something you whispered about in dark alleys.