Greatest All-Around Musician of All Time

I agree that he's a good singer, but most of his performances and tours were all lip synched. I mean, his Dangerous tour was 90% lipped. I don't have a problem with this, because he compensates with dancing, as does Britney and a host of other pop icons. Only MJ seems to get a LOT less criticism for lipping than other artists do, and some people just seem to completely ignore that he's the pioneer of lip.
 
Didnt Jackson do all the directing of the vocals to 'We are the world' back whenever? As far as jackson ever playing any instruments, I dont know, or have never heard of him playing any, of course he was good in the studio and coryography, but I see him more as a music icon instead of one of the most talented artist, but he is the king of pop I guess.
 
you're trying to hard.

GG Allin was what Alice Cooper 'would' have been if he couldn't keep a clear distinction between performance and personal lives and abused every substance he got his hanRAB on.

there are PLENTY of artists for whom music is far more than a job and very much their lives, the vast majority of those don't resort to acting like a caged monkey and flinging their feces at the crowd to cover up the very real fact that they had virtually nothing of note to say.



as for McCartney 'playing' every style under the sun, gimme a freaking break. a slightly homogenized twist on another style does not make it a reproduction of that style. 'helter skelter' is about as metal as 'i wanna be your man' is punk. if he actually put out full albums of varying styles then yeah i'd cut him slack, but tossing in an extra track with a twist of another style does not make for legit variety in my book. Beck is a more varied artist.

now for those playing the ability to play multiple instruments card = greatest all around ever then please top this blind guy - Rashaan Roland Kirk

rolandkirk.jpg


there are plenty of clips of him on youtube playing all of those horns at once and not just resulting in a cacophony of sound.

on the other hand, when it comes to the output card Zappa trumps all other modern contemporaries with Aphex Twin being the possible future exception to my ears though he seems to have slowed down significantly over the last few years.
 
Agreed. IMO, none of The solo efforts by The Beatles stood up to what they made together. Not Imagine, not All Things Must Pass, not Band On The Run.
 
I would probably never go so far as to credit Paul McCartney as being the greatest all around musician of all time, But despite me not being a big Beatles fan, I honestly believe that he's one of the greatest songwriters ever. Although it's a pretty unpopular opinion, I love the stuff he did in the 70's with Wings a lot more than his own contributions to The Beatles' material.
 
Prince. Whether you like his music or not, he is one mean guitar player (I wish he would do an outright Rock album) and can play virtually any instrument.

Bowie is much more talented than people think and even David Gilmour too can play a wide array of instruments and not just those with strings. His Sax work is very good.
 
I wouldn't say 90%. He lip synced some of the more elaborate ones to focus on the choreography, but he sung a lot of his material live. From his studio sessions and outakes alone I'd say he had an amazing gift with his voice, so that he lip synced every now and then doesn't bother me either. He was as much a performer and a showman as a musician I suppose.
 
On many levels, I consider John Coltrane to have reached certain levels of musicality that might never be reached again. His overall dynamic style of playing, mixed with his very spiritual and religious nature made him a force to be reckoned with. Notice how in any enserable he plays in, whenever he sparks his first note, he takes control of the entire situation. His playing has become so enigmatic and immediately noticeable. He has a tone like no other jazz musician, and is a household name for good reason. Even in his most self-indulgent, overly-spiritual moments, Coltrane's music contains a sense of humanistic realism to it that makes it immediately relatable. Coltrane's late-period avant-garde music is even representative of the time around him, where he was often persecuted for his race, and even his free approach to music which garnered him hatred from some of his peers. Coltrane's music not only defines a specific period of time right down to the bone, but it also defines the human state of mind, which is an eternal thing that won't ever lose impact.

His ability to play fast is one attribute that makes him a very powerful all-around musician, and his ability to do it fluidly and improvised, using the very influences he had at that one moment, is another. I've never heard another musician so unbelievably skilled at his craft, at his compositions, AND at his expressing what was in his heart.
 
My husband and I got into an argument over whether or not Prince was over-rated. I said no, he said yes. He didn't talk to me for three hours after that. :laughing:

Anyway, Prince would be a good candidate in my book.
 
I'd take Gene Simmons over McCartney, any day of the week. Before you get all bent out of shape, I'm only joking. :laughing: Seriously, I'd take Jimi Hendrix because not only was he the most innovative and influential guitarist in rock, he was a very expressive singer, great writer and arranger, unbelievable performer, could play every instrument in his band, was a studio visionary, and was way effing cooler than Paul.
 
Back
Top