My Top 50 Musical Artists Of All-time [out-of-date]

Submitted by Wezzo on Wed, 04/19/2006 - 05:01
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  1. Never really had a go at one of these lists before, so thought I might as well take a stab. Some of these are bound to rise as I hear more of their work. As is always the case with my music lists, prepare to be.. disappointed. I realise my music taste is a lot more commercial than a lot of you, but I think most of you will like at least a few of these.
  3. R.E.M.
  4. finest moment: The closing moments of "At My Most Beautiful"
  5. They Might Be Giants
  6. finest moment: The witty wordplay of "Birdhouse In Your Soul"
  7. Queen
  8. finest moment: The climax of "Don't Stop Me Now"
  9. U2
  10. finest moment: The moving chorus of "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of"
  11. Bruce Springsteen
  12. finest moment: The powerful, anthemic climax to "Born to Run"
  13. Billy Joel
  14. finest moment: The prominent piano of "Piano Man"
  15. The Beatles
  16. finest moment: The defining Spring relaxation song "Here Comes The Sun"
  17. The Beach Boys
  18. finest moment: The catchy, summery opening to "Wouldn't It Be NIce"
  19. Abba
  20. finest moment: The rousing, moving horus to "Fernando"
  21. Phil Collins
  22. finest moment: The final chorus of "Something Happened On the Way To Heaven"
  23. Electric Light Orchestra
  24. finest moment: The repeated chorus of "Sweet Talkin' Woman"
  25. Oasis
  26. finest moment: The epic instrumental closing to "Whatever"
  27. Michael Jackson
  28. finest moment: The post-bridge section of "Smooth Criminal"
  29. Keane
  30. finest moment: The "slightly off" start to "Can't Stop Now"'s chorus
  31. Bob Dylan
  32. finest moment: "Like A Rolling Stone"'s "How does it feel?"
  33. Elvis Costello
  34. finest moment: The pop gem that transcends genre, "Oliver's Army"
  35. Travis
  36. finest moment: The powerful chorus of "Turn"
  37. Bryan Adams
  38. finest moment: The opening riff to "Summer of '69"
  39. Radiohead
  40. finest moment: The beautifully melancholy "No Surprises"
  41. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  42. finest moment: The last minute of "The Waiting"
  43. Elton John
  44. finest moment: "Sacrifice"'s chorus
  45. The Bee Gees
  46. finest moment: The first chorus of "You Win Again"
  47. Blur
  48. finest moment: "Give me coffee and TV"
  49. Matt Monro
  50. finest moment: The anthemic chorus of "We're Gonna Change The World"
  51. Sha-Na-Na
  52. finest moment: The magic changes of "Those Magic Changes"
  53. Simon & Garfunkel
  54. finest moment: The first verse and buildup of "I Am A Rock"
  55. The Kinks
  56. finest moment: When Terry meets Julie, Waterloo Station, "Waterloo Sunset"
  57. Jeff Buckley
  58. finest moment: The painful-yet-melancholy interpretation of Cohen's "Hallelujah"
  59. Carbon Leaf
  60. finest moment: The jingle-jangle opening to "The Boxer"
  61. Slade
  62. finest moment: "It's CHRISTMAS!!"
  63. James Blunt
  64. finest moment: The beautiful, protracted "High"
  65. The Police
  66. finest moment: The chorus of "Every Breath You Take"
  67. Frank Sinatra
  68. finest moment: The way he wore his hat, the way he sung "They Can't That Away From Me"
  69. Weezer
  70. finest moment: The hip-hip "Island In The Sun"
  71. Geoff Byrd (*)
  72. finest moment: The post-chorus slow-down of "Before Kings"
  73. Jack Johnson
  74. finest moment: The melodic "The Horizon Has Been Defeated"
  75. The Fall (*)
  76. finest moment: The consistently-present "Wings" riff
  77. Val Doonican
  78. finest moment: The '50s-defining "Two Streets"
  79. The Shins (*)
  80. finest moment: The Beach Boys-esque intro to "Girl Inform Me"
  81. Barenaked Ladies (*)
  82. finest moment: The contradictory verses of "Falling for the First Time"
  83. Guided by Voices (*)
  84. finest moment: The teary-eyed, bleary-eyed anthem "Hold on Hope"
  85. David Bowie
  86. finest moment: The mainstream avant-garde of "Life on Mars"
  87. James
  88. finest moment: The repeating light melody of "I Know What I'm Here For"
  89. Eagle-Eye Cherry (*)
  90. finest moment: The final chorus of "Been Here Once Before"
  91. Eagles
  92. finest moment: The ending of "Take It To The Limit"
  93. Cub
  94. finest moment: The jangly-yet-grungy "New York City"
  95. The Beautiful South
  96. finest moment: The Sunday sun shining down on San Francisco bay of "Don't Marry Her"
  97. Nirvana (*)
  98. finest moment: unsure as yet
  99. Neil Young (*)
  100. finest moment: unsure as yet
  101. Van Morrison (*)
  102. finest moment: unsure as yet
Author Comments: 

(*) - likely to rise as I hear more

AfterHours04/19/2006

While I won't pretend to whole-heartedly agree with your picks, I think it's great that you like what you like. Also, it's kinda refreshing to see a band like R.E.M in the top spot. Usually it's the Beatles (which is understandable due to how irresistable they are), but it does become somewhat of a bore to see them in that top spot time and time again.

Thanks Wezzo!

Wezzo04/20/2006

I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to agree with more than maybe 20-25% of these picks - a lot of these artists are too commercial, too 'mediocre', too middle-of-the-road or not critically acclaimed enough for most people's liking. But hey, if I prefer to listen to Abba, Sinatra or James Blunt rather than The Smiths, Can or Joy Division or whatever, tough!

The Beatles are certainly fantastic, but as you said, so many people put them at number one, and personally I'd usually simply rather listen to an R.E.M. album (or a Springsteen album, or whatever) than a Beatles album a lot of the time.

Thanks for the support and comment. :-)

AfterHours04/20/2006

By the way, any luck with Astral Weeks yet?

Wezzo04/21/2006

I ordered a copy just last night for about £4. I should recieve and listen to it sometime next week! I'll let you know how I get on.

AfterHours04/21/2006

Good luck, and don't give up on it. Some do, and they subsequently miss out on what I know as the greatest album of all time. It may seem like a tough cookie on your first few listens, but once you "get it" (usually 5-6 listens) it opens up as a truly miraculous whole.

Wezzo04/22/2006

I'm not one to give up on albums easily, for sure - I listen to new albums at least four or five times in the first week I own them, regardless of first impression, so I'm sure with a little effort I'll be loving Astral Weeks in no time.