Who are the 5 greatest songwriters of all-time?

Demelza wrote:If you think of him as being in his hospital gown (opened back) and slippers.......he doesn't somehow seem so devilish.

Rubbish, the only reason his gown is open up the back is to accommodate his devil's tail.

Poor arsehole OLD sole

Eric Air Emu wrote:Can't see any sign of Bowie and Lou Reed on this thread. They're legendary songwriters.

Right up there with Sting.

I was a massive fan of Bowie as a teenager and still play his early stuff to this day. As good as his music is though I've got my doubts about him being a good songwriter. While pulling random words out of a hat to form his lyrics was certainly unique, it just didn't seem right to me.

Btw, I spent years trying to get my hair like this, without doubt the finest hairstyle the world of music has ever seen.

Chuck D and Flavor Flav
Ice Cube and Dr. Dre

Don't agree with that- at least at his peak in the Ziggy years his songs really told stories and had poetic quality (Five years, Rock 'n Roll suicide, Quicksand, God Knows I'm good, Man who sold the world, Life on Mars just off the top of my head). Never bought into the Berlin/Eno years or really anything after that but up to Diamond Dogs - great musician, outstanding lyricist and general demigod.

Like I said up there with Sting.

Eric Air Emu wrote: Never bought into the Berlin/Eno years or really anything after that but up to Diamond Dogs - great musician, outstanding lyricist and general demigod.

No argument from me Eric, thas a man after my own heart. Anyway, I think you misunderstood me, to be honest I don't care how he wrote his songs I loved everything about them. I just think the way he constructed his lyrics (that's if the documentary I saw is to be believed) was a bit odd, but hey, if he hadn't done it that particular way he might not have been the demi-god you and I think he was.

I'm sure that was a Brian Eno thing the random construction of lyrics. He was such a mental experimenter he was bound to do it at some stage. I just like to think his best lyrics were constructed with a bit more coherency if that's the right word.

PearlJ wrote:Chuck D and Flavor Flav
Ice Cube and Dr. Dre

You snob

Wreckless Eric.

Has anyone mentioned Judge Dread yet?



If you listen to me I'll tell you a yarn
I know a girl who works on a farm
Always asleep by ten o'clock
But at six on the dot she's up with the cock

etc, etc.

Balladry at its best!

What did you make of Bauhaus, Geoffrey?

PeterCS wrote:Wreckless Eric.

LOL ...


Marc Bolan?

eowyn wrote:What did you make of Bauhaus, Geoffrey?

I didn't mind them in small doses, they were just a tad too new romantic/goth for me. I've got an album of there's somewhere but I couldn't tell you what it's called or what's on it. I've got Kick In The Eye, Bella Lugosi's Dead and a Bowie cover version going through my head but that's about as much as I can remember. Which is a disgrace really because the songs I liked, I really did like. I'll google them as soon as I've sent this and spend five minutes going, 'Oh, I like that', 'There's that one as well', 'I loved that', 'How could I forget that one', etc. I hate getting old.

Geoff, I'm really sorry, I only asked you because one of my best friends ever, loves Bowie with a passion and also loved Pete Murphy, Bauhaus's singer, I just wondered if you were her in disguise as a bloke... but you aren't are you?


The cover was Ziggy Stardust.

eowyn wrote:Geoff, I'm really sorry, I only asked you because one of my best friends ever, loves Bowie with a passion and also loved Pete Murphy, Bauhaus's singer, I just wondered if you were her in disguise as a bloke... but you aren't are you?


The cover was Ziggy Stardust.

My mate used to roadie for them. They've just done well again and they're all over America touring, doing festivals as well. They've got a new album around and about. Bauhaus are back.

Oh, I'll apologise now to Bowie for not even raising a mention out of me. The man is supreme.

And I'll concur about Frank Black - so many quality tunes, not just with the Pixies. Or Black Francis.

Is Geoffrey in "I'll say something outrageous because I want to be different" mode? Oh dear.

eowyn wrote:Geoff, I'm really sorry, I only asked you because one of my best friends ever, loves Bowie with a passion and also loved Pete Murphy, Bauhaus's singer, I just wondered if you were her in disguise as a bloke... but you aren't are you?


The cover was Ziggy Stardust.

I met Mrs B in New York...did not know who she was...she was sitting in front of me at a concert....she turned around to look at the audience filing in with a beautiful smile that I cretinously thought was for this old fool... The woman I was accompanying advised me to stop drooling, put my eyes back into the sockets and retract my tongue...got introduced at half time to her and a bowiette...terrific brave woman...had just written a book getting stuck into extremism

That would be Iman, would it, horrie and not Angie?

Iman....you are correct madam...had the odd bodyguaard lurking around as she had received the odd threat from people peeved at her book

She is stunning and intelligent, life isn't far sometimes.....

and she seemed to be a really good person - which is rare..

she asked more questions of me than I of her...of course some of the questions she prolly wanted to ask were- are you ok?...are you lost?...have you got a carer here?...what is it with the drooling and the marty feldman eyes routine?

Can you close that toga?

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Is Geoffrey in "I'll say something outrageous because I want to be different" mode? Oh dear.

What's the difference between what I've said, and...

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Elvis is ridiculously overrated.

At least my opinions are based on life experiences and not something I read in Q magazine.

Geoffrey Trueman wrote:

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Is Geoffrey in "I'll say something outrageous because I want to be different" mode? Oh dear.

What's the difference between what I've said, and...

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Elvis is ridiculously overrated.

At least my opinions are based on life experiences and not something I read in Q magazine.

First of all, I totally agree with you.

Second of all, LLL reckons that The Libertines are one of the greatest bands to have walked the planet. Hence, by default, his opinion is worth shit.