Best Songwriters of all time?

Originally posted by Paul John
Lennon and Mcartney are the greatest song writers of all time . Any people that can create Sergeant Pepper and Revolver and Abbey Road and...

Surley you jest...

I am kind of a Lennon fan bet as far as Mcartnay goes he's over ratted end lives of the fame of the Beatles.
He's got tallent (but it isn't song writing!

He does live off the beatles now but when he was a beatle he was great .

Jimmy Page
Mike Mushok
Chris Cornell
Eddie Vedder
Jerry Cantrell
Tom Morello

hello... i'm a newbie here, and joined cause this thread interested me... and i'm all about Beck, Clapton, Hetfield/Hammett, Vai... and the others

But there is someone that i think is one of few artists that writes with thought and emotions, and pretty creative with the sounds he writes...which is extremely rare during these times...

But how about Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls... You could actually follow him mature through the albums... The lyrics could be similar to your life, past or present...(well, to my life at least)... And the sound is unique in it's own, not like all the others these days that add depth by, for example, throwing in Turn Tables... The tunings are just amazing i think... between the drones of the open strings and overtones... it adds a lot of tone to it... but, it's a pain to play them as they are recorded since you'd have to tune your guitar almost after each song, and replace the strings that break along the way...i'll admit that...

i.e.
Here is Gone: C# G# C# G# C# F
Big Machine: D# A# A# D (with the D and high E strings hacked off)
Sympathy: C# G# C# F# C# F# (capo on 2nd fret)
Slide: D# A# D# G# D# D#
Black Balloon: Db Ab Db Ab Db Db
Iris: B D(down) D D(down) D(up) D(down)
Name: D A E A E E

just to name a few...

I don't like the Goo Goo Dolls that much, and just wondering what does your name, cash money, mean? u a rap fan?

Actually, cash money is my nick from High School... I was a good three point shooter back in the day... and people used to say i was money, then my one friend called my "cash money", as it matches my initials... and the name stuck... no association to the rap group...

As far as rap goes... i don't like alot of it, but some of it has a decent beat... and here's my theory on music...

A good Rap/R$B song could make you move... But only a good Rock song could truly move you...

I don't much like rap but I did like Run DMC back in the day. I also like Anthrax's I'm The Man (wich I got when it first came out...Actually my partents got me that album on christmas). I would say Anthrax was one of the first groups to combine metal and rap.

Anyone remember when Anthrax made a guest appearance on Married With Children? It was awsome! Pluss Al Bundy is my hero! lol :-p

hahaha... wasn't that the episode with peg's "mystery pack" or somthing and after they ate it they started to play???

Also, the other song they did with Public Enemy... Bring the Noise... is a cool song...

on a side note, I think i'm the only Goo Goo Dolls fan in the world...hahaha...

Hehehe. Yup, that was the episode :-)

They should put it on DVD like they did with the sopranos.

Thanks everybody for the insightful discussion over the summer about who is the greatest guitar-pickin' songwriter of all time.

And now the envelope please . . . .

The "Greatest Songwriter of all time" Award goes to . . . . (drumroll) . . . . .

Mr. BOB DYLAN!

Come on up here Bob!

Bob (wobbling a bit as he speaks, softly at first but gaining momentum as he goes until he ends with a thundering crescendo):

"Leave your stepping stones behind, they will not follow you,
Forget the dead you left behind, they will not follow you.
The vagabond who is knocking at your door,
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore.
Light another match, go on and start anew,
And it's all over now, Baby Blue."

Hendrix was a good writter. Little wing, Castles Made of Sand come to mind.

But if you are talking about rock music.... Lennon and McCartney are the bomb. Much like Hendrix opened new doors on guitar playing , Lennon and McCartney opened the door on rock music being more that just another "I lost my girl and it sucks" pop song. Their use of modes in rock was also a big step. Everything after them is dirivitve, including Hendrix.

Fagen/Becker............although I just read Donald Fagen is actually suing his now deceased collaborator's estate!!!??? Bad!!! Jim C.

Bob Dylan is a hero of mine!

Anyone heard of Marty Robbins? That's the music I am trying to learn. Hopefully they add some of his songs on here.

Cant argue about Neil or Dylan but my nominee is John Fogerty.

Don't they have computers to song write now?!

My favorite is Lisa McCormick (Guitartricks.com)

LENNON/McCARTNEY...... From a playing perspective, not the best.(although they're up there)..but for pure sogngwriting, they blow everyone away.....IMO

Great topic.

I think songwriting is the key. For example I love both Beatles and Led Zeppelin. I think Zep had better players but Beatles better songwriting and in the end that wins for me hands down.

It is like listening to BB King play those 5 notes in the BB Box and turning them into something magical without ever having to shred.

Most of the great songwriters have been listed. Dylan, Lennon, Simon. More recent guitarists maybe Mayer, Jack Johnson