NFT: Name who you think are the best songwriters of the R& R era?

Beatles
Stones
Led Zep
Kinks

I think it's impossible to do this without top 5 categories like:

1. Singer-songwriters (not bands)
2. North American bands
3. England-based bands

In 1., I'd have Dylan, Joni, Carol King, Paul Simon - and I'd have to think about the fifth.

In 2., I'd have the Dead, Steely Dan, the Band, Creedence Clearwater - and I'd have to think about the fifth.

In 3., I'd have the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Led Zep and the Police.

I agree about songwriters today, unfortunately!

Wow, talk about mind freeze. They'd definitely be in the top 3 for me (along with Dylan and Simon...those others fall just short of those heights, imo, though it's close).

F*ing Townshend

belong - also Phil Spector in spite of depravity.

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John Fogerty, John Prine Garcia/Hunter Donald Fagen

deserves mention as a songwriter who didn't actually perform much.

And of course, Leonard Cohen.

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guys with a ton of output off the top of my head: Springsteen, Lennon, McCartney, Billy Joel, Bono, Eddie Vedder, Prince, Henley/Frey, Garcia/Hunter...

.

Unless you mean just rock and roll songwriters.

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also Jerry Garcia.

the Beatles had Lennon, McCartney and Harrison
the Stones had Keith, Mick, et al.
Zep "borrowed" from a lot of old blues songs and for their originals had Plant, Page, et al.
Floyd had Waters, Gilmour and collaboration with the others

The Who got a few songs from Entwistle, but 90% + of the songs came from Pete.

I like all of the above, but Pete Townshend carried the songwriting of a super group like none of the others.

Neil Young

Willie Nelson was pretty damned proficient.

Lots of other greats mentioned.

waits

Van Morrison

but:

Smokey Robinson

Holland Dozier Holland

Stevie Wonder

Ray Charles

Issac Hayes

Curtis Mayfield

In comment 13533384 Bill2 said:

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but: Smokey Robinson Holland Dozier Holland Stevie Wonder Ray Charles Issac Hayes Curtis Mayfield

Yup, Bill. And Marvin Gaye too.

In comment 13533378 tommy boy said:

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waits

+1

In comment 13533378 tommy boy said:

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waits

Can't believe it took til post 20

Carol King and Gerry Goffin wrote many solid rock and roll songs together, and Carol King wrote some great ones after they split up. They rate number one in my book.

I'd also go with Brian Wilson.

And I really like some of the material that Jackie deShannon wrote.

They aren't rock and roll, but Chuck Cochran and Harland Howard wrote some awesome material, some of which did cross over to the Top 40 charts.

and maybe expand from R&R to other forms:

Jeff Tweedy
Beck
Morrissey
Mick Jones/Joe Strummer (not exactly modern)
Win Butler (Arcade fire)
Neal Pert (not exactly modern)
Rivers Cuomo (peaked early, but some good stuff)

Jamie Robbie Robertson

for me

How about Van Morrison? Many hits over the years of course. Writes great horn section charts. Wrote and performed Astral Weeks which some people claim as one of the greatest albums of the era.

add Frank Black/Black Francis and Frank Zappa.

In comment 13533413 TJ said:

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How about Van Morrison? Many hits over the years of course. Writes great horn section charts. Wrote and performed Astral Weeks which some people claim as one of the greatest albums of the era.

John Prine = my wife's musical obsession.

Did you know...he's worth $310M????

Dylan
Dylan
Bruce
Steinman
Dylan

In comment 13533417 feelflows said:

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In comment 13533413 TJ said: Quote: How about Van Morrison? Many hits over the years of course. Writes great horn section charts. Wrote and performed Astral Weeks which some people claim as one of the greatest albums of the era. John Prine = my wife's musical obsession. Did you know...he's worth $310M????

Holy shit I had no idea. Not bad for a singing mailman

In comment 13533348 Ira said:

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belong - also Phil Spector in spite of depravity.

Great thing about Brian Wilson is that there is a whole crapload of songs he's written that nobody hears?

Everyone stops at "Pet Sounds".. but there are some GREAT Beach Boys albums that are hardly listened to:

Friends
20/20
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Love You

and of course Smile

He evolves into a more serious songwriter, and it's tremendous stuff.

John Hiatt
Robert Earl Keen
Steve Earle
Steve Goodman

In comment 13533429 TJ said:

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In comment 13533417 feelflows said: Quote: In comment 13533413 TJ said: Quote: How about Van Morrison? Many hits over the years of course. Writes great horn section charts. Wrote and performed Astral Weeks which some people claim as one of the greatest albums of the era. John Prine = my wife's musical obsession. Did you know...he's worth $310M???? Holy shit I had no idea. Not bad for a singing mailman

yep.. songwriting, touring and owning his own label.

personally, he bores the crap outta me. BUT.. my wife loves his music, so he's OK in my book.

Mark Sandman of Morphine, an overlooked genius

a wife could have than John Prine.

I have the opposite problem. It's hard for me to listen to Prine if my wife is around. Too many lyrics like "raped by Dobbin's dog.. pinned up against a log", for my wife's tastes.

Graham Parker.

I liked Morphine's sound. Too bad Sandman is long gone.

In comment 13533456 Beezer said:

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Graham Parker.

Love both of those references. Graham Parker- the Phil Simms of Rock and Roll.

In comment 13533356 Ira said:

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lol Enya

Dylan
Beatles
velvet underground
the band

In comment 13533406 pjcas18 said:

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and maybe expand from R&R to other forms: Jeff Tweedy Beck Morrissey Mick Jones/Joe Strummer (not exactly modern) Win Butler (Arcade fire) Neal Pert (not exactly modern) Rivers Cuomo (peaked early, but some good stuff)

Good call on Tweedy. Yorke and Radiohead.

In comment 13533447 Greg from LI said:

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Mark Sandman of Morphine, an overlooked genius

A great band with maybe the wierdest instrumentation I can think of. Percussion, Bari Sax, and some kind of custom made guitar/bass thing that Sandman played. Never got to see them play Sandman died less than a year after I discovered them.

As I think was Tom Petty. Probably not top 5, but when guys are that good, it's just nitpicking.

OP's list was very good, though you have to include McCartney and just based on output, I'd include Neil Young. Sorry to both Taylor and Mitchell.

My list ends up without People like Leonard Cohen which obviously is malfeasance. Couldn't consider guys like Bert Bacharach, Elton John, Holland/Dozier and to a lesser extent Carol King because theoretically they only contributed 50% or so to the songs they created.

Jason Isbell is a younger guy who I think may end up with quite a catalog as is John Mayer.

James McMurtry is a relative unknown, but a brilliant lyricist who can write a song as good as anybody.

My own brother writes quality songs. 250 or so to date. Signed to Columbia back in '72 with Springsteen, JP suffered from mental illness and never made it as a touring pro or a business man. Fortunately, since the advent of DAWs in the 90's he's been able to work and document much of his creation on indie-produced no budget records. Here's the title track from his most recent, released just last summer.


Touch - ( New Window )

Two string bass, one string bass, "basitar"....he was one of a kind, and his songs are amazing.

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The Doors (Jim Morrison)
Jimi Hendrix
Zepp
Queen
GNR

is one of my favorites. I find The Clash to always be underrated.