Top 25 Artists
 

I spent a few hours throwing this shit together

1. Cat Power Chan Marshall's Cat Power has been the one act consistently able to bring me to tears. Her early songs depicted something I could easily relate to, being a sad drunken mess, in her unmistakable haunting tone. There's really not much to say, it never gets old and it never stops making me tear up.

Rockets http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zAK3wpFuNE

2. Wu-Tang Clan WU TANG WU TANG! Wu-tang Clan is the most solid rap collaborative around. Period. Since Enter the 36 Chambers Wu-tang Clan has been producing more quality hip-hop than anyone else period. Between the group's efforts, the solo projects, and the producing Wu-Tang Clan has something to do with just about all the hip-hop releases I'd put in a top 20 list. next level shit

Triumph http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isumZjs3dKA

3. Modest Mouse Isaac Brock makes me crazy in the best way possible. Literally, every song on the first 4 albums is golden. One of the few bands whose output I can listen to in entirety and never be disappointed. If anyone has a problem with Modest Mouse, fuck off. Seriously. I don't give a shit if you just heard 'float on'. Fuck you.

Gravity Rides Everything http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8crIHgjG1_I

4. Radiohead I don't even know where to start, Radiohead has been a part of me forever. When I first Kid A, I was blown away. Radiohead immediately became the stuff of legend.

Karma Police http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uYWYWPc9HU&ob=av2el

5. Jeff Magnum/Neutral Milk Hotel Jeff Magnum is a God. Yes, I said it. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is the most flawless album ever, in my opinion. Jeff's solo releases are close to being just as flawless. Under produced only because if it was over produced, the shit would make kids drop like flies from excitement. This live version of Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2 is unbelievable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRw9NqvOM9M

6. Elliot Smith Singer-songwriter that doesn't suck, just is sad. so so so sad.

Roman Candle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcK0DsFw-RA

7. at.the.drive-in everybody knows why. because it's fucking atdi

rascuache http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuYFu...eature=related

8. Yellow Swans Yellow Swans create soundscapes with static, scattered beats, distortion, feedback and whatever other means necessary yet, they somehow don't come off as pretentious noise cats. This is not some new age noise band. No, this is it. This is the best the limited edition lathe prints have to offer, my friend. Bring the Neon War Home was a brilliant record, moving emotions of out people who had none. Showing noise kids there's more to life than feedback. There is Yellow Swans.

Foiled http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-BYNx_JZf8

9. The Smiths/Morrissey The Smiths are another one of those bands that did no wrong for me. Morrissey's solo career has been more spotty but it had it's moments of glory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC99KQF2VLo

10. Arab on Radar Psychotic pulsating beats surrounded by grinding guitars that sound more like dental instruments done SO WELL. seriously.

The Vatican is Up to Bat Again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te5-4okYlG0

11. Sonic Youth i wanna be yr doghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BII01gneTU
12. Nirvana the man who sold the world http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fregObNcHC8&ob=av2el
13. Nick Diamonds(Unicorns/Islands) Les Os http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R78zalu07Hc
14. ikonika ikonika's the dubstep queen. sahara michael http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_BfX024doU
15. Animal Collective/Panda Bear the love for them is possibly the result of too many mushrooms and far too much acid in my brain. brother sport http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGQjyGT1-mc
16. John Reis(Drive Like Jehu/Hot Snakes/Rocket from the Crypt) Hot Snakes 3 songs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY3HkiTPWU4
17. mewithoutYou bullet to binary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_uwgRzlrNc
18. The Beatles Revolution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrkwgTBrW78
19. Autechre dropp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWGUnrIiOoI
20. Aphex Twin Windowlicker http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fmo1Sjn7dg
21. Sufjan Stevens Widows and Fatherless http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59BRCOiQVKI
22. Swing Kids San Diego early 90s hardcore/thrashcore WARSAW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG6h0nnV2Ec
23. Beck Devil's Haircut http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa3rBVb3v4g&ob=av2el
24. Xiu Xiu I Luv The Valley OH http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7iEyvvrP6k
25. Sublime Doin' Time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d23f92AMzr8

It´s very very difficult...but here´s situation in this day:
1. Sonic Youth. It´s very hard to say the best artist in the world, but SY has been the biggest passion of me about 4 years, although I have listened it about 20 years. Sy has very personal style, but they have still diversity enough.
2. Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. Maybe the death of captain got me to understand, how important his music has been to me. I just like kind of roots music that is made with personal input.
3. Tom Waits. Very near of Captain. Same arguments.
4. Nick Cave (all of his bands, the most important is Birthday Party). Same arguments.
5. Dr. John. Same arguments
6. Wigwam. the best band in Finland. Very soulful and progressive at the same time.
7. Pink Floyd. I think no-one made same kind of music as they. Floyd helped me to get over the difficult times.
8. the Rolling Stones. I heard them first time when I was six years old. Just a best r´n´r-band still!
9. the Who. Their style is has more diverse as the Stones have, but maybe Stones have little more good records. Also I got interfered when I was very young. Also very own kind of style!
10. PJ harvey. She´s just great, the best female artist in the world, although her sex doesn´t matter to me.

I continue later.

11. Joy Division. It is fascinating, how some band could make so good music from so simple bases (There´s only one chord in Digital and it´s amazing song).
12. the Stooges. They continued farer what the Stones started.
13. the Velvet Underground. The first band, who show you have not to be good musician to make good music.
14. the Ventures. The greatest instrumental band in the world although their records are no good after 1967.
15. King Crimson. Masters of the beautiful and the ugly.
16. John Parish. So genius for his mimimalistic style.
17. the Beatles. They started to make pop music serious.
18. Eddie Cochran. Mucn more than just Rock ´a´billy guy, he had very diverse talents and material.
19. Howlin´Wolf. The beast himself, without him there would not be Captain, Waits etc.
20. John Lee Hooker. Very personal and lovely style to play guitar, very soulful!
21. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (and his other projects). Same arguments as 2,3,4,5.
22. John Coltrane. The most personal Jazz-artist to me, Love Supreme is just great!
23. Mulatu Astatke. The greatest Ethiopian artist, Ethiopian music is something that you can hear in artists that´s from Ethiopia!
24. Sielun Veljet. One of the greatest and nowdays underrated finnish artists.
25. Dead Kennedys. the best hardcore band, very creative band!

oh, I should write a top 10000, cause I love so fucken much..and it's hard to place them as a toplist, but to say 25:
1. The rolling stones - been a fan since so far way back I dont even remember
2. The Who - another of my idol-4life band. simply raw modrock! <3
3. Sonic youth - A band that I found in my teenage years, been listening to em everyday since the first kiss.
4. Joy division - what more can I say? A really good and dark post-rock band!
5. John Zorn - this crazy dude is perfect, cause he has released albums in every single genre almost. So much crazy experimental stuff..
6. The smiths - one of my favourite since-teenage bands, they are the best.
7. The clash - I love punk, but this band is more than just punk....can't describe it.
8. Faith no more - One of the best bands in the world.. I love every album they've made
9. O.L.D. - a crazy and very unknown grind/experimental group that I just love.
10. Miles davis - a genious...nothing more to say.
11. Ornette coleman - this crazy man is also worth mention.. He is the best!
12. Herbie hancock - another crazy jazz/funk guy. I mean, is it even possible to sit still to "rockit"?!
13. Frank zappa - so many albums, so many masterpieces! all hails to that man!
14. Ronnie wood - one of my favourite soloartists ever! and he is aswell the guitarist of my favourite band ;)
15. Rush - Neil peart is a big influence, since Im a drummer..and I love all their music
16. Ulver - a really good experimental/ambient band. I just cant stop relaxing to their music, lovely!
17. Ragnarök - in speaking of calmed down music, this old swedish progband is fantastic.. check em out!
18. Bill laswell - a genious when it comes to writing good music. Love most of his stuff aswell, just pure love.
19. Melvins - this band are the best. some of their albums might be wired/boring, but most stuff is fantastic!
20. Lou Reed - this man is one of my favourite artists ever, that ive been digging for my whole life.
21. Xysma - great band who's change of genres is just brilliant; from gore/death to retrorock!
22. SPK - One of my favourite industrial bands ever! Im also a big fan of their synthalbums, kinda made me more open to that music.
23. Red hot chili peppers - been listening for maybe 10 years, I love all their stuff, especally their early funk stuff. Thumbs up!
24. Warsore - since Im a big fan of grindcore music, this band is fucking brilliant. Aggresive and chaotic noise.
25.Violent femmes - These guys are great. One of my favourite bands of growing up.

I´m very glad and also suprised that Xysma is on your list. I thought it will be a band that nobody remembers... I have only Yeah! in c-cassette, I had also Deluxe, but one friend loaned it and never returned it! It surely was a great band, always been very underrated!

I'll make mine short and to the point. A top ten.

1) Sonic Youth : no comment
2) Shellac : infinite respect for Albini and the way he grew to be such a proficient engineer and performer.
3) Pavement/Malkmus : amazing melodies and guitar lines
4) Sebadoh/Lou Barlow : idem
5) Don Cab / Ian Williams / Damon Che : amazing musicianship
6) Jim O' Rourke + David Grubbs : lovely production skills
7) Pixies / Franck Black : amazing melodies and master in rhythm guitar lines that click instantly.
8) Deerhoof/ Greg Saunier : nice production and very original songwriting.
9) Shannonwright : fierce and moving on guitar AND piano.
10) Bill Callahan : amazingly deep voice and nice coherent catalogue

1. - Sonic Youth
2. - Stooges
3. - Pere Ubu
4. - Throbbing Gristle
5. - Swans
6. - Earth
7. - Skip James
8. - Junior Kimbrough
9. - Black Flag
10. - Butthole Surfers (proto "Pepper")
11. - To Live + Shave in LA
12. - Lee Ranaldo
13. - Arrington De Dionysio
14. - Soundgarden
15. - Melvins
16. - Buddy Guy
17. - Led Zep
18. - Pharoah Sanders
19. - Miles Davis
20. - Jimi H.
21. - RL Burnside
22. - Meat Puppets
23. - J. Coltrane
24. - Charles Mingus
25. - Electric Wizard

ATM, no particular order ('cept for the first three).

[This is the point at which I realise that getting a job is a very necessary thing right now]

No order...

Fushitsusha/ Haino, the Fall, Datblygu, Atari Teenage Riot, Urusei Yatsura, Throbbing Gristle, Hixxy, Dougal & Gammer, Dolly, Hank, Willie, Dave Collet Trio, Toumani Diabaté, Bhundu Boys, TPOK Jazz/ Franco, Oum Kalsoum, Munir Bashir, Rashied Ali, Can, Diamanda Galas, Huun Huur Tu, Sainkho Namcylek, Erasure, Abba, AMM.

Ok, that's nothing like comprehensive, and I've deliberately omitted classical-y things, but it's there now. Regular readers will note that it's very similar to the last time I did one of these.

Edit: Bollocks. Ground Zero should be in there as well. Oh, just walk away from the list Glice...
Edit 2: Also, it's Hank Sr, before anyone asks. Though why anyone would think Hank III or II is beyond me - it's like having a cold, morning after burger when you could have the finest of fine steaks.

All of the ones I know there are sick Glice, which suggests that I should really check out the ones I don't. Never even heard of Datblygu, Hixxy, Sainkho Namcylek, a few others...

1 - 25. John Frusciante

Datblygu - Wales' finest band; arguably Britain's finest band, except the Fall. They are a bit like the Fall, but none the worse for it.

Hixxy - Hardcore producer/ DJ - I prefer him in producer mode, but he's pretty tidy with the decks as well (though has an awful taste in MCs)

Sainkho Namchylek - Tuvan singer, MASSIVE range... she throws out some dirge, but her vocalese stuff is astonishing.

Nefeli - the grass is always greener on the other side, eh? (in this case, the other side meaning Europe...)

1. Sonic Youth
2. Esham (anything R.L.P really)
3. ICP
4. KoRn
5. Unwound
6. Faith No More
7. The Cure
8. Gallhammer
9. Slipknot
10. Deicide
11. Three Six Mafia
12. Cannibal Corpse
13. Avril Lavigne
14. Butthole Surfers
15. G.G. Allin
16. Bardo Pond
17. Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
18. The Swirlies
19. Beach Boys
20. Dayton Family
21. My Bloody Valentine
22. Gravediggaz
23. Fleeting Joys
24. Immortal
25. Gorgoroth

Something like that...

There's like 4752903480935 threads with a similar task.....create a list of yer favorite artist!!!!!!! which means now I feel like I really need one. So I will go home today and try(if I remember) to figure out which bands I need to include and omit.

skip james
leadbelly
robert johnson
jimi henrdix
velvet underground
the doors
black sabbath
Grateful Dead
Frank Zappa
Michael Jackson
Marvin Gaye
Sonic Youth
Crass
Nirvana
Bob Marley
Burning Spear
Earl China Smith
Sly and Robbie
Lee Scratch Perry
sleater kinney
deftones
Ahmed Mouhmed (Ethiopian)
Makaveli/Tupac Shakur
tool
sade

( I am basing all these on a combination of both my own personal tastes/sentiments and also these artists respective contributions to innovation, originality and progression of music as a whole, all of these 25 have a significant and lasting impact)

No nervana? what about all yr threads on them. They didnt make yr 25 haha?

its ok, I threw em out there :)

For sure. They are my top 3, because of "live tonight sold out" and their top of the pops performance. I still remember that influencing me to this day in what I do.

They were the first 'rockstars' to be anti rockstars and basically "rock" has been dead since.

Not the first artists to be anti rockstars, but the first to get that much success and still keep it raw.

They were the white wu tang. As far as Im concerned.


Flannel was their Wu Wear.

:p

Someone does that every generation, surely? Just look at Maiden.

I only say that because one of my new years' resolutions was to use the phrase 'just look at [Iron] Maiden' to win arguments more often.

And win I verily didth.

Just look at Maiden. LOOK.