Greatest Rock Composers

We had a list going here before, I thought it was pretty solid. I remember that Zappa was number one, do we have some suggestions?

Brian Wilson, Lennon, McCartney, Harrison (all three deserve it), Wonder, Prince, Page...

Some ideas.

Dave Mustaine for having such an initimable style, and Jeff Hanneman too.

I thought it was bloody ridiculous that Corrections put Frank Zappa number 1 on this list like gospel truth.

I'd have thought Brian Wilson would be the obvious choice for number 1.

Possible. I need to figure out what the criteria were

i think Zappa would take it...

Other than him, some great composers include Jeff Buckley, Johnny Greenwood and Jonsi for some newer guys..

Wilson's #1 from everything I've heard.

Zappa should easily win No. 1. He has the critical acclaim, the influence on rock composition, his use of 32-track recorders 20 years before they were commercially available, the production, the extremely talented musicians, the complexity, the melody, the structure, the improvisational aspect, the orchestral aspect, consistently good repertoire, reputation, and virtually everything else. Plus he was #1 on the old list, and his debut album (Freak Out!) and Pet Sounds both came out about the same time, and both have been extremely influential on the development of rock composition as a whole. Even though Wilson has more initial impact, I just don't really see the case for Wilson when compared to Zappa.

Brian Wilson should be 2nd, followed by probably Mike Oldfield, Pink Floyd, the original King Crimson lineup, Pete Townshend, Jimmy Webb (as a composer, NOT as a musician), Robert John Godfrey, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. The ones after Brian Wilson are in no specific order.


Also should be on the list (I may be wrong, but many of these are extremely good.):

The Beatles (John Lennon/Paul McCartney/George Harrison/Ringo Starr)
Explosions in the Sky
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Talk Talk (Mark Hollis/Tim Friese-Greene)
Yes (Steve Howe/Chris Squire/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford)
Genesis (Peter Gabriel-era)
Daniel Gildenlow
Tim Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Tom Waits
Robert Wyatt
The Residents (Homer Flynn/Hardy W. Fox?)
Phil Spector
Fred Firth (Henry Cow)
Jonny Greenwood
Dream Theater (John Petrucci/John Myung/Jordan Rudess/Mike Portnoy)
Carlos Santana
Deep Purple (Ritchie Blackmore/Jon Lord/Roger Glover/Ian Paice)
Jónsi Birgisson
Sufjan Stevens
The Flaming Lips (Wayne Coyne/Steven Drozd)
Brian Eno
Arcade Fire
Holger Czukay
Symphony X (Michael Romeo/Michael Pinela/Michael Lepond/Jason Rullo)
Nightwish (Tuomas Holopainen)
The Moody Blues (Graeme Edge/Mike Pinder/Justin Hayward/Ray Thomas/John Lodge)
Robert John Godfrey (The Enid, Barclay James Harvest)
Triumvirat (Jurgen Fritz)
Porcupine Tree (Steven Wilson/Richard Barbieri/Colin Edwin/Gavin Harrison)
Queen (Freddie Mercury/Brian May/John Deacon/Roger Taylor)
Magma (Christian Vander)
Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Tobias Sammet (Edguy, Avantasia)
David Sylvian
Roine Stolt
Neal Morse
Bruce Springsteen
Jim Steinman
Brian Ferry
Joseph Byrd (The United States of America, Joe Byrd's Field Hippies)
Muse (Matt Bellamy/Chris Wolstenholme/Dominic Howard)
Jeff Lynne


And should this list include non-performers like Spector, Webb, and Steinman?

How are we defining "composer"? On a simple level, "composer" simply means "writer of the music", as opposed to lyricist meaning "writer of the words". If that's the defintion, then Paul McCartney is number one, no doubt about it. Judging from what people are posting, though, I think we're going for something different. Not saying that's wrong, just looking for a clarification of how we're defining it.

This thread means in terms of instrumental complexity, symphonic elements, musicality, etc. Basically the stuff you'd use when judging classical composers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjwyC_Mm_v4
boom.

Yeah he's incredible, but so is Jon Lord. We're judging solely based on rock compositions, and not rock musicians composing classical pieces. Like this would be an example of a really good rock composition:

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

Beefheart should be up there, surely?

Van Morrison is also a good shout too.

If John, Paul and George don't make top 10 I'm mutinying.

Also add the following metal dudes: Dave Mustaine, Jeff Hanneman, Marty Friedman, Piggy from Voivod. All have an inimitable composing style. Also Tony Iommi of course. These are all musts. So is Elton John. I'd consider adding Leonard Cohen too.

i was JESTing, and i absolutely agree on the link :D

You're getting songwriting and composing confused. Composing, for purposes of this list, absolutely must contain somewhat symphonic elements. Mustaine, Friedman, Hanneman, and Piggy don't really fit into that. Now for metal, I'd say some symphonic or more atmospheric metal artists are good enough for this list, like Nightwish, Epica, Ayreon, Devin Townsend, Kayo Dot, and Symphony X.