Most innovative/creative musicians?

[Runesmith]

The way I see it, there are plenty of musicians out there with raw technical skill - but comparitively few who are willing to focus on more creative uses of their instrument(s) or songcraft. I'm interested in hearing about some of your picks, and your reasons for choosing them. Here is a list of my current favorites; however, do keep in mind that this is not meant to be a "Best Drummer" or "Best Guitarist" thread, so know that several of the musicians I list have little in the way of orthodox 'music talent'.

Phil Collins (Genesis): Although a technically skilled percussionist, Phil was a pioneer in the use of electronic and synthesized percussion instruments on many of Genesis' mid-period (and some early and later) albums. I can't think of many other drummers out there with the ability to make a synthesized drum kit sound so powerful.
Stewart Copeland (The Police): Another technically skilled drummer. His drumming style makes use of a lot of subtle fills, and he helps bridge the gap between reggae and rock beats. One of the few drummers out there with an instantly recognizable style.
Daniel Ash (Bauhaus): A "textural" guitarist. The creepy sounds he is able to make with a single guitar (check out "Bela Lugosi's Dead", for a basic primer) blow my mind.
Johnny Ramone (The Ramones): He originated the "buzzsaw" downstroke technique and the whole three-chord punk rock thing. Despite how easy it sounds, no one has ever been able to perfectly emulate his spirit.
Belinda Butcher and Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine): Never have two guitarists been able to make utter noise sound so melodic and bubblegumm-y. Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins must have been heavily influenced by MBV's sludgy guitar sound.
Frank Zappa (His solo work and with The Mothers of Invention): I don't think I really need to justify this one. ;)
Peter Hook (Joy Division): Anyone who plays 'lead bass' can't be all that bad - just look at John Entwistle and Paul McCartney. His basslines are very simple to play, but they sound so ominous and so well-written that it makes him seem like a more technically skilled musician than he actually was. I don't even think he knew how to tune a bass.
Kurt Cobain (Nirvana): Love him or hate him, Kurt's songwriting ability (in terms of both lyrics, hooks, and the sheer power and emotion he was able to put into a single note) elevate him beyond your average rocker.
Brian Jones (The Rolling Stones): Alongside the Beatles and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden fame, one of the few guitarists to effectively utilize the sitar in a rock song via "Paint it, Black".
Daft Punk: Probably one of the few techno/electronica groups out there with actual songwriting chops. Their production abilities and encouraging use of an array of different instruments (that Supertramp-esque piano in "Digital Love", for example) are top-notch, and I'm a big fan of their music videos and "Interstella 5555".
Robert Smith (The Cure): Another amazing textural guitarist. His singing and songwriting abilities certainly help, as well.
Mick Ronson (Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie) and Greg Ginn (Black Flag): I envy their guitar tones.
David Gahan and Martin Gore (Depeche Mode): I've been a shameless DM fanboy since I first gave Violator a spin a few years back. The chemistry between their two singers makes for one of the greatest duos in rock (yes, DM is rock), and Martin's songwriting chops don't fail, either. Kudos on their effective combination of 'real' instruments and synthesizes on DM's later work, and the creative use of lead and rhythm keyboard lines in their earliest material.
Cliff Burton (Metallica): One of the few bassists out there who could effectively utilize the wah-wah without sounding like utter crap. It's a shame Metallica didn't give him a chance to really let his skills shine before he passed on.
James Jamerson: He played bass on a lot of Motown recordings from the good ole' days of real R&B. His distinctive playing is especially evident on Marvin ***e's "What's Going On". It is worth mentioning that Geddy Lee considers James Jamerson to be his single biggest influence.
Lemmy (Motorhead; add in the heavy metal umlaut over the second 'o') His distinctive bass tone puts him closer to the traditional rhythm guitarist than an actual bassist - and it works.
Peter Frampton: Two words: talk box.
John Linnell and John Flansburgh (They Might Be Giants): You can't really get any more creative than TMBG.
Prince: Another one I don't think I really have to justify. He can play anything but the kitchen sink.

There are many, many more musicians I'd like to add, but I think I already hit the over-indulgence quota a while back.

[TrunkMonkey]

Trent Reznor
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c212/HKSPWR/trent259.jpg

[Runesmith]

Gwah. Can't believe I forgot about Trent. He's a highly talented multi-instrumentalist.

[vavasovy]

Bucktehead.

[voodoo idol]

You forgot about Frank Zappa and the combination of Gibby Haynes & Paul Leary, not to mention Danny Elfman.

Also:

Phil Lynott

[samunden]

Wrest (Leviathan/Lurker of Chalice) is definitely pushing the boundaries of black metal and helping keep that genre (USBM) alive and relevant.

[battle_axe_of_doom]

^ ur cool if you listen to lurker of chalice

[osirisbunnyfoofoo]

Wayne Coyne? I've never heard more creative and great synth, as weird as that sounds, than in the Flaming Lips.

[Julio_No_Mas]

Jimmy Page, all of his riffs sound like sex. Peter Frampton, just like you said, and Eddie Van Halen, his tapping is perfect.

[RevenGer]

Belinda Butcher and Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine): Never have two guitarists been able to make utter noise sound so melodic and bubblegumm-y. Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins must have been heavily influenced by MBV's sludgy guitar sound.
Peter Hook (Joy Division): Anyone who plays 'lead bass' can't be all that bad - just look at John Entwistle and Paul McCartney. His basslines are very simple to play, but they sound so ominous and so well-written that it makes him seem like a more technically skilled musician than he actually was. I don't even think he knew how to tune a bass.


*thumbs up*

Overall, your list is pretty damned good. I'd only like to add Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead), Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth)

[voodoo idol]

*thumbs up*

Overall, your list is pretty damned good. I'd only like to add Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead), Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth)


I would agree on Thurston Moore - if he hadn't stolen most of his style from Gregg Ginn.

[the_finn]

David Byrne (sp?) of Talking Heads
Brian Eno - tho not really out there in the public's view, he's been behind the scenes in alot of great albums, such as U2's Joshua Tree and some others that i can't name off the topic of my head at this moment.
David Bowie - the guy, as mentioned in the RB game itself, is quite the chameleon, and is one of those musicians who's been around for quite a while --in a good way (and i'll note here that Bowie and Reznor respect eachother quite a bit-- infact Bowie's latest videos have an obvious Reznor style to them).
Paul Simon

[Runesmith]

Good responses so far! Including some of the musicians you guys have mentioned in your post, I've decided to compile an extended list:

Jimmy Page: As mentioned by the poster who brought him up, Jimmy's solos (especially live) /are/ better than sex. Extra points for his effective use of the violin bow as a pick.
Eddie Van Halen: Although I'm not a huge Van Halen fan, Eddie definently deserves a spot up here for his perfection of the two hand-tapping technique.
Paul Simon: Damn. Thanks for bringing Mr. Simon up! I forgot all about him. One of the few musicians (next to maybe David Byrne) who was able to successfully mix world music with rock.
David Bryne: For his utterly unique voice, his songwriting, and for being a huge influence on the alternative genre.
Gibby Haynes (of the Butthole Surfers): I'll have to look up the songs he did with Timothy Leary, but from what I've heard from the Buttholes, he definently deserves a spot on this list.
Bjork: Granted, I know a lot of people find her voice grating, but I find it oddly powerful. She made some excellent material back in her Sugarcubes days.
Trent Reznor: For his songwriting and multi-instrumental skill.
Johnny Thunders (of the New York Dolls): He definently deserves a spot amongst Greg Ginn, Belinda Butcher, and Kevin Shields as one of the greatest "noise" guitarists.
Devo (Mark Mothersbaugh in particular): Eh. I'm a shameless Devo fanboy, so I feel compelled to include them on this list. One can't forget the contributions they made to advancing the music video into an artform back in the 80s! It's just a shame how quickly the art of making music vids degenerated, however.
Oingo Boingo/Danny Elfman: For the same reasons I included David Byrne on the list.
David Bowie (especially his Ziggy Stardust and Thin White Duke days): I can't believe I forgot to put him on the first incarnation of the list. He has reinvented himself so many times without ever missing a step.
Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead), Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth): Textural guitarists are always a welcome change from the musicians who seem to think nonsensical guitar wankery constitutes good songwriting. And, while Thurston's style does bear some similarities to Greg Ginn's (primarily in the 'noise' aspect), Moore was usually a little more restrained and tended to use different tunings than Greg did. Both are excellent musicians, however.
Brian Eno: Love his work with Roxy Music, although he had the opportunity the flex his creativity more with his solo projects. He is an excellent producer, too - if I recall correctly, he produced some of the Talking Heads' albums.
East Bay Ray (of the Dead Kennedys) Punk rock's very own version of Dick Dale.
Pop Will Eat Itself: New Wave/Industrial/Hip-Hop? Sign me up! One of the few hip-hop groups out there who could sample something without ever sounding like they are stealing another person's music. Their sampling quality was top notch.

[polishdog90]

Jim Morrison: His lyrics were amazing poetry, and his vocal style was very unique.

Chuck Berry: He helped create Rock N' Roll. Thats pretty innovative.

Jimi Hendrix: He reinvented how to play the electric guitar.

Slash: He brought blues roots into arena rock/metal.

Alice Cooper: He invented shock rock and had major impact on stage shows.

Eric Clapton: He has been in many bands and they were all successful. He has created many great diverse songs.

B.B. King: He has been playing great blues since the 1940s

The Beatles: They invented the pop rock band

Pink Floyd: Progressive rock. They were so creative its hard not to think of them.

[Runesmith]

Jim Morrison: His lyrics were amazing poetry, and his vocal style was very unique.

Chuck Berry: He helped create Rock N' Roll. Thats pretty innovative.

Jimi Hendrix: He reinvented how to play the electric guitar.

Slash: He brought blues roots into arena rock/metal.

Alice Cooper: He invented shock rock and had major impact on stage shows.

Eric Clapton: He has been in many bands and they were all successful. He has created many great diverse songs.

B.B. King: He has been playing great blues since the 1940s

The Beatles: They invented the pop rock band

Pink Floyd: Progressive rock. They were so creative its hard not to think of them.

I agree with you completely for everybody on your list (especially Alice Cooper!), with the exception of Slash. He's a talented guitarist, but he didn't really do anything "new", per se - blues had long been a part of arena rock/metal since the 70s, and as far as I know Slash didn't write any of the lyrics in GnR. Correct me if I'm wrong, though. :) I'd like to add in a few more musicians that I forgot about to my ever-growing list, as well:

Ray Manzarek (The Doors): Jim Morrison might have been the Doors' frontman, but Ray filled out the bottom of their sound when they didn't have a bassist for the majority of their career. His organ and keyboard lines are legendary; he's one of the few keyboardists who can craft a solo that genuinely adds something special to the song. Bonus points for being an excellent producer and working with Echo and the Bunnymen.
Chris Squire (Yes): I always felt bad for Chris when he wasn't allowed to just go crazy on his bass in many of Yes' songs. He's a "lead bass" player of the finest caliber, especially during live performances.
The Residents: The theory of obscurity for the win!
John Paul Jones (Led Zep): Another excellent "lead bass" player. Although Led Zeppelin didn't really give him much of a chance to showcase his skills (considering he's standing next to Bonham and Page), listen to the "The Lemon Song" from Led Zep II and tell me he isn't at least as good as Jimmy Page when it comes to improvising.
Matt Freeman (Operation Ivy and Rancid): He pioneered the use of the bass guitar in punk rock.

More to come in the future!

[Chr1sK]

Robert Johnson... noted for developing the 12-bar standard that became rock n' roll... Page, Richards, Clapton would not be where they are without his blueprint in my opinion.:D

[FLYmeatwad]

Jim Morrison: His lyrics were amazing poetry, and his vocal style was very unique.

Chuck Berry: He helped create Rock N' Roll. Thats pretty innovative.

Jimi Hendrix: He reinvented how to play the electric guitar.

Slash: He brought blues roots into arena rock/metal.

Alice Cooper: He invented shock rock and had major impact on stage shows.

Eric Clapton: He has been in many bands and they were all successful. He has created many great diverse songs.

B.B. King: He has been playing great blues since the 1940s

The Beatles: They invented the pop rock band

Pink Floyd: Progressive rock. They were so creative its hard not to think of them.

I agree with most of the list and like the inclusion of Cooper, though as was stated before, Slash wasn't all that great and Eric Crapton, c'mon. Regardless, I am disappointed that not one mention of Bob Dylan has been made in this thread yet. Sure he's not the most experimental guitarist, but his lyrics are second to none and while not as radical as Bowie, his ability to change his sound was incredible. Plus Bob Dylan is the 60's.

[Runesmith]

I agree with most of the list and like the inclusion of Cooper, though as was stated before, Slash wasn't all that great and Eric Crapton, c'mon. Regardless, I am disappointed that not one mention of Bob Dylan has been made in this thread yet. Sure he's not the most experimental guitarist, but his lyrics are second to none and while not as radical as Bowie, his ability to change his sound was incredible. Plus Bob Dylan is the 60's.

Yeah. Eric Clapton was on the edge of exclusion/inclusion on my list; although he is a technically skilled guitarist, he didn't really do much in the way of experimentation. He just played really solid blues-rock.

On the other hand, I am quite embarassed that I didn't include Bob Dylan on my list. I'm admittedly not all too familiar with his music beyond his more popular albums (Sorry!), but his lyrics are beautiful and his voice is highly unique. By traditional standards, Bob Dylan would have been considered a "terrible" singer, but he somehow managed to make it all work. On a side note, they recently made a film about Dylan's various different personas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Not_There Looks like a really interesting concept for a movie, and it has a solid ensemble cast.

[polishdog90]

I agree with you completely for everybody on your list (especially Alice Cooper!), with the exception of Slash. He's a talented guitarist, but he didn't really do anything "new", per se - blues had long been a part of arena rock/metal since the 70s, and as far as I know Slash didn't write any of the lyrics in GnR.

Well I was saying Slash brought Blues to Hair metal basically. Most of hair metal was filled with mediocre guitar playing and it was usually a lot of tapping and not so much blues, but when Slash brought his blues roots into hair metal I think it really set Guns N Roses apart from the other bands of the 80s. Also I think that Slash was very creative with his melodies.

[polishdog90]

Yeah. Eric Clapton was on the edge of exclusion/inclusion on my list; although he is a technically skilled guitarist, he didn't really do much in the way of experimentation. He just played really solid blues-rock.

I disagree with this. Eric Clapton has been very innovative and creative. His music has varied from Blues, Blues Rock, Pop, Psychedelic, and even some reggae. Not only has he played all of these styles of music, but he also wrote good songs. Not many musicians can write great songs in many different genres of music.

[Parodygm]

Very pleased to see Kevin Shields, Brian Eno, Frank Zappa and David Byrne on the list.

How about:

Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins) - Guthrie practically invented the swirling guitars and production style that went on to fuel My Bloody Valentine and the ensuing shoegazer/dreampop bands. Fraser's unique delivery made singing nonsense into an artform.

I'd be tempted to add a couple of other Eno collaborators if we're talking about innovation, eg. Robert Fripp, Harold Budd and Jon Hassell for guitar, piano and trumpet especially.

[FLYmeatwad]

Yeah. Eric Clapton was on the edge of exclusion/inclusion on my list; although he is a technically skilled guitarist, he didn't really do much in the way of experimentation. He just played really solid blues-rock.

On the other hand, I am quite embarassed that I didn't include Bob Dylan on my list. I'm admittedly not all too familiar with his music beyond his more popular albums (Sorry!), but his lyrics are beautiful and his voice is highly unique. By traditional standards, Bob Dylan would have been considered a "terrible" singer, but he somehow managed to make it all work. On a side note, they recently made a film about Dylan's various different personas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Not_There Looks like a really interesting concept for a movie, and it has a solid ensemble cast.

Yeah man, I'm Not There, it was a Hell of a movie. It came out around Thanksgiving. Luckily one of my local theaters got it on opening day, plus it helped the Limited opening consisted of more than just LA and NY. Usually if Philly gets it the South Jersey theater branch picks it up in a few weeks, but we got it same day as Philly. Actually, it opened the day after Rock Band came out because I remember we had a warm up party at my house. It's a really great movie, especially for hard core Dylan fans, though I think if you go into it with an open mind and understand the movie does not follow what is typically spoon fed to audiences, anyone can enjoy it. Plus it's a visually beautiful film and the acting is top notch.

EDIT: Either way, it puts that 'Across the Universe' piece of crap to shame.

[Mikey]

Jimi Hendrix...
nuff said

[osirisbunnyfoofoo]

Once again...Wayne Coyne?

[cuBERT]

No love for Serj?

[Tdk_Samurai]

I'm glad Kurt kobain wasn't forgotten as he never should be, if you really like really deep lyrics and such like kurt wrote, you should listen to circa survive and old saosin songs, Anthony green is like the next best theing to kurt

And I'm not sure if you can say Serj without mentioning all of Soad, IMO, they are all musical geniuses, I personally thing serj going solo or whatever is bad for music, because now we don't get to experience more amzing art from soad, unless he isn't leaving them for good, I'm not entirely sure whats happening there.

[cuBERT]

They are all working on solo projects.Daron and shavo are working on scars on broadway, Serj was working on his solo album, and John sarted an online comic book store.They are getting back together in 2009 2010.

[Tdk_Samurai]

Can't even imagine what thats gonna be like

[cuBERT]

What?About what?

[gablemancer]

Well I'm really glad this list isn't just "rock!"

Miles Davis - Probably topping my list, this man might as well have invented the word innovation in a musical sense. He started with Bebop and then went on to innovate several other (if not create) styles of jazz. These are Jazz Fusion, Cool Jazz, and Modal Jazz.

Ornette Coleman - The man basically came up with Free Jazz himself, and free jazz is some of the most musically complex music around.

Charlie Christian - One of the first pioneers of the electric guitar.

The Grateful Dead(All of the them) - While they were not the first psychedelic band, they may as well be the most important. They pioneered the field for jam bands that are still trying to imitate them, and started a hardcore cult following, which is still acnoldeged by pop culture today.

Woody Guthrie - Everything Bob Dylan ever did was to try and live up to his hero, Woody Guthrie.

The Beatles - Uhh... do I even have to begin?

Big Star - Despite the fact that they're extremely obscure to this day. This 70s Power Pop Band influenced many musicians and bands after they broke up. REM, Elliott Smith, Wilco, and the Replacements all were extremely influenced by Big Star's unique brand of Power Pop.

David Bowie - Where the hell isn't his influence? As a musical and a stage act Bowie is one of the most influential musicians of our time. Hell, even Marilyn Manson is in love with him.

These are only but a few of the bands and musicians that I find to be extremely influencial to other bands and my own musical tastes. If you ever want to find some new innovative sounds though, it's hard to miss with Jazz, almost always innovative, and always awesome.

[Jacobs_Ladder]

Dunno if it been mentioned yet, but Lou Reed and John Cale need to be. Come on, they were the first musicians ever labeled "heavy metal".

And yes, I agee with the person above me, Bowie is king.

[ObiwanMcCartney]

Greatest Bassist - Paul McCartney
Greatest Experimental Guitarist - Adrian Belew
Greatest Drummer - Buddy Rich
Greatest Slide Guitarist - George Harrison
Greatest Sitarist - Ravi Shankar
Greatest Lead Guitarist - Jimmy Page
Greatest Keyboardist - Tony Banks

Great One-man-bands - Paul McCartney, Adrian Belew, Lenny Kravitz, Prince, Trent Reznor

Of course there are other top-tier musicians for every category, but those are the ones I'd vote for as top ranked.

[Jacobs_Ladder]

John>Paul.... Had to be said :P

And I love Belew. As for the slde guitarist comment, I feel Robert Randolph (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFwqtdEgphY) is better.

[brandion77]

Obscure brilliance:

Ween
Lindsey Buckingham

[ObiwanMcCartney]

Obscure brilliance:

Ween
Lindsey Buckingham

I love Buckingham's style, totally awesome. Another example of why it's so hard to single out great guitarists. Page, Young, Belew, Clapton, Beck, Buckingham, Fripp, Howe, Campbell, Harrison, and on and on and on.

[wlorcb]

None of what we have would have been possible in the form we know it without:


Les Paul:)

[carnage84]

Most inovative guitarist has to be Jimi Hendrix. He simply cannot be tabbed. In recording he tried over and over to find the unique sound that he wanted. He never tuned his guitar and still could shred. Overall a very talented man, till he died of drug abuse...

[dangreen559]

Omar Rodríguez-López, guitarist in At The Drive-In, De Facto, The Mars Volta, collaborations with John Frusciante and Damo Suzuki, plus solo stuff.

He's very creative, very innovative, and very unorthodox in his style.

[TheBEAST205]

Greatest Bassist - Paul McCartney
Greatest Experimental Guitarist - Adrian Belew
Greatest Drummer - Buddy Rich
Greatest Slide Guitarist - George Harrison
Greatest Sitarist - Ravi Shankar
Greatest Lead Guitarist - Jimmy Page
Greatest Keyboardist - Tony Banks

Great One-man-bands - Paul McCartney, Adrian Belew, Lenny Kravitz, Prince, Trent Reznor

Of course there are other top-tier musicians for every category, but those are the ones I'd vote for as top ranked.

Belew is awesome, King Crimson itself is innovative as hell.

For some one currently engaged in music, I'd like to say Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. The guy has over 500 pedals and amp simulators, how can he not be innovative. He puts a really crazy twist on seemingly normal rock riffs with some awesome effects, he really stretches the noises an electric guitar can make to the limit. Plus, he's one of the few guitarists in the world that actually use tri-tones.

[viru30]

Dave Mustaine.

Created the "Spider Riff" which was then to be used by many other aspiring metal artists.

[griffinmills]

Props for the Original Posters TMBG love.

[MetallicaFrenzy]

heres a link for cliff burtons work on this song i think its all cliff :P. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iOmo0ZuyNk