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greatest uk songsmiths of the 90s

6 votes
?
by Jamie_Summers

songsmiths is a good word. top 10 please.

those who've written the most memorable/touching/truthful/funniest.
no slackers who can put a chorus together thats catchy but the songs dont mean a thing to anyone really pls.

i say

luke haines
darren hayman
jarvis cocker
stuart staples
pj harvey
morrissey
gruff rhys
stuart murdoch
aidan moffatt

and lastly i'll go albarn/anderson/yorke, but only for certain parts of their careers. YOU DECIDE.

Jamie_Summers | 18 Apr '08, 10:15 | Send note | Report this | Reply

songsmiths must have

been invented because the smiths are so good. what is the female equivalent eh?


You've missed Nick Cave you fucking muppet!

Ahem.

Have you considered Nick Cave? He's really rather good. Rest of the list is about right though.


Haha, I was about to post "Obviously nick cave"

before doing the same as you did.


Nah, none of these

except Murdoch, and possibly Rhys (and the bit of Yorke and maybe Albarn).

At the start end, Mark Hollis and Kevin Shields, clearly.

Then maybe Neil Halstead from Slowdive and Graham Sutton from Bark Psychosis, but actualyl were any of these even proper 'songwriters'?

Actually come to think of it, the 90s was not a great time for British songwriting generally. CONTROVERSIAL.


you silly man

you've got all confused and talked rubbish all in the space of one post!


Hey, I WISH I liked

Hefner and Pulp and stuff. It would make me feel like such a big man. But try as I might...


oooooh i GET WHAT

YOU'RE DOING. clever. i am suitably belittled.


:D


kevin shield?

great musician/innovator etc... not a songsmith.

writing a song is a particular skill that some people like albarn have in abundance. it hooks, melody structure etc... i think if someones a great songsmith they can be seen as being great at their craft without you necessarily being afan of their music.

albarn
murdoch
cocker
gallagher
all in their heyday

pure songwriting, anyone could play those songs on and thhey would sound great. whether it be the sugrababes or nick cave.


Actually

Nick Cave's cover of "Disco 2000" is rubbish.

But your point is good. I love to hear the Sugababes sing "This is a low".


Yeah, I definitely agree

about Shields and stuff I think.

By the same token: Bill Drummond was not a great 'songsmith'. But he was an amazing pop genius.


Does Neil Hannon count?

I can never remember whether he's from ROI or Northern Ireland.
Brett Anderson, definitely, other than half of Head Music the rest of his 90s output was excellent.


erm

stuart murdoch
jarvis cocker
gruff rhys... definitely

don't know whether I could name ten.


erm

neil hannon
jarvis
darren hayman
gruff rhys