Which was most influential

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

The Beatles or Elvis Presley. Debergs prog rock thread started me thinking and I thought it was a fairly easy choice until I talked to a few others about it and looked up some numbers. Now it seems like a toss up... although I know what my original gut feeling was.

The Beatles...
Best selling band in history... roughly 1 billion 600 million units sold
22 #1 singles world wide
7 grammys
10 films

Elvis Presley
Best selling solo act in history... roughly 1 billion 600 million units sold
36 #1 singles
3 grammys
33 films

Of course there is plenty of other criteria. What say you though?

[|Zach|]

This isn't really a response to the OP but talking about producing and recording which I don't have any first hand knowledge of I find myself *really* drawn to the old "wall of sound" Phil Spectorish style of songs. That shit never gets old for me.

I always love hearing it in The Ronettes and Beach Boys stuff and it seems to my untrained ear to show up in some newer work especially with Grizzly Bear and The Morning Benders.



So rich and enjoyable. Just fantastic.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

And that means?

Inital typos aside, there may be some merit to people tapping out.


I for one am forestalling my long anticipated preview of Homeland [thanks SHO online] to continue what was recently an interesting discussion, and has recently devolved into an inane rehash.

[rico]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Giving up that easy? Well, okay. Just more proof that your threads are worthless and lack conviction.

Good luck with that.



I never said anything about Pearl Jam's music: I alluded to their mass appeal, which is a mere fraction of what it was back in 1992-1994.

For the record, I saw Pearl Jam at the Gibson in the last year. The performance was absolutely amazing and was made even better when Chris Cornell joined them onstage for "Hunger Strike".

That had to have been AWESOME. Temple of a Dog, right? Did Temple of a Dog have a member of Screaming Trees, or am I confusing them with Mad Season? Speaking of Screaming Trees, I prefer them over about any band in that genre/era with an exception of Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots.

[|Zach|]

Don't a lot of musicians point to Warren Zevon as a big influence. Not more so than the options above but it seems like this is the least talked about influential artists that artists look to themselves.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I cannot even begin to tell you just how wrong you are, so I won't even bother.

But, check out Brian Kehew's "Recording The Beatles" book, which is a must read for any and every studio engineer, producer and even musician and check back in.

Furthermore, Ken Scott was more influential than Emerick, but we're splitting hairs. Abbey Road, EMI consoles, the engineers, etc. pretty much defined modern music and there are a countless number of worshippers along with people still chasing those recordings.

You can begin to tell me and you'll be wrong. Sorry but this is something I have studied as well and I can go line by line and point out someone BEFORE who influenced and did more in almost every single instance of innovation. Of course, there will be some things where you have to give the nod to the Beatles but MOST of it is based on popularity and execution not on true innovation.

Hey, I love the Beatles but there is a cult-like mentality around them that tends to disregard or downplay all the facts.

let's look at one big "innovation".. ADT.. well it certainly is a major convenience.. all it does is make something that was being done for years, easier to do. That's great and all but not a "push the envelope" type of innovation that I am going to count for much.

Compare that to the Beach Boys TRULY pushing forward the use of multi-tracking. Which of course was an extension of Phil Spector's work. The Beatles made incremental improvements but nothing as drastic as either of them.

And I still think Emerick is a better engineer!

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by rico

That had to have been AWESOME. Temple of a Dog, right? Did Temple of a Dog have a member of Screaming Trees, or am I confusing them with Mad Season? Speaking of Screaming Trees, I prefer them over about any band in that genre/era with an exception of Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY thrashes like Temple of the Stone Screaming Chain Seasons.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Don't a lot of musicians point to Warren Zevon as a big influence. Not more so than the options above but it seems like this is the least talked about influential artists that artists look to themselves.

yep, and Gordon Lightfoot and Elvis Costello and here is an obscure one.. but they were MASSIVELY influential.. The Kingston trio.

EDIT: I just saw you mentioned Phil Spector.. I have been harping on him all thread. Crazy amount of influence and innovation from him.

Surprised that no one has mentioned Zappa or Captain Beefheart.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

yep, and Gordon Lightfoot and Elvis Costello and here is an obscure one.. but they were MASSIVELY influential.. The Kingston trio.

Love Elvis Costello...Lightfoot is a bit hit or miss with me.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Don't a lot of musicians point to Warren Zevon as a big influence. Not more so than the options above but it seems like this is the least talked about influential artists that artists look to themselves.

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Love Elvis Costello...Lightfoot is a bit hit or miss with me.

John Prine, Leonard Cohen, Frank Black, blah blah, late 80's blah.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

John Prine, Leonard Cohen, Frank Black, blah blah, late3 80s blah.

I often don't understand why I connect with some artists and don't connect with others. I have been trying to seek out those common threads for so long and it fails me.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Love Elvis Costello...Lightfoot is a bit hit or miss with me.

Costello is amazing.. Lightfoot is Canadian.. so you know, he is gonna do some crap... amazing that a filthy Canuck did as well as he did though!

Of course at this point we are moving more into the songwriting realm.. where you'd have to mention guys like John Denver or JimmY Webb

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

I often don't understand why I connect with some artists and don't connect with others. I have been trying to seek out those common threads for so long and it fails me.

Singer song writer stuff is huge with me though which makes a lot of those artists big on my list but leaves me glad I am living here in the now because a lot of good stuff is coming down the pipeline.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

I often don't understand why I connect with some artists and don't connect with others. I have been trying to seek out those common threads for so long and it fails me.

So I'm clear. So many of these acts are near and dear to my heart. My mocking tone is more to the sense that this discussion is BRAND NEW INFORMATION, while earlier in the thread it was a bit more. This thread seems to be simultaneously losing it's burst and finding it's [cliched] rhythym.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

Costello is amazing.. Lightfoot is Canadian.. so you know, he is gonna do some crap... amazing that a filthy Canuck did as well as he did though!

Of course at this point we are moving more into the songwriting realm.. where you'd have to mention guys like John Denver or JimmY Webb

Nick Drake. Not real sure on his influence but sure of my enjoyment of the music.

[|Zach|]

I respect the impact Elvis had but I don't get a lot of enjoyment from the music. Just never loved it.