03-29-10 Singer – Songwriters
The Japanese publication “Record Collectors Magazine” has done a list of their favorite Singer – Songwriters (also known as “SSW”). Not my favorite genre, but I am fully aware of it. Their list:
- Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde * (I own 4 versions)
- Leonard Cohen – Songs of Leonard Cohen * (I own 3 versions)
- Laura Nyro – More Than A New Discovery
- Tim Hardin – Tim Hardin 3: Live In Concert
- Fred Neil – Sessions
- Harry Nilsson – Harry * (I own 1 version)
- John Stewart – California Bloodlines * (I own 1 version)
- Leon Russell – Leon Russell * (I own 3 versions)
- James Taylor – Sweet Baby James
- Gene Clark – Gene Clark
- Steve Goodman – Steve Goodman
- Carole King – Tapestry * (I own 3 versions)
- Kris Kristofferson – The Silver Tongued Devil and I
- John Prine – John Prine
- Eric Andersen –
- Bobby Charles – Bobby Charles
- Townes Van Zant – The Late Great Townes Van Zant
- Jerry Jeff Walker – Jerry Jeff Walker
- Neil Young – Harvest * (I own 2 versions)
- Jim Croce – Life and Times
I have 8 of their Top 20 (*) – Which is followed by albums by Tom Waits, Jackson Browne, Bruce Cockburn, Donnie Fritts, Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman, John Sebastian, Guy Clark, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Warren Zevon, Jimmy Webb, Steve Forbert, Rickie Lee Jones etc. And I own some of those too.
Distinctly 2nd division stuff: Dino Valente, Tim Buckley, Mickey Newbury, Steve Young, Delaney & Bonnie, Tony Kosinec, Gordon Lightfoot, John Simon, Paul Williams, Jesse Winchester, Marc Benno, David Crosby, John Hartford, Kenny Loggins / Jim Messina, Barry Mann, Don McLean, Don Nix, Todd Rundgren, Judee Sill, Livingston Taylor, Roger Tillison…after which their list trails off into SSW obscurity.
Of the 8 that I own of the Top 20, I confess that I recently bought an LP of Eric Andersen’s “
And perhaps I have missed a designation that this list is US & Canadian artists only? For otherwise, I would think this list includes people like Richard Thompson and Roy Harper – folks that sometimes get claimed by the Folk Music or Progressive Rock camps.
7 comments:
SSW. Not my favorite genre either. Not enough artifice to interest me.
Not everybody's cup of tea, to be sure. I grew up with some of this stuff, but my tastes were mostly always leaning towards English musicians.
Wow... I don't own any of the top 20.
The only SSW I do is Al Stewart. The odd thing is that most old school Al Stewart fans are also fans of the other artists on that list. Al seems to stand alone for me.
I highly recommend #1 & #2 on this list.
Well, certainly Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen tower over the bulk of this genre! I certainly have titles by both. I did grow up with singer song-whiners* on the top 40 radio. Can't say I liked them even then!
* thank you, Kurt Loder (from his liner notes to Ryko's Bowie Sound + Vision box)
One Bod Dylan caveat: the only Bob Dylan song I everheard from the ages of 8-16 was the misbegotten "Lay Lady Lay." So for many years I just didn't get what the furor was about.
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