Most innovative artist/band of the past 20 years
by Everyone talks about the innovators of the different forms of music...Muddy Waters with blues, Bob Marley with reggae, The Beatles with rock, The Ramones and the Clash with punk rock, Bob Dylan with music in general, etc. But think about the last 20 years, since the 80's...about the length of many of us ezabel user's lifetimes. Which bands have really stood out to be innovators with their lyrics, style, etc? Mostly we will be talking about the hip hop and punk/alternative/ska genres because those types have really taken off in recent memory, but perhaps there is just your ordinary rock band that has been influential.
The biggest punk influence of the past 20 years may have to be Bad Religion. They have been around a long long time. And Pennywise really got people started on punk music. Green Day as well.
Rap and hip hop, it should be Run-DMC because of their pioneering the rap genre. Notorious BIG and Tupac too, for their influence on all the rap music now...rap is now probably the most popular type of music among our age group; unfortunately, it's because of the garbage rap like Ja Rule and similar artists.
Overall, I'd say it's the Beastie Boys and Sublime. Nobody ever really did what they did. Three white guys busting rhymes with rock and hip hop beats. Eminem, honestly, is nowhere near as good as the Beastie Boys were. He think's he's the man, and everyone wants to copy him, like he is the pioneer of white rap. He's just copying the Beastie Boys, who are much better than he ever will be, as long as hes depressed and killing like he raps about. The Beastie Boys are just amazing with the lyrics they have, they're probably the best rap lyrics I've heard except for Biggie, but so many of BIG's songs are so explicit, even the edited version, that they're not worth listening to.
Sublime combined pretty much every genre and threw them together. You always know a Sublime song before Bradley ever says a word...they just have their incredible trademark style. I don't know if they can be duplicated.
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Tom Morello without a doubt. The guitarist from Rage/ Audioslave has turned the guitar into a turntable, violin and techno box for all kinds of warped sounds. He has definitely innovated the way guitar is played.
carlos santan'd
I'm probably going to get super flamed for this, but as much as I love punk/indie rock I still have to gotta say to me one of the bands that had a huge impact was U2. The music that they created crosses most major genres of music, with the exception of rap/hip-hop (well....if u can find a B-side of 'Holy Joe' :-D)....you can hear them on everything from pop/light rock/country/oldie/hard rock radio stations, at least in my area. A number of their songs are truly timeless...like 'With or Without You', or 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'. Not to mention alot of punk bands cover U2 songs...with very interesting results :-D.....anyway, let the flaming begin
no man, i agree with some of that. I think "One" is some of the greatest music written in the past 20 years or so.
What I have to point out, however...is that whole "Discotechque" or "pop" album, and the whole "K-Mart/Pop-Tart" tour or whatever it was called...that whole thing should be forgotten...but I don't let U2 fans forget that. haha.
It's not unbelievable that a mostly punk listener likes the sound of U2, since U2 sorta started out punkish. When U2 first formed a band, all they really did was covers of songs by The Clash. U2 got their first record deal, by pulling off a song by The Clash, as one of their own songs. hahaha But, then after signing the paper, they of course thought they better start writing songs, before someone found out.
actually, U2 started out as a christian rock band. all were into hardcore religion until one (adam clayton) wanted out...so they decided to change the format of their music....BUT a lot of their music today still has some "religious" undertones...with or without you....about religion, can't live with it/can't live without it.
I agree with skaorsk8, the POP tour wasn't great BUT they did redeem themselves with all that you can't leave behind
*been a U2 fan since one of my sisters bought the "october" album back in the early (way early) 80's
At some point they did The Clash stuff tho.. promise. I heard an interview with Bono and The Edge, where they talked all about it. They said all they knew about playing the guitar was power chords, and they were really big fans of The Clash, so that's what they would play. Maybe before or after or during the same time, they did Christian rock.. I dunno. They left out talking about that, in their interview, altogether, so I wouldn't know.
Biggie is no doubt the best rapper I have ever heard, even much better than similarly loved Tupac. But what I was saying is its hard to listen to many of his songs...he tells it like it is, with the stories from the streets and whatnot, but some of his stuff is just too explicit, even with editing.
2Pacs still alive you know.... ;)
that's what i keep saying! no one who's dead keeps coming out with new albums at the rate tupac has been...
No way, Easy E!
NWO was the best rap group ever to pick up a mic.
I've never heard of NWO....east coast rap? but i have heard of NWA..... ;)
haha, sorry, I think I was listening to Minisitry - NWO when I was typing that out....yeah, that's the ticket.
Like'm or not, Eddie van halen reinvented guitar..And Yngwie is the man..&Less claypool?!..WOAH...i can't stand primus..but..he's amazing...but..these are statments that are only relevant to musicians....so..ignore this comment
I went to a Van Halen concert and I tell you, he blew me away. He truly is incredible, he can work that guitar like you wouldn't beleive. Kenny Wayne Sheppard opened up, at the time he was like 18 I think, amazing.
And Les Claypool, as a musician you have to admire him. He's got to be the best bassist alive today.
when d'you see vanhalen?
Either 98 or 99, the dude from Extreme was their singer. They played at PNC Arts Center.
May even have been summer 97.
he truly is great.....but they were better with sammy hagar as the lead singer
AND
you're the only other person besides my sister to mention the name "Yngwie" who is good also
Primus....i just love their cookiness....so crazy funny
yeah, primus is crazy intricate & really deep musically, but, the way it's arranged, and the vocals, i duno, it's just too silly for me,lol...
Yeah I bet the beasties would be just another punk band...the genius there is that they could combine some rock beats and rap to it...awesome stuff.
then again they might have been good at the punk stuff too...they opened for Bad Brains i believe...
robert smith just because hes amazing...but overal id have to say malcolm mclaren. most of you probably dont know who he is but he had a lot of influence on music history...he managed the sexpistols and started the hip-hop movement in the UK. hes awesome
the cure makes the most innovative music around.
Who produces for the Cure, is it Robert Smith?
Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters
i second greenday being a big punk influence
how about billy joel influencing rock? Maybe influencing isn't the right word, but i think he created his own style....wasn't a follower...piano in rock music...classic
see...i will never agree on this green day issue...they are catchy...but they just repackaged the same three cords they picked up from the ramones, from the other punk bands of the 70s and 80s...that's not innovative. that's just a look.
However....if they released more songs like "macy's day parade"...I would have more respect
but that's what punk is...the same three chords over and over.....hehe, i'm gonna get it for this, aren't i?
yes you are. that's not all punk music is. ok TECHNICALLY that's what it is. but the truly amazing punk music comes from an innovative combination of instruments...i'm going to use yellowcard as an example...strings + guitars....an amazing idea. something corporate...piano + guitars...
how come every one of their songs sounds the same then?
Cause you don't have an ear for music.
You want to hear a band where everything sounds the same check out Korn.
i thrid that green day being a big influence in punk history
also i think that the beatles were a big part of rock and i think that rage against the machine was a big thing.
yes. blech to eminem. get over yourself.
Smashing Pumpkins, or more clearly Billy Corgan. I love the man, I relate to him, his lyrics are incredible, his music can rock your soul and soothe your heart. He writes, produces, and preforms some incredible songs.
so true....too bad he's not around as much....
He's working on a solo album and begining tomorrow through Friday he's doing private recording sessions at the place he got his start, The Metro, in Chicago. These are all acoustic sessions.
I can't wait to hear his next project. Chamberlain stuck with him too, it should be awesome, they are awesome together!
i enjoy this post. its so true there have been so many "pioneers" of music na not many"newbies" can capture or change an make new what the old has established.
the only thing i have to say is eminem is good in his own right...he could careless what anyone thinks and his raps are "hood" raps with a comical twist. as i love the beastie boys and grew up loving everything about them, they actually started out as a punk group....but they sure did make a great change when the change was needed and made us happy! =)
Brad Knoll, live fast die young....luv the guy luv the band, he just passed on too fast but left some amazing music behind
I happen to think if Badley Nowell did not die, that music would be different now. I stand behind that. the bands do-it-yourself attitude and unrestrained REALISM is almost jarring, but even the rough stuff was delivered softly and with style, lol. i keep telling myself, "that doesn't make it right," but i love this band so much.
additionally, Biggy was the best rapper i've ever heard. if he were still around hip hop and rap wouldn't be as BAD as it is now. he would have told ashanti and beyonce to get a job!
as for the beasties boys. they are pioneers. not only did they CREATE their own angle, but they shamelessly included all their musical tastes, no matter how varied! a thing about them that i LIKE and at that i'm ANNOYED by at the same time: is their in-your-face social commentary, political views, and televised religious beliefs. they could get over themselves a little and HURRY UP AND RELEASE A NEW ALBUM!
yeah, i definitely understand what you're saying here -
weren't the beastie boys supporters of a cop-killer, or is my memory completely wrong?
I respect the fact that the beastie boys are hip-hop, with NO respect or airplay from the hip-hop community, yet they keep doing what they do best with style and energy. I still think the video for sabatoge is hysterical.
With regard to sublime...as long as they kept mixing punk/reggae and ska with lyrics that make me want to buy everything they released, they would have kept true to the music and what made them great. And doing some great collaborations never hurt either. And occasionally an acoustic or re-mixed song were nice too.
i almost sang 40oz to freedomat the restaurant tonite. i love sublime. "you got your hiar permed. you got your red dress on." love it.
I agree with almost everything you've said. More on this later...