The top greatest rock authors in history! Part 2
Содержание
We continue to remember the greatest rock hit songwriters in the history of music... These geniuses gave the world such timeless hits that even today - after many decades - these songs continue to be recognised by the widest audience. And it doesn't matter whether their career lasted dozens or just a few years, whether they had hundreds of hit tracks, or whether they had... 20 really successful songs! It is the quality of the works and the consistency of their authors that plays a role here. So: this is the top of the greatest rock authors in the history of music! Here we go...
Roger Waters
It is an undeniable fact that Roger Waters is the author of the overwhelming majority of Pink Floyd's hit material. And it's not only about the lyrics, but also about the music... During the period of his leadership he was the main ideologist of the band, as well as the main author of the cult album The Wall. His influence over the band grew inexorably: it got to the point that the other members were only allowed to make arrangements... Thus, The Final Cut became, in fact, a solo work....
In the mid-1980s, Roger Waters left Pink Floyd: the musician commented on his decision as follows: "The band simply ran out of steam...". Waters thought that after his departure the band would disintegrate, but the new leader, David Gilmour, decided otherwise. However, that's another story.
Jeff Lynn
And this British rock icon became world famous as the lead vocalist of Electric Light Orchestra. He is responsible for such timeless masterpieces as "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" or "Evil Woman"....
As with Waters, Lynne lost interest in the band in the second half of the 1980s: he disbanded the once successful and promising team... It's worth adding that Lynne produced all of ELO's singles that made the UK Top 10! In 2017, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of ELO.
Sting
In the early stages of his musical career, Sting gained popularity and recognition from the general public as the lead singer and primary songwriter for The Police. Probably one of his most famous hits is "Roxanne":
Sting has been a solo artist since 1984. He is also one of Rolling Stone magazine's "50 Greatest Bassists of All Time".
Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel rose to fame as a member of Genesis. He then embarked on a successful solo career: today Peter Gabriel is also known as a producer of ethno recordings. As for Genesis, Gabriel left the band because he felt "alienated from the rest of the members..." Peter released his first solo album in 1977: it included a rather famous composition, "Solsbury Hill", which is an allegorical account of his departure from the band...
Ozzy Osbourne
One of the founding members of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne had a great influence on the emergence of hard rock and heavy metal! There is a reason why today he bears the title "The Godfather of Heavy Metal"... In addition to his crazy antics (both on and off stage) and flamboyant image, Osbourne found recognition and popularity as a songwriter. One of the most notable examples is the song "Crazy Train", co-written by Osbourne with Randy Rhoads and Bob Daisley:
Today, Ozzy Osbourne is one of the most popular representatives of the rock scene: as of December 2010, the world circulation of his records passed the mark of 100 million copies....
Bruce Springsteen
This rock genius is widely celebrated for his deeply poetic lyrics, the main theme of which is his homeland, New Jersey... His discography also includes the iconic album "Born in the U.S.A.", which is the most successful album to date in the U.S. (and its worldwide circulation has long been estimated at more than 30 million copies...).
Peter Frampton
Remarkably, early on, Frampton could not boast of proper commercial success... However, that changed in 1967 with the release of the live "Frampton Comes Alive!" The hit singles from the album were "Baby, I Love Your Way," "Show Me the Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do," which brought Frampton worldwide fame... As a result, the album spent a full 97 weeks on the Billboard 200 (55 of which it was in the Top 40...)
Jim Morrison
This man remains an idol to millions... Poet, leader and vocalist of The Doors - Morrison made a major contribution to the development of modern music.
Today, Morrison is considered one of the most charismatic frontmen in the history of rock....
Ken Hensley
Ken Hensley came to popularity as a member of the band Uriah Heep. Subsequently, Hensley made a huge contribution to the development of rock music, and it's a pity that today his name is less and less often remembered... He is credited with such magnificent creations as "Free Me", "Sympathy", "Lady in Black", "July Morning" (the latter became the unofficial anthem of Bulgaria).....
Ritchie Blackmore
Today Ritchie Blackmore is considered one of the greatest guitarists of the 20th century: he is on various prestigious lists and rankings, and his influence on rock music is inestimable... He is a legend of such iconic bands as Deep Purple and Rainbow! But he also has many great creations to his credit, such as "Soldier of Fortune" (written with David Coverdale).
Ian Gillan
Deep Purple legend Ian Gillan is renowned as one of the most talented songwriters in the world! He has a lot of really great hits to his credit, for example, the song "Fireball" based on his personal experience. The author himself would later say:
"She was a complete mystery to me. It's another story of unrequited love..."
Gillan also sang the part of Jesus in the original version of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar by E. Webber and T. Rice and was a member of Black Sabbath.
Keith Richards and Mick Jagger
Why are these two geniuses included in our list as a duo? Probably, true fans of The Rolling Stones' work know the answer to this question: The fact is that it was a joint effort between Richards and Jagger that created masterpieces for the ages... "Angie" (although a substantial part of the song was written by Richards, Jagger also had a hand in this ballad), "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)", "Mother's Little Helper" - it can be reasonably stated that a predominant part of the Stones' repertoire was co-written by Richards and Jagger.
There's a reason they've long been called an author duo!
