Who is the greatest/best Canadian musician of all time?

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I concur with everyone else's choices thus far.

While they're nowhere near the greatest or best Canadian acts of all time, I grew up listening to Our Lady Peace and still enjoy them today. I guess you can say they're one of my favourite Canadian bands of all time. They're my guilty pleasure, if you will. I saw them in concert last year and it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen—and I've been to many!
 
I am a HUGE Neil Young fan, and own a few of Leonard Cohen's better albums. But there's no way there's any other answer to this question than Joni Mitchell. Second greatest songwriter of all time next to Bob Dylan? Turned her back on mainstream acceptance after a couple hit records and explored alternatives to pop/folk as well as traditional songwriting structure? Featured African musicians on her album 10 years before Paul Simon's Graceland? Created a totally unique form of vocal delivery with her singing? Influenced people from Michael Stipe to Prince to legions of female artists?

I loves me some feedback and pretty ditties, but Neil Young, while a towering figure in music, just isn't as revolutionary or indispensible as Joni.
 
lazurus -- why the question marks? Aren't they statements? :huh:
 
No takers on Matthew Good then?

Also, I can't believe there hasn't been more love for the Barenaked Ladies (WARNING: for those of you who get excited by this name, they are neither barenaked nor ladies), they're like an opiate for candians aren't they?
 
Dalton said:
Also, I can't believe there hasn't been more love for the Barenaked Ladies
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A small bump in the road to victory circle would be that they suck balls.
 
Ok, admission time and I'm going to ramble on a bit: when Neil Young was getting pounded into my head I was much younger, and it was my parent's music. I was at a time in my life where I thought bands like U2, Joy Division, The SMiths, Skinny Puppy, The Cure, and on and on, were going to save music, well at least rock as it was known then. So listening to Neil Young wasn't at the top of my list, and it likely wasn't at the top of most kids list's circa 1982 and entering their teens. Or maybe it was just me.

So frankly I guess know the standard Neil Young stuff, and some of it I hear once in a while and while don't remember the name of the tune, I remember the melody and words of course because it was on constant rotation in the house....but for the most part I tried to get away from itwhen younger and if I agree with you all that he's the greatest of all time I won't be doing it honestly.

So humor me here...pretend I just landed on earth from planet Mars and had never heard of Neil Young. What would you say are oh, 20 or so essential tracks that would win me over and convince me he was the best?

I'm on a mission, I want to see if 20+ years later I can gain (or regain?) new appreciation for the man. I know, shameful to admit, but hell there's a shiteload of other music out there and I got wrapped up in it, what can I say?
 
gabrielvox said:
So humor me here...pretend I just landed on earth from planet Mars and had never heard of Neil Young. What would you say are oh, 20 or so essential tracks that would win me over and convince me he was the best?
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I won't give you 20, but I'll give you a few.

The Needle and the Damage Done
Harvest Moon (and that whole album)
Southern Man
Heart of Gold
Old Man
Hey Hey My My
Down By The River
 
Well it's a start - thanks! :)

Some of those of course I knew, others maybe I'll recognize when I play them

Cmon Canadiens1160 and others...I want to make a CD to listen to while on the plane :hyper:
 
Great Big Sea, obviously.





















































Okay. Um. The Tragically Hip, maybe? I don't think I've lived in Canada for long enough to really comment.
 
I have to admit, I hardly ever listen to Neil Young. My father used to play a few of his albums from time to time while I was growing up. I don't really remember much about them, though. I'm just as clueless as you are.
 
Neil Young: the entire After the Gold Rush album. Ditto Harvest.

I also really like his more recent (well, relatively speaking anyway) Harvest Moon.
 
One could make a legitimate claim that Jimi Hendrix was part Canadian!!!

If people here are taking this thread seriously I recommend looking up all of the songs written by Paul Anka - there are some surprises.

Lightfoot should be top 3, very underated. Bob Dylan has gone on record as saying it's perhaps his favourite composer of all time.

Is Leonard Cohen truly a "musician". He is top 5 for his lyrical coontributions alone.

Glenn Gould!!

u2fp
 
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indra said:
lazurus -- why the question marks? Aren't they statements? :huh:
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The answer to all those questions is...Joni Mitchell.


and Gabriel, a good primer for Neil Young would probably be to listen to either Live Rust or Weld, the double live album. He really comes alive on stage, and you really can't say you've heard Like a Hurricane until you've heard it live. Of course, I'm partial to electric Neil over acoustic Neil.

If you want a better breakdown,

Songs:

Like a Hurricane
Hey Hey, My My
Cortez the Killer
Heart of Gold
Crime in the City
Tonight's the Night
After the Gold Rush
Helpless
Long May You Run
Cinnamon Girl

Albums:

Freedom (seriously underrated)
Rust Never Sleeps
After the Gold Rush
Sleeps With Angels
Everybody Knows this is Nowhere
Mirrorball (with Pearl Jam, again, underrated)

and BTW, if anyone is interested in checking out some of Joni Mitchell's work and is unfamilar, I would suggest starting with Blue, which is mellow and mostly acoustic but is pretty accesible, followed by The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Court & Spark, Hejira, and her (fairly) recent effort Turbulent Indigo. Word has it that she's set to release her first album of original songs in over 10 years sometime this fall.
 
elevated_u2_fan said:


Wow, someone who knows Stan Rogers and who is not my father... :up:

You are right, it was a great loss when he died.

My favourite song by him would be either Northwest Passage or The Idiot
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It's always nice to see other Stan fans. Lock-Keeper is my favourite song of his.. this week anyway ;)
 
My personal favourites ...

The Tea Party

and (ex-singer/guitarist) Jeff Martin

219877980_9f19b09512_m.jpg


:cute:
 
Powderfinger is a great Neil Young album track, and I have to agree with Prairie Wind - contemporary and classic at the same time :up:

Danny Lanois is great, but I don't think he's near the greatest. His masterstroke Acadie IS one of my favourite albums, currently, however.
 
U2FanPeter said:
If people here are taking this thread seriously I recommend looking up all of the songs written by Paul Anka - there are some surprises.

Lightfoot should be top 3, very underated. Bob Dylan has gone on record as saying it's perhaps his favourite composer of all time.

Is Leonard Cohen truly a "musician". He is top 5 for his lyrical coontributions alone.

Glenn Gould!!

u2fp
Click to expand...

Hey Peter...actually I think people are taking it seriously and it's great to see, most of my threads end up crashing and burning or dying horrible deaths! :lmao:

I agree on all your recommendations, Paul Anka was huge in my house growing up too...and of course Glenn Gould!

Noone piped in on my Oscar Petersen assessment tho..ah well :shrug:
 
lazarus said:





and Gabriel, a good primer for Neil Young would probably be to listen to either Live Rust or Weld, the double live album. He really comes alive on stage, and you really can't say you've heard Like a Hurricane until you've heard it live. Of course, I'm partial to electric Neil over acoustic Neil.
Click to expand...

Lazarus - thanks very much for the recommendations. You struck a nerve when you said "live", my ears went up...because for some artists...like..oh...U2 for instance, I hardly ever listen to the studio versions because I have a thing for the energy and emotion that comes across live.

So I think my compilation will have to definitely be a healthy mix of both...actually debating if I'll do live first....because if I do studio first then I'll maybe be expecting to hear the song a certain way when I hear it live...but if I do live first it will just be so new..decisions! ;)
 
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