what other artists are you obsessed with

guidedbyvoices · Post by **guidedbyvoices** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 10:49 am

Or at least are completist about?

Obviously for me, Guided By Voices & Elvis Costello. Beatles seems obvious for probably most people here too. I'm also a huge fan of The Decemberists, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pearl Jam, PJ Harvey, Smiths, the other Elvis (through the 60s at least) and Buddy Holly (my dad instilled that in me, got to meet him when he was a kid)

Just curious to other favorites of people on here. Costello's so varied that I'd imagine most obsessive Costello-philes are bosessive about other acts too.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 11:03 am

-Jon Dee Graham. I still need to pick up some of his earlier stuff but I listen to The Great Battle and/or Hooray For The Moon on an almost daily basis. The one song that does it for me more than any is Something Moves

"Hold me up above the trouble
Lift me up so I am tall
I got eyes just like my father
They don't see too clear at all
But something moves"

The way he sings that makes my spine just chill.

-Steve Forbert. Pretty obvious as I can't seem to get through an issue of BT without writing something about him. He's a really nice guy, btw.

-Gillian Welch. She's now as much a part of my life as Dylan, Bukowski and Thurber's The Greatest Man In The World. Lately I've been obsessed with a lovely batch of live recordings where she and David Rawlings cover stuff like Lefty Frizzell's Mom & Dad's Waltz, Eric Anderson's Dusty Boxcar Blues and a timestopping Rank Strangers with John Doe.

-Vic Chesnutt. New West Records recently reissued his early albums which is my first exposure to them and I think he's one of the most unique songwriters out there. I listen to Gravity of The Situation and Free of Hope (off Is The Actor Happy?) so much that it probably isn't healthy. Really looking forward to his new one, Ghetto Bells.

-John Prine. Probably my all time favorite songwriter. Grandpa Was A Carpenter, in particular, breaks my heart.

-Steve Young. Thanks to the great BWAP, I have a copy of the terrific Merle Haggard tribute, Tulare Dust. The standout track, for me anyway, is Young doing Shopping For Dresses. He has this voice that is both operatic and downright menacing and it's just a blowaway performance of a really cool, underappreciated song. Young is also a songwriter who is nearly on par with Haggard and I remember watching Heartworn Highways for the first time and the part where he sings Alabama Highway was like a bomb being detonated on my head.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:01 pm

Well, obsession comes and goes, but judging from my recored collection, I can see there are a few folks whose new records I will ALWAYS buy, and who seldom disappoint me. They are:

Bjork
Frank Black
David Bowie
Kate Bush
Lloyd Cole (thanks, Doof and Otis!!)
Morrissey
Ron Sexsmith

What is it with the first bit of the alphabet??!

Branst · Post by **Branst** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 2:48 pm

Stevie Wonder
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
Bob Dylan
Phil Spector
Cole Porter
Anything Motown from the 60's

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 2:54 pm

Maybe Dylan and David Bowie - different as can be, I know. After EC's output, their albums account for the largest chunks of my music collection.

Mr. Average · Post by **Mr. Average** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 3:12 pm

Miles Davis in all forms
Pat Metheny (Groups/Solo)
David Byrne (Heads/SOlo)
Crystal Method
Los Lobos
Little Feat (up to the point of Lowell George's death)
Massive Attack
Steely Dan
Peter Gabriel (solo only)
Afro-Celt Sound System
Tom Waits (just now falling for...thanks to your recommendations)
Van Morrison (new obsession, lot's to acquire, lot's to listen to, Lot's to learn)
The Jam/Paul Weller (post Style Council)

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 4:25 pm

Picasso

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 5:17 pm

the other guy, the melting clock dude.

John Prine.

Nick Lowe.

pophead2k · Post by **pophead2k** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 8:21 pm

Tom Waits
Frank Black
John Wesley Harding
Fat Elvis (seriously, I'm nuts about all his interpretive stuff from the rhinestone and sequins period)

elvicos01 · Post by **elvicos01** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 8:55 pm

No-one else.

Used to be The Clash, Squeeze, Rockpile, Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds solo efforts, Talking Heads, Devo, Madness, The Specials. Have all of the albums and loads of live stuff on cassette.

Elvis was and still is the King

SoLikeCandy · Post by **SoLikeCandy** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 8:59 pm

Tom Waits
Marvin Gaye
Jeff Buckley
Brad (the band) and Shawn Smith
Fishbone
Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Steely Dan
They Might Be Giants
George Clinton
Bobby McFerrin (that's right. I said it.)

LittleFoole · Post by **LittleFoole** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:24 am

Hmmm. let's see......Talking Heads, Ramones, Tom Waits, Queen (the early years, anyways), and the Beatles, I suppose.....

alexv · Post by **alexv** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 1:23 pm

In Free Associating order:

dylan
van morrison
marshall cranshaw
nrbq
squeeze
gram parsons
juan luis guerra
benny moret
pedro luis ferrer
howling wolf
big joe turner
charles brown
mercedes sosa
joe henderson
al cohn
joe lovano
freedy johnston
dwight yoakam

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 2:22 pm

I'm not really 'obsessed' with anyone. Not even Elvis. I just love his music and songwriting. As a person, I think he appears obsessed with himself...so he doesn't need me

.

crash8_durham · Post by **crash8_durham** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 2:51 pm

elvicos01. I really like your list.

I also Like Liz Phair.....there's a shock eh?

and Vez has me hooked on Steve Forbert.

Tim(e) · Post by **Tim(e)** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 3:21 pm

Bill Laswell
Ryuichi Sakamoto
The Residents
DJ Krush
The Beatles
Steve Cummings

pip_52 · Post by **pip_52** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 3:41 pm

Not all musicians, but the list of artist obsessions for me goes:

Elvis Costello
Greg Proops
Bill Hicks
Peter Sellers
Aldous Huxley
possibly also Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick

SweetPear · Post by **SweetPear** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 3:45 pm

Besideds EC, I've had a life long facination with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Aside from them, there's really no one else that I'm really THAT fantical over.
In a sort of sub-catagory, I'd add the Pretenders.
I have also become quite a Van Morrison fan and am well on my way to making my way through this man's incredible musical career.
Mozart is equally facinating.
My musical collection runs the gamut. I listen to all kinds of stuff. There's just so much great music out there that I haven't even touched. Trying to complete and keep up a decent music collection would be a full time job.....and require moula that I just don't have.

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 4:28 am

I own and will buy every new record from these:

Antony & The Johnsons
Bad Religion
The Band
Frank Black (& the Pixies)
Chemical People
(I won't buy Cut The Crap, so the Clash is off the list)
Leonard Cohen
Dexys Midnight Runners
Johnny Dowd
Down By Law
Bob Dylan
Hamell On Trial
the Hard-Ons
John Wesley Harding
Kjell Höglund
Daniel Johnston (I'm getting there)
Nellie McKay
Van Morrison
Randy Newman
NoFx
Oysterband
Tom Petty
the Pogues (& Shane)
John Prine (getting there)
Propagandhi
the Ramones
Lou Reed (& Velvet Underground)
snfu
Ron Sexsmith
Nina Simone
Bruce Springsteen
Richard Thompson (& Linda)
Torsson
Cornelis Vreeswijk
Loudon Wainwright III
Tom Waits
the Weakerthans
(maybe Weezer)
Gillian Welch
Neil Young

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 9:35 am

No Beatles or Stones, King Hoarse?

Good list.

Poppet · Post by **Poppet** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:58 am

The Beatles

are authors artists?

Joss Whedon
the Brontes
JRR Tolkien

Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Gustav Klimt

(gods, i am predictable and normal, aren't i?)

anything else, it's not really obsession. BtVS doesn't count as an artist. but it's an obsession.

strangerinthehouse · Post by **strangerinthehouse** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 5:22 pm

Elvis is always first
Dylan will follow
I'm starting a mild case of obsession with Pavement, not full blown yet but i can definately see it coming.
I have all the Radiohead Albums but I don't think i'm obsessed with them.

Charlie Kaufman is my film obssesion.

guidedbyvoices · Post by **guidedbyvoices** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 5:55 pm

Nice to see some John Wesley Harding mentions here!

invisible Pole · Post by **invisible Pole** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 7:11 pm

In my early teens I used to be obsessed with The Beatles. I still love them but 'obsession' is now reserved for EC only.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 7:30 pm

crash8_durham wrote: and Vez has me hooked on Steve Forbert.

Dude, you're totally welcome! Have you picked up any other Forbert albums after Mission of The Crossroad Palms?