XPost: rec.music.dylan, rec.music.folk, uk.music.folk   
   XPost: alt.music.paul-simon   
   From: java@evij.com   
      
   Personally I like more Simon songs than Dylan songs, but don't think that   
   either of them are as good as Jez Lowe, if there was any artistic justice in   
   this world Jez would be a household name like Elton John ...   
      
   Jez Lowe, brilliant lyrics covering the full range of human emotions from   
   grief ('Tenterhooks'), to humour ('You Can't Take It With You'), and one of   
   my top ten albums of all time ('Bad Penny'). Not least of all, great singer   
   (if you're going to write songs and sing them yourself, then that's a   
   necessary skill for your trade)   
      
   Paul Simon, great lyrics covering the full range of human emotions from love   
   ('Kathy's Song', 'For Emily'), to disillusionment ('Slip Sliding Away'), and   
   one of my top twenty or so albums of all time ('Song Book').  Also a good   
   singer.  However, plagiarised 'Scarborough Fair' from Martin Carthy.   
      
   Dylan, has certainly written some great songs ('North Country Blues'), but   
   also some totally unintelligible ones ('My Back Pages' - I've always liked,   
   and still do, The Byrds' version of the song, but even way back then I used   
   wonder what he was on about, now I just wonder what he was on). And such a   
   crap singer, though 'Desire' still managed to be great album. Also something   
   of a plagiarist, these are examples I've happened upon ...   
   1)    Tune, sentiment, and 1st verse of 'Restless Farewell' is from 'The   
   Parting Glass', but AFAIK never credited appropriately.   
   2)    Tune of 'Bob Dylan's Dream' is substantially that from 'Lord Franklin'   
   but credited as 'Words & Music by Bob Dylan' in my 'A Retrospective' song   
   book   
   3)    'Girl Of The North Country' has smatterings of 'Scarborough Fair' in   
   it   
      
   PS: Another great but under-known songwriter is Jimmy Rankin.   
      
   "Michael Anthony"  wrote in message   
   news:8Savc.7200$Ha2.761@twister.socal.rr.com...   
   > If songwriting is a search for truth, then they both succeed, and it   
   becomes   
   > a question of style. Compare Dylan's "I'll see you in the stars above, in   
   > tall grass and in the ones I love" to Simon's "The Mississippi Delta was   
   > shining like a national guitar/I am following the river down the highway   
   > through the cradle of the Civil War". Both further their story by evolving   
   > from the abstract to the personal, are measured in pace and strike an   
   > emotional chord.   
   >   
   > Michael Anthony   
   > My music @ http://ma.fihs.net   
   >   
   >   
      
      
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