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Which musician would've put out the best music if they hadn't passed?

Featured Replies

Thanks to Steamboat1874 for this idea. On the Cool Pictures of Music Icons thread, he said he would've really liked to see what Buddy Holly would've done with his music had he not died in that tragic plane crash. Got me thinking. So many musicians seemed primed to make a really great turn towards a new sound, but for being killed or dying before they got there. 

Hendrix was experimenting with all sorts of sounds. John Lennon finally seemed to be at peace with his inner demons. Kurt Cobain was writing mellower, more introspective stuff. Bon Scott was at the top of his game. 

As big of a Beatles honk as I am, the answer for me is SRV. That stuff he was putting out circa In Step after getting sober -- Tightrope, Life by the Drop, Riviera Paradise -- that was signaling a very cool new direction and I really would've loved to see what he created after that. Goddammit. 

15 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

Otis Redding

Good answer.

Also Sam Cooke, Tupac, Duane Allman, Hank Williams, Ronnie Van Zant…

Edited by 4th&Five

I would've liked to hear what an older, wiser, more jaded Mozart would have written.  Would it have gotten as dark and heavy as Beethoven? 

Just now, gsoda3 said:

I would've liked to hear what an older, wiser, more jaded Mozart would have written.  Would it have gotten as dark and heavy as Beethoven? 

f. murray abraham amadeus GIF by Maudit

53 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

I would've liked to hear what an older, wiser, more jaded Mozart would have written.  Would it have gotten as dark and heavy as Beethoven? 

Gay

4 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Croce

Good one. 

I think Justin Townes Earle is a good recent one. 

Tbh Buddy Holly is probably my pick too.

Otis Redding for sure would be a good one though. The rest, eh, I think they had said what they were gonna say. Except maybe Mozart.

1 minute ago, locodos said:

por que no Hendrix?

Literally in the first post.

I certainly would have liked to hear more out of Chris Cornell and Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne).

2 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Literally in the first post.

you read those?

 

I thought HH settled on SRV.  Don't get me wrong, I love SRV, but Jimi was the man, would have been amazing to see how he would mature and change over time.

I honestly think Hendrix had burned out. Not to say he wouldn't have put out some good music, but by all accounts he was getting pretty spent creatively. I don't think we would have gotten anything earth shattering from him.

2 minutes ago, G650 said:

I honestly think Hendrix had burned out. Not to say he wouldn't have put out some good music, but by all accounts he was getting pretty spent creatively. I don't think we would have gotten anything earth shattering from him.

So only changed the world once...  what a jerk!

Still would have loved to see what would have happened with him.    

 

3 minutes ago, locodos said:

So only changed the world once...  what a jerk!

Still would have loved to see what would have happened with him.    

 

I mean, I love Hendrix, not like I'm arguing that. But I think most of these people listed had already done what they were gonna do.

An interesting conundrum for consideration in connection with artists like Hendrix that died of drug-related causes.  Not just musicians, of course,

Prolonged life for a lot of them would have entailed sobriety, which probably would have changed the "character" of their output, if not the quality.

 

Hank Williams is an interesting experiment. Rockabilly and the folk revival began shortly after his death. Hard to imagine a songwriter of his talent wouldn't have heard what was coming down the tracks.

Would have been fun to see what Ian Curtis and Joy Division had in store. 

I'm not even honestly that familiar with his catalogue or interested in the genre, but Randy Rhoads.

Biggie was fuckin 24 years old. If he had even another 5 years of meaningful creative output, what would happen if he's done in 2002 rather than 97?

I think Shannon Hoon would have done some incredible 70's inspired shit.  He was well on his way.

13 hours ago, honolulu horn said:

Thanks to Steamboat1874 for this idea. On the Cool Pictures of Music Icons thread, he said he would've really liked to see what Buddy Holly would've done with his music had he not died in that tragic plane crash. Got me thinking. So many musicians seemed primed to make a really great turn towards a new sound, but for being killed or dying before they got there. 

Hendrix was experimenting with all sorts of sounds. John Lennon finally seemed to be at peace with his inner demons. Kurt Cobain was writing mellower, more introspective stuff. Bon Scott was at the top of his game. 

As big of a Beatles honk as I am, the answer for me is SRV. That stuff he was putting out circa In Step after getting sober -- Tightrope, Life by the Drop, Riviera Paradise -- that was signaling a very cool new direction and I really would've loved to see what he created after that. Goddammit. 

I fuckin' hate AI, but if it gave us Bon Scott on "Back in Black", I might forgive it.

Frank Zappa.  It probably wouldn't have seen commercial success, but he had more music to make.

5 hours ago, G650 said:

Tbh Buddy Holly is probably my pick too.

Otis Redding for sure would be a good one though. The rest, eh, I think they had said what they were gonna say. Except maybe Mozart.

I think I would pick Buddy Holly too 

I would like to say Gram Parsons but I think maybe that’s just because I like his music and am attracted to his substance abuse. 

So upon reflection, three that I would like to have seen where they went musically.

 

1. Brian Jones. He had more unique sounds in his head than anyone else I've ever heard of.

2. D Boon. The Minutemen were one of the most talented bands in history. They would have stretched way beyond punk rock with a Dylanesque impact I think.

 

3. Robert Johnson. Mostly to see if he was as legit as his legend.

3 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

I think I would pick Buddy Holly too 

I would like to say Gram Parsons but I think maybe that’s just because I like his music and am attracted to his substance abuse. 

Man, we are on the same plane. I was furiously debating Parsons a minute ago.

3 hours ago, Celery Man said:

I'm not even honestly that familiar with his catalogue or interested in the genre, but Randy Rhoads.

Biggie was fuckin 24 years old. If he had even another 5 years of meaningful creative output, what would happen if he's done in 2002 rather than 97?

Biggie is a really good one. His stuff still holds up so well even 30 years later. 

I loved Tupac too but imo he doesn't hold up as well.

Off to listen to some 90s rap

 

Would've loved to see what John Lennon did in the 80s and beyond.  Same with Marvin Gaye, especially how R&B evolved so much in the 80s and 90s.

I'm sure a lot of people would mention Kurt Cobain. I think folks forget that the "grunge" genre which exploded with Nirvana and other bands in the early 90s very quickly got diluted and essentially destroyed with the crap that the latter part of the decade produced.  I've wondered how Cobain would've deal with that, and if he hadn't eventually killed himself, he may just have faded into the background.    

25 minutes ago, G650 said:

2. D Boon. The Minutemen were one of the most talented bands in history. They would have stretched way beyond punk rock with a Dylanesque impact I think.

I became very fond of fIREHOSE very quickly.  Met Mike Watt at one of their Liberty Lunch gigs -- he could not have been more kind and he most certainlly didn't have any reason to be that way.  Good dude.

Three more 90s guys:  Layne Staley, Scott Weiland, and Josh Clayton-Felt (School of Fish).  Loved that band.

20 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Layne Staley

Following up on my comment about Cobain above, I think Layne Staley, with or without Alice 'N Chains, might have kept a musical career going had it not been for his suicide. 

From everything I remember and have read about Cobain, he seemed so sick and tired of fame and touring in front of crowds.  Not to compare him musically to Jim Morrison, but before Morrison died he appeared to have given up on music and retreated away to focus on poetry and stuff other than being in a rock band.  I think Kurt Cobain would've done something like that. 

oh man also on the hip hop front, I wish we had gotten to see more from Big L

5 hours ago, G650 said:

I mean, I love Hendrix, not like I'm arguing that. But I think most of these people listed had already done what they were gonna do.

Well, Jimi didn't really need to write any new songs.  He'd just take other songs and dial it up 10 and improvise all over it.  

 

Switching gears Kurt Cobain.   Yeah I could use a few more Nirvana Albums

Funny, I’ve been on a mini Jeff Buckley kick lately and been wondering how his music would have evolved had he not drowned.

Your mileage may very on Grace (I get the sense there has been some backlash to his hype), but he was really talented and obviously interested in a lot of different genres. It’s hard to even guess which direction his music would have gone in the early 2000s and beyond but it would be interesting at the least. 

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I became very fond of fIREHOSE very quickly.  Met Mike Watt at one of their Liberty Lunch gigs -- he could not have been more kind and he most certainlly didn't have any reason to be that way.  Good dude.

Yeah Mike Watt is one of the best guys ever. Born in same town as me as well, Portsmouth Va.

6 minutes ago, UncleSonny said:

Funny, I’ve been on a mini Jeff Buckley kick lately and been wondering how his music would have evolved had he not drowned.

Your mileage may very on Grace (I get the sense there has been some backlash to his hype), but he was really talented and obviously interested in a lot of different genres. It’s hard to even guess which direction his music would have gone in the early 2000s and beyond but it would be interesting at the least. 

Buckley is definitely one I could get behind.

12 minutes ago, G650 said:

Buckley is definitely one I could get behind.

Really?  I never thought he was all that attractive.

Terry Kath.  Seen a couple of documentaries and both mentioned that he was looking at new directions/side projects sans horns.  Which seemed odd to me the first time, I think his daughter said that, but on another doc, someone else said it, can't remember who, it was either someone in the band or band-adjacent.

 

My wife's response would be Karen Carpenter.

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