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

Featured Replies

On 2/6/2025 at 7:40 AM, smuggs said:

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

I'd disagree. I think Joy Division had run it's course and they weren't gonna find the path that became the New Order sound with Ian.

1 hour ago, Don Johnson said:

Maybe they died at the perfect time.
 

What if Cobain gets clean and becomes Steven Tyler?  Or Hendrix follows an Elton John path and is on the Lion King soundtrack?  Or Brian Jones goes solo and becomes Rod Stewart?
 

Not everyone puts out cool stuff as they get older.  

I get your point but Elton John is a step up from Tyler and Rod Stewart. Paul McCartney made some shitty music, too.

3 hours ago, Spankytoes said:

Liam Payne

This one hits hard.

On 2/9/2025 at 3:32 PM, Don Johnson said:

Maybe they died at the perfect time.

What if Cobain gets clean and becomes Steven Tyler?  Or Hendrix follows an Elton John path and is on the Lion King soundtrack?  Or Brian Jones goes solo and becomes Rod Stewart?

So junior high and high school kids in the 80s would have been talking about Brian Jones getting semen pumped out of his stomach?

 

Edited by atomheartbevo

On 2/8/2025 at 12:11 PM, Buzzrock said:

Other names:

Brad Delp

Jerry Garcia

I'm fairly certain that if Jerry Garcia had lived, he would have made some great music, but it would sound exactly like All his other music.

Mark Hollis of Talk Talk. The trajectory of his last few albums is intriguing. Would liked to have seen how it progressed.

On 2/9/2025 at 3:32 PM, Don Johnson said:

Not everyone puts out cool stuff as they get older.  

Define older.  Are we talking 40s, 50s, 60s?

On 2/7/2025 at 10:07 AM, Delta Charlie said:

Warren Zevon.  His last album was made when he knew his end was coming. Its a brilliant record. 

I read the lyrics to Keep Me In Your Heart at both my parents' funerals. 

On 2/6/2025 at 1:02 PM, gsoda3 said:

My wife's response would be Karen Carpenter.

If only her and Mama Cass could have rubbed off on one another. 

On 2/6/2025 at 11:00 AM, 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.

 

On 2/6/2025 at 12:27 PM, G650 said:

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

Mike-Watt-with-piss-jug.jpg

4 hours ago, Deej said:

If only her and Mama Cass could have rubbed off on one another. 

Phrasing?

2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Jeez, Mike.  Hydrate more.

Yes, Tom Herman would not be pleased.

That said, ya gotta love the jar of pickled japs in the drink holder.

On 2/9/2025 at 11:48 AM, ztejas said:

Them big ol' women still sad about that one.

I am big woman

On 2/5/2025 at 9:24 PM, ztejas said:

Mac Miller.

Still fucks me up. 

Mac never did it for me, he got some some hits tho. sorry for your loss. 
 

Pop Smoke hit me…

Pop was Grammy nominated for best new hip hop artist. Then boom, shot and killed. 
 

 

Never gravitated to the genre, but Mac Miller seemed to be evolving and was starting to show some real depth/chops.

 

feel like a few of the examples on here are of artists who had been treading water for years before their death. I dont think Miller was one of those.

I know a few people who got really into Mac Miller but it's just not for me at all.

From my casual observation he connected much more to mid-pack Millenials ('88-'95 born) than elder Millenials like myself.

  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/12/2025 at 12:51 PM, elguapo said:

Bradley Nowell

someone else mentioned him upthread but this was going to be my out of the box contribution as well.  I think that guy had "it" though the only way he was gonna make it was to get sober and that might have changed things.

I always wonder with the "died way to early" types if the genius and the drugs had to be in combination.

Hendrix is the most obvious. 

the most disappointing to me is Bon Scott.  what AC/DC REALLY could have been...

Bonham is the ultimate tragedy - stopped the greatest rock band of all time in its tracks.

4 hours ago, dcar00 said:

 

Bonham is the ultimate tragedy - stopped the greatest rock band of all time in its tracks

I honestly think they were on fumes at that point anyway. Page was deep into addiction, Plant was one foot out the door already. They maybe could have pulled a Stones and reformed in the 90s, as Page and Plant sorta did, but I think Zeppelin as a force was close to done.

6 hours ago, G650 said:

I honestly think they were on fumes at that point anyway. Page was deep into addiction, Plant was one foot out the door already. They maybe could have pulled a Stones and reformed in the 90s, as Page and Plant sorta did, but I think Zeppelin as a force was close to done.

possible but I think they would have had another 5-8 years in them.  Zeppelin vs. Hair Metal would have been glorious.

My initial thought was Buddy Holly. He essentially recorded all of those songs in under 2 years.

Also, I have always thought Steve Gaines should be on this list. He was really changing Lynyrd Skynyrd in the short time he was with them.

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