DVDizzy Forum

I think she is the greatest singer, performer, artist working in music today. And has been ever since her 1993 solo debut. I own all of her albums, short of her Greatest Hits CD.

Uh, I hope the lack or response to this thread isn't indicative to a low taste in music. Shame! Bjork is an absolute musical genius, especially her last album, the best musical event of 2004. Her musical film Dancer in the Dark is probably the greatest movie of this century. I think what is so cool about her is that she is influenced by every genre, but doesn't conform to one. I mean, she is labeled "alternative," but she goes far beyond Coldplay and Radiohead in that department. She's so unique, I don't think there ever was, or ever will be a female artist who sounds like her. I am so glad she has an Oscar and several Grammy nominations to her name, except by my count, she's long overdue to actually win a trophy stateside.

Sorry to dissapoint either of ya, but I never really got her music.. I tried.. Honestly I did.. However I guess it wasn't for me.. I'm always willing to take a re-listen however.. Any song you suggest that you think would be good to listen to?

My special recommendations / highlights from all her albums:
In bold are my personal picks for her die-hard greatest

Debut

1. Human Behaviour, 3. Venus As a Boy, 7. One Day, 9. Come to Me

Post

1. Army of Me, 2. Hyper-ballad, 7. Isobel, 8. Possibly Maybe, 9. I Miss You

Homogenic

1. Hunter, 2. Joga, 4. Bachelorette, 9. Pluto

Selmasongs, soundtrack to Dancer in the Dark

4. Scatterheart, 7. New World

Vespertine

2. Cocoon, 5. Pagan Poetry, 7. Aurora, 10. Heirloom, 12. Unison

Medulla

1. Pleasure Is All Mine, 3. Where Is the Line, 8. Desired Constellation, 9. Oceania, 14. Triumph of a Heart
Greatest Hits

1. All Is Full of Love (Video Version), 14. Play Dead

*post deleated*

Timon/Pumba fan wrote:Well I never heard of her, but I think:

Lazario wrote: ...the greatest singer, performer, artist working in music today.

is a bit of an exaggeration, but I might try to listen for her name on the radio or something.

I'm in the same position as Timon. What type of station would they play her music on?

chaychay102royal wrote:

Timon/Pumba fan wrote:Well I never heard of her, but I think:
is a bit of an exaggeration, but I might try to listen for her name on the radio or something.

I'm in the same position as Timon. What type of station would they play her music on?

She's a true artist...meaning they don't play her stuff on the radio. Her albums sell through heavy word-of-mouth, good print review, and lots of rotations on VH1.

Oh, and Lazario, how can you forget the song she was Oscar-nominated for? "I've Seen It All," from Dancer in the Dark will go down as one of the all-time great movie tunes. The critics just don't know it yet.

I haven't seen Dancer in the Dark yet. But I will own the DVD very soon. But I suspect that Oscar has something to do with the fact that the people who gave her the award didn't know who she was until Dancer in the Dark.

Timon/Pumba fan wrote:Well I never heard of her, but I think: "...the greatest singer, performer, artist working in music today" is a bit of an exaggeration, but I might try to listen for her name on the radio or something.

No it's not. And how can you argue that if you've never heard her? You can't.

chaychay102royal wrote:

Timon/Pumba fan wrote:Well I never heard of her, but I think ... is a bit of an exaggeration, but I might try to listen for her name on the radio or something.

I'm in the same position as Timon. What type of station would they play her music on?

Radio play doesn't really matter. Do you decide what great music is just by what gets the most radio play? That's so sad, fake, and wrong.

Lazario wrote:Radio play doesn't really matter. Do you decide what great music is just by what gets the most radio play? That's so sad, fake, and wrong.

Radio play plays an important role in music, as does video play..

Look at spice girls
Nsyn
backstreet

All got famous due to radio play and video play.

Lightyear wrote:Sorry to dissapoint either of ya, but I never really got her music.. I tried.. Honestly I did.. However I guess it wasn't for me.. I'm always willing to take a re-listen however.. Any song you suggest that you think would be good to listen to?

My exact thoughts.

I HAVE heard Bjork, and she's good, but she's not the great music artist of all time. And her movie is the best of the century? I don't think so.

Lightyear wrote:Radio play plays an important role in music, as does video play.. Look at spice girls, Nsync, backstreet boys. All got famous due to radio play and video play.

And that has what kind of bearing on the quality of her music? And I'm sorry, are you saying that Nsync and the Backstreet Boys are great just because the radio played and continues to play their material a zillion times? Popularity has nothing to do with greatness. Because something great remains great with or without recognition. And by the way, Bjork has plenty of that.

Millions of people love her and millions more buy her music. Besides she got lots of radio airplay in the 90s. She just didn't make it on Top 10 lists because there was no room for her with all the hack artists who made it on the strength of just a stupid beat. Bjork has the beat, the amazing voice, intelligent lyrics, an indescribable style and fashion sense, obscurity to pump up her international intrigue, avant garde music videos, SOLDOUT concerts and tours, and even a little controversy. She works with only the most cutting-edge producers. Right after her first 1993 album, Madonna called on Bjork to write a song for her which became "Bedtime Story" for Madonna's 1994 Bedtime Stories album. And Gwen Stefani worked with Nellee Hooper for her Love Angel Music Baby album based on Nellee's work with Bjork.

And for all you people still saying you don't know who she is, she's the one who wore that famous Swan-dress at a 2000/2001 (what was it, Oscars? Academy Awards?) awards show and VH1 won't shut up about it...ever.

Just Myself wrote:I HAVE heard Bjork, and she's good, but she's not the great music artist of all time.

I never said that, so pay attention. There are people who have revolutionized the music industry. Bjork is one of them. There's no need of questioning whether she's the best there ever was. People say there can be no best, since times change. But there are greatest singers, bands, performers, and artists for every generation. Bjork is the greatest artist of the 1990s and I dare anyone to try and name one better. Mark my words, years from now when people look back and they name the greatest musicians of all time, they'll name the obvious names we can agree with now: Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Madonna. And when they look at the 1990s, they're not going to freak out over Nirvana. But they will all agree that Bjork is the strongest candidate for the greatest artist of today's modern times. Again, I challenge you to find me a better artist or group today!

Lazario wrote:And that has what kind of bearing on the quality of her music? And I'm sorry, are you saying that Nsync and the Backstreet Boys are great just because the radio played and continues to play their material a zillion times? Popularity has nothing to do with greatness. Because something great remains great with or without recognition. And by the way, Bjork has plenty of that.

No, I'm saying radio play does play a huge roll in a artists career.. NSYNC , SG , And so forth, got to where they are by the radio and video.

I wasn't debating the greatness issue.. It's an undebatable issue, we all have our favorite artists..

Again, I challenge you to find me a better artist or group today!

Two that come off the top of my head..

Tori Amos
Susan Tedeschi

Lightyear wrote:

Lazario wrote:And that has what kind of bearing on the quality of her music? And I'm sorry, are you saying that Nsync and the Backstreet Boys are great just because the radio played and continues to play their material a zillion times? Popularity has nothing to do with greatness. Because something great remains great with or without recognition. And by the way, Bjork has plenty of that.

No, I'm saying radio play does play a huge roll in a artists career.. NSYNC , SG , And so forth, got to where they are by the radio and video.

I wasn't debating the greatness issue.. It's an undebatable issue, we all have our favorite artists..

Again, I challenge you to find me a better artist or group today!

I think Lazaro is saying that airplay is not indicative of quality music, as everyone SHOULD know.
Two that come off the top of my head..

Tori Amos
Susan Tedeschi

I think what Lazario was saying was that airplay is not indicative of quality music, as everyone SHOULD know.

Lightyear wrote:No, I'm saying radio play does play a huge roll in a artists career.. NSYNC, SG, and so forth, got to where they are by the radio and video. I wasn't debating the greatness issue... It's an undebatable issue, we all have our favorite artists.

Again, I challenge you to find me a better artist or group today!

Two that come off the top of my head..Tori Amos, Susan Tedeschi

Actually, greatness is not an undebatable issue. Though the point of it is truly not to say one artist is greater than another, to say there can be no greatest is a denouncement of the hard work of the best musicians of all time. I've never heard of Susan Tedeschi, but she has quite a way to go before she can ever be as influencial as Bjork, or even Tori Amos. And I agree, Tori Amos is another one of the greatest artists of our times, ever since 1991. But I would say Bjork has surpassed her in ambition, work quality, and influence. And there are people who say Tori Amos is today's Kate Bush (even that she has ripped off Kate Bush several times). Bjork is a visionary and a true original. She's a pop music artist who has changed everyone who's ever experienced her music's definition of just what pop is. Besides I see from a critical point of view, poor Susan has been denied a lot of praise. Not because she hasn't been heard. She's been heard, and from what I'm reading on her she's better than average, but not much better. Perhaps in the future, she'll make blues a genre the public at large comes to love again. Look at what groups like Dave Matthews Band and Blues Traveler have accomplished.

(EDIT: I JUST LOST MY BEST PARAGRAPH BECAUSE OF A COMPUTER FOWL-UP!!! So there is more, it's just going to take me time to f-ing rewrite it)

My nominations for some of Tori Amos's worst/least songs:


7. China, 9. Mother, 11. Me and a Gun


4. Past the Mission, 5. Baker Baker, 9. Icicle


10. Way Down, 13. Not the Red Baron, 16. In the Springtime of His Voodoo


None, this album's fantastic!!!


1. Bliss, 3. Concertina, 7. Josephine


7. Wampum Prayer, 9. Sweet Sangria, 13. Mrs. Jesus, 15. Another Girl's Paradise

I'm going to be listening to Boys, Venus, and Scarlet again soon to hear these songs again in fairness to the fact that I'm most familiar with Earthquakes, Pink, and Hotel.

Quote:
Just Myself wrote:
I HAVE heard Bjork, and she's good, but she's not the great music artist of all time. And her movie is the best of the century? I don't think so.

Well, let's see, there's only been five years in this century, so that statement (the opinion of many critics) would certainly be valid. Winning the Palm D'or at the Cannes film festival would certainly qualify it as such. Maybe you just don't like high art movies.

Lazario wrote:Actually, greatness is not an undebatable issue.


and from what I'm reading on her she's better than average, but not much better.

I suggest it's undebatable on the premiss that what I may consider greatness, you may not, or the next person may not. We base our opinion of greatness differently. Especially being I'm not entirely familliar with Bjork's work except for maybe one or two songs and a video I recall from years ago.. So I'm going to lean towards Tori Amos more.

I wont dispute the "not much better" comment solely on the fact you never heard of her.. or listened to her music... Not fair of me to challenge you on that.. But if you get a chance to hear Angels of Montgomery, you'll see her blues talent far exceeds the "standard".. She didn't write the song, it's a cover.. But a beautiful rendition.

If your interested, I'll email you the MP3 tonight when I get home.

Lightyear wrote:If your interested, I'll email you the MP3 tonight when I get home.

I've tried that, but another person informed me that my E-Mail service doesn't have the capacity to accept mp3s.

Lazario wrote:

Lightyear wrote:If your interested, I'll email you the MP3 tonight when I get home.

I've tried that, but another person informed me that my E-Mail service doesn't have the capacity to accept mp3s.

I'll try to zip it and see how small in compresses it.

What's your max bandwith per email?

I have no idea. I just know I can't do anything. I can't even attach an image to an E-Mail.