A wonderfully written piece, Marcel, very enjoyable and very true. I would add that
what you call "nitpicking" I would call an in-depth analysis that would seem to be the
primary purpose of this list.
As for Paprika Plains, there's a neat section on the "Rock Master Class" interview
where she discusses how she wrote PP...she just put her fingers on the keys and let
them explore. She even does the same thing live in the interview, and it's a very
chilling and exciting moment. You get a real feel for how she invented this brilliant
piece of music. And perhaps there were some, ahem, other stimulants driving the muse
at the time...
<<Bruce Springsteen, Hootie and the Blowfish, The FuFighters, Courtney Love, tell me
who? >>
Of course, none of these artists are appropriate choices, and by the same token THEY
do things that Joni couldn't do. To answer your question, I would suggest that Frank
Zappa was as musically creative as Joni is in Paprika Plains in terms of composition
and bandleading. There are probably others like Steve Reich or John Cage, but I don't
know enough about them to comment.
Bob
NP: REM, "King of Birds"
