It was'nt might have been printed it was printed,(not saying it came in those words from Macca's mouth, I was not there in person when he said it) I am not in the habit of saving every single thing I have ever read, but plenty of us have read it and know it's floating around someplace

Anyway, personally I can take or leave Macca but he is considered a major music figure by many many people, some people would consider such kudos quite a compliment (at the very least)or is it more the issue it was said about Neil. Just curious

The fact is I came to dislike Macca very much about the way he said something in an interview when George Harrison had passed away. Can't remember what he said actually. It was all about the way in which it was said.

Okay, it's another fact that I don't think Neil to be the centre of the music world. As well as Tim isn't really. They're both great, but it's all about personal taste.

I don't think that even if McCartney did say it (or not) that it would necessarily make it true anyway. It's all subjective. The idea of the "greatest songwriter" is all about opinion - music is an art, not a science, and a songwriter that some people might highly appreciate may well not be respected by others. It's all about personal tastes and beliefs.

I would say that Neil was one of my all-time favourite songwriters, but the idea of whether someone is the best at what they do is all down to individual taste.

If you like it, it's good!

Anselm, you've nailed it.

quote:

Originally posted by Anselm:
I don't think that even if McCartney did say it (or not) that it would necessarily make it true anyway.

The original reason that I posed the "greatest songwriter alive" question was due to the fact that I wanted to know if McCartney did in fact say that about Neil. If he did, it obviously doesnt mean its true (indeed, everyone has their own opinions), but a comment like that coming from a former member of the most famous pop/rock band ever is remarkable high praise and a truly great testament to Neil's sheer talent and accomplishments. I really hope Spanky can dig up Macca's quote soon, so that I can sleep easier at night and we can stop arguing about whether or not the quote is fact or fiction.

Come on fandorina, just because you do not personally like someone does not make their music redundant. I would cross the road to avoid some of my favorite songwriters if they were not famous. It is all about the song not the singer. Yes Macca is probably overrated but then again so is Lennon, it is all about degrees. The problem with making broad sweeping statements is the need to back them up, few people do. The Beatles were great because of the sheer weight of quality music over a relatively short period of time. The fact that (IMO) there were better songwriters going around at the time does not diminish their work. Neil's strength is his (largely) unrivalled gift for Melody. However, songwriters who do other things better are too numerous to count but that is no bad reflection on Neil.

I would think that if Macca really did say what is claimed then that is still high praise indeed.

Point of interest :

Paul McCartney is kicking of a round of programmes on BBC Radio 1 (UK) on Monday 17th September as part of their 40th Birthday celebrations. Each programme will feature a musical "legend" showcasing some of their favourite artists and influences from past and current music between 9pm-10pm UK time.

Wonder if Sir Paul will feature anything by Neil which may answer some of the questions raised in this discussion

i know we are all neil finn fans here, but seriously, to say that one person is the greatest songwriter alive or dead is extremely limited. I would have a lot of trouble chosing between cole porter, roy orbison, elvis costello, bob marley...i mean, c'mon.

love neil, though.

The quote in question was "greatest songwriter alive" not "alive or dead" so you can take Cole, Roy and Bob out of that equation... Elvis Costello is a worthy peer...

I think it would be interesting to know if McCartney said that too.

And Noel Crombie's Hair: I agree with you regarding Neil's gift for melody. Your mention of that has stuck in my mind as of late.

yeah, i know what the question was, but someone else mentioned dead peoples.

i see dead people...in my CD player!!

I overheard someone quoting the infamous Macca/Finn quote at the recent Crowdies Orpehum gig in LA and I wish we could determine if it's something Macca actually said or just a Frenz urban legend... I still would love to find this quote in print. Anyone have any more insight?

By the way, the Orpheum quoter I overheard was drunk and said Tim Finn, but I knew what he meant...

This whole thing has come up before and I have googled this til I was blue in the face. I have never come up with any evidence that Sir Paul said that about Neil. The only thing I have seen is that "other" people have claimed that Paul said it.

I have always maintained that Neil is one of the greatest song writers alive and just left it at that. And I don't need Paul's verification of that fact to make it real. Great song writers write great songs and Neil has done that many times over.



"He who writes and composes without feeling spoils both his words and his music." Guillaume de Machaut

Even if we can find the exact quote attributed in a reputable print source, it really means very little. This is the sort of aw-shucks demurral that one would expect from a figure like McCartney. His legacy is secure. He's not going to accept such hyerbolic far-fetched praise for himself - and risk appearing more full of himself than even he has a right to be. It's just a stock "class move" for someone like that to deflect the overheated kudos onto someone he admires.

I doubt if you asked the same question of Neil he would say, "Oh, feels GREAT man, glad you asked - great question!"

Really, it takes an unusual kind of artist to go around claiming* to be the "greatest alive." An artist's own work is too intimately familiar to them to inspire the kind of awe that they may feel for the work of another.

*with the exception of Rap, where it's expected to make that claim. And you can take my word on that because I am the greatest rapper alive.

Well Macca said the same thing about Brian Wilson too.

Apparantly God Only Knows is Macca's favourtie song.

Makes you wonder who's Brian Wilson's pick?

I agree with the comments that it doesn't mean anything really, I'd just like to know if Macca ever said it. Of course Neil doesn't need validation from Paul, I'm just curious as to how this all got started.

Although after having said that, I do think that having one of the most famous people on the planet and one of the most revered songwriters (rightly or wrongly) give Neil such praise is pretty cool.

quote:

Originally posted by Camus:
Well Macca said the same thing about Brian Wilson too.
Apparantly God Only Knows is Macca's favourtie song.

Saw a special once about the making of Sgt. Pepper and McCartney said he was highly influenced by Pet Sounds.

And Pet Sounds was hugely influenced by Rubber Soul according to Mr Wilson.

i didnt know he said that!!!!

neil is definately one of the BEST
last term for my social studies project about Famous new zealanders
i was very happy that i was able to do NEIL FINN
4 pages long (4 was the max)
at the end of term i get my report
so i hope i get above a B!!!!

Best of luck with the report Italianplastic.

I've heard Brian Wilson say a number of times that Pet Sounds was heavily influenced by Rubber Soul, though it was the Capitol edition of Rubber Soul that has a different track listing to the UK edition and the CD. Though I believe the Capitol Rubber Soul has been released on CD now.