# Modern bards



## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm not sure how to describe what exactly I mean by "modern bards". Perhaps some guy singing simple songs with accompaniament based on his instrument (mostly guitar), something that we call today singer-songwriter? That's the best explanation that comes to my mind.

This kind of music is one of things that I use to take breath from complex and pompous classical music. It's charming and less demanding, althought it's not easy listening as well.

So - do you listen to some modern bards? Which ones are you favourites?

Here comes mine, along with some links, so you can listen to them:

Bob Dylan. For me - king of bards. Most iconic guy in this industry. He can't sing, but he does and it sounds good. He also wrote great lyrics.










Donovan. Kind of psychedelic guy. I adore his voice.














Syd Barrett. Ex-Pink Floyd.










George Harrison. Fromer Beatle, his solo works are much more "bardish" than Lennon.






Nick Drake from Fairport Convention.


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

For me...

Paul Simon (not as part of Simon and Garfunkel, which I can't stand, but solo)

Joni Mitchell

and, my absolute favorite "modern bard", the great *Randy Newman*


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Aramis said:


> Here comes mine, along with some links, so you can listen to them:


Wow! I'm into all of these -- except maybe Dylan. I never quite grasped what is supposed to be so special about him. But enough people darn near worship him it must be something I'm just missing.

Hurdy Gurdy Man is probably my favorite of your picks. That's Jimmy Page of Led Zeppellin and Yardbirds fame playing that trippy guitar.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Here are some of mine.

Luka Bloom (the sync is way off on this but the sound is fair):





Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull) When he is solo he is quite acoustic. I cheated a bit on this as there is an orchestra, but the song is about playing with orchestras:





Dougie MacLean. I've mentioned him before as composer of the theme from _Last of the Mohicans_, but this is what he does the most:





Gordon Lightfoot. 





No ladies in my list? That's odd. I'll have to remedy that. Most of the female singers I like are (or were) in bands -- Annie Haslem of Renaissance (with a 5 octave vocal range) and Candice Night of Blackmore's Night in a similar vein.


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2009)

The bard tradition is alive and well in Russia, where it flourishes and there are many young performers. I would hesitate to put it in a music message-board setting, since it's essentially poetry that happens to be sung. There are at least two full-time venues in Moscow which present bard programmes nightly, and the house is always packed-out.

The Russian bard tradition isn't much known outside Russia because of the language barrier - translating poetry is notoriously problematic. The most famous of the bards of two generations ago were Vladimir Vysotsky and Bulat Okudhzhava, but you couldn't really call them "modern bards" since both are now dead for more than a decade.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Weston said:


> That's Jimmy Page of Led Zeppellin and Yardbirds fame playing that trippy guitar.


This reminds me of another great, but underrated bard - Roy Harper. He collaborated with Page as well.

What about Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison or Neil Young? These are very famous guys.


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

Aramis said:


> What about Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison or Neil Young? These are very famous guys.


I like all these guys (except, perhaps, Leonard Cohen)- in fact, Neil used to be my favorite rock artist. But Tom Waits' crazy percussion ensembles and Van Morrison's R&B backing bands hardly make them typical "guy with his guitar" bards. Neil, though, would definitely count- and I should have included him on my list (On The Beach is one of my favorite albums).


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Neil Young didn't cross my mind because I have the mental image of his electric guitar primal rock antics backed by those larger than life speakers when he is with Crazy Horse. I love his Cro-Magnon ritualistic stomping about. I think it's great that such a widely respected and influential song writer can cut loose and get away with that physical expression of rebellion without loosing any credibility. I like _On the Beach_ too and his many different band incarnations. One of the few North American musicians I really appreciate.


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## Atelier (Jul 17, 2009)

One word: Fenriz.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I'd say Australia's *Archie Roach* is like a modern bard...


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