Desert Island Discs: Your Top 20 Artists
July, 2014, The Telegraph
20. Simon & Garfunkel
The American Music duo featuring singer-songwriters Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. They rose to fame in 1965, largely due to their hit single The Sound of Silence. Their music was also featured in the landmark film The Graduate (1967), furthering their prominence. The duo were nominated in 38 episodes of the programme, the most popular song choice being Bridge Over Troubled Water.
19. Elvis Presley
One of the most popular American singers of the 20th century, Elvis was a cultural icon. He is often referred to as the 'King of Rock and Roll' or simply 'the King' and features in 74 episodes of the programme.
18. Gustav Mahler
The late-Romantic Austrian composer and a leading conductor of his generation featured in 134 episodes of the programme. He was born and grew up in what is now the Czech Republic. The public's favourite Mahler symphonies were No 2 in C Minor 'Resurrection' and No 5 in C sharp minor.
17. Leonard Cohen
The Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and novelist featured in 19 episodes of the programme. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour. Listener's favourite was his song Suzanne.
16. Bruce Springsteen
Nicknamed 'The Boss', the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist was nominated in 20 episodes of the programme. Springsteen is widely known for his lengthy, energetic stage performances, with concerts running for up to 250 minutes in length, uninterrupted. Listener's chose his songs Born to Run and Thunder Road.
15. Van Morrison
The Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, as well as the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are critically acclaimed and appear at the top of many 'greatest album' lists. He featured in 40 episodes of the programme, most notably for his song Brown Eyed Girl.
14. George Frideric Handel
The German-born British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos features in 283 episodes of the programme. Handel was born in 1685 into a non-musical family. With musical training in Halle, Hamburg and Italy, he settled in London in 1712 and became a naturalised British citizen in 1727. His Messiah was a favourite with listeners.
13. Giacomo Puccini
The Italian composer whose operas are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire, features in 298 episodes of the programme. Listeners selected Nessun Dorma from his opera Turandot.
12. David Bowie
Born David Robert Jones in 1947, Bowie is known by his stage name David Bowie. The English musician, actor, record producer and arranger features in 33 episdoes of the programme. Spanning four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is seen as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 70s. Listeners chose his songs Heroes and Life on Mars?
11. Led Zeppelin
The English rock band active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, which consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. They are widely considered to be one of the most successful and influential rock groups in history. Featuring in 5 episodes of the programme, listeners chose their songs Stairway To Heaven and Kashmir.
10. Queen
The British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisted of the late Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), John Deacon (bass guitar), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals). Queen's earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, but the band then settled for more conventional, 'radio-friendly' rock music. Their hit Bohemian Rhapsody was played in 4 episodes of the programme and is a well-loved favourite.
9. Ralph Vaughan Williams
The English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. Also a collector of English folk music and song, which influenced his own composition and his contributions to the English Hymnal, in which he included many folk song arrangements set as hymn tunes. Featured in 150 episodes of the programme, listeners selected his Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, and The Lark Ascending.
8. Sir Edward Elgar
The English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire featured in 328 episodes of the programme. Among his best-known compositions and favourites with listeners are orchestral works like the Enigma Variations, and concertos for violin and cello such as his Cello Concerto in E minor. He also composed two symphonies, choral works, chamber music and songs, and was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1924.
7. The Rolling Stones
The English rock band formed in London in 1962 with a line-up consisting of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Ian Stewart (piano), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums). Rolling Stone magazine ranked them 4th in '100 Greatest Artists of All Time', with album sales estimated to have been more than 200 million worldwide. Featured in 55 episodes of the programme, listeners singled out the songs Sympathy For The Devil, Brown Sugar, and Gimme Shelter.
6. Johann Sebastian Bach
The German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist of the Baroque Period featured in 655 episodes of the programme. Many of Bach's works are still known today, and are revered for their intellectual depth, technical command, and artistic beauty. Listeners favoured his St Matthew Passion BWV 244, Goldberg Variations, Mass in B minor BWV 232, and Concerto for Two Violins in D minor BWV 1043.
5. Pink Floyd
The English rock band that achieved international success with their progressive and psychedelic music, featured in 25 episodes of the programme. Distinguished by their use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, and elaborate live shows, they are one of the most commercially successful and musically influential groups in the history of popular music. Listeners chose the songs Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, and Shine on You Crazy Diamond.
4. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart was a prolific and highly influential composer of the Classical era, famous from musical child genius until his premature death at the age of 35. He travelled widely performing across Europe, and wrote a colossal amount of music, all of which remains famous today. Haydn wrote that "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years". Featured in 796 episodes of the programme, listeners singled out his Requiem in D minor, Clarinet Concerto in A major, and his Piano Concerto No 21 in C major.
3. Ludwig van Beethoven
The German composer and pianist was a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western music, and he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time. Featuring in 722 episodes of the programme, listeners chose his Symphony No 9 in D minor 'Choral', Symphony No 6 in F major 'Pastoral', Piano Concerto No 5 in E flat major 'Emperor', Symphony No 7 in A major, and his Piano Sonata No 14 in C sharp minor 'Moonlight Sonata'.
2. Bob Dylan
The American singer-songwriter, musician, and artist has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for over five decades, and features in 92 episodes of the programme. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 60s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly reluctant figurehead of social unrest. A number of Dylan's early songs became anthems for the US civil rights and anti-war movements. Dylan's six-minute single Like a Rolling Stone has been described as radically altering the parameters of popular music in 1965, and was chosen as a favourite by listeners who also nominated Tangled Up In Blue and Mr Tambourine Man.
1. The Beatles
The English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960 featured in 256 episodes of the programme. Arguably, they became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music. The band's lineup consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the group later utilised several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. In the early 60s, their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania", but as their songwriting grew in sophistication, they came to be perceived as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the era's sociocultural revolutions. Listeners chose Hey Jude, In My Life, A Day In The Life, Here Comes The Sun, Yesterday, Strawberry Fields Forever, Eleanor Rigby, and Let It Be as their favourite songs.
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