I was having this discussion the other day, lets see how it flies here.

Which rock star do you feel had the most potential left in their music at the time of their death? Who still had a lot of great rock n roll left in them? This could be someone who passed recently, or 30 years ago, was a lead singer or backing musician, was 27 years old or 67 years old when they passed. I won't provide any choices, let's leave it open ended.

i think Michael Hutchence and INXS would still be HUGE if he didn't die when he did.

Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy.

That band was getting better and better as they got heavier and more metal-inclined.

Drugs ruined his relationship with the group, and eventually killed him.

Damn shame.

I am going to take a different angle and say that everybody died when they were supposed to die without any music left to give. I wouldn't want to see John Lennon putting out crap like Paul McCartney is in his 60's. I would not want Nirvana putting out a new cd like Pearl Jam every year when post people stopped carrying years ago. And would we really need to see the Doors still touring like the Rolling Stones even though their best music is 20 years behind them. That's just my opinion though.

Nick Drake and Terry Kath are my dark horse choices, but I'll also throw Jimi in there. I think Jimi was heading off into amazing new directions so as not too be doing the Experience retread thing past its time. I don't know that the new stuff would have carried most of the fans of the earlier stuff with it, but the same can be said for theBand of Gypsies material and some of that stuff has withstood the test of time musically and socially better than a lot of the Experience stuff.

I kinda wanna say Eazy E -- just for the record company perspective with his eye for finding new talent (i.e. Bone Thugs and Harmony) but he wasn't a really creative musician himself.

 

From the overdose category: I'd also say Cobain and Hendrix at least for another couple albums. Nobody wants them to turn into lounge acts.

 

From the disease category: I'd say Frank Zappa.

 

From the violence category: I'd say Tupac Shakur.

Jeff Buckley??

Nick Drake and Terry Kath are my dark horse choices, but I'll also throw Jimi in there. I think Jimi was heading off into amazing new directions so as not too be doing the Experience retread thing past its time. I don't know that the new stuff would have carried most of the fans of the earlier stuff with it, but the same can be said for theBand of Gypsies material and some of that stuff has withstood the test of time musically and socially better than a lot of the Experience stuff.

 

Terry Kath is an interesting choice. While I was/am a big fan, I never really thought there was potential beyond some really uber popular stuff, not moving music in any direction.

 

Jimi was the guy I thought of right away. I figured the thread would be dominated by PINHOs.

Freddie Mercury. End of story.

First good thought to come to my mind is Brian Jones.

KURT COBAIN.No question.Damn shame.

Every minute more that Joe Strummer lived there would have been that much more brilliant music produced.

Syd Barrett

First good thought to come to my mind is Brian Jones.

 

 

Syd Barrett

 

And that's the tricky part. Brian possibly had a lot more in him, but it wasn't going to come out as a marginalized part fo the Stones. As for Sydd Barrett, i guess you can make a similar argument, but he had 30+ more years to top or equal his Floyd contributions and I don't think he got close.

 

These are all personal opinions though and that' what makes it fun so carry on.

Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon was putting together a nice career before heroin ended it prematurely

Freddie Mercury. End of story.

 

^^^

 

Some of his solo stuff was absolutely stunning.

Jeff Buckley??

 

 

He drowned, didn't he?

Nick Drake and Terry Kath are my dark horse choices, but I'll also throw Jimi in there. I think Jimi was heading off into amazing new directions so as not too be doing the Experience retread thing past its time. I don't know that the new stuff would have carried most of the fans of the earlier stuff with it, but the same can be said for theBand of Gypsies material and some of that stuff has withstood the test of time musically and socially better than a lot of the Experience stuff.

 

Yes on Jimi. I think he never actually discovered his sound, which is terrible in its unfulfillment.

 

I think both the Buckleys were terrible losses. As well as Ian Curtis, if only so he could be around to be embarrassed about what its created.

 

 

First good thought to come to my mind is Brian Jones.

 

great one.

jimi hendrix had so much more to offer

Jeff Buckley??

great choice!!!

 

Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon was putting together a nice career before heroin ended it prematurely

another excellent choice!

 

i was accually thinking of lynn strait from snot... their first and only cd was ground breaking in its time and still to this day dosent even get the love it deserves.... no on probably even knows of snot =P

 

but really... jeff buckley was just getting started and had the most tallent ive heard in YEARS! shannon hoon was an amazing musician that could blend styles from current and archived years like no other... that was the start of new age old school progressive rock... that is now dead.

Biggie Smalls

Re: Jeff Buckley

 

He drowned, didn't he?

yeah... in the mississippi river when he was in his late 20's

 

the trippy part:

 

he had a dad, named.... jeff buckley..... who.... also died in his late 20's..... cause of death..... drowning in the mississippi river.

yeah... in the mississippi river when he was in his late 20's

 

the trippy part:

 

he had a dad, named.... jeff buckley..... who.... also died in his late 20's..... cause of death..... drowning in the mississippi river.

 

I assume the second part was a joke...but Jeff's dad was Tim Buckley (who I think was a better musician) and he died from a combination of alcohol and heroin.

I assume the second part was a joke...but Jeff's dad was Tim Buckley (who I think was a better musician) and he died from a combination of alcohol and heroin.

i guess you shouldnt believe everything you read on the internet =P

 

thanks for clearin that up

Tim Buckley was far more prolific as well, releasing several albums before his death at 27, whilst jeff successfully finished only grace, and died while making his second album. Grace was amazing, though.