Is there such thing as a completely original song/style of music?
 

Has there ever been a song or style that has not been influenced by those before them? Or are they simply a compilation of ideas? Is a band's/musician's originality based off of how well they can hide their influences? Share your ideas (so I can put them all together to form my own original opinion). ;)

I don't think there is. In the end all music styles have at least some resemblance with some world music from a far away corner in the world.

Ganglion by Saltillo in my opinion is the closest thing to being unlike anything else, there is no such thing as a pure or original musical style it is intertwined that album though I reckon is the closest I could get, without going and getting something that is just a collection of obscure sounds for no reason!

Even random noises aren't original. It's been done before. All art is derivative no matter how hard you might try. The earliest art was cave paintings of animals and hunts, which was inspired by nature. Nothing is completely original.

4'33"

Inspired by silence!

This!

Everything is influenced in one way or another. You cannot pinpoint at one style of music and call it original. It is bound to be influenced from something else.

All things that are created are created by using materials and methods used to create something else, in the end everything that exists logically comes from the same place.

basically all music is influenced by other music. most likely man created music first to recreate some interesting sounds that were heard and it has evolved from there.

First of all, this thread reminds me of this series:

Everything is a Remix
It's really interesting.

I'm not sure how much I agree with this. I mean inspiration-wise, I guess random noises and such wouldn't be original, but at one time, something was original. It was inspired by something, but it was an original song/style.
I think the OP was talking about music, not about whether a song was inspired by something not-musical.

Subconsciously, I'm sure a lot of everything we write is based on something else we've heard, but I'm sure there are some sounds, some ideas, that are very partially original still.
I'm speaking from a more emotional point of view, than a literal one, I think, and this is probably where I'll end up butting heads with a lot of opinions.