Music Best Solo Artist in Pop Music History

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Now I feel like I’m going mad. How can nobody else agree with this?! Could MJ even play an instrument?
i would go with Prince - but i am a big Prince fan! The issue with the purple one was his quality control.

Prince had 39 studio albums, compared to MJ with 10. MJ was clearly more popular - but this is not a popularity contest.
 
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Dylan, by a considerable margin if you remove the word pop, probably the most important musical figure of the last 100 years. Beyond everything else the quality and prolific nature of his songwriting is quite staggering, he has stuff on his bootlegs and outtakes that is levels above the vast majority of artist's best work.
i saw Dylan at Desert Trip about 5 years ago. Dylan, The Rolling Sones, The Who, Mcartney, Neil Young and Roger Walters - he was shockingly bad. Now clearly I know, that he was in his 70’s and it’s not a fair representation of his output - but on the occasions when I saw Prince he blew me away. Prince and Dylan have a lot in common in terms of output - both have great music that wasn’t on album releases, but both really lacked quality control on what they released at times.
 

Fingeredmouse

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i would go with Prince - but i am a big Prince fan! The issue with the purple one was his quality control.

Prince had 39 studio albums, compared to MJ with 10. MJ was clearly more popular - but this is not a popularity contest.
I honestly think post '87* Prince is largely dreadful (the equivalent would be Bowie going into his Tin Machine phase but never re-emerging) but prior to that he's pretty special.

*Including Diamonds and Pearls, especially the song itself
 
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I honestly think post '87 Prince is largely dreadful (the equivalent would be Bowie going into his Tin Machine phase but never re-emerging) but prior to that he's pretty special.
most would agree with you. I really got into Prince in the early 90’s - so unlike many of his fans, I actually really enjoy the likes of Diamonds and Pearls, The Gold Experience, Emancipation, Symbol and Come. But i acknowledge that these are not classic albums by any stretch. This will blow the mind of a Prince fan… i don’t love SOTT - I find it a really difficult listen.
 

Dirty Schwein

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Well, he was really good. :angel:
I'm sure he was. You don't become a music icon by being shit I guess :lol:

No-one can say I didn't try. In fact, this thread has given me the motivation to try again. I'm going to listen to Ziggy Stardust (or Let's Dance) until I force myself to like it :lol:
 
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Moby

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I'm sure he was. You don't become a music icon by being shit I guess :lol:

No-one can say I didn't try. In fact, this thread has given me the motivation to try again. I'm going to listen to Ziggy Stardust (or Let's Dance) until I force myself to like it :lol:
Cheers for your posts mate. Been a while since I had fired up Bowie so just went ahead and did it. 5 in the morning. Haven't slept and down with fever and what not. Still couldn't resist moving whatever part of my body when Heroes came up. :drool:

Man's a God. He shouldn't even be discussed in a thread about fecking pop music. His legacy spans far, far beyond that. I've no problem in nominating him as the greatest musician that has ever lived in the entire history of music.
 

Organic Potatoes

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It’s obviously Bob Dylan. Elvis is in with a shout.

I wanted to make an argument for Jimi Hendrix with influence outweighing longevity but I just couldn’t swing it.
 

LARulz

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Michael Jackson and then Prince. I think many people will know Prince but not his music (younger generations), where as almost everyone knows who MJ is and at least 1 song

Though of the current crop, I'd have to say someone like Beyonce, Taylor Swift and maybe Drake if he counts? I am basing it purely on their success than talent - again, everyone knows who they are and almost any song with their name is a big driver
 

Old Ma Crow

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Prince as a songwriter, musician and performer for so long. It’s not even close.
Chuck Berry - the father of rock and roll.
Jimi Hendrix - similar to Prince, just over less time.
Bowie - never tire of his music.

I’d have loved to see what Kurt Cobain might have done with more time.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Dylan, by a considerable margin if you remove the word pop, probably the most important musical figure of the last 100 years. Beyond everything else the quality and prolific nature of his songwriting is quite staggering, he has stuff on his bootlegs and outtakes that is levels above the vast majority of artist's best work.
I consider Dylan on a different level to every name mentioned here. Which is why I stressed on the word "popular". Dylan is a proper proper singer songwriter and probably the most creative and influential, who had a lasting impact on all the great indie bands which form my favourite music now. But like I said he wasnt pop music (he was better). Only thing lacking was his voice thought which many would argue is pretty darn important :lol: Still, a complete genius.
 

amolbhatia50k

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i would go with Prince - but i am a big Prince fan! The issue with the purple one was his quality control.

Prince had 39 studio albums, compared to MJ with 10. MJ was clearly more popular - but this is not a popularity contest.
That's one issue with MJ. People only see his peak but he didn't have longevity. Some artists battled hardships to produce great stuff in their 40s/50s. Michael couldn't. That also has to be held in favour of them and against him.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Prince as a songwriter, musician and performer for so long. It’s not even close.
Chuck Berry - the father of rock and roll.
Jimi Hendrix - similar to Prince, just over less time.
Bowie - never tire of his music.

I’d have loved to see what Kurt Cobain might have done with more time.
Love him but not a solo artist
 

Moby

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It depends on what one's definition of "pop" is. I see it as a generic term for music that did well in the charts.
That's one way to look at it.

For me I look at it from a musical perspective as a genre in itself. Hendrix, Dylan, Bowie are not 'popstars' going by that whatsoever. That shite is reserved for the likes of MJ, Elvis, Madonna etc.
 

Old Ma Crow

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That's one way to look at it.

For me I look at it from a musical perspective as a genre in itself. Hendrix, Dylan, Bowie are not 'popstars' going by that whatsoever. That shite is reserved for the likes of MJ, Elvis, Madonna etc.
OK I was referring to the OP asking for "the best solo artist in popular music". What is a "popstar"?
 

stepic

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That's one way to look at it.

For me I look at it from a musical perspective as a genre in itself. Hendrix, Dylan, Bowie are not 'popstars' going by that whatsoever. That shite is reserved for the likes of MJ, Elvis, Madonna etc.
yeah, me too. there's a difference i think between artists who do their own thing and almost inadvertently become popular, compared to people making music designed to be popular and for the masses. bowie and the like are of course 'popular' because they're freaking legends - so too are bands like the stones or nirvana - but it's not pop music.
 
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amolbhatia50k

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Just saw an interview where Elton gets asked 'is Bob Dylan someone you consider a rival?' and his answer is 'no, he's way above me' which is fair. But like I said Dylan was a true singer songwriter rather than someone who sang catchy radio friendly tippy tappy songs.
 

Organic Potatoes

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That's one way to look at it.

For me I look at it from a musical perspective as a genre in itself. Hendrix, Dylan, Bowie are not 'popstars' going by that whatsoever. That shite is reserved for the likes of MJ, Elvis, Madonna etc.
Well, the OP also said “popular” which is different to “pop”. Pop is technically a short version of popular true, but pop has been used so much in this context it’s taken on a different meaning over time to mean a genre. All pop is popular music, but not all popular music is pop. Like all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares.

The TC cleared it up later so apparently the thread title is correct, but I was responding to the part in bold which said popular music because I’m simple of mind and that’s all I remembered from the first post.
 

Moby

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All pop is popular music, but not all popular music is pop.
Pretty much.

The title asked for artists in 'pop music' history and for me I would never ever think of Bowie, Lennon or Dylan let alone Jimi fkin Hendrix when talking about 'pop music'.

Like someone above said, there are artists who sing to sell and that's a pretty alright definition for me. None of the ones mentioned above fall in that category.
 

Dirty Schwein

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OK I was referring to the OP asking for "the best solo artist in popular music". What is a "popstar"?
Pop music for me is popular music. Music that is mainstream and in the charts.

I think the genre people confuse with pop music is bubblegum pop. Or something like that. Think N*Sync or Britney Spears.
 

hungrywing

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Has anyone more musically inclined taken the Prince vs. MJ to the next level for the lulz yet.

Prince could do this:


It's no Coltane in "Giant Steps", but still:

 

Moby

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Pop music for me is popular music. Music that is mainstream and in the charts.

I think the genre people confuse with pop music is bubblegum pop. Or something like that. Think N*Sync or Britney Spears.
Or Pit bull. Jennifer Lopez. Shakira. Enrique egliseus. That's what popstars are. Their songs are meant to be played at parties and the radio and be as popular as possible.

Paul McCartney wasn't writing yesterday thinking it would be billboard no. 1 or something. It still remains as one of the most popular songs of all time. But that doesn't make him a fecking pop star or the Beatles a pop music group. :lol:
 

Dirty Schwein

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Or Pit bull. Jennifer Lopez. Shakira. Enrique egliseus. That's what popstars are. Their songs are meant to be played at parties and the radio and be as popular as possible.

Paul McCartney wasn't writing yesterday thinking it would be billboard no. 1 or something. It still remains as one of the most popular songs of all time. But that doesn't make him a fecking pop star or the Beatles a pop music group. :lol:
Beatles did make pop music unless I'm mistaken? I'm not too familiar with them but I assume at the time, they were like One Direction? They were pop stars most likely... But as I said, I'm not that familiar with them and could be completely wrong.
 

Moby

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Beatles did make pop music unless I'm mistaken? I'm not too familiar with them but I assume at the time, they were like One Direction? They were pop stars most likely... But as I said, I'm not that familiar with them and could be completely wrong.
Yeah they blur the lines with a lot of their stuff and the beatlemania is pretty much the pinnacle of popularity for a group. Hence I took the example of yesterday and not say She loves you or something. They wrote plenty of stuff that went on to be hugely popular because well.. they were hugely popular. I'd still never classify them as a pop music group.

Just to take examples which would be easier bands like Led Zep, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd are all some of the most popular acts ever. If David Gilmour were to announce a show today his tickets will sell like crazy. He's obviously not a fecking pop music artist. :lol:

The idea that music that is popular is pop music is something I've never ever used to classify something as pop music. Pop music is... As said above. Music meant to be sold. With it usually being fairly simplistic in terms of the musical composition and structure as well as the lyrics. The aim is to get the song inside the heads of people with the minimum amount of attention required to it. You hear a small basic verse with very little meaning or lyrical prowess and a catchy chorus tune and that's it. And there's a plethora of artists that apply far more talent and meaning to their music and end up being insanely popular because of just how fecking good they are yet have nothing to do with pop music.
 

bsCallout

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Or Pit bull. Jennifer Lopez. Shakira. Enrique egliseus. That's what popstars are. Their songs are meant to be played at parties and the radio and be as popular as possible.

Paul McCartney wasn't writing yesterday thinking it would be billboard no. 1 or something. It still remains as one of the most popular songs of all time. But that doesn't make him a fecking pop star or the Beatles a pop music group. :lol:
To be honest I struggle to see how the Beatles wouldn't be called popstars. They sang 'I want to hold your hand' for a start.

Hard to pick between Prince & MJ.
 

Dirty Schwein

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Yeah they blur the lines with a lot of their stuff and the beatlemania is pretty much the pinnacle of popularity for a group. Hence I took the example of yesterday and not say She loves you or something. They wrote plenty of stuff that went on to be hugely popular because well.. they were hugely popular. I'd still never classify them as a pop music group.

Just to take examples which would be easier bands like Led Zep, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd are all some of the most popular acts ever. If David Gilmour were to announce a show today his tickets will sell like crazy. He's obviously not a fecking pop music artist. :lol:

The idea that music that is popular is pop music is something I've never ever used to classify something as pop music. Pop music is... As said above. Music meant to be sold. With it usually being fairly simplistic in terms of the musical composition and structure as well as the lyrics. The aim is to get the song inside the heads of people with the minimum amount of attention required to it. You hear a small basic verse with very little meaning or lyrical prowess and a catchy chorus tune and that's it. And there's a plethora of artists that apply far more talent and meaning to their music and end up being insanely popular because of just how fecking good they are yet have nothing to do with pop music.
But isn't a lot of Beatles music exactly what you say about making music that sells? But you're right, they weren't always like that. But for the most part, they are popstars.

The music you're describing like:

"You may hate be but it ain't no lie, bye bye bye"

It's actually known as bubblegum music.

Pop music was coined to refer to popular music. I'm sure I've read that before.