Musical Meme II; more musings on MJ
May. 26th, 2018 05:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cjlasky7Shadowkat's musical meme faceoffs were fun. It doesn't matter which artist you prefer; there is no right answer. But it does make you think about why you like or don't like a certain artist--and that's valuable. So, in that spirit, here are ten more musical faceoffs, from the 40s to now. All opinions welcome--even if it's "They both suck."
1. Sinatra or Bing Crosby
2. Johnny Cash or Ray Charles
3. Hendrix or Clapton
4. Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye
5. Temptations or Four Tops
6. Diana Ross or Aretha Franklin
7. Billy Joel or Elton John
8. Britney or Whitney
9. Nsync or Backstreet Boys
10. Rihanna or Beyonce
********
In 1977, Michael Jackson was still part of
The Jacksons. They'd released a moderately successful debut album for Epic records the year before, and they seemed to be positioned as a second-tier soul act for the foreseeable future. Their father, Joe, was still managing them with his usual iron fist.
What if things stayed this way? What if Michael and his brothers faded into semi-obscurity?
Would he have been happier?
Of course, things did not stay that way. Michael--against his father's wishes--joined his old Motown stablemate Diana Ross on The Wiz. He struck up a friendship with the movie's musical director, Quincy Jones, and they quickly went to work on a solo album. The result, Off the Wall, sold 10 million copies and set the stage for one of the biggest events in popular music history.
In the end, I don't think it would have made any difference. Whether he was a nostalgia circuit has been or the King of Pop, I don't think he could've out run his demons. It was obvious to anyone that he was in great emotional pain much of the time. He tried to fight the pain by indulging in fantasy, in the childhood play that was denied him; but mostly, he channeled it into his craft.
In his music and his choreography, he was a relentless perfectionist. In that way, he was very much like Prince. And just like Prince, when his body refused to obey what his brain ordered it to do, he turned to drugs to push beyond his limits.
No matter how talented or beloved you are, nobody can do that forever.
It would have been nice if, instead of driving himself to extremes for that tour in 2009, Michael poured his energies into fixing the source of his pain. But that's not the world we live in. Bills had to be paid and no one in his entourage was trying to stop the gravy train--least of all himself.
1. Sinatra or Bing Crosby
2. Johnny Cash or Ray Charles
3. Hendrix or Clapton
4. Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye
5. Temptations or Four Tops
6. Diana Ross or Aretha Franklin
7. Billy Joel or Elton John
8. Britney or Whitney
9. Nsync or Backstreet Boys
10. Rihanna or Beyonce
********
In 1977, Michael Jackson was still part of
The Jacksons. They'd released a moderately successful debut album for Epic records the year before, and they seemed to be positioned as a second-tier soul act for the foreseeable future. Their father, Joe, was still managing them with his usual iron fist.
What if things stayed this way? What if Michael and his brothers faded into semi-obscurity?
Would he have been happier?
Of course, things did not stay that way. Michael--against his father's wishes--joined his old Motown stablemate Diana Ross on The Wiz. He struck up a friendship with the movie's musical director, Quincy Jones, and they quickly went to work on a solo album. The result, Off the Wall, sold 10 million copies and set the stage for one of the biggest events in popular music history.
In the end, I don't think it would have made any difference. Whether he was a nostalgia circuit has been or the King of Pop, I don't think he could've out run his demons. It was obvious to anyone that he was in great emotional pain much of the time. He tried to fight the pain by indulging in fantasy, in the childhood play that was denied him; but mostly, he channeled it into his craft.
In his music and his choreography, he was a relentless perfectionist. In that way, he was very much like Prince. And just like Prince, when his body refused to obey what his brain ordered it to do, he turned to drugs to push beyond his limits.
No matter how talented or beloved you are, nobody can do that forever.
It would have been nice if, instead of driving himself to extremes for that tour in 2009, Michael poured his energies into fixing the source of his pain. But that's not the world we live in. Bills had to be paid and no one in his entourage was trying to stop the gravy train--least of all himself.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-27 12:54 am (UTC)* Sinatra vs. Tony Benett
* Billy Holliday vs. Nina Simone
* Joni Mitchell vs. Joan Baez, (and I got into an argument with someone regarding that comparison because she didn't see what they had in common besides both being women and musicians, I'm guessing a lot of people don't listen to these artists back to back all day long? LOL!)
* Taylor Swift vs. Katy Perry (who hate each other by the way)
* Christine Aguilerra vs. Amy Whinehouse
* The Runaways vs. The Go Gos
* Deborah Harry vs. Pat Benatar
* Patsy Cline vs. Dolly Parton
* Johnny Cash vs. Willie Nelson
* Robert Plant vs. Roger Daltry.
* The Clash vs. The Smiths
* Sinead O'Connor vs. Celine Dione
Hee. Although a couple of those are easy, since I hate Celine Dione. LOL!
I'm going to go play with your meme on my own journal.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-27 03:26 am (UTC)2. Kind of comparing apples and screwdrivers. Cash was slightly more versatile so I pick him. My high school Spanish teacher was nuts about Ray Charles.
3. Clapton gets some points for staying alive. But I have to go with Hendrix on the axe.
4. Early on in his career Stevie Wonder just rubbed me the wrong way. It got better, but still. Marvin Gaye sounds pretty close to elevator music. I'd pick Gaye, sorry.
5. A very tough one. The Temptations by a hair.
6. I really never liked Aretha Franklin. So, Diana Ross. Why I never went to rock concerts: Diana Ross came to our university and gave a show at the field house. I lived in a building about a hundred yards away. With the windows closed it was too loud in my buddy's room on that side of the building. It was kind of echo-y and unpleasant on my side of the building, but in my room we didn't feel like we needed earplugs.
7. Elton John.
8. Whitney Houston
9. Pass.
10. Beyonce, as modern pop music goes I don't hate her.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-27 05:36 am (UTC)Crosby, more a case of personality. There's no question Sinatra had the pipes.
2. Johnny Cash or Ray Charles
Brother Ray. I did to get like Cash a lot better in his later years when he decided to stretch out of the country genre. His cover of Nine Inch Nails "I Hurt Myself Today" is a stunner, better than the original.
3. Hendrix or Clapton
Clapton, but mostly because while I admire Hendrix's innovative style, I like Clapton's, for lack of a better word, smoothness. He's just sort of effortless, no matter whether electric or acoustic.
4. Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder. Haven't heard enough of Gaye's work to make a truly proper call, but I'd rate him as "decent" and Wonder as "extremely good", and a bit more charismatic overall.
5. Temptations or Four Tops
We're getting back more into my sister's era here. I've mostly heard only their top hits, and not any deeper catalog, so I'd have to say, no real preference.
6. Diana Ross or Aretha Franklin
Diana Ross. Kind of the "smoother" thing I mentioned above re: Clapton vs. Hendrix
7. Billy Joel or Elton John
Billy Joel. It's my nature to go more for the "serious" stuff musically vs. more "pop", but again I also think this is a false basis for comparison. Each has it's own place, and both of these men are serious craftsmen. Joel did/does write most of his own work, where Elton often relied more heavily on Bernie Taupin.
8. Britney or Whitney
Whitney, but only because I'm far more familiar with her work than Britney.
9. Nsync or Backstreet Boys
Pass. No particular interest in either, so cannot give an opinion.
10. Rihanna or Beyonce
I don't dislike Beyonce, haven't heard much (close to nothing, actually) by Rihanna.