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Reply #180 posted 07/27/15 12:02pm

LeonardZelig

MotownSubdivision said:

It's generally agreed upon that the top artists of the 80s are MJ, Madonna, and Prince in that order. However, I'm curious as to exactly how popular Whitney was at the time. She exploded on the scene and was everywhere from her debut to the end of the decade which outlasts Prince's peak of commercial success in 1984/1985 though one can say that Prince's rise to stardom from 1980-1984 counts as well.

Purple Rain was astronomical so I hear and Prince was pretty much the face of music in 1984 and his popularity waned in 1985 with ATWIAD coincidentally the year of Whitney's greatly successful debut. Was the Purple Rain era a bigger deal and more impactful than Whitney's 80s streak or is it the other way around?

Is this really a question? Of course Prince.

Even with the two of their most successful projects: PURPLE RAIN was a MOVEMENT. The Bodyguard was just a moment in time.

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Reply #181 posted 07/27/15 12:25pm

MotownSubdivis
ion

LeonardZelig said:

MotownSubdivision said:

It's generally agreed upon that the top artists of the 80s are MJ, Madonna, and Prince in that order. However, I'm curious as to exactly how popular Whitney was at the time. She exploded on the scene and was everywhere from her debut to the end of the decade which outlasts Prince's peak of commercial success in 1984/1985 though one can say that Prince's rise to stardom from 1980-1984 counts as well.

Purple Rain was astronomical so I hear and Prince was pretty much the face of music in 1984 and his popularity waned in 1985 with ATWIAD coincidentally the year of Whitney's greatly successful debut. Was the Purple Rain era a bigger deal and more impactful than Whitney's 80s streak or is it the other way around?

Is this really a question? Of course Prince.

Even with the two of their most successful projects: PURPLE RAIN was a MOVEMENT. The Bodyguard was just a moment in time.

The Bodyguard was in the 90s anyway so the success of that album is irrelevant. Were you around when Purple Rain was huge? How was it a movement?

[Edited 7/27/15 12:25pm]

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Reply #182 posted 07/27/15 12:43pm

LeonardZelig

MotownSubdivision said:

LeonardZelig said:

Is this really a question? Of course Prince.

Even with the two of their most successful projects: PURPLE RAIN was a MOVEMENT. The Bodyguard was just a moment in time.

The Bodyguard was in the 90s anyway so the success of that album is irrelevant. Were you around when Purple Rain was huge? How was it a movement?

[Edited 7/27/15 12:25pm]

I brought up THE BODYGUARD because the question really wasnt fair because these two artists didnt reach the peak in which kickoff their superstardom in the same decade so I compared their most successful projects. If it were MADONNA & PRINCE it would be a fair question.

PURPLE RAIN , the movie AND the MUSIC, spawned a new SOUND in MUSIC & FASHION still revelant TODAY, many copy cat artists, PRODUCERS and SINGERS who were inspired by the film who became successful. PURPLE RAIN has had way more of an impact on the entertainment industry and pop culture than THE BODYGUARD did. You cant say the same about THE ALBUM or THE MOVIE for the Bodyguard. PURPLE RAIN will in fact ONE DAY surpass THE BODYGUARD as the highest performing movie soundtrack of ALL TIME.

I mean why is this even a question?

[Edited 7/27/15 12:45pm]

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Reply #183 posted 07/27/15 12:50pm

MickyDolenz

avatar

LeonardZelig said:

I brought up THE BODYGUARD because the question really wasnt fair because these two artists didnt reach the peak in which kickoff their superstardom in the same decade so I compared their most successful projects.

How do you figure that? Whitney was a superstar with her 1985 debut album, which is at the time was the biggest selling debut album of all time. Prince didn't really get popular until his 5th album. So Whitney began big and Prince didn't.

You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton
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Reply #184 posted 07/27/15 1:02pm

LeonardZelig

MickyDolenz said:

LeonardZelig said:

I brought up THE BODYGUARD because the question really wasnt fair because these two artists didnt reach the peak in which kickoff their superstardom in the same decade so I compared their most successful projects.

How do you figure that? Whitney was a superstar with her 1985 debut album, which is at the time was the biggest selling debut album of all time. Prince didn't really get popular until his 5th album. So Whitney began big and Prince didn't.

Looking back from present day, Prince's body of work from the 80s has been way more impactful than whitneys. Speaking like we are in the 80s in my opinion is irrelevant, we live in the now.

ok maybe her debut was bigger, SO. lol

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Reply #185 posted 07/27/15 1:18pm

MotownSubdivis
ion

LeonardZelig said:

MotownSubdivision said:

The Bodyguard was in the 90s anyway so the success of that album is irrelevant. Were you around when Purple Rain was huge? How was it a movement?

[Edited 7/27/15 12:25pm]

I brought up THE BODYGUARD because the question really wasnt fair because these two artists didnt reach the peak in which kickoff their superstardom in the same decade so I compared their most successful projects. If it were MADONNA & PRINCE it would be a fair question.

PURPLE RAIN , the movie AND the MUSIC, spawned a new SOUND in MUSIC & FASHION still revelant TODAY, many copy cat artists, PRODUCERS and SINGERS who were inspired by the film who became successful. PURPLE RAIN has had way more of an impact on the entertainment industry and pop culture than THE BODYGUARD did. You cant say the same about THE ALBUM or THE MOVIE for the Bodyguard. PURPLE RAIN will in fact ONE DAY surpass THE BODYGUARD as the highest performing movie soundtrack of ALL TIME.

I mean why is this even a question?

[Edited 7/27/15 12:45pm]

How is it not fair? Whitney's debut sold more than Purple Rain did, it doesn't matter if it's not her commercial magnum opus, if anything it makes things more fair for Prince and here you are making a wild speculation that because Purple Rain had a bigger impact/ because you like it more that it will eventually outsell The Bodyguard. The bottom line is it hasn't lol

Instead of trying to bend the rules to suit your agenda, answer the question for what it is using facts and not biased speculation.

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Reply #186 posted 07/27/15 1:24pm

MotownSubdivis
ion

LeonardZelig said:

MickyDolenz said:

How do you figure that? Whitney was a superstar with her 1985 debut album, which is at the time was the biggest selling debut album of all time. Prince didn't really get popular until his 5th album. So Whitney began big and Prince didn't.

Looking back from present day, Prince's body of work from the 80s has been way more impactful than whitneys. Speaking like we are in the 80s in my opinion is irrelevant, we live in the now.

ok maybe her debut was bigger, SO. lol

Yep, you're a Prince fanboy alright lol

I'm talking who was bigger (which means commercially successful) in the 1980s yet you keep going on about how Prince had more impact which as you should know does not directly correlate to commercial success otherwise Whitney Houston would not have outsold Purple Rain.

So? So Whitney's debut was bigger. DUH. I know this is a Prince fansite but quit trying to twist the rules of the question in order to make Prince sound better than he is.

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Reply #187 posted 07/27/15 1:39pm

MickyDolenz

avatar

LeonardZelig said:

Looking back from present day, Prince's body of work from the 80s has been way more impactful than whitneys. Speaking like we are in the 80s in my opinion is irrelevant, we live in the now.

ok maybe her debut was bigger, SO. lol

The OP asked who was more popular, and the people for Prince keep talking about impact or people copying, because that's the only way they can make Prince more popular. Whitney and others still sold more than Prince in the 1980s (at least in the USA). I posted the info, and Purple Rain was not even the biggest pop album of the year during its time, it was 24th & 9th. 1999 made 5 & 24. The rest didn't make the top 25. Later and future sales do not count. That has nothing to do with popularity in the the 1980s. Both of Whitney's 1980s albums sold big in the US and her singles consistantly charted higher than Prince's. She had no flop singles in the 1980s. Prince's earlier albums were more popular on the R&B lists, than the ones post Purple Rain, when he was considered by some R&B listeners of selling out with Purple Rain. Whitney was also big on the AC chart, where Prince had little airplay.

You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton
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Reply #188 posted 07/27/15 1:43pm

LeonardZelig

MotownSubdivision said:

LeonardZelig said:

Looking back from present day, Prince's body of work from the 80s has been way more impactful than whitneys. Speaking like we are in the 80s in my opinion is irrelevant, we live in the now.

ok maybe her debut was bigger, SO. lol

Yep, you're a Prince fanboy alright lol

I'm talking who was bigger (which means commercially successful) in the 1980s yet you keep going on about how Prince had more impact which as you should know does not directly correlate to commercial success otherwise Whitney Houston would not have outsold Purple Rain.

So? So Whitney's debut was bigger. DUH. I know this is a Prince fansite but quit trying to twist the rules of the question in order to make Prince sound better than he is.

I know you are a person who lives in the NOW seeing as though you are using the NEW MOTOWN ICON instead of the old one, you know you agree with me wink

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Reply #189 posted 07/27/15 1:45pm

LeonardZelig

MickyDolenz said:

LeonardZelig said:

Looking back from present day, Prince's body of work from the 80s has been way more impactful than whitneys. Speaking like we are in the 80s in my opinion is irrelevant, we live in the now.

ok maybe her debut was bigger, SO. lol

The OP asked who was more popular, and the people for Prince keep talking about impact or people copying, because that's the only way they can make Prince more popular. Whitney and others still sold more than Prince in the 1980s (at least in the USA). I posted the info, and Purple Rain was not even the biggest pop album of the year during its time, it was 24th & 9th. 1999 made 5 & 24. The rest didn't make the top 25. Later and future sales do not count. That has nothing to do with popularity in the the 1980s. Both of Whitney's 1980s albums sold big in the US and her singles consistantly charted higher than Prince's. She had no flop singles in the 1980s. Prince's earlier albums were more popular on the R&B lists, than the ones post Purple Rain, when he was considered by some R&B listeners of selling out with Purple Rain. Whitney was also big on the AC chart, where Prince had little airplay.

do me a favor Mr/Ms. Numbers, go around to 10 ppl who dont come to this site between the ages of 40-50 and ask them who was bigger in the 80s? then come back and lets us know they all said Prince so I can rest my case cool

[Edited 7/27/15 13:46pm]

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Reply #190 posted 07/27/15 2:03pm

MotownSubdivis
ion

LeonardZelig said:

MotownSubdivision said:

Yep, you're a Prince fanboy alright lol

I'm talking who was bigger (which means commercially successful) in the 1980s yet you keep going on about how Prince had more impact which as you should know does not directly correlate to commercial success otherwise Whitney Houston would not have outsold Purple Rain.

So? So Whitney's debut was bigger. DUH. I know this is a Prince fansite but quit trying to twist the rules of the question in order to make Prince sound better than he is.

I know you are a person who lives in the NOW seeing as though you are using the NEW MOTOWN ICON instead of the old one, you know you agree with me wink

Nothing doing bro. You talking about the logo that's still multiple decades old? That clearly shows I live in the NOW lol

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Reply #191 posted 07/27/15 2:22pm

LeonardZelig

MotownSubdivision said:

LeonardZelig said:

I know you are a person who lives in the NOW seeing as though you are using the NEW MOTOWN ICON instead of the old one, you know you agree with me wink

Nothing doing bro. You talking about the logo that's still multiple decades old? That clearly shows I live in the NOW lol

Dude the NEW motown logo is BLUE and WHITE, I know because I sat with the current president of motown and helped choose the color wink yes the actual M icon itself is classic but the Logo you are using is NEW Motown fa sho! I meant to say Logo not Icon, I stand corrected the icon is classic motown.

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Reply #192 posted 07/27/15 7:10pm

MotownSubdivis
ion

LeonardZelig said:



MotownSubdivision said:




LeonardZelig said:




I know you are a person who lives in the NOW seeing as though you are using the NEW MOTOWN ICON instead of the old one, you know you agree with me wink



Nothing doing bro. You talking about the logo that's still multiple decades old? That clearly shows I live in the NOW lol





Dude the NEW motown logo is BLUE and WHITE, I know because I sat with the current president of motown and helped choose the color wink yes the actual M icon itself is classic but the Logo you are using is NEW Motown fa sho! I meant to say Logo not Icon, I stand corrected the icon is classic motown.

I see...
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Reply #193 posted 07/30/15 12:32pm

Tontoman22

MotownSubdivision said:

nextedition said:

Depends on how you look at it i think. Whitney sold more records and scored bigger hits, while she only started in half of the 80´s.

But i think prince had a much bigger impact. Especially as a live artist, but also with the critics.

Besides Purple Rain, Prince was never a huge seller for an artist his statue, a lot of singles didn´t go any where in the 80´s. (In the 90´s either lol )

Whitney was way more commercial. A very safe choice for a big audience.

To me Prince was way bigger.

I lean this way as well but at the same time can't help but question exactly how big (i.e. how popular/ how big of an impact was had by) Whitney in the 80s compared to Prince. While Prince was present throughout the entire decade and Whitney only half and of course, both being very different artists it's interesting that the year Whitney dropped her debut album which exploded on the music scene and shot up in popularity is the same year Prince was riding high from Purple Rain and followed up with an album (ATWIAD) that contributed/ signalled a decline in his popularity.

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Reply #194 posted 07/30/15 12:49pm

Tontoman22

Prince pretty much ruled the 80's, he was billboard's top artist of the decade - Houston came in at number 29. Worldwide he was also the top artist, that list compiles sales and chart performance (followed by Madonna, U2, MJ & Springsteen). Houston was 16th. She had good run in America has far as hits int he 80's, but her 7 number ones, only stayed a total of 13 weeks at the top of the charts. And songs that went to 2 & 3 but stay in the top 10 longer, than a songs that hit the top spot; ended up charted better and selling more. So it can be deceiving. If you were there in 80's and for the entire decade - There were many Artist bigger than Houston in 80's , not just Prince.

MotownSubdivision said:

nextedition said:

Depends on how you look at it i think. Whitney sold more records and scored bigger hits, while she only started in half of the 80´s.

But i think prince had a much bigger impact. Especially as a live artist, but also with the critics.

Besides Purple Rain, Prince was never a huge seller for an artist his statue, a lot of singles didn´t go any where in the 80´s. (In the 90´s either lol )

Whitney was way more commercial. A very safe choice for a big audience.

To me Prince was way bigger.

I lean this way as well but at the same time can't help but question exactly how big (i.e. how popular/ how big of an impact was had by) Whitney in the 80s compared to Prince. While Prince was present throughout the entire decade and Whitney only half and of course, both being very different artists it's interesting that the year Whitney dropped her debut album which exploded on the music scene and shot up in popularity is the same year Prince was riding high from Purple Rain and followed up with an album (ATWIAD) that contributed/ signalled a decline in his popularity.

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Reply #195 posted 07/30/15 2:59pm

Tontoman22

s

MickyDolenz said:

LeonardZelig said:

Looking back from present day, Prince's body of work from the 80s has been way more impactful than whitneys. Speaking like we are in the 80s in my opinion is irrelevant, we live in the now.

ok maybe her debut was bigger, SO. lol

The OP asked who was more popular, and the people for Prince keep talking about impact or people copying, because that's the only way they can make Prince more popular. Whitney and others still sold more than Prince in the 1980s (at least in the USA). I posted the info, and Purple Rain was not even the biggest pop album of the year during its time, it was 24th & 9th. 1999 made 5 & 24. The rest didn't make the top 25. Later and future sales do not count. That has nothing to do with popularity in the the 1980s. Both of Whitney's 1980s albums sold big in the US and her singles consistantly charted higher than Prince's. She had no flop singles in the 1980s. Prince's earlier albums were more popular on the R&B lists, than the ones post Purple Rain, when he was considered by some R&B listeners of selling out with Purple Rain. Whitney was also big on the AC chart, where Prince had little airplay.

Purple Rain spent 24 weeks at the top of the charts and sold 13.6 million copies by the end the decade. Houston's debut sold over 13 million by the end of the decade and spent 14 weeks at the top. These were their biggest albums. Their biggest singles were; When Doves Cry which was the top single of 1984 and spent 5 weeks at number one. I Wanna Dance with Somebody was the #4 single of 1987, spent 2 weeks at number one. World wide his single finished the decade at #12 , hers #18. He had additional singles in the top 100 worldwide - she did not. As far as the US Charts go, Prince spent 378 weeks in the charts and charted 26 singles; in the top 100 He was the top artist of the decade. Whitney spent 215 weeks in the charts and charted 12 singles, she was 29th for the decade. 6 of Princes singles did not crack the top 40 (which is the cut off point for hits). 2 of Houston's singles did not crack the top 40 - so yes she did have flops. There is no question who bigger, Prince was the 80's biggest artist.

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Reply #196 posted 07/30/15 4:14pm

MickyDolenz

avatar

Tontoman22 said:

Purple Rain spent 24 weeks at the top of the charts and sold 13.6 million copies by the end the decade. Houston's debut sold over 13 million by the end of the decade and spent 14 weeks at the top. These were their biggest albums. Their biggest singles were; When Doves Cry which was the top single of 1984 and spent 5 weeks at number one. I Wanna Dance with Somebody was the #4 single of 1987, spent 2 weeks at number one. World wide his single finished the decade at #12 , hers #18. He had additional singles in the top 100 worldwide - she did not. As far as the US Charts go, Prince spent 378 weeks in the charts and charted 26 singles; in the top 100 He was the top artist of the decade. Whitney spent 215 weeks in the charts and charted 12 singles, she was 29th for the decade. 6 of Princes singles did not crack the top 40 (which is the cut off point for hits). 2 of Houston's singles did not crack the top 40 - so yes she did have flops. There is no question who bigger, Prince was the 80's biggest artist.

If you're going by songs charted on the Hot 100, then Lil' Wayne, Glee, Nicki Minaj, & Rihanna are bigger than Prince, Whitney, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and most other acts and in maybe a less amount of time. But has Lil' Wayne sold more albums than Michael Jackson or The Beatles? razz Groups like Pink Floyd & Metallica didn't have a lot of Hot 100 action or hit singles, but they sold lots of albums too. With Whitney's flops, if you're talking about 1984's Hold Me with Teddy Pendergrass, I mentioned that earlier in the thread, but it made the Top 10 of both the R&B & AC charts. Whitney was unkown when that was released and Teddy generally didn't get Top 40 airplay anyway. I guess the other was the duet with Aretha Franklin (It Itsn't, It Wasn't...) and it was a Top 10 R&B hit, so they were not exactly flops, they just didn't cross over to Top 40, and technically they were from Teddy's & Aretha's albums. On the country chart, George Strait has 60 #1s, and has hit the Top 10 over 80 times, more than anyone else on any chart, but he doesn't have a big presence on the Top 100. George is also one of the biggest selling career acts, and that is with little if any crossover attention.

You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton
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Reply #197 posted 07/30/15 7:44pm

Tontoman22

MickyDolenz said:

Tontoman22 said:

Purple Rain spent 24 weeks at the top of the charts and sold 13.6 million copies by the end the decade. Houston's debut sold over 13 million by the end of the decade and spent 14 weeks at the top. These were their biggest albums. Their biggest singles were; When Doves Cry which was the top single of 1984 and spent 5 weeks at number one. I Wanna Dance with Somebody was the #4 single of 1987, spent 2 weeks at number one. World wide his single finished the decade at #12 , hers #18. He had additional singles in the top 100 worldwide - she did not. As far as the US Charts go, Prince spent 378 weeks in the charts and charted 26 singles; in the top 100 He was the top artist of the decade. Whitney spent 215 weeks in the charts and charted 12 singles, she was 29th for the decade. 6 of Princes singles did not crack the top 40 (which is the cut off point for hits). 2 of Houston's singles did not crack the top 40 - so yes she did have flops. There is no question who bigger, Prince was the 80's biggest artist.

If you're going by songs charted on the Hot 100, then Lil' Wayne, Glee, Nicki Minaj, & Rihanna are bigger than Prince, Whitney, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and most other acts and in maybe a less amount of time. But has Lil' Wayne sold more albums than Michael Jackson or The Beatles? razz Groups like Pink Floyd & Metallica didn't have a lot of Hot 100 action or hit singles, but they sold lots of albums too. With Whitney's flops, if you're talking about 1984's Hold Me with Teddy Pendergrass, I mentioned that earlier in the thread, but it made the Top 10 of both the R&B & AC charts. Whitney was unkown when that was released and Teddy generally didn't get Top 40 airplay anyway. I guess the other was the duet with Aretha Franklin (It Itsn't, It Wasn't...) and it was a Top 10 R&B hit, so they were not exactly flops, they just didn't cross over to Top 40, and technically they were from Teddy's & Aretha's albums. On the country chart, George Strait has 60 #1s, and has hit the Top 10 over 80 times, more than anyone else on any chart, but he doesn't have a big presence on the Top 100. George is also one of the biggest selling career acts, and that is with little if any crossover attention.

We are talking about the 80's. Prince ruled the 80's. I have given you the facts of the charts for the US and world wide. If a song didn't chart in the top 40 on the pop chart it wasn't a hit - PERIOD. I am not going by anything but what Billboard has listed themselves about their own charts. Secondly if it's a duet; then both singers are responsible (if it was a top 10 hit you'd all over it). The song with Teddy is on Houston's debut album. The song with Aretha is not from her album either, but a Narda Walden album. Rihanna, Nicki Minaj are not from the 80's, so why are you off topic here ?? As I have said before there are several artist in the 80's that were bigger than Houston. Whtiney Houston is the most promoted artist in history..Clive Davis promoted her for a year and half before her debut was released. Her album cost almost a half million dollars and Arista poured 3 million into her promotion - which was completely unheard then, and now. She should have been a huge seller with that kind of support. You won't find that anywhere else in anals of the music indusrty. But Prince ruled the 80's, it's just a fact.

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Reply #198 posted 07/30/15 7:58pm

Tontoman22

LeonardZelig said:

MotownSubdivision said:

It's generally agreed upon that the top artists of the 80s are MJ, Madonna, and Prince in that order. However, I'm curious as to exactly how popular Whitney was at the time. She exploded on the scene and was everywhere from her debut to the end of the decade which outlasts Prince's peak of commercial success in 1984/1985 though one can say that Prince's rise to stardom from 1980-1984 counts as well.

Purple Rain was astronomical so I hear and Prince was pretty much the face of music in 1984 and his popularity waned in 1985 with ATWIAD coincidentally the year of Whitney's greatly successful debut. Was the Purple Rain era a bigger deal and more impactful than Whitney's 80s streak or is it the other way around?

Is this really a question? Of course Prince.

Even with the two of their most successful projects: PURPLE RAIN was a MOVEMENT. The Bodyguard was just a moment in time.

Actually Whitney didn't explode onto the scene, her album sales where slow intially, she had sold 2 million copies by the end of 1985, But as far as female artist are concerned 1985 belong to Tina Turner, and in the US the Pointer Sister's had a good year as well. At the year-end Tina was #8, the Pointers #10, Madonna was #1, Prince #3; Houston #21. She took off in 1986/87... that was her peak in the 80's. Madonna was much bigger than Houston in 80's she was the dominate female of the decade. World wide she was #2, behind Prince.

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Reply #199 posted 07/30/15 10:05pm

MickyDolenz

avatar

Tontoman22 said:

We are talking about the 80's. Prince ruled the 80's. I have given you the facts of the charts for the US and world wide. If a song didn't chart in the top 40 on the pop chart it wasn't a hit - PERIOD. I am not going by anything but what Billboard has listed themselves about their own charts. Secondly if it's a duet; then both singers are responsible (if it was a top 10 hit you'd all over it). The song with Teddy is on Houston's debut album. The song with Aretha is not from her album either, but a Narda Walden album. Rihanna, Nicki Minaj are not from the 80's, so why are you off topic here ?? As I have said before there are several artist in the 80's that were bigger than Houston. Whtiney Houston is the most promoted artist in history..Clive Davis promoted her for a year and half before her debut was released. Her album cost almost a half million dollars and Arista poured 3 million into her promotion - which was completely unheard then, and now. She should have been a huge seller with that kind of support. You won't find that anywhere else in anals of the music indusrty. But Prince ruled the 80's, it's just a fact.

I didn't say Whitney was the biggest act of the 1980s, but that she was bigger than Prince. I also clearly said in the USA, because I don't know about other countries. If a song is Top 10 on a chart, then it is still a hit. So how did they flop? A flop doesn't sell much anywhere. So are you saying popular country acts were flops because they didn't hit the Top 40 pop singles chart much, but still sold millions of albums and had hit singles on the country singles chart? So how do explain Garth Brooks then (I know he's 1990s)? I bet a lot of acts would like to "flop" like that. lol You sound like that guy who said rap was not mainstream in the 1980s because most did not chart high, when it was in mainstream commercials, TV shows, movies, and fashion. The Top 100 is not the only chart in the USA. The R&B and country charts are in Billboard, and so are other types like the 12" singles chart (aka dance chart). Maxi singles are not counted on the regular charts. Prince released more singles and albums than Whitney so of course he had more Top 100 hits, like Prince released more albums than Def Leppard & Michael Jackson. But their albums sold more than Prince's. Thriller & Bad probably sold more than all of Prince's non-Purple Rain 1980s albums put together. I don't think many people would claim Prince was bigger than Michael Jackson in the 1980s, whether they followed the charts or not. Those lists I posted came from Billboard, so how can you say Prince ruled, when most of his albums were nowhere being the biggest of the year. Prince's post 1999 albums all hit the Top 10 pop albums, but most tended not to remain there as long as other acts like Bon Jovi, Madonna, Phil Collins and Def Leppard.

You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton
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Reply #200 posted 07/30/15 10:29pm

MickyDolenz

avatar

That poster must be a fake or duplicate account, because I don't know why someone would start an account here just to post in this thread. lol

You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton
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Reply #201 posted 07/31/15 1:00am

NorthC

All of the above proves that we're not going to find the answer simply by looking at numbers!
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Reply #202 posted 07/31/15 1:14am

SoulAlive

As I said before,record sales only tell part of the story.Yeah,Whitney sold more records but come on.....Prince was HUGE in the 80s! He was also more influential and more important than Whitney ever was.Whitney will be remembered as an amazing singer who sold alot of records.Prince will be remembered as a cutting-edge,groundbreaking icon who influenced countless other artists.

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Reply #203 posted 07/31/15 7:01am

kitbradley

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How many singers, especially black singers, after they have passed on, have had their entire funeral broadcast live on CNN or any other network? The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Micheal and Nippy. That is how highly regarded both were world-wide. I'm sorry, I know most of you love Prince but I really don't see that happening when he passes on.

"It's not nice to fuck with K.B.! All you haters will see!" - Kitbradley
"The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing." - Socrates
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Reply #204 posted 07/31/15 8:32am

sexton

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kitbradley said:

How many singers, especially black singers, after they have passed on, have had their entire funeral broadcast live on CNN or any other network? The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Micheal and Nippy. That is how highly regarded both were world-wide. I'm sorry, I know most of you love Prince but I really don't see that happening when he passes on.


The question asked was who was bigger in the 80s, not now.

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Reply #205 posted 07/31/15 9:03am

MotownSubdivis
ion

SoulAlive said:

As I said before,record sales only tell part of the story.Yeah,Whitney sold more records but come on.....Prince was HUGE in the 80s! He was also more influential and more important than Whitney ever was.Whitney will be remembered as an amazing singer who sold alot of records.Prince will be remembered as a cutting-edge,groundbreaking icon who influenced countless other artists.

Only in the 80s?
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Reply #206 posted 07/31/15 9:04am

NorthC

The fact that we're having this discussion on prince.org and not on whitneyhouston.org also says something... wink
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Reply #207 posted 07/31/15 10:04am

Graycap23

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kitbradley said:

How many singers, especially black singers, after they have passed on, have had their entire funeral broadcast live on CNN or any other network? The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Micheal and Nippy. That is how highly regarded both were world-wide. I'm sorry, I know most of you love Prince but I really don't see that happening when he passes on.

hmmm

Good thing Prince hasn't had a need 2 be in that category.

FOOLS multiply when WISE Men & Women are silent.
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Reply #208 posted 07/31/15 10:19am

CynicKill

kitbradley said:

How many singers, especially black singers, after they have passed on, have had their entire funeral broadcast live on CNN or any other network? The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Micheal and Nippy. That is how highly regarded both were world-wide. I'm sorry, I know most of you love Prince but I really don't see that happening when he passes on.

>

Well if it's a pissing contest Prince is still alive, plays sold out shows, will possibly have another hit someday and will most likely live to a cantankerous old age.

In those instances Prince wins.

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Reply #209 posted 07/31/15 12:57pm

kitbradley

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Graycap23 said:

kitbradley said:

How many singers, especially black singers, after they have passed on, have had their entire funeral broadcast live on CNN or any other network? The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Micheal and Nippy. That is how highly regarded both were world-wide. I'm sorry, I know most of you love Prince but I really don't see that happening when he passes on.

hmmm

Good thing Prince hasn't had a need 2 be in that category.

smile We all will, some day.

"It's not nice to fuck with K.B.! All you haters will see!" - Kitbradley
"The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing." - Socrates
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Forums > Music: Non-Prince > Prince or Whitney? Who was bigger in the 80s?