A recent article in the Sydney (Australia) newspaper made a big deal about the big 3, Prince, Madonna, and MJ turning 50 at around the same time. When comparing their careers its pretty clear who has been the most prolific and given their fans the most product as the stats talk for themselves.....

MJ - 8 Albums
Madonna - 11 Albums
Prince - 24 Albums plus all the side projects.....

Long live Prince - living legend!!!

Call7779311 said:

Apart from counting albums, this is my opinion:

MJ - used to have his moments, now he's a disaster

Madonna - from a commercial standpoint and with respect to media attention, surely still a top player. But she pays a price for it: she always has to go with the latest trends (which is why she's releasing stupid weak-ass pseudo-hip-hop influenced rubbish these days), apart from the persona she created, she's made some nice pop songs, but is musically irrelevant imo

Prince - surely not a megaseller anymore (is he attempting to be one?), but to me, he seems to be in a rather comfortable position. Musically highly respected by many, still releasing albums (like them or not, at least they are not produced by Timbaland and the number of guest rappers is pleasingly low), still a massive force live. I was in London last year - he still can blow you off your seats!

Overall, I see a clear win for Prince if you don't let sales figures judge alone.

4 Prince

EmancipationLover said:

I can agree with that and if you think back to the time when a lot of Jazz Artist and R&B Artist were releasing a TON of music back in the day, P has picked up the torch, so 2 speak and is still carryin' it on ...

sexxydancer said:

I like to tag-a-long with sexy sometimes...

MJ was the biggest, but at least two WHOLE generations of music buyers only know him as a child abuser and wacko instead of a musician. I don't want to say he los musical relevance, a new album would cause a buzz still. He influenced many people, and had some fantastic songs. That's enough to cherish him, no?

Madonna, the most successful out of those three today. As someone said: She will not be remembered as a ral musician. But she never claimed to be one. She' a performance artist. Many people adore her and I think beside the Beatles she has the best back catalogue of all!!

Prince: The problem is, only few people rally know what he's releasing. Some might know Purple Rain, Kiss etc. and admir his musical strength, but he's not connected to the mass. But he probably doesn' want to and just wants to have fun. And that's okay too.

the real difference and it's a shame about this, it's when they report about the pedophile, the smartbusinesswomanbutdoesn'treallyaddanythingmusicianwise and the musicalgeniusthatisalwayspigeonholed, the media can bring out their other songs in a story while the obvious more musicalgenius is always and 4ever linked 2 album, perm4mance surrounding ONE song in 84

Call7779311 said:[quote]A recent article in the Sydney (Australia) newspaper made a big deal about the big 3, Prince, Madonna, and MJ turning 50 at around the same time. When comparing their careers its pretty clear who has been the most prolific and given their fans the most product as the stats talk for themselves.....

MJ - 8 Albums
Madonna - 11 Albums
Prince - 24 Albums plus all the side projects.....

LONG LIVE PRINCE - LIVING LEGEND!!![/quote]

best career

graecophilos said:

The album count is kinda off, he's released 12 albums:
Got To Be There
Ben
Music And Me
Forever Michael
Off The Wall
Thriller
Bad
Dangerous
HIStory
Blood on The Dancefloor
Invincible
The Ultimate Collection

and if you count the Jackson 5 and Jacksons albums, he has released 30 albums
[Edited 7/30/08 13:34pm]

As much i sing Princes praises and yes i think hes the best to not call MJ a talent and an icon who doesnt have anymore good albums in him is bull shit in my opinion and yes i know this isnt an mj fan club but i dnt care.

Similarities between those three is that they both have had long jeopardy in the business and unique ..Prince more so than the others..dude is still puttin out quality music unlike them.

I'm going to have to co-sign what a lot of folk have already said on the matter.

MJ: In spite of his current troubles and the fact that he's now more known for them than anythign relating to his music or performance, the man still is and always will be a pop icon. Whatever else you may say about the man, he undeniably deserves his place in the RRHOF, and any other honours bestowed him. In terms of being a performer, he's a rare breed.

Madonna: Biggest selling currently and the one of the Big 3 the current generation still knows as a relevant performer. It's a shame she thinks she needs to chase the current trend of lameass quasi hip-pop, and duets with hot stars of questionable talent because she's above that. But that is, ultimately, why she is still in the charts. Like it or not, she knows what she's doing if her goal is to stay out there in the public eye.

Prince: Arguably the most musically relevant of the Unholy Trinity. Profoundly talented musicians and performers, both big name and little known, bow and scrape at his feet, and sing his praises. (though more than a few say he's an insufferable bitch to work with ) And he's influenced not one, but two generations of young musicians. Not pop performers and dancers. Musicians.

meow85 said:

meow85 said:

I agree

I think of these three... well first i may be bias to my hero PRINCE lol but still i speak from facts.... prince in my opinion should be ranked in the top 5 greatest artists of all time with mj both deserve a spot. madona is very great artist im not a huge fan but she is great and one of the best pop artists too so honestly i say three way tie... i mean without being bias lol... being bias PRINCE is 1000 times better than either one.. although i love mjs music too.
~joshua

bboy87 said:

Add Number Ones and The Essential MJ collection. I'm sure they count as albums also.

Erika2k8 said:

Here here, MJ is brilliant. P too.

Prince is the god of music, MJ the god of song&dance, Madonna... I'm no fan of Madonna so I only see her as marketable product... sorry Madonna fans

daPrettyman said:

Greatest hits packages don't count.

people need to stop bitching about mj not releasing an album since 2001.. the man has been around since 1968.. by the time prince came on the scene mj had done several world tours, released a dozen records and sold about 100 million albums. So that argument about productivity doesnt count. Plus tour wise he has toured extensively.. the destiny tour, the victory tour, the bad tour, the dangerous tour and the history tour.. thats 5 pretty massive tours.. plus he did a lot of one off shows like brunei in 96..

by the way has anyone heard that show..his vocals were amazing on it.. he sang about 85% of it live which was rare at that stage in his career.. he even did man in the mirror live for like 4 mins and did earth song live .. a fantastic show!

meow85 said:

Number Ones is not a GH album. Ask Mariah. Besides, The Ultimate Collection is a GH package/boxed set.
[Edited 7/31/08 14:58pm]

daPrettyman said:

They're still compilations of mostly older material, so I wouldn't count them

I really enjoyed that article

While all have had great careers, I think that Prince is in the best position to just do what he is best at. which is to make the music he wants.

I think he has a certain respect as musician that MJ and mads don't have. Even if he isn't making chart topping hits, he'll still be making music.

Can you imagine Prince staying quiet for more than a couple of years?

While the mainstream thought he was making a comeback with musicology he was still producing those NPG albums.

He put out an album last year and toured and fans are already getting antsy about his next move.

bboy87 said:

i believe he is talking of studio releases

khemseraph said:

all of those ARE studio releases

All three of them were born in the same year.Their birthdays are only a few months apart.

All three of them were born in nearby midwestern states.

All three of them had their greatest success in the mid-80s (1983 was Michael's year....1984 belonged to Prince.....1985 was Madonna's year).

All three of them have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.


They can all look back on their lengthy careers and be proud of what they've accomplished.

It depends on how you look at it.

MJ, Madonna, artists and preformers, Prince, all the above but hes a musician too.

Michael is an icon and has released some incredible music, but he was too bizarre for anyone to take him as anything but a strange eccentric person at best and a manipulative child rapist at worst. The longer he stalls in bringing out the comeback record, the more his career sinks into oblivion.

Madonna, ok shes a commercial force and viewed kinder by the press, but as many others have siad none of her releases since Ray of Light have been very relevant, they all chase trends rather than set them. She has to get over the guest rapper/ sample beat, Timbaland style garbage inundatingthe market now. She in a sense a commercial whore.

Prince, a true musician who releases skilfully crafted albums often (maybe too often), generally avoids the media comment and cares little about how others perceive him. Totally into his music and himself and knows how to rock a stage, easily the most reassured and stable of them all. Totally sane, in control and funky.

graecophilos said:

I would say that none of them really have anything to prove.That's a good position to be in.They've all reached unimaginable career highs...achieved things that other artists can only dream about.

FunkyBrotha said:

working with ur siblings doesn't count and the majority of the pedophile's career has been singing songs that OTHER people wrote so please take ur idol worship over 2 his site please

L4OATheOriginal said:

That was pretty rude. Some of ya'll think is better than everyone else because Prince writes 98% material. Alot of great artists had songwriters and producers. It's not always about doing all yourself, it's about how good the music is

Is 50 the new 30?
It may be hard to fathom, but this summer three of America's greatest pop icons - Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson - are all reaching a major milestone, they are all turning 50. Even at a half century old, the three have proven that they can still turn up the heat. Early Show national correspondent Tracy Smith took a closer look at what these three famous - and infamous - music icons have been up to recently.

They epitomized the '80s when they stormed the stage with their ground-breaking, hit songs - Madonna's "Like A Virgin," Prince's "Purple Rain" and Jackson's "Thriller." They also brought their edgy fashion statements to the stage, which was mimicked by millions of followers. With hefty monikers such as "The Queen of Pop" Madonna, "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince" and "The King of Pop" Michael Jackson, the three have become legends not only in American pop culture, but around the world.

"Madonna always reinvents herself, so every new album, every new tour, she has a new look," said Rolling Stone's Michael Endelman. In the true spirit of her hit song "Borderline," Madonna has always been one to shock with her "borderline" behavior. The perfect example was her racy kiss with Britney Spears in 2002, proving that the "Material Girl" was capable of just about anything. Although many didn't expect her to ever settle down, the chameleon revealed another shade of herself - when she became a mother. But even motherhood couldn't keep Madonna too far from being dragged into a scandal. Thrust into the spotlight again, it was rumored that Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie were splitting up along with accusations that Madonna was having a love affair with the New York Yankee' Alex Rodriguez - both of which she denies.

"The Queen of Pop," who plans to go on a world tour in September, will continue to reign at any age it seems.

Regardless if Prince's "Purple Rain" was released two decades ago, he has remained current with his performance at the Super Bowl in 2007, proving that at his age he can still wow a crowd. Prince is scheduled to release a new album and embark on a European tour in the fall.

Michael Jackson on the other hand is somewhat of a different success story. He indeed thrilled audiences for decades, but his strange behavior has earned him an unflattering nickname, "Wacko Jacko." "Michael has become more of a tabloid story than a musician," Endelman said. "He doesn't record much new music and that's where the problem lies. People who keep doing what they're doing and keep singing, keep performing and keep writing manage to grow old gracefully."

The Rolling Stones have nonchalantly surpassed their 50's and are rockin' out like they always have - proving that their music can transcend generations. These may be tough acts to follow, but they have opened the door for other artists who may be rockin' in their footsteps. "I think if you're a younger act - if you're Christina Aguilera, this is great news for you that you can actually be a successful pop singer sort of well past your 20 somethings," Endelman said.

Considering the staying power of Madonna and Prince, young pop stars today may be in for some tough competition when they reach 50 if these die-hards are still plugging away in the music business.

Will 80 then be the new 50?

Source: CBS News
Thanks to our contributor and community member Baby George