Why do you think Madonna is worth so much more than Prince? Is it because she's a better business person/savy? Sure don't think she is more talented than P but at $650 million, she's worth more than twice what P's worth at $250 million. Did staying with a record company have a lot to do with it???

Well, it´s a fact she sold more albums and had more hits because her music

is more commercial and radio-friendly. Over the years she really turned into a bussines woman.

If prince would have released an album every 3 years with the best of the 3 albums he did release

I guess his succes would have been bigger!

People always seem to forget Phil Collins!!! I´m not a huge fan -love No Jacket Required!-

but in this little book "the 50 best selling albums of the 80´s" that I have, it´s clear the mans sold

a lot!!! 3 albums are included, Madonna also 3, Bruce Springsteen and MJ 2! Prince 1.

And he also has a Genesis album! Just saying the media always talks about the big 3; MJ, Madonna and Prince...but Phil was bigger

^It's not just because of sales why they get referred to as the big 3.

[Edited 9/29/12 0:11am]

funkomatic said:

^It's not just because of sales why they get referred to as the big 3.

[Edited 9/29/12 0:11am]

True! Phil Collins had hits and was always in the charts but his "impact" was little.

He didn´t inspire people...like many other hitmakers

George michael is also someone who made his mark in the 80´s!

[Edited 9/29/12 0:19am]

Prince owns his publishing rights that is worth more than 250 million. Plus, Madonna invested in a clothing line and other profitable ventures. She didn't put all her eggs in one basket.

Bruce Springsteen should be the 4th.....

pepole wrote songs for her, she is a shell that people use to make money, it's just well marketed karaoke and a very sucessful business model

Astasheiks said:

Why do you think Madonna is worth so much more than Prince? Is it because she's a better business person/savy? Sure don't think she is more talented than P but at $650 million, she's worth more than twice what P's worth at $250 million. Did staying with a record company have a lot to do with it???

You're not serious with this? Madge sold way more records and concert tickets. Prince commercial peak stopped after 1995 or something, not one hitsingles, a few albums that sold ok, but not like Madge...Madge went on selling out stadiums around the world till today, of course she's worth more.

The other day I was looking up TV appearances for something, and it occured to me how little promo Prince did in the 80s. His videos were often functional rather than extravagant, or there wasn't one at all - he wasn't one for doing interviews, TV performances etc.

I think he tried to let the music speak for itself - this we know - but it goes a long way to explain why Prince isn't held in the same light as the other 'big two'. Prince was doing things in a different way to either of them, I mean Bad is a million miles away from Parade or SOTT. I'm not taking anything away from MJ or Madonna, but neither were really doing anything as wacky and wild as Prince, at least musically. This translates into less sales too of course - producing hits like marble statues was MJ's speciality, where as Prince was more of a fresco painter.

Prince and Michael Jackson... yes.

Forget about the very overrated Madge,

terrible clip, "Like A Virgin" Live danish TV 2006:

Madonna: she can't even sing live, without hitting false notes.

Prince was churning out albums too, not letting one breath before another one was hot off the press, overloading the market - great for us, bad for business.

NouveauDance said:

Prince was churning out albums too, not letting one breath before another one was hot off the press, overloading the market - great for us, bad for business.

^

yeah it was fantastic to be a fan in the 80's.

Prince was a chameleon, with his ever changing images and styles, Prince = delivering 9 excellent albums in 1 decade (and incl. 2 double albums), I count The Black Album as a 87 album, even it wasn't release until 94.

(no artist has been that prolific in 1 decade ever before or ever since, as far as I am aware, not even The Beatles).

80 Dirty Mind

81 Controversy

82 1999

84 Purple Rain

85 Around The World

86 Parade

87 Sign O' The Times

88 Lovesexy

(The Black Album) the bootleg(s) = was a major succes in the purple underground in 88

89 Batman

82 Thriller

87 Bad

MJ did only release 2 fantastic and excellent pop album in the eighties.

I have never liked Madonna, her album "Like A Prayer" would be her only "good": imo.

thedance said:

NouveauDance said:

Prince was churning out albums too, not letting one breath before another one was hot off the press, overloading the market - great for us, bad for business.

^

yeah it was fantastic to be a fan in the 80's.

Prince was a chameleon, with his ever changing images and styles, Prince = delivering 9 excellent albums in 1 decade (and incl. 2 double albums), I count The Black Album as a 87 album, even it wasn't release until 94.

(no artist has been that prolific in 1 decade ever before or ever since, as far as I am aware, not even The Beatles).

80 Dirty Mind

81 Controversy

82 1999

84 Purple Rain

85 Around The World

86 Parade

87 Sign O' The Times

88 Lovesexy

(The Black Album) the bootleg(s) = was a major succes in the purple underground in 88

89 Batman

82 Thriller

87 Bad

MJ did only release 2 fantastic and excellent pop album in the eighties.

I have never liked Madonna, her album "Like A Prayer" would be her only "good": imo.

And dont forget...

81 The Time

82 Vanity 6

82 What Time Is It?

84 The Glamorous Life

84 Ice Cream Castle

85 Romance 1600

85 The Family

86 Madhouse 8

87 Jill Jones

87 Madhouse 16

Simply put, there's a big difference between an artist and a pop star.

Madonna loves making money. Prince loves spending money. See how that works?

robertlove said:

Astasheiks said:

Why do you think Madonna is worth so much more than Prince? Is it because she's a better business person/savy? Sure don't think she is more talented than P but at $650 million, she's worth more than twice what P's worth at $250 million. Did staying with a record company have a lot to do with it???

You're not serious with this? Madge sold way more records and concert tickets. Prince commercial peak stopped after 1995 or something, not one hitsingles, a few albums that sold ok, but not like Madge...Madge went on selling out stadiums around the world till today, of course she's worth more.

Like kewlschool said "Plus, Madonna invested in a clothing line and other profitable ventures." For somebody that lip synchs half or all her concerts and can't blow up any instrument thats pretty awesome. From what I read she half arse plays rhythm guitar.

Astasheiks said:

robertlove said:

You're not serious with this? Madge sold way more records and concert tickets. Prince commercial peak stopped after 1995 or something, not one hitsingles, a few albums that sold ok, but not like Madge...Madge went on selling out stadiums around the world till today, of course she's worth more.

Like kewlschool said "Plus, Madonna invested in a clothing line and other profitable ventures." For somebody that lip synchs half or all her concerts and can't blow up any instrument thats pretty awesome. From what I read she half arse plays rhythm guitar.

Prince had also other profitable ventures...3121 perfume!

Madonna is worth more than Prince because she has a very different approach to her work.

Prince will just record and record and record and release 10% if that of what he did then when it finally see's the light of day tosses it aside as he's got another idea in his head. He will think nothing of spending a million bucks on something that will never see the light of day.

Madonna famously is a scheduled task master who is constantly thinking about the cost of making the album and how to make it as profitable as possible. She's good at taking an idea and distiling it into a commercialy viable product that still holds the original point of the art. This is how she is consistantly making bigger profits

Prince makes it and puts it out with seemingly little editorial process or regard for commercial viablility.

I love them both and think they are both amazing perfomers artists and songwritters but they approach it in a very different way.

Princes approach to his label was mearly to get more of his songs released wether it made a profit or not. Madonna had nothing beyond executive involvment in the acts her label distributed and was more like a gallery curator than the all controlling svengali Prince was.

Horses for courses that has produced two very succesfull, rewarding and interesting careers

Astasheiks said:

Why do you think Madonna is worth so much more than Prince?

Is it because she's a better business person/savy?

She is evidently a better businessperson or, to put iot differently, much more business-oriented in her career and artistic choices than Prince ever was. They're not doing the same thing. Madonna always releases music that is commercial enough to be Top-40, while Prince just releases well, whatever he feels like releasing at a particular moment.

Sure don't think she is more talented than P but at $650 million, she's worth more than twice what P's worth at $250 million.

Yeah well, have you listened to her records? They're great but hell they're much easier to sell than Prince's (i.e. more accessible and always following the moment's musical trends).

Did staying with a record company have a lot to do with it???

I don't think so. Madonna has always been the master of her game, just like Prince. What she did with WB she'd have done with any label past the first few years.

In the end I'd say it's kinda pointless to compare the sales figures of these 2: they're playing the game in such a DIFFERENT manner than comparisons are near impossible. Michael was more like Madonna: a hit machine. Even back in the 0's neither of them woulda released an album a year (+ side-projects) or something as risky as Around The World In A Day or Lovesexy (sure Madonna did I'm Breathless, but it was a soundtrack and it was supported by the highly commercial Vogue).

Beside all the reasons mentioned, Madonna is still prepared to dance around in little, while Prince has transcended that stage. Sex always sells. Madonna is also not a multi-instrumentalist but more the 'show' performer. The new generation were brought up on electronic, digital, you name it. Prince doesn't want to let making music from scratch go, hence him show-casing real musicians like Andy Mac, Andy Allo, Esperanza, Maceo.

Janelle is the dancer, but she's not taking off her clothes, as far I've seen.

jpnyc said:

Madonna loves making money. Prince loves spending money. See how that works?

Paisley4u said:

funkomatic said:

^It's not just because of sales why they get referred to as the big 3.

[Edited 9/29/12 0:11am]

True! Phil Collins had hits and was always in the charts but his "impact" was little.

He didn´t inspire people...like many other hitmakers

George michael is also someone who made his mark in the 80´s!

[Edited 9/29/12 0:19am]

such a different time, lots of creative people working hard 2 make it

i take nothing from any of them. a lot of entertainers that followed in the mid 90 and after especially in the 2000s didnt go thru a lot of stuff like prince madonna and michael early in their careers and before they had a 1st album.

the industry was so much different then. and the market was flooded with clones and wanna bees

Tina Turner made a big 80s mark in music and film

and many other bands solo acts etc

Phil Collins might not have had the social scene impact but he had an impact in different ways like an entertainer should... his songs 4 men and women spoke to life n love situations, any time i think of Miami i think of Phil lol his music filled Miama Vice one of the most popular tv shows of the 80s

eelco said:

Bruce Springsteen should be the 4th.....

yep

there was a good diversity of creative people

people who carved their own identity

Prince MJackson Madonna Whitney Houston Sade Tina Turner Bruce Springsten Cindy Lauper etc

Bohemian67 said:

Beside all the reasons mentioned, Madonna is still prepared to dance around in little, while Prince has transcended that stage. Sex always sells. Madonna is also not a multi-instrumentalist but more the 'show' performer. The new generation were brought up on electronic, digital, you name it. Prince doesn't want to let making music from scratch go, hence him show-casing real musicians like Andy Mac, Andy Allo, Esperanza, Maceo.

Janelle is the dancer, but she's not taking off her clothes, as far I've seen.

its still a very unbalanced scene at times,

Prince the man he is didnt really have 2 take his clothes off because he is a man

Madonna went thru periods were she did and didnt, i dont have a problem when it comes to concerts with any of that especially

BUT if we look back at Prince when he started the Welcome 2 tour in europe we noticed Prince had started working out, dude was looking tight, the only reason we know that cause Prince started showing more skin from armless trenches, lace shirts, and even ripping open his shirts showing his body.

So we should go to the extent of the reason for Prince is that he 'transcended' that. It was maybe 2008/2009 in an interview Prince was asked about age and body, and he said something to the affect of 'his body isnt in shape like he used to and that things dont stay in place anymore' around that time and especially when he did the 2006 Brit awards and the Latin show with Sheila e that Prince had a gut on him. Thats always a reason to cover up. and also most of his post Rave 2000 periods he was seriously covered, the suites reigned. A lot of this modesty might have a bit 2 do with him trying to conform via JW restrictions on dress... but i always notice he loosens up when hes in europe

Neither Madonna nor Janet started their career showing off their bodies, both were a bit healthy at times. Madonna didnt get her athletic body until True Blue (early 90s?) and Janet got her body Janet album(early 90s)

lol even Tina Turner (who was also known 4 her body and showing plenty of it) when she came back on the scene a few years ago, showed as much body as she could)

Men over are still not judged that way or arent expected to

chopingard said:

Madonna is worth more than Prince because she has a very different approach to her work.

Prince will just record and record and record and release 10% if that of what he did then when it finally see's the light of day tosses it aside as he's got another idea in his head. He will think nothing of spending a million bucks on something that will never see the light of day.

Madonna famously is a scheduled task master who is constantly thinking about the cost of making the album and how to make it as profitable as possible. She's good at taking an idea and distiling it into a commercialy viable product that still holds the original point of the art. This is how she is consistantly making bigger profits

Prince makes it and puts it out with seemingly little editorial process or regard for commercial viablility.

I love them both and think they are both amazing perfomers artists and songwritters but they approach it in a very different way.

Princes approach to his label was mearly to get more of his songs released wether it made a profit or not. Madonna had nothing beyond executive involvment in the acts her label distributed and was more like a gallery curator than the all controlling svengali Prince was.

Horses for courses that has produced two very succesfull, rewarding and interesting careers

I'd say this could almost be about Michael Jackson too

sometime the whole 'id dont care 2 win awards, all i wanna do is Dance play Music Sex Romance' of his artistry isnt realistic

he wants to be still huge, popular, a part of pop culture and reliavant, but then you dont release your concerts on DVD like almost every artist, u dont allow your videos on youtube, you make cases against your fans, and these are the things that make money keep you relevant popular youth look back at the 'classic' periods of the 60s 70s 80s and if your erase your past or dont make it accessible then you loose out

OldFriends4Sale said:

Bohemian67 said:

Beside all the reasons mentioned, Madonna is still prepared to dance around in little, while Prince has transcended that stage. Sex always sells. Madonna is also not a multi-instrumentalist but more the 'show' performer. The new generation were brought up on electronic, digital, you name it. Prince doesn't want to let making music from scratch go, hence him show-casing real musicians like Andy Mac, Andy Allo, Esperanza, Maceo.

Janelle is the dancer, but she's not taking off her clothes, as far I've seen.

its still a very unbalanced scene at times,

Prince the man he is didnt really have 2 take his clothes off because he is a man

Madonna went thru periods were she did and didnt, i dont have a problem when it comes to concerts with any of that especially

BUT if we look back at Prince when he started the Welcome 2 tour in europe we noticed Prince had started working out, dude was looking tight, the only reason we know that cause Prince started showing more skin from armless trenches, lace shirts, and even ripping open his shirts showing his body.

So we should go to the extent of the reason for Prince is that he 'transcended' that. It was maybe 2008/2009 in an interview Prince was asked about age and body, and he said something to the affect of 'his body isnt in shape like he used to and that things dont stay in place anymore' around that time and especially when he did the 2006 Brit awards and the Latin show with Sheila e that Prince had a gut on him. Thats always a reason to cover up. and also most of his post Rave 2000 periods he was seriously covered, the suites reigned. A lot of this modesty might have a bit 2 do with him trying to conform via JW restrictions on dress... but i always notice he loosens up when hes in europe

Neither Madonna nor Janet started their career showing off their bodies, both were a bit healthy at times. Madonna didnt get her athletic body until True Blue (early 90s?) and Janet got her body Janet album(early 90s)

lol even Tina Turner (who was also known 4 her body and showing plenty of it) when she came back on the scene a few years ago, showed as much body as she could)

Men over are still not judged that way or arent expected to

!!! true! About Madonna, yes she always been a smart business woman, but she's also very creative and smart with her choices for music, show, musicvideo's, etc. she also reinvented herself, that keeps people interested... ''what will she do next?'' also of course, her music is more accesible and more chart oriented than Prince his music. but Madonna also had some flops, because the songs were less pop stuff... also Prince and Madonna are 2 different artists and do their things in their own way. you can't really compare ...

80's had great music, but also became more and more about image. musicvideo's... a lot of promo performances on tv shows, etc. Prince didn't do a lot of those. Madonna was a master with her image, she created her own look and reinvented everytime. also with her musicvideo's, always interesting video's that got people talking. some goes for MJ and his video's... Prince was never good at that tbh.

[Edited 9/29/12 14:22pm]

Very interesting TOPIC indeed! I agree with so many points here. I think Prince is different, because he chooses to restrict himself from Social Media, which has a little to do with his visibility. Like Oldfriend4sale said;

".....(When) you dont release your concerts on DVD like almost every artist, u dont allow your videos on youtube, you make cases against your fans, and these are the things that make money keep you relevant popular youth look back at the 'classic' periods of the 60s 70s 80s and if your erase your past or dont make it accessible then you loose out.."

I believe that has something to do as to why He is not in the spot as Madge..I mean Madonna, is a smart business women, while she doesn't really do much for me as an artist. I still respect her moves, and her gestures. She invested in many other venues as well..Which brings income. I can't really say much more than some have already said. Like NouveauDance put it:

"I think he tried to let the music speak for itself - this we know - but it goes a long way to explain why Prince isn't held in the same light as the other 'big two'. Prince was doing things in a different way to either of them, I mean Bad is a million miles away from Parade or SOTT. I'm not taking anything away from MJ or Madonna, but neither were really doing anything as wacky and wild as Prince, at least musically. This translates into less sales too of course - producing hits like marble statues was MJ's speciality, where as Prince was more of a fresco painter.

OldFriends4Sale said:

Paisley4u said:

True! Phil Collins had hits and was always in the charts but his "impact" was little.

He didn´t inspire people...like many other hitmakers

George michael is also someone who made his mark in the 80´s!

[Edited 9/29/12 0:19am]

such a different time, lots of creative people working hard 2 make it

i take nothing from any of them. a lot of entertainers that followed in the mid 90 and after especially in the 2000s didnt go thru a lot of stuff like prince madonna and michael early in their careers and before they had a 1st album.

the industry was so much different then. and the market was flooded with clones and wanna bees

Tina Turner made a big 80s mark in music and film

and many other bands solo acts etc

Phil Collins might not have had the social scene impact but he had an impact in different ways like an entertainer should... his songs 4 men and women spoke to life n love situations, any time i think of Miami i think of Phil lol his music filled Miama Vice one of the most popular tv shows of the 80s

Agree. I said I´m not a huge fan but when I think about it...his music does mean a lot 2 me because he was so present in the 80´s. His hits, songs for soundtracks (Against all odds, Groovy kind of love) and the hits with Genesis.

And yes, I always wondered how succesful Prince would have been if he would have promoted his music like he did with PR!

Agree totally

Prince was the only consistent star of the 80s, Madonnas singles were great, but her albums had a lot of filler on them. MJ only released 2 albums, both are epics though.

Still its great that we all know Madonna and MJ were pop stars and great concert draws, but Prince was a musician, big difference between the two. Yes Madonna gave us Alanis Morisette and Michelle Branch, but that was the 90s, how many spin offs and proteges did she discover in the 80s? - none.

Bowie, well the 80s started off well but by the end, he was history, Glass Spider bombed and Tin Machine passed by unnoticed, whereas in 1980 with Ashes to Ashes and Fashion he was probably the biggest star in the world then.

Prince wins totally, but a very worthy second place no one has noticed and a third place, both are British acts that became big in the 70s and endured the 80s with a few pitfalls.

3rd Place Elton John 9 Albums and 1 live (4 did well)

1980 21 at 33, had the big hit Little Jeannie, but not much else

1981 The Fox, his most forgettable, no hits at all

1982 Jump Up Empty Garden and Blue Eyes were both hits, a comeback of sorts

1983 2 Low 4 Zero, 3huge hits and unlike most EJ albums, no filler but subsequent albums had a few decent songs and lots of filler

1984 Breaking Hearts - 2 hits

1985 Ice on Fire, had one huge hit Nikita

1986 Leather Jackets, described as his worst, but Heartache all over the world is good like Slow Rivers

1988 Reg Strikes back - Had 1 hit

1989 Sleeping with the past, his best and most successful since the 70s, Sacrifice, Helaing hands and Club at the end of the street, made sure that Elton ended the 80s back on the top

Also 1987 Live in Australia album which gave a huge hit with Candle in the Wind and that Mozart look.

But 2nd place Queen

1980 The Game (2 huge hits including another one bites the dust, their last huge American hit)

1980 Flash Gordon soundtrack ( 1 hit, but served a hit movie)

1982 Hot Space (Not so well received, but had 1981s huge hit with Bowie - Under Pressure)

1984 The Works (The first flop in USA due to the I wanna break free video being too gay for church based country ass fans in the USA, but a mega smash everywhere else) - 5 hits

1986 A kind of Magic (4 more hits including the highlander song - Who wants 2 live forever) and the Tour, plus Their Live Aid performance had pushed Queen back into the stratosphere by this stage. Also a spin off album - Live Magic

1989 The Miracle (a bit lighter, but still again 4 Top 10 hits including the Invisble man)

Queen started the decade well with the 1979 song Crazy little thing called love, hitting in the usa in early 1980 and then their disco themed smash, another one bites the dust (Probably their biggest hit after Bohemian Rhapsody). They also hit with Bowie in 1981 with the Under Pressure duet and 1982's Hot Space album with its dance feel was poorly received and drove their popularity down a bit. Many saw it as a last gasp from a tired 70s rock group, but they would be proved wrong. Plus in 1984 the tranny stuff in the I wanna break free video pretty much ended their popularity in the states until Freddie passed away in the early 90s)

But 1985's Live Aid show bought them back as Freddie Mercury stole that show and a hit One Vision followed along with 1986's a kind of magic album and world tour (Queens last) would see them out til the end of the decade. FM found out he had AIDS in late 1986 and hence he kept it secret but went to crazy ways concealing his illness, but by 1989 Freddie looked a lot skinnier and weaker by the time The Miracle album was released, no longer big stars in the USA they were still huge in the UK and Europe, Japan, The Far East, South America and Oceania.

The 80s was their decade as they were a washed up 70s group before Live Aid as some perceived. We all know in the early 90s with a great last album Innuendo and Mercury early death they would be even more huge than they had in the 70s.

So yeah Prince and Queen

Here we go again.

Adorecream said:

Agree totally

Prince was the only consistent star of the 80s, Madonnas singles were great, but her albums had a lot of filler on them. MJ only released 2 albums, both are epics though.

Still its great that we all know Madonna and MJ were pop stars and great concert draws, but Prince was a musician, big difference between the two. Yes Madonna gave us Alanis Morisette and Michelle Branch, but that was the 90s, how many spin offs and proteges did she discover in the 80s? - none.

Bowie, well the 80s started off well but by the end, he was history, Glass Spider bombed and Tin Machine passed by unnoticed, whereas in 1980 with Ashes to Ashes and Fashion he was probably the biggest star in the world then.

Prince wins totally, but a very worthy second place no one has noticed and a third place, both are British acts that became big in the 70s and endured the 80s with a few pitfalls.

3rd Place Elton John 9 Albums and 1 live (4 did well)

1980 21 at 33, had the big hit Little Jeannie, but not much else

1981 The Fox, his most forgettable, no hits at all

1982 Jump Up Empty Garden and Blue Eyes were both hits, a comeback of sorts

1983 2 Low 4 Zero, 3huge hits and unlike most EJ albums, no filler but subsequent albums had a few decent songs and lots of filler

1984 Breaking Hearts - 2 hits

1985 Ice on Fire, had one huge hit Nikita

1986 Leather Jackets, described as his worst, but Heartache all over the world is good like Slow Rivers

1988 Reg Strikes back - Had 1 hit

1989 Sleeping with the past, his best and most successful since the 70s, Sacrifice, Helaing hands and Club at the end of the street, made sure that Elton ended the 80s back on the top

Also 1987 Live in Australia album which gave a huge hit with Candle in the Wind and that Mozart look.

But 2nd place Queen

1980 The Game (2 huge hits including another one bites the dust, their last huge American hit)

1980 Flash Gordon soundtrack ( 1 hit, but served a hit movie)

1982 Hot Space (Not so well received, but had 1981s huge hit with Bowie - Under Pressure)

1984 The Works (The first flop in USA due to the I wanna break free video being too gay for church based country ass fans in the USA, but a mega smash everywhere else) - 5 hits

1986 A kind of Magic (4 more hits including the highlander song - Who wants 2 live forever) and the Tour, plus Their Live Aid performance had pushed Queen back into the stratosphere by this stage. Also a spin off album - Live Magic

1989 The Miracle (a bit lighter, but still again 4 Top 10 hits including the Invisble man)

Queen started the decade well with the 1979 song Crazy little thing called love, hitting in the usa in early 1980 and then their disco themed smash, another one bites the dust (Probably their biggest hit after Bohemian Rhapsody). They also hit with Bowie in 1981 with the Under Pressure duet and 1982's Hot Space album with its dance feel was poorly received and drove their popularity down a bit. Many saw it as a last gasp from a tired 70s rock group, but they would be proved wrong. Plus in 1984 the tranny stuff in the I wanna break free video pretty much ended their popularity in the states until Freddie passed away in the early 90s)

But 1985's Live Aid show bought them back as Freddie Mercury stole that show and a hit One Vision followed along with 1986's a kind of magic album and world tour (Queens last) would see them out til the end of the decade. FM found out he had AIDS in late 1986 and hence he kept it secret but went to crazy ways concealing his illness, but by 1989 Freddie looked a lot skinnier and weaker by the time The Miracle album was released, no longer big stars in the USA they were still huge in the UK and Europe, Japan, The Far East, South America and Oceania.

The 80s was their decade as they were a washed up 70s group before Live Aid as some perceived. We all know in the early 90s with a great last album Innuendo and Mercury early death they would be even more huge than they had in the 70s.

So yeah Prince and Queen

MJ/the Jacksons by the Time Prince rel his first had already performed and recorded a lifetime of work by the time the 1980s came along though. His Thriller was huge and he was never out of the 80s scene touring with his brothers Victory doing side songs etc

All 3 though had their 'filler' moments their ups and almosts, I love Under the Cherry Moon but that was an almost, Prince for his 'artistry' had huge falls that hurt his stardom, where some others only scratched them

the 1980s was yet a very interesting generation and period, lots of music people are rediscovering, which is why Prince should take notice