heartbeatocean said:

what, his rap album didn't win you over?

Actually George Michael's has been pretty disappointing, even though Faith was obviously enormous. He seemed to implode after that to some degree.

He became way too self conscious and he lost the freedom (in his own mind at least) to simply write fun catchy songs. And he's been way too absent from the scene.

NDRU said:

Huh? He has enjoyed for the most part a great solo career. His subsequent albums were all critically acclaimed, though they had sold the mega millions that Faith did. He just finished wrapping up a VERY successful tour.

I do agree his out put is minimal at best, but I think that due to getting older and the songs don't come as often these days.

lowkey said:

How is Boy George a disappointment?

dseann said:

How do you figure Jesse Johnson had a "disappointing solo career?" He was an unknown quantity with the music buying public at large when he left The Time. He had no expecations, no fan base and virtually no music profile when he left after "Ice Cream Castles."

Johnson drops a debut album that sells nearly 1 million copies and turns out three Top 5 R&B singles, and then continued to score hits with the "Shockadelica" and "Every Shade of Love" albums. All this from a guy who was practically a relatively obscure sideman in a group where Morris Day garnered all the attention and that included the burgeoning talents of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

If anything, public awareness of Johnson came BECAUSE OF his solo career, not IN SPITE OF it. A disappointing solo career is defined by the latter, not the former. More importantly, how are you going to compare Johnson's situation with someone like James "JT" Taylor's or Aaron Hall's? Do you actually think Johnson was as highly regarded in The Time by the music-buying public as Taylor was with Kool & The Gang or Hall with GUY? Talk in absolute terms, not relative terms.
[Edited 1/24/07 6:28am]

superspaceboy said:

Yeah, you could definitely argue that he's been wildly successful, too. But in my mind he's been largely in exile, post LWP.

It's good to see him touring, but it was looooong overdue. I think the court battle (and no doubt personal tragedy) took a big toll on him in terms of career motivation.

NDRU said:

His output may have been minimal, but I'd say it's clear that George Michael has enjoyed even more success as a solo artist than he had with Wham! (both critically and commercially).

I remember two songs from Jesse's first album getting air play. I Want My Girl and I Want To Be Your Man.....oh yeah and Can You Help Me. But I never really heard anything after that. I never knew he had an album named Shockadelica and had my cousin not had Every Shade Of Love I wouldn't have heard of it. Lovestruck I think was it's lead single which went no where.

I find his career as a solo artist insignificant."

Everyone in Fleetwood Mac.... with the exception of Stevie Nicks


.

some more...

Bobby Brown---Yes,'Don't Be Cruel' was a monster hit in 1988/89,but his follow-up albums went nowhere.If he hadn't married Whitney Houston in 1992,we wouldn't have even heard about in the media anymore.He would have faded away completely.


Michael Cooper---former lead singer of Con Funk Shun

SoulAlive said:

I heard an interview with Dawn recently (last 2 months) and it really sounds like EnVogue with the originally members will never be. She said when she last met with them they were still stuck in the past business-wise. She made it sound like they hadn't mentally moved anywhere it terms of how to deal with the business and getting what they wanted and that she had moved on from that. That's why she was able to do Lucy Pearl. She said she tried [to work with them] but it wasn't happening. She still comes across a bit shady, and talks as if she's on a whole different level.

Sisqo was on the verge of having a huge solo career, but when "The Thong Song" blew up, most people took him for a novelty act, especially those who weren't aware of his work in Dru Hill.

"I think we need to define successful solo careers. Disappointing musicly to you or disappointing in commercial success?"

dseann said:

Jesse Johnson's debut album, "Jesse Johnson's Revue," sold more than 700,000 copies and produced three songs that placed high on the Billboard R&B singles chart -- "Be Your Man" (peaked at No. 4), "Can You Help Me" (No. 3) and "I Want My Girl" (No. 5).

Johnson's second album, "Shockadelica," produced three Top 20 singles -- his duet with Sly Stone "Crazay" (No. 2), "She (I Can't Resist)" (No. 19) and "Baby Let's Kiss" (No. 20).

Johnson's third album, "Every Shade of Love," produced the lead single "Lovestruck" (No. 4) and the title track (No. 25).

That's seven top 20 R&B singles from Johnson (and five of them landing in the top 5), who was an obscure sideman with The Time who had a better solo career than his more celebrated bandmate, Morris Day. The issue is more a case of your lack of knowledge, if anything.

As stated several times, we're discussing artists who enjoyed a high profile and/or large individual following in a previous incarnation that did not transfer into a successful solo career. That certainly doesn't apply to Johnson when he was with The Time -- expectations were low when he started his solo career. If anything, Johnson's standing in the music industry is primarily based on his solo career.
[Edited 1/25/07 6:13am]

"(Jesse Johnson) is probably still living off his cut for 'i need you,' which was sung by Paula Abdul LOl"

thesexofit said:

I doubt he's living off an obscure album track, since Jesse Johnson had quite a few songs off which he's living that were hits.

Are you related to Jesse Johnson or something.
I never said you were wrong to think highly of him just that I don't.
Obviously, others here at the org think as I do.
Leave it alone and move on.....not everyone finds his solo career impressive.

dseann said:

So in other words, it's my fault you made an argument based on factual errors? Just like it's a poor assumption that I'm some big Jesse Johnson fan because I corrected you? I've never said one way or the other that I was a Jesse Johnson fan, just that it's silly to call his solo career a "disappointment" when a whole lot wasn't expected from him in the first place and he exceeded what was expected from him.

If you think Johnson's career was a disappointment, then you must think Morris Day's solo career was horrible -- because Johnson was much more successful than Day was. I would take the "L" and go home on this one, if I was you.
[Edited 1/29/07 5:57am]

"Morris Day did have a shitty solo career. I will agree with that one. 'Oaktree' or 'Fishnet' weren't what one would call classics or even fulfilling efforts by any means.

I won't take a loss for expressing my opinion. Jesse Johnson had a disappointing solo career in MY opinion. That's that."

dseann said:

EXCEPT YOUR OPINION -- or more specifically, YOUR UNSPECIFIED EXPECTATION -- doesn't count, because the thread is about artists who left successful groups as high-profile personalities, started solo careers and simply didn't have the high-profile success as a solo act they enjoyed as a group member.

Unless you want to continue by suggesting that Jesse Johnson was some high-profile member of The Time who had people buzzing about a potential solo career,you should take the "L." Because based on the concept of the thread (which I did create), Johnson's solo career doesn't constitute a bust in any shape or fashion.
[Edited 1/29/07 11:32am]

thesexofit said:

I doubt he's living off an obscure album track, since Jesse Johnson had quite a few songs off which he's living that were hits.

John Lennon
Paul McCartney