Who has the best discography and tell me your reasons why.

That's like asking do you Love your Child more than you love your Dog......Mimi, Madge & Ms. Jackson are three of the most influential Chicks in Music History...

They are Pioneers, they are Music & Career Gamblers, they are serious about their Craft, they don't sound alike, they take chances with Producers/Songwriters and they raised the Bar when it comes to reaching ICON status...

Who has the Best discography? I gotta give it to Janet...Janet's Classics were carefully Produced so that Time would not be an Enemy.....Mariah's recorded work shows that she's The Queen of The Ballads and Madonna's work shows that she's The Goddess of Pop...Some of Mimi & Madge's Classics are dated, but still amazing.....

Chancellor said:

No contest. Madonna by a landslide. Janet put out some good albums too, but not nearly as many as Madge. Mariah .....only liked her first one.

Hands down: Madonna.

I like more of Mariah's singles than albums and mostly from the early - mid 90's. I like some of Janet's stuff too, but I have way more of Madonna's stuff on cd, purchased from iTunes and saved on Spotify than ANY of the three. Madonna's not a great singer, but her catalog is incredibly fun and adventurous.

1. 80's Madonna.

2. Janet Control and Rhythm Nation.

Janet. She paved the path for many other artists and her canon has been pro-black since the very beginning.

JohnDoe321 said:

Who has the best discography and tell me your reasons why.

Janet of course. Madonna second for the artistry into her songs and performances.

Mariah last. She doesnt have any entertainment value to her songs, howeevr she is a very strong songwriter

Madonna has a lot of strong singles. But her albums as full never really did it for me, except for Like a Prayer.

Janet made less albums, but Control till All for U (and Unbreakable) were all amazing albums.

For me every song on those albums rock.

Mariah made a good first album, after that a few ok songs, but nothing amazing.

I would say Janet first, with Madonna for singles a second for her singles.

I mean Borderline, Papa don't preach, Music and Vogue are really classics.

But I do like Mariah's reality show.

It's a tough call, so I'll address each one separately.

Mariah: I don't think hers is superior. She had a strong beginning, but really started to wain in having truly great material. Who's humming "It's Like That" or ......I can't even think of another song. Frankly, she's riding her Christmas album more than anything new she's putting out. Mariah has a fanbase that keeps her record sales going, because who's watching videos anymore, or making them, and who is even really promoting a single? Mariah doesn't, really. Mariah continues on a theme from a previous record, and doles out the same thing over and over. E=MC² was a continuation of The Emancipation of Mimi by her own admission. And those fucking titles! Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse. Bitch, WHAT?! Stop.

Janet: For me, Janet's had a really varied body of work. She's not released an album every other year like many artists do. She waits a bit, lives life, then works on something new. There's an ebb and flow to it that is nice. When you go from the shoulder-shruggin' of "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" to the militaristic "Rhythm Nation" and opening an album with songs about homelessness, drug addiction, dropping out of school, and being a teenage mother - that says something. It's not about a new producer, or whatever, it's a message. And she was flat out preachy without being preachy, and danced right through all of it. Then you come back thin, sexy, and boop boop boo da doo doop with "That's The Way Love Goes"; janet. was just as much of a statement, more about sexuality and coming into one's self. You could hear the love on the album, yet the irony is that she was struggling in behind the scenes. Mariah was ...suffering from exhaustion? Bad, but not exactly banging your head on a wall. Janet's music truly takes you on a journey of her own life. We can all find ourselves in songs like "You Want This" or "You" or "Son Of A Gun" or "Trust A Try". No one's finding their life in "Fantasy" or "Vision of Love". The other greatness of Janet's discography is that all of those different and unique albums have mostly had the same production team on it. The trust of finding new sounds and exploring new ideas is evident on each album. They stand alone. There is no Control Part 2 or janet. phase 2.

Madonna: Dare I say more political and sexual than even Janet at times. Despite these two not liking each other as people, they have very similar careers, and directions with it. They've had their political moments, their sexy moments, their dark moments, their rebirth moments (Ray of Light, All For You). For me, Madonna's catalog steps up a notch above Mariah because of her remixes. It seems so trivial now, but the remixes in the late 80s or through the 90s really gave new life to new songs. A lot of those she even used in concert. Blond Ambition Tour was the first time she started really using those remixes, as with "Like A Prayer", "Express Yourself", "Keep It Together" effectively. She also set a new standard in concerts with theatrics like we'd never seen before, and even smartly divided shows into sections. Janet didn't do that on RN1814, but sorta did on the janet. tour, and definitely did on The Velvet Rope Tour and beyond. I give Madonna credit for that. Madonna takes a song and reworks it live, and - for me - makes listeners appreciate the songs in a new way. I've grown warm to albums I otherwise was 50/50 on because of the tour. MDNA is a prime example of that. I do think Madonna's sound is a little tired lately, and I hate that. She's all about finding some 16-year-old with GarageBand and a drum machine from Guitar World to produce her next record. Rebel Heart is a gory example of that. It doesn't work - for me. Janet suffered similar lower selling albums when she veered off from a great chemistry w/ Jam & Lewis. Then goes back to working with them, and goes to #1 the first week it's out. Madonna's had #1s the first week, but I think she relies more on a tour and remixes or a video than the material itself.

So if we're talking solely disocgraphy:

1. Janet (based on the differences in the albums)
2. Madonna (based on the remix catalog)
3. Mariah

Mimi. Her earlier albums are superior because they are of great substance. When she broke away from Tommy, the substance started to fade. Janet and Madonna have some good albums in their catalogs. I really can't say they were of any substance, though. Maybe Janet's "Rhythm Nation". Janet had good dance music and so did Madonna early on. But, Janet's albums and the Madonna albums that I liked in the 80's were all purely for entertainment purposes for me. When I want to "feel" something, when I want to be moved, I don't go for anything in Madonna's or Janet's discography. But, I will go to some of Mimi's music.

nextedition said:

Madonna has a lot of strong singles. But her albums as full never really did it for me, except for Like a Prayer.

Janet made less albums, but Control till All for U (and Unbreakable) were all amazing albums.

For me every song on those albums rock.

Mariah made a good first album, after that a few ok songs, but nothing amazing.

I would say Janet first, with Madonna for singles a second for her singles.

Or I could have just said this, which sums up everything I typed much easier. hahaha

Madonna.

The thing that I like about her catalog is....throughout most of her career,she really grew and evolved with each new album.She didn't stick with the same producers/collaborators.Like A Prayer is a wonderful album,but she quickly moved on (artistically) and didn't continue with that "sound".And of course,Ray Of Light was totally unlike anything she had done previously.I even love much of her recent albums,like Confessions On A Dancefloor and her most recent one Rebel Heart.

To me,Mariah Carey just makes the same album over and over again.As an artist,she's never done anything bold or challenging.As for Janet,I do like Control and Rhythm Nation but I lost interest in her after that.Both of these ladies never really venture too far from their R&B comfort zone,so I don't really find their catalogs as interesting as Madonna's.

It's not fair for me to say it, because i haven't listened to Janet's music, the same with Carey besides TEOM and some singles. With Madonna is the other way around, i love her music is interesting and a great experience. Specially the end of the 80's with Like A Prayer up to 2005; her most interesting phase. She has grown through the years; her lyrics, her sound, her image. We found Madonna in her best singing ballads, when she is in her most vulnerable and more introspective or personal.

janet by far,way more diverse. she gave me r&b,pop,hiphop,neo soul,rock,lite fm rock,dance,funk,new jack swing, touched on so many subjects and always took time between albums.

i only like madonna's 80s albums. she made some great pop music but i need more variety.

i only liked a few mariah singles, i cant name which albums they are from.

lowkey said:

janet by far,way more diverse. she gave me r&b,pop,hiphop,neo soul,rock,lite fm rock,dance,funk,new jack swing, touched on so many subjects and always took time between albums.

i only like madonna's 80s albums. she made some great pop music but i need more variety.

i only liked a few mariah singles, i cant name which albums they are from.

I f you want to listen veriety from Madonna, go through her 90's up to 2005; that's when you will find the most veriety from her music.

kitbradley said:

Mimi. Her earlier albums are superior because they are of great substance. When she broke away from Tommy, the substance started to fade. Janet and Madonna have some good albums in their catalogs. I really can't say they were of any substance, though. Maybe Janet's "Rhythm Nation". Janet had good dance music and so did Madonna early on. But, Janet's albums and the Madonna albums that I liked in the 80's were all purely for entertainment purposes for me. When I want to "feel" something, when I want to be moved, I don't go for anything in Madonna's or Janet's discography. But, I will go to some of Mimi's music.

Thats understandable. Mariah's album catalogue is not as endearing or entertaining as janet or madonna's, but Mariah Carey's songwriting and singing will make you feel something I agree.

Tracks like "The Wind", "Fly like A Bird", Camaflogue", "Can't Let Go", "Never Too Far", "Twister", "Outside" and even "Cry" are very touching and to the heart.

Janet and Madonna have made personal tracks like these but they are usually within something you can dance to as well like "What It Feel Like For A Girl", "Unapologetic Bitch" or "You Aint Right" and "Empty".

This is easy: Janet's music is more important in shaping how the industry sounds today. There are 4 albums from her which serves as the magna carta for female contemporary R&B female performers extending into pop(Control, RN1814, Velvet Rope and Janet).

Remember, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are pioneers, along with Prince, of the "Minnesota Sound" which gave birth to all kinds of movements and sub-genres musically and has a major influence on how Pop sounds today. That includes Madonna and most definitely Mariah. Mariah don't have a lane to drive in without Janet paving it. Janet don't get the respect and cred she deserves because of what happened at the Super Bowl Halftime Show but any unbias objective observer of the entertainment industry knows that what I am saying is true.

You can prefer whoever you want, but Janet wins and wins easily.

paisleypark4 said:

JohnDoe321 said:

Who has the best discography and tell me your reasons why.

Janet of course. Madonna second for the artistry into her songs and performances.

Mariah last. She doesnt have any entertainment value to her songs, howeevr she is a very strong songwriter

Eh....I don't agree. She's more contemporary musically than Janet and Madonna, especially post Vision of Love days, when she was a pioneer of the rap-sung hybrid(start with Breakdown with Bones, Thugs and Harmony) and there is a concert dislike of anything but I would say that there is a lot of entertainment value to her songs and she easily has the best vocal arrangements/performances in her songs. They easily set her music apart, though Janet actually has great vocal arrangements too, especially her harmonic background vocals.

Chancellor said:

That's like asking do you Love your Child more than you love your Dog......Mimi, Madge & Ms. Jackson are three of the most influential Chicks in Music History...

They are Pioneers, they are Music & Career Gamblers, they are serious about their Craft, they don't sound alike, they take chances with Producers/Songwriters and they raised the Bar when it comes to reaching ICON status...

Who has the Best discography? I gotta give it to Janet...Janet's Classics were carefully Produced so that Time would not be an Enemy.....Mariah's recorded work shows that she's The Queen of The Ballads and Madonna's work shows that she's The Goddess of Pop...Some of Mimi & Madge's Classics are dated, but still amazing.....

No they are not! There are female entertainers that are way more influential than they are. The greatest Jazz and Blues entertainers are way more influential that they are. They(Mariah, Madonna and Janet) wouldn't even have a template to draw from without it. Ma Rainey, Ella, Sarah, Billie, Dinah to name a few of the awesome vocal musicians of the past will always be more important and influential than those ladies and saying it don't take away from how great their music and contributions to entertainment.

Out of the three: Janet Jackson.

That's the Way Love Goes alone dethrones careers.

paisleypark4 said:

kitbradley said:

Mimi. Her earlier albums are superior because they are of great substance. When she broke away from Tommy, the substance started to fade. Janet and Madonna have some good albums in their catalogs. I really can't say they were of any substance, though. Maybe Janet's "Rhythm Nation". Janet had good dance music and so did Madonna early on. But, Janet's albums and the Madonna albums that I liked in the 80's were all purely for entertainment purposes for me. When I want to "feel" something, when I want to be moved, I don't go for anything in Madonna's or Janet's discography. But, I will go to some of Mimi's music.

Thats understandable. Mariah's album catalogue is not as endearing or entertaining as janet or madonna's, but Mariah Carey's songwriting and singing will make you feel something I agree.

Tracks like "The Wind", "Fly like A Bird", Camaflogue", "Can't Let Go", "Never Too Far", "Twister", "Outside" and even "Cry" are very touching and to the heart.

Janet and Madonna have made personal tracks like these but they are usually within something you can dance to as well like "What It Feel Like For A Girl", "Unapologetic Bitch" or "You Aint Right" and "Empty".

Not quite right, actually the most personal ones are midtempos or ballads: as i said before, they are usually the best ones. An example of this is Drowned World song, which is a masterpiece.

Madonna has the best discography...and more of a showman for tours

Mariah has (or at least had) the best vocal range

And Janet is the best Actress

Janet

Neither of the other two has an album that runs fastbreak full court like Control

or Rhythmn Nation or a quad of pleasurable lps like these 2 and Velvet Rope

and All For You.

Now that is a tough one I would say Madonna has been the most consistent albumwise....with Janet a close second. I just couldn't get into Damita Jo (2004), 20 Y.O (2006) or Discipline (2008).

TrivialPursuit said:

I'd say in terms of essential albums all music fans should have in their collections, it has to be Madge ... True Blue, Like A Prayer, Erotica, Ray of Light, Confessions On A Dancefloor ... that's five must have albums right there, and there's still a ton of classic tracks that aren't even on these (Vogue, Into The Groove, Justify My Love, etc).

Janet and Mariah can't match that.

Curtwill1975 said:

paisleypark4 said:

Janet of course. Madonna second for the artistry into her songs and performances.

Mariah last. She doesnt have any entertainment value to her songs, howeevr she is a very strong songwriter

Eh....I don't agree. She's more contemporary musically than Janet and Madonna, especially post Vision of Love days, when she was a pioneer of the rap-sung hybrid(start with Breakdown with Bones, Thugs and Harmony) and there is a concert dislike of anything but I would say that there is a lot of entertainment value to her songs and she easily has the best vocal arrangements/performances in her songs. They easily set her music apart, though Janet actually has great vocal arrangements too, especially her harmonic background vocals.

I meant entertainment value as in showmanship etc. There is nothing about her songs that are defenitive as in for an entertainer. That's one thing she is not so much..a dancer or fluid in choreography / storytelling in her live shows. I.E. Vogue or If...its like there is an art piece to each section of those songs..the dance..the lyrics Janet doesnt sing Rythm Nation without the dance for example...Mariah is a songstress but there is no art / vision piece to her songs other than her singing. Mariah and Janet make sure you can see and feel something in their shows.

paisleypark4 said:

kitbradley said:

Mimi. Her earlier albums are superior because they are of great substance. When she broke away from Tommy, the substance started to fade. Janet and Madonna have some good albums in their catalogs. I really can't say they were of any substance, though. Maybe Janet's "Rhythm Nation". Janet had good dance music and so did Madonna early on. But, Janet's albums and the Madonna albums that I liked in the 80's were all purely for entertainment purposes for me. When I want to "feel" something, when I want to be moved, I don't go for anything in Madonna's or Janet's discography. But, I will go to some of Mimi's music.

Thats understandable. Mariah's album catalogue is not as endearing or entertaining as janet or madonna's, but Mariah Carey's songwriting and singing will make you feel something I agree.

Tracks like "The Wind", "Fly like A Bird", Camaflogue", "Can't Let Go", "Never Too Far", "Twister", "Outside" and even "Cry" are very touching and to the heart.

Janet and Madonna have made personal tracks like these but they are usually within something you can dance to as well like "What It Feel Like For A Girl", "Unapologetic Bitch" or "You Aint Right" and "Empty".

"The Wind" is one of the few songs that actually brings me to tears. And "Can't Let Go", well, that song has pretty much been the story of my life for the past 25 years.

kitbradley said:

paisleypark4 said:

Thats understandable. Mariah's album catalogue is not as endearing or entertaining as janet or madonna's, but Mariah Carey's songwriting and singing will make you feel something I agree.

Tracks like "The Wind", "Fly like A Bird", Camaflogue", "Can't Let Go", "Never Too Far", "Twister", "Outside" and even "Cry" are very touching and to the heart.

Janet and Madonna have made personal tracks like these but they are usually within something you can dance to as well like "What It Feel Like For A Girl", "Unapologetic Bitch" or "You Aint Right" and "Empty".

"The Wind" is one of the few songs that actually brings me to tears. And "Can't Let Go", well, that song has pretty much been the story of my life for the past 25 years.

They are so emotional. Make you cry.