Frank Sinatra - seriously...

And, as many others have mentioned, the Beatles and Elvis.

1p1p1i3 said:

I suppose he's alluding to the fact that, although Chaplin was a film genius, he also wrote all his film scores and any songs used in them. Though he's no music superstar, he was a musical genius. His best-known song is "Smile" (covered by Nat King Cole, Sinatra, etc. etc.), which was the closing song from Modern Times.
[This message was edited Sun Apr 25 16:29:26 2004 by VoicesCarry]

flipwilson said:

How could I forget Frank!

minneapolisgenius said:

Damn, did I miss a flame??? I didn't see one when I responded to that.

VoicesCarry said:

1p1p1i3 said:

Garth doesn't do much sales wise outside of the US. Which is great.

bigonez said:

since album sales seems to have gotten us off topic a bit I will say the Beatles just because they are one if not the biggest influences of all time. Elvis was the ultimate superstar no question but the question is "who burst on the scene, stayed there and impacted music?" Elvis and MJ both burst on the scene, stayed there and impacted music but neither had the influence on so many to come like the Beatles did. Imo that is what puts them ahead of Elvis and anyone else they paved the way for countless groups and artists, were experimental which was almost unheard of at the time for being as popular as they were since everyone (Elvis and MJ included) stuck with the same formulas. They pushed the envelope with their music and had so many styles it was sick, and album after album they broke the mold (even the Rolling Stones their only competition copied Sgt Pepper after it dropped) Everyone is going to have their opinion about this but in mine it has to be the Beatles....

There's been alot of superstar's that have exploded on the scene and impacted music. I have to say Elvis Presley as a true superstar.But as far as having the greatest impact on the evolution of music,The Velvet Underground,Black Sabbath,The Beatles,The Stones and James Brown are the people who did it.

LightOfArt said:

The biggest single superstar (sorry beatles) that will be remembered by the most generations in immortality has got to be Madonna as the mj/elvis might be remembered for the freakish circumstances of the sidebars of the career. Sheer Music.. i'd say Madonna. She doesn't show signs of slowing.

Sinister said:

The beatles!!! comparing selling with Demonna is not fair....that was the 80's !!! beatles was 60's! See how many records they still sell!! For Madonna we just have to wait.... maybe they forgot about her in 10 years..... Beatles will never fade away, just like Elvis (although i don't like him)

Elvis definitely. Only stiffs and women like the Beatles . Young children like MJ and... well you know.

Seriously though, Elvis' cultural impact was bigger because he was the prototype. He broke down those barriers of restraint expected of most celebrities. He brought energy to the music and while he may not have pioneered it, he certainly popularized the rock star persona we've all come to love.

Of course the Beatles have arguably had the greatest impact on popular music. They brought some depth to the pop music scene. Again they didn't pioneer it-- there were folk singers and bluesmen doing these things long before-- but they hybridized some of these styles into their own brand of music and packaged it into a marketable product.

Then there's MJ. He popularized music videos and updated the pop music format from the more rock oriented hits to a more electronic dance- oriented sound. No, he didn't pioneer any of these things but the impact of thriller moved the industry in that direction. He couldn't have done any of those things without the Beatles, Elvis, or any of the others before him, but we still stand there today in MJ's shadow. The music industry is still in this mode and is finally being forced to change because of new technology.

Who'll be next? And who cares?

MJ is superstar who can do what ever it takes from writing and composing many callasics(pop,rock,soul,funk etc etc) to legendary stage performance to amazing dance moves!Videos!!He was there in 70s,80s,90,and now today! He has fans from 7 to 77! Amazing thing if my grandmother loves to listen what i love! Then again he has MANY haters!

Beatles: no need to talk about them

Elvis is a superstar but he hasnt written one song in his career! He sang what they gave him to sing! And his fanbases are old

Madonna, definately a superstar and she is still "in" today! How ever she is not as talented as the ones metioned above she probably is an immortal...She is a genius who didnt fuck up all the great things she did in 80s like MJ and Prince did...She is a sex symbol and a marketing prodigy

LightOfArt said:

Yes, but that's a truism you can apply to any artist.

VoicesCarry said:

Well Elvis has a big fan base and they are old...I mean how many teens u see listening to his songs

However MJ has both kids,teens,adults and olds...u know kids like his videos, dance routines and stuff and adults(the gruop im in) maybe like his ballads, his voice, humanatarian lyrics and stuff

thats what I meant by "He has fans from 7 to 77"...Anyways im stopping here dont want anybody to tell me : Why is every thread flooded by MJ

LightOfArt said:

Tons. Why do you think both the Beatles' and Elvis' #1's collections sold millions of copies? New generations discovering great music. . Great music does not have a fan base that simply ages and dies. It keeps renewing.
[This message was edited Thu Apr 29 11:42:34 2004 by VoicesCarry]

VoicesCarry said:

i never liked elvis that much as a kid but i bought his no1s collection newly...elvis hasnt got many things to offer to a child i think...i just started liking his music newly...but mj has both kid and adult fans at the same time...

LightOfArt said:

Lol, well, apparently they're still buying his music.

It has to be [b]MICHAEL JACKSON.

dreamfactory313 said:

How can it be MJ while he was playbacking almost his whole history tour??? A real superstar sings live!!!! Even if he's getting older!!! Take a look at Simon LeBon, not a great singer, but he sings live!! That, i have respect for!!! And don't misunderstand me, i also went to the Bad show of MJ and that was amazing, but i should have left it with that one, coz that playbackshow really disappointed me!!

So MJ is great, but not the biggest!!!

Thats just my opinion. Im sur u can make a case for anyone really. Its only my opinion. Prince is certainly a good candidate.

Lennon said:

Well he sings live when the tour starts..but usually the last dates of the tour he starts playbacking...but he is getting old is an excuse...coz u know how many countries he tours??? he does over hundred dates...anyway I watched his HIStory in munich which was one of the last dates:

He sang those live:
wanna be starting sumthing
smooth criminal
ill be there
i want u back
the luv u save
beat it
bj
earth song

other songs were mime...

Hey hes got his court date today....I really wanna see the circus do u know if theyll show it live on tv?
[This message was edited Fri Apr 30 4:45:07 2004 by LightOfArt]