I rank Prince over Wonder because I don’t think Wonder had the genius of synthesis that Prince had: I think Wonder did what he did better than anyone in his generation, but I don’t get the feeling of paradigm shift from his music; of just sheer revolutionary invention like I do from Prince.
Granted, Prince wouldn’t be Prince without George Clinton and Marc Bolan coming first, but the synthesis he wove out of those influences became something new, something other; a real leap forward.
As far as L/McC, that’s a tough call. These lists/rankings cannot exclude personal taste. I just don’t feel the artistic power in their music that I feel in Prince’s greatest works.
Apollonia 6
Dale Bozzio
Tevin Campbell
Ingrid Chavez
Lisa Coleman
Sheila E.
Sheena Easton
Carmen Electra
The Family
Anna Fantastic
Flyte Tyme
Nona Gaye
Cat Glover
Good Question
Jill Jones
Apollonia Kotero
Eric Leeds
Madhouse
Martika
Wendy Melvoin
New Power Generation
The Revolution
Taja Sevelle
Támar
The Time
Tony LeMans
Bria Valente
Vanity 6
Wendy & Lisa
It means more or less taken under wing. I’m talking about musical influence as in the style and sound of Prince. These appear to be people associated with him as producer.
This isn’t an argument, I’m asking for information.
Seriously, can this thread get any sillier? Prince, genius. MJ, genius. In very different ways, and neither one will be forgotten for their impact on popular music. Ditto for all of the brilliant artists mentioned - Lennon/McCartney, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, etc.
Arguing about who is more impactful is like dancing about architecture…
I don’t know - Michael Jackson was a good singer and dancer, but I’d stop short of calling him a musical genius. Did he even play an instrument? I know he got songwriting credits on much of his solo stuff, but I always assumed it was an Elvis Presley-type contractual thing. Or maybe he hummed a skeletal melody and Quincy Jones built the arrangement around it. I could be wrong - I honestly don’t know. But I’ve never seen him play anything.
He was definitely a genius at selling himself, though.
While it’s true that Michael didn’t literally write out sheet music, he could play several instruments. You have to remember that he did start in a family band and while he was the lead singer, he still learned how to play the other instruments from his brothers. Supposedly, he loved to play guitar and drums, but who knows for sure.
When he would write his own songs, though, he says he would hear all of the parts in his head- each individual instrument and movement- then beatbox it into a tape recorder. Then, producers would take his beat boxing and replace it with the actual instruments. While this certainly isn’t sitting down with a quill and writing music on lined papers, I’d argue that this is no less than that in regard to the creation of art.
Plus, it takes a whole lot of talent. Check out this court deposition from the 90s- he was in Mexico because he was being sued- someone said he stole their song, so he had to prove how he wrote it. Compare his beat boxing here to the actual song. Sounds virtually identical.
Don’t get me wrong, I adore Prince and think the man is not only insanely talented, but one of the greatest guitar players of all time. That said, I don’t think being able to write sheet music is what makes one an artist.
::Raises hand::
Actually, we might have that already - Jimbo got a huge outtake collection from a friend, too.
What’s the problem with Prince’s lyrics? He has the odd clunker (“kooky love affair,” for example), but I wouldn’t say any more than anyone else who puts out an album or two a year. For the last thirty years.
