Brits Pick Best Music Acts of Past Decades

AP via Yahoo ^ | 11/12/2004 11:42 AM

[1Old Pro]

Did Sir Elton call Madonna to congratulate her yet?

[WHBates]

"Sorry but I fail to see the "genius" in a group that started out as cheap Buddy Holly/Chuck Berry clones and ended up doing music that seemed to say "Let's see just how far out we can get before people stop buying."

Well you have a interesting take on things. LOL

[NRA1995]

You're comparing apples to oranges; I don't equate "sales" with "genius"

[Captain Beyond]

You got that right!!!

[Mr. Mojo]

Spot on. In fact, my mom just told me the other day that she's missing a few Beatles' CDs from her collection and that it would be nice if "someone" would get them for her for Christmas.

I doubt Beatles sales have even slowed down. Timeless music.

[pau1f0rd]

HONORARY - that means that they were excluded from the vote because it was taken for granted that they should be there

[angcat]

The best!

[TheBigB]

Is this Robbie Williams famous?

Used to be. He peaked on Mork & Mindy.

[TheBigB]

I feel no guilt in appreciating Kylie. :o)

[freepertoo]

(((Well, I guess they never reached that point since they still stand as the biggest-selling act of all time, in spite of a recording career that spanned from Summer 1962 through Summer 1969. Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, Elvis, and countless others recorded for decades and can't come close!)))

You tell 'em!! YEAH (or is that yeah, yeah, yeah?)

[Pagey]

Robbie Williams , Michael Jackson , Queen, The Rolling Stones and Cliff Richard have been chosen by the British public as the best music acts of the past five decades.

God this poll is laughable. It was Jimmy Page who created "Led Zeppelin", who produced,recorded and released their first 4 (totally diverse sounding) Albums in less than 28 months (while constantly touring the U.S. no less). No other band on earth is capable of doing that again! The British public ignored L.Z. and America embraced them. God bless Peter Grant for bringing them over to meet Ahmet Ertegun. 'Achilles Last Stand' and 'Ten Years Gone'. Enough said, the British public can go stand in the corner and shake themselves. LOL

[dfwgator]

Who Live at Leeds, greatest live album ever.

[weegee]

This guy at least PLAYED England. Elvis only passed through the airport on his way to being stationed in Germany as I understand it.

[HenryLeeII]

Sorry but I fail to see the "genius" in a group that started out as cheap Buddy Holly/Chuck Berry clones and ended up doing music that seemed to say "Let's see just how far out we can get before people stop buying."

Gee, I guess I made the mistake of confusing astounding sales, influence, and critical acclaim with genius. How do you explain the fact that such large numbers of their contemporaries, along with so many musicians that have come along since their demise, name them as an influence? Why would Frank Sinatra refer to "Something" as one of the greatest love songs of all time? I guess you would say luck?

[freepertoo]

The Beatles were....no one has invented a wonderful enough word yet! ;-) (And this comes from a die-hard, over-the-top Mozart fan, so I do understand music).

[NRA1995]

You're still doing apples and oranges. KISS and Alice Cooper influenced many rockers, too, but would you also call them geniuses? Or Korn? Aerosmith? Skynyrd? That word is bandied about far too frequently and undeservedly with respect to rock and pop. We ARE entitled to our opinions (even Frank Sinatra, with whom I must disagree on "Something"). Sorry I stepped on your toes.

[HenryLeeII]

You didn't step on my toes. You're right, sales don't equal genius; however, sales + universal influence + nearly-unanimous critical acclaim for 40 years certainly makes a claim for the latter. KISS, Alice Cooper, etc., sold some records and may have influenced smaller numbers of bands, but they don't measure up in those two categories to the Beatles, plus the near-complete lack of critical acclaim (beyond "good MTV video fodder - should sell millions" in the case of Steven Tyler & Co.) leaves them far behind in the genius category.

Freegards!

[NRA1995]

Back atcha on freegards.....Elvis has 50 years but does that make him a genius? I find genius in jazz and classical, giving full disclosure.

[wireman]

Anyone comparing the influence of the Beatles to Kiss or Alice Cooper (or Korn for goodness sakes) has either got to be joking or looking at the past forty years of music through a very distorted prism.

The word "genius" IS bandied about far too freely with respect to popular music. The Beatles are one of a very few that truly deserve it.

[freepertoo]

(((The word "genius" IS bandied about far too freely with respect to popular music. The Beatles are one of a very few that truly deserve it.)))

Ohhhh yeah, and the beauty of it is that even they didn't understand it...they DID know it was working on a level beyond what anyone else had done, however. And I think it safe to say that when they split, they realized the magic went with it. Something about Paul's softness mingled with John's hardness and that incomparable mix of voice was just the right thing at the right time at the right place. Again...like Mozart (and before anyone thinks I'm comparing the Beatles to that astounding incomparable, I'm not...just saying there are a few on surface similarities).