Listen, I usually wouldn’t run down Jackson like I am, but I’ve always resented people claiming a certain entertainer means more than they actually do. I think Sinatra is a far superior singer to Jackson, but I’m not a big Sinatra fan either. I like ABBA a lot, but I make no claims that ABBA was the musical act of the century. They weren’t. But I’ll watch Agnitha and Anna Frid a lot longer than I will Jackson.
As far as commercial success, he may indeed have been the “act of the century”. But as much as I enjoyed his pop stuff at the time, he wasn’t close to being one of my favorite entertainers either. Later on he just got too weird for me to stomach.
Wasn’t a tremendous Beatle fan at the time, but in retrospect, for variety, longevity, and yes quality, I’d have to pick them, individually and collectively. Sinatra would rank right up there too as an entertainer; he was quite a good actor too.