What ... you never heard of one of these?
Let’s get some facts straight about Michael Jackson:
First, his recording success was in a single genre....pop. The real ‘King’, Elvis, crossed-over gospel, rock, country, etc, etc, etc with hits in each.
Second, Michael Jackson’s hits came right as the US was coming out of a deep recession and the Vietnam era. The country was hungry for something entertaining and Michael Jackson was absolutely that....at the time.
Third, Michael Jackson’s hits were the last big hits of the non-download era, where record sales were everything and nobody bought single songs from Wal-Mart. In this age, there will never be hit albums again....only hit songs.
Fourth, if you look at the number of albums Michael Jackson sold versus the population and compared this to Elvis or the Beattles, you will see he was not that big of a hit.
Just some ‘facts’.
Also Elvis could really sing. No one in their right mind would ever claim Jackson was more than a mediocre singer.
All good points, but on this one I am going to call you. Although from a pure population viewpoint you are correct, it would be a statistical lie to assume that the correct number to use would be total population divided by number of records sold.
First of all, you need to account for the fact that certain age groups buy music and certain ones do not. There are a lot more 60-80 year-olds now than their were during Elvis/Beatles era as a percentage of the population and they tend to buy less music than 18 - 35 year-olds who were a larger portion of the population (baby boomers) when the other artists were recording. In addition you need to make an allowance for timeframe. My guess is running the numbers would have Jackson closer than you claim.
I don't dispute your overall point, but as a conservative, I think it is important to be honest with numbers and how they are logically derived.
That's pop as in soul, rock, R&B, disco, etc. Hardly a single genre. He crossed many musical lines at different ages with different musicians and producers as a solo act and as part of an ensemble.
Second, Michael Jackson’s hits came right as the US was coming out of a deep recession and the Vietnam era. The country was hungry for something entertaining and Michael Jackson was absolutely that....at the time.
Nonsense. "I Want You Back" was release Dec 1969 and went number one in Jan 1970. The Vietnam War was still in full flower including Nixon's bombing campaign.
Did the country want entertainment? Don't they always? But the J5 came in on the tail end of Beatlemania, the British Invasion and an already-solid 5-6 years of nonstop Motown hits. Hardly a musical vacuum despite Colonel Tom Parker's attempts to ruin Elvis' career and musical legacy up until 1968.
Third, Michael Jackson’s hits were the last big hits of the non-download era
Napster was released in June 1999 and brought file-sharing to the masses. Fringe technologies aside, anything release prior to 1999 can be considered pre-download-era. Jackson's last #1 was 1995 and the one prior to that was in 1991 which means a gap of 4 or 8 years. Plenty of time for other #1 hits and artists. Let's pick one - Madonna - at random. It seems she has sold a record or two including 'big hits' well after MJ's last.
As for 'no more hit albums' tell it to AC/DC who have sold shedloads of their Black Ice album release in late 2008...mostly through Wal-Mart! As of May 2009 the album has SOLD 8 million copies worldwide - if that isn't a hit album what is?
Fourth, if you look at the number of albums Michael Jackson sold versus the population and compared this to Elvis or the Beattles, you will see he was not that big of a hit.
Ludicrous on its face.
The top 3 of all time are the Beatles with 1 Billion+, Elvis Presley with 1 Billion+, and in third place - wait for it - Michael Jackson with 750 Million! Definitely not that big of a hit eh? Sold a record or two to his friends and family, right? After all he's only in third place.
Just some ‘facts’.
Thank you for using quotes because those 'facts' are farcical, fanciful flights of your imagination.
Jackson owes his entire career success to Wierd Al Jankovich.
IMHO most of jacksons songs served only as fodder for the real genius of that time.
BTW, SDJ, Martin, Sinatra, and the stars of that era and before really were the last real entertainers we’ve seen. Who today could compare to Bob Hope or Bing Crosby, or Red Skelton?
No one. Hollywood has destroyed themselves.
If I'm not mistaken, Johnny Cash remains the only person to have been elected to each the Rock & Roll, Country Music, and American Gospel Halls of Fame.
What ... you never heard of one of these?