Who's greater, The Beatles or Michael Jackson??
Beatles of course
I love all their albums! Including John Lennon's music 
Greater? Don't know. I don't know enough of the Fab 4's catalogue to truly judge. But with Michael you got love ballads, dance jams and socially conscious messages ... Maybe he's the greater one though based on the fact that he ended up owning their catalog.
Beatles - love ballads, socially conscious messages, maybe not so much in the dance jam category, but they're still here and MJ couldn't face the...well, music.
Why is this even a question,the beatles is the most influential band in music history.Mjackson????????????really had one bog album disappered for 20 years,i can name 50 bands/people greater than m jackson.
My vote goes to The Beatles.
1. How many standards has MJ wrote? "Yesterday" is the most recorded song in modern music history and many people did covers of other Beatles' music.
2. With very few exceptions The Beatles composed EVERY song they recorded, while MJ mainly recorded songs written by other writers.
3. The Beatles were not afraid of experimentation (some experiments were disastrous while others were cool, ex. "Strawberry Fields.") MJ stayed with the Dance format throughout his entire career unwilling to tred new musical waters.No music education here ey?
Well...
1.Whole Thriller album is a standard for whole pop culture and audio digital quality, production and music videos you see today. Many DJs and artist also do covers of MJ in big amount. Yesterday is most covered, yes, but Thriller is the biggest selling album ever.
2. With few excetions MJ wrote and composed 90 percent of all song he ever published as an solo artist. He evenwrote some songs while in Jackson 5 as a very young kid.
3. Thriller has a jazz/soul base, Bad is album where he experimented with moder rhytm machines and sound totaly different then Thriller, its based on beats and rhytm more then on melody like Thriller, Dangerous is the biggest selling "new jack swing" album ever (thats was modern fusion genre).... In 30 years of career he influenced whole new sound that you can hear today, from electro to pop , Rnb, Rap, hip hop... Beatles lasted 8 years , they made a big bang but mainly on rock scene
- ahorsebackposted 12 years ago
0Frankly , There is no comparison , the Beatles and the growth of music from the sixties on is far more instumental in the evolution of music than M.J. ! He isn't even in the same category as the Beatles. The decline in music quality from the seventies on is obvious! Techno- electronic music ? Please !
"...evolution of music" ??? But music was going to continue evolving, anyway...That is the nature of the world - just like fashion in all its forms - clothes - décor - textiles - furnishings - transport design - technology and so forth. That is why I never get anyone using such enormous words in this context. Setting a standard / influencing is one thing, but don't understand the "evolution" part if you mean are talking in specific terms, because, like I said, music, like the other things mentioned above, was destined to evolve, anyway. I have a few Beatles tracks, but preferred and LOVE Paul with wings, etc. and have those albums.
"Techno- electronic music"? MJ never did that kind of music. His catalogue is driven by the likes of Soul - Blues - R&B - Rock, etc. and even some elements of classical implemented in some of his work ...Classical is the music he listened to for relaxation when off stage - with a big favourite being Debussy. I agree with you about the general decline in quality music...which really fizzled out with the 90's. There are literally a handful of decent artists of late."...evolution of music" ??? But music was going to continue evolving, anyway...That is the nature of the world - just like fashion in all its forms - clothes - décor - textiles - furnishings - technology and so forth. That is why I never get it when people use those words. Setting a standard is one thing, but don't understand the "evolution" part if you mean are talking in specific terms, because, like I said, music, like the other things mentioned above, was destined to evolve, anyway. I have a few Beatles tracks, but preferred and LOVE Paul with wings, etc. and have those albums.
"Techno- electronic music"? MJ never did that kind of music. His catalogue is driven by the likes of Soul - Blues - R&B - Rock, etc. and even some elements of classical implemented in some of his work ...Classical is the music he listened to for relaxation when off stage - with a big favourite being Debussy. I agree with you about the general decline in quality music...which really fizzled out with the 90's. There a literally a handful of decent artists of late.
Michael Jackson was a celebrity unlike any other. When he died he'd been out of the spotlight for nearly 20 years and yet he died likely as the most internationally well known celebrity.
But to compare his legacy to The Beatles is improperly assess their contributions to music. The Beatles were artists in the similar caliber of Beethoven and Mozart, appealing to the same sensibilities which shape and reshape the musical landscape. They somehow were lucky enough to sustain their overwhelming popularity while challenging the musical pathway. Michael Jackson was not challenging anything. He was a consummate entertainer who was able to break records and sell out audiences, but his appeal is entirely surface-level. Many of his most popular songs were not at all composed by him, and even if they were, the majority of his songs were soul-affected disco songs at heart - upbeat dance songs with repetitive ideas and a great exterior, finalized by over the top videos and dancing.
If you compare Thriller to A Day In The Life, and you think Thriller is the more fundamentally great work then you have confused pop culture with music.
From the perspective of pop culture I would say MJ's celebrity is larger than The Beatles at this point
From the perspective of greatness, if you are lucky to live another 50 years, you will see Michael Jackson become the new Frank Sinatra. His music will be primarily played publicly in commercial environments where marketing teams want to evoke the feeling of the 1980s for 60 and 70 somethings who retreat to their establishment for nostalgia.
The Beatles music will be taught in scholarly music classes for as long as there is a place for the study of western classical music in the land of AcademiaTheir music will be taught on some classical Academies which doesnt mean that they can be compared to Mozart or Beethowen in any way. But on modern audio engineering colleges Thriller is the "Bible" . Music of today is digital and MJ influenced this whole era of artists. You are correct when you say that MJ was not challenging anything, its because he invented his own style so after that others had to challenge him, he never had to challenge anything because he was unique. You say " Many of his most popular songs were not at all composed by him" , FALSE. 90 percent of his ALL songs are composed and writen by him. Please get informed before you write this kind of disinformation.
Great post, however, MJ was actually out of the musical spotlight for 10 years - (Even though he released Invincible in early 2000's) when he consciously took a stage (apart from the 2001 Madison SG celebration concert) break to concentrate on fatherhood after the History tour.
EXACTLY ...The only thing Michael "challenged" was himself...always wanting to aim even higher ...do even better. In fact, he was only in completion with himself...That is part why many *stuck in a time-warp* critics always compared his later albums to Thriller, Thriller, Thriller...never embracing the fact that MJ had moved on from that. And yea, MJ influenced / impacted on so many artists of today...and that is not confined to music, either :>)
- icountthetimesposted 12 years ago0
It's a matter of personal opinion of course, but I think the Beatles have had more influence on other artists and were effectively the first mega popular act in music. On that basis I'd say that they are greater. It's a tough call though, as Michael Jackson has had some classic albums, both solo, and with the Jackson 5.
Many of you are from England seems. Cheers! For me, Michael jackson without a doubt. Beatles even great as a group/band , cant be compared to individual as Michael Jackson was. In the terms of entertainment and world wide sucees (Not just Great Britain + USA) no one comes close to MJ. Let discuss it , I am in music buisness for 20 years, I will speak about numbers, performance, influence. Conclusion is on the end. :
-- Numbers? Michael Jackson has 3 albums in top 15 best selling albums of all time. Thriller on 1, Bad 5, Dangerous 13 place. Beatles have Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on 14th place as their best selling album from 1967 , vinyl era , which means that to duplicate albums was not possible like it was with Kassets or Cd-s. Vinyl era was the golden era for music industry because there was no piracy like in 80s ,90s and today. But even with that modern plague for music industry - piracy, MJ has the 3 albums in top 15. Imagine just how much would he sold if was not for the piracy. Of course, Thriller and Bad albums were released also on vinyl, but on very low amount. Mostly on Kassets, less on CD because CD was just released on 1982 as new technology for storing data. Anyway, MJ beats Beatles there. Also , His "History" album from 1995 is the biggest selling double CD release of all time and the album "Blood on the dance floor" from 1997 is the biggest selling remix album of all time. Jackson 5 , where Michael performed as a young kid is still, the biggest selling "Boy band group" ever. Enough said. Beatles are on Wikipedia best selling artists which is strange really isnt it, that best selling dont have any top 10 album of all time lol? To this day MJ sold over 750 million without counting sales after death said by Raymone Bain, but some like Adrian Strain say he didnt. Anyway pure logic is on MJs side, For Beatles that have no album in top 10 is "normal" to have 600 million sold albums and for MJ thats got 2 albums in top 10 with Thriller being nbr 1, is not normal to have 750 million? Lol, anyway its just a war between discorgraphy lobbies that as noted, dont make sense.
-- Performance? Beatles were famous for their melody all the time, songs that were really catchy, but there was nothing spectacular about their stage performance in any way. Michael on the other hand , made total revolution on stage. He reinvented dance, he is the first artist to use group of dancers behind him on stage that dance like him, and thats what every artists does also today - group choreography. He was the pure "one man show" . He was influenced by James Brown and Fred Astaire and american black culture. He took the best from all that, added his style to it and become most spectacular dancer ever, he is also the only person from the enterteinment buisness that had honor to be inducted into the "Dance hall of fame". He is the first person to ever use lasers on stage as a stage effect. Through the years he became a dance icon and he influenced all modern generations that took dance on the next level. Vocals cant be compared with Beatles because they are a band and Michael is a one man show so it wont make sense. Beatles should be compared in terms of singing, to other bands that used group singing. Michael should be compared to other individual singers. And touring? Michaels "Bad tour" was the biggest at the time and was acctualy a blueprint for any modern tour ever done after . Today U2 rule this area but the one who started modern way of touring and stage performance is MJ , Bad tour with attendence of 4.5 million people. Beatles never made anything close to that or any influence. If we are going to speak about performance and invention from a band, then none comes close to Rammstein.
-- Influence? Beatles made big impact on all modern rock bands Like Oasis , U2 ,The Verve, Coldplay... Many coming from Great Britain area, they had big influence on Black Sabbath who influenced modern metal scene... Without a doubt big influence was made, they also influenced mine favorite band Type O Negative (TON) and I am thankfull for that. But influence is not just made through music, its also made through videos, stage effects, dance. So while Beatles really made a big bang on rock scene, Michael made a big bang on whole todays Pop scene from Lady Gaga, Beyonce... Whole RnB scene, hip hop/Rap scene, pop and electro scene has a MJ as an idol that influenced them through his music + He set standards on dance performance, influenced all modern dancers, set standards for tours with his Bad tour and influenced modern way of touring and made music videos that revolutionized whole music scene and approach to videos as a music media, Beatles never made anything like that. Also, rock music is mainly popular in USA-Europe while Pop scene is a world wide sound. I am a "metalhead" but its a fact. + Michaels music is influenced by jazz , blues and soul artists so whoever said that he was inspired by Beatles, is very wrong. Beatles and Michael inspired two different music paths with their music. All in all MJ influenced more people on many more ways then Beatles did and thats a fact. Beatled did it through music , Michael did it through music, dance, stage effects, music videos... He was more inovative in every dimension of entertainment. He was the first black artist that had music video on MTV. MTV was only about rock n roll before MJ came and changed that. All mentioned is a reason why hes got 3 albums in top 15 best selling albums of all time.
-- Conclusion: When people judge about Michael, they make primitive comments about his skin change, and phedophile thing that dont have anything to do with his music geniousness and they like to put that as an arrgument that Beatles are better lol. That can be funny but its primitive, rude. Compare them as artists , just with facts that concern music / all dimensions of entertainment buisness and You will discover that MJ is above them in every way. He set standards for everything we watch today. I respect him most of all because of the facts I wrote and because of his geniousness when it comes to all dimensions of entarteinment : Singing, composing, text writing, dancing, videos, perfectionalism in every way. He composed and wrote text for most of his songs. One man to rule them all. And if there were not all that false allegations against him, he could have been even bigger superstar then he was, which is even hard to imagine.This is an absolutely fantastic reply.
I wholeheartedly agree.
I don't understand this fascination behind people claiming The Beatles influenced everything. From U2 to the way rats walk on grass. It's simply not true.
Look at the top 40 on the charts, or the biggest singers today. In every genre. Who influenced them? Michael Jackson did, that's who. Michael Jackson influenced everyone from this generation. Everyone.
The Notorious B.I.G. The Biggest gangsta rapper of all time fell on his knees and thanked Michael Jackson for his artistry. Usher, Chris Brown, Beyonce, Destiny's Child, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Jason DeRulo, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Pitbull, Bruno Mars, Kanye West, Jay Z, One Direction, Justin Bieber even freakin Bart Simpson, all these people list MJ right at No.1. Hands down.
Both The Beatles and Michael Jackson influenced two separate genres. MJ's influence in Rock would be minimal, The Beatles influence in pop would be minimal.
However, look at professional wrestlers. Chris Jericho's pose is Michael Jackson's. He claims on the Internet he watched Michael Jackson in concert and was in awe of his stage presence.
What about acting? Chris Tucker goes nuts over MJ, actors have taken elements of MJ's stage presence and persona and integrated it into their art.
Dance? Well if you put Michael Jackson on stage with The Beatles today he would make them look like damn fools. If The Beatles developed their craft in the same multimodal world MJ did, they would have been exposed as one dimensional. Great music, fantastic music, but nothing else. Their stage presence is lackluster, MJ created everything. Backup dancers, advanced choreography (that's been copied by absolutely everyone) fireworks, lasers, everything.
I always look at it this way.
The Beatles gave your ears a show.
Michael Jackson gave every sense in your body and mind the best damn show on earth.
Michael Jackson is the ultimate king of everything in entertainment. Simple as that. The Beatles are No.2.I found many of these replies very interesting however, I would not compare them on the grounds that the Beatles were a good group during their day who had very talented song writers in John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. Michael Jackson was the power behind the Jackson 5 who later became known as the Jacksons. As far as his showmanship he was unquestionably the best. It should be noted however, the man who initiated stage presence as a part of his act was Jackie Wilson. It was Jackie Wilson and Chuck Berry who gave Elvis the idea of how to perform. Dont take my word for it thought, do the research.
Great post! Took the words right out of my mouth!
The only part I understand when Beatles fans say, * Why even compare*, etc. is this: Michael was a single entity and the Beatles were a group...Different dynamics at play. However, though the Beatles did GREAT in US and UK, and were popular enough in some other countries (I think), it was MJ who was truly global. I feel that anyone who cares to go back and revisit (Plenty of information / media form coverage of that across the Internet) and witness / observe that without bias - they will see for themselves, that MJ was truly this one entity who had the biggest global impact - and on the widest and most varied (All Ages - Races - Cultures - Religions, etc.) numbers of people. That was simply my observation - which was further confirmed after researching over the last 4 1/2 years.
Now...Take the Beatles as *Solo* (just as MJ) artists ....Yep! LOVE Paul with Wings / solo... and 2-3 Lennon songs....However...Not ONE of the Beatles as solo artists has had the *Global* impact / influence that Michael had. And, in all honesty, no one can dispute that fact!
- Aleister888posted 11 years ago0
Wow, thats sort of a question thats difficult to answer, honestly its like comparing "apples to oranges" however, as the thread requires a choice i would have to say that The Beatles have most likely had more of an impact on the world of music, as there influences back in the early days helped shape the direction of rock music and other genres.
Michael Jackson however was an amazing musician and has many positive things that can be said about his art and its influence, however i think historically speaking, at their respective professional career periods, i think The Beatles certainly had a larger impact.
As i said, difficult question, but great thread, interesting reading everyone's thoughts Britain vs America? Who is better/greater than Michael Jackson in America? SSSSOOOOOO MANY!
- ahorsebackposted 11 years ago0
My opinion , the Beatles , M.J. was okay , but if you heard one of his songs you heard all of them ! The beat , tempo , sounds were just soo blah!
The Beatles revolutionized rock music by taking away its blues roots and replacing it with bland garbage.
Michael Jackson revolutionized pop music by making it awesome.
The winner is clear.I wouldn't call this bland garbage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN9n1bAahg4
There would have been no Michael Jackson without the Beatles.
Neither have been of any relevance for my musical life.
I am surprised how people get so wound up by pop music pap produced for the mass media.It's always going to be difficult to argue a point where the bands/musicians are from different generations.
A couple of interesting facts that show the Beatles influence:
-Just about every Beatle's song has been covered. Yesterday has been cover 2500+ times.
-MJ owend a vast majority of the Beatles collection understanding the longevity of their music and the fact that it's still relevant today.
Was MJ great? Absolutely. Was he the best entertainer of all time - probably. Has he influenced more bands thatn the Beatles? It's way to early to say.
They both have had an amazing influence on modern music. Just listen to modern rock bands and even some pop bands such as Maroon 5 and you'll hear a little bit of Paul McCarnety of John Lennon! Heck if Nirvana have McCartney singing with them then there must be something to their influence.
The true fact is that they both continue to influence modern music and will continue to do so for many years...- Joanne M Olivieriposted 11 years ago0
I grew up listening to both and loved both but would have to say MJ because he was not just a singer but an entertainer. His music was his art and an art form. The Beatles were a great singing group that stood the test of time but they really were not entertainers.
I judge a musician by the quality of his/her performance. I don't know what you all mean when you refer to an "entertainer" in this context. Do you expect a musician to do stand-up comedy as well?
I'd base it on how long they influenced people. The Beatles started in the 60s. Their huge fame lasted a decade probably due to the untimely death of Lennon.
I'd say MJs lasted 15 years. from mid-70s to 1992-ish.
However, the Beatles have hour long blocks dedicated to them on rock radio stations. MJ never had that on soul stations that I ever remember (only upon his death and that was short lived.
The Beatles had some heavy competition being in Rock with the stones and the emergence of Led Zeppelin. MJ had a few soul singers here and there but nobody truly close to compete.
I love them both. It's truly a deep pain to have these entertainers and peace promoters gone."15 years" ???
MJ's "lasted" his lifetime - Right up to his passing and beyond (Unprecedented ticket sales for TII, with thousands and thousands still waiting to buy tickets when they had to pull the plug on ticket phone-lines...And all in just one city, alone). He consciously took a break from touring / musical spotlight (apart from the two Madison SG tribute concerts which sold out in hours back in 2001) just after the History tour in order to concentrate on fatherhood. However, behind the scenes, he never stopped recording. 2001's ‘Invincible’ album debuted at #1 in many countries - despite the dispute over lack of good promotion. Well, Rock stations are hardly going to dedicate long blocks to MJ ...think about it. And yes, MJ has been on soul stations - before and after his passing.
Honestly don't know where you got the "15 years" from - unless you are merely talking from a personal point of view.
Yes, couldn't agree more...It just isn't fair at all to have these entertainers and peace promoters gone.
- rmcmillenposted 11 years ago0
In MY opinion, Michael. He could do anything from r&b to straight up rock and roll..... anyone who doesn't think Mike could rock needs to check out Dirty Diana. Also, there are SO many misconceptions about the Beatles that its SCARY! Many of these myths also contributed to them being hailed as sooooooooo much better than they were. I am by no means saying they weren't good... I love them and own much of their music catalog.. I am a huge fan...... just a huge fan that knows they may have been a bit overrated, which is why I wrote my hub "Six Myths About The Beatles That Are Complete Bull"
The Beatles are greater, by far. Michael Jackson was good, but the story of the Beatles is that of the greatest singer/songwriter rivalry in history taking precedence over the loads and loads of opportunities to sell out. At any turn, the Beatles could have been Justin Bieber. Never before had 20 year olds who weren't royalty flew around the world to enormous mobs and had millions of dollars. And what did they do...they picked women who challenged them mentally, got some dope, and holed up in their hotel rooms to sincerely get good at what they did. Unabashed, unphased, their gutsy experimentation prompted popular music from then on.
Comparing a group with one person? Sorry, different dynamics at play. Yep! Like comparing 4 oranges to 1 apple - OR - 4 apples to 1 orange!
However, MJ was *Truly* global!!
Best to look at it this way:
As solo artists, NONE of the Beatles had a global impact like Michael Jackson. Fact!
And, the J5 also knocked the Beatles off the #1 spot ...Twice!
Overall, for phenomenal global impact ...Has to be the FAB One ...
Michael Jackson - AKA ... "The King of Pop" - "The Gloved One" - "The Earl of Twirl" - "The Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" - " The True King of Pop, Rock & Soul" - "MJ".There will never be a true answer to such a question as most of it will be based on personal taste and idol worship.
The Beatles and Michael Jackson are two totally different entities, to compare there would have to be certain criteria with reference to population, era, media availability and marketing.
We are talking about a snapshot in time and in twenty or thirty years time I am sure people will be asking the Question "Who's the greatest Beyoncé or the Beatles?" or "Who's the greatest Michael Jackson or Justin Bieber?" and of course the answers will be tainted by personal preference and idol worship.
Michael Jackson...
I was born in '77, but this does not mean that only because I grew up with his music, I prefer him.
I love the Beatles too, and songs like "Here comes the sun" give me shivers and goosebumps.
But, there are two aspects that nobody is mentioning:
1. I always had the feeling that the Beatles had some kind of "first mover" advantage. How many world famous groups before them existed??
2. Michael had the advantage of using modern sound equipment in his songs, so for that reason you can't compare the songs. But you can compare the musicality of the person. And although every Beatle has his own capabilities, I think michael has more talent on that level. Michael choose not to learn instruments, but I think he did that because there was already so much technology to support him, that hè could focus completely on his musical talent. After all, an instrument is only there to help the musician to play the song, but the song is not there to help the musician to excell on his instrument.
So arguments that michael wasn't instrumental enough don't cut it for me. He didnt need to because he was already pure talent without instruments (singing and dancing).Michael Jackson is great.
The Beatles were the greatest entertainer and hands down in music. They changed cultures worldwide with songs of love.I agree.
And they did not turn themselves into another color and do weird things with children.
IMO, there really is no way to compare an American singer/dancer from the 80's and a group so musically talented/harmonious as the Beatles. Each member of the Beatles was guided by their own volition. Michael Jackson was groomed for success in the entertainment world at a very early age…too early. The Beatles marched forth of their own wills and in so doing overcame many societal obstacles. They transformed the world with their basically positive, happy attitudes and message of freedom, creativity and love at every stage during their early years and their productive years together.
I believe Michael Jackson had huge outside pressure which resulted in a crippled psyche. He is a good example of how not to raise a child.
In my estimation, he was a psychological wreck, no matter how creative and great he was…And yes, he was great. He had huge pressure to be.
TWISIKids love the Beatles today. Don't know if Michael really molested those children. My guess
he wanted to reexperience his childhood he missed out on. An amazing dancer, exciting beat and sound. All those surgeries and white
skin is messed up.
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