Prince or Michael Jackson?

Prince, fool!

they were both weird.

Love Prince. Can't listen to Michael Jackson without thinking of him stroking some little boy's behind while forcing Jesus Juice down his throat,

Judging solely by their music not by the fact that Jackson was a pedo.

That's because Prince was a musician and Michael was a pop star. Both have their place but one has a much shorter shelf life.

That said, MJ still has plenty of bangers. PYT, Smooth Criminal, Billie Jean - just for starters.

Prince.

His music has aged well.

Wacko Jacko, not so much.

I think both of their hits have held up.

I’m a hardcore Prince fan and can’t wait for September 25th and the Super Deluxe Edition of Sign O The Times.

I liked them both. But now I don't listen to Prince any more. Whereas I like Michael still. So he's my man.

....

Prince was supposed to do a duet with Michael Jackson at one time but it fell through.

Fully disagree with you OP. I hear MJ frequently on the radio here in Europe. Prince not so much. MJ's death was talked about for years (still today). Prince's death, under equally bizarre circumstances, is long fogotten. There is only ONE true king of pop. In true life and death. Just look at the record sales

Both weird, but I like Michael’s pop music more than Prince’s electric guitar hard rock/psychedelic stuff. I like Prince’s mainstream hits, Little Red Corvette, etc., but I don’t enjoy listening to him riff on his electric guitar.

R12 not so in the USA.

Prince hands down. Great musicianship, he played multiple musical instruments and was a guitar god; wrote own songs, songs had original sound/ vibe across genres; great live performances (actually sang/ played own instruments AND sounded fantastic); charisma. He was probably the most talented, solo pop/ rock musician.

Prince, Prince, a thousand times Prince!!!

Still one of the greatest music videos ever made, if not the best.

Prince was a self hating loser and the other a filthy pedo.

People said both Prince and MJ were weird. But I get the sense that Prince was putting on an act just to fuck with people in terms of his weirdness. MJ comes off as more genuinely weird.

Prince was far more talented musically and a real artist while Jackson was more commercial.

The only reason they were ever compared to each other is because they were both black. In the 80s I guess it was unthinkable to compare Jackson with a white woman (Madonna), even though that would've been a more appropriate comparison musically.

Silly to keep making the comparison between MJ and Prince in 2020, imo.

Prince was a huge fan of Joni Mitchell. He covered songs by JM, this one in 1983 concert. Brilliant.

OP is referring to their bitter rivalry.

Prince loved Sheena Easton. I pick Prince!

[quote] Prince was supposed to do a duet with Michael Jackson at one time but it fell through.

They were supposed to do Michael Jackson’s “Bad” as a duet, but when Prince read the lyrics with Michael Jackson singing to Prince “Your butt is mine”, Prince declined.

[quote] Prince was a self hating loser

In what ways was he self hating (not that I disagree).

[quote] The only reason they were ever compared to each other is because they were both black.

Prince and Michael Jackson were black? Please explain.

They're both dead drug addicts, so neither won any battle. Jackson will be remembered longer, not so much because of his music, but because of being the more fucked-up of the two. In two generations, they, and their music, will be long forgotten.

R27 is an asshole of misery.

I don't know in the USA, but i think in Europe Prince is fading quite fast, apart of Purple Rain i don't think most of his songs are played that much in the radio.

Michael Jackson, even he had a long decline since Dangerous is still quite popular on radio stations

Prince, live at the Montreux Jazz festival 2009

Both made amazing timeless records, but Michael Jackson was a predatory manipulative paedophile while Prince was a songwriting genius, as Chaka Khan, Sinead, The Bangles, Cyndi, Mica Paris, Monie Love, Darren Hayes, Sheena Easton, Tom Jones and Martika.

Well, I still listen to Prince, have his music in my iTunes library. I don’t listen to Michael Jackson’s music even though I’ll sing along to some of his songs if heard somewhere but I honestly hardly ever hear his music played in stores etc. I think Michael was a pop performer. Prince was a true musician and great performer too. I agree that Michael should be compared to Madonna more than Prince. To me Prince was a better musician, performer and I still listen to his music willingly so Prince wins, but everyone has their own opinions about them.

Prince. He actually was adventurous with his sound. And he didn't sleep with children.

Aside from musicianship as singers, Prince was the better talent. His voice had more range (baritone to falsetto) while his vocal intonation expressed more emotions. MJ to me was very one-note especially past his Off the Wall album. MJ got more squeaky and his go-to vocal hiccups got annoying because they were just there, devoid of emotions.

MJ by far. I recently delved into Prince's deep catalogue and even among the standards set by other rock and R&B artists of the era, a lot of the album tracks fall short. 1999 and Purple Rain are solid. Sign of the Times is good. The rest of his music ranges from experimental and weird to mediocre. Lyrically, he wasn't that interesting either. MJ would repeat themes in his music but at least they weren't almost all about fucking. He had clean fun songs, sexy songs, and socially conscious songs. Prince had only dirty songs. Nothing wrong with that, except it gets tiring to listen to for a long time.

Musically, Prince comes out the winner. He really was a musical genius. But they were both weirdos. In THAT category it's Jackson who comes out on top. Prince was strange, but Jackson was totally, totally crazy.

I agree the more apt comparison for MJ is Madonna. Both were pop stars at height of their careers and commercially similar.

Prince could and did play funk, soul, jazz, rock, and pop. When he did those genres he made the songs and sounds his own, gave them a Prince twist. He was a musician first and while he wanted commercial success, it didn’t dictate his musical direction. The follow up to Purple Rain was Around the World in a Day, which is an interface of psychodelic rock and pop with an infusion of jazzy funk. Meanwhile MJ descended into formulaic songs and Pepsi commercials.

Prince's Super Bowl performance was the best ever. There were few musicians who could cover Henrix and do justice. He covered Spanish Castle Magic at Montreux and it completely blew me away. He had phases where I didn't care for what he was putting out but around 2005 - 2010 he went through a highly articic period that put him in a league with the absolute best.

MJ had to rely on songwriters and top producers like Quincy Jones to get to his star status and pop music at that time still had a high quality to it. But he himself had never that much talent.

To Madonna's credit, she changed her sound a bunch of times and kept things interesting for decades even if she turned into a mutilated Joan Crawford. Michael Jackson took few actual risks after Thriller. It was all about repeating Thriller.

R37 MJ was also versatile. MJ did all of those genres you mentioned. MJ's later music is his most experimental. The Invincible album predicted a lot of the musical trends that are still popular today. The History album contains a cover of a Charlie Chaplin song and a musical number. Morphine was a great psychedelic track.

Invincible was an awful album. Someone here posted a track from there and it sounded like Toni Braxton singing at age 70. My favorite review was by Greil Marcus--"He lives. As in They Live. Doesn't anyone remember this guy sleeps with children?".

No contest. Prince was a genius who wrote his own songs and played several instruments.

Michael Jackson was a vocalist from a famous novelty group who was lucky to have Quincy Jones to make his solo albums.

Sheesh, OP, the only thing they have in common is their skin color.

Invincible was one of the most underrated albums ever. MJ fans now regard it as one of his best.

I wouldn’t compare Prince to Madonna, either. She’s another vocalist who bought songs.

Prince would be best compared to the vastly inferior Sting, in terms of musical ability. Sting is also a singer-songwriter, at least.

Neither Prince nor Jacko. BILLY OCEAN!

R35 I doubt you truly delved deep into Prince’s catalog if you think his songs are all about fucking. The musical arrangements of Raspberry Beret is pure genius, go and listen to just the instruments and arrangements of that song, it’s pure brilliance. Were some of his songs mediocre? Sure, name a singer-songwriter with such massive catalogue that is without some filler/ mediocre songs?

Incidentally two of Prince’s most famous songs are slow, emotional ballads. Purple Rain and Nothing Compares 2 U. He was a guy so talented that Robert Plant was interviewed as saying he was in awe and a little scared (of Prince’s talents). I think if you polled musicians this question it’d be something like 9:1 in favor of Prince.

Prince was ahead of his time. MJ was very much of his time.

I once wrote a song that became a famous Pepsi jingle. My hair didn't catch on fire either, and I didn't wear wigs.

[quote]Prince had only dirty songs.

That statement is pure ignorance. Prince wrote about a myriad of subjects. While I will agree that most of his output was sexual in nature, he could also get socially conscious (Sign O’ The Times, Ronnie Talk to Russia, Pop Life, The New Power Generation, America), beautifully melancholic (Sometimes it Snows in April, The Grand Progression), experimental (Around the World in A Day, Starfish and Coffee, Christopher Tracy’s Parade) romantic (The Beautiful Ones, Adore, Diamonds and Pearls, Forever In My Life, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World) or just downright funky (Play in the Sunshine, In A Large Room With No Light, Bob George, I Wanna Be Your Lover). On just one album, he would go from musing about the Apocalypse on Let’s Go Crazy to singing a song from the perspective of Jesus Christ on I Would Die 4 U. He was not only talented, but totally multifaceted.

I’d even argue that if sex was 60 percent of his output, then the other 40 was spirituality. The man could write a gospel-flavored song like nobody’s business. Purple Rain, The Ladder, The Cross, God, 4 The Tears in Your Eyes, I Wish U Heaven. Anna Stesia — all stellar works that would fit right in on any gospel/spiritual playlist.

R27. Prince wasn’t a recreational drug taker.

I was watching the Thriller video the other day and, even nearly 40 year later, it is still striking in its innovativeness. It is clearly the best music video ever made, and it single handedly changed the art of music video making and even MTV itself. Even Michael himself repeatedly chased after its success and tried to duplicate its creativity, although he never really quite got there. It’s also cool how the set, at any given moment, was like a who’s who of Hollywood royalty Everybody from Liz Taylor to Rock Hudson dropped by during filming.

Sure, Prince was the better musician but Jackson's dancing and showmanship are legendary and, in my opinion, superior. They both seemed to guide their own careers on their own terms, so I respect them both for that. You don't see that anymore too much. I love them both though and feel they'll be remembered and played for many generations to come.

Look at how Michaell is glaring at Rock in R51's picture--"if I didn't fuck children, I would SO be into you!!".

I think what’s more obvious is that hot blonde twink who is CLEARLY Rock’s lover du jour.

R54 Only in the 80s could that be considered a twink,

I prefer Michael Jackson's early solo songs and particularly his work with the Jackson 5, but I wasn't a fan of his later work after Bad. Prince was more consistently good as his career matured; I can listen to "Cinnamon Girl" as readily as "Little Red Corvette."

Too many fillers in Prince albums. Not so MJ

MJ may have sold more, but the biggest part of MJ's success was the contributions Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton made.

While Prince had collaborations (and the members of the Revolution, in particular, had a big influence on him), he made music for almost 40 years that was all his own, and a lot of it was genius.

Prince, today, tomorrow, and forever.

Prince covering The Jacksons...

....

Prince covering Janet...

Prince is in a very small league of pop artists. Prince, the Beatles, maybe Madonna. And everyone else.

Sorry, but Madonna is not on Prince’s musical level on this planet or any other.

R57 is ignorant

I saw Prince at Wembley in the 90s. One of the best examples of showmanship and multi instrumental virtuosity I have ever seen.Michael Jackson started off with phenomenal talent and charisma, but drugs reduced him to egomania and an annoying collection of squeaks and vocal tics.

All of the Jackson clan are fucked up.

Michael Jacksond devolved into a parody of himself. He makes Mae West seem adjusted.

It's funny in retrospect that the Jackson clan didn't want Janet dating that DeBarge singer because they considered him and his family too ghetto and embarassing. Having so much money you have no self-awareness must be great?

[quote] Sheesh, OP, the only thing they have in common is their skin color.

They had the same skin color?

One time Prince took Sheena Easton out for dinner and would only communicate with her via ESP. Sheena thought this was very strange and was tempted to break off contact with him. She relented when he wrote a song for her and had the finished demo delivered to her home In Hollywood the next day.

[quote] He makes Mae West seem adjusted.

Well, honey, if a man doesn’t adjust himself when he sees me, I have to do it myself.

Who is King of Pop huh ?

[quote] Who is King of Pop huh ?

Do Jehovah's Witnesses not believe in English classes too????

Prince looks like he’s wearing Cindy Birdsong’s wig in that pic. Oh, and he and sucked btw. Jehovah's Witnesses bullshit believing fool, hooked on dope like everyone he thought he was so superior to. Fucking junkie, fuck him.

Prince was a Gemini and Michael a Virgo, the two signs ruled be Mercury.

Michael was also a Jehovah's Witness.

I eat piles of shit!

Prince--Jehovah's Witnes and drug addict MJ--Jehovah's Witness and pedophile

Prince wins.

[quote]MJ was also versatile.

Rimming a 9 year old Wade Robson does NOT count!

David Bowie.

Wade lied.

Who can choose?

They are nothing alike, so not comparable.

Now if you asked The Who or The Rolling Stones, that is more a comparable choice.

Prince or MJ? Madonna or Cyndi Lauper? Liz Taylor or Joan Collins? What stupid threads. Why the competition?

I guess MJ was the king of pop. I liked off the wall better than anything after. As a kid in the 80s who worked in a record store, MJ was bubble gum and Prince was an unknown. For current stuff, I was more into REM, U2. But my favs were more classic like zeppelin, stones, Cream, and The Who. Outside of rock: miles, Brubeck, sun ra, etc...

I grew to respect prince for the reasons listed by earlier posters. MJ was probably the most successful product put out by Quincy Jones. Which arguably makes him the most successful product put out there for public consumption ever.

But prince was hands down the most talented and certainly more of an artist than MJ could ever hope to be. I don’t care who gets more attention. I am more likely to throw “sign ‘o’ the the times “ on the turntable than anything by a Jackson (except maybe joe) when I am doing sat morning laundry.

I liked John Prine.

Who's next, Paula Abdul vs. Pebbles???

Prince wrote a song for Paula

"Prince or Michael Jackson? Who won that battle?"

If wig snatching was involved, Prince won.

Michael Jackson's cheap Korean wigs never took to the glue.

Prince.

I was amazed Jackson continued to get away with the stuff he did. Not even the paedo behaviour but the Heal the World/Earth Song bullshit, pretty well everything he did in the 90s, same dance moves, same squeaks and hiccups in his vocals, huge statues of himself floating down the Thames, dangling a baby out of a window and what he did to his face. Literally a horror show.

Jackson was showbiz. Prince was rock ‘n’ roll.

Did Jackson and R Kelly ever discuss their attraction to children when they worked together?

Jackson never wrote a song like this.

Prince's music held up better, he was more prolific and was just all-around a better songwriter and musician. But there's no denying Michael Jackson was more commercially successful. It's like all the polls about I Will Always Love You when people vote for Dolly's version but didn't bother to buy it and Whitney's still gets played on the radio to this day.

Why is this even a question? Jackson was a fucking child rapist. Why would you even want to listen to the music of an adult who destroyed the childhoods of hundreds of boys? Get help.

neither

both over rated

but not prince, no never

Prince...all day all night. He's everything! I fought this war in catholic school with my friends in 1984/1985 and I can say that I won.

Prince is not overrated.

R90 That performance got a lot of attention and Prince didn't like it that. He wanted the video off youtube and they did.

I remember a radio station interviewed Ruth Lorenzo and she was questioned about that, but she loved Prince and didn't care about it

A terrible, empty performance of a great song, r90

Michaels hits have not aged well? What? Lmao. They were all ahead of its time. They sound AMAZING

R97. No, it's a good cover of a great song

Prince was a musical genius. Michael was an amazing performer who collaborated with musical geniuses like Quincy Jones, but essentially he was commercial in the same was as Taylor Swift is now..........IMO

People in Asia love MJ. It's insane.

He’s beloved all over the world. Always has been.

Can I pick Madonna ? She outlasts both of them.

[quote]Can I pick Madonna ?

No, you cannot.

P could rock a mankini better than anyone.

I always find it interesting that while both claimed strong ties to the Jehovahs' Witnesses, they were also closeted drug addicts and drinkers. And Michael molesting all those kids. Delusional hypocrites.

As for the music. MJ was a great showman early on but his shtick got really tired. I still listen to Off the Wall. Brilliant.

Prince, while completely nuts, was a far better musician. Purple Rain (great music, laughable movie) and Sign O the Times hold up very well.

And yes, they hated each other. Nut v.s. nut.

R62 The only thing about Madonna that is similar to the Beatles is the level of fame she had. Not ability.

[quote] The only thing about Madonna that is similar to the Beatles is the level of fame she had. Not ability.

Oh fuck off.

Like A Prayer, Vogue, Live To Tell, Frozen, Take A Bow, Sorry and Papa Don’t Preach are equally as good pop songs as Penny Lane, She Loves You, Ticket To Ride, Help, Can’t Buy Me Love and Yellow Submarine.

R108 They’re fine as pop songs, but Madonna didn’t write then, nor are any groundbreaking in terms of production.

We’re so used to computerized music, like Madonna’s, we forget what the Beatles did in the studio in terms of sonic invention without the aid of computers.

This is why I wish I was around when they first came out, to have been able to follow that incredible progression. No one buying a Madonna album, however catchy the songs were (and many were, I enjoy them) were ever shocked at the production.

Finally, again, Madonna is a vocalist. She didn’t write the songs you listed, nor did any one person.

Tomorrow Never Knows, Girl, Lucy in the Sky, I am the Walrus, A Day in the Kife, Help, Norwegian Wood, In My Life, And Your Bird Can Sing, Dear Prudence, Come Together, Mr Kite, Strawberry Fields, You’re Gonna Lose That Girl....and many more gorgeous songs came from the mind of one man.

*in the Life lol

[quote] Finally, again, Madonna is a vocalist. She didn’t write the songs you listed, nor did any one person.

The only song she didn’t write out of those six I listed is Papa Don’t Preach. The others, along with most of her songs, she co-wrote with one writing partner.

The idea that Vogue In particular wasn’t groundbreaking is ridiculous.

Madonna added some lyrics. Not the same as writing and producing.

Vogue is a good pop song, but not groundbreaking. I do love the video.

Prince

Jackson was a pedophile, Prince was a major homophobe. Both overrated as fuck.

Oh Vadgestan, fuck the hell off. This is a P vs MJ thread.

And R115 is a stupid millennial who probably wasn’t old enough in the ‘80s to appreciate these two perennial icons.

i think OP's question is the stupidest i have ever seen on this board.

Musically, Prince wins this. Obvio.

You only hear Jacko at weddings now (or back when there used to be weddings), and it’s usually only ‘Billie Jean’ or ‘Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough.’

R118 is delusional

Tiresome thread. So over.

Did prince even have any main stream success in the 90s? MJ released a lot of his best music in the 90s. I would argue dangerous holds up better than bad today. I also slightly prefer invincible to history. Even blood on the dance floor is better than the majority of princes Output around the same time

Prince, Madonna, Annie Lennox, Kate Bush, David Bowie, Beyonce, Freddie Mercury/Queen, Cher, George Michael, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton.

In terms of output, talent, consistency, longevity and creative input, I'd put all of these above Michael Jackson, mainly because they're not paedophiles.

Amy Winehouse would have been guaranteed a place in the list above, Adele and Taylor Swift on the cusp of joining.

[quote]Did prince even have any main stream success in the 90s?

Diamonds and Pearls was '91. Prince's only UK #1 was The Most Beautiful Girl In The World in 1994.

Earth Song and Heal The World were bigger hits than anything Prince did, but my god they were turgid shite.

None of Madonna's music was "groundbreaking" but she did sing/co-write some classic pop songs. That itself is good enough. How many people twenty years from now will still be listening to any of the songs by Lizzo, Ariana, Halsey, etc? Not many. Also, Madonna is credited as the sole song-writer on many of the songs on her debut, including Lucky Star.

For rnb it would have to be Marvin Gaye

[quote] Earth Song and Heal The World were bigger hits than anything Prince did, but my god they were turgid shite.

Earth Song was great. Heal the World was fine. I liked it as a kid.

Remember Ola Ray’s Tribute to Michael?

[quote] Earth Song was great. Heal the World was fine. I liked it as a kid.

That means nothing. I'm sure loads of people loved "We are the World" too and, well, does anyone admit to liking it now as adults?

R128 The song still gives me chills. They tried remaking it but without much success.

R129, it gives me shudders.

Prince was more prolific but he produced a lot of rubbish too.

R124, How many people are listening to Madonnas music in 2020? Not many.

R132, completely untrue. Many are. On youtube she does well and on spotify, Like a Prayer, Material Girl and Hung Up get 1 million streams a week and her numbers are increasing. No, she doesn't have Queen or Michael Jackson's numbers and she never will. But she's doing well compared to her female peers.

^Tired Vadgestan.

Haha. Where are they now ?

Not humiliating themselves on Twitter.

“Most Beautiful Girl in the World” seemed to be everywhere in the early-to-mid 90s, much more than any MJ song post “Dangerous.”

I’m oblivious to charts from the time, just my recollection as a young gay.

"Most Beautiful Girl in the World" is a great song.

Prince's 319 played in one of the greatest movies ever made. Can Michael Jackson say that? I don't think so.

Price, first last and foremost. Jackson needed writers, and producers. Prine wrote and produced his own material. So much he could put out 20 albums of material.

R137 You Are Not Alone, Scream, Earth Song, and They Don't Care About us were all massive hits at the time. Stranger in Moscow could've been a single as well. Childhood was too corny but I still like that one too.

Lucky Star was a hit because of the video and Madonna’s fabulous look: outfit, hair and jewelry. That’s what makes it memorable, not the song itself.

Bad was supposed to be a duet between Prince and MJ. Prince said he got the lyrics and saw the first line was your butt is mine and said nOpe.

Prince sure had fragile masculinity for a guy that dressed like an adrognoymous homo all the time.

When MJ was releasing pop crap like Bad, Prince was releasing stuff from Sign O the Times which most regard as his creative peak and best album. I hated MJ's 1980s music as the horrible dated synthesizers make them unlistenable. I liked some of his 90s output more since he finally got rid of Quincy Jones.

I liked MIchael Jackson’s albums more because you could listen to them all the way through and all the songs would be good. With prince, half the songs on any album would put me to sleep.

Remember the planned Prince and Whitney duet? He dueted with Madonna on her True Blue album. "Love Song".

R147 That song was on the Like a Prayer album.

It was awful

Like a Prayer album, yup. Love that song! "This is not a love song...am I just being kind? Am I losing my mind?".

Worst prince song ever

Love the song he wrote for Mavis Staples

[quote]Remember the planned Prince and Whitney duet?

I wish that had happened. Prince loved his girl singers and musicians. He was in the audience in Monaco when she performed I Will Always Love You and you could tell he adored her.

The thing I always loved about Prince was that he continued to broaden his musical style, always expanding, always evolving and growing as an artist. I always thought Prince and Bowie together would have come up with some great stuff.

Prince was all hype. Major homophobe too.

[quote]Bad was supposed to be a duet between Prince and MJ. Prince said he got the lyrics and saw the first line was your butt is mine and said nOpe.

That line IS weird. Especially when you remember he was probably thinking about McCauley Culkin when he wrote it.

Prince. He wrote lots of songs, and he was a very skilled guitar player. He was a producer; remember how he spiced up "Stand Back" with a tiny keyboard riff? Also, he could sing in a wider range; he could sing both high and low.

In terms of music performance, Jackson wins in just one category: dancing.

"Prince was all hype."

Like shit he was. His talent was immense. And he was definitely more talented in everything (singing, dancing, songwriting, showmanship) than Michael Jackson.

Michael used to be cute. Prince, not so much.

Prince wasn't hype--he could actually play all those instruments, sing and write classic pop songs.

R158, Prince was cute? LMAO! No gay guy in the 1980s thought Prince was cute/hot!

“Prince wasn't hype--he could actually play all those instruments, sing and write classic pop songs“

Princes publicist is here!

Prince was ALWAYS and ALL WAYS better.

[quote]Prince ... he was a very skilled guitar player.

That's an understatement actually!

[quote] Princes publicist is here!

Mccauley Culkin is here!

Prince was all that and a bag of chips. He really was, but...singing?

I never thought Prince was that great a singer. His voice never appealed to me that much.

His singing was great. Think about the song, Kiss. He sings some lines low, some lines high.

I think I mentioned this in this tread before

Prince in Montreux in 2009 was masterful!!! He was on the absolute top of his game in terms of musical artistry and creativity.

Here he is covering Elvis and Hendrix, doing great live versions of Peach and When You Were Mine.

When I first heard "Kiss" on the radio in 1986, I thought it was by MJ. LOL!

I also thought MJ was smart to get rid of Quincy and pursue the new jack direction. He was always innovating. He flirted with new electronic sounds And was working with will.i.am before he died. His music remained catchy and his performance was always top notch. Princes 90s stuff sounded old fashioned. MJ could do classic stuff. I like butterflies on invincible, but I wouldn’t have like an entire album that sounded like that. Invincible is more appreciated now for introducing new styles and ideas.

That said, while bad sounds dated compared to the rest of his work, it’s still a great album.

Princes early work was also dated but at least Michael kept up with the times. The production on 1999 and purple rain is pure 80s. Sign of the times was the only album of his that seem to hint at musical evolution.

Michael Jackson wasn't an innovator, he was a follower, plain and simple. I can only imagine how awful that Will-I-Am stuff would sound--even worse than that Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson song.

Love never felt so good was an excellent song. You can hear the original demo on the album. They butchered it with that remix. It was recorded in the early 80s. The thing with Michael is you can listen to any of the unreleased material and know exactly when it was recorded. You can’t do that with most prince songs

[quote] The thing with Michael is you can listen to any of the unreleased material and know exactly when it was recorded. You can’t do that with most prince songs

That's good for Prince, right?

[quote]Did prince even have any main stream success in the 90s?

Thieves In The Temple

Cream

Diamonds and Pearls

7

My Name Is Prince

The Most Beautiful Girl In The World

Prince any day.

Prince has so far released remastered Purple Rain with bonus songs from the vault and 1999 remastered with songs from the vault. I never cared for any of the newly released songs or alternate versions of songs. His songs are just so dated they don't resonate with today's zeitgeist. The only song I loved was a B side from 1999 called How come you don't call me anymore? Prince was not very good at remixes, he had very few. Whereas the greatest cunt of the universe of universes! Madonna had some amazing remixes. Hate her all you want and I do but I love many of her remixes like this one.

R141, I’ll give you “You Are Not Alone,” was a big hit.

But it was only popular because of the freakshow marriage with Lisa Marie, who was in the video.

“Scream” with Janet was supposed to be the single to knock it out of the stratosphere, hence the most expensive video of all time, at the time. But it did nothing. And I’m a Janet fan.

“You Are Not Alone ” was just a pleasant surprise for the record label to try and recoup some of their wasted money.

[quote]I also thought MJ was smart to get rid of Quincy and pursue the new jack direction.

He did so because Janet’s Control and RN 1814 albums were wildly successful and basically started the New Jack Swing sub genre. He even got her to involve Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in “Scream.”

Prince was do good that his B-sides and vault castoffs are better than a lot of artists’ released work. The recent deluxe re-releases of some of his earlier albums include many of the songs that never saw the light of day back then, and it’s incredible stuff.

One of my favorites of his B-sides is 17 Days from the Purple Rain sessions. It’s a favorite among his fanbase, many of whom wonder why it never made it as an album track.

Another masterful B-side, the instrumental Alexa De Paris from the Parade sessions.

“Moonbeam Levels“ (aka “A Better Place 2 Die”) was intended for inclusion on 1999, but was inexplicably replaced by the inferior “Free.” It was included on last year’s remastered re-release of 1999.

did somone just say Price had no musical evolution? LOLOLOL. He INVENTED a sound. The Minneapolis sound was created by prince. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were products of Prince. The Time, The Family, Jesse Johnson. All came from Prince. Prince changed musical styles faster than Madonna. You cannot say Purple Rain and Around the World in a day are in any way alike.

OMFG do you think DLers are current about ANYTHING in the zeitgeist. There are 10 billion threads on the fucking Golden Girls.

Filler tracks in many Prince albums. MJ has more solid albums

Love 17 Days.

Excuse ME, R66?

r184 not about album sales. It is about being a musician. Prince was a musician Jackson was an entertainer. Prince wrote, produced, and sang all of his own tracks. Jackson was a product of whatever producer was producing the songs written for him.

R187 Same with Madonna.

People bag on MJ’s abilities as a songwriter, but not only did he write and compose a lot of his solo hits, he also did so for the Epic Records version of his and his brothers’ group. Their classic track “This Place Hotel” (changed from “Heartbreak Hotel” due to the Elvis song) was all him, lyrically and vocally.

The closest think MJ ever got to writing and composing anything with a Prince level of salaciousness was Muscles, which of course would be given to Diana Ross.

He also wrote Centipede for sister Rebbie.

A thousand times Prince.

I do enjoy a lot of Prince's songs but his persona was much different than Jackson's. He was often humorous, detached, and overly theatrical while Jackson always seemed 100% sincere in his vocal delivery. Prince had his moments where he could let loose like on Purple Rain and Darling Nikki, but Jackson could totally sell any song no matter how big or small. Jackson was much more emotive and aggressive and his beats would always get under your skin. Prince's persona was more similar to Bowie, although Bowie was more versatile in his delivery.

I prefer rock stars not fuck little boys. So Prince.

Jackson had an amazingly precocious talent as a child for singing and dancing. As an adult, it stagnated at a certain point, to the extent that he used the moonwalk as a crutch for decades, though admittedly he was still a very good dancer.

Prince's musicianship far exceeded Jackson's in terms of songwriting and the ability to play several instruments to a very high standard.

Jackson's fame eclipsed Prince's fame. Jackson also used his fame to commit crimes.

Prince had critical acclaim and the respect of his peers. Jackson started to lose both in the 1980s.

[quote] Prince had critical acclaim and the respect of his peers. Jackson started to lose both in the 1980s.

Jackson could have worked with anyone he wanted in the 80s and even the 90s. Look at the talent he was able to assemble at the end of his career.

MJ is pop. Prince is more RnB/funk

^Prince is rock, too.

MJ was a self-styled "King of Pop" who specialized in schmaltzy, commercialized pop after peaking with Bad album. He kept his status out there for well past due date because of overindulgent earth/ children savior songs and performances devoid of self-awareness in just how gross he'd become by then. Truly vomit inducing. He was a joke by that time except in parts of Europe, Middle East, and Asia where he had fanbase. It was that MJ that got mooned by Jarvis Cocker of the band Pulp at the Brit Award performance. That MJ sucked ass and sad thing was that it was a logical conclusion to his decline in taste, musical output, and self-awareness.

After thriller Jackson was obsessed with production and album sales. Prince never cared and as an artist fighting for artists' rights to own their music. He was one of the first major-label artists to release his music via the internet. Prince created a legacy of sound. Janet Jackson would not be a star today without Prince's influence.

R200 F U. This is not 1997. Janet has not been relevant since then.

[quote]Janet Jackson would not be a star today without Prince's influence.

[quote]Janet has not been relevant since then.

LMAO!

Janet's longtime choreographer Tina Landon choreographed Prince's CREAM video. She did an interview last year where she talked about her time working with him, and she said that he told her to tell Janet that if she ever needed advice on obtaining the rights to her masters to let him know. What he didn't know was that part of her landmark second deal with Virgin in 1996 included owning her masters, but the suggestion was nice.

It is very bizarre the amount of love certain Europeans, Africans, East Asians and South Asians have for Michael Jackson to this day. Especially in countries like India. Madonna is very popular all over Europe, Japan/Hong Kong and especially Latin America, but it is NOTHING compared to the slavish devotion MJ inspires. I don't get it. To this day, his fans are still out there imitating his moves and acting like the moonwalk is still a big deal. You have to see it to understand how nuts it is.

Someone needs to tell R202 that being inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame doesn't mean much. And it certainly doesn't mean that Janet Jackson is still relevant.

Somebody needs to tell R205 that when your are as iconic and influential as Janet Jackson is, relevance is a moot point because, as one of the blueprints, you are always relevant.

Jackson's talent at singing was almost supernatural. It's amazing how we was able to sing those love songs as a kid with more conviction than his adult contemporaries.

r202, An icon since 1977? When she was playing Penny on Good Times? GMAFB JANBOT!!!!!

R208, thank you for catching that, I knew it was a Janbot post so I just ignored it.

Also, is Janbot going to ignore than her first two albums were gigantic bombs?

r206 - Janet Jackson tried to become a star using Micael and failed - Her one semi-hit Don't stand was a flop. Her role on Fame was a bust. Her father was her manager. When she went to Minneapolis to record with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (former members of The Time and Price proteges). Janet burst on to the charts with the Minneapolis sound (even shouted out to in Escapade) . Jackson, Jam, and Lewis would go on to make some of her biggest hits. So without Prince, there would be no Flytetime. WIth no Flytetime there would be no Control and Janet would be left doing cast-off songs from Michael.

[quote]An icon since 1977?

Janet’s role on GT as Penny and the infamous iron scene are definitely a big part of pop culture.

[quote]Her role on Fame was a bust.

Idiot.

Janet actually did not want the role, and only took it at the request of her father. She had planned on studying business law at Pepperdine, but her tumultuous marriage to James DeBarge took up most of her time and the family business of show kept calling. It was when she asked to be let out of her Fame contract that she decided to give singing one more go around, and the rest is history.

[quote]Janet would be left doing cast-off songs from Michael.

You got the wrong sister, sweetie.

R211 You are so full of crap. If your mother wasn't born it doesn't mean the humongous cunt that is you wouldn't have been born. Someone would have taken your place. Nature abhors a vacuum.

Prince was a baller.

Not only was Prince a better musician, he wrote many fantastic songs. Did MJ write songs that became huge hits for others? Like Cyndi Lauper with "When You Were Mine," The Bangles' "Manic Monday," and Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U?" Only thing that MJ did better was dance.

I didn't know Michael originally wrote Wanna Be Starting Something for LaToya.

R218, guess the song title turned out to be prophetic, eh?

[quote] Janet’s role on GT as Penny and the infamous iron scene are definitely a big part of pop culture.

Legitimately one of the most delusional things I've ever read on this site.

R217 Don’t forget this 80s hit that still sounds fresh today!

R220 We all know how psychotic and delusional Janbot is. Hope the Rona takes her down forever.

R222, what!? No more posts about how great Janet, Beyonce, Ashanti and Aaron Schock are? Don't know how I'll live.

Prince. He was multi-talented. And whatever he did in his sex life seems to have occurred with consenting adults.

I've seen people attempt to diminish Prince's talents and it never ends well. You want to insult his singing or guitar skills? OK, but that leaves like 20 more instruments that he plays along with songwriting.

R224 Prince did sing “women not girls rule my world” in Kiss so he was definitely not a pedo. Not a self-hating weirdo who bleached his skin and had multiple nose jobs to look white.

Who amongst past and present crop of pop stars could do a solo tour with piano as the instrument (which he’d played), not embarrass himself doing it, and sell out the tour? One of my best friends saw him perform at Paramount Theater in Oakland a month before his death. She still says it’s one of the best concerts she’d ever attended.

R226, I heard that from my former supervisor who REALLY regretted the fact that she didn't see him perform before he died. Apparently his last bunch of performances were still incredible.

R227 one of Prince’s last concerts can be seen on YT, this was recorded in Oakland, at Oracle Arena not Paramount Theater where my friend saw the show around the same time. The local reviews for these shows were great, he sounded great as was his musicianship.

[quote]Did MJ write songs that became huge hits for others?

YES.

...AND YES

[quote]Legitimately one of the most delusional things I've ever read on this site.

You're obviously white, and definitely stupid as fuck.

………...

A reenactment

[quote] You're obviously white, and definitely stupid as fuck.

OK a. We get it--you're obsessed with Janet. But if only a small section of black baby boomers remembers this scene, it isn't "iconic" in any sense.

Anybody familiar with the show Good Times would be aware of the very iconic iron scene, and I’m certain that it’s not just a “small section of black baby boomers.” Try and expand your narrow mind just a tad, Becky.

a, someone having ONE iconic scene on a show that had one season in the top 10 doesn't make that person an icon. Ridiculous.

Both of you shut your holes! This thread is not about Janet!

OK, back to the topic--Prince 100x over Michael Jackson any day. I can't believe someone above claimed that Purple Rain was an example of dated 80s music while Thriller still sounds fresh. To each their own, but unilke Thriller, at least Purple Rain hasn't been played to death.

Young Prince on American Bandstand.

Prince overdosed and died in an elevator. How shameful.

[quote] a, someone having ONE iconic scene on a show

Well, Becky, at least you admit that it is an iconic scene. Which it is.

Neither Michael nor Prince, hell not even Janet can compare to...

LA TOYA!

Girls, Girls, you're BOTH DEAD DRUG ADDICTS!!!!

"Legitimately one of the most delusional things I've ever read on this site."

I think the poster was being sarcastic. As for Jackson's stint on that show...it was embarrassing. Some critic mentioned how "healthy" the poor abused Penny looked (she was plump as a partridge). Little Penny wanted to be a star...and sleep with J. J.! And didn't the show degenerate into cringeworthy moments where she would do imitations of Mae West? Blech!

R244, no, that's Janbot, they were being completely serious. They seriously think that Janet has been an icon since 1977. Apparently, she was also an icon when her first two albums flopped too.

[quote]I think the poster was being sarcastic.

Absolutely not. As posted above, the iron scene is infamous and it is a part of pop culture.

r213 umm well you are wrong. Janet had released her album Dreamstreet. The single Don't stand was released, she performed it in a LIVE for TV concert for Fame cast. She even did Dreamstreet ON the tv show Fame. She did fame to promote her album - if it was her father's idea or not - she did it. It was after her failed stint on Fame she went to make Control with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis - and Janet would still be Latoya level fame if she didn't pair with Jam and Lews. Most every song on the album was a hit, she followed up with Rythm Nation and Miss You Much fucking exploded. Again - all Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

MJ's hits have aged well, which is why they remain on a higher rotation than very much alive Madonna and dead Prince. Please OP, MJ's death literally broke Google. When's the last time that happened?. Prince's death was hardly a blip compared to MJ.

Bowie and Prince are in a class of their own.

Michael Jackson's catalogue performs so strongly because everything from Thriller onwards is very predictable and "safe"--unlike the music of Madonna, Prince or even Janet.

Neither Prince or MJ had any sexual heat. They were both so extremely effeminate their flames could be felt on Mars. Prince was like 5 feet in heels. MJ was 5'10 and 110 lbs. They were just tiny lil things. No wonder they died so easily.

Neither.

None. Prince had more talents but MJ had the IT factors

Prince didn’t have sexual heat? Are you nuts? I wasn’t even attracted to him, but it was quite obvious that the man was a walking sex machine. A freak personified. He could wear lace, make-up, heels and a better hairdo than 90% of the women out there and still take another man’s woman. And his sexual stage presence was beyond compare.

[quote]Neither Prince ... had any sexual heat ... extremely effeminate

You're a fucking idiot.

You're a fucking cunt.

r251 - Head, Dirty Mind,?? Jesus Prince was all sexual heat in his early work.

My personal fave from the Dirty Mind era was “Sister,” a song about a 16 year old boy who regularly fucks his dominating 32 year old sister.

I was never sexually attracted to Prince based on his looks but I will say--I listened to the Purple Rain album for the first time when I was 14. I masturbated to "The Beautiful Ones" a lot. Some of the most sexually charged music I've ever heard.

I can remember being seven or eight years old listening to “International Lover” on our floor model stereo in the dark and being strangely excited. Also, this pic from the 1999 album used to make me feel a certain way...

R260 The poster of that image was always sold out at my local record store!

record store, what's that?

Prince Michael

Lame setup by OP. There was no battle between the two.

Head was my sexual awakening song. I asked my brother what it meant and he told me about blow jobs. I became obsessed with givng one after that. (no I didn'l blow my brother).

Also wasn't the rumor that although he was 5'2" he sported a 9 inch cock?

If Prince had 9" we would have seen bulges, even soft.

Oh, P [italic]did[/italic] sport bulges and VPL, alright. He NEVER wore underwear.