: Who is the most iconic artist of all time, Michael Jackson, Beatles or Elvis?

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 28
Forum Member
I was having this argument with my sister and I was wondering what other people thought on the subject. Personally I think that they are as iconic as each other but my sister is set on Michael Jackson being the most iconic. What do you think?
«13456714

Comments

  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
    Forum Member
    I don't know, I think they're all iconic in a way.
  • mialiciousmialicious Posts: 4,686
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    bob marley and jimi hendrix
  • vagbreathvagbreath Posts: 1,215
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    No option for Rihanna?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,100
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Mike J. Hands down.
  • Hit Em Up StyleHit Em Up Style Posts: 12,141
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I would say The Beatles. They basically created pop music to be honest. They were the benchmark that every pop song has followed and even better hardly none of their material has aged. However Elvis has to be very close behind.. if not on par.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,304
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Most influential? Elvis.

    Iconic? Beatles.


    Michael Jackson did naff all in comparison.
  • LED93LED93 Posts: 109
    Forum Member
    vagbreath wrote: »
    No option for Rihanna?

    Sarcasm?
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
    Forum Member
    vagbreath wrote: »
    No option for Rihanna?

    She's well known but not iconic. She'll be around for several more years yet but I doubt she'll be up there with the likes of MJ, The Beatles, Madonna, Elvis, Kate Bush, Queen etc.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,100
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I would say The Beatles. They basically created pop music to be honest. They were the benchmark that every pop song has followed and even better hardly none of their material has aged. However Elvis has to be very close behind.. if not on par.

    The KING of Pop with the highest selling album of all time would disagree.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,304
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    sjp07 wrote: »
    The KING of Pop with the highest selling album of all time would disagree.

    You missed off the "Self proclaimed" part.


    And Britney Spears has also sold a boat load of records, is she in the mix aswell?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,100
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    You missed off the "Self proclaimed" part.


    And Britney Spears has also sold a boat load of records, is she in the mix aswell?

    Does Britney Spears have the highest selling record of all time? That alone is enough to descredit the claims above that MJ didnt do much.
  • LandslideBradLandslideBrad Posts: 5,085
    Forum Member
    Michael Jackson, for sure.
  • VisitingVisiting Posts: 40,112
    Forum Member
    M J ..
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,304
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    sjp07 wrote: »
    Does Britney Spears have the highest selling record of all time? That alone is enough to descredit the claims above that MJ didnt do much.

    He sold alot of records... that's about it. He doesn't even come remotely close to the Beatles or Elvis in cultural impact or iconic status.
  • JohnnyForgetJohnnyForget Posts: 24,061
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    The Beatles = Icons

    Elvis Presley = Icon

    Michael Jackson = Con
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,429
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Before the Beatles pop and rock 'n' roll was practically dead save for safe MOR crooners like Bobby Vee and Neil Sedaka. Elvis had come out of the army and was embarking on a showbiz career featuring Hawaiian shirts and corny, throwaway material. A shadow of the hip-swiveling rock god of the 1950s.

    Looking at the charts in 1962 and just two years later reveals a completely different landscape, pretty much entirely because of the changes the Beatles brought about on both sides of the Atlantic. And, with the Beatles again in the vanguard, the latter half of the 1960s would see perhaps an even more pronounced shift.

    Albums such as Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, The White Album and Abbey Road are master classes in songwriting and musicianship. For a band that broke up over forty years ago it is astonishing that they are still regularly cited as influences by new acts.

    Jackson was a phenomenon, but not in the same league as the Beatles and Elvis.
  • TheshaneTheshane Posts: 1,815
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Michael Jackson, Christ on a bike. 3 pretty good albums (off the wall, thriller and Bad) are hardly comparable to what the Beatles and Elvis did. Id probably say a lot of the success of those albums came from Quincey Jones, since Dangerous, History and Invincible all made without him weren't up to scratch.

    A couple of big selling albums. But he's not up with the big boys like the Beatles, Stones and Elvis. Even as far as Black singers go, Marvin and Stevie are probably far more iconic. They're certainly more consistent.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,100
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Why are black singers in their own category? They are all musicians, regardless of race and MJ is more iconic than Stevie and definitely more than Marvin. I love Marvin, but that isn't even a question. Marvin and Luther are in the same category, MJ had world wide appeal, they unfortunately didn't.
  • TheshaneTheshane Posts: 1,815
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    sjp07 wrote: »
    Why are black singers in their own category? They are all musicians, regardless of race and MJ is more iconic than Stevie and definitely more than Marvin. I love Marvin, but that isn't even a question. Marvin and Luther are in the same category, MJ had world wide appeal, they unfortunately didn't.

    They're not, I was just stating not only was Jacko not as Iconic as Honky Homeboys the Beatles, Stones and Elvis, but he was also not as Iconic as Marvin and Stevie.
    Bullshit Jacko is more Iconic than Marvin or Stevie. In forty years time will people be praising Bad, Thriller or Off the Wall like Innervisions, Songs in the Key of Life, What's Going On? No.

    If Jacko hadn't died he'd have continued his sliding journey to being an utter joke. Now he's brown bread all the Wacko Jacko nuts try and put sainthood on him. He invented this,he invented that, he was first at this, he was first at that. Jacko was first at doing nothing other than selling a ****load of one album.

    Don't get me wrong, al three of his albums from that period are good but folk like Prince pissed all over him.

    But he sold alot...
  • ashtray88ashtray88 Posts: 1,531
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Whitney Houston....

    Who needs record sales when she had THE VOICE (although she did have a lot of record sales too).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 6,058
    Forum Member
    Beatles by far.

    If I had to rank them, I'd say Beatles are slightly more iconic than Elvis and Elvis is more iconic than Michael Jackson. I have a feeling our generation will be the last to really remember MJ's music, bar from a few all time classics like 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It' maybe. But I may be proven wrong.
  • dodger0703dodger0703 Posts: 1,957
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    just to add a little to this debate, a lot of elvis songs and beatles songs I can still listen to, but a lot of jacko songs so so dated
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,075
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I think MJ, but that's my personal opinion...
  • That_GuyThat_Guy Posts: 1,421
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    MJ without a doubt.
  • umr3000umr3000 Posts: 1,942
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Michael Jackson are all legends and icons... their careers and contribution to music and popular culture is second to none. I think people can have preferences as to who they prefer more, however in terms of status I don't think there's much between them. All three are unrivalled and belong right at the top.
Sign In or Register to comment.