Popular Music

[DoubleEagle]

With all the attention Michael has gotten since his death and being called the " King of Pop ."

I felt the Beatles have been sort of forgotten with all the hoop la.

Here's your chance to vindicate the Beatles or not.                 Dolph

[redxblack]

There should also be options for Woody Guthrie and Boobies.

I'd go w/ Woody.

[il d00d]

Can we add a "you're kidding me..." to the poll? 

If the question was centered around being pop culture (not music) phenomena, I think it would be closer, but we're talking about Usher and, like... Usher being the artists openly biting on MJ.  There are hundreds, if not thousands of rock bands that make their living sounding like the Beatles.
Jackson was a great performer, singer, dancer and media lightning rod.  The Beatles were great musicians and songwriters.

[superjohn]

Nearly every major artist in nearly every genre from country to metal cite The Beatles as a major influence. Jackson influenced a LOT of people and integrated rock and motown in a new a fresh way, but he in no way came close to the influence of the boys from Liverpool.

[NAKID]

Yeah, sorry, this poll is a gimme. Well, except for I guess the 2 people who have voted for MJ...

[Autostrada Pilot]

Beatles, easy.

[derby]

well, if you consider people that were influenced by people that were influenced by the beatles, i suppose you could say the old guys from liverpool.

however, you could easily make a very strong argument that MJ has had more of an influence on modern pop music.

[il d00d]

however, you could easily make a very strong argument that MJ has had more of an influence on modern pop music.

I look forward to hearing that argument    Lemme ask - do you think MJ was influenced by the Beatles?  How about the Jackson 5?

[derby]

I look forward to hearing that argument    Lemme ask - do you think MJ was influenced by the Beatles?  How about the Jackson 5?

i think i covered that in my original point.

however, i think it's quite possible that current pop music has been directly influenced more by mj than it has by the beatles.

(i don't think a lot of these teeny bopper, top 40, r&b, kids are listening to a bunch of 60s music)

[gojira]

I look forward to hearing that argument    Lemme ask - do you think MJ was influenced by the Beatles?  How about the Jackson 5?

Well ...

There had to be a reason for MJ to invest in the Sony catalog ...

[derby]

Well ...

There had to be a reason for MJ to invest in the Sony catalog ...

yeah.. brilliant financial advisors. 

[il d00d]

I am not sure I follow - you are saying MJ was one of the people influencing more modern music who was influenced by the Beatles?

Roots of modern tween music probably go waaay back to Nsync and Backstreet Boys.  New Kids on the Block were probably the primordial ooze from which the likes of Miley Cyrus or whoever Disney is putting on the corner evolved.  Also, the teenyboppers of the 60s probably didn't listen to the Beatles after about 65 or so.  I am saying that is a type of music that exists outside the influence of many bands - they are not really influenced by anything that doesn't appeal directly to pubescent girls.  Trendy haircuts are probably more influential to tween bands than the Beatles or Michael Jackson.

As for the slightly older crowd, I watch American Idol (mostly against my will) and hear 16-year-olds speak reverently about Elton John and Marvin Gaye, so I am not sure that the 60s have been totally forgotten.  But it is something that I have wondered about.

Anecdotally, we have things like this to support the case for the Beatles:
http://search.hottopic.com/clothing/Beatles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles%27_influence_on_popular_culture

Also go to any musician wanted/available board and search for "Beatles" - compare that to the search for "Michael Jackson"

[That Nice Guy Beck!]

why compare beatles and MJ?
strange makes no sense.

[That Nice Guy Beck!]

on modern - new wave music using synths and drum machines
for old people yea I guess the beatles.

[redxblack]

Boy Bands go back further. New Edition was kind of similar to MJ. I'd have to agree that much of the POPULAR music on the radio today has more to do with MJ than Beatles. Now whether that's a good thing is another discussion entirely. I truly believe that MJ (not single handedly) ruined music by turning it into a visual medium. The fact that so many pop stars lip sync their live shows and no one cares kinda backs that up.

EDIT: I just saw 2 MJ threads locked AFTER I posted this. I don't want to restart arguments in progress. MJ was NOT ALONE in making audio secondary in music, he was part of a movement.