Michael Jackson dies, aged 50

Originally Posted by knkwzrd

Let's try to be objective here. Michael Jackson recorded about 30 great pop songs during his solo career. He wrote maybe seven of those. He has a strangely large cult of celebrity for someone with a relatively small output and influence, especially considering his voice had pretty much been shot since 1987. The world is brimming with people as talented a singer, dancer, songwriter, etc. as Michael Jackson ever was. They won't ever be as popular as he was, but that's something different.

I agree with much of this. Jackson's contributions to music, however decent, were spaced in a very narrow time fame and thus it's hard to make an argument that Jackson is the most talented musician EVAR. It's simply not viable.

That being said, it is easy to see why people celebrated him. In his youth, his singing and dancing ability were top notch and combined in a way that charmed and captivated world wide. There's a certain mystique created there.

Anyways, I'd be hard pressed to name a more serious vocal talent than Jackson in his late teens and early 20's. It's a shame that he seemed to lose a step so quickly, but that's to be expected in a rough and tumble industry where anything can happen. The music business chews people up and spits them out and Jackson was a casualty of this and an abusive up bringing.


RIP and all that. What a waste but I am happy to have witnessed some of his abilities.

Jam it back in, in the dark.