RandallFlagg Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) Most people have heard some of the Purple Rain album and a few singles and little else by Prince.Most people have only heard about ten Queen songs total, so I don't get your point.Here is the list of Queen songs the general population knows:1. Bohemian rhapsody2. Killer queen3. somebody to love4. crazy little thing called love5. another one bites the dust6. we will rock you7. we are the champions8. under pressure9. bicycle race You're My Best FriendPrinces of the UniverseWho Wants to Live ForeverFat Bottomed GirlsOne VisionRadio Ga Gahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGxX3qht99oPrince's general audience songs:1. Party like its 19992. little red corvette3. purple rain4. When doves cry5. lets go crazy6. I would die for you7. rasberry beret8. kiss9. delerious10. pussy control11. cream12. batdanceAnd these are only the song that pretty much everybody knows, so clearly Prince has just as many "hits" as Queen does.The point I was making was that if people checked out more of the guy's deep cuts they'd appreciate the depth and endeavor of his talent. People are much more likely to have heard Queen albums than Prince albums cause this guy releases so much stuff that he doesn't promote you miss the insane stuff. Like The Cross or Colonized Mind are gonna be so much rarer in conversation than Prophet's Song, White Queen and Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon. I like 'em both equally but Prince is under-rated in comparison. Edited March 31, 2014 by RandallFlagg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) I'm surprised that so few have mentioned Janice Joplin. I think Axl and Janice in their primes were comparable.It's difficult to compare singers who have very different sounds. Some swear that Tony Bennet is one of the best vocalists of pop (by pop, I mean the broad definition of popular that includes formats like rock, jazz, blues, etc.) music in the last century. Others might claim Freddie Mercury. I think there are good arguments for both.One also has to consider the many ways in which each singer could be evaluated: range, power, pitch, tone, durability, longevity, live vs. recorded, versatility, emotion, uniqueness, etc. I suppose one could ascribe a numerical score to each category and come up with a rank. But then others might argue that each category should be given different weight. For me, Axl would probably receive high scores in almost all those categories back in the late 80s and early 90s (save, perhaps, the live vs. recorded criteria - always felt Axl rarely duplicated his recorded performances in a live setting). So if we were simply measuring singers on their prime years, Axl would be up there. But if we consider longevity, I'm not sure he should be included in the pantheon of great singers. Having recently attended a Billy Joel concert, I would much rather listen to Billy Joel sing at 65 than Axl at 52. Billy sounds just as good as he did 30 to 40 years ago. Chris Cornel, who has a similar singing style to Axl, has held up well with age. Dismissing longevity does a disservice to those performers who have been able to keep their pipes working for a long time. So I guess it depends on what factors make a singer great. Edited March 31, 2014 by downzy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron MikeyJ Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 i like and respect queen/mercury but personally they're not in my top ten.i would rank prince above them, but it's subjective of course.Which that's part of my point here. I never said that Queen, Freddie, or Brian May are not great at what they do, but when people say they are the best ever my rebuttle is no they are not. That's why I brought Prince into the discussion, because he is a dark horse that throws a monkey wrench into these little rock lists we like to make. It's like we only accept typical "rock" singers for these debates, and I call bull shit on that. I'm sorry but no one has yet to provide anything to change my opinion, Prince is not only superior to Freddie, but to the whole damn band known as Queen as well. But Prince isn't the only one, James Brown was twice the frontman/performer that Freddie Mercury was, and I would also add Marvin Gaye to that list as well. Hell if we want to go back far enough, the great Louis Armstrong might have been the best "frontman" that ever lived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron MikeyJ Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Most people have heard some of the Purple Rain album and a few singles and little else by Prince.Most people have only heard about ten Queen songs total, so I don't get your point.Here is the list of Queen songs the general population knows:1. Bohemian rhapsody2. Killer queen3. somebody to love4. crazy little thing called love5. another one bites the dust6. we will rock you7. we are the champions8. under pressure9. bicycle race You're My Best FriendPrinces of the UniverseWho Wants to Live ForeverFat Bottomed GirlsOne VisionRadio Ga Gahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGxX3qht99o Most people have heard some of the Purple Rain album and a few singles and little else by Prince.Prince's general audience songs:1. Party like its 19992. little red corvette3. purple rain4. When doves cry5. lets go crazy6. I would die for you7. rasberry beret8. kiss9. delerious10. pussy control11. cream12. batdanceAnd these are only the song that pretty much everybody knows, so clearly Prince has just as many "hits" as Queen does. Ok I'll give you Fat bottom girls and your my best friend, but thats it. For you to cross off Cream, Delerious, and Pussy Control is you being obviously bias. All three of those songs were bigger hits than ANYTHING Queen did after Under Pressure. I'm assuming most of you are Europeans, and you guys forget that Queen during most of the 1980's was a nonfactor here in the United States. I know they were still big in the rest of the world, but being huge in the rest of the world but average in America means that you are pretty much average, but no longer the biggest band in the world. That also works vice versa, If you are huge in America, but just average everywhere else means you are just average overall. I'm sorry but you can't sell the American audiences short, which is something that Queen fans love to do, when it comes to Queen during the 80's. They were no longer relevant as a global band, because they didn't have America, sorry folks it is what it is. Even Freddie addressed in interviews, how much it bothered him that Queen was no longer big in the States, they actually stopped touring here because they couldn't draw fans like they were used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Prince's general audience songs:1. Party like its 19992. little red corvette3. purple rain4. When doves cry5. lets go crazy6. I would die for you7. rasberry beret8. kiss9. delerious10. pussy control11. cream12. batdanceAnd these are only the song that pretty much everybody knows, so clearly Prince has just as many "hits" as Queen does.Ok I'll give you Fat bottom girls and your my best friend, but thats it. For you to cross off Cream, Delerious, and Pussy Control is you being obviously bias. All three of those songs were bigger hits than ANYTHING Queen did after Under Pressure. In fairness, I have never heard most of the songs Lucius had crossed out (though I do know Cream). Hell, I had never even heard of Let's Go Crazy or I Would Die For You. I just youtubed them and they're definitely songs you don't hear on the radio anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron MikeyJ Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 For the record Cream went to #1 in the US, #15 in the UK, and top ten everywhere else in the world. Delerious went to #7 in the US, but I don't think it was released as a single anywhere else. The most beautiful girl in the world (which i forgot about that song) #3 in the US, #1 in the UK, and #1 in Austrailia. Batdance was a #1 hit in the US, #2 in the UK. Sign o' the times #3 US, #10 UK. U got the look #2 US, #11 UK. Diamonds and Pearls #3 US, #25 UK, #13 Australia. By comparsion...Princes of the Universe was never officially released as a single. Who wants to live forever peaked at #24 in the UK. Radio GaGa reached #2 in the UK, #16 in the US, and did go to #1 in many countries, so I'll give ya this one. One Vision #7 in the UK, but only #61 in the US, and barely broke the top 30 in the rest of the world peaking in the mid 20's in most countries. But I did forget about Keep yourself alive, so I'll give ya that one and Radio Ga Ga as Queen hits, but not the others. So please, Prince clearly has had more "hits" than Queen did. Next point.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 For the record Cream went to #1 in the US, #15 in the UK, and top ten everywhere else in the world. Delerious went to #7 in the US, but I don't think it was released as a single anywhere else. The most beautiful girl in the world (which i forgot about that song) #3 in the US, #1 in the UK, and #1 in Austrailia. Batdance was a #1 hit in the US, #2 in the UK. Sign o' the times #3 US, #10 UK. U got the look #2 US, #11 UK. Diamonds and Pearls #3 US, #25 UK, #13 Australia.By comparsion...Princes of the Universe was never officially released as a single. Who wants to live forever peaked at #24 in the UK. Radio GaGa reached #2 in the UK, #16 in the US, and did go to #1 in many countries, so I'll give ya this one. One Vision #7 in the UK, but only #61 in the US, and barely broke the top 30 in the rest of the world peaking in the mid 20's in most countries. But I did forget about Keep yourself alive, so I'll give ya that one and Radio Ga Ga as Queen hits, but not the others.So please, Prince clearly has had more "hits" than Queen did. Next point....But by that logic, Ray Charles is more popular than either of them, since he had 74 songs enter the Billboard 100. Having hits is one thing, but if nobody remembers them a decade or two later, who gives a shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron MikeyJ Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 So here is the official "Hits" lists I looked them up, you can also if you don't believe me. But yes Prince has had more worldwide hits than Queen, but it is close. Queen:1. Bohemian Rhapsody2. Killer Queen3. somebody to love4. crazy little thing called love5. another one bites the dust6. we will rock you7. we are the champions8. under pressure9. bicycle race10. keep yourself alive11. fat bottom girls12. your my best friend13. radio ga gaPrince:1. party like its 19992. little red corvette3. purple rain4. when doves cry5. i would die for you6. lets go crazy7. kiss8. rasberry beret9. cream10. the most beautiful girl in the world11. batdance12. diamonds and pearls13. u got the look14. sign o' the timesFor the record Cream went to #1 in the US, #15 in the UK, and top ten everywhere else in the world. Delerious went to #7 in the US, but I don't think it was released as a single anywhere else. The most beautiful girl in the world (which i forgot about that song) #3 in the US, #1 in the UK, and #1 in Austrailia. Batdance was a #1 hit in the US, #2 in the UK. Sign o' the times #3 US, #10 UK. U got the look #2 US, #11 UK. Diamonds and Pearls #3 US, #25 UK, #13 Australia.By comparsion...Princes of the Universe was never officially released as a single. Who wants to live forever peaked at #24 in the UK. Radio GaGa reached #2 in the UK, #16 in the US, and did go to #1 in many countries, so I'll give ya this one. One Vision #7 in the UK, but only #61 in the US, and barely broke the top 30 in the rest of the world peaking in the mid 20's in most countries. But I did forget about Keep yourself alive, so I'll give ya that one and Radio Ga Ga as Queen hits, but not the others.So please, Prince clearly has had more "hits" than Queen did. Next point.... But by that logic, Ray Charles is more popular than either of them, since he had 74 songs enter the Billboard 100. Having hits is one thing, but if nobody remembers them a decade or two later, who gives a shit. OK, clearly you are being bias. Just because you don't remember or didn't recognize them in the first place, doesn't mean they didn't happen, or they are some how lessened. I have just further strengthed my point, Prince>Queen and Freddie. BTW yes Ray Charles was also a legend.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 So here is the official "Hits" lists I looked them up, you can also if you don't believe me. But yes Prince has had more worldwide hits than Queen, but it is close.Queen:1. Bohemian Rhapsody2. Killer Queen3. somebody to love4. crazy little thing called love5. another one bites the dust6. we will rock you7. we are the champions8. under pressure9. bicycle race10. keep yourself alive11. fat bottom girls12. your my best friend13. radio ga gaPrince:1. party like its 19992. little red corvette3. purple rain4. when doves cry5. i would die for you6. lets go crazy7. kiss8. rasberry beret9. cream10. the most beautiful girl in the world11. batdance12. diamonds and pearls13. u got the look14. sign o' the timesFor the record Cream went to #1 in the US, #15 in the UK, and top ten everywhere else in the world. Delerious went to #7 in the US, but I don't think it was released as a single anywhere else. The most beautiful girl in the world (which i forgot about that song) #3 in the US, #1 in the UK, and #1 in Austrailia. Batdance was a #1 hit in the US, #2 in the UK. Sign o' the times #3 US, #10 UK. U got the look #2 US, #11 UK. Diamonds and Pearls #3 US, #25 UK, #13 Australia.By comparsion...Princes of the Universe was never officially released as a single. Who wants to live forever peaked at #24 in the UK. Radio GaGa reached #2 in the UK, #16 in the US, and did go to #1 in many countries, so I'll give ya this one. One Vision #7 in the UK, but only #61 in the US, and barely broke the top 30 in the rest of the world peaking in the mid 20's in most countries. But I did forget about Keep yourself alive, so I'll give ya that one and Radio Ga Ga as Queen hits, but not the others.So please, Prince clearly has had more "hits" than Queen did. Next point.... But by that logic, Ray Charles is more popular than either of them, since he had 74 songs enter the Billboard 100. Having hits is one thing, but if nobody remembers them a decade or two later, who gives a shit. OK, clearly you are being bias. Just because you don't remember or didn't recognize them in the first place, doesn't mean they didn't happen, or they are some how lessened. I have just further strengthed my point, Prince>Queen and Freddie. BTW yes Ray Charles was also a legend....The point I was making was that just because an artist writes hits doesn't mean the songs themselves have staying power. Simply counting up how many chart toppers means little when considering an artist's significance. Jimi Hendrix only had one number one hit, and it was for his cover of Dylan's All Along the Watch Tower. Does that mean that Hendrix is less significant to the advancement of music than, let's say Katy Perry, who is the last artist to have five number one hits from one album since Michael Jackson's Bad? Ridiculous.If you're simply determining an artists' significance or greatness based on the number of hits they have produced, you're kind of losing the point of the debate. Janice Joplin had very few hits, but her presence and influence is still felt in music today. Perhaps for you having hits determines an artists' artistic merit, but I personally value how well the music holds up over time. Batdance, a song that only charted as a result of the movie Batman's popularity, has already been long forgotten and will likely never be remembered fifty or a hundred years from now. Prince undoubtedly has some timeless hits, but whether his music stands the test of time versus another act like Queen is debatable. Ray Charles is a legend, but other than What I'd Say, I'd bet you couldn't find 99 out of a 100 people to name another Ray Charles song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luciusfunk Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Most people have heard some of the Purple Rain album and a few singles and little else by Prince.Most people have only heard about ten Queen songs total, so I don't get your point.Here is the list of Queen songs the general population knows:1. Bohemian rhapsody2. Killer queen3. somebody to love4. crazy little thing called love5. another one bites the dust6. we will rock you7. we are the champions8. under pressure9. bicycle race You're My Best FriendPrinces of the UniverseWho Wants to Live ForeverFat Bottomed GirlsOne VisionRadio Ga Gahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGxX3qht99o Most people have heard some of the Purple Rain album and a few singles and little else by Prince.Prince's general audience songs:1. Party like its 19992. little red corvette3. purple rain4. When doves cry5. lets go crazy6. I would die for you7. rasberry beret8. kiss9. delerious10. pussy control11. cream12. batdanceAnd these are only the song that pretty much everybody knows, so clearly Prince has just as many "hits" as Queen does. Ok I'll give you Fat bottom girls and your my best friend, but thats it. For you to cross off Cream, Delerious, and Pussy Control is you being obviously bias. All three of those songs were bigger hits than ANYTHING Queen did after Under Pressure. I'm assuming most of you are Europeans, and you guys forget that Queen during most of the 1980's was a nonfactor here in the United States. I know they were still big in the rest of the world, but being huge in the rest of the world but average in America means that you are pretty much average, but no longer the biggest band in the world. That also works vice versa, If you are huge in America, but just average everywhere else means you are just average overall. I'm sorry but you can't sell the American audiences short, which is something that Queen fans love to do, when it comes to Queen during the 80's. They were no longer relevant as a global band, because they didn't have America, sorry folks it is what it is. Even Freddie addressed in interviews, how much it bothered him that Queen was no longer big in the States, they actually stopped touring here because they couldn't draw fans like they were used to.Being biased? I don't know those songs, and I've listened to 90% of Prince's discography.For the record Cream went to #1 in the US, #15 in the UK, and top ten everywhere else in the world. Delerious went to #7 in the US, but I don't think it was released as a single anywhere else. The most beautiful girl in the world (which i forgot about that song) #3 in the US, #1 in the UK, and #1 in Austrailia. Batdance was a #1 hit in the US, #2 in the UK. Sign o' the times #3 US, #10 UK. U got the look #2 US, #11 UK. Diamonds and Pearls #3 US, #25 UK, #13 Australia.By comparsion...Princes of the Universe was never officially released as a single. Who wants to live forever peaked at #24 in the UK. Radio GaGa reached #2 in the UK, #16 in the US, and did go to #1 in many countries, so I'll give ya this one. One Vision #7 in the UK, but only #61 in the US, and barely broke the top 30 in the rest of the world peaking in the mid 20's in most countries. But I did forget about Keep yourself alive, so I'll give ya that one and Radio Ga Ga as Queen hits, but not the others.So please, Prince clearly has had more "hits" than Queen did. Next point....Hits? You mentioned popular songs.Here is the list of Queen songs the general population knows:Princes of the Universe was a very popular song. And just because a song isn't released as a single in the UK doesn't mean it's not officially released as a single. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikka Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) @Mike420I have to agree that Prince is vastly underrated... Very true about Queen & US market too. But you're trying to prove as objective something that is entirely subjective: that he is a better artist/the best artist etc. I get that he is the best for you but this: "Prince is not only superior to Freddie, but to the whole damn band known as Queen as well" is just an opinion... Don't try to push it as some enlightening truth that we all Queen fans fail to see An btw ever heard of The show must go on? Or These are the days of our lives? A kind of magic? I want it all? Somebody to love? Don't stop me now?All of these were pretty big in EU and didn't do bad at all in th US... Edited March 31, 2014 by bikka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron MikeyJ Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 People,I'm just using Prince as one of many examples, I could have choosen James Brown instead, or any number of people. What is this thread all about? hmm? What vocalists are better than Axl? We have had this discussion how many times on this board, or one very similiar. It always seems that the pro~Freddie crowd rallies and always proclaims him the GOAT. I'm simply offering a different point of view, and provided some actual facts to back up my argument. But the obviouse rebuttle is "What does hits and popularity matter?" I never said it did, it was someone else that said "Queen has more hits, Prince only has one good album and just a few random hits." So then I said "ya ok, what about all of these?" Now we are back to hits don't matter. I never proclaimed Prince to be the GOAT either, it is you all that give that title blindly to Freddie, I'm just pointing out that any number of people can lay claim to the thrown. If you like Freddie better, well good for you. You can have anybody you want to be your favorite, thats the beauty of it, but when you proclaim someone is the best, you better be able to back that proclamation up, not just throwing dirt on the other guy (thats the politicians trick), which is all that happened hear. Some proclaimed Freddie the GOAT, I said "no Prince is better," then I backed up my claim, then you all resorted to trying to tear Prince down, solid arguments gang. You can go back through my posts, I don't think I ever tore Queen or Freddie down in order to make my points.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandallFlagg Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) The Cross is one of my fave Prince tracks, he really pushes the grit in that usually sparkling voice, shame the purple one blocks all his music online so I can't post a video.live will have to do-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXsa_tp4BQ4 Edited March 31, 2014 by RandallFlagg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luciusfunk Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Love The Cross. Sign "O" the Times is a great album. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron MikeyJ Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 I also hate that he doesn't allow his stuff on youtube, but It probably does help his ticket sales, clever move I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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