Wiki Worldwide Sales Bracket POLL: GROUP TWO (of eight)

Neil Tennant, whose range and tone are for shit.

Demonstrably untrue on every level, if you've heard PSB albums.

and you think PSB fans love'em solely for their lyrics? Come on.

There is, however, a nice essay/post waiting to get written about the Gibb bros and Tennant-Lowe's writing/producing jobs for divas in need. Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield's careers intersect in interesting ways.

nah I've heard the PSBs hits, and I think I had Very at some point in the last few years. they are by and large a band I grew up hearing on the radio, whereas the Bee Gees I discovered retroactively

I've heard little by the PSB but that's largely because what I've heard has left me wondering what the big deal is. But we'll get them in the next round, even if it means voting for a banda superstar.

Queen 57
Kenny Rogers 17

Elton John 49
Lionel Richie 25

Madonna 63
A.R. Rahman 11

Pet Shop Boys 47
Bee Gees 27

Wiki Worldwide Sales Bracket POLL: GROUP THREE (of eight)
Wiki Worldwide Sales Bracket POLL: GROUP FOUR (of eight)

Go vote! And thanks again to everyone who's been part of this so far.

Elton John over Lionel Richie people are the likely to be the most baffling group of this whole poll cycle.

elton's early 70s career is solid, I'd vote for him over anyone in this group

Elton John over Lionel Richie people are the likely to be the most baffling group of this whole poll cycle.

Okay, really? Did you like magically forget the demographic/taste center of this board when you wrote that?

I forget it every time.

I dunno I wouldn't really call elton john an artist who caters to the demographic/taste center of this board anymore than lionel richie

Elton John 49
Lionel Richie 25

seems like the board itself disagrees with you

well I meant like, in the sense of 'what would the average demographic be at an elton john concert?' - miles away from the ilx demographic, maybe not so different from the average demographic at a lionel richie concert.

Yeah I expected it to be close with Richie maybe taking it, but I guess I was letting Spencer Chow's first and only thread go to my head a bit there.

(forgot to vote and would've made it 26, fwiw, which is not a lot as 26 < 49, obv)

This is ILM; sexually-ambiguous British verging-on-glam rock will likely always be more popular than funk/R&B.

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/02_04/EltonJohn5_468x230.jpg

'ambiguous'

I don't think 'sexually-ambiguous british verging-on-glam rock' describes him outside of the word 'british'. his 'verging-on-glam rock' period is maybe half of one album and probably least appealing to those who actually like glam rock. I voted for him cause he has some A++ classic albums (before the donald duck years) and lionel richie only has a handful of songs I like. it is possible that ilm likes him for reasons beyond him being british and gay, I dunno, I can't speak for other peoples' votes. ej would have been crushed by, say, stevie wonder.

my gf works (hopefully not much longer) at a fancy bookstore and their business seems to be elton john-centered, like he comes in a few times a year and buys 10k worth of books...two of everything, one for each house.

ej would have been crushed by, say, stevie wonder

I don't believe this for a second

elton's early 70s career is solid, I'd vote for him over anyone in this group

Me too (Madonna would finish second), and my tastes aren't usually either British or gay-identified, I don't think; they're probably more soul or funk, at least if you're talking older-school versions of those genres. (Bottom line is, Richie's career is just a whole lot spottier. One really good solo album, a good Greatest Hits album as part of his band before he went solo, and maybe a handful of other worthy singles, if that. Would maybe have picked him over Queen -- he's underrated as a singer, I think, especially in "Stuck On You"/"Sail On" mode where he verges on Kenny Rogers-type countripolitan -- but against Elton, given Elton's early '70s run, it's not even close. And Elton's probably underrated as a singer too, come to think of it.)

stevie wonder made it to the top 8 in the other tournament! no way elton john's fanbase here is anything as hardcore as stevie's.

Yeah, it's not even close. Elton has at least twenty songs I care about, while Richie's got Can't Slow Down (don't care for the Commodores at all).

ILX 70s album poll - results

3 stevie wonder albums, 0 ej

And actually, Elton's '70s stuff has plenty of soul influence (and some country) in it, too fwiw. ("Bennie And The Jets," "Philadelphia Freedom," and "Mama Can't Buy You Love" all charted r&b.)

bennie and the jets? I always considered that his glammiest moment. (would take it over anything on ziggy stardust)

"Bennie and the Jets" topped the R&B chart, I think.

then there was Mary J. Blige's version.

I guess there's actually considerable soul-influence on elton's vocals

(not nec w/r/t that song, but in lots of others)

I agree with that.

All I'm really saying is that Elton John's popularity doesn't surprise me.

okay I can get that

also any chance to big up tumbleweed connection I'm gonna take:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKXDYMrIqTI

Dig the live vocals and the eventually abandoned pianomime on Bennie and the Jets. Philadelphia Freedom sounds like a total lip synch job though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSobF74JxYg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqnDqrL5Y58&feature=related