Do you ever wonder?


Do you ever wonder why some artists (individuals or groups) attain success through critical acclaim and/or record (cd) sales?

Here is my list of those who have made it in the recording/entertainment industries and is completely puzzling to me.

Please list your own; it's irrelevant what you think of mine.

OK, here you go (in no particular order):

Sheryl Crow
Norah Jones
Michael Bolton
Celine Dion
Joe Cocker
Manhattan Transfer
Boston
Rickie Lee Jones
Pink
Phil Collins

That's enough to get started; show me what you got.
audiofeil
Hi Audiofeil,

while I could not answer for all of your list, I could for some. (by the way I agree with most of your list. I do like Pinks voice. I just wish she had better material). As for Celine Dion...yuk.

Sheryl Crow and Celine Dion both being in your list is ironic. She wrote songs for her! I believe Sheryl was a music teacher/songwriter/muso who sang backing vocals for Michael Jackon in the late 80s, and made some money from adverts including one for Macdonalds. Her 1st album sold 7 million copies. So many of you out there must have bought it. It even won 3 grammies. That kind of success means you will hang around for a while.

Another nice coincidence for your list is that her 1st album was produced by Phil Collins producer. Somewhere along the way she got involved with Eric Clapton which would have opened many doors if she needed it by then. Timing is everything.

Phil Collins was in an already huge progressive rock band (Genesis) and wrote a tender 1st solo album about a split with his wife. In his special situation ,with a fan base, management/powerful record co etc found its way to the masses and secured a path to instant solo pop success. He is clever and was a powerful guy in the industry in the 80s/90s. I have heard some unkind stories about the sort of guy he is. You got to love "In the air tonight" though dont you? I cannot help "air drumming" to that one.

In Celine Dions case it cant hurt to marry your manager who happens to be very powerful figure. I seem to remember hearing a story that label mate Mariah Carey who married the head of Sony records in the US at the time was so concerned about Celines huge success that she had hubby move Celine to another label so she could be the biggest artist on it. Nice try, unfortunately Celine kept recording...!
norah jones? really?

i think her voice alone is good enough to merit success and her first two albums were great (IMO).
Probably just about everything that creeps into the hit parades although, in honesty, I can't be sure of that anymore ever since the likes of Atomic Kitten, Black Eyed Peas, et.al. actually forced me (physical pain, I swear) to quit listening to the radio about 4 years ago.

Apart from those two, Celine Dion, Sheryl Crow and Phil Collins score high on my own List Of Dread too, the latter in spite of the fact that from the 1st album to "The Lamb" I used to be a Genesis aficionado (after that count me out).

And then there is the wonderful Jennifer Lopez (listed with a bullet!), Alanis Morissette, Europe, Poison and Kiss (wonder if these clowns ever figured out what the S-runes actually stand for)

I'm sure I'll think of some more mega stars once I hit "submit"
Hey Bill,
Well, I can go along with most of your list, with two exceptions: Norah Jones, (I really like her voice, although I will admit that her records have been hit or miss), and Phil Collins. (He is the true definintion of "Pop Music", and he does it well: But Pop music is what it is, which is just toe tapping music, that does not require a lot of thought. And yes, his best days are truly well behind him, as his talent seemed to have peaked in the late '70s, and he has just been coasting since then.)

Hifiharv,
I gotta agree with you, I have never understood the attraction of U2. (And I can not stand Bono's voice.)
But you like Tom Waits? Yikes!

Other I just don't like include:
Elvis (Never liked him, his voice or his Schtick)
Stink (Never liked the Police either)
Radiohead (Another guy whose voice I don't like)
Prince (Yuck, with a capital "Y")

I really like good vocals, and if I don't like a person's voice, (for whatever reason), I just can not like their music much.

Now Yoko Ono, there's a good voice!
(Excuse me while I run to the toilet! .....)

My two cents worth anyway.
I don't think the OP is really asking for comments about his individual choices, but why are some artists incredibly commercially successful and others not?

A few examples:
Rolling Stones vs. the Kinks
U2 vs. Gang Of 4
Stevie Ray Vaughan vs. Buddy Guy
Grateful Dead vs. Quicksilver Messenger Service
Eric Clapton vs. Jack Bruce

Everyone on this list attained commercial, artistic and critical success, but the first named became megastars and the second named did not. In sports and other competitive fields a person's willpower and desire are major determinate factors, but I'm not sure that's the answer here. Then again, it's called show business and some will naturally know how to work the system better than others.