Do you ever wonder?

It may also be important to note that many artists can be clearly segregated into early years when they cared about the music and later years when they cared about the money or ran out of material. Early success begets the later album sales because fans always hope to recapture that initial magic of an artist.

Elton John - great up to "Caribou"
Stones - great up until after "Some girls"
Chicago - great until IV
Boston - great until their second album

One man's "quirky" is another man's genius. Paul was a great Beatle, not a great solo artist. Songwriting? Way overrated. Not much of a lyricist. And kingd of girly.

These lists are so personal and idiosyncratic that they're just about meaningless. One person loves Norah Jones while another detests her. Both are right, there's really no argument. One person likes chunky peanut butter, another likes smooth, while still another hates peanuts. It's what makes the world go around. 8^)

One thing is clear: mainstream tastes almost always favor the ignorant masses who just want something mildly pleasing that won't make them think too hard. God forbid, they might hurt themselves.

"Does it actually puzzle you that the music buying public is composed of morons?"

"mainstream tastes almost always favor the ignorant masses who just want something mildly pleasing that won't make them think too hard"

The purpose of music is to make us think hard? Thinking is usually associated with the logical cognizant function of our brain. To me, music's beauty lies in its ability to bypass our analytical consciousness and just make us feel. I suppose that, in your eyes, what I'm about to say will only serve to solidify my position in the moron camp, but I've never been able to rationalize the emotional influence that music can have over me. It seems to me that someone who's into music for the purpose of mental stimulation, would be better served, and save a bundle, by just buying sheet music.