The Atlantic - Latest Comments in The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

Galleymac — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:34:45 -0000

LOL -- and women!

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

Indiana Jon — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:05:28 -0000

Great point, JadedOptimist. The difference between recorded sound and live musical performance doesn't get discussed enough.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

Doctor Science — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:12:14 -0000

You wanna see the Michael Jackson legacy, watch some Bollywood. Here's a semi-random example.

I hadn't realized that some people didn't realize MJ was a child star -- that's a huge part of his messed-up-ness, and of his incredible talent.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

David — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:19:08 -0000

I don't think acknowledging Quincy Jones' genius as a producer takes anything away from Mike. It's a symbiotic relationship. Except for maybe folksinging and some techno stuff, music is a collaborative art form. Always has been. The producer's role in pop is arguably more important than the conductor's role in classical music, because that first collaboration with the composer is recorded and becomes THE definitive version (at least for a while), while a symphony has many interpretations. But the producer has got to have something to work with. Classical music snobs love to argue about which conductor and what orchestra does the 'best' version of, say, Beethoven's 9th. But if old Ludwig Van hadn't cranked out a work of genius, nobody would care about interpretations, because we would have long ago forgotten that it ever existed.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

David — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:18:20 -0000

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

dwhite10701 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:10:33 -0000

Another asterick to note this list generally excludes blues and jazz (purposefully, I'm sure).

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

Liza — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:42:32 -0000

I'm glad you mentioned The Drifters, an interesting group with a lot of personnel changes. I think that Clyde McPhatter and Ben E. King were the only Drifters who had solo careers. My own "journey into black music" started with Spanish Harlem. But the most beautiful vocal performance of the mid-20th century is, in my opinion, Johnny Moore's lead on "Under the Boardwalk."

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

cpr — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:51:51 -0000

I was just about to post about Armatrading - so underappreciated.

I was gonna say that it has been clear to me in reading this blog how well TNC was brought up, but the fact that his parents had him listening to Joan Armatrading puts them in the parental stratosphere.

Odd how some people get such stardom (Lady GaGa?), and some don't (Armatrading).

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

TomG — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:38:46 -0000

I, for one, appreciated the Joan Armatrading reference. She is one artist who is sadly underappreciated

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

CitizenE — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:38:18 -0000

Love the inclusion of Ben E. King--Drifters, Spanish Harlem--Puerto Rican beats-black doo wop connection. I wonder here what you all think of Jimi Hendrix--without Hendrix, there is no Prince, really.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

adamnvillani — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:36:26 -0000

It's worth mentioning that Mike actually got his name on a patent for the boots used for the lean in the Smooth Criminal video:

http://blogbilongadam.blogspot.com/2008/12/michael-jackson-inventor.html

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

ranewton — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:28:38 -0000

Thanks. The honorable mention list could go and on. As Peter King, a NFL hall-of-fame voter, once described there is the hall-of-fame and the hall of the very good. No shame in being in the hall of the very good. Lionel is on that list.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

keith — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:51:29 -0000

Thats a good list, the only honorable mention that I think is missing is Lionel Ritchie and The Commodores. That cat was a hell of a songwriter. To this day, one of the most cold blooded break up songs ever is "Sail On".

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

keith — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:45:10 -0000

Ha! And that's what makes this little space of yours so great. Kinda like how I feel when I see a brutha from Baltimore school people on the greatness of Emmitt and da Boys.

By the way, did you guys know that Marvin Gaye was playing the drums on Fingertips. Good god Berry had a deep ass bench back in them days. It's even more amazing that from Berry Gordy, Rockwell was spawned...

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

ranewton — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:14:21 -0000

The celestial ranking of black music*: and imho you gotta do it chronologically -- because the present can't exist w/o the past. And you have to look at influence. "Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see." There is musical genius on this list.

(1) Sam Cooke/Ray Charles - took gospel music and made it secular

(3) Little Richard/Chuck Berry - rock n roll can't exist w/o them

(4) James Brown - funk, soul, hip-hop, all of it springs from him

(5) Otis Redding - the best SOUL singer ever

(6) Temptations/Isley Bros. - best group of all time debate?

(7) Marvin Gaye/Stevie Wonder - btw them the best of 70s Mowtown

(8) Curtis Mayfield/Donnie Hathaway - singing & songwriting combo

(9) Teddy Pendergrass/Al Green - best of the 70s non-Mowtown

(10) Michael Jackson/Prince - the 2 best of the modern era

Honorable mentions:Issac Hayes, Luther Vandross, Jackie Wilson, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Barry White, D'Angelo, Lenny Williams, Ben E. King, Smokey Robinson, Levi Stubbs, Billy Stewart, Rick James, Phillipe Wynne, Philip Bailey/Maurice White.

btw the props to Thriller are all deserved but track for track Off the Wall is a superior album.

*male

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

Persia — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:51:10 -0000

When I get home I'm gonna put it up big on the TV and crank up the volume.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

Persia — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:50:18 -0000

I love "Remember the Time." I'm completely incapable of judging "In the Closet" fairly. It just creeps me right out.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

Persia — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:49:41 -0000

Yeah, that's true.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

odub — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:19:22 -0000

It's complicated because as MJ and QJ were parting ways, you are also in the era of hip-hop's rise. That was bound to make any pre-rap Black artist in the '80s seem out of touch and out of sync.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

odub — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:18:09 -0000

I wouldn't even think this was debatable - Michael Jackson = all-star member of the Black music pantheon. That's indisputable on the basis of 1) the quality of his output, from the Jackson 5 through "Thriller", at the very least; 2) his impact on pop music in terms of sales and influence - look at how many other family bands with young vocalists came out post-Jackson 5?; 3) his impact on American pop culture (and this is before the Jacko phase).

Honestly, the only reason, for me, that Jackson doesn't belong in that conversation is because of his alleged pedophilia. That has nothing to do with his music but it obviously impacts his public image.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:11:58 -0000

I just want to point that we have a Jewish-American (CitizenE) and a Mexican-American (Keith) debating Mike's place in black music. Not that I have a problem with that. To the contrary, I think it's awesome and says a lot.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

dwhite10701 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:41:04 -0000

"Remember the Time" certainly is up there.

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

Ha! — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:38:20 -0000

I think you're mistaken there. He composed them ON a computer, they weren't composed BY a computer. "Algorithim 1.5.4.7.2, logic step add violin stabs."

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

CitizenE — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:22:12 -0000

I'm happy to be causing so much consternation and response--allows one to see the pleasure of trollery--feed me, feed me--but DH all I can say about butterfly conviction in response is "Please, Please, Please."

Re: The Legacy Of Sparkling Glove

IDTT — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:13:39 -0000

This may be true and I don't necessarily disagree with you. However,QJ last worked with him on "Bad" and although "Dangerous" was doing pretty well in sales, I only though 1/2 the songs were good. But to me "Remember the Time", "Dangerous", "In The Closet" and "Can't Let Her Get Away" were all right up there with some of his earlier work (of course I realize that opinion might not be shared by all LOL).