USA or England? Who gave birth to the best musical talents ever?

[fryec]

England - Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Clapton, Elton John, Queen

USA - Elvis, Michael Jackson, The Eagles, Jimi Hendrix

I know technically you can't compare the two countries, since the US is way superior if you take into account all genres, e.g. country, jazz, rap, but I love to hear other people's opinion and I even get introduced to artists I've never really listened to but have come to appreciate.

[Charlie Brown]

But you left out The Stones.

I love classic rock big time and you have some biggies here OP.

When you're at a Stones concert and you hear Lisa Fisher sing her part of " Gimmie Shelter " - drop the mic!

[TexTushHog]

Originally Posted by Charlie Brown

But you left out The Stones.

I love classic rock big time and you have some biggies here OP.

When you're at a Stones concert and you hear Lisa Fisher sing her part of " Gimmie Shelter " - drop the mic!

She’s not with them on their summer tour this year.

[Chung Tran]

I think if you are talking about Rock or Hard Rock, England wins.. but as you implied, the US would crush England in every other genre. I'm being generous giving England that much credit, when you consider most of their rock musicians borrowed or stole liberally from US Blues artists.


what intrigues me most about English artists isn't the 1960's.. Beatles, Stones, Cream, etc.. but the early-mid 1980's, when so-called modern rock flourished, dominated by Homosexual Englishmen.. Naked Eyes, Pet Shop Boys, Wham, Culture Club, Soft Cell, and many more.. how that scene exploded is something I still don't entirely get.. yeah, they made good use of MTV, but that oversimplifies the real answer, I think.

[pyramider]

Beatles over rated. Led Zep over rated.

[DFWClubgoer]

Pyramider,

That’s just stupid!!!!
My not be mine or yours but the Beatles and Led Zeppelin are at the top of every poll taken.

Jimi Hendrix only made it big in US after Beatles and other English artists promoted him in England.

[CG2014]

No one mentioned The Who and Pink Floyd!!

Sacrilege!!

The Dark Side of the Moon is 3rd best selling album of all time, having spent 741 weeks on the Billboard album chart and when Billboard changed its methodology in 2009, it re-entered the chart and it has now spent a total of over 900 weeks on the chart since its release in 1973.

The only other 2 best selling albums to surpass it as 2nd and 1st best selling album of all time are AC/DC Back in Black and Michael Jackson's Thriller, respectively.

[TexTushHog]

I’m assmining the question relates to rick music. I dint want yo get into whether Handel is English or German; Aaron Copeland v. Benjamin Britten, etc. But even them, the U.K. wins because there were no American composers when Handel, Purcell, Tallis, etc. we’re working.

But back to rock ‘n roll. UK in a runaway. If it weren’t for Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan’s song writing, it would be completely laughable to ask.

[billw1032]

Originally Posted by TexTushHog

I’m assmining the question relates to rick music. I dint want yo get into whether Handel is English or German; Aaron Copeland v. Benjamin Britten, etc. But even them, the U.K. wins because there were no American composers when Handel, Purcell, Tallis, etc. we’re working.

I had a similar thought. I think the OP didn't focus his question as narrowly as he should have. The best musical talents EVER? Anyone heard of guys named Bach, Beethoven, Brahms? Not to mention Mozart. Any of those guys arguably had as much talent as all the members of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones put together.

But assuming we're talking rock music since 1960, there's also a question of whether you're asking about talent or popularity. If you're really asking about talent and not popularity, I would toss out the Moody Blues for consideration. Not the most popular, but musical talent by the ton.

If we're talking big name groups, I think I agree with TTH that it's the U.K. in a runaway. But there were a lot of talented groups in the U.S. that rarely made it to the top of the charts. If your scoring algorithm adds them all together, then I think the U.S. might have been competitive.

[Charlie Brown]

Op, your post has us contributing - cool.

There's so many great groups. The list is long.

FYI - There is a TV station " AXS " TV. If you haven't already, check it out.

The high school I went to produced a number 1 chart topping singer way back when. That lit my fire for music.

Good music can bring strangers together

[rexdutchman]

Both is the only answer , wow I'm gonna be thinking about this for weeks!!!!!!!!!!!

[low end theory]

Originally Posted by Dfwclubgoer2

Pyramider,

That’s just stupid!!!!
My not be mine or yours but the Beatles and Led Zeppelin are at the top of every poll taken.

Jimi Hendrix only made it big in US after Beatles and other English artists promoted him in England.

true they top just about every poll i've seen, but let's not forget it was american artist like little richard and chuck berry who inspired the beatles, and zeppelin, the stones, clapton, jeff beck, were inspired by american blues artist like robert johnson and pretty much every artist that was on the chess label...

[Chung Tran]

Originally Posted by Dfwclubgoer2

Jimi Hendrix only made it big in US after Beatles and other English artists promoted him in England.

I don't think the Beatles promoted Hendrix.. as far as I can tell, they had little involvement with Jimi, personally or professionally.. other English groups, absolutely, the Animals, especially.


speaking of.. IMO, the Beatles music is bath water prior to Rubber Soul.. a succession of pop ditties with barely any chord changes, interchangeable from one another.. those early years are highly regarded for those who were there, experiencing the culture shift in pop music.. Ed Sullivan and all that.. but empirically speaking, 55 years forward, that early stuff blows.


Zepplin, too. they copied so much from American Blues, granted they put their own stamp on it.. that said, I think IV is their only essential album. the first album comes close.. I'll never forget being in a Mexican strip club, I'm the only non-Mexican patron, the music is all Mexican, same with the dancers.. until out of nowhere "Dazed and Confused" roars through the speakers, as a smoking hot dancer writhes onstage in her birthday suit.

[Chung Tran]

Originally Posted by low end theory

true they top just about every poll i've seen, but let's not forget it was american artist like little richard and chuck berry who inspired the beatles, and zeppelin, the stones, clapton, jeff beck, were inspired by american blues artist like robert johnson and pretty much every artist that was on the chess label...

Chuck Berry is another I think is extremely overrated.. his guitar-playing, especially.. very derivative.. other than "roll over Beethoven", I can't name one song with impressive guitar (Jeff Lynne, with ELO, later covered that song, and Lynne's guitar destroys Berry). Bo Diddley is a much better artist, and the Rolling Stones borrowed from him, heavily.. the Beach Boys were copying Berry.


Ray Charles and James Brown have more talent in their pinky's than the other guys have in their entire bodies. Jerry Lee Lewis is a prodigious talent as well, often overlooked.

[rexdutchman]

Eagles ,Jackson Brown, Meat Loaf , Boston, Billy Joel A lot of great bands singers .