Ratings key: 
10 - One of your very favorite artists of all time.
9 - Killer fucking band.  Or artist.
8 - Great sound, great songs, great albums.
7 - Very good, but not quite great.
6 - Pretty good.  More than a few songs you like.  You'd entertain the thought of seeing them live if they were in the area.  Or still alive.
5 - They're okay, but maybe not something you'll go out of your way to listen to.
4 - Meh.  There may be a song or two, or an album that you dig, but you'd rather listen to other stuff.
3 - Not very good.  You will more likely than not turn the station if they come on the radio.
2 - Not your cup of tea at all.  Some people like this, but you are not one of them.
1 - Horrible in every way.
0 - In the running for worst artist/musician of all time.  You would rather take a cheese grater to your face than listen to this.

































Current Standings:
7.84 - Michael Jackson
6.83 - Journey
6.66 - Prince
6.33 - Eminem
6.09 - Weezer
6.02 - Daft Punk
5.57 - Ghost
5.00 - Lady Gaga
4.66 - Avenged Sevenfold
4.53 - Bruno Mars
4.33 - Linkin Park
3.66 - Babymetal
3.63 - My Chemical Romance
0.88 - Lil Xan

Whatever has been said about him and whatever will be said don't let it take away from the great artist he was. Nothing less then a 10 for this musical genius

8/10

9/10

Truly an amazing artist, his later work was not nearly as good, so no 10

Gotta give MJ a 9

Catchy songs, but too weird with the little kiddy stuff.

7/10

8 great, but overplayed, boring now.

Perfectly normal gentleman, yeah....



If the guy died in 1989 it would have been an 11/10 though

Has anyone here ever watched this Michael Jackson documentary from 1980 before? Still years before the Moonwalk at Motown, the Thriller album or collaboration with Paul McCartney even.....look how fucking awesome this guy already was by 1980. I mean, could you imagine an alternate reality where Michael Jackson happened with none of the weirdness? If this guy had just been allowed down the path he was going there wouldn't even be a sliver of debate he was the greatest entertainer of all time. Look at the joy in Hugh Downs face at the very end once the segment is over. I've said it many times and I'll say it again, the Pepsi pyrotechnic incident destroyed his life and the world as it would have been.

10/10 for me. Thriller still kills it. Those bass lines, chaps.

9/10 Smooth Criminal is good stuff.

10/10 Each album was better than the one before. Definitely one of my favorite artists of all time.

10 for me , his personal life was a trainwreck but his music still puts him in my top 5

10. Loved his music and showmanship growing up. Hell I loved the Moonwalker movie lol. Too bad his life took the turn it did.

whaaaa? someone that's made an impact on music is in the debate? ok, so I'm gonna resist the urge to debate the debate, and debate MJ.

what a piece of shit. Yes, Joe beat him and the environment he grew up in (and later created for himself) was toxic on so many levels- so how was he to adjust to mega-fame? it would take a ton of personal discipline to maintain some sort of moral compass when everyone says yes (or at least covers up your indiscretions). what chance did he have to develop into a person that could have the emotional capacity to navigate the day to day, especially the craziness of world-wide fame? Musicians, nay, worldwide stars, have done this (bono, stipe, cher, madonna, etc.) without becoming sexual predators. But there's a choice that one can make, every second of every day and this dude continuously made the wrong one... he's a piece of shit.

We've seen it recently with Weinstein, Cosby, Spector, etc. that men in power from the entertainment industry are often accused of horrendous acts and settle, then it happens again. and again. and again. But this dude was the godfather of predatory behavior- SO - does this detract from his music? The revolution and reinvention of pop for decades (and influence felt today, not just in music, but in arrangement and production)? I personally can't compartmentalize, can you?

0
Diddling kids a no go!
Don't care how good the music was.

10/10 without a doubt. I am able to separate the man from his art. Same as with watching Woody Allen films or Roman Polanski films.

I enjoyed Captain EO, and Moonwalker on Genesis is pretty great.

Well said. I'm having a hard time compartmentalizing his amazing music and performances against the lives he destroyed.

Double Post....  Sorry.

 

Not me.  If you start applying that principle to all your gonna have a lot of music, art, and history erased.  MLK Jr. was a womenizer, didn't Ben Franklin own and have sex with slaves (one of those founding fore-fathers), how many great philosophers had sex with little boys, etc. etc.

 

9/10 for me. I like too many things made by horrible people . John Trudeau went to jail recently for being a pedo but he made some of the best pinball machines ever like Creature from the Black Lagoon and Bride of Pinbot  

4, and that's going strictly on music and not his personal life.

A plethora of great studio musicians behind him who really made his music come to life throughout his entire career, there is a lot more to it than just Michael.

However I still give him an 8.

Edit - Was also taking the Jackson 5 into consideration.

 

Those that know me know that Michael is my be all end all idol.

I love That man.

That being said I voted a solid 8. He is my hero. But the last handful of albums were meh. And not one album do I enjoy front to back.