Ultimate Male Artists Countdown - FINISHED

by **NothingFails** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 10:47 pm

I expect MJ to be #1, and think that'd be a worthy winner. I just also hope Prince, Bowie, Stevie and Elton will appear somewhere in the top 10.

by **Wayne** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 11:27 pm

Going to kick this off now...

200 ¬ Michael Bolton
- Kicking off the countdown, and what is no doubt the first of many upsets, we have one of the biggest AC balladeers from the 1980's. Michael has sold over 50m records worldwide, and is known for his powerful soft rock vocals, on songs such as "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You", "When I Fall In Love", "How Can We Be Lovers?" & "To Love Somebody".

199 ¬ Scott Walker
- Lead singer with the Walker Brothers, most will likely never have heard of Scott - much like John Farnham, and Olivia Newton John, he has achieved his biggest level of success in a non-national country, the UK. It is here that he has achieved four UK top 10 albums, which have sold over a million copies. He's currently recording a new album, set for release in 2012.

198 ¬ Gareth Gates
- Once the biggest star in the UK, and one of the original reality show superstars, Gareth could ask for nothing more in 2002 - he had a million selling single, a million selling album, a sell out arena tour and millions in the bank. Upon his return, with a new look, the UK had fallen out of love with him. And he embarked on a gradual career change. You can now see Gareth pleasing UK theater audiences, with his critically acclaimed roles in Les Miserables, and the forthcoming production, Hair.

197 ¬ Nick Lachey
- Perhaps more known as the bitter ex husband of pop powerhouse Jessica Simpson, Nick was once a part of one of America's biggest boybands 98 Degrees, before embarking on a solo career. It never did quite work out for him, amassing the grand total of two US top ten hits. He commands a small, but loyal fanbase.

196 ¬ Just Jack
- English born musician, known the UK over for his hit 2007 hit single, "Starz In Their Eyes". Everything else since has failed to live up to the initial hype from said single, however he hasn't given up - a new 5 track EP is on the horizon.

by **ShayLaB** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 11:35 pm

199 ¬ Scott Walker

Hurray...glad he made it.

I made a little playist of his tracks that can be found here. One of those artists you see musicians and singers refer to as inspiration all the time but his music is largely unknown.

Try these for all kinds of fabness:
Amsterdam
The Old Man`s Back Again
Farmer in the City

by **Leo92** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:10 am

I like one song by Lachey. I don't know much about the others. I need to expand my musical "knowledge"

by **NothingFails** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:22 am

I plan to check some of Scott's stuff out with ShayLa's thread. I do love "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" which he did with The Walker Brothers (who btw were not related or even really had Walker as a last name)

Bolton is easy to bash because of all the bad ballads he did, but people forget how big he really was about 20 years ago.

by **Titan3510** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:27 am

I don't understand where it comes from...well, never mind, I do.

But I'm glad Bolton made the list. His music has certainly not aged well...but he was very popular and he had a nice voice.

No offense intended, but the others are irrelevants. The only song I like about Nick Lachey was one he did with 98 Degrees...so it doesn't really count...

Scott Walker does seem to be interesting. I think I will check him out...

by **Wayne** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:32 am

POINTS SCORED: 81
YEARS ACTIVE: 2002-present
BIGGEST HIT: F*ck You

Originally forming part of hip-hop outfit Gnarls Barkley, Cee-Lo charts here for his success as a soloist. The Lady Killer has been active as a soloist sparingly since 2002, however its only in the last 18 months has he truly seen success. Prior to the release of F*ck You - the worldwide #1 smash - Cee-Lo had only troubled the charts once, in the USA, right at the very bottom. However, he's now a formidable force on the international music scene, and a voice coach on hit US show, The Voice.

by **Wayne** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:44 am

POINTS SCORED: 82
YEARS ACTIVE: 2002-present
BIGGEST HIT: The Libertine

Eccentric British born singer-songwriter, renowned for his utilisation of some unusual musical instruments in his music, much to the approval of music critics the world over. Patrick never has quite "made it" as far as the charts go, with his highest peaking album reaching a less than lofty #37 earlier this year. However, he commands a small but extremely loyal fan base across London, and select parts of the UK. I liken him to Nerina Pallot - creative and talented musician that can play numerous instruments as well as write their own material, yet hasn't quite "made it".

by **CrazyCrazy** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 7:49 am

Cee-Lo - My #17 - I LOVE his voice, I enjoyed his first two albums, there are some great tracks on them and also his mixtape 'Stray Bullets' has some gems! I've still not got round to listening to his recent album, but thought F*ck You was fun! I enjoyed a number of tracks from Gnarls Barkley also!

Patrick Wolf - My #23 - I got into him from 'The City' which is a fab upbeat pop number, he has an interesting voice. I've listened to The Magic Position which also has a number of great tunes, his new album is good from what I've heard which is little! One I will look out for, I kinda agree with your comment regarding Nerina! :wink:

by **CrazyCrazy** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 7:52 am

04wayne wrote:199 ¬ Scott Walker
- Lead singer with the Walker Brothers, most will likely never have heard of Scott - much like John Farnham, and Olivia Newton John, he has achieved his biggest level of success in a non-national country, the UK. It is here that he has achieved four UK top 10 albums, which have sold over a million copies. He's currently recording a new album, set for release in 2012.
]

The only one I have any interest in from the Bubbling chart! Only recently started listening to him hence why I didn't vote for him but from the little I've heard he has a real interesting sound and voice, will need to investigate further!

by **stevyy** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:09 am

i liked gnarls barkley but i love Cee-Lo Green. His voice is amazing.

by **FreakyFlyBry** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:05 pm

Woo for Cee-Lo Green

From his Gnarls Barkley stuff to his solo stuff, he's had a lot of soul and good songs to back it up

Also good to see Nick Lachey and Michael Bolton represented.

by **Plym** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 5:43 pm

Woo for Ceesus!

by **Blondini** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 5:54 pm

Nick Lachey above Scott Walker! :lol:

by **matthew_dixon** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 5:54 pm

Great to see Cee-Lo Green recognised. Not sure I'd rank him in an all time list just yet, but he's a great singer.

Patrick Wolf... not really my thing, but great to have someone alternative in this list.

The missed ones are no big losses. Michael Bolton is a legend, but he's really cheesy. Scott Walker I barely know solo material from - but like Walker Brothers stuff. Gareth had some decent songs, Nick Lachey don't know his solo work at all and Just Jack was okay, but nothing too special IMO.

Oh, and great presentation as well!

by **Wayne** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 8:47 pm

195 ¬ Frederich Chopin
- The first of numerous composers to fall in the top 200, Chopin was a Polish born pianist, affectionately nicknamed the "poet of the piano" for his impact on, and masterful compositions representing romantic music. Perhaps Chopin's most significant contribution to music is introducing the musical form known as the "instrumental ballade" - or to you and me, instrumental music.

194 ¬ Pat Monahan
- Remember that band that sang about Drops of Jupiter in the air? Well they were fronted by this man. Much like Cee-Lo's place was represented for his solo work with Gnarls Barkley, Pat's represented here for his solo work with Train. His first and only solo album to date - titled Last of Seven - was released in 2007. It received rave reviews from All Music, who complimented Monahan's ability to record an album "of many moods" with "lyrics and yearning atmospheres" that deeply resonated.

193 ¬ Ian Brown
- Yet another male originally part of a band, charting on the merits of his solo work. Unlike Pat, or Nick Lachey, Ian has a considerable solo career consisting of 6 studio albums, of which are either gold certified or eligible for gold certification. His debut album Unfinished Monkey Business is now generally regarded as one of the best albums of the late 90's, and Ian's best work to date.

192 ¬ Jim Reeves
- Most of us will have heard the name, however how many of us can comfortably name one of Jim Reeves tracks? Well, its probably more than you think. Born in the US, the evergreen country crossover star recorded music for only a short time, before sadly passing away. However as is the case with most music legends, Reeves saw his music released well into the 1980's and beyond, which lead to his posthumous induction into the Country Music Hall Of Fame. Reeves is regarded as one of the forefathers of country music, and amongst the most important artists in the genre's history.

191 ¬ Leo Sayer
¬ You'd be forgiven for mistaking Leo to be Mick Hucknall's younger brother; alas he isn't. However, that nearly unmistakable red hairdo coupled with his unique voice and competent songwriting abilities meant that Sayer was a major star during his peak. Most of us will recognise Sayer for his Thunder In My Heart Again #1 re-release last decade. However, from 1973, through until 1979, Sayer charted 6 top 10 albums in the UK, and in total, Sayer has sold over 3m records here. He's also made it platinum in the USA with his most important release, Endless Flight. Sayer has released no new music in yonks, but he continues to perform live.

by **Wayne** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:09 pm

POINTS SCORED: 83
YEARS ACTIVE: 1994-present
BIGGEST HIT: Frontin'

Pharrell is perhaps the world's most serial feature artist - he is renowned for having his every second [and third, fourth, fifth ...] single either including a feature, or him featuring himself! The frontman of N.E.R.D. and one half of The Neptunes, Pharrell has sold millions of records worldwide, and has won three Grammy awards. Since his career went somewhat south, Pharrell has concentrated his efforts more on producing, and his diversied lines [fashion, fragrance, designing].

by **stevyy** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:22 pm

i own in my mind. 8-)

by **Plym** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:53 pm

Great producer, great in NERD, disappointing as a solo artist.

by **oasisbobo** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:56 pm

Nice countdown so far

should be good one

by **Wayne** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:07 pm

POINTS SCORED: 84
YEARS ACTIVE: 2007-present
BIGGEST HIT: Always Be My Baby

He won the seventh season of American Idol, and the hearts of girls nationwide. He was praised for having the voice of a rockstar, and the looks of a polished popstar, and during his time on the show, Cook managed to fuse some of pop's biggest songs - Billie Jean, Always Be My Baby - with his rock-tastic vocals, and produced something completely fresh. He ended up recording Always Be My Baby [Mariah Carey's iconic hit single] and breathed new life into the song. Cook released his second album this year, and sadly like most Idol alumni, the album has not lived up to its predecessor [his debut, which went platinum]. Cook has just begun a tour, and will hopefully get the chance to record a third album next year.

Just to clarify, we've got a few point ties coming up; & as such, the tie breaker will be for the act that has been active for longest.

by **stevyy** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:13 pm

David's version of Always be my baby was indeed breathtaking. absolutely amazing. He has a great voice.

by **matthew_dixon** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:17 pm

Ian Brown and Frederic Chopin...

are beaten by...

Jim Reeves?

Oh dear - I know he's got a huge chart career (two of the longest running hits of the 60s you know!) but still, he's dreadful!

In a very different way, so is Pharrell Williams actually.

I don't really know David Cook - certainly an unexpected entry in the top 100.

by **Wayne** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:23 pm

matthew_dixon wrote:Ian Brown and Frederic Chopin...

are beaten by...

Jim Reeves?

Oh dear - I know he's got a huge chart career (two of the longest running hits of the 60s you know!) but still, he's dreadful!

If you think that's weird, you should see the rest of it :lol:

BIZARRE chart!

by **CrazyCrazy** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:56 pm

Don't like the last two entries...from the missed how can you say Jim Reeves is dreadful!?

I LOVE his voice and he has some great classic tunes, 'Welcome To My World' is a classic... also my dad liked him!

Yes I like the neatness of the presentation.

Ultimate Male Artists Countdown - FINISHED

Which act will miss out on the top 3? [poll closes in 24 hours!]