100 Greatest R&B Artists

Machine Head · **Posted:** Sat Aug 18, 2012 3:17 am

Negative Creep wrote:

Excellent list of names.
But you forgot Sam Cooke - Aint That Good News.

Here's a rough draft of what I think the first few names would be...

1. Live At The Apollo (James Brown)
2. What's Goin' On (Marvin Gaye)
3. Thriller (Michael Jackson)
4. Innervisions (Stevie Wonder)
5. Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music (Ray Charles)
6. I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Loved You) (Aretha Franklin)
7. Ain't That Good News (Sam Cooke)
8. Superfly (Curtis Mayfield)
9. Purple Rain (Prince)
10. Otis Blue (Otis Redding)
11. Songs In The Key Of Life (Stevie Wonder)
12. Let's Get It On (Marvin Gaye)

I also have a question - do we generally agree with including MJ, Prince, and Whitney? I kinda think they are more pop than r&b, but it's tricky. Whitney, in particular, didnt really have a lot of r&b sound in her music (aside from the vocal style).
MJ and Prince are very poppy but you can hear occasional traces of r&b in their music.

LOL apparently you're not joking. Why the fuck is Sam Cooke that goddamn high? How is Otis Blue above SITKOL? Hell, how is Aretha that high?

Negative Creep · **Joined:** Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:21 pm **Posts:** 11747

Machine Head wrote:

LOL apparently you're not joking. Why the fuck is Sam Cooke that goddamn high? How is Otis Blue above SITKOL? Hell, how is Aretha that high?

Negative Creep wrote:

Here's a ROUGH DRAFT of what I think the first few names would be.

Can you fucking read?

Machine Head · **Posted:** Sat Aug 18, 2012 3:45 am

Negative Creep wrote:

Can you fucking read?

No, I can't. :roll:

The fact that it's a rough draft doesn't save your list from criticism nor does it change the fact that Ain't That Good News should be nowhere near that high.

Negative Creep · **Joined:** Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:21 pm **Posts:** 11747

It's not a "list", it's a basic starting point for discussion of the albums.

Machine Head · **Posted:** Sat Aug 18, 2012 3:58 am

Umm, yeah it is a list. Like, goddamn there is no other possible thing it could be.

Negative Creep · **Joined:** Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:21 pm **Posts:** 11747

The fact that I numbered all the choices doesn't mean it's a list, let alone an official list.

I guess I shouldn't have numbered them cause that's kinda misleading. It was meant to be more just a quick selection of classic albums for consideration.

Christ, could you be any more of a killjoy?

Zach · **Posted:** Sat Aug 18, 2012 10:17 am

J.B. Trance wrote:

Negative Creep wrote:

I just realized something - why dont we have a list for the greatest r&b albums?

I think someone is working on that already, probably Zach & Nick. Not sure.

I didn't have any plans to work on that, so a Greatest R&B Albums list is up for grabs. Whoever wants to edit that is welcome to start a new topic in the Soul/Funk/R&B/Doo-Wop thread. :tiphat:

Bruno · **Joined:** Fri Nov 25, 2011 7:00 am **Posts:** 1699

Zach wrote:

J.B. Trance wrote:

Negative Creep wrote:

I just realized something - why dont we have a list for the greatest r&b albums?

I think someone is working on that already, probably Zach & Nick. Not sure.

I didn't have any plans to work on that, so a Greatest R&B Albums list is up for grabs. Whoever wants to edit that is welcome to start a new topic in the Soul/Funk/R&B/Doo-Wop thread. :tiphat:

Yep, it's a great idea.

Negative Creep · **Joined:** Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:21 pm **Posts:** 11747

I love the genre, but I dont have nearly enough knowledge about it overall to edit the list.

I suggest Bruce, honestly. Whatever you wanna say about the guy, he probably knows more about the genre than anyone else here (I would nominate Sampson but he's gone again).

Either Bruce or J.B., or perhaps both?

J.B. Trance · **Joined:** Thu Oct 07, 2010 5:04 pm **Posts:** 620

I have too much on my plate this time, but a thread for this can be started for anyone interested, as Zach has stated.

Bruce · **Posted:** Wed Sep 05, 2012 11:58 pm

I don't want to edit the list, but things that need to be on it include:

Flamingo Serenade - Flamingos
The Genius Hits The Road - Ray Charles
At Last - Etta James
Two Steps From The Blues - Bobby "Blue" Bland
Green Onions - Booker T and the MG's
Here's The Man - Bobby "Blue" Bland
Night Beat - Sam Cooke
The 12 Year Old Genius - Little Stevie Wonder
If You Need Me - Solomon Burke
Where Did Our Love Go - Supremes
Ain't That Good News - Sam Cooke
Otis Blue - Otis Redding
Temptations Sing Smokey - The Temptations
Going To A Go-Go - Smokey Robinson And The Miracles
I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You - Aretha Franklin
Lady Soul - Aretha Franklin
The Ice Man Cometh - Jerry Butler
Stand - Sly And The Family Stone
Hot Buttered Soul - Isaac Hayes
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
Al Green - Call Me
Al Green - I'm Still in Love With You
Etta James - Tell Mama
Four Tops - Reach Out
The Spinners - Spinners
The Stylistics - The Stylistics

Negative Creep · **Joined:** Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:21 pm **Posts:** 11747

Why would you not want to edit a list of a genre that you love so much?

DDD needs one, I'm not sure if we've ever had one, to be honest.

Bruce · **Posted:** Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:46 am

Negative Creep wrote:

Why would you not want to edit a list of a genre that you love so much?

Several reasons

One, I have more lists now, I think, than anyobody on the site. The lists are a lot of work to get right initially. I'm not all that interested in albums. I've never been an album listener in my life.

Two, I don't agree with how all of you define R&B. I don't see ANY music from after the 1970s as being R&B, and I don't love any music from after about 1972. If you want to albums on the list from people like Prince, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, etc.....someone else should edit the list, because I don't see that stuff as R&B.

Three - I don't see the live James Brown album as being even close to the top R&B album of all time. To me, all is has going for it is initial popularity. Nobody was buying it or playing it anymore by the 1970s. It wasn't influencing anything either. It's not like there was a series of big live albums by other soul artists after that. "Live At The Apollo" was the "Frampton Comes Alive" of its day.

dmille · **Posted:** Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:13 am

Bruce wrote:

Negative Creep wrote:

Why would you not want to edit a list of a genre that you love so much?

Several reasons

One, I have more lists now, I think, than anyobody on the site. The lists are a lot of work to get right initially. I'm not all that interested in albums. I've never been an album listener in my life.

Two, I don't agree with how all of you define R&B. I don't see ANY music from after the 1970s as being R&B, and I don't love any music from after about 1972. If you want to albums on the list from people like Prince, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, etc.....someone else should edit the list, because I don't see that stuff as R&B.

Three - I don't see the live James Brown album as being even close to the top R&B album of all time. To me, all is has going for it is initial popularity. Nobody was buying it or playing it anymore by the 1970s. It wasn't influencing anything either. It's not like there was a series of big live albums by other soul artists after that. "Live At The Apollo" was the "Frampton Comes Alive" of its day.

"and I don't love any music from after about 1972." I don't understand that. IMO the best music from Philly was between 72 and 76.

Bruce · **Posted:** Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:11 am

dmille wrote:

"and I don't love any music from after about 1972." I don't understand that. IMO the best music from Philly was between 72 and 76.

I diagree completely. The best music from Philly IMO was in the 50s and 60s

Lee Andrews & the Hearts
The Whispers on Gotham
The Capris
Chubby Checker
Castelles
Dovells
Tymes
Orlons
Dreamlovers

100 Greatest R&B Artists

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