My last post enticed me to take an honest look at the Michael Jackson legacy. According to the Billboard charts* Jackson clearly cannot be labeled as the greatest entertainer of all time.
For instance Jackson does not make the top five in the following categories:
Most Top Ten Albums
Most Number One Albums (not even in top 10)
Most Weeks on the Charts (not even in top 10)
Here are some of Jackson's better rankings:
Most cumulative weeks at number one (tied for fourth)
Most weeks at number one (album) (second)
Most weeks in top ten (album) (tied for fifth)
* source
If we look at raw sales as opposed to the charts we find the following:
According to RIAA certifications**:
The top selling artists:
BEATLES, THE
BROOKS, GARTH
PRESLEY, ELVIS
LED ZEPPELIN
EAGLES
JOEL, BILLY
PINK FLOYD
STREISAND, BARBRA
AC/DC
JOHN, ELTON
(Jackson is 17th)
**source
Further, if we look at the number of Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum records, Jackson does not even make the top 60! Consider Elvis had a staggering 151 recordings reach these pincles of success (a recording is only counted once -- it does not get counted as both gold and platinum)***.
*** source
The bottom line is his Thriller album was a monster hit (second best selling record of all time). Based on that criteria, The Eagles are the Greatest entertainers ever. A great deal of Jackson's fame came from the weirdness and bizarre behavior that surrounded his life. In fairness, I am not sure he even deserves the moniker King of Pop.
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