PopEaterIf you're going to organize a slew of beloved musical artists, list them in order of "greatness" right up to the very "greatest," it stands to reason that the overall result would evoke a reaction along the lines of..."GREAT!" Or at least contain a few exciting surprises. So how did VH1's creaky, predictable ranking of the '100 Greatest Artists of All Time,' being counted down in series of specials premiering tomorrow night, end up being such a snooze?
Music fans are having countless issues with the list. For one thing, guess how many men landed in the top 20? Nineteen. (Actually a lot more, if you count all the males in top-ranking bands.) There's just one female in the mix of greats in those top 20 spots.
Not that Madonna (No. 16) is undeserving of praise. But is a Rock History 101 coursepack -- heavily focused on all the usual (aging or deceased) suspects like Hendrix, Presley, U2, Bowie, and led by the five top finalists Zeppelin, the Stones, Michael Jackson, Dylan and the Beatles -- really the most compelling way to wind up the summer with fresh primetime programming?
Based on the list, the show doesn't promise many surprises. But there are a few! Have a look.
Music fans are having countless issues with the list. For one thing, guess how many men landed in the top 20? Nineteen. (Actually a lot more, if you count all the males in top-ranking bands.) There's just one female in the mix of greats in those top 20 spots.
Not that Madonna (No. 16) is undeserving of praise. But is a Rock History 101 coursepack -- heavily focused on all the usual (aging or deceased) suspects like Hendrix, Presley, U2, Bowie, and led by the five top finalists Zeppelin, the Stones, Michael Jackson, Dylan and the Beatles -- really the most compelling way to wind up the summer with fresh primetime programming?
Based on the list, the show doesn't promise many surprises. But there are a few! Have a look.
- Sade (No. 50) ranked higher than Billy Joel (No. 51), Public Enemy (No. 54), The Doors (No. 65), and Mary J. Blige (No. 80).
- George Michael (No. 87) ranked higher than the Beastie Boys (No. 89), Pearl Jam (No. 93), Mariah Carey (No. 94), and OutKast (No. 95).
- Janis Joplin came in way down at No. 72.
- Eminem is No. 79. (What rhymes with "F***in' 79"? Pretty sure he'll tell us.)
- And when it comes to bands vs. solo artists from those bands, Peter Gabriel (No. 55) ranked higher than Genesis (No. 62), while John Lennon (No. 31) and Paul McCartney (No. 36) ranked lower than the Beatles (who made the Top 5, a grouping that won't be precisely ranked until the broadcast of the show). Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake ranked at No. 66, while N*Sync was mysteriously absent from the list.
Have you seen VH1's 'Greatest Artists' list? Do you believe it's even possible to select 100 musical artists across different eras and rank them by greatness? PopEater wants your take, so sound off below!
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