Is Mick Jagger the greatest frontman of all time?

James Brown was first in my mind as better than all of them, but I didn't mention him as I consider him a solo artist for the most part. But yeah, obviously a 100 times better than Jagger, if you consider JB the leader of a band.

 

I know this may not be popular but what about BONO?

he has to be up near the top no?

and for all the blustery hot air about Freddie prancing around at Live Aid it was really U2 who stole the show.

for everyone saying Queen ruled that gig there's many more saying it was U2's night.
the media sure thought so.

 

U2 definitely stole that show. Just not popular on this forum.

 

Grace Slick was the greatest frontman in Rock. Wow…that felt good to get off my chest. Ha!

From "Great Society" in 1965, Jefferson Airplane 1966-1973, Jefferson Starship 1974-1978, and even with all those incredible male musicians on-stage (Jack, Jorma, Papa John, Kantner, Spencer, Nicky Hopkins), Grace (composer of "White Rabbit") was the star, the one I focused on.

Even the (D.A. Pennebakbr) cameraman who filmed JA in 67 @ Monterey, kept focus on Grace, while Marty Balin sang “Today”.

Yeah I know, my "Smothers Brothers" black-face avatar ("Crown of Creation / Lather") shows my obvious bias, but Grace had commanding stage presence from Monterey Pop, to two Smothers Brothers TV appearances, to NYC Rooftop (Godard 1AM film ), to Ed Sullivan, Dick Clark and Dick Cavett two TV Show appearances to Woodstock’s "Morning Maniac Music, A New Dawn”, to Bill Graham’s Fillmore’s East/West (live "Somebody To Love").

She recorded with Zappa ("Snack" on "JA Loves You" Box Set), free concerts in Golden Gate Park SF, free concerts in Central Park NYC, plus Altamont with Hells Angels beating up Marty Balin..."Let's not keep F$%*ing Up!"

Grace was legendary with sarcastic wit; David Crosby dubbed her "The Chrome Nun".

She graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1970, with an in depth interview. In 1971, she jokingly told her maternity nurse (who called Herb Caen @ San Fran Chronicle) that she named her daughter god - with a small g. (As we know, she was actually named China).

Grace was/is one-of-the-guys, but with beauty, talent, ego and charismatic wit.
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BUT….Otherwise, Mick is the Best.
Love "Get Your Ya Ya’s Out” (Chuck’s "Carol & Little Queenie", "Sympathy" live epic to "Love In Vain" slow blues) and 1972 concert film, "Ladies & Gentleman". Plus, who else could sing Chuck Berry's frantic "Talkin Bout You" or "Bye Bye Johnny" to "Angie", from "Star Star & CS Blues" to the ballad "Memory Motel”.

The 1978 (small) Capital Theatre, Passaic NJ show “Out on Bail” is also incredible (“Better than the usual barns we play”). The energy of "Some Girls" LP, "Respectable, Just My Imagination", plus still covering Chuck: “Sweet Little Sixteen”. Grace Slick also loved Mick & and The Stones (more than The Beatles) when they debuted in US in 1964. "Oh ho ho it's magic”.

Yes, love Jim (Soft Parade), Roger (Who’s Next & Quadrophenia) but I just listened to a random album cut: "Doncha Bother Me" from 1966’s Aftermath. A thoroughly convincing performance, great passion in the vocals. Thankfully, 50 Years On, still enjoying Stones and Airplane music.

 

No, that would be Freddie. He had the charismatic performance and the vocal ability.

 

I think Mick contains all the front man qualities that not all front men have.
He's the lead singer, he's the co or sole songwriter for the original material, he is very animated and very iconic.
Many other front men may not be the songwriter Mick is, or move around as much or be as recognizable.

 

In the UK all I heard about was Queen rather than U2s performance many years later. I've read articles about U2s performance and how great it was, but it seems to have been left in the past whereas with Queen's performance, people still talk about it.

 

Wrong again

The resurgence of BR from WW had nothing to do with Mercurey's death and AIDS Sympathy

Total disconnect between kids with no reference and Freddie's passing

Kids saw a hilarious scene with air guitar, music not dumbed down ala hair metal and not even an image of the band was presented. They went - wow I like this - who is it? then found Queen.

Just as effective as the "wow how did we miss him" Nick Drake being used in a VW commercial for us older folk.

None of us reflected on his tragic lonely death, felt sympathy

it was this music is great, where can I get a copy

 

The US media for the most part was more intent on trying to portray the last days fragile tabloid side of things. The rock mags reitereted his greatness just like anyone who passes. Most press was a clueless Entertainment Tonight variety

The tribute concert were great performers paying tribute to the master and most everyone dropped the key down a notch or two just to sing Freddie's songs

do tell Steven - who are all these late 80s musicians saying Mercury was washed up and bloated?

Queen may not have been on everyone's radar in the late 80s but neither was Bowie, The Stones or a lot of other legends
I don't recall any of these being considered bloated and washed up - not putting out music at the same herculean level of their classic work but this was just a new set of bands and fads in the spotlight (not some hostile opposition)

I recall punk artists in the mid seventies mocking prog and virtuoso musicians
But not your claims
It is telling that nobody else is supporting your "opinions" here as facts.

If you don't like Freedie Mercury as a performer fine,
Don't try to rewrite history to lessen his impact
An impact any other major performer clearly has recognized

 

Some of the performances were quite subpar as well.

 

"At his peak, David Cassidy was the world's highest paid live entertainer, and his official fan club was the largest in pop history -- exceeding Elvis Presley and The Beatles."

I don't suppose we should disregard this little piece of information in the discussion, either. And fake band or not, he was a frontman...

 

Yes, I would say so because in many ways he wrote the instruction manual on how to be the front-man of a band - and to give further credit where it is due Mick and Keef wrote the rulebook on how to do the dynamic of rock front man and guitarist.

 

I'm still waiting for evidence of how Jagger's supposedly the greatest frontman. Being a first/proto-type does not make him the greatest. Being the greatest would require him to actually be better than everyone else.

 

There is no evidence. Only perception and opinion. It's a forum discussion, not a trial.

 

I'll begrudgingly grant that Mick Jagger is the greatest living frontman and has always been a top performer. There are many great frontmen whom are no longer with us that might've been nominated as best in that category when they were at their peak. James Brown had Jagger beat early in both their careers, but there was a time when Jim morrison's charisma drew fans to Doors performances just to see what he'd do next. Roger Daltry could also claim the honors and without question Freddie Mercury had his enraptured audiences in the palm of his hand.

My personal favorite of all frontmen never getting their due woul be Bon Scott, AC/DC's charming lead vocalist/writer who was loved by the camera. He could turn a whimsical smile or grinning wink to the film crew and he'd have the televised audience spellbound. There are other great frontmen, Alice Cooper, Steve Marriott, of coarse Jimi Hendrix, Robert Plant, etc., and I'm bound to be overlooking many other deserving frontmen.


Cat

 

But nothing is being shown where that perception and opinion comes from.

 

I must say, this may be the most ridiculous comment (i.e. that Nirvana "destroyed" Rock) I've ever read on this Forum.



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There's a clip in that mr dynamite doc that Mick produced where he's interviewed about one of the stones first US performances , when they where on the same bill as JB , the stones came on after and I think Mick said he basically copied JB's moves cause the crowd where going mad and he thought how could he follow what he had just watched backstage.

Think MJ's biggest influence was James Brown, I saw some footage on a doc of MJ performing JB moves when he was around 10 or maybe younger in home footage. There's actually some rare footage out there of MJ dancing on stage with JB, it's on that new off the wall doc.

 

My point exactly

Freddie made the difficult effortless

 

U2's performance was praised, but it was Queen's that stole the show.

From Wiki - "Queen also performed at the stadium, in which lead singer Freddie Mercury at times led the crowd in unison refrains.[11] The band's 20-minute set opened with "Bohemian Rhapsody" and closed with "We Are the Champions".[2][12][13] Queen's performance on that day has since been voted by more than 60 artists, journalists and music industry executives as the greatest live performance in the history of rock music,[14][15]"

 

Jagger learned (or just nicked) the moves and other on-stage antics from James Brown and Tina Turner!!

 

IMO working list of greatest front men (excluding solo artist and instrument players):
Mick
Peter Wolf
Robert Plant
Freddie
David Johansen
Pelle Almqvist

Solo artists and instrument players:
James Brown
Springsteen



I reserve the right to add or change the list at any moment.

 

Roger Daltrey?

 

The reason he (singer for my favorite band) is not on my list is that it could be argued that Pete is the front man (I think I mentioned above). Splitting hairs I know.

 

You're incorrect on three counts. First, I was right in that the post I responded to misconstrued what I had said about WW and BR. Second, if you truly believe that the resurgence of BR in WW was disconnected with the broader cultural/media impact of Mercury's AIDS death, you either weren't around at the time or your memory has deserted you. They were thoroughly imbricated. Finally, "kids" had no disconnect from Freddie's passing. It was impossible to be pop-culture aware, as the kids were, and not have been fully aware of Freddie's passing and absorbed those media accounts.

BR in WW was indeed serendipitous for Mercury and Queen. It was a great scene in a funny movie. Still, it's impact would have been far less had it not come in the context of huge positive resurgent media interest in Mercury caused by his AIDS death. That's just how it was.