Which musician / group is the most universally liked?

[Roy H.]

Bowie is probably a good bet, though. And I'd offer up Nick Cave as well, though he's a clear tier or two less popular than some of the names being offered.

Queen, perhaps?

I think Bowie and Queen had a lot of haters in their day, due to their sexuality/ androgynousness.  Queen does mitigate some of that with their rock anthems.

I think they’ve become more universally respected with the passage of time.

[footey]

The guy I individually thought of was Johnny Cash.  How can somebody not like Johnny Cash?

But my wife falls into that group of extremely misguided souls.

I also have a hard time with people who can’t at least enjoy Elvis.

Good one. I'm a huge Johnny Cash fan. 

He is the one guy that people carve out from the statement "I hate country music."

[Darth_Yoda]

Metallica.

Have been on the rock charts, country charts, metal charts, played with gaga and orchestras.

[Neurotic Guy]

I’m a Beatles guy for sure.  Most friends I’ve had who were Stones over Beatles liked the Beatles but just liked Stones more.

Folk rock genre that produced James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Carole King, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Simon & Garfunkel have a lot of universal appeal.  I suppose some aren’t revved up enough by the genre. 

I think the Eagles are generally liked, and CCR as well.

I like Johnny Cash also but I think his voice and country style turn some people off to him.



Btw - not a Queen or Metallica fan but have to admit I know almost no Metallica music - what I’ve heard, not crazy about. 

[Redz]

I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who’d be offended if you popped on Bob Marley’s Legend album.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

My friends and I were discussing which musical act would be accepted by the largest percentage if you just grabbed a bunch of people at random.  It’s not “who would be most popular” so much as who would get the fewest “no way” votes.

Our group of mostly pasty white professionals in our 30s to 50s arrived on Tom Petty.  Nobody seems to hate Tom Petty as an artist.  It’s not because he’s generic, but rather that he seems universal.

Who would you throw out there as a contender?  And do any of you truly hate Tom Petty?

I like Petty, especially since he was a fan of my favorite group, the Monkees.

I feel like the answer to your main question would depend on the majority demographic(s) of the random group being asked—age, ethnicity, male vs. female, etc. The Beatles, of course, are extremely well-liked, but I've also found it rare, in my experience, to find anyone who truly disliked the Monkees. And Elvis seems to have a lot of cross-generational appeal.

Another thing that might factor into this discussion is the fact that artists of the last 30-40 years—that is, those who've been active during the time of modern mass media and then social media—are a lot more visible, including any scandals or questionable behavior that a lot of people would object to. I'm thinking primarily of Madonna, who is obviously a very popular artist but whose image doesn't sit well with quite a few people.

The Monkees were tv actors not musicians. When they tried to make their own album they failed miserably. They were replaced by an animated group The Archies who turned out the huge hit Sugar Sugar.

I mean no offense to you, but you're terribly misinformed about the Monkees, as are many others, unfortunately.

Two of the Monkees—Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork—were accomplished musicians before they joined the Monkees. And Micky Dolenz learned to play the drums for the TV show The Monkees. They were actors for the show, of course, but once their music exploded in popularity (thanks to the show), they went out on tour and played all of their own instruments in concert. Then they fought for, and gained, full control of their music, and the first album they did on their own, Headquarters, went to No. 1 before getting knocked from the top spot by Sgt. Pepper's; their next album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones, Ltd., also went to number one; and the one after that, The Birds, the Bees, and the Monkees, went to No. 3.

I'm not sure why you bring up the Archies, or what you mean by the Monkees being "replaced" by the Archies, as the two groups really had nothing to do with each other (other than music executive Don Kirshner being involved with both). As far as singles go, the Archies had one No. 1 song and basically no other success, whereas the Monkees had three No. 1 singles, a No. 2 single, and two No. 3 singles. They also had a very successful (No. 14) reunion album in 2016.

All of that to say that categorizing the Monkees as having "failed miserably," or failed at all, is just plain false.

[gouki88]

I think now it would be Bowie. In terms of mainstream major artists I can’t think of anyone else with a discography as lengthy nor diverse.

I’ve never seen anyone say a bad thing about Frank Sinatra

[Jvalin]

My musical heroes are John Lennon and a greek folk singer called Nikos Xylouris. Coincidentally, both of them passed away in 1980 in their early 40s. What's amazing with Xylouris is that he became famous throughout Greece by singing left-wing protest songs, yet everybody likes him irrespective of political affiliation. I mean, he has a popular song written by a well-known communist where he urges people to start a communist revolution! Somehow nobody seems to bother. Even hardcore right-wingers are singing along! Even neo-nazis are singing along for crying out loud! I guess most people have never thought of what the lyrics actually say, but it always amazes me how everybody likes his songs even though many of them are highly controversial. I literally have never met a single greek who dislikes Xylouris or his music.

[perks-a-beast]

in terms of modern music, i've never met a soul who doesn't like the Gorillaz or Daft Punk. I don't know much about older music, but it seems like Billy Joel is pretty universally liked.

[Jvalin]

I think now it would be Bowie. In terms of mainstream major artists I can’t think of anyone else with a discography as lengthy nor diverse.

I’ve never seen anyone say a bad thing about Frank Sinatra

Well, Sinatra had ties with the mafia. Not exactly a good thing if you ask me.

[ebrick0340]

Frequent visitor, occasional poster, way back to the early CB days. I’ve been a huge Van Morrison fan since I was a kid (thanks to my dad) and his music crosses over to so many genres and cultures. He has always been a big advocate for lots of older, less commercial blues singers, like John Lee Hooker. The bulk of his career might not be mainstream enough for what this post is intended, but Van would have my vote.

Go Cs!!!

[footey]

My friends and I were discussing which musical act would be accepted by the largest percentage if you just grabbed a bunch of people at random.  It’s not “who would be most popular” so much as who would get the fewest “no way” votes.

Our group of mostly pasty white professionals in our 30s to 50s arrived on Tom Petty.  Nobody seems to hate Tom Petty as an artist.  It’s not because he’s generic, but rather that he seems universal.

Who would you throw out there as a contender?  And do any of you truly hate Tom Petty?

I like Petty, especially since he was a fan of my favorite group, the Monkees.

I feel like the answer to your main question would depend on the majority demographic(s) of the random group being asked—age, ethnicity, male vs. female, etc. The Beatles, of course, are extremely well-liked, but I've also found it rare, in my experience, to find anyone who truly disliked the Monkees. And Elvis seems to have a lot of cross-generational appeal.

Another thing that might factor into this discussion is the fact that artists of the last 30-40 years—that is, those who've been active during the time of modern mass media and then social media—are a lot more visible, including any scandals or questionable behavior that a lot of people would object to. I'm thinking primarily of Madonna, who is obviously a very popular artist but whose image doesn't sit well with quite a few people.

The Monkees were tv actors not musicians. When they tried to make their own album they failed miserably. They were replaced by an animated group The Archies who turned out the huge hit Sugar Sugar.

I mean no offense to you, but you're terribly misinformed about the Monkees, as are many others, unfortunately.

Two of the Monkees—Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork—were accomplished musicians before they joined the Monkees. And Micky Dolenz learned to play the drums for the TV show The Monkees. They were actors for the show, of course, but once their music exploded in popularity (thanks to the show), they went out on tour and played all of their own instruments in concert. Then they fought for, and gained, full control of their music, and the first album they did on their own, Headquarters, went to No. 1 before getting knocked from the top spot by Sgt. Pepper's; their next album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones, Ltd., also went to number one; and the one after that, The Birds, the Bees, and the Monkees, went to No. 3.

I'm not sure why you bring up the Archies, or what you mean by the Monkees being "replaced" by the Archies, as the two groups really had nothing to do with each other (other than music executive Don Kirshner being involved with both). As far as singles go, the Archies had one No. 1 song and basically no other success, whereas the Monkees had three No. 1 singles, a No. 2 single, and two No. 3 singles. They also had a very successful (No. 14) reunion album in 2016.

All of that to say that categorizing the Monkees as having "failed miserably," or failed at all, is just plain false.

From Time Magazine:

The Monkees are about as real as a fake band can get. After the success of the Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night, Hollywood decided to create a television series about a fictional mop-topped foursome whose similarities would have given a later generation of lawyers night sweats. They hired four actors/musicians — Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork — with varying degrees of musical skill and experience. Instruments on the television set were unplugged and the songs re-recorded later in a music studio. As the show progressed, the Monkees began writing their own songs, which the television studio wouldn’t let them record. Mike Nesmith, who regarded himself a musician first and an actor second, pushed especially hard to make his fake band real, and the producers eventually relented. By the band’s third album the musicians were actually playing and singing much of their own music (with the frequent aid of session musicians). With six albums by the original line-up, a television show that lasted two seasons, a feature length movie and songs still played on the radio today, it’s hard to tell where the actors ended and the real band began.

Here is an account of how the Monkees declined to record Sugar Sugar, which went on to be the number 1 hit of 1969:

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/why-the-monkees-turned-down-sugar-sugar-by-the-archies.html/

[Neurotic Guy]

I like Van Morrison too.  Disagree with Billy Joel (many people I know have mixed views).   

Thanks R&R for the defense of the Monkees -- comparing them to The Archies has Davey Jones rolling in his grave.  Monkees aren't as high on my list as yours but they put out a good amount of respectable music -- in additional to a unique TV show.

I suppose David Bowie has something for everyone, but in that mix is music that doesn't do much for me. 

A couple others to chew on:   Elton John (had a pretty bad era in there, but like Bowie, everyone likes something from Elton, right?),  Ray Charles -- can anyone dislike Ray?   And The Beach Boys -- group that masterfully evolved... if you don't like early Beach Boys, decent chance you like later Beach Boys.

 Lastly, I wish I could unabashedly include Bob Dylan since I think he's the best song-writer of the 60's/70's and has been (still is) covered like crazy.  But... some can't get past the voice.

[nickagneta]

in terms of modern music, i've never met a soul who doesn't like the Gorillaz or Daft Punk. I don't know much about older music, but it seems like Billy Joel is pretty universally liked.

Billy Joel has a bunch of songs that are pretty cool sing-along-to songs at a bar. Older people love his songs and a bunch of millennials and just younger like him because mom and dad played him all the time. He crosses lots of genres and ages of listeners.

[nickagneta]

Also, who doesn't love them some Michael Jackson.