Would Michael Jackson have had the same solo sucess had he stayed at Motown?

[dzMusica]

The bread and butter of his solo career started at around 21 for him and he wasn’t with Motown. Would he have been as sucessful had he stayed?

I think maybe.

[mysterysinger]

Just an opinion but I think the answer would be no. Personally I wasn't as keen on the J5 Motown music as the years progressed so I feel they may have been in a rut. Then they would have suffered the same fate as other Motown acts becoming 2nd fiddle. Ultimately Michael may not have had the freedom to do what he did at Motown, then there were the experiences such as Philly etc that all contributed to where MJ was at his peak. I guess what I am saying is that he would have still had the same talent but may well have been stifled at Motown.

[Hotspurman]

I think not. Bear in mind that what really propelled him into superstardom was the placing of his videos on MTV, a move that Walter Yetnikoff personally intervened in - he threatened to remove all Columbia and Epic artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel et al from MTV unless they started playing the black artists' videos. Motown didn't have that amount of clout to have threatened such a boycott, and since MTV weren't really playing black video's beforehand, a Motown boycott would have been pointless. I also think that Columbia/Epic having their own distribution facilities, rather than being tied up with MCA, were responsible for getting the phenomenal sales on Thriller.

[jobeterob]

Agreed.

He probably needed to get away from the group as well; even with their move to Epic, they weren't all that successful for very long and they gave every indication of being like so many other groups - dysfunctional, bickering, especially when the hits stopped.

[Jimi LaLumia]

MJ would be a footnote these days if he stayed at Motown...

[BobC]

No way in hell. MJ had to make a clean break from all the baggage of the past as others here have already stated.

[mellow_q]

As quiet as is has been kept, Michael learned quite a bit from Gamble and Huff [[according to what Huff told me) during the recording of the Jacksons' first two albums at Epic.

[BobC]

MJ learned from everybody--which is why he scaled the heights he did.

[Hotspurman]

And of course the major lesson he learned from Paul McCartney was that if you wanted to earn real money, you had to own copyrights. Which was why he went after the Beatles catalogue when it became available. It's difficult to see the Motown Michael Jackson having the financial wherewithal to have been able to do that.

[funkyone71]

I think Michael needed to break away from Motown in order to have solo success. Although he had some success in the early 70s, by 1975, his solo albums were not successful [[although the material on the albums was fine). He had often said that Motown was too controlling instead of letting artists be more free. Motown gave Berry and Stevie artistic freedom, but it's questionable if Motown would have done the same for MJ had he stayed with Motown in the 70s. According to a book on the Jacksons, after MJ's "Forever Michael" album reached no higher than 101 on the pop charts, Joe Jackson stated, "That's it! We're out of Motown! They're gonna ruin Michael!" I think it was a smart move Papa Joe and his sons did to get away from Motown. There would have been no Destiny, no Off the Wall and no Thriller. Michael himself said in "Moonwalk" that if they would have stayed at Motown, they would have wound up an oldies but goodies act.

[dickiemint]

I don't think that he would have had the same success, Berry wouldn't have let him write, for himself or his brothers and I don't think that he would of allowed Quincey Jones to produce him at Motown, and I believe that a lot of Michael's solo success was due to Q's skills as a producer.

[captainjames]

In my opinion ~~~~ No !!

[soulster]

Emphatically: NO!

[Jimi LaLumia]

would The Spinners have been one of the biggest acts of the 70's if they stayed at Motown?

[Roberta75]

Michael Jackson would not have been as big if he had stayed at Motown but he might still be alive today if he had.

MJ paid the ultimate price for being the world's top music superstar IMHO. Fame, total seclusion, yes people, drugs and shady doctors were his downfall. Very tragic indeed.

Roberta

[BayouMotownMan]

He'd have been an oldies act at 25.

[Glenpwood]

No, but I imagine we would've gotten a duet album with Diana Ross out of it before she left since Berry would've probably wanted something in the stores to piggy back off The Wiz. Michael found his voice via collaborators like Rod Temperton and Quincy Jones who weren't an option to Motowners. Jeffrey Bowen or Rick James wouldn't have resulted in the same success either.

[skooldem1]

There are certain people in this world who are destined for success no matter what. He was one of those people. Michael was talented, and very smart. How about this scenerio. Berry talks Michael into leaving his brothers and staying with Motown. Berry promises him complete creative control, like Stevie. With his new found freedom, he works with Quincy- after the Wiz...and the rest is the same history he made when he left Motown. The only issue is if Motown had the money to front those expensive videos. I don't think they did at that point.

[Jimi LaLumia]

it would have never happened, as explained in the Epic Records/MTV scenerio mentioned several posts up;
MTV is really what took hings to the superstar level, and the videos themselves

[candykamaine]

I sorta agree, even tho I do think that berry wood have eventually let him write songs and stuff. He would'nt have been as big as he was.

[arrr&bee]

Haaaaaaa,berry would've had to give mj his own company and then leave him alone until he sent for him!!

[dzMusica]

Well I gues the people have spoken. Solo artist MJ + Motown = bologna sandwich

[motony]

To me Michael Jacksons best solo record[[& the only one I bought) was "Just A Little Bit of You" written & produced by Holland/Dozier & was not a huge hit.