I love Betty Davis and feel meh about Fiona Apple . Tell me why I’m wrong

I’m genuinely curios about the love of Fiona . Not trying to offend, I see Betty, Mavis, Loretta ,Lil Kim sitting in swaps but Fiona would sell out . Mariah and Tlc don’t get the amount of hype that Fiona gets. Respectfully what am I missing
 
I was 17, just shy of 18, when Tidal was released. When Tidal was released it exploded everywhere and then Fiona went on release just 4 albums over the last 23 years. She’s a generation’s favorite tortured genius who has always left us wanting more. I’ve been a fan since the first time I saw the video for Shadowboxer, was ecstatic to get to see her at a half empty show at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis and am unashamed to say that her music means more to me than all the rest on that list combined.
 
Rahawk2 said:
I’m genuinely curios about the love of Fiona . Not trying to offend, I see Betty, Mavis, Loretta ,Lil Kim sitting in swaps but Fiona would sell out . Mariah and Tlc don’t get the amount of hype that Fiona gets. Respectfully what am I missing
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This really belongs here: Hot Take/ Musical Confession Thread!
However, I'll entertain it.

From an objective standpoint, I think there are a few key elements.
- Betty Davis has been out of the spotlight for quite awhile. She's not a staple on the radio in most cities, and anyone under 40 is less likely to be familiar with her work. Fiona simply has a wider fan base of having a major smash hit that still plays on several radio stations, comes up on "best of lists" and had several followup singles, some of which also still get radio play. Fiona is just fresher on the mind for a lot of people.
- Betty's self titled album has been reissued several times over the years. Fiona's Tidal still only has one pressing, and that's the VMP version. That makes it exciting. The mastering on the vinyl is also superior to the original digital version, which breaths new life into the album.
- The VMP version of Betty can be picked up for very reasonable prices second hand. Fiona is still holding maintaining a street price well above the VMP price.

Those are just objective points. Not even getting into the actual music. I have both, and I would still pick Fiona over Betty all day, everyday. But then again, I grew up on Fiona's music. Tidal was one of the first albums that really grabbed me. But those are just my opinions.
 
Dark Star Boogie said:
Comparing her musically to Betty Davis is silly though.
Apples and mangoes
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The entire list is comprised of artists that for the most part share very little in common besides being women.

Genres in order of appearance: funk, gospel, country, rap. The two r&b acts are the most alike of all listed (but even then, not that much alike really) and also the the two best selling acts listed by a far piece. Ubiquitousness for multiple decades tends to kill the hype. Like I said before, Fiona always left us wanting more.
 
displayname said:
This really belongs here: Hot Take/ Musical Confession Thread!
However, I'll entertain it.

From an objective standpoint, I think there are a few key elements.
- Betty Davis has been out of the spotlight for quite awhile. She's not a staple on the radio in most cities, and anyone under 40 is less likely to be familiar with her work. Fiona simply has a wider fan base of having a major smash hit that still plays on several radio stations, comes up on "best of lists" and had several followup singles, some of which also still get radio play. Fiona is just fresher on the mind for a lot of people.
- Betty's self titled album has been reissued several times over the years. Fiona's Tidal still only has one pressing, and that's the VMP version. That makes it exciting. The mastering on the vinyl is also superior to the original digital version, which breaths new life into the album.
- The VMP version of Betty can be picked up for very reasonable prices second hand. Fiona is still holding maintaining a street price well above the VMP price.

Those are just objective points. Not even getting into the actual music. I have both, and I would still pick Fiona over Betty all day, everyday. But then again, I grew up on Fiona's music. Tidal was one of the first albums that really grabbed me. But those are just my
Dark Star Boogie said:
If she’s not for you, she’s not for you.
I just think she is an amazing song writer,
A great pianist,
A fiery, but very human spirit,
She has an amazing discography,
four fantastic albums,
And I have a crush on her. 🥰😍

Comparing her musically to Betty Davis is silly though.
Apples and mangoes
Click to expand...
I just picked Betty because I had it on and I love that album and her story in general , I could have picked Mavis, or TlC, Mariah,Dolly , Loretta, Lil Kim . Other than her 1st song I never heard anything from her on the radio. I don’t dislike her I just really haven’t heard her name mentioned until I joined VMP. I guess I just want to know why her albums are so highly coveted .
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Chucktshoes said:
The entire list is comprised of artists that for the most part share very little in common besides being women.

Genres in order of appearance: funk, gospel, country, rap. The two r&b acts are the miost alike of all listed (but even then, not that much alike really) and also the the two best selling acts listed by a far piece. Ubiquitousness for multiple decades tends to kill the hype. Like I said before, Fiona always left us wanting more.
Click to expand...
Chucktshoes said:
I was 17, just shy of 18, when Tidal was released. When Tidal was released it exploded everywhere and then Fiona went on release just 4 albums over the last 23 years. She’s a generation’s favorite tortured genius who has always left us wanting more. I’ve been a fan since the first time I saw the video for Shadowboxer, was ecstatic to get to see her at a half empty show at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis and am unashamed to say that her music means more to me than all the rest on that list combined.
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Curious are you in the US? I’m wondering if she’s more popular over seas. other then her 1st video on MTV I haven’t heard heard her name mentioned in probably 20 years. Since I’ve joined VMP I hear her mentioned all the time.
 
Rahawk2 said:
I just picked Betty because I had it on and I love that album and her story in general , I could have picked Mavis, or TlC, Mariah,Dolly , Loretta, Lil Kim . Other than her 1st song I never heard anything from her on the radio. I don’t dislike her I just really haven’t heard her name mentioned until I joined VMP. I guess I just want to know why her albums are so highly coveted .
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Not sure how you would have missed Fiona during the late 90s/early 2000s ... she sold over 5M albums in the US alone, received 8 Grammy nominations with 1 Grammy win. Each of her 4 albums received at least 1 Grammy nom. She had an extremely consistent and highly acclaimed career. The fact that she did it with only 4 albums over the span of about 15 years is even more impressive in my eyes.

She was pretty big, but not like Nirvana (or Mariah for that matter) big. She's not a pop star, and she pushes for privacy in her personal life. Outside of albums and tours, she pretty much lived out of the spotlight. But with all of her albums getting radio play and consistently putting out critically acclaimed work, I feel like she was pretty hard to miss. But hey, it happens.

All I can say is give Fiona's albums a shot and see if they are for you. If not, don't stress about it. Not everything will be for everyone. But Fiona is a true talent that left an impact on a generation. And that's another objective reason why you see her name pop up so frequently on the forum.
 
displayname said:
This really belongs here: Hot Take/ Musical Confession Thread!
However, I'll entertain it.

From an objective standpoint, I think there are a few key elements.
- Betty Davis has been out of the spotlight for quite awhile. She's not a staple on the radio in most cities, and anyone under 40 is less likely to be familiar with her work. Fiona simply has a wider fan base of having a major smash hit that still plays on several radio stations, comes up on "best of lists" and had several followup singles, some of which also still get radio play. Fiona is just fresher on the mind for a lot of people.
- Betty's self titled album has been reissued several times over the years. Fiona's Tidal still only has one pressing, and that's the VMP version. That makes it exciting. The mastering on the vinyl is also superior to the original digital version, which breaths new life into the album.
- The VMP version of Betty can be picked up for very reasonable prices second hand. Fiona is still holding maintaining a street price well above the VMP price.

Those are just objective points. Not even getting into the actual music. I have both, and I would still pick Fiona over Betty all day, everyday. But then again, I grew up on Fiona's music. Tidal was one of the first albums that really grabbed me. But those are just my opinions.
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Honestly other then the 1st mtv video where she was half naked and very young looking I haven’t heard heard her name mentioned in 20 years. Im in Philly and I haven’t heard her musiI’m wondering what I missed .
displayname said:
Not sure how you would have missed Fiona during the late 90s/early 2000s ... she sold over 5M albums in the US alone, received 8 Grammy nominations with 1 Grammy win. Each of her 4 albums received at least 1 Grammy nom. She had an extremely consistent and highly acclaimed career. The fact that she did it with only 4 albums over the span of about 15 years is even more impressive in my eyes.

She was pretty big, but not like Nirvana (or Mariah for that matter) big. She's not a pop star, and she pushes for privacy in her personal life. Outside of albums and tours, she pretty much lived out of the spotlight. But with all of her albums getting radio play and consistently putting out critically acclaimed work, I feel like she was pretty hard to miss. But hey, it happens.

All I can say is give Fiona's albums a shot and see if they are for you. If not, don't stress about it. Not everything will be for everyone. But Fiona is a true talent that left an impact on a generation. And that's another objective reason why you see her name pop up so frequently on the forum.
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I remember the video for criminal playing a lot on MTV and being controversial because she was so young, It was my early 20's and that time is a little hazy lol Hell, I think that was when I was into the swing craze for a bit lol . I think I just kind of lumped her in with Jewel, Vanessa Carlton, Norah Jones, and Michelle Branch. I vaguely remember her having a second album with a really long title I think I only ever heard 2 songs of hers played on the radio . I will check her catalog because of the love she gets on here. I was just kind of wondering why out of all the big names on VMP it seems Fiona is one of the most requested. I think it's like you said her music just slipped through the cracks and I missed it.
 
Dark Star Boogie said:
If she’s not for you, she’s not for you.
I just think she is an amazing song writer,
A great pianist,
A fiery, but very human spirit,
She has an amazing discography,
four fantastic albums,
And I have a crush on her. 🥰😍

Comparing her musically to Betty Davis is silly though.
Apples and mangoes
Click to expand...
Yeah it was silly, Betty was just the album I was listening to at the time and I was wondering why it doesn't get more love.
I wouldn't say she's not for me, I only listened to her 1st album. I guess she just slipped through the cracks and I had no idea she was as popular as she is. I don't recall ever hearing her on the radio (Maybe criminal in the 90s) . I just found out she had 4 albums so I'll check out her catalog. There's a lot on VMP that I never heard of and am just now discovering.
 
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