>As well, Nirvana combined quality and commercial success at an
>incomparable level for the decade - if The Key had sold like a Garth
>Brooks album, Jon W's assertion would hold up better, methinks.
If we're talking about the decade, I don't know that Nirvana's sold more
albums than Gill; the RIAA database is down right now, but I'll report back.
Gill's had a number of multi-platinum albums, though, and is clearly an
immense commercial success (The Key is his poorest-selling album so far); he
might not have sold as many albums, but though I think that commercial
success is a useful criterion in figuring out an AOTD, I don't know that
getting too far into the numbers is that productive. For the record, there
are others who have combined quality and commercial success in this decade
at, I would argue, a higher level than either Gill *or* Nirvana - George
Strait, for one, Alan Jackson for another, per that best-seller list - but
as big a fan as I am of both of them, Strait was huge well before the 90s,
and Jackson doesn't, IMO, have the breadth of achievements that Gill does.
He's great, but I don't think he's been as outward-acting as Gill, who's
been visible in a number of important areas, like honoring Bill Monroe at
the Grammys, reinvigorating the Opry, etc., nor has he been as active in
working with others on their records.
In any event, I think your point about the atomization of markets is
well-taken, Carl. I don't know that there really is an AOTD, as opposed to
AsOTD in various fields.
