The Also-Rans : Hey! What About the Purple Guy?

Prince was the most surprising absentee from the list of pop’s 20 hottest properties.

Prince’s supporters on the panel warned that the writer-producer-singer is still young (just 34) and prolific enough to come up with another “Purple Rain,” the 1984 soundtrack that has sold more than 10 million copies in the United States alone.

Mostly, however, panelists maintained that Prince has become too erratic and that his image has been greatly tarnished. Typical remarks:

* “He’s enormously talented, but frankly I think we are starting to see the same stuff from him.”

* “He has put out too much product, and nothing seems special anymore.”

And what about some other acts that failed to make the Top 20 list? Here is a cross section of comments:

Aerosmith:

* “I think that was one of the most laughable deals in the history of the music business” (the estimated $30-million pact in 1991 with Sony).

* “The quintessential American rock ‘n’ roll band . . . moving up over the next 10 years to the Rolling Stones’ level. The contract was brilliant.”

Black Crowes:

* “Good traditional rock band and every generation wants a band like that.”

* “Why would anyone want them? The guy (Chris Robinson) is in a songwriting genre of music and can’t write a song.”

Mary J. Blige:

* “Move over Aretha Franklin.”

Bon Jovi:

* “He’s confused . . . trying to be a little bit of Bono, a little bit of Axl, a little bit of Bruce.”

* “His audience has passed him by in a lot of ways.”

Bobby Brown:

* “He would have been my No. 1 pick after the last record, but the songs on the new album were very weak. He seems to be floundering.”

Mary-Chapin Carpenter:

* “She has a chance to be the next big female singer out of country music. Love her spontaneity and exuberance.”

Hammer:

* “Dead and gone.”

Wynonna Judd:

* “She’s only going to get better from the confidence of seeing her first solo album sell 2 million copies.”

Kris Kross:

* “What happens when their voices change?”

k.d. lang:

* “A totally unique talent with the integrity and taste to build a sort of Bonnie Raitt appeal in the ‘90s.”

Rolling Stones:

* “Just don’t think people care about their records any more.”

* “If they make another great record, they could sell more records than anybody worldwide.”

Soundgarden:

* “In some ways, this might be the new Metallica. Chris Cornell is a major songwriting talent and star.”

Barbra Streisand:

* “She seems very comfortable right now performing in public, and a tour with the right record could mean zillions of records.”

Trisha Yearwood:

* “There’s always the need for a Linda Ronstadt type of female vocalist, and Yearwood has the voice and the taste to be that in the ‘90s.”