bungle said:

I consider myself to be a big fan.

I'll listen and watch anything Prince performs. What I wouldn't do is watch him cut his toenails and then clap wildly and look at him adoringly.

Is that 'ungrateful'?

I have to say i agree with Purplepassion72 and PorterUK.

As great as it is to hear a cover done well it's even better to hear his own songs. I love the Beatles, Hendrix and the Foo Fighters - and his covers of those are superb....but he really should concentrate on his own massive back catalogue. I also think that he shouldn't do 'I feel 4 u' or 'Nothing compares 2 u' either - as Chaka and Sinead have really made those songs their own and it's almost like he's doing a cover there too! ....But that's just my personal opinion, and does not mean i don't enjoy them when he sings them.

It's not a case of being ungrateful - it's a case of fans going to see someone sing their songs. If i wanted to see a singer sing loads of other peoples songs i'd get my arse down Butlins to listen to the entertainment rep!

As pointed out, to leave out TMBGITW is bonkers, considering it is his only UK numero uno - and i quite like that one as well i must say!

I am extremely grateful every time i see the Princemeister, always puts on a top drawer show and he gives more in one show than most performers give in an entire tour - but we are all entitled to have an opinion.

Just to end..Prince has ALWAYS played covers at his concerts, so it's not anything new. It's just that there do seem to be more covers per show this tour, and they are also treated to more stage time than...say Sign 'O' The Times, D.M.S.R, Diamonds & Pearls etc. that he sings a few lines or a verse of during the piano medley. And i think most people would rather swap Come Together for 2 of those!

Have you heard Martika's `Love thy Will B done' recently, pure heaven.

purplepassion72 said:

I really love this song. Would love to hear Prince sing it live.

GC79 said:

OMG another hit for Prince 2 play. But I was also making a point about his beautifully written songs for other artistes. I have bought these too as I think they're special. Maybe he should do a `special hits section' of songs written for other artistes?!

L4OATheOriginal said:

Probably because that would mean a show with about 15 songs!

If you are Love4OneAnotherTheOriginal, then how come you don't think about anyone else when it comes to song choice? A majority of fans still want to hear his 80s output and there will be first-timers there who have never heard Purple Rain Live. You're not exactly living up to your chosen moniker by selfishly demanding what YOU want all the time.

Its getting seriously boring all this "oh he hasn't played this or that" BS!! Wake up people and smell the Prince - he is playing a MASSIVE selection of songs, many more that ANY other artist you might go and see.

FunkyAphrodite said:

Hi, I love to hear him play the songs he wrote for others, personally. I love those just as equally. Have you heard Martika's `Love thy Will B done' recently, pure heaven. I totally agree with your last paragraph. Oh and thanks for backing me on this post, I've had no death threats yet

purplepassion72 said:

i was thinking not 2 long ago how cool it would b if prince did a show of nothing of the songs he recorded 4 other artists ;cool:

and sinead didn't make nothing compares 2 u her own, she ruined it. track down the family's version oops the ORIGINAL version of the song and compare it 2 sinead's. at least st paul sang it in key and didn't turn a natural in2 a flat note.

purplepassion72 said:

i was thinking not 2 long ago how cool it would b if prince did a show of nothing of the songs he recorded 4 other artists ;cool:

and sinead didn't make nothing compares 2 u her own, she ruined it. track down the family's version oops the ORIGINAL version of the song and compare it 2 sinead's. at least st paul sang it in key and didn't turn a natural in2 a flat note.

Mindflux said:

15 songs r u basing that as all the output he's done since 1996? sorry emancipation was 36 songs by itself.

have u ever heard of the peter pan syndrome? no? okay that's when u still want 2 b a kid and never GROW up. many fans still want that 26 year old prince, well guess what he will b 50 years old next year. this is a man who has thousands of songs that still haven't seen the light of day and countless of other songs that he's released in the 80's that have not been been played live at all. give love 2 those songs that dare I say, some fans really like but the majority don't. I don't try 2 keep Prince in a time warp, cause as a musician, I like 2 xplore new sounds and directions and I'm sure Prince is no different in that aspect. So I allow him 2 xpand and not bitch about how it's not as popular like his past glory.

and my moniker has nothing 2 do with people chosing a song, it's about treating them as a fellow man. we can disagree, but still have love 4 one another as a human being.

L4OATheOriginal said:

I actually got the album on import when it came out (showing my age there!) and to my ears it doesn't sound better, unfortunately.

Like your idea re the gig of covers though! lol If your gonna do a show and include cover versions DO IT PROPERLY!

L4OATheOriginal said:

Not only have you completely misunderstood my post, but you have a very patronising tone that only proves my point about how you do not aspire to your chosen moniker (which I mentioned without any regard to choice of songs, but to your attitude - did you actually read what I wrote?).

As a fan, I am well aware of his output for his entire career, not just from the 90s - you yourself asked for him to ignore his 80s output and covers and just play the HITS from the 90s onwards - that is why I said it would be a short show. His output has still been prodigious, yes, but the hits have not. That's not to say I'm not a fan of his 90s output, I appreciate all of his music - but the FACT is that, compared to the 80s, he has had relatively few hits. In fact, he has barely had a hit in the last 7 years. Again, this does not mean that he is not making quality music, he just hasn't had the hits, ok?

And, yes, I've heard of Peter Pan syndrome - thanks for your ridiculous assumption as to my intellectual capacity, again entirely indicative of your attitude. I wasn't bitching about him not reaching the heights of his past glory and, as a working, signed musician myself who is genuinely attempting to make cutting edge music and push the envelope, I too understand the need to go in new directions. (BTW - is there anywhere (myspace, for example) where I can hear what you're doing - I'd be interested to hear it) But, let's face it, Prince hasn't really broken any new ground in quite some time. The last 3 albums are a re-hash of everything he has already done (I like 'em, but heard it all before). Only TRC broke the mould to some extent, but it didn't break any new musical ground, it was just moderately different for Prince.

You "allow" him to expand do you? Just shows how reticent you are. You don't allow him anything (particularly with your constant bitching about what he should and shouldn't play and that he should retire a bona fide classic like Purple Rain) - in fact, you absolutely stipulate what YOU want to hear, as I alluded to in my original post - that is not allowing him to be free as an artist, it is restrictive instruction.

When you actually understand what is being said here, please come back with a reply that actually deals with the issues raised and not some assumptive diatribe like your last response.
[Edited 9/10/07 17:31pm]

Mindflux said:

kid u have no idea on what the concept of love 4 one another is at all ..so i guess ur mind is a flux then? gee based on ur assumption of a persons moniker is then someone with the name purple in it is what they truly r then?

define a hit please? if it's based on the so called billboard charts then don't make me laugh. u allude 2 TRC as being ground breaking, but yet a "hit" was never done on that album then? come on man, a hit doesn't have 2 b a national hit 4 the whole world but 2 us fans. a lot of fans don't give a shit about the record charts cause it nots about chart positions that make him a great artist. does it matter 2 u then? i reason that we all want 2 b successful and have our music heard and liked, but in prince's case at this stage of his career, it don't mean a damn 2 him. my point is, he took the time 2 create the music, and if he wasn't proud of it in some manner, it would have never seen the light of day. so let's enjoy his fruit of labor by hearing them live instead of the repetive songs he's been doing 4 years. and yes that means purple rain. i'm not interested in what i already know, but i'm willing 2 learn new stuff.

i am letting him b free by xploring new avenues of music, i don't treat any other artist any different either. i learned that after listening 2 ATWIAD back in 85 and even prince knew that those that dug purple rain would not dig this album and he didn't care cause they were just bandwagon hoppers. i let them grow and if i dig the music then it's cool by me. i will still support that artist no matter who it is. some just want 2 keep an artist contained and bitch and moan that he/she didn't per4m this or that song that they love.
[Edited 9/10/07 20:42pm]

everytime i hear sineads version i run out the room screaming MAKE IT STOP!!!

L4OATheOriginal said:

Baby please! You continue to make assumption about what I do and don't know - your posts have obviously shown a selfishness and lack of compassion and hence being opposed to your chosen name. I wasn't talking about anyone else's name but, to me, choosing a name like L4OA "THE ORIGINAL" sounds like you're making a statement - a statement not backed by actions

Yes, my mind is in a state of flux - keeps it fresh and sharp. Listen to my music and you would understand further.

A "hit" to anyone else on the planet does mean a song that got in the Top 40. Again, you fail to address any of the issues and are attempting to blur the focus of this debate by derailing on to other issues. You may consider that anything he has done is a hit - fine. But when the tour is advertised as a Greatest Hits tour, that means hit as the general public would define it, not YOU! (Always comes back to you, doesn't it?!)

Your point about Prince not giving a damn about hits anymore is moot, as he spent 20-odd years making damn sure he had hits! Now, after a career full of them, of course he doesn't care - he has already done it! (And he's certainly not shy about reminding us just how many hits he has had - "Too many hits, so little time" - yeah, he really doean't give a shit about them, does he?!) I never said I gave a shit about hits either (still more word twisting on your part) and, again, listen to my music and you would realise that. I don't make music for hits, I make it because its what I want to make and just look to make a living out of it (which, thankfully, I do).

Luckily for you, it is said that this will be the last time he will perform the hits (yeah right, heard it all before) - so maybe your dream will come true next tour (though, if you've missed all the non-hits he's played this tour, maybe you were one of those dashing out every 5 minutes!!). As I said in my first retort, the range of music he has played has been massive - there is no reason for self-obsessed people like you to whine about what he is playing.

The main point is that YOU were the one whining on and on about what he plays, not me, yet you are unsuccesfully trying to make it look like I am the one beeing restrictive. "Get an education first and then buy a pair of shoes!"

Finally, you cannot "allow" someone to be free - you are either free or you ain't. If someone "allows" you to be free, then you are only free on their permission and that is not true freedom - kapiche? (probably not)
[Edited 9/11/07 6:04am]
[Edited 9/11/07 6:04am]

L4OATheOriginal said:

My dad loves Sinead's version and when I took him to see Prince I told him "tonight you'll hear how Nothing Compares 2 U SHOULD be sung".
[Edited 9/11/07 7:12am]

I don't have a problem with fans wanting to enjoy songs from my back catalogue and, even now, people want to hear tunes of mine from 10 years ago - songs from any artist that stand the test of time and have longevity are a sign of success and good craftmanship. I guess we should all burn our Beatles, Stones and Hendrix records, eh?

I didn't say I like hits, but there's really no point debating with you further - you clearly have a problem with understanding plain English, are so conceited and up your own arse (not tending to live out of the box (how pretentious), more like living up your own box) and have the debating skills of a 10 year-old that any further engagement with you is an exercise in futility.

Glad I've given you a laugh (you clearly need it) and, it seems, an inferiority complex. -, because anyone who thinks wisdom is imposed has some serious issues about their own faculties.

And don't wait 10 years to see how I feel about my career - get yourself down to the Waveform Festival in Devon (the UK's first, fully sustainable electronic arts festival) this weekend and check it out for yourself. I'll even give you a free ticket if you want.....it may be just what you need to free your mind a little.

And i just want to add to all this.. I love Prince, but Sinead's version is the superior version.

Just stripped down - like seeing into someones soul.

Whereas Prince's is the big soul take on it - all horns and stuff. Fun and effective, but not half as touching or human as Sineads.

Midn yo, i'd love to hear Prince just do NC2U at a piano in the style of I love you but dont trust you anymore
[Edited 9/11/07 18:19pm]

Most big artists charge 3 times as much as Prince when they play arena/stadium shows. The Police charged 70 quid, the Stones 80 odd (miniumum). Streisand 125 to 500. Even U2, who famously keep costs down, charged 55 for pitch and 85 for a seat on their last tour.

For £31.21, you want every hit? Stay home and listen to your albums. I don't think anyone went home disappointed at any of these gigs. Yes, it's billed as a greatest hits tour but he can't perform them all and he can't please everyone. He's enjoying himself, he's earned that.