He's a genius. No doubt about that.

Like listening to Mozart, folks might not like classical music or opera, but you can't refute that Mozart is a genius.

On some level , Prince is just like that. His contributions to music are astounding to me.



However, when interviewed he often would make mention that he loved this or that song that had me scratching my head.

I remember he dubbed Emancipation as the "Album he was born to make" and raved about it's quality and vibe... Yet he rarely plays any of the tracks if ever of Emancipation live--it's all about his past music or the songs that made him big.


He's touted that he worked very hard on D&P and on Musicology, but those get only breif moments in his shows (D&P is primarily Cream, D&P, and Getoff).



So, although this is all based on conjecture, since nobody knows for sure, but is Prince just THAT bad and judging what his good vs. bad songs are? Or is he very well aware, and just making these statments without sincerity and his live performances actually reveal what he really thinks? The answer would be more cut and dry if Prince played the songs from the albums he touts, but he doesn't.


I've always wondered, when you're at that level of genius, you obviously hear music a bit differently than the regular schmuck (me), but how much differently? Does Prince know if he's written a classic or a dud?

I think he does know, and I also think he believes those things when he says them, maybe still does, but it's the old 'Willy' syndrome, 'Willy' wants to play Kiss for the people, and he knows what the people WANT to hear! That's where he gets the feedback he needs live, it's different with the hardcore fans (aftershows). But, I also think 'Emancipation' for instance, was written at a time in his life, that is now probably too painful to re-live, and was just a moment in time. And, yes he probably does hear music differently from the rest of us too, but not that differently. Well, I'm on drugs at the moment, so if this doesn't make any sense that's why (insect bite!)

to be fair, the praises you mention were mostly given when he was either
just about to or just had released the album he mentioned or when he had
plans to include or just had included songs he mentioned in his setlist.

Jeffiner said:

i think he would still be playing songs from that if it had been a
monolithical boxset filled to the brim with shit hot classic songs



well, i guess he could re-arrange at least2 or 3 songs from it and
include them in his live shows sometimes. perhaps one day he will.

IstenSzek said:

You could be right

IstenSzek said:

True.

When Chris Rock interviewed him during the Emancipation Tour he said that he wanted to play the whole album, but he knows that people want to hear his popular songs, that's why the show was split up into Emancipation and his old stuff.

On I do believe his second interview with Tavis Smiley, he had Larry Graham and Chaka K with him (in which he was pissed off in that interview) during The Newpowersoul period and Tavis Smiley ask him something to the effect of, or, I think Prince was defending his new music and he compared a slow song on there to "Do Me Baby" or one of his other classic songs.

Prince often says that his songs are his children and he doesn't have a favorite, but I think he does, not judging by why he plays really popular songs in concert, because that's audience demand, but out something odd thousands songs, there HAS to be songs he likes more than others, it's only natural.

I don't know, Imago.
I honestly just do not know.

I believe that Prince's decision on what music to play in a 2 hour time period would change, given the size and quality of the audience...

A crowd of 10,000 will favor the familiar hits...A crowd of 100 fans...I'm sure would include songs that we as fans know and love...
A crowd of 100 brand new listeners...may be a setlist that we as 30 year fans...would think was restricted to...Billboard's level of Top Tens...

If Prince was to play for two hours for only one person...The setlist would be different if it were a musician...vs. a non-musician, I believe. I guess that's the long way of saying...I don't know either.

Yep- it's strange because when you're playing, the music itself takes you to different places; if you're really live- like you and a friend playing, you might start somewhere with the goal of getting to somewhere else, but you end up somewhere completely different. Its the vibe.

Think about those 2002 Xenophobia concerts; you get these little snippets of Love Rollercoaster. Not because they fit just there, but because you're digging on something you heard and want to share that interpretation.

It's hard to explain.

As far as I'm aware, with music you don't start at 0:00 and end up at 4:17. To get those 4 minutes and 17 you probably put down a few hours, and stop when you think you can't take it any further. Whenever you're being creative, you have to acknowledge that creation involves destruction; and you can take something too far. Sometimes its better to just stop and leave it there because any further and you've already lost sight of what you started out on.

He's telling you to listen to the bass on Crystal Ball, but your ears better never leave the drummer.

People!

When would Prince ever play to just one or two people??!!!


I would imagine he'd only do that to subdue them, put them in a trance, so he could eat their brains while they were still alive.