Was getting to the height of his fame

I Mean Purple Rain- Graffiti Bridge era

I'm only 18 but i know music and Prince is my 3rd all time fav artist and i always wonder what it was like when Purple Rain and the others came out

Was Prince over exposed like todays artists? [Not that Prince gets old(:]

Did he start a fashion craze was he on the news every other day i mean for those of you who lived it details:D

It was the best time to be a Prince fan and I'm glad I grew up in the 80's to experience the magic

nurseV said:

Oh yeah. That was the best time to be a fan, IMO. Back before iTunes and shit when a new Prince album came out it was like "The hunt is on!" for all the related 12-inch singles (with b-sides!!!) and stuff. Not to mention the videos, posters, and MERCH. Once upon a time legit Prince t-shirts actually existed and were relatively easy to obtain without having to either actually go to a concert and pay out the ass or settle for something butt-ugly from one of his websites It was an awesome time!

The 80s were the best

It was fucking glorious in every possible way. It's when he SET the trends, didn't follow them. It's when people wanted to BE him, enjoyed him from afar, or up close. We LOVED the mystique he put out, he mystery, the emoting, the "Thank you" speeches at a major award show. He had a Card Purple to do whatever he wanted.....AND HE DID!

It's like in Purple Rain, when they play "The Beautiful Ones", tear it up, then just split. "Man, that was great. Play one song and split." Totally cocky, assured, and had the goods to back it up.

Of course nowadays it's more like when he played "Computer Blue" or "Darling Nikki" and left early for other reasons. "Little empty tonight, but of course.....money isn't everything."

My absolute favorite poster from the mid 80's. My mom torn up ALL my Prince posters after my Baptist church did this whole shindig on rock music. Prince was highlighted. They played "DMSR" and "Let's Pretend We're Married", passed the liner and jacket around. Our church did have an awesome sound system, and I was jamming to DMSR IN CHURCH! I hid all my Prince records later, but my mom got the best of my posters. I rebought this poster, and all the others I could find on eBay, a few years ago. I took pics of them and sent the pics to my mom with a note in the email that said, "I win."

Never did hear from her about that.

it was so much fun, all these amazing artists and live shows...in the 80's I was blessed enuff to see live and not in order, Prince, Maze, earth wind and fire, duran duran, Michael Jackson, Grace Jones, kid creole and the coconuts (yes don't laugh) MC Hammer (ok LAugh ;p) and so many more...

the 80's were cool... they won't make decades like that anymore... no way...

It was amazing... everyone was 'different' and 'way out' back then, but somehow Prince managed to be more 'different' than anyone else We LOVED 'different', we all strived to be the most unique, original and different we could be. No one was scared of looking crazy. Prince had an aura about him, that was just immense and intense.... yes he could do what the hell he liked, and his music backed it up. He wasn't over exposed though, he was almost 'underground', at least where I lived compared to MJ etc... he was exciting. I don't think he started a fashion craze exactly, because he was kind of mirroring what was on the streets and other bands at the time ... think Adam Ant, Spandau Ballet, so not too long after the punk movement and New Romantics, but he was very cool anyway! I think the thing that made us all sit up and take notice initially was the video for 'When Doves Cry', it was like "WHO is THAT??!!" It was really his music that blew my mind though, the b side of Purple Rain 12"....BLEW my mind!

inspireof said:

I'm not laughing... it was GREAT!

Man you guy's have no idea how jealous i am!

I fel like i was born in the wrong decade although idk if i can live without my ipod it's like my wife lol but record's and casset's wouldn't bother me(:

I Wish was born about 66 or 67 can be a little kid and start middle schoola round 79

Then to be a teen and to go to adult hood in the eighties would be AMAZING:D

I graduated high school in 1990. School dances were so fun when the DJ played Prince songs. I remember when Purple Rain was out and I was a skating party in 7th grade and Let's Go Crazy started to play, me and my friends all went screaming to the skating area (we were 12).

Starting in 1988, I began my obsession with him and would wear all kinds of freaky, Prince-type clothes to school. It was so much fun. Once I even wore a camisole to school (under a satin jacket). I thought I was soooo hot (at 16)!

Plus I live in SE Michigan and The Electrifying Mojo was all over the radio back then and rocked Prince music every night. It was a great time to be a teenager!!!!!

Gunsnhalen said:

Sorry!

You wouldn't miss your ipod, records made music really, really SPECIAL, a favourite to be treasured like your most prized possession ever!

But you know, the fact that you're interested and like the sound of the 80's gives us all hope for the future!

When real music was done by real musicials. Prince with his illreverent view on life and sex and that Bridge in Minnhaha. What fun was had there!

nurseV said:

NurseV Thanks for the pics....MEGASEXY

Gunsnhalen said:

.
[Edited 12/21/09 13:32pm]

mzsadii said:

Ur welcome and thanks to Prince for the MEGASEXYNESS

It was a lot of fun. Prince was building a reputation for incredible performances and for being a real genius at songwriting. It was always fun hearing how what he was releasing was nice but nothing close to the level of the project he was already working on, which you likely wouldn't hear for another year. In the meantime, you busied yourself soaking in the promo videos and live spots. Good times. Awesome period of musical discovery.

This is a great topic!

I graduated in 1988. I remember going to school dances and dancing like crazy to his songs. They even played Erotic City.. I don't think that the adults were paying much attention.

Folks here are right about the 80's. They were such an awesome time for music! I have seen many concerts over the years (some epic performers). My very first concert EVER was the Purple Rain Tour.. Nothing has ever compared.. and that is the truth!! It was exciting, loud, and out of control. I couldn't speak for at least three days. NOBODY was sitting down. Everyone was up dancing the whole time, Sheila E opened.. so perfect! I saw the Lovesexy tour in 1988.. also awesome... and the next time I saw Prince was in 2004 for his Musicology Tour. He never disappoints. I forced my husband to go to the last concert I attended. He is now a fan .. Loves to listen to him play guitar. I think the crowd was as loud for the Musicology tour as it was for Purple Rain (or I am just getting older? ..)

Thank you for this topic. I am happy to see others who appreciate the early days.

Jeffiner said:

Aww thank you(:

And think's everone for the memories(:

Some people when i ask how an artist's was back in the day get offended cause they think i' being a smartass and calling them old!
That's not the case at all!(: i wish i could be older now so i could have lived back then!

Imagining Mr.Price in the tabloid's every day like how Britney Spears, Lady GaGa, & The Jonas Brothers are now

Except i'd care about Prince's.... Controversy's much more lol

nurseV said:

btw first time i saw that first pic i thought Prince was flipping me off ahahah

Gunsnhalen said:

He actually wasn't in the tabloids that much. There were the occasional stories and minor controversies, but for the most part he stayed out of the rags.

Looking back on it without my purple colored glasses on, the 80's really was the perfect time to be a Prince fan. But, it was also a frustrating time to be a Prince fan.

You'd be listening to a great album, watch MTV to see the new Prince video aaaaand, suckage.

You'd hear all these fantastic B-side singles that should have been A-sides.

Just when you were ready for a next single to drop, Prince had lost interest in promoting the album he'd released 4 or 5 months ago because he was on to the next project.

You watched The Time, inevitably, break up.

You paid good money to sit through a couple of crappy ass movies.

You were amazed at the SOTT movie, and pissed cause he didn't bring that shit to the States like he should have.

Most of all, even though he'd been labeled a musical genius, you knew that the world just didn't get how talented this kid really was.

.
[Edited 9/6/09 23:19pm]

ElCapitan said:

I'm fascinated by that weird side of Prince i love weird sides to musicians!

Were as i can see any video of any band i love on Youtube i haven't seen every Prince video i want to so bad! so ther like myth's to me which is good and bad

But Prince stay's out of the tabloid's alot nowadays' he even manages to stay off that stupid ignorant shithead Perex Hiltons website from what i hear that's a shocker!

And know Purple Rain was one of the biggest albums ever and that 1999 was big to!

I Know his other albums didn't sell as well, I Know he still had number one and top ten, Twenty hits and sold 2, 3, 4, Million which is amazing for any artists but...

Warner Bro's wanted Purple Rain success! but Prince wanted to try new thing's

Kind of reminds me of another one of my favorite artist's The Boss Mr. Bruce Springsteen

Born In The U.S.A came out the same year as Purple Raina nd it ended up selling 15 million in the end it was HUGE just like Rain

So in 1987 whe he followed up with his beautiful Tunnel of Love it only sold three million great for any artist but for The Boss they wanted Born In The U.S.A Again


Record Labels suck sometimes):

ernestsewell said:

That is so effed up. I remember around the time of the mid 80s, the church announced war on Prince around the Darling Nikki thing and they even told us Queen's Another Bites The Dust had hidden messages about marijuana and the other one was Twisted Sister and Culture Club... All part of creepy church smear campaign... So wrong. Have you seen Jesus Camp the film?

ElCapitan said:

All true, as far as I remember, it was kind of frustrating, but I just accepted him the way he was, never got too hung up on it. And Gunsnhalen, we're not offended, those of us who were young in the 80's and Prince fans are STILL young!! It's some kind of magic elixir

Loved reading the stories, guys. I was born in 1985, I wish it was 1965 instead so that I could've experienced my favorite musician of all time during the Purple Rain era.

ernestsewell said:

Ah, religion. Lovely thing isn't it.

Gunsnhalen said:

This is me...It was an amazing time. My girlfriend and I went dancing almost every night for two years straight and drank nothing but water. We never left the dance floor.

I love the 80's. everyone wore the big hoop earrings and lace gloves. MTV actually played vids then. Every hour there was 2 Prince videos played at least. Then you had Dance party USA with the chicks that wore the Prince garb. FUN FUN FUN. Going to see Purple Rain at the theatre was entertaining seeing the Prince wannabees. There was also this show called Friday night videos and they always played Prince, Sheila E and The time.AHHH memories.

From "Purple Rain" through "Graffiti Bridge"? OK, those were strange years. "Purple Rain" was huge. With each album from the beginning of his career in 1978, he was becoming larger and larger in the R&B world. The song "Little Red Corvette" was his first introduction to the pop world other than "I Wanna Be Your Lover" back during the disco era in 1979. "Little Red Corvette" introduced him to the pop world and he exploded with the album "Purple Rain". As for overexposure, no he wasn't over exposed even during his biggest success because there were tons of other great artists out there also so it was all evened out.

As for after "Purple Rain" on up to "Graffiti Bridge", those are the strange years in which you asked about. Prince immediately changed his style after "Purple Rain". In the early 1980s, he had his own sound which was mixing the sounds of current pop artists of that day such as Gary Numan and Devo with funk so that really gave him his own sound and it sounded very 80s-ish. After "Purple Rain", he took elements of his own sound but he started going back to the 60s and mixing those sounds in his music which turned a lot of people off. He started adding hippy sounding psychadelic sounds on "Around The World In A Day", then on "Parade", he added orchestras and horns. On "Sign O The Times", he was still in the 60s and it just continued on and on pissing more and more of his previous pre-Purple Rain fans off and a lot of the Purple Rain fans also. He was making up for his losses with European fans but a lot of American fans were leaving left and right with each album. And a lot of the older hardcore fans that still remained as fans, myself included, kept waiting for the "Old Prince" to return. He did return with one album, "Batman". It may have not been 100% "Old Prince" sounding, but it was current sounding for the day and didn't sound retro 1960s early 1970s-ish. It was too late though because a lot of those old fans left and a new decade was approaching with a different sound altogether.

Gunsnhalen said:

Dare I ask who your favourite first two artists are?