Author | Message |
Was Prince's 'spiritual awakening' during Lovesexy a sham? Prince appeared to have become understandably bitter about the commercial disaster that was UTCM, the break-up of The Revolution, The Crystal Ball debacle with WB, declining sales post-PR, and his failed relationship with Susannah Melvoin, which probably accounts for him turning to ecstacy and the resulting bad trip he experienced during that 'dark night of the soul'. After withdrawing the Black album for spiritual reasons, he produced Lovesexy, which was meant to be a positive spiritual awakening for Prince. Interestingly, unlike today, he performed songs like Head and Sister (despite his proclamations of Christianity) and apparently enjoyed an entourage of groupies during the Lovesexy tour, which leads me to doubt the whole 'spiritual awakening' episode. I'm not saying that as a major rock star he should refrain from these things but it seems quite hypocritical considering the fact that he was encouraging the audience to turn away from the dark side (part 1 of the concert) and embrace the godliness and pure spirituality of part 2 of the concert. I think Prince was without a plan or direction for the first time in his career- he was lost (apart from having Graffiti Bridge on the backburner). | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
It was a lot more believable and human awakening then than the one he's gone through now, which amounts to nothing but a bunch of arbitrary and contradictory rules imposed on himself so that he can get into heaven. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I truly believe that after the fallings out over Crystal Ball, this was Prince's way of sneaking out a double album right under Warner Bros noses. Black/Lovesexy are 2 very different sides to the same coin.
I think the debacle was just a way to let the fan's know what to look for... After all, the first line of the Black Album is 'So... you found me. Good, I'm glad'.
blah blah blah | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Who said he had a "spiritual awakening" then (and what does that even mean)?
Prince has always had his own brand of spirituality. Even now, he turns his faith into something that suits him.
One thing he has always been is utterly human. We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
lawd hammercy.
The whole concept of Lovesexy is about spiritual rebirth. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I think it was real. This guy has an interesting take on it...
http://www.savetherobot.com/articles/prince_8788.html | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I think it was real. I think where Prince is now is real. If its a sham, then so what? That's his problem not any of ours. Lovesexy was where he was in 1988, if that mindset changed in 1989, then that was on him not on you. This is supposed to be entertainment. That entertainment is either hitting you or it isn't. He's a grown ass man and if he wants to change his mind about things, then he can cause it's his right to. You guys do the same thing, you just don't have a fansite critiqing your every move and thought. It's what it was and it's what it is, no more or less. I'm not a fan of "old Prince". I'm not a fan of "new Prince". I'm just a fan of Prince. Simple as that | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
He was kind of having his cake and eating it too with the concert. But he did that a lot. The way he closes Around the World in a Day suggests a spiritual awakening too that he didn't really stick with. And then Graffiti Bridge was another one. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
"Tis nobody funkier -- let the Black Album fly." Spooky | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
... | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I would consider GB to be more of someone coming to terms with their spirituality rather than a reawakening. Maybe semantics, but it seemed like he already had the right idea and had the goal of God in GB, but that it took someone to explain to him how to process that and release that to actually allow it to come to fruition.
2 centz | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Eye No | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Yeah, I can see that. Since so much of GB and Lovesexy were made at the same time, it seemed like a continuation of that spiritual awakening in some regards. But judged on its own, your point make sense. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Prince's first midlife crisis...
| |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Yeah, I know what the album's about. That doesn't mean it's autobiographical, necessarily. Do you think everything Prince writes/sings about is to be taken literally? We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I think Prince had the concept for Graffiti Bridge near 1985/1986 I'll search my interview logs I think he talked about it ...
| |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
When you talk abut God, which God are you talking about? The Christian God? Jewish? Buddhist? Is there any God in particular you have in mind? | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Prince always had a grasp on his spirituality and it's been true.
The better question is were the fans screaming when Prince asked "Do U believe?" shamming? Since nowadays when he brings up religion everyone starts . When go 2 a Prince concert or related event it's all up in the house but when log onto this site and the miasma of bitchiness is completely overwhelming! | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I always thought the black album was a stunt. That he intended it to be bootlegged.
I do not care what he said in the video or the notes. I think he wanted the Black Album to be a BLACK market album. "Keep on shilling for Big Pharm!" | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Think about the bigget picture of how the industry works, and the mechanics of the physical product itself if nothing else.
They certainly worked the publicity of it for sure, but there's a difference between putting info about something out there and letting copies go astray, and actually printing up thousands of copies only to destroy them. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Well, not everything. But a lot of it, sure. I think he uses a lot of alleghory and a lot of metaphors and sometimes he conflates ideas, people, names, history, etc. But the heart of it all is mostly autobiographical.
I can think of some tracks I wouldn't necessarily consider autobiographical ("Rockhard in a Funky Place", "Hot Thing", etc) because they depict actual fantasies he is having. But on the real, I believe "I Know" and "Anna Stesia" and "Posivity" are fairly autobiographical tunes. 'least I've always thougth them to be. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
what of the totally mixed signals?
'don't buy the black album please I'm sorry' but then release one and preform, what I would call the 2 worst (in terms of 'negative content'), two other songs in concert--and release them officially.
"Keep on shilling for Big Pharm!" | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
And that's fine. I do, too. But I don't think their mere presence indicates an "awakening." It's just as likely that he always felt like that - and that this was just the first time he said it. We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Very good question HonestMan13. I'm not a fan of "old Prince". I'm not a fan of "new Prince". I'm just a fan of Prince. Simple as that | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
The songs were performed live as part of the theme of the show - it being a live representation of the themes of the album. So the first half naughty Prince, second half, he's redeemed. Lovesexy exists because of the Black album's cancellation. It was recorded after the album was cancelled (except W2RIL and reworking The Ball into Eye No). | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I've never known anyone to have a 'bad trip' on Ecstacy. You can have a dud pill, but 'bad trip' makes it sound like he'd dropped a tab of bad acid or something.
Anyway, that aside, I'd love to know what happened that night from Chavez's point of view - although I imagine now that she'd play along with 'the game' due to the original story now having long since fallen into the annals of rock mythology.
Finally, whilst I don't fully hold with the notion that Prince fully intended for the Black Album to be bootlegged (like NouveauDance mentioned, it's one thing to allow a few hundred copies out of the gates, it's quite another to press and package hundreds of thousands), I DO think that he knew exactly what he was doing with releasing a 'double album' under Warner's noses.
He can be very shrwed when he wants to be, even back then he knew how to work the system and bend the rules as far as he could.
The argument of flooding the market with too much product is one for another thread. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Truth. "New Power slide...." | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Prince said that "let's go crazy" was more spiritual than what ended up on record. I wonder if that was true or just something he made up?
also he said in 85 how his spiritual beliefs are sincerer so, it was not something that happened in 87. "Keep on shilling for Big Pharm!" | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Love Sexy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Always gets me excited..... what a fantastic piece of music.....
The whole album.....
. [Edited 2/2/11 16:13pm] Prince 4Ever. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I believe the fans screamed "Yes" because he presented a joyful spirit connecting with God and he invited you along. I'll always be thankful for the term Lovesexy.
He seems content now, but I think folks roll their eyes now because his once free spirit seems to have settled into a dogmatic self-righteousness that is a turn off.
His previous invitation to spiritual joy has turned into "you better get the accurate knowledge as I give it to you, or else".
-Silk | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |