I wanted to know how the new, younger fans perceive Prince's muisc from the 80's, 90's and 00's. I was exposed to Prince's music in the 80's and eventually became a fan in 1989. At this time and until the mid-90's, Prince was considered THE musical genius of our time and his 80's albums were so edgy compared to most of the music of that time. I've been thru this, I've seen his career & music evolve for 20 years, I've seen him being worshipped and/or controversed in my young years, I've seen him lose his "hype" status, become kind of an underground artist, and eventually become a living icon. I hear most of the "old" fans complain that they don't like Prince's new music as much as his classics but what if you grew up with music from the 2000's? What if u weren't there when Prince was leading the world of music?

All of you guys who are between 15 and 20 years-old, who grew-up with today's music and most likely first discovered Prince thru a 2000's album, you guys who never went thru the synth-pop and electrofunk years, when everything more or less sounded like trying to mimic Prince's music... How do u perceive his classic albums? Do his post 1995 material sound weaker to you than his classic stuff that's from your parents' generation? Don't his classic album sometimes sound odd or dated for your younger ears? Do his recent albums sound contemporary to u? How do you perceive these "classic" years and all the myths that's around them.

Thanks for your answers and any other thoughts you'd wanna share about all this

just visiting

I don't know how likely it is that a newer fan jumped on the bandwagon because of his post millenium music lol.

I discovered Prince through my father when I was 6/7. I preferred his Warner Bros era material even then. My favourite Prince album was Purple Rain, but I loved the Rave Un2 The Year 2000 DVD a hell of a lot more than I do now.

I'm nearly 20, I've been a solid fan since I was about 15. I got into Prince through the Omnibus documentary and Rave being on t.v in some peculiar little music special thing. My mum had also had the Around The World Day record and the Parade tape, but she's really only ever been a super casual fan...anyway, none of that's making much of a point. I now have all the official records, films, related artist records and a nice bootleg collection and I've spent most of the 5 years I've been into P not digging too much on anything post Gold Experience.

Now, in the last year or so, I've been putting in a concerted effort to listen through the albums I never liked.

I've LOVED 'The Truth' record on a number of occassions. and I LOOOOOVE 'The Human Body' off Emancipation right now...

there are certainly some ok songs to listen to. but i really don't think they stand strong on their own. like, I enjoy a lot of the post 95 songs out of association, or curiosity. i still will get them anything to come though, because there's a vibe that still exists for me. but yeah...

and NO they don't sound dated to me and I think that's possibly the most attractive thing about him as an 80s artist. I love a lot of 80s music, but a lot of the time you know you're hearing an 80s record and it limits how much i can appreciate. Cyndi Lauper is probably the only person who sounds 80s dated that I love and can listen to constantly.

there are times I wish there were like 10 Prince albums and that I could just know all those songs, be happy with them and that be it. but i love that there are unreleased tunes to always hear, new records to always hear, boots to hear, rare interviews to find, pictures, singles, videos, related artists. i'm glad there's a 'Prince World'. i get kind of obsessive with my music, and prince just makes it easy to be that way.

p.s Prince (the self-titled record) is SOOOOOOOOOO amazing and underrated.

databank said:

you guys who never went thru the synth-pop and electrofunk years

Maybe not, but I went through an 80s phase when I was really young.

[Edited 6/6/11 3:12am]

databank said:

Don't his classic album sometimes sound odd or dated for your younger ears? Do his recent albums sound contemporary to u?

I think his classic albums sound cool and always have. On most recent albums, he's trying too hard.

I am 14 years old as of today and I am a new fan.

How do u perceive his classic albums?

I think that they're genius.

Do his post 1995 material sound weaker to you than his classic stuff that's from your parents' generation?

Most of his post 1988 stuff does.

Don't his classic album sometimes sound odd or dated for your younger ears?

Hell no.

Do his recent albums sound contemporary to u?

He sounds like he's trying too hard.

How do you perceive these "classic" years and all the myths that's around them.

I wish I was around.

smoothcriminal12 said:

I am 14 years old as of today and I am a new fan.

How do u perceive his classic albums?

I think that they're genius.

Do his post 1995 material sound weaker to you than his classic stuff that's from your parents' generation?

Most of his post 1988 stuff does.

Don't his classic album sometimes sound odd or dated for your younger ears?

Hell no.

Do his recent albums sound contemporary to u?

He sounds like he's trying too hard.

How do you perceive these "classic" years and all the myths that's around them.

I wish I was around.

your grammar skills are too good for a 14 year old

but i basically agree with everything you said, except the bolded. i would change that to.. most of his post 2001 stuff. after rainbow children is when i think he started losing it, musically. except for lotusflower, and a few songs here and there.

I'm a little older than this age range being closer to 30, but I knew his 80's stuff as a little kid with owning some videos, and though I kept up with him in the 90's, all of it wasn't sitting well with me until way later on, and in the early 00's, I started buying his albums whereas before I loved him in passing. A lot of his stuff sounds classic to me, but I'm choosy about what I like and what I don't in his catalogue cause it's large. I believe his creative peak was from his first album through to the early 90's, and then it was hit and miss, though the songs I do like after it are great and today's artists should still bow down to him, cause I still hear influences of his music in them and getting to know his catalogue more helped me recognize that.

[Edited 6/6/11 4:49am]

I'm 19 at the moment, and been a fan for about 3 years. I think his classic albums (1978-1988) are diverse, unique, ground breaking, entertaining, emotive, wonderful works of artistic and musical genius. His post WB material is definitely inferior to those classic albums, and I really think that it doesn't matter how old you are, what your surroundings are, or what generation you came from. Good music is good music, and that's how I feel about his classic albums. They don't sound dated to me because the music is timeless.

However, I will say that most of the material from the 90s does sound dated to me, and also that in my humble opinion LOtUSFLOW3R is my favourite album that he's released since Lovesexy (although there are songs released on albums betwen Lovesexy and LOtUSFLOW3R which I believe are superior to those released on LOtUSFLOW3R). I'm talking about the main album here. MPLSoUND was alright, but wasn't great. Elixer was okay, I listened to it a few times when the album was released but then never went back to it.

For me, his recent albums are stagnant and formulaic. Whereas in his older albums most of the songs were amazing, this is not the case with his recent albums. With his post WB releases, I find that usually there's 1-2 relatively good songs and the rest are kind of average. If you were to ask me to name my favourite Prince songs from 1978-1995 I would have a massively long list. Ask me the same question for the years 1995-present and the list would be considerably shorter.

Like smoothcriminal12 said, I wish I had been around to experience and witness those classic years, and to have grown up with those hits.

Well, I'm 18 and I've been a fan since 2007, so here are my thoughts...

How do u perceive his classic albums?

Some are great (Parade, Sign O The Times), and some sound like horribly dated pop music (Purple Rain). Good music is good music. I like old stuff like The Beatles, and I like more modern artists like Radiohead and Lady Gaga. I think some of Prince's 80s music is genius, but not all of it.

I don't hate Purple Rain, by the way. I think the songs are great, I just think the production and heavy 80s synthersizer sound of it makes it sound ridiculous in 2011.

Do his post 1995 material sound weaker to you than his classic stuff that's from your parents' generation?

No. Some of it does, but I honestly think as a songwriter, Prince has improved. His music might not be as fun or 'groundbreaking', but I think in terms of lyrics, something like "Dreamer" is far superior to "Head" or "Jack U Off". Musically, "The Rainbow Children" (i know it's 10 years old now) proves he's still a talented composer and "Lotusflow3r" proves he's still a great instrumentalist.

I also find that when playing Prince music for friends and family who don't like him, they tend to like his more recent music. Probably because he's not as 'weird' or 'freaky' anymore. Some critic said that around the mid-90s, Prince went from being a 'groundbreaker' to a 'craftsman', and I think that's very true. Fans might not find his music particularly interesting or essential anymore, but I think his albums are still very pleasant and enjoyable.

Don't his classic album sometimes sound odd or dated for your younger ears?

Odd? No. Dated? Yes, sometimes, especially "Purple Rain". However, I don't listen to very much modern music. I've always liked older music from the '60s-'80s. I imagine anyone who listens to today's pop music might not 'get' Prince's older stuff.

Do his recent albums sound contemporary to u?

Sometimes, although I prefer the ones that don't. I like Prince when he's trying something new. Be it the jazzy "Rainbow Children", funky instrumental albums ("NEWS"), or guitar heavy rock music, like on "Lotusflow3r". However, I find "MPLSound" and "20Ten" to be very embarrassing. He sounds like he's trying to go for that 80s sound to make his old fans happy, but to me (a younger fan), he's failing miserably at it. I'd rather him do something more 'artsy' and timeless than something that sounds 'contemporary'.

How do you perceive these "classic" years and all the myths that's around them.

I don't really understand what you mean by myths, but I think his 80s work tends to be overrated (not that it's bad, but it wasn't all perfect), and I think his 90s and 00s work tends to be underrated (not that's it's all great).

I think Prince is still a great artist, although that's tough for me to say after his last two albums ("MPLSound" and "20Ten"). I think his fans are just too used to him, that his (new) music doesn't really interest them anymore. That's why I said I wish he'd do something different, like venturing more into jazz or rock music, rather than trying to recapture his 80s glory. It's never gonna happen.

-- by the way, I'm very happy you asked this question. It seems like most people here hate younger fans, and they get angry when someone tries to say he's still making great music, or that not all of his 80s music was perfect.

[Edited 6/6/11 13:25pm]

minneapolisFunq said:

I don't know how likely it is that a newer fan jumped on the bandwagon because of his post millenium music lol.

I jumped on the bandwagon because of the Planet Earth album. I don't love it anymore, but I did at the time. I also know someone who became a fan after hearing "Laydown" (my personal least favorite song) live on Lopez Tonight. So his new music is still attracting younger fans.

The1592 said:

Well, I'm 18 and I've been a fan since 2007, so here are my thoughts...

How do u perceive his classic albums?

Some are great (Parade, Sign O The Times), and some sound like horribly dated pop music (Purple Rain). Good music is good music. I like old stuff like The Beatles, and I like more modern artists like Radiohead and Lady Gaga. I think some of Prince's 80s music is genius, but not all of it.

I don't hate Purple Rain, by the way. I think the songs are great, I just think the production and heavy 80s synthersizer sound of it makes it sound ridiculous in 2011.

Do his post 1995 material sound weaker to you than his classic stuff that's from your parents' generation?

No. Some of it does, but I honestly think as a songwriter, Prince has improved. His music might not be as fun or 'groundbreaking', but I think in terms of lyrics, something like "Dreamer" is far superior to "Head" or "Jack U Off". Musically, "The Rainbow Children" (i know it's 10 years old now) proves he's still a talented composer and "Lotusflow3r" proves he's still a great instrumentalist.

I also find that when playing Prince music for friends and family who don't like him, they tend to like his more recent music. Probably because he's not as 'weird' or 'freaky' anymore. Some critic said that around the mid-90s, Prince went from being a 'groundbreaker' to a 'craftsman', and I think that's very true. Fans might not find his music particularly interesting or essential anymore, but I think his albums are still very pleasant and enjoyable.

Don't his classic album sometimes sound odd or dated for your younger ears?

Odd? No. Dated? Yes, sometimes, especially "Purple Rain". However, I don't listen to very much modern music. I've always liked older music from the '60s-'80s. I imagine anyone who listens to today's pop music might not 'get' Prince's older stuff.

Do his recent albums sound contemporary to u?

Sometimes, although I prefer the ones that don't. I like Prince when he's trying something new. Be it the jazzy "Rainbow Children", funky instrumental albums ("NEWS"), or guitar heavy rock music, like on "Lotusflow3r". However, I find "MPLSound" and "20Ten" to be very embarrassing. He sounds like he's trying to go for that 80s sound to make his old fans happy, but to me (a younger fan), he's failing miserably at it. I'd rather him do something more 'artsy' and timeless than something that sounds 'contemporary'.

How do you perceive these "classic" years and all the myths that's around them.

I don't really understand what you mean by myths, but I think his 80s work tends to be overrated (not that it's bad, but it wasn't all perfect), and I think his 90s and 00s work tends to be underrated (not that's it's all great).

I think Prince is still a great artist, although that's tough for me to say after his last two albums ("MPLSound" and "20Ten"). I think his fans are just too used to him, that his (new) music doesn't really interest them anymore. That's why I said I wish he'd do something different, like venturing more into jazz or rock music, rather than trying to recapture his 80s glory. It's never gonna happen.

-- by the way, I'm very happy you asked this question. It seems like most people here hate younger fans, and they get angry when someone tries to say he's still making great music, or that not all of his 80s music was perfect.

[Edited 6/6/11 13:25pm]

Love this person.

I'm 17 years old, and I became a fan about a year ago. The first song I heard by Prince was Black Sweat, which I thought was pretty cool at the time. As I've said before, after seeing the video, I thought he had some sort of relation to Michael Jackson, which intrigued me . But to be honest, he fell off my radar after that (I was less discerning of music than I am now, so whatever was on the radio sounded fine to me). Jump to last year, I heard he was going to be honored on the BET awards, so I figured I should get to know some of his music. I looked on iTunes, and listened to the 30 second preview of his most popular songs. I heard Little Red Corvette, which took me a long time to get used to, but I really latched on to Kiss. So as I'm watching the awards and the celebrity tributes, I'm seeing artists I'm very familiar with sing songs I've never heard of. Of course, I became really curious and started to delve into all of his songs (with no regard for experiencing them in chronological order as some of the luckier fans have been able to). About a week later, I went to Target and found Lotusflow3r on sale, and shortly thereafter I downloaded Come from iTunes, and so on. Right now, I have at least a song from every Prince-approved album (of his own music) with the exception of NEWS and Xpectation.

As for my preferences when it comes to his music, because I was so behind most of his music, there is something about every album/ each time period that I enjoy. I love the 80s because each album is so different; Parade is so different from SOTT is so different from Lovesexy, etc. I love the 90s because those songs are vaguely familiar to me. When I first (or re-heard, rather) TMBGITW, I could hum through the chorus though I hadn't heard it in years. I also like the direction he was taking with rap and mixing it with pop (TGE is such a fun album to me). Prince was so inspired by all the things going on with his life and music at the time, so sometimes it reflected well in his work, and sometimes it reflected poorly. And I love the 00's because of his relatively safe approach to music (except TRC) just because that's when the rest of the music world started taking a turn for the worse in terms of sexuality and profanity in lyrics and such.

I like some of Prince's classic albums (SOTT and Controversy are really cool), but I rarely listen to the huge hit albums like 1999 and Purple Rain. The albums from the 80s and 90s sound a bit dated to me, but that's partly what makes them so interesting. His post 1995 stuff doesn't sound weaker that the preceding albums simply because I don't think of them that way. Aside from Parade and SOTT, my favorite Prince albums are all post-1995 material, starting with Emancipation. His more recent albums are easier to digest than his older ones, since I was mainly listening to Britney Spears, Destiny's Child and TLC growing up.

And as for your last question, I'm always intrigued by all the backstory of his old albums. It makes discovering these facts more exciting, and I think of each album like a puzzle where I have to find all the little details. I guess you could say that's my excuse for trolling around on this site when I should be doing homework!

The1592 said:

It seems like most people here hate younger fans, and they get angry when someone tries to say he's still making great music, or that not all of his 80s music was perfect.

[Edited 6/6/11 13:25pm]

So true!

I'm 16, fan since I was 13..

How do u perceive his classic albums?

I think they are all great, to be honest. Maybe that makes me a ''stan'' but I love them all. lol, I honestely prefer his 80's material the most.

Do his post 1995 material sound weaker to you than his classic stuff that's from your parents' generation?

Some of them, but I love Gold Experience as example, that album is better than some 80's albums.

Don't his classic album sometimes sound odd or dated for your younger ears?

No, absolutely not. Especially because the 80's sound is totally coming back.

I honestely think very decade has great albums, but the most favorites of mine are from the 80's. I loveee the 80's, I'm totally obsessed with the 80's.. so..

90's albums are great too though, but I prefer some 00's albums over the 90's albums. But the 90's has also awesome albums.

So, I actually love all his stuff, but there are some shit too of course or weaker songs/albums.

Musicology and Rave... are just not my thing (as example) ok there a view great songs on Musicology but the complete album just doesn't work for me.

just1lousydime said:

The1592 said:

It seems like most people here hate younger fans, and they get angry when someone tries to say he's still making great music, or that not all of his 80s music was perfect.

[Edited 6/6/11 13:25pm]

So true!

It's because too many people here and in the real world are music snobs.

You weren't even alive when that came out.

Well I'm originally a fan of Michael Jackson and all the time when I was 12 (98) and having a Thriller moment, i kept hearing about Purple Rain. So one day I broke down and rented it and I liked Prince in it and have been into the man ever since. But I had to wait till I was 18 to really get in him because my mom refused to let his music in the house before then. I went with the 80s music and on up to his current stuff. I like his TAFKAP stuff best actually. The rage behind it.

I'm 25 and almost too old to date Prince now.

guarinigirl2000 said:

Well I'm originally a fan of Michael Jackson and all the time when I was 12 (98) and having a Thriller moment, i kept hearing about Purple Rain. So one day I broke down and rented it and I liked Prince in it and have been into the man ever since. But I had to wait till I was 18 to really get in him because my mom refused to let his music in the house before then. I went with the 80s music and on up to his current stuff. I like his TAFKAP stuff best actually. The rage behind it.

I'm 25 and almost too old to date Prince now.

I'm 22, so I think I'm about to get kicked out in a few years too

18 over here.

And I have to say, growing up listening to to 2000s music did nothing help attract me to Prince, even Prince's own 2000s music because I didn't even know those era songs when I got into Prince 3 years ago. After watching Purple Rain, I started from the beginning of his career and listened to 30 years worth of music in 1 week's time.

Trust me, I wish I was born back in the 70s so I could grow up in 80s and witness all those wondrous things that Prince had done thorughout his career, professional, bold, or crazy, lol. I would've loved it all.

To me, his music is something new. Something I had been looking for like a high in my musical listening. Mainstream in my day was dead, repetitive, and quickly became boring after a couple listens. So, with discovering Prince's music from Purple Rain, my mind was continuously stimulated and anticipating whatever else clever came out of Prince's sexy mouth. Then came understanding what his meaning, then went to loving the rhythm and styles of his music. No, classics ARE NOT dated, and YES, still respect his newer albums. Yeah, I agree that his older albums had that aura, mystic, and special consistancy about them. But no, I respect all his albums because they were created from what he eas thinking/feeling at that moment. All special.

lovecomequick said:

I'm nearly 20, I've been a solid fan since I was about 15. I got into Prince through the Omnibus documentary and Rave being on t.v in some peculiar little music special thing. My mum had also had the Around The World Day record and the Parade tape, but she's really only ever been a super casual fan...anyway, none of that's making much of a point. I now have all the official records, films, related artist records and a nice bootleg collection and I've spent most of the 5 years I've been into P not digging too much on anything post Gold Experience.

Now, in the last year or so, I've been putting in a concerted effort to listen through the albums I never liked.

I've LOVED 'The Truth' record on a number of occassions. and I LOOOOOVE 'The Human Body' off Emancipation right now...

there are certainly some ok songs to listen to. but i really don't think they stand strong on their own. like, I enjoy a lot of the post 95 songs out of association, or curiosity. i still will get them anything to come though, because there's a vibe that still exists for me. but yeah...

and NO they don't sound dated to me and I think that's possibly the most attractive thing about him as an 80s artist. I love a lot of 80s music, but a lot of the time you know you're hearing an 80s record and it limits how much i can appreciate. Cyndi Lauper is probably the only person who sounds 80s dated that I love and can listen to constantly.

there are times I wish there were like 10 Prince albums and that I could just know all those songs, be happy with them and that be it. but i love that there are unreleased tunes to always hear, new records to always hear, boots to hear, rare interviews to find, pictures, singles, videos, related artists. i'm glad there's a 'Prince World'. i get kind of obsessive with my music, and prince just makes it easy to be that way.

p.s Prince (the self-titled record) is SOOOOOOOOOO amazing and underrated.

Yeah it is! My grandpa own that record. My mom said she use to play it alot. Lol. Her favorite song to play on that album was "When We're Dancing Close And Slow"

[Edited 6/6/11 23:26pm]

databank said:

I wanted to know how the new, younger fans perceive Prince's muisc from the 80's, 90's and 00's. I was exposed to Prince's music in the 80's and eventually became a fan in 1989. At this time and until the mid-90's, Prince was considered THE musical genius of our time and his 80's albums were so edgy compared to most of the music of that time. I've been thru this, I've seen his career & music evolve for 20 years, I've seen him being worshipped and/or controversed in my young years, I've seen him lose his "hype" status, become kind of an underground artist, and eventually become a living icon. I hear most of the "old" fans complain that they don't like Prince's new music as much as his classics but what if you grew up with music from the 2000's? What if u weren't there when Prince was leading the world of music?

All of you guys who are between 15 and 20 years-old, who grew-up with today's music and most likely first discovered Prince thru a 2000's album, you guys who never went thru the synth-pop and electrofunk years, when everything more or less sounded like trying to mimic Prince's music... How do u perceive his classic albums? Do his post 1995 material sound weaker to you than his classic stuff that's from your parents' generation? Don't his classic album sometimes sound odd or dated for your younger ears? Do his recent albums sound contemporary to u? How do you perceive these "classic" years and all the myths that's around them.

Thanks for your answers and any other thoughts you'd wanna share about all this

I'm 25 years old, and was introduced to Prince by my father. Re-discovered him in the beginning my grown days after being a fan of OutKast, Prodigy...

How do u perceive his classic albums? Do his post 1995 material sound weaker to you than his classic stuff that's from your parents' generation?

To me, nothing after the 90s could touch the legacy of his 5 super classics...

Dirty Mind defined his persona that was to be important for his sound in the 80s

1999 Defined his way of incorporating the 80s sound to his own uique style

Purple Rain made him a superstar

Parade was really showing us that he was a very versatile artist, even playing with some classical themes

SOTT was his final exam.

His post 95material did also not stand a chance to his minor and nearly classics...

Controversy, ATWIAD, Love Sexy, Prince, Black Album

Don't his classic album sometimes sound odd or dated for your younger ears?

Prince was one of few being able to make the 80s sound long lasting. But of course the Linn drums will always be ascosiated with the 80s, so is the oberheim synth. Nowadays Dam Funk is doing something very similar though, yet maintaining a modern and new sound. I don't think Prince sounds dated, but I know some will say that his use of these drum sounds and synths is very much the 80s. But he couldn't escape it, as you say. People were copying him. Although albums like Graffiti Bridge had a terrible dated and "trendy" Flyte Tymish sound. I'd rather listen to Janet Jacksons old albums than Graffiti Bridge. It had maybe 2 great songs on it.

Do his recent albums sound contemporary to u?

recent albums are on the most part very boring. There's a bunch of other artists alot more interesting than his new material, for the most part. He even tried being trendy with autotune. Didn't work.

How do you perceive these "classic" years and all the myths that's around them.

His golden era between 1980 and 1988 was one of the best.

GeminiBrown said:

The1592 said:

Well, I'm 18 and I've been a fan since 2007, so here are my thoughts...

How do u perceive his classic albums?

Some are great (Parade, Sign O The Times), and some sound like horribly dated pop music (Purple Rain). Good music is good music. I like old stuff like The Beatles, and I like more modern artists like Radiohead and Lady Gaga. I think some of Prince's 80s music is genius, but not all of it.

I don't hate Purple Rain, by the way. I think the songs are great, I just think the production and heavy 80s synthersizer sound of it makes it sound ridiculous in 2011.

Do his post 1995 material sound weaker to you than his classic stuff that's from your parents' generation?

No. Some of it does, but I honestly think as a songwriter, Prince has improved. His music might not be as fun or 'groundbreaking', but I think in terms of lyrics, something like "Dreamer" is far superior to "Head" or "Jack U Off". Musically, "The Rainbow Children" (i know it's 10 years old now) proves he's still a talented composer and "Lotusflow3r" proves he's still a great instrumentalist.

I also find that when playing Prince music for friends and family who don't like him, they tend to like his more recent music. Probably because he's not as 'weird' or 'freaky' anymore. Some critic said that around the mid-90s, Prince went from being a 'groundbreaker' to a 'craftsman', and I think that's very true. Fans might not find his music particularly interesting or essential anymore, but I think his albums are still very pleasant and enjoyable.

Don't his classic album sometimes sound odd or dated for your younger ears?

Odd? No. Dated? Yes, sometimes, especially "Purple Rain". However, I don't listen to very much modern music. I've always liked older music from the '60s-'80s. I imagine anyone who listens to today's pop music might not 'get' Prince's older stuff.

Do his recent albums sound contemporary to u?

Sometimes, although I prefer the ones that don't. I like Prince when he's trying something new. Be it the jazzy "Rainbow Children", funky instrumental albums ("NEWS"), or guitar heavy rock music, like on "Lotusflow3r". However, I find "MPLSound" and "20Ten" to be very embarrassing. He sounds like he's trying to go for that 80s sound to make his old fans happy, but to me (a younger fan), he's failing miserably at it. I'd rather him do something more 'artsy' and timeless than something that sounds 'contemporary'.

How do you perceive these "classic" years and all the myths that's around them.

I don't really understand what you mean by myths, but I think his 80s work tends to be overrated (not that it's bad, but it wasn't all perfect), and I think his 90s and 00s work tends to be underrated (not that's it's all great).

I think Prince is still a great artist, although that's tough for me to say after his last two albums ("MPLSound" and "20Ten"). I think his fans are just too used to him, that his (new) music doesn't really interest them anymore. That's why I said I wish he'd do something different, like venturing more into jazz or rock music, rather than trying to recapture his 80s glory. It's never gonna happen.

-- by the way, I'm very happy you asked this question. It seems like most people here hate younger fans, and they get angry when someone tries to say he's still making great music, or that not all of his 80s music was perfect.

[Edited 6/6/11 13:25pm]

Love this person.

Me too. Very intelligent and thought provoking response.

just1lousydime said:

The1592 said:

It seems like most people here hate younger fans, and they get angry when someone tries to say he's still making great music, or that not all of his 80s music was perfect.

[Edited 6/6/11 13:25pm]

So true!

So sorry, please don't let it bother you....all fans are loved whether they have been around for 30 years or 30 days. Its all about supporting Prince and his music. It doesn't matter if you were born or not when the music came out...if you can appreciate it, then great. If you don't like it, then say it! B/C there are plenty of people that like his newer stuff more than his older stuff (aside from hits which everyone seems to love).

I'm 31 so I guess I'm too old for this post but I mainly grew up with his 90's music. The hits I actually saw on the charts are from 89 to 94. During the 90's I loved him because his anger matched my own teenage rebellion. I agree he is now much more a craft artist and has been for a long time. He is not Prince the trendsetter. Now he is Prince the musician. However I will take any new music over a covers cd or a songbook of old material. I am glad he is a crafts artist and not total cover artist.

i'm 19 and i discovered prince 2 years ago when i bought the Gold Exp 2$ in a...."vente de garage". Since then, I ve never been disapointed by his music, not with his groundbreaking first albums, clearly revisited in today's music(maybe the reason why 20ten sounds like old stuff), neither by every cds that went out after GExp. I'm living in Quebec and Prince is just as big as Latoya Jackson here... so, in my opinion, anywhere you start in Prince discography, once you "get" the guy, I guess, you'resold out to any stuff he can make (I am, in fact). I mean, if Rave Un2 or Chaos and Disorder were the only Prince albums, i'll probably b listening to them right now , you guys 2. (sorry for my english)

I'm 15 years old....

How do u perceive his classic albums?

I very like Purple Rain. If someone wants to get into his music, he should listen PR at first. I never really like SOTT. It has strange songs. Just a album full of songs, which have nothing to do with themselves. Stop, Adore is beautiful. If I Was Your Girlfriend is a pretty song, i very like music video. U Got The Look is nice. Controversy was the first Prince's album i have heard. Controversy as a song is pretty cool, my younger sister very like that.

Do his post 1995 material sound weaker to you than his classic stuff that's from your parents' generation?

No. I very like that sound. Most of my friends, who don't listen to his music, prefer his new albums. I mean, 3121, Muscology, Lotusflow3r. Of course, that's a totally diffrent sound, less guitar, more synthesizers. Sounds like a early GaGa.

GeminiBrown said:

The1592 said:

Well, I'm 18 and I've been a fan since 2007, so here are my thoughts...

How do u perceive his classic albums?

Some are great (Parade, Sign O The Times), and some sound like horribly dated pop music (Purple Rain). Good music is good music. I like old stuff like The Beatles, and I like more modern artists like Radiohead and Lady Gaga. I think some of Prince's 80s music is genius, but not all of it.

I don't hate Purple Rain, by the way. I think the songs are great, I just think the production and heavy 80s synthersizer sound of it makes it sound ridiculous in 2011.

Do his post 1995 material sound weaker to you than his classic stuff that's from your parents' generation?

No. Some of it does, but I honestly think as a songwriter, Prince has improved. His music might not be as fun or 'groundbreaking', but I think in terms of lyrics, something like "Dreamer" is far superior to "Head" or "Jack U Off". Musically, "The Rainbow Children" (i know it's 10 years old now) proves he's still a talented composer and "Lotusflow3r" proves he's still a great instrumentalist.

I also find that when playing Prince music for friends and family who don't like him, they tend to like his more recent music. Probably because he's not as 'weird' or 'freaky' anymore. Some critic said that around the mid-90s, Prince went from being a 'groundbreaker' to a 'craftsman', and I think that's very true. Fans might not find his music particularly interesting or essential anymore, but I think his albums are still very pleasant and enjoyable.

Don't his classic album sometimes sound odd or dated for your younger ears?

Odd? No. Dated? Yes, sometimes, especially "Purple Rain". However, I don't listen to very much modern music. I've always liked older music from the '60s-'80s. I imagine anyone who listens to today's pop music might not 'get' Prince's older stuff.

Do his recent albums sound contemporary to u?

Sometimes, although I prefer the ones that don't. I like Prince when he's trying something new. Be it the jazzy "Rainbow Children", funky instrumental albums ("NEWS"), or guitar heavy rock music, like on "Lotusflow3r". However, I find "MPLSound" and "20Ten" to be very embarrassing. He sounds like he's trying to go for that 80s sound to make his old fans happy, but to me (a younger fan), he's failing miserably at it. I'd rather him do something more 'artsy' and timeless than something that sounds 'contemporary'.

How do you perceive these "classic" years and all the myths that's around them.

I don't really understand what you mean by myths, but I think his 80s work tends to be overrated (not that it's bad, but it wasn't all perfect), and I think his 90s and 00s work tends to be underrated (not that's it's all great).

I think Prince is still a great artist, although that's tough for me to say after his last two albums ("MPLSound" and "20Ten"). I think his fans are just too used to him, that his (new) music doesn't really interest them anymore. That's why I said I wish he'd do something different, like venturing more into jazz or rock music, rather than trying to recapture his 80s glory. It's never gonna happen.

-- by the way, I'm very happy you asked this question. It seems like most people here hate younger fans, and they get angry when someone tries to say he's still making great music, or that not all of his 80s music was perfect.

[Edited 6/6/11 13:25pm]

Love this person.

Very well written. I feel about the same about Purple Rain. It is easily one of his absolutely best albums hands down, but it also does on some way sound a bit dated. And this is mostly because of the drum machine and gated reverbs that was so popular at the time. In 1999 that sound was a bit more suitable to the style maybe, especially for purists that doesn't like the mix between electronic 80s drums put together with rock guitars. Let's Go Crazy, Computer Blue and Baby I'm A Star is some of the less creative 80s sounding drums on the album. THe drums and the production is the only thing I find sligthly dated on this album. ANd this is mainly bacause so many tried to copy his sound at the time. Dirty Mind, Controversy and Parade features more live percussion and imo more creative use of effects that was popular in the 80s. Either he was over using the gated reverbs like in Life Can Be So Nice, or stripped down eliminating the reverb of the snare in Kiss... Dirty Mind was a piece of classic that I think will be copied and rediscovered years from now as the forgotten classic .

meisme said:

I'm 31 so I guess I'm too old for this post but I mainly grew up with his 90's music. The hits I actually saw on the charts are from 89 to 94. During the 90's I loved him because his anger matched my own teenage rebellion. I agree he is now much more a craft artist and has been for a long time. He is not Prince the trendsetter. Now he is Prince the musician. However I will take any new music over a covers cd or a songbook of old material. I am glad he is a crafts artist and not total cover artist.

Almost a couple of years older than you so I too grew up with the 90's stuff too. There was a lot of anger and just plain raw emotion in his music then which is why I think alot of his 90's stuff is just as good as his 80's stuff...in its own way. I get your point about him being more of a craft artist these days and I think thats because he really has nothing left to prove....I mean seriously what else can he do?