Because I'm a masochist.

funkomatic said:

I'm a big fan of his 80s music. That's all.

If you wonder, why I'm still on the org? It's mainly for entertainment reasons.

Add most of his 90's music, a couple of things from the 2000's and your reply is mine too.

TRC, 3121, Lotus, 20Ten, the Truth ONA

Concerts in Belgium and NL

Montreau Jazz videos

Musicology videos and other 'gone viral' concerts I'd never seen

Outtakes, rehearsal releases, interviews, introduction to other artists via Prince in the last 3 years

Our Extraloveable, and other leaks plus the first 'approved' Boot dvd

And the fact that he is not like other artists. He doesn't follow the crowd and neither do I.

Oh and I forgot.

Paisley Park accoustic version

have been a fan since 1982 when I was 17 - Prince music has been there consistently throughout my life - there have been many ups and downs (UTCM, Graffiti Bridge, the name change, the 'slave' idea) throughout, but I respect him as an artist who creates what he feels at the time.

I enjoy listening to all his new music as I see it as a small part of a bigger whole. I am not expecting him to suprise me and wow me like he did when I was an impressionable kid. I've grown up and so has he.

I actually really like many tunes post '95 and if I made my top 100 list of his songs - it would be split evenly between the 80s,90s,00s.

thedance said:

thedance said:

It sure can't be Prince's recorded/ studio music post WB. - 1996 to 2012?

Well I'm sorry to spoil your fun but yes it is. I hadly ever listen to the WB stuff anymore (I know it by heart) so when I want some Prince shit I listen to more recent stuff. I became a Prince fan during the WB years but in the end I love the post WB stuff just as much as the WB stuff.

So I'm still a fan because I still love the music. Always have and probably always will.

Different folks different strokes

i've been enjoying his music for over 20 years.

I still class myself as a Prince fan but I rarely listen to his music unless it pops up on shuffle, and if I'm truthful I only really love his output between 1979 and around 1988, and even then I don't love everything he did. Since 1988 (when I only really liked two or three tracks on "Lovesexy") I've found all of his albums either inessential or downright awful (I count the likes of "Emancipation", "MPLSound", "20Ten" and more in the latter) and I've even found them a bit embarrassing, like he's completely lost the genius he had before.

Having said that, when I last saw him play live, on three dates at the O2 during the "21 Nights" residency, he was still amazingly good. He's one of the few artists out there for whom I'd travel a long way to see play live, and unlike many others I'm still ecstatic when I hear him play "Purple Rain" or "1999" or "When Doves Cry" for the umpteenth time, the hair on the back of my neck still rising, tears often welling in my eyes. Nobody else gets to me like that, just Prince.

So why do I still come here, and why do I still call myself a fan? Because I remember how Prince made me feel from 1979 to 1988, and on a few occasions since then, and I remember that nobody else has ever had that effect on me. Artists have appeared and disappeared in my CD collection since then, but Prince is one of the few constants. He's still a phenomenal live performer too, and as long as he continues to play live I'd be happy if he never released another song again.

TheFreakerFantastic said:

> Because he's still got it LIVE.

> Because he's one of the most creative and inspiring people around.

> He keeps us in suspense and guessing in terms of relationships and album releases.

> He plays games with fans by releasing snippets via various sources making the completists' job more varied and keeps them on their toes.

> He doesn't do what people or society or the industry expects. This is refreshing in the age of corporate PR.

> He makes a virtue out of non conformity which is very reassuring and uplifting to those that also feel they don't conform or 'fit' to others'/societies' expectations.

> He speaks out against the injustice in society, Colonized Mind and Act Of God being notable recent examples.

> He's an excellent and underrated songwriter.

> He can still come out with great songs and albums now and again, (Lotusflow3r and MPLSound being the most recent IMO).

> His music is still better than much of what is out there now. He is a real musician he actually knows the music making and production side inside out, unlike 90% of people in the charts.

> There's no-one like him. As a reviewer from the Independent said 'He's the type of rock star an author might invent.' A true artist.

[img:$uid]http://myurbanhangout.com/images/smilies/goodpost.gif[/img:$uid]

I actually ask myself that alot. I honestly can't really figure out why I still follow him. I guess I just hope he will do something good again

He gave me a namecheck

• Because he was my teenage heroe, and I look up to him immensely as an artist
• Because of his output up to 1987/1988
• Because I still hope for a return to form (I thought some tunes on 20Ten were good steps in the right direction)
• Because I am a very loyal person
• Because I like to hang out here at the Org!

watch Purple Rain -Milan 2010!

funkomatic said:

vman4639 said:

Part of being a Prince fan is accepting the change. He could have stuck on the Purple Rain sound for a LONG time, but he didn't even stick on it for a second album. This can be frustrating, but without it we would have never ended up with Sign O' The Times.

What I do is not try to compare him to the past. I relax, have a little drink, put the headphones on, and guess what? There is still genious in these recordings.

So why do I still listen? Because I am still surprised, impressed, and sometimes enlightened by his music. Sometimes (and my wife totally does not get this) I'll laugh at a part of the song that is instrumental. I'll hear the sarcasim or humor in the music without the lyrics.

This is an attitude of ignorance i can't relate to at all. Kind of: "Everything sounds good to me, because I make myself believe the past and its achievements don't exist!"

This is so strange to me! The whole music evolution and quality discussion is based on the comparison of what was then and what is now.

Is it ignorance? Or is it (as humans tend to do) simply looking at experiences through different lenses?

Example: Flashback to 1986.

One can view the album Parade as part of the flop/turkey project that is Under The Cherrry Moon.

Aside from "kiss", there is not much on Parade that was/is conventional Prince. Compared to Dirty Mind, 1999, and Purple Rain, Parade (with it's unique organic instrumentation, use of strings, etc.) could seem pretentious, a bit schmaltzy, and maybe even ripping off The Beatles. In fact, Parade was one of the albums that many used to accuse Prince of "abandoning his black audience & his roots." In the 80's many a casual 1999/Purple Rain fan picked up the Under The Cherry Moon soundtrack and thought "What the fuck?" without digging deeper.

Looking at Parade through this lense, it could be hard to enjoy/view the music as some of Prince's most exciting and adventurous work. I would surmise that most hardcore Prince fans forgive/look past Parade for all of it's trappings, flaws, and missteps and find enjoyment in it. Do you listen to Parade and find yourself constantly comparing it to Controversy or 1999? Likely not.

For me, listening to any new music, watching a new film, reading a new book is not about pretending "past achievements don't exist." It's about listening to/experiencing music on it's own terms.

If I am always comparing Prince's next album to Purple Rainm, and how much that album means to me & the world, I am going to be sorely dissappointed. Not because Prince doesn't have better material than what was on Purple Rain, but because (as much as I may wish for it) I'll never have my own 1984/85 again. That's life.

So, I agree with the original sentiment: have a drink and put on your headphones. Appreciate things for what they are, rather than what they are not. Have you had your plus sign today?

OzlemUcucu said:

Prince needs new people. He has never been as boring as he is nowadays.

If he's so boring why are you here?

Kind of ties into to the point of this thread.

Well, live shows are my number one reason.

I also love Rainblow Children, C-Note, 3121, and Lotus Flowr and a few individual tracks here and there, so I'm also a fan of his recent music.

I'm extremely happy that I'm not one of those who have not liked anything in 10+ years cuz that must suck but I think it more sucks because you have chosen to continue to follow him dissappointed.

gerhard12 said:

watch Purple Rain -Milan 2010!

Just posted this on my facebook page and asked all my non Prince loving friends to do themselves a favour and listen to the solo from 3 and half mins in. That first vibrato is so simple yet so damn effective!

skywalker said:

funkomatic said:

This is an attitude of ignorance i can't relate to at all. Kind of: "Everything sounds good to me, because I make myself believe the past and its achievements don't exist!"

This is so strange to me! The whole music evolution and quality discussion is based on the comparison of what was then and what is now.

Is it ignorance? Or is it (as humans tend to do) simply looking at experiences through different lenses?

Example: Flashback to 1986.

One can view the album Parade as part of the flop/turkey project that is Under The Cherrry Moon.

Aside from "kiss", there is not much on Parade that was/is conventional Prince. Compared to Dirty Mind, 1999, and Purple Rain, Parade (with it's unique organic instrumentation, use of strings, etc.) could seem pretentious, a bit schmaltzy, and maybe even ripping off The Beatles. In fact, Parade was one of the albums that many used to accuse Prince of "abandoning his black audience & his roots." In the 80's many a casual 1999/Purple Rain fan picked up the Under The Cherry Moon soundtrack and thought "What the fuck?" without digging deeper.

Looking at Parade through this lense, it could be hard to enjoy/view the music as some of Prince's most exciting and adventurous work. I would surmise that most hardcore Prince fans forgive/look past Parade for all of it's trappings, flaws, and missteps and find enjoyment in it. Do you listen to Parade and find yourself constantly comparing it to Controversy or 1999? Likely not.

For me, listening to any new music, watching a new film, reading a new book is not about pretending "past achievements don't exist." It's about listening to/experiencing music on it's own terms.

If I am always comparing Prince's next album to Purple Rainm, and how much that album means to me & the world, I am going to be sorely dissappointed. Not because Prince doesn't have better material than what was on Purple Rain, but because (as much as I may wish for it) I'll never have my own 1984/85 again. That's life.

So, I agree with the original sentiment: have a drink and put on your headphones. Appreciate things for what they are, rather than what they are not. Have you had your plus sign today?

Nice post. However, to me Purple Rain was a huge step towards a so called "white" audience in contrast to 1999, while I felt like even though Parade had orchestrated music in the mix, he still had Boys & Girls, New Position, Kiss, and from the b-sides he had Love or Money. This era had even more funk cuts than 1999. Only different was the arrangement. With the lack of funk guitar on a few tracks, Kiss didn't have a bass line, and he used Steel Drums for a funky yet melodic rythm section. The music was still funk even without the thick drums he used on 1999 and with less synth. I feel it's mostly because of his arrangement and a few ballads that people think of Parade as if he was abandoing his roots. He had been experimenting with many different genres ever since Dirty Mind. He was always more or less a combination of Jamie Starr & Christopher Tracy for every song he made. I always think of Jamie Starr producing music in style of THe Time, while Christopher Tracy even did Take Me With You.

I don't handle change very well.

And his name is easy to remember.

It's just easier to stay on his fanside. I really don't feel like buying a whole new music collection or learning random stupid facts about some other musician's life.

And I like it when he plays the guitar.

Or sings a song.

Also like it when he combines the two.

Or plays on piano.

Let's himself go and rapes his guitarstrings (again)

I like how he handles his voice as an instrument.

I get soft inside over his corny story telling songs.

I really like listening to 'Joy in repetition'

The fact that 'Joy in repetition' is one of my favorite songs, explains it all.

I also like his sarcasm.

And like it when he's all sensitive.

Also like his seductive side.

For the rest, I'm socially challenged. So, I'm an orger. Prince sort of comes with that, I guess.

Replica said:

Nice post. However, to me Purple Rain was a huge step towards a so called "white" audience in contrast to 1999, while I felt like even though Parade had orchestrated music in the mix, he still had Boys & Girls, New Position, Kiss, and from the b-sides he had Love or Money. This era had even more funk cuts than 1999. Only different was the arrangement. With the lack of funk guitar on a few tracks, Kiss didn't have a bass line, and he used Steel Drums for a funky yet melodic rythm section. The music was still funk even without the thick drums he used on 1999 and with less synth. I feel it's mostly because of his arrangement and a few ballads that people think of Parade as if he was abandoing his roots. He had been experimenting with many different genres ever since Dirty Mind. He was always more or less a combination of Jamie Starr & Christopher Tracy for every song he made. I always think of Jamie Starr producing music in style of THe Time, while Christopher Tracy even did Take Me With You.

Don't get me wrong. I don't buy into the whole "Prince sold out to a white audience" bullshit. Simply pointing out that that was a criticism of Prince that was out there at the time. It was heard enough that MTV or Rollingstone even asked him about it. I also agree with you that, in many ways, Parade is more funky than 1999..as unconventional as that sounds.

My point stands though...one's appreciation for Prince music (or any art) really is HEAVILY determined by what lense you are experiencing it through.

thedance said:

As an old Prince follower I have given up --- again,

Prince's music does not appeal to me anymore, I guess I am mainly here on the Org, because of boredom.

Even the boot recordings does not appeal to me anymore.

However/..... I still the OLD Prince music on WB. - 1978 to 1995.

yeah: "Eye No", I have said this all before, I guess a few times already.

But could you give me YOUR reasons for being a Prince fan in 2012 ???

the concerts?

the bootlegs?

It sure can't be Prince's recorded/ studio music post WB. - 1996 to 2012?

What's ur reasons to still be aboard on "the purple train" 2012 ?

My boy will always be Funky!

"It sure can't be Prince's recorded/ studio music post WB. - 1996 to 2012?"

skywalker said:

Replica said:

Nice post. However, to me Purple Rain was a huge step towards a so called "white" audience in contrast to 1999, while I felt like even though Parade had orchestrated music in the mix, he still had Boys & Girls, New Position, Kiss, and from the b-sides he had Love or Money. This era had even more funk cuts than 1999. Only different was the arrangement. With the lack of funk guitar on a few tracks, Kiss didn't have a bass line, and he used Steel Drums for a funky yet melodic rythm section. The music was still funk even without the thick drums he used on 1999 and with less synth. I feel it's mostly because of his arrangement and a few ballads that people think of Parade as if he was abandoing his roots. He had been experimenting with many different genres ever since Dirty Mind. He was always more or less a combination of Jamie Starr & Christopher Tracy for every song he made. I always think of Jamie Starr producing music in style of THe Time, while Christopher Tracy even did Take Me With You.

Don't get me wrong. I don't buy into the whole "Prince sold out to a white audience" bullshit. Simply pointing out that that was a criticism of Prince that was out there at the time. It was heard enough that MTV or Rollingstone even asked him about it. I also agree with you that, in many ways, Parade is more funky than 1999..as unconventional as that sounds.

My point stands though...one's appreciation for Prince music (or any art) really is HEAVILY determined by what lense you are experiencing it through.

Very true!

skywalker said:

Is it ignorance? Or is it (as humans tend to do) simply looking at experiences through different lenses?

Example: Flashback to 1986.

One can view the album Parade as part of the flop/turkey project that is Under The Cherrry Moon.

Aside from "kiss", there is not much on Parade that was/is conventional Prince. Compared to Dirty Mind, 1999, and Purple Rain, Parade (with it's unique organic instrumentation, use of strings, etc.) could seem pretentious, a bit schmaltzy, and maybe even ripping off The Beatles. In fact, Parade was one of the albums that many used to accuse Prince of "abandoning his black audience & his roots." In the 80's many a casual 1999/Purple Rain fan picked up the Under The Cherry Moon soundtrack and thought "What the fuck?" without digging deeper.

Looking at Parade through this lense, it could be hard to enjoy/view the music as some of Prince's most exciting and adventurous work. I would surmise that most hardcore Prince fans forgive/look past Parade for all of it's trappings, flaws, and missteps and find enjoyment in it. Do you listen to Parade and find yourself constantly comparing it to Controversy or 1999? Likely not.

For me, listening to any new music, watching a new film, reading a new book is not about pretending "past achievements don't exist." It's about listening to/experiencing music on it's own terms.

If I am always comparing Prince's next album to Purple Rainm, and how much that album means to me & the world, I am going to be sorely dissappointed. Not because Prince doesn't have better material than what was on Purple Rain, but because (as much as I may wish for it) I'll never have my own 1984/85 again. That's life.

So, I agree with the original sentiment: have a drink and put on your headphones. Appreciate things for what they are, rather than what they are not. Have you had your plus sign today?

Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TheFreakerFantastic said:

> Because he's still got it LIVE.

> Because he's one of the most creative and inspiring people around.

> He keeps us in suspense and guessing in terms of relationships and album releases.

> He plays games with fans by releasing snippets via various sources making the completists' job more varied and keeps them on their toes.

> He doesn't do what people or society or the industry expects. This is refreshing in the age of corporate PR.

> He makes a virtue out of non conformity which is very reassuring and uplifting to those that also feel they don't conform or 'fit' to others'/societies' expectations.

> He speaks out against the injustice in society, Colonized Mind and Act Of God being notable recent examples.

> He's an excellent and underrated songwriter.

> He can still come out with great songs and albums now and again, (Lotusflow3r and MPLSound being the most recent IMO).

> His music is still better than much of what is out there now. He is a real musician he actually knows the music making and production side inside out, unlike 90% of people in the charts.

> There's no-one like him. As a reviewer from the Independent said 'He's the type of rock star an author might invent.' A true artist.

Also Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thedance said:

As an old Prince follower I have given up --- again,

But could you give me YOUR reasons for being a Prince fan in 2012 ???

It sure can't be Prince's recorded/ studio music post WB. - 1996 to 2012?

Ah...Yes!!!!!!!

skywalker said:

funkomatic said:

This is an attitude of ignorance i can't relate to at all. Kind of: "Everything sounds good to me, because I make myself believe the past and its achievements don't exist!"

This is so strange to me! The whole music evolution and quality discussion is based on the comparison of what was then and what is now.

Is it ignorance? Or is it (as humans tend to do) simply looking at experiences through different lenses?

Example: Flashback to 1986.

One can view the album Parade as part of the flop/turkey project that is Under The Cherrry Moon.

Aside from "kiss", there is not much on Parade that was/is conventional Prince. Compared to Dirty Mind, 1999, and Purple Rain, Parade (with it's unique organic instrumentation, use of strings, etc.) could seem pretentious, a bit schmaltzy, and maybe even ripping off The Beatles. In fact, Parade was one of the albums that many used to accuse Prince of "abandoning his black audience & his roots." In the 80's many a casual 1999/Purple Rain fan picked up the Under The Cherry Moon soundtrack and thought "What the fuck?" without digging deeper.

Looking at Parade through this lense, it could be hard to enjoy/view the music as some of Prince's most exciting and adventurous work. I would surmise that most hardcore Prince fans forgive/look past Parade for all of it's trappings, flaws, and missteps and find enjoyment in it. Do you listen to Parade and find yourself constantly comparing it to Controversy or 1999? Likely not.

For me, listening to any new music, watching a new film, reading a new book is not about pretending "past achievements don't exist." It's about listening to/experiencing music on it's own terms.

If I am always comparing Prince's next album to Purple Rainm, and how much that album means to me & the world, I am going to be sorely dissappointed. Not because Prince doesn't have better material than what was on Purple Rain, but because (as much as I may wish for it) I'll never have my own 1984/85 again. That's life.

So, I agree with the original sentiment: have a drink and put on your headphones. Appreciate things for what they are, rather than what they are not. Have you had your plus sign today?

I'm not sure if you understood what I wanted to say...

Judging the quality of music is a difficult thing, some sort of art. It's about looking through a lot of lenses to study (even unconsiously) the pros and cons and make a reasonable decision.

By not trying to compare anything to the past like vman4639 said, he deliberately denies to look through different lenses. This is an ignorant attitude.

BTW: I don't think it's neither possible nor asked for to listen to/experience art on its own terms. Art is a reflection, a product of time and society. If you isolate it, you don't even get what it's all about.

thedance said:

It sure can't be Prince's recorded/ studio music post WB. - 1996 to 2012?

In This Bed I Scream

Joint 2 Joint

The Holy River

My Computer

The Truth

Don't Play Me

The Other Side of the Pillow

Comeback

Man O' War

I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore

Beautiful Strange

The entire The Rainbow Children Album

Musicology

Illusion, Coma, Pimp and Circumstance

A Million Days

Cinnamon Girl

If Eye Was The Man In Your Life

3121

Fury

The Word

Love

Black Sweat

Planet Earth

Guitar

The One U Wanna C

Chelsea Rodgers

All of the Lotusflow3r ablum

Dance 4 Me

Here

Better With Time

Beginning Endlessly

Act of God

All of that was released post WB which I find utterly amazing (and that's only a selection), and I haven't even included anything from Xpectation, C-Note, Slaughterhouse or The Chocolate Invasion because I haven't really heard them. Then there's the live albums I've not included, and the songs like PFunk and Glasscutter that would easily have enhanced any album as well.

It can't be the recorded music post WB? Why the hell not?

funkomatic said:

I'm not sure if you understood what I wanted to say...

Judging the quality of music is a difficult thing, some sort of art. It's about looking through a lot of lenses to study (even unconsiously) the pros and cons and make a reasonable decision.

So, what kind of reasonable decision is to be made when listening to a new Prince album? Also wouldn't everyone have, by in large, different pros and cons? Meaning, if you and I critiqued the merits of, say, the album. Whose judgment would be "correct"? How would we determine such a thing?

By not trying to compare anything to the past like vman4639 said, he deliberately denies to look through different lenses. This is an ignorant attitude.

To me, his words simply suggested that he lays back and enjoys the new stuff. Is he sticking his head in the ground? Is it hard to believe that someone gets real and genuine enjoyment by having a drink and listening to music with headphones on?

BTW: I don't think it's neither possible nor asked for to listen to/experience art on its own terms. Art is a reflection, a product of time and society. If you isolate it, you don't even get what it's all about.

I am not saying art exists in a vacuum. Of course art is a reflection of society and time.

I am saying there is a difference between having an open mind when experiencing new music (or any art) and having a checklist, or a compare and contrast chart.

Example: I can appreciate a song like "Erotic City" for it's historical context (what it means to my personal history, Prince's career, and pop music in general).

That said, when it is Saturday night and it's time to shake ass, all those things go out the window. Rightfully so.

In that moment, "Erotic City" is enjoyed for it's most elemental/primal/funky reasons. And if, by chance, "Black Sweat" or "Xtralovable" comes on next, they are enjoyed much in the same way.

Through this lense, there are no pros and cons, there is no reasonable decision to be made. There is just enjoyment of the music. You call it ignorance, I call it bliss.

I think there are countless ways to enjoy/appreciate/listen to, Prince's music (new and old). The way that makes you feel good, think hard, and dance is up to you.