Vault 3 is open. Contains sample of "East," one of 4 songs (others are North, West, and South, comprising, of course, "N.E.W.S." instrumental...

[thanks to everyone who sent this in! -Ben]

im a bit slow on these new releases...is this more crap only available from npgmusiccrap.com??? or will it be in the stores too?

Another fucking instrumental!

GoldiesParade said:

There is a whole one minute and seven second sample on NPGMC. How do we know it's an instrumental? I can imagine lyrics to that song, very easily. If it is an instrumental album, so be it. Complain then, if you want. But, don't assume. I can't get over how quick some people are to complain!

gmcb said:

Complaining is sport around here...it's exercise for many (not saying that's what it is for Goldie, just saying in general...)...

I agree with you 'gmcb'. It's absolutely amazing to me to me to know that someone has heard or heard about the 1 minute clip of a 56 minute album and then have the nerve to complain about it! I mean, what an a$$ you have to be to do something like that!

If that doesn't prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that Prince will never be able to please everyone, nothing will.

And if the new album is an instrumental, BFD!!! But at least WAIT until you hear the album before you complain about it! My lawd!

ever heard of motzart being critisized for only doing instrumentals?
.
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An instrumental album does not excite nor interest me really. But if that's what Prince feels like doing, he has a right to. I'm sure sales of an instrumental album will be MUCH lower than a regular album, but he may not care about this. I say let him follow his artistic desires, even if they bore me sometimes. I'd rather him do that than pander to us and go through the motions, writing uninspired songs. If he is in the mood to write songs with lyrics again, cool. If not, then we still have 20 years of great songs by Prince to enjoy.

TonyC said:

I don't think sales will be affected much. Let's face facts - his albums DO NOT SELL in the shops.
Members of the NPGMC buy his albums, and they (including me) will buy everything he puts out - instrumental, vocals, 4 CD sets, singles, anything basically.

From what I gather, there will be no commercial releases this year anyway.

Why are we all getting so worked up about Prince anyway. Don't get me wrong, I love Princes music, always have and always will. I am so tired of Prince acting like he is above the system (music biz) and does not have to function by its rules. Tell you what Prince, I will believe that when you release just one album that reaches a number one spot on Billboard. Even if it is just for the first week when it comes out. First prove that you can beat the system, then I can believe that you don't need the system. Is the real truth that record sales and MTV don't matter because you really don't care, or is it because no one is buying your records and MTV thinks that you are a has been. Prove them wrong. You know that you can. STep up to the plate. As a Prince fan, I have spent way too much time defending Prince to others. We all know that he is talented. But my friends here is the sad truth. How many of you ever heard of Tony MacAlpine. Not many I bet. He is an extremely talented guitarist, who writes of all his songs and plays keyboard, bass, lead and rhythm guitar and some drums. He always played by his rules. He is better than anyone else on the Billboard today, however, because he never played by the systems rules he never got the promotion that his music deserved. Does this sound familiar anyone?! My point is that as the years pass, people will begin to forget who he even is. The sadder point is that they will be playing Michael Jackson's music 100 years from now. Princes music today has lyrics that are much more inspiring than "Raspberry Beret" or "Kiss". If being able to reach millions of listeners ears means that he has to play by the systems rules, then I think that Prince should get off his soapbox. Because as Phil Collins once said in a song "Is anybody listening, there was no reply at all". Remember the saying of if a limb falls off a tree in the forest but no one hears it strike the ground, did it make a sound at all. Prince could be making the greatest music ever written but if it is not reaching as many peoples ears as it possibly can, isn't he missing something here. Think about it, if you really thought that you words carried such an important message wouldnt you want everyone to hear it. Not just the NPG music club. Plus, wasn't it Prince that told Jay Leno that he would practically give his music away for free. It is a simple. Play by the rules of the system for one album. Prove to everyone that you can play by the system, beat the system, and then show other musicians that they no longer need the system. IF not for yourself Prince, do it for the fans. So many people that I talk to think he is just a has been, some don't even know he has recorded music since the gold experience. the last thing is this my friends, and I know that this is long, the other day Willie Nelson (who I am not a fan of) had a free concert to celebrate his birthday on television. Because Prince has become such a recluse, and painted himself in a corner inside of a box (the NPG Music Club) we will never see the day that Prince does the same thing. And that is sad because wouldn't that be a great thing to see. Not just because I want to see it but because of all those younger children who don't even know who he is. When every music lover should, because like his music or not, there is no denying the talent itself.

Lets FACE IT!!!
If Prince wanted to sell 5 or 6 million, he'd have to promote on the highly rated television shows and perhaps perform on MTV or HBO...
And be signed to a label that will treat his art like art and not hold any personal BS against him so that they can promote him. Prince is very CAPABLE of selling millions of records again, if Santana can, Prince Can, so lets stop being negative and he has a club now to share his journey with and I support him to the fullest!!!

Regardless he is still important!

Unfortunatly he is not capable. I am a musician and I will tell you right now from a difficulty standpoint, Led Zepplin is much more talented than the Beatles ever were. I mean "She Loves YOu, Yeah Yeah Yeah". This is equivelant to Oops I did it again. However it is easier for most people to like four conservative guys in suits than Led Zepplin or Hendrix or Black Sabbath. This is the same reason that Santanas record which featured modern artists did extremely well whereas Princes record (Rave) which also featured todays artists has still not attained platinum status and the truth is that numbers don't lie. I am not happy about the numbers but they are what they are. And it is one thing to say you can sell that many records but it is quite another thing to actually do it. We all know that Prince has done it in the past but not within the last 5 to 8 years.

1p1p1i3 said:

Good point. Hard to go down from miniscule, really.

Let's face it, Prince is down to his last remaining hardcore fan-base in terms of generating revenue and sales, although I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a blind-side commercial hit at some point. Maybe if he contributed to a hit movie soundtrack, played 'the game' a little bit, or really unleashed a scud of a song that was just impossible to ignore...

Truthfully, i don't care if he ever cracks the charts again. I like the small concert venues and the intimate feeling of discovery you experience knowing that you're 'in on something' others don't know about. I spin 'The Undertaker' for my hard-rock 'Zeppelin-esque' friends, and they're blown away, wondering why he doesn't release this type of music all of the time...

Looking forward to "The News". Sounds like he found where he left his guitar...

toddefrost said:

I think you're slighting the Beatle's contribution(s) to modern music by citing their early work out of context. "She Loves You" is certainly basic and slightly mundane, but it only sound that way because it has become such a blueprint. Sort of like how a lot of Pairlament records sound simplistic, having inspired so many imitators and been built upon so much and so often. Without The Beatles, there is no Led Zep. Without James Brown, there is no Snoop. Without Sly, there is no Prince.

Spin a copy of "Rubber Soul", "The White Album" or "Revolver" and show me where it sounds formulaic or anything like Britney.

And by the way, Santana's record did well BECAUSE IT WAS GOOD, in addition to the reasons you mentioned. Sometimes it's impossible to ignore quality, try as we might.

toddefrost said:

oops. Sorry. Double post.

Computer issues, you see...
[This message was edited Wed May 28 18:41:56 PDT 2003 by herb4]

Can Prince sell records ?

Yes !

Will he sell records ?

No!

Why?

The record industry (at this time) will not allow an act to sell records because they will have to give up the $$$.

If anyone disagrees with this look at what happened to MJ,or Madonna's new records.Then look at what is selling ...
Gangsta Rap one hit wonders.

in a couple of years when the cycle comes around Prince,MJ,& Madonna will sell again.

FutureShock said:

Yeah but nobody anywhere can please anybody anywhere...so it all kinda evens out!

Prince was not getting paid working for the big record company at 15 cents to the dollar.

Companies are never satisfied they have to reap more and more profits. These profits cannot come from the product because free enterprise drives the price down, so they take the profitfrom the only place where there is value and thats from the artist themselves.

The free contract is whats offered, and if you don't like it you can go someplace else, prefering to keep tasks of the artists simple and having wanna be stars making records.

Prince is one of the lucky ones because he is truly gifted and plenty of value in his work, he can walk away. He's realized that the stakes he thought he had- he don't, and being free demands that he recognizes that in himself.

If he has nothing to loose but their chains, he has the world to gain.

I'm not saying this because I think I know Prince more than he knows himself. But I thought this was old news, and everyone already realized of the yoke the record companies offer.

if prince had a single on top of the charts id cringe, the charts are about fickle teenagers, it is a mistake to link chart success with talent or musical integrity. prince has had his time as a chart artist, i get to listen to his music wether it sells millions or merely hundreds, so prince u just keep doing like u are, i like to know that when i listen to your music its honest and coming from your heart rather than being processed to please the superficiality of the record buying public
.
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toddefrost said:

AMEN AMEN AMEN!!! Excellent post and right on target. I was thinking the same thing last week. Thanks for writing such a piece like this.

lust said:

Yeah but did you ever hear his singing ?!?!?!?!!

toddefrost said:[quote]Unfortunatly he is not capable. I am a musician and I will tell you right now from a difficulty standpoint, Led Zepplin is much more talented than the Beatles ever were. I mean "She Loves YOu, Yeah Yeah Yeah". This is equivelant to Oops I did it again. However it is easier for most people to like four conservative guys in suits than Led Zepplin or Hendrix or Black Sabbath.


i dont really agree with this! you are talking about one year of the beatles career. they had their image changed 5 times in something like 4 years at madame tussauds if that is anything to tell you about their "image". for starters "conservative"? admitting to taking LSD and weed. signing petitions to legalise cannabis and saying that they are more important to kids than jesus is "conservative"? plus, she loves you yeah yeah yeah is not the equivalent to oops i did it again, mainly because its a classic pop song that changed the rules of pop song writing, and its not even the beatles peak. how about the white album?! jimmy page is ultra talented but they begin and end on the guitar, he could never write a song like honey pie, and have on the same album, helter skelter, revolution, while my guitar gently weeps, sexy sadie etc the list goes on.

i can see the actual point you are making though. also, led zep have sold fucking millions and millions, they are the second biggest selling band ever behind the beatles so i think the point of conservatism is kinda mute there! however, hendrix i would agree with!

ps im a musician too but i dont feel it gives my argument any weight. complexity of a song doesnt necessarily make it better. hence lucy in the sky with diamonds being one ofthe greatest pop songs ever written!

softandwet said:[quote]

toddefrost said:

You are so right it hurts.
[This message was edited Thu May 29 4:25:14 PDT 2003 by littleman]

muleFunk said:

___

The reason Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson's latest records didn't sell isn't the record industry's fault. It's the artists for either not understanding, underestimating or not caring what the public likes/wants/needs. I'm not saying they shouldn't follow their muse, but when these artists' agendas overwhelm the entertainment factor, the public will turn elsewhere to be entertained. Only the hardcore will remain. Quite frankly as someone who owns "Invincible", "American Life" and "The Rainbow Children", I would rather listen to "Off the Wall", "Like a Prayer" and "Sign 'O' The Times" any day of the week.

questions :
is Prince a marketting master or an artist ?

the music industry is no longer an artistic media but just and only bizness. music is sold just like cornflakes…
And it's the same in movies industry. Especially in US.
So it's very courageous 2 do what U want.
Never 4get that if he wanted 2, Prince could do some craps like U hear evryday on tv or radio, and make many money very easily… I mean people who are actually selling music in the world are all making exactly the same.

The question is : must Prince do the music U want 4, or just xpress himself ?

If U don't like his new directions, don't criticize, make ur own !!

FutureShock said:

Maybe you should follow your own advice & don't be so quick to praise it after you've heard barely two minutes of the album. People have a right to an opinion whether or not it is in line with yours.

People here constantly complain that Prince never gets any radio play, that he never charts, etc. Heck, even Prince complains about the state of radio. Well, you know where you're most likely to hear this sort of instrumental drivel? When you're pushing your shopping cart through the detergent aisle at a local grocery store, or if you're really lucky, an elevator. Prince has no one to blame but himself for the path his career has taken, or the fact that it's currently spinning while it waits to get sucked down the toilet.

It amazes me that some people here still think that Prince could sell 5 or 6 million albums today considering his recent output. All of the promotion, HBO specials, Today Show appearances and ads in Rolling Stone couldn't push what he's putting on disc. NPGMC has gotten smaller in membership each year and record labels don't want to deal with him. Prince has sadly dug his own grave. What's an instrumental album going to mean for him but another nail in the commercial coffin? Unless of course, it's his bid to be noticed by Sony Classical??? He will never again be a commercial success. Sure, he could contribute a song to a hit movie soundtrack, but how many of you see that happening? What were the last movies with Prince music in them? Girl 6? Showgirls? Total embarrassments, the both of them.

NPGMC members, if elevator music is your thing, you've got plenty of good times ahead with Prince on your stereo!!!

muleFunk said:

i agree with what u have said here & it is right...
except about madonna's album.
sure i cant stand her new music...
but it has only been out for a few weeks.
who knows it may start 2 sell.
Invincible sold pretty good,just not by MJ standards.
TRC is a work of art

no real comment against ur post on TRC...
i just wanted 2 say that

To Sassy and all others,

It is good to have a reasonable debate on the ORG again !

I agree & disagree to what you said,but the music industry is kinda like the Matrix.One(the artist) cannot exist without the other (the record company).I understand the music business and in the 60's,70's,& 80's it worked about as well as it could work.You still had artists getting screwed,but that is the nature of the beast.

This is my point.In those eras the "biz" was fueled by the artists & musicians.The industry needed them to survive.Also many record companies were founded and operated by former musicians and they catered to the needs of the artists,as long as they made money.Now the industry is dominated by corporate America.The mega corporations now may own the record company,the chain where it is sold, & the Television station where the music will be seen.

Your choices are becoming less and less what you want to see/hear and do to what is being dictated to you.Your 2003 music is now made up of one hit wonders and the superstar de jour who the VJ's have deemed popular.

The point I am making is this.

If the record companies wanted Invincible & American Life to sell they would have.The best record Prince Roger Nelson made pre Rainbow Children was The Gold Experence.Warner Brothers killed the album because the wanted to destroy Prince, drive the stake through the heart.

Why are we all getting so worked up about Prince anyway. Don't get me wrong, I love Princes music, always have and always will. I am so tired of Prince acting like he is above the system (music biz) and does not have to function by its rules. Tell you what Prince, I will believe that when you release just one album that reaches a number one spot on Billboard. Even if it is just for the first week when it comes out. First prove that you can beat the system, then I can believe that you don't need the system. Is the real truth that record sales and MTV don't matter because you really don't care, or is it because no one is buying your records and MTV thinks that you are a has been. Prove them wrong. . .And so on
---

Prince played buy "the rules" for many years and was very successful at it. He began his crusade against the record labels around the time of the symbal album which was a pretty successful album. An album that spawned a few hits. My name is prince, 7, and sexy mf was damn successful for a song that couldn't be played on the airwaves in it's original form due to language. The eighties and early nineties saw enormous successes by this man. Over a decade worth of main stream success (if that really counts for much).He has nothing to prove. When he left, he turned down an offer from WB for one of the most lucrative contracts in music history (at the time). WB sure thought he was worth main stream gold. To say that he needs to prove that he can "make it" again is insulting to an artist that has accomplished just about everything throughout his career. That he may not be able to sell now is an insignificant test of his worth. Britney or Chaka? Justin or Stevie? Avril or Joni? Who sells more now? Who are the true artists?

If you like someones music, buy it. Listen to it. If you don't, walk on by. Don't kick someone because YOU don't think they are taking the proper path.

Is anybody having trouble getting the samples to play for the songs West, North and South? For some reason, I can only get the sample to play for the song East, and that's it. I can't get the other ones to work.