LEAST ESSENTIAL ALBUM OF 2003

Prince - N.E.W.S.
There was a time when Prince's every eccentric move was extensively documented, from his name changes to label battles that culminated in him scrawling the word "SLAVE" on his face to document the harrowing plight of internationally beloved multimillionaire pop superstars. Now, he's been reduced to a puzzling obscurity, as he self-releases a string of increasingly indulgent vanity projects to a tiny circle of loyalists. (Today, it's easier to find any of The String Cheese Incident's dozens of live albums than it is to track down a new studio album by Prince.) Remember when The Artist's "emancipation" from his record label meant fans would finally have the chance to crack open his mythical vault—which many assumed would contain 15 or 20 long-suppressed equivalents of Sign O' The Times or The Black Album? Instead, in 2003, they have the chance to almost unanimously ignore N.E.W.S., which contains four dull, 14-minute jazz-funk instrumental odysseys: "North," "East," "West," and "South." N.E.W.S., get it? The result is uncompromising, to be sure, but rarely has a once-great musician sounded so uncompromising and so inessential at the same time.

i always thought P would "sell" us more Music once he left The WB but he hasn't InCreased the Album put out... i am what u call a "Loyal Fan" but at the same time i'm still waiting on a 1nce a year ReLease like P used 2 do...

N.E.W.S is a Gr8 Album (by the way)!

A "once-great musician"...
They will all eat their words eventually.

KingSausage said:

Thing is, Prince never kept his word on anything. SO when it comes to more output since he's free, that's his concern. He released already more than any other artist around. Ok i'm a bit dissapointed as well. But then again, the guy is 45, so leave his ass alone i guess. He doesn't need to prove anything anymore, except for just go onwith what he does best, and that is performing.

N.E.W.S. isn't all that great, but not that dissapointing either. If he released it in the 19eighties, people would have a whole different idea about it, and it probably would've had different comments as well. But it would sell a lot more, because he was one and all 'hype' at that moment in his career.

Maybe he could've put in a bit more surprises in N.E.W.S.
My idea is that people barely play it more than 2 or 3 times in it's whole. Maybe put up an MP3 of one or two tracks on their computer, and barely ever listen to it again. Same goes for One Night Alone Live i think..
Cause there are far more better and interesting boots out there.

A live album by Prince should sound more raw, unpolished and with the excisting errors in it, and maybe not even mixed properly. Just plain old Prince live the way he does it. Listen to Robbie Williams' latest live result, as well as U2's latest live (DVD/CD) and you'll know what i mean.
I always thought felt that the raw live recordings from the actual Pruple Rain album were far more better than the once the mixed and used for the album.. but that has something to do with the re-recording of alot of the live material because of the problems with the recordingtruck 'n all...

By the way, all the madhouse releases are unbelievably better than any note on N.E.W.S.
Those albums work, are funny, instrumentally interesting, witty, fresh, surprising, jazzy, and fun, ànd experimental in every word. Strange. Still those albums didn't had much airplay at the time of release. Should ithave anything to do with WB and it's promotion? I sometimes rarely hear some Madhouse songs being used as backgroundmusic for some documentaries.. always makes meslmile when i hear it.

calldapplwondery83 said:

they will eat their words

and they can bite prince's

purple rock

It's called 'The Onion' nuff daid.

problems with this article are

1) its the Onion. puh-lease.

2) nominated for a grammy. least essential, huh?

3) see reason #1

4) how the F@#K is news a "vanity piece"?

i guess the prepubescant staff at this pseudopaper would rather listen to punk and emo and john mayer. nice for them. jesus this kinda crap makes me angry sometimes.

The certainly make some good points. And to most people who casually like Prince's music (like the hits and maybe 1999 and Purple Rain albums), NEWS is pretty damn unessential. I'm a big fan and it is unessential to me, so I don't think they are far off here. They are sure correct about how he didn't fulfill the promise of releasing lots of stuff once he left WB. It sounds like whoever wrote that is a disappointed fan.

AMEN!!! This article is SO right on the mark.

the only reason that the onion chose this CD is because they had to put a big name artist on this list in order to get people to talk about it. No one cares otherwise. If you were to play 2 songs from this CD and play 2 songs off of any other jazz CD people would say that its great music,only the people who want to hear the same type of songs all the time don't like it.

DOROTHYPARK said:

---
You lost all creditabilty when you mentioned Robbie Williams
(LOL) In addtion, the very fact that you listen to anything the ONION has to say about music(LOL) If you do not like NEWS that is fine. Jazz in any form is not to everyones taste. As good as the Madhouse recordings are they did not fly out of the stores. I think Prince wanted to try a different format of music and I compend him for trying. I don't think this is going to be his new direction in music and think all of you so called nay-sayers will be the first ones in line to buy his next recording or see him in concert.

If anyone honestly thinks that NEWS is some sort of "risky" jazz that just might not suit someone's taste, they need to listen to more jazz! What bullshit...NEWS is tiresome.

So? I mean, it's always good to listen with every ear to Prince's music, and discuss it over and over. That's what makes Prince's music just so interesting.
And then again, not everything he puts out is great. Hell that would be like Stock Aitken & Waterman.
Of course NEWS isn't going to be a 'new directions' in music. It realy just isn't. And that's not what i call a new effort or a different form of music by Prince. He knows way better, if not, he did this already before, and even better. And for that i'm not a naysayer.
I think he released this album, because of loyalty to the musicians he plays with at this very moment. It's a group effort. Helikes toplay with them, and they fill his head with Jazz more than anything. He recorded Xenophobia with them, but held it back. Don't know why actually. Then, in the meantime he recorded Xpectation, but that was with two other musicians as well. I even thought or read somewhere that Xenophobia actually 'is' Xpectation, but in a different order, and with one or more new tracks.. don't know exactly on that one.
I also think he wanted NEWS to grow if it would, by itself, maybe just to prove to his fellow bandmembers that he can still do what he wants. Anyway, it's just all a thought of course. But it doesn't make a logical step after The Rainbow Children to me (as a studio album, released to the world, which wasn't the case with the other internet only releases).

Sure i'm glad whenever Prince is in for something new. But the thing is he announces it as something completely new, and it just isn't.
I will always be in line to buy something new of him, whatever he tries. I'm not the one waiting for others to say something about the new release, and then upon their opinion dicide to buy the album or not. A new Prince album or whatever new, is always interesting to compare with everything else he did before. Even if the new thing isn't that great at all. I like to form my own opinion. And i think it's always possible to change ones opinion too.

By the way, the Jazz Prince started to play and get interstedwith, since Parade and Sign O The Times, was better in my opinion. Cause it was new to him too, and he was in a way influenced by the skils of Eric Leeds, as well as the side project which came with it; The Family, (again Eric, which he always respected). Eric isn't just common jazz, he's in his own way very original, and that inspired Prince, because he heard Eric play in some way, what he didn't hear before with other (jazz) musicians.
Anyway, what i'm saying is all speculation, but in every way interesting to think of.

alexandernevermind said:

It is the truth, and don't be surprised if he wins the Grammy , you know how those people or critics are!

wow, that was harsh, now remind me again just WHO or What is the Onion?, are they some cutting edge respected publication or a sack of shit?. Personally i love NEWS, its bold, interesting and at least continued a newish direction for him whilst he's in his funk / jazz phase. At the end of the day its just music, Prince does annoy me with some of his decisions but its his art and he can do what he wants with it. Lets face it its never dull, there's always something new from him to listen to so whats the big deal?. Prince really sucks as a business man and now it is fair to say that i would actually love him to have an editor/ advisor to guide him on his output but this review is way too harsh. Strange that i find it a lot more acceptable to have fellow orgers / purple headz criticise but when an 'outsider' does it i feel protective, when we do its more out of frustration but at the heart of it we still love the little guy.

Did i lost all credibility by mentioning Robbie Williams?
Well you can't deny he's a great performer, and he sings well. Maybe his songwriting as well as his musicianship is uncomparable by the least Prince has done. But that doesn't make him less respectfull.

What i like about Robbie Willams, and what i don't like that much with Prince is, that Robbie really doesn't take himself seriously at all. He knows he's disposible, and doesn't show off with his songwriting. He even admids, that he's made by his own public.

Prince of course is different. It's also his image. Actually they are hardly to compare at all. But sometimes i dislike Prince for trying to control everything that comes near him. Of course Prince is way the best whaen it comes to songwriting and performing. But sometimes i have the feeling that it's like he barely has any selfcriticism anymore. Maybe i'm wrong.. but still i think Prince is very very good in what he does, but he certainly should give more credit to others when it comes to trying to control everything on his own. I understand his constand urge for freedom and constant positivity. But that just isn't how the world goes around.

And Robbie Williams sure knows how to relativate his 'at-the-top' moment right now. Prince on the other hand still lives the day like he's a great popstar, and like nothing ever happened, or changed.
He always gives the intention to run into the future.
By the way, Robbie's live album is great, and i actually expected Prince to sell a lot of ONA-Live when it was released. But it just isn't all that much of a great live album, and maybe that's why it didn't do that well.

javed said:

Well said!

BHV must have wrote this.

TheBluePrince said:

DOROTHYPARK said:

---
"Well you can't deny he's a great performer, and he sings well. Maybe his songwriting as well as his musicianship is uncomparable by the least Prince has done. But that doesn't make him less respectfull"

Yes I can deny him that status of a great performer, songwriter and singer. I am not impressed but, what I have seen so far and considering he can't give his records away in the states. I think I am not in the minority.

"What i like about Robbie Willams, and what i don't like that much with Prince is, that Robbie really doesn't take himself seriously at all. He knows he's disposible, and doesn't show off with his songwriting. He even admids, that he's made by his own public"

I think Prince takes his music seriously. I not sure he takes himself that seriously in terms of his place in the music industry because you don't see him doing interviews or mugging for the camera. In fact you never saw him doing to much of that in his heyday. I don't think Prince's music is disposible and the number of artist who have covered his tunes don't appear to think so either.

"i dislike Prince for trying to control everything that comes near him. Of course Prince is way the best whaen it comes to songwriting and performing. But sometimes i have the feeling that it's like he barely has any selfcriticism anymore. Maybe i'm wrong.. but still i think Prince is very very good in what he does, but he certainly should give more credit to others when it comes to trying to control everything on his own. I understand his constand urge for freedom and constant positivity. But that just isn't how the world goes around. "

The guy is a control freak but, look at his screwed up background. You would want to control everything around you if you had no control over your life when you were young.
I think he does critize himself somewhat. Who else practices and reherses for hours at a time. Who else video tapes his concerts so he can analyze the performance later.
It appears to me he is pretty hard on himself performance wise.

When will people grow up and adopt a mature attitude? Just because this person doesn't like it, makes them no authority on it as art. I appreciate his opinion of not liking it, but I think that to trash it like this is just totally missing the point.

I really enjoy NEWS. Especially South.

DOROTHYPARK said:

I enjoy Robbies music too.

KingSausage said:

If you don't mind I would like to add to this ... above situation of... Your opinion counts... but some other feelings of truth emancipate the above... noted.

SO here it is...

N.E.W.S. is a "brilliant" piece of pi in musicianship... what You simply forgot is the fact that it is NOT only "prince on this compilation of directional musicology" but that other "great genius artists as well are PLAYING on it and contributing their spirit too". It comes as a suprise that THIS artistic beatude... IS truly something "MOST" wont get until this world is severely changed into what is called "PEACE". Usually, it takes four corners of the earth up to ten years for most "spirits in this world" to even get close to what is being "GIVEN" in his music... The NOTE I am simply saying is... PRINCE and THE NPG MUSICIANS, are a TEAM of positive "free" spirits giving music whole heartedly...they are showing others what they can do with COURAGE and FORTITUDE by simply doing what their spirit calls them to do and to have the COURAGE to go against the grain into what MOST Spirits don't have COURAGE to do in the FIRST PLACE. N.E.W.S. is simply put: BRILLIANT and yet to be DISCOVERED in the minds of the many and THE HEART OF THE ONE. (that should ring a bell for you, politely speaking... and i never read the responses to my feelings..but have at it.. as I know U will. GODBLISS)

With Love, Honor and Respect
SingMia C-Ya

If you read the explanation on The Onion's site about what makes an album INESSENTIAL rather than BAD, you'll see that many people on this thread are being uncharacteristically dimwitted. The point isn't that it's necessarily a bad album, although I think it is shit.

The point is that it's totally, and laughably, inessential to the general public. Which is the truth! Especially for an artist as big as he once was, and as talented as he still is. NEWS is a joke.

It took me FOREVER to find the CD in stores. The public doesn't care.

KingSausage said:

Excuse me one more COMMENT...

SingMia
was in a symphony for over 12 years... and wrote her first orchestra at age 8... in case U know the GENERAL PUBLIC... is called "idiots"... thanks... for the note..BUT... I know music... GODBLISS YA.
*o)

KingSausage said:

Exactly. What really gets me angry are the people that imply that if you don't like NEWS you must not be a musician, or just don't "get it", or don't appriciate "real music", etc.

TipN4U said:

Big fucking deal. I don't care who SingMia is. At all. She could be the Queen of Siam for all I care. You may think that the GENERAL PUBLIC is "idiots" and that you "know music," whatever the fuck that means, but the fact of the matter is that the public at large does not give a shit about NEWS, thus making it horrible inessential. Tell SingMia she can sing about that...

alexandernevermind said:

Exactly. Maybe if you don't appreciate The Onion, you're not a real reader...and can't appreciate real written words! Maybe YOU should make a better magazine, haters!

People suck.