This is something that I have thought about a lost recently: how will prince be viewed in 200+ years time. Will he be seen as a brilliant composer, one who compares well with the likes of Mozart, Handel or Chopin, or will he mainly be appreciated as a musician and performer. Obviously P is one of the most prolific song writers ever but this is not the same as being a brilliant one.

Only time will tell.

Obviously I am a big fan of his but I find his output patchy. I think the early albums were as inconsistent as his nineties work. I think the problem with P is that our expectations were raised to such a pitch by albums like 1999, Purple Rain, SOT, and Lovesexy that everything since has sounded pale conpared to these shining colours. Personally I have enjoyed his recent out put (TRC, NEWS) but I think Musicology is a backwards step, playing it safe - it is a prince album by numbers. What we need is prince to be brave again - not to experiment for experimentation sake but to reach deep in to his reserves to dredge up something strange and bright

Since I'll either be dead or too old to remember Prince, (yes, I do believe in the power of modern medicine ) I would hope that would still be remembered as the brilliant composer he is!

The thing that concerns me is that Prince has not shown brilliance often enough to be considered a Genius. He has dragged his Royal name through the mud. He should have released fewer records and kept the quality much higher. I think that in the future he will be considered a popular artist for his time. He is very eighties in the eighties but failed to grow in to a force after that which shaped the future course of music. I think he had that chance to shape music at the time of Lovesexy - he was on the verge of creating a whole new brand of music. However 'God' got to him and wrecked his music!

Prince this year has shown what it takes to be a legend for the ages -longevity.

2004 marked the 20th year that Prince has been a bona fide A list superstar. The general public are starting to realize what he is now-a genuine, one of a kind, musical/performance genius. They also realize what he is not-Michael Jackson.

What people think is genius, creative, or innovative is always subjective. also, it always changes as time goes by. I remember that the album "1999" sounded very cheesy, dated, and 80's in 1992. Now it sounds classic because that sound is sort of back. Now the album sounds more cheesy and dated.

Anyway-Prince has already reached the stature of Mick Jagger, Elvis, McCartney, James Brown, and Stevie Wonder. Whether any of the 20th/21st century's musical artists will be well known in 200 years is up for debate. Will people know of The Beatles in 200 years? Was Mozart as popular as The Beatles in his day? Who knows???
[Edited 1/26/05 14:18pm]

devilstwin said:

I mostly agree.

devilstwin said:

His place in music history is secure for a variety of reasons. Where he falls in comparison to others has yet to be seen.

It took Mozart, Handel and Chopin generations if not centuries to reach "canonization" in music history. 150 years from now, fans of another prominent musician will be asking the same question as to whether that musician's legacy will be comparable to Prince's.

BTW, of all the musicians of the 20th century, I'd say right now only Ellington has the right to be compared to the folks you mentioned. Time will tell with Prince.

I think he may be more well-known by the number of instruments he played, the live performances he gave, and the amount of songs he wrote -- not necessarily the quality/consistency of them.