Often we read about artists reaching a peak and never being to recapture it, is this true of Prince? has he reached his, is it still to come (Santana a few years back) and by this I mean the point at which he reaches a creatively commercial peak. I would say that Sign o the Times acheived this and was supported strongly by Lovesexy. Putple Rain while a commerical peak was arguably not as satisfying as SOTT IMHO. ANy views?

clarityman said:

Purple Rain was his peak creatively and commercial, the album, the movie, the tour, the sound, the style, the look, everything.

I agree to an extent but it seemed that the confidence soared higher on SOTT which I would compare to the way the Beatles confidence went up a notch on Sgt Peppers

His commercial peak was obviously Purple Rain and can't imagine it being topped. I'd day his creative peak however lasted from 1999 to SOTT. Dirty Mind and Controversy were definitely on the way up there just below the final ascent, as Lovesexy was up there but on the way down.

vivid said:

Sounds about right.

I'm of the firm belief that Prince will a) never achieve the commercial success of Purple Rain and b) never achieve the creative success of the 1982-1987 period ever again.

Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves. ( )

He just kept getting better and better with each album and then "Purple Rain" really made him a star. Once you reach the top, there's nowhere left to go but down.

vainandy said:

Completely agree.

PurpleKnight said:

So SOTT was down?

vivid said:

exactly ! by 1987 he was creatively free from the constraints of building his name and had the everlasting (at the time!) love of Warners and therefore felt free enough to mix sounds in a way no one would have dared at that time. This created an album that sold well and was critically acclaimed even the snobbish of the music press.

Yep.

vivid said:

Yes it was.

PurpleKnight said:

Ya'll are crazy SOTT kicks Purple Rain's ass. The movies and the albums both.

There is not one song on Purple Rain that he didn't top with SOTT. There is stuff going on musically on SOTT that by far trancends Purple Rain.

Also, the performances during the SOTT movie/tour are far more than anything in the Purple Rain movie/tour.

You all live in he past! His creative peak is definitly the rainbow children!! Rise, rise! On the other hand, ommercially speaking he would never beat Purpe rain.

spx said:

Thats a respectable opinion, but its certainly not definite, i would say that in TRC he did things that he already experimented with in SOTT i mean 1+1+1=3 is like erotic city (Purple Rain period). SOTT was a masterpiece at a time when there was not another act on earth doing anything remotely like it.

Santana was best in the hippie era. It's just that his comeback in our generation was all most of us had heard from him. Prince's creativity is now hampered by his religion and trying to be commercial. And by the fact that non-rappers have no right to be sexual these days.

Purple Rain was the commercial pinnacle, never to be matched. Musically, not. That band needed over 10 musicians to pull it off.

In regards to creatively, I'd like to refer to it in terms of time period as compared to releases. WB wouldn't let him release as much as he wanted. He could have been the Zappa of the X generation.

When he started to took off to Europe for the Parade (3-3-86)tour until the master for Lovesexy was burned was his best creative period. The bands were better. He expanded he scope of what he could handle and master. The early 80's was the foundation and the 90's he was searching and got bogged down by trying to hard to rap. He's also was slowed by his fight with WB.

There have been plenty of peaks and valleys in Prince's music career. I think its unfair to judge one heavier than another.

Being the eternal optimist that I am. I say he hasn't reached his peak yet. Everytime I look at him latley, I see something that says to me the best is yet to come. We shall see soon enough!

clarityman said:

There is nothing like TRC neither. Who else would ruin such a great album with those lyrics ?
(Even then this qlbum is my fav)
But is the point of this thread about prince's peak or about beeing original ? You said "SOTT was a masterpiece at a time when there was not another act on earth doing anything remotely like it". I agree. But even then if TRC is less original/innovative, cannot it be a peak if not the peak? The whole question behind it is: is it necessary to be innovative/original/different to make a masterpiece ? I would say no, but I feel some would disagree...

It's possible that he climaxed in the recording studio a couple months ago and that we'll be seeing the birth of that production by the end of summer?

Crazy or not, the sales for both albums and movies tell the real story.

vainandy said:

So you'd agree that Jagged Little Pill was the greatest album of the nineties. Okay I get you now.
[Edited 2/3/05 3:35am]

In comparison to all the other junk that came out in the worst decade in music history, the 1990s, it probably was.

As I said, I get you now.

spx said:

Good point and I do agree to an extent , though to be a masterpiece probably means to produce something of a higher qulity than what was around before and SOTT was certainly that. TRC was original for sure but was it better than what was around well thats a matter of personal taste, though in this thread I am thinking of generally acclaimed works.

I can't say where he "peaked," but I sure know where he topped out at...

Yeah, I'd like to help him reach his peak.....


Oh! We're talking MUSICAL peak!

Ummmmm.....never mind!

Ro

**LoveLife, LoveGod, LoveSexy**

If I hear ONE MORE PERSON say Purple Rain was his peak, I'm gonna scream! He just came off of a tour that made THREE TIMES THE GROSS of Purple Rain and was the 8th highest grossing tour EVER, but Purple Rain was his peak? WTF?!?!?! It's getting that way with SOTT, too, and those were good points, but not his highest peak. He has yet to reach his peak, but I do think it's coming in the next ten years.