Since Musicology he is almost begging for more spot light. What happened? Don't get me wrong, I like it, but what changed his mind?

BlueNote

Mid-life ... expansion


ya know ... i'm 46... what have i done with my life, where is it going ...what more could i do


blah blah blah

Mani needs bling-bling too so she told Prince to get his ass out there and promote his funky self.

Actually, the latest incarnation follows a cycle. Prince always comes back...he always declares that he's going to retire or disappear or look for the ladder, releases some high concept statement album and then he's gone...for a while. But then he misses the adoration and fame and, let's be honest, money, that comes with getting his face out there in the public. So he reaches out again, releases something that a segment of the hardcore says is crap because it is so commercial (Batman, Diamonds and Pearls, Musicology) but it gets him press and play and back for a little while. Then he hooks up with Larry Graham or alienates all the major labels or changes his name and it's back to the land of ether once again.

The frustrating point to all of this is that as much as I hate this cycle sometimes, Prince wouldn't be Prince unless he did this. A person can go crazy trying to figure out how a creative genius thinks...best just to enjoy the music and go to a really cool website and speculate what could have been if the man played the game a little better.

he has money again. think of it, when he has litle money he lives in minneapolis, quietly and plays for his local fans. when he has cash he hangs in LA with celebrities and plays for them.

it's nothing to do with us, it's his cash flow

XxAxX said:

Do you believe that Prince can have this cash flow at any time? I am sure he could generate more cash if he would do more things like Musicology and the tour. The question was why has Prince "sought ot" the fame or the cash flow.

I do not believe he has "sought out" this attention.

I think he does it for the wife, hangin' out w/ the starrraaas keeps her entertained

Either that or he's developed a fondness for gift bags

CalhounSq said:

mental pic of p and mani coming home, stuffing their gift bags in a closet brimming with other gift bags...

It probably has more to do with if Prince wants to go promote himself. It's not like this is the 1st time the man has gone on a media blitz. Diamonds and Pearls, Emancipation, etc. Even for "Under the Cherry Moon" ha had a big cross promotion with MTV and "Win the premiere in you hometown."
[Edited 2/28/05 11:50am]

the best quote by-far:
.
.

GottaLetitgo said:

XxAxX said:

Prince is also planning for his retirement. It's all about exposure, the more you stay in the public eye, the more people will think about buying your stuff. If he's wooing record people right now, the more they see him, the more they'll consider giving him what he wants. At least he's doing it right by hanging out at Grammy afterparties and at the Oscars.

LQ

LadyQ said:

the bills for the parties he's throwing, renting a mansion in hollyweird etc. are substantial enough to run through the money he made from musicology. hopefully, this time around he's got a clue as to how he should use his money wisely. that is, he could retire yesterday if he knew how.
[Edited 2/28/05 14:28pm]

Don't worry. Prince will do something werid or unusual and alienate the mainstreem and then he will have to come back to Minneapolis and play for us at Paisley and host all night jam sessions.

GottaLetitgo said:

*BAM*!!

Hit it right on tha head!

CalhounSq said:

Yes, this could be a factor!

Prince saw William Hung getting publicity and selling records and he was like fuck this i'm getting back out there!

Mazerati said:

"She bangs! She bangs!"

He also "tried" to be a star again back when Rave came out in 1999. That was supposed to be his big "comeback" album but it backfired badly. I think the basic roots from where he is now stem from that time. After the failure of Rave, he really went underground and released music that only his hardcore fans would have access to and appreciate (Rainbow Children, 2001 NPGMC, Xpectation etc).

I also believe the One Nite Alone tour was the beginning of his rise back to the top. Musically, the band was possibly the best he ever assembled and the critics responded very positively to the music that was void of proven hit material. It was almost like a new star was rising - he had a small fan base but great critical responce.

I think by early 2003 the desicion had been made to do a big hits orientated tour in 2004, marking the 20th anniversary of Purple Rain. He spent the beginning of 2003 fairly quietly but when he toured Hong Kong, Australia and Hawaii late that year with what was essentially the same material as the US Musicology shows, all the signs were pointing to a huge 2004. It started with the 2004 Grammys and then it kind of exploded!

it must be fun being 'a star'. mingling with other stars, hanging and banging. flitting from one well-attended gathering to the next.. ..
but is it just me or would the glamorous life burn a person out eventually? i mean, wouldn't it eventually just get boring?






it's just me, ain't it?

jbchavez said:

well, i don't know. the question was actually 'when did prince decide to be a star again' meaning, changing his style and lifestyle to where he now lives in hollyweird, running shoulders with his rich and famously playful celeb pals.

i agree with you that fame sought him out this time around. but he has changed his style, he's kind of living it up and what's 3121 or whatever that address/song is all about? if that's not a big white mansion, i don't know what is...

anyway as far as cash flow goes didn't he make quite a bit of money on the tour last year? i'd think that may affect his planning, somewhat.

mer personally i think the best way for him to generate steady income would be to release those items the fans clamor for. like, outtakes and vault items that are only on bootleg. the canceled celebration takes. that sort of stuff.

toejam said:

Pretty much as I see it.

XxAxX said:

I imagine it would if he just partied everyday BUT think about how much time this dude spends touring, in the studio, NOT being @ every function - just kickin' it in Canada or Minni. It's fun & in doses, so how old can it really get

BlueNote said:

In 1996 with Emancipation?

In 1999 with Rave?

Third time's a charm!

BlueNote said:

when did he stop.

The bad thing is he has made so damn much money this year that he can afford to make "creative", "experimental" type junk for years and years to come. I was hoping he would eventually spend up all his "Purple Rain" money and be forced to release some old, good stuff from the vault that was made before the "Purple Rain" days.
[Edited 3/1/05 7:01am]

vainandy said:

1.)Is doing something creative always a bad thing in your opinion?
Prince could argue that he was trying to be creative when he did the old stuff that you hold in such high regard.

2.) There might be a reason why certain songs are still in the vault. They simply might not be as good as the "legend" some people have built in their minds.

I could care less about the arguements about "creativity". I have my preferences as to which is the best Prince stuff, as well as anyone else. I'm a "fan", not a "fam". Just because Prince is ever-changing and always thinking he is doing something better, does not mean that I have to think so too. Prince is who he is and I am who I am.

People get too bent out of shape when a negative comment is made about Prince. Prince is human like everyone else. He ain't perfect and he ain't gonna please everyone all the time.



I've heard unreleased tracks like "Extraloveable" and "Heaven" and, to me, they sound just as good, if not better, than a lot of the stuff he has released. Someone else may think his unreleased stuff from the 1990s is better. Everyone has different tastes.

vainandy said:

sooo you were hoping for bad things to happen to him...wow