I don't see that much discussion of Prince in the role of producer around here... I think it's an often overlooked part of his giftedness, when you compare him to other legendary musicians. Often it has been to his detriment, (lack of editing, creative ruts - See: "The 90's"), but for the most part, his ability to craft recordings based on mood and style is amazing.

One can look at his career, and see a real variety in the work that he has done; from his gritty, early, bare bones stuff, to the huge rock sound of PR, to the many late eighties forays into psychedelia, theatrical music, R & B and so much more.

Then you have the very sterilized, synth-heavy stuff that Emancipation ushered in (where he lingered too long, in my opinion), and then the extremely organic TRC.

I'd love some thoughts on Prince as Producer; what everyone's favorite eras are; when being his own producer has helped/hindered him, etc...

My three favorites are:
PR - Big, melodic rock at its' best! (Perfect blend of live/electronic instruments)
TRC - Fantastic work IMO, with great clarity and richness. (The Everlasting Now is too good!)
Exodus - I just love the sound of this entire CD: Very live sounding, despite all the bells and whistles; Huge drums; great horns throughout...probably my favorite Prince production.

Three least favorite:
Emancipation - Painfully tame and sterile (NPGMC stuff is a close second)
Rave - The sound of trend-following
Symbol/D&P - Too much rap, too much gloss, not enough guitar!

Thoughts?

Prince is a great producer in the sense that he can turn sound into any kind of mood that he wants. Meaning, you might not like Emacipation's over synthed plastic gloss-but that is what Prince wanted. He is able to get out whatever sound/mood/feeling that he wants. Now what you and I want is something else altogether.....

How many times has he produced another artist doing someone else's song? It's very easy seeing your own vision come to life, but what if you're helping to shape someone else's? Prince always seems to make everything his own. This does not make him a great producer.

The producer's role in making records is an interesting subject. In my opinion, is it often misinterpreted and possibly overestimated.

What do we really mean when we say that a record is "well-produced", "over-produced" etc?

My feeling is that people tend to use these terms without really knowing what they're talking about... What is referred to as a "great production" is usually the result of one or many of these elements:

Good songwriting - the songs have a good structure, are not too short or too long, the music fits with the lyrics etc.
Good arrangements - that brings out the mood and message of the song. The choice of instrumentation, a well-suited key, a good balance of surprise and recognition etc.
Convincing musical performances - both vocally and instrumentally. Also includes the choice of musicians.
A good recording - the choice of studio, recording techniques, microphones, microphone placements etc.
Good mixing and mastering - enables you to hear all the elements in the song in a proper balance.
Good sequencing - the choice of songs to actually put on the album, in which order they appear, how they "flow" together etc.

Some of these things might be handled by the producer, but very seldom all of them. Not even Prince does all of this himself!

On the other hand, you can "produce" a record without really doing any of these things. Many producers simply have the role of coordinator - they make a budget, book the studio and musicians, make sure you keep the time schedule etc. There's even producers who aren't even involved until after the actual recording, when they take care of manufacturing, distribution, promotion etc.

Another way of "producing" a record is simply hanging around in the studio, offering comments and advice ("maybe you should try one more take?") and making everybody relax and feel good.

But generally, I would say that (what people perceive as) a "well-produced" record is usually just the result of people other than the producer doing a good job.

Okay then, I'd say Prince did a great job with Lovesexy and 1999. Those two albums get an A+ in each of the categories above.

As a producer as he stands now I would say Prince is extremely talented and versatile, but dated and lacking new influences.