Just wondering what ya'll think.....

Generally speaking, I think there is.

Just look at the Lovsexy tour. It completely flopped in the states, but it flourished in Europe despite the fact he had already toured there the previous two years with Parade and Sign O The Times.

I also think in America he is seen more as a hero/role model among the black community in the likes of Mohammad Ali or Miles Davis, whereas in Europe he is seen more as a "mad genius" in the likes of Salvador Dalí or all those mad European classical composers.

toejam said:

good point, never thought about that in those terms b-4.

Isn't Europe more into pop and dance music whereas the States are more into blues-influenced music (rock, funk, etc)?

Totally. The Lovesexy tour says it all. Generally I think Europenas are much more open minded and accepting where as American's are very quick to judge and critise.

Krystal666 said:

Yeah I agree with you totally - you stupid little twit!***









***
I just wanted to live up to your sterotyped image of Americans.
I'm sure you are as vastly superior in your musical tastes as you think you are.

thedoorkeeper said:

Uhhh..I am not even European...why is there so much hostility on this board?

Krystal666 said:

Well duh - you said it yourself - Americans are close-minded, quick to judge & extremly critical. Thats us all over the place.
(By the way - nice ass!!!)

thedoorkeeper said:

I said GENERALLY!

thedoorkeeper said:[***
I just wanted to live up to your sterotyped image of Americans.
I'm sure you are as vastly superior in your musical tastes as you think you are.[/quote]

you forgot to burp, fart and scratch first

probably !

Snap said:

uhhm .. no.

I do agree that there are differences, but I don't think it's pop-dance vs blues-influenced.


I dunno. Now I'm thinking about it, it's hard to put my finger on what the difference is.

Maybe the avarage European fan is less into RnB, Call my name would have done nothing in the Eurocharts i think.

Snap said:

I cannot talk in the name of Europe but in my country in France an album like TRC has been considered like a masterpiece whereas critics in the usa were very bad.

People in Europe are more into musicians than showmen.

dawn74 said:

im from australia, but have european backround and blood
i when to europe a few months ago
i always ask people what kind of sound they are into when i meet new people
and beleive it or not.. i didnt get one reply saying R&B in 3 whole months

I would say that Europe is a far more cosmopolitan continent than North America and, hence, they are generally more open-minded to new ideas and variety. I don't think it is as simple as pop vs blues, but Prince seems to get more appreciation (and leeway) in Europe.

RnB (or what is called RnB these days, its certainly not Rhythm and Blues as the name originally meant) is actually very popular here in the UK - can't speak for the rest of Europe on that one.

Its not that simple comparing the US and Europe. Europe, dont forget, isnt all English speaking. Both continents have a plethora of home grown talent in their respective charts. The Italian chart is heavily populated with Italian artists, as is the French for example. I think the Dutch chart is more cosmopolitan. From what ive heard of the German chart, its pretty dire! (IMO)....

There are still a fair few common denominators such as U2 or Britny etc which cross over to everyone...

You could make comparisons between the US and UK more easily as the music culture translates easily (common language), but that makes us less fortunate because we dont get access to some really great music. Italy has a fantastic musical culture, as does Spain...

The UK is going through a very welcome upswing at the moment as the boy/girl band/manufactured pop seems to be fading and is being replaced with some genuine talent. It does look a lot healthier than it did a few years ago. But I dont think the UK is as drawn to R&B and hip hop in the way the US is. We're liking our 4 piece guitar bands at the moment it seems.

But then Ive always thought the UK is ahead of the game when it comes to musical creativity (The Pooh notwithstanding!). But im biased...

Jon said:

We have unbelievably talented musicians in france as well hehe.

Someone like M for instance !

It's not really a good comparison, USA and Europe, because Europe has so many countries, and each country differs in their musical taste. I mean, not all of Europe is crazy about Dance-pop-techno either.
Sirah

Jon said:

The German charts are horrible!!! Pop music in Germany is in a bad state at the moment. Untalented people trying to imitate certain trends from the UK/U.S., filled up with the usual sh.. you currently find in many countries (J.Lo, Usher).

We bought the Lovesexy album in Europe and loved it. Americans screamed in horror at the site of a naked man on the cover and didn't.

there are OVERSEAS, no over seears of the music, lol

Marrk said:

i still remember seeing the album cover on display behind the counter when i was 7 and just thinkin "wow!" but yeah, america's ass-backwards when it comes to stuff like this. porn's cool, tits n'ass in your face on a beer commercial, but lawd forbid you see a nekkid brotha sittin in front of a gigantic flower.

what i've noticed betwixt american and european fans is that folks overseas are a lot more open to stuff, instead of here in the states where it's like "fuck something new, we want what you did before!" i ain't sayin that it's that way with all of us american fans (that certainly isn't the case), but i just notice that.

toejam said:

No the "black community" sees Prince more in the mold of a Salvador Dali-- if Dali were well known in America that is. He's certainly not considered amongst the likes of Mohammed Ali as a hero or role model. Most blacks on this very site don't think of Prince up there in terms of Miles Davis. Your average everyday org funk, jazz, soul "expert" will be quick to tell you that.

I guess he's an enigma on both sides of the pond.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Along these lines..... I cannot undertsand how when I am watching network TV I can see a real corpse on the news, when I watch "24" I can see a woman's slit wrist spurting blood everywhere, but I cannot see a nipple?????

America has this warped thing that violence is okay and sex/nudity is not. I saw everything when I was born anyway.....
[Edited 2/24/05 17:00pm]

I think in Europe Prince is seen as an eccentric genius
while in the USA he is seen as a genuis eccentric.

Mindflux said:

R&B has been the biggest thing on French pop charts for a while...

Heiress said:

R&B sucks...

Ive heard some cool French rap though... The French language lends itself well to rap, especially done in a progressive/acid jazz kinda way... Shame I dont understand the words...

Ever heard of United Future Organisation?

quote]
The German charts are horrible!!! Pop music in Germany is in a bad state at the moment. Untalented people trying to imitate certain trends from the UK/U.S., filled up with the usual sh.. you currently find in many countries (J.Lo, Usher). [/quote]

I'll agree with that!

But I'll keep my statements towards pop music within the boundries of what is actually heavily promoted here in Germany.

First off, the radio stations are atrocious, in my bavarian area, at least. If you actually want to hear something different than the crap constantly aired, you have to subscribe to cable or satelite radio broadcasts. (on a side note, one is "required" to pay a tri-monthly fee of almost 50 euros to even watch/listen to puplic tv/radio!)

I recently went to a Media Markt store (like Best Buy), and was really shocked that the only true talent in even the top 20 was U2. The rest were mostly computer-generated, rehashed semi-covers of DJs turned pop "artists." (sorry, don't really know how to accurately convey this type of "music" into words!)

That being said, I guess a really cheesy remix of "Kiss" with only the hook being repeated relentlessly over a thumping house-type beat and the effects of it sounding as though the song itself is submerged in water at key points would probably do much better on the charts than an actual Prince song (run on?)

...in Germany, anyway.

Schöne Grüße!

Jon said:

I don't think you'd get too many folks in the US who'd flat out say "R&B sucks." It's the age-old difference: progressivism vs. traditionalism. I dunno, maybe because we're such a relatively young country, we're still working through a lot of our identity issues, and so we cling to what we know. But I don't see that as necessarily a bad thing when it comes to art. It takes both approaches.

Oh, and PS, some of didn't like Lovesexy not because of the cover art (which made me WANT to love it), but because beyond a few tracks, most of it felt a like a rushed, pseudo-profound mess.