Let's get a good MUSIC discussion going!

---

With the back-to-back release of TRC and ONA, does anyone have the sense that Prince has begun a string of releases that could artistically rival his run in the 80s? Is it even possible? Maybe you see this period as more akin to some point in the 90s? If so, which years/albums specifically?

And if you agree that Prince is hitting another career peak, how long do you think this streak might last -- 3 albums, 5, 10? Bear in mind that the "Genius Era" (80-88 ) produced 8 officially released Prince albums plus The Black Album for a total of 9. Is a second run of that magnitude conceivable?

For the sake of this discussion, let's limit ourselves to artistic merit rather than commercial success.

I'll share my own thoughts in a separate post.

Peace, David

as far as trying new styles and arrangements yes. most definitely.

as far as quality? i'll have to think about that a little longer.

Chronic, you really are Morris Day in disguise, aren't you?

Nice thread! I have to say that P is definately on a good run here. And what makes it more interesting, is that at this point he is beyond 'what other people think' and doing his thang which is similar to the point he was in the 80s. Makin' music...

This could definately turn into a new, competitive era for P... I feel he is on his way that's for sure!

there was a time when i thought prince needed to be angry and with a divided soul to drive him to his musical heights. the rainbow children showed me that he's reached new personal heights and his music has come along with him. i think we're finally hearing "what freedom sounds like" as he promised over 5 (!!) years ago.

as he grows accustomed to that freedom, he has been surprising me at each turn with the changes it is producing within him. i don't know if one can compare what he will produce under freedom with the canonical, "officially released" albums of the 80s - I think we're going to see something much more fluid. and yes, i think it will be compared AND contrasted with the glory days of his youth.

Interesting thread.

Ive only heard a few tracks from ONA as Im not a member of the NPGMC. I love TRC, I think its a fantastic piece of art.

I dunno, I see this whole thing as Prince becoming more and more himself on his work over the years. I get a real sense that he is revealing an extremely intimate part of himself on his most recent tracks. I think he has shared a lot of his thoughts in the past, and held a lot of his beliefs back, too. What seems to be shocking everyone about what he is saying about religion isnt new, there's just more of it and its very out there now. I get the impression that ppl think that what Prince believes today happened overnight. Belief systems dont just 'appear' they take time to evolve and change and grow and be added to.

Obviously this all has an impact to what kind of music he is making and it seems to me that he is artistically free to put down his own truth into beautiful work, more than he has ever been able to in the past.

I think it shows that he is being more himself on his work, when u look at the reaction he is getting from ppl. He's speaking his mind and for some, the bubble is bursting for them of the expectations they placed upon him in the first place, to keep making music like this, or like that.

TRC and ONA has made him fearless again. Not chasing the music scene but more comfident in himself and his craft. Will it compare to his run of the 80's? Nothing can ever compare to that becasuse we have all grown with the music so its never going to be the same...it can have as much innovation but it will never be 1980-89 again. Thank gawd. Sometimes you do great or start out great and fall down. When you get back up you either become unsure of yourself or you take care of business with more of a passion to get it right. Guess which road Prince is going to take.

xenith said:

Freedom is definately THE word to describe his latest work. All the old baggage and resentment (or hard feelings) seem to be long gone now.

MzCadillacLady said:

So its Freedom now and no longer Grease?

good question...


I think TRC, while not a great album does show Prince heading in a better direction...I one of the few folks that doesnt see much greatness from ONA...its a nice listen, which is all I was expecting...I am more interested in the next fullblown non-NPGMC disc...I wonder if he can capture some of the magic that he displayed during the ONA concert and place *that* on wax...

rdhull said:

well, if it's Chicken Grease then... you've got a point! LOL

All signs indicate that Prince has fully regained his bearings after allowing the pressures of chasing commercial trends to cloud his artistic vision.

While I never bought into the notion that P had "lost it" as some declared, it seemed that he desperately needed something to stir his soul. Although folks disparage his current spiritual journey, I would argue that it has been this very exploration that has sparked the musical rebirth we are witnessing. (Although John Blackwell's musical presence has played a significant role, as well.)

And after repeatedly listening to the results of this renewal, I truly feel that the sustained quality of TRC and ONA match up favorably against any two-album run from the 80s. The best of which -- to me -- would either be 1999/PR or Parade/SOTT or SOTT/Lovesexy. I wouldn't put TRC/ONA above any of those, but the tandem certainly sits comfortably among them.

As for how long P can sustain this run, I fully expect it to continue through his next mainstream commercial release. Since this will likely follow the club albums, I think the next 4-5 releases are all going to be stellar (any compilations notwithstanding).

Peace, David

Yeah, I imagine Xenophobia should be an exciting release as well. He is definitely back on top of his game, pushing the boundaries of "Prince music".

With Prince's talent anything's possible, however, talent is not the only thing that made him a great artist. Or better yet, however much talent he has it is not what made him into an outstanding artist.

I doubt he'll release something anytime soon that will even come close to his 80's material.

jtgillia said:

Perhaps, but he didn't just push the boundaries of his own music, but those of music as a whole. Prince used to be influential, but now he's making music that sound more influenced [by...].

Say what you want, but in 10-20 years from now you won't hear musicians say they have been influenced by Emancipation, NPS, Rave, TRC or ONA.

I would prefer to say that TRC + ONA is an experienced artist STARTING to peak again.

ONA is boring and has no real melodies. Sure it's only demos, but compare any of these songs to his piano ballads and you come up empty. He even half talks thru a few songs cause he couldn't come up with a melody. there's no hooks except for maybe young and beautiful. I'm not disappointed cause I didn't expect much, but I will never listen to this cd. Very boring. I hope he get's a pulse next time around.

joeycoco said:

I think his declaration of independence from the existing record industry will be his most influencial act of those years. He's still pushing musical frontiers.

rdhull said:

What he said!

Someone said, I thought Prince had to be angry to get to height of his music? In parts of TRC he is angry.

yesterday I received my copy of ONA here in the beautiful España and I love it so much. Prince is really inspired again, songs like U r gonna c me, one night alone, avalanche, pearls b4 the swine or his cover of a case of u are absolute gems, gorgeous pieces of music in my not so humble opinion. I just can´t wait to get home and listen to it again and again. It´s been a while since I felt this for prince´s music. I liked TRC as well but these precious little songs on ONA got me enamorado.

While I haven't heard ONA yet, I have to admit that Joey C is on point. Prince is nowhere near his peak of the 80's as far as influence. It's very possible that those days are over, especially since he has gone underground. And even though his music has changed a bit in terms of direction, it's hardly anything new. I likes the jazz of TRC, but nothing really surprised me. I mean, he's merged with jazz before. Just try to remember listening to the Around the World in A Day album and getting to 'Tamborine'. That's surprising. Or other songs like in Continental when they broke into 'How U Wanna B Done'. Phat!

I'm thinking that he was more into getting the message out on TRC and in the show, while throwing out a few oldies to keep us interested. But on TRC, there were a few cuts that didn't sound like Prince, but more regular R&B. But I will give him this. After listening to TRC, I had to listen again and again. It keeps pulling me back.


What!

Surprise me nukka!

?
[This message was edited Wed Feb 26 0:36:22 PST 2003 by IstenSzek]

Both TRC and ONA finally show Prince as a free artist. It's almost like he had to get used to the thought of being free and truely creating as a free artist.
Doing that, resulted in two albums which showed an artist doing the things he wanted in extreme . He finally could do a jazz album, so he made a very jazzy album, he could make a lowdown piano album, so he made a very lowdown piano album.
Prince is currently exploring his boundary's, because he can. He's like a kid, that just got permission to go as far as he wants on his little bike. At first, he will go really far, but after a while, he remains around the house as he did before.
What I'm trying to say: Prince is going to extremen now, but he will find his balance, in time.
Then, and only then, we will have a truely free artist creating amazing things. That will not be Xenophobia, or anything else we will receive this year. But it will come.
And untill that time, let's just have a glance at the future with TRC and ONA.

I do believe he is beginning a new 'peak' era. TRC was more full of energy then anything he had done in a long time. ONA just proves that he is unafraid to do what he wants. I mean, he's alwys put stuff out that was daring but I think the freedom he has with these limited releases (to the die hard) is allowing him to be completely free to follow his whim.

I'm excited again as a Prince fan.

Great thread!

All intelligent stuff!

I agree with 'ChocolateInvasion' this is just the start of the albums to come!

I do think that you could get an amazing album from one or two tracks from recent projects here's my little list:

One nite alone
When eye lay my hands on u
She loves me 4 me
Beautiful Strange ('upgraded' version)
U'r gonna c me
Supercute
Pearls b4 the swine
Prelude 2 Muse (instrumental)
Muse 2 the pharoah
Eye love u but eye don't trust u anymore
When will we b paid?
Onesong (with better production - live drums?)

If Prince had waited (not that we want him to!) and brought out an album like this - People would say he was back to his best, but becuz all the best songs are spread out over different releases it's hard for the average listener to comprehend the greatness!

Oh yeah - add Underneath the cream to that 'album'

Dont you just get the feeling that he always had TRC in him and there's probably more to come. TRC was a piece of art i always knew he could deliver. I must say ONA is a nice listen but nothing more, in many ways it lacks especially in lyrical content, variety and standout tunes. The title track is great though as are some of the ideas but on the whole it could have been a lot better. Anyway this is and always has been HIS party. I've listened to the recent boots from the ONA tour including afterhows and soundchecks and he sounds so free, jazzy and cool. This band is great. Let the good times roll.

gottagottagotta said:

me hopes thats what he is doing...me hopes!! me hopes!!!

I'm thinking that this is a great time to be a Prince fan. I missed out on him in the 80s, seeing as how I was like 8 years old. I feel like he's beginning to make up for that. Not to say I don't like the 90s stuff. . .I do, I love it, TGE and the symbol albums are what made me a fan. But this new music is so soulful and unconventional, not in a 'blow you out of your seat with some rythmic innovation' unconventional, but 'I don't have to please a record company' unconventional. I think you are right who have said that this is what freedom sounds like.

I was feeling less than thrilled about the religious content, and I could still do without it, but I feel like I have a better grasp now of why he believes what he does, and I respect his reasons, so it's easier for me to hear and enjoy.

Doves,
tackaMel!ssa