Providing that you do respect the man(this is Prince.org after all ).What if Prince's musical abilities were as limited as other icons such as Michael Jackson or Madonna?

BTW, this is not intended as an attack on MJ or Madonna.

no.


His musical skill in being able to play is what makes me tolerate his ego in the first place.

Of course not cause Prince fams like musicians, not entertainers. Cause we know Prince is not an entertainer
[Edited 10/8/05 19:15pm]

Probably not. Part of the fun of hearing Prince in concert or on record is hearing how he tears it up instrumentally... I mean, look where Madonna and MJ are now. Not that I won't get MJ's next album. And not that I wouldn't mind seeing MJ in concert (if he'd, y'know, tour every now and then...). Point is, part of Prince's appeal is that he is an excellent musician.

croweonbranch said:

Yep!

I dunno. But I do love him because all instruments he knows too.

I definitely would have to say that I may still have been a fan, but I wouldn't be as impressed with Prince if he wasn't the one playing all those instruments for all these years. It's great listening to a guitar solo or some sweet piano and knowing that it's Prince performing on the CD. And I'd even go further...I'm also impressed with the music because he also wrote virtually everything that he's put out. Nothing pre-packaged. This is what makes Prince's songs--be they hard rockers or beautiful ballads--so personal. Not only is no one adding their own guitar licks to his music (though, that's not always a bad thing: Van Halen on "Beat It" for example), but no one is putting words into his mouth either. When Prince writes "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife" or "I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore" or "Billy Jack Bitch" you know it's from a personal place, making the songs that much more interesting and great to listen to. How many artists today can one say that they look for the meaning or reasons behind their songs?

I would both enjoy his music and respect him very much.

BUT

I would prob remove the 'genius' tag I associate with his name. while if the 'same' music was created I would consider him still a great songwriter and producer... but part of the genius appeal has always been the fact that he was a one man band.

the fact that i respect him has nothing to do with the fact that he can play a lot of instruments.
if he still made good music - wrote good songs - sang good - and gave a good show then yea i'd still respect him cuz these are the reasons why i respect him, the instruments r just a plus

absolutely not, thats what sets him apart from most entertainers, he would be about as respected as Michael in the eighties, because Mike looked cool in the eighties and danced, and thats ith

definitely a MAJOR part of what makes prince great and what I personally like about him is that he's an artist who's responsible for the creation of his music at EVERY LEVEL, from writing, singing, producing and PLAYING. This is why I like guys like P, cuz you know that they're responsible for what you're hearing in every respect.

Prolly less.

Thats the reason i like him so much is cause he can make an album all by himself. So yes i would probably like him much less.

No.

Probably not, as that is what makes him the Musical Genius we all know & love ..... it is also what sets him apart from all the rest









"Here comes the Undertaker"

I'd still like him because I love his voice. However, he would have to have some funky musicians behind him for me to like him. There are plenty of singers out there with a great voice, like Shitney Houston for example, but they have horrible songs because they have watered down music.
.
.
[Edited 10/9/05 9:03am]

vainandy said:

That is sooooo true.

It's a moot point because his music wouldn't be the same if he wasn't a musician.

It's what stands him apart from his peers like MJ and Madonna.

No, I wouldn't.

Personally, I just like him because of the assless pants.

Sure. It wouldn't change the way his songs sound and let's be honest, in recent years Prince has (mainly) stuck to vocals and guitar on his albums. It's not like when you play his stuff that every instrument you hear is played by Prince. People act like the ability to play all the instruments is what makes Prince a genius, when I think it's his songwriting which does.

no I wouldn't have the respect for P if he didn't play instrument(s).
is this a joke..?

what is Prince if he doesn't play instruments....michael jackson!

the musicianship of Prince is what makes the music. being a musician he is able to understand sound and its relation. this is what makes him unique, and the fact that there are (released vs unreleased) several versions of songs that are completely different. these songs are able to grow, and change due to the fact that P can go into a studio and lay down what he has in HIS head. he doesn't NEED a band to be an extention of what he thinks a song(s) should sound.

and yes, P hasn't been playing instruments (or as many) as of recently, BUT, with his musical history he understands the limits and constraints of various instruments and the musicians.

tonybibb said:

There are great song writers who don't play as many instruments as Prince. That doesn't make them any less. Also, Prince isn't known for writing pieces of complex music. Any decent musician can play his music.

This attitude of "Prince is great because he plays a dozen instruments" is a bunch of crap. Do you think the great composers of classical music are/were able to play even half of the instruments they wrote the parts for?

Prince's niche is pop music. His limitations are painfully clear when he attempts to compose and play jazz which in his case becomes muzak.

RepoMan said:

I do agree with u as far as there are great songwriters who don't play instrucments, but my argument is that I don't think he would have that same drive, passion,or creative spirit if he didn't play "AN" instrument(s). Just because he plays a "dozen or more" instruments, doesn't mean that he plays them very well (of course he's at his best playing guitar and piano). he could still have talent, but there wouldn't be any mystique, and how original would he be if he were to rely totally, or at least have a large majority of his work put out to others to interpet?? u can add the ingredients and bake the cake yourself, or u can just give the recipe to others and have them do it 4 u..which would u prefer??

As for the jazz thing, with all that P has accomplished (and in some ways given the "possible" limitations forcoming due to his being a JW) this may become his creative outlet. As 4 is sounding like muzak, I disagree. With NEWS there was room for P to apply his bandleadership skills, and with the correct band, this would be anything less than muzak. Now granted NEWS is rock based, but an attempt 4 P to explore the fusion (jazz) genre is verly likely.