zxcvbnmmnbvcxz said:

- Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, Cyrus Chestnut, Frank Zappa, George Benson, Joe Pass, etc.
On the ´world music´ (I hate that term)...Tom Jobim, Baden Powell, Djavan.

It is 11:36pm in NY and I just got off the "Q" train from Manhattan to Brooklyn. I was listening to "Graffiti Bridge", "We Can Funk" exactly, and realized just how fucking much I love the little man. It took every ounce of my body not to begin singing on the train. I don't care much for TRC, but I love Prince.

I must admit after September 11, "Still Will Stand All Time", was a song of solace. Interestingly enough, I am an atheist and the "Q" train passes the world headquarters of the JW's.

Prince, you are the fucking man!!!

I think when looking at this if you take into account three things, you have a solid argument for Prince being the greatest all round musician alive today.

These three things:

1.Prolificness- I wonder how many musicians alive today
have written as many songs as Prince has, all different you know...some bad, but many really great.

2.Range of Styles- Can you think of anyone else who writes in all genres like Prince? Jazz, rock, pop, r&b, swing, rap, neo classical, soul, blues, folk, etc. all from one man. Some would say Frank Zappa, but do you really think he has done these as well as Prince? Is he as good a songwriter as Prince. Nope.

3.Performance- The best live performer of our generation. On stage, you can expect Prince to exercise a larger range in his singing voice than anyone today, play more instruments than anyone else, and dance as well as just about anyone. Plus, he has a strong emotional intensity (except for those medleys which were just by the numbers and have thankfully disappeared)

Now before calling me a sheep or an idiot or asskisser, I challenge someone to make solid evidence in their claim that someone else is a better all round musician today. If these "jazz" artists are so much better, then you must not think that playing in different styles or emotional intensity is all that important.

bkw said:

- Some people are taking the joy of being a fan too seriously!
Greatest composer? There are lots some as/more talented that ´ever graced the planet´...just to say a few names: Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven and all the good classical composers. Frank Zappa (the guy was amazingly versatile, even wrote pieces for orchestra much more deep than ´Kamasutra´), Duke Ellington, Tom Jobim (master of melodies and harmonies), Djavan, etc etc.

Greatest guitar player? You dont know Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Frank Zappa (again), George Benson, Frank Gambale, Jimi, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Vai, Randy Rhoads and some more.

Greatest pianist? Listen to Hancock, Cyrus Chestnut, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Tom Jobim, Joao Donato, and tons of others.
There is one thing I like about Prince...he is good in lots of different things. He may not be the best guitar player, singer, songwriter, drummer, etc. But he KNOWS how to do all these things in a very special way.

GustavoRibas said:

Umm, you do realise I was being sarcastic don't you?

It might be lost in the translation . Go Brazil!

bkw said:

Your sarcsam didn't come through because you said it too drunkly.

2the9s said:

Thats what I meant. The translation from drunkenese to english.

Greatest of his ERA.

High,

YES! YES! YES!

Love&Light...Liquid

Ok everyone take a deep breath and ...exhale. I don't understand why so many of you are getting all worked up about such a simple question. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If I want to say he is the best than damn it in my eyes he is. But no I can't say I do beleive he is. He is one of the greatest and probably one of the most diverse but that alone does not make him the greatest. Greatness is in the mind of the people who listen to the music.

As the man himself once said..."There is no best. Ask my grandmother. She don't think I am, she'd say Frank Sinatra!"

So even Prince knows that there are better out there but it is all subjective. If you want to say he is then fine but if you want to say someone else is then fine.
Sorry for the rant.

Lots of love to you all.

bkw said:

- Oops...I am sorry...it´s because I read it pretty fast, and really didnt notice it...
And it´s because I am already used to this kind of ´Prince is god´ comment (some people -´fams´ - actually mean it), so I started to reply imediatelly...
I am sorry again

STARFISHNCOFFEE said:

- Nice post. I agree. When some artists reach a certain level, it´s impossible to say who is the greatest. Michelangleo or Da Vinci? Mozart or Bach? Monet or Renoir? These questions cant be answered.

Hmm, no, to the question.

Go Brazil, INDEED! and where is IceNine anyways. I miss that knowledgeable fellow.

IrishEcho said:

You know who needs serious help? IrishEcho. The poor guy doesn't like Prince, he doesn't like Prince.org, and yet he spends all his time here being a scared little white boy, not wanting to accept that Abraham Lincolns racisim was not important, but the fact that people are still being treated like shit, and that it's a long time construct of men that in the words of Shock G have "itty-bitty-penises". Well I'll tell you what, why don't you go out and live your life, and stop being scared and angry. Anyone who knows anything, knows that the world is completely uncertian and that there are no right answers that are not right via their specific use in a situation, even human memory is horribly subjective. Irish, you only have one life to live, so go live it, 'get real', and leave the rest of us alone.

Ahh yes, 73 reponses to a question that should never have been asked...

Of course Prince is the greatest all around musician in the world. I can be proven scientifically. See by using this certian neuro-psycho-semato-informatory device I can pin point not only the worlds Greatest All Round Musician, but all musicians in order of there appearence on the chart. Ironically Prince is # one. After that it gets a little wierd, apparently there's some guy named Karl in Nebraska who comes in second. A lady named Jane who conducts a Swedish Symphony Orchistra in third and a whole bunch more no-names until we get to about # 35, Ywingue Malmesteen. Good call with Prince as number one, do you have one of these machines also?

jtgillia said:

First, I have no idea how to compare a trumpet or saxphone player to a guitar or piano player. It's patently ridiculous. Show me your math on this one.

Secondly, I don't even think it's important to be a multi-instrumentalist. I much prefer an overall band sound, the resultant interplay and the interpersonal communication of the musicians.

Thirdly, quit being so defensive. I haven't called you any names. Your opinions are kinda cute. In a naive sort of way.


I ain't mad @ cha, but I am laffin' @ cha.

He's my "greatest musician in the world" and that's all that matters!

I'm serious. Could Prince be the Second Coming? (These are the end times aren't they?) You know, Christ was a man too.

You goofy zealots must have no idea what kind of minority you're in. He may have considerable talent, but Prince is not the be all & end all. Not by any means. King Sausage is a glimmer of hope on this thread.

Prince is great at what he does,but I don't like to refer to any artist as "the greatest in the world".I'm sure that Prince himself wouldn't consider himself to be the greatest musician in the world.

"I'm not a woman. I'm not a man. I am something that you'll never understand."

blackboab said:

I wish that prince will discover the asian music sometime.
From the Turkish Republik ( Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan...) to Mongolia etc. I Think he would be surprized about this music.

Virginhead said:

And what does that prove? That he can rhyme things?

one of the bests

Pfunk,

Was it really necessary to get all hot and bothered over my post? This is an opinion question, and I'm expressing my opinion. That's innate in my post, do I have to spell it out for you? Not really, you just wanted to take another opportunity to be an ass because it's what you do best.

And stop putting words in my mouth. You can twist around things I've said in the past really well to fight your "battle," but it's pointless and juvenile. You don't know me, and you don't know what I think. So stop assuming things about me you have no clue about.

When I posted that, I wasn't addressing you, so I wasn't being defensive over you. But now I am addressing you- Shut up and go to your damn John Coltraine site.

"How many rhymes you got. How many you got." Corey Parker

Oh fuck...there are sooo many crazyass, close-minded, lunatic, purple ass-slurping "fams" on this site...

It isn't about "Oh, then tell me WHO IS the BEST musician ever!!!???!" You fucking fools! There is no BEST! That's the whole point. This isn't baseball, where you can say who has the most home runs. Saying that Prince is the BEST does nothing other than display your ignorance and willingness to worship his purple nuts. The man is amazing. He's fantastic. He has more talent in one pubic hair on his left nut (and that's the DUMB one! ) than I do in my whole fucking body.

But saying he's the BEST is just ridiculous. How hard is that to understand???!??!?!!!? Listen to more music. From different eras...from around the world...various styles...you will see that you CAN'T say "Prince is the best musician ever" without publicly declaring yourself to be a simple-minded, short-sighted, ignorant, culturally-retarded fucking moronic fool. Nobody is BEST. NOBODY!

I don't care if Graffiti Bridge gives you a boner, Rave Un2 the Shit Craptastic makes you moist, and you listened to Kamasutra on repeat the first time that you jacked your Ronald McDonald costume wearin' uncle off in the shower...saying that Prince is the #1 best be-all-end-all fucking musical God Almighty nobody can fuck with him LORD makes you look like a total uneducated dipshit!

If you don't mind looking foolish, then by all means go ahead and sing your feeble-minded simplistic praises loudly! I'll be over here talking to objective music listeners who don't feel the need to say BEST BEST BEST blah blah blah in order to dig Prince's music...


Is this sinking in yet? Or will this discussion tread further into retarded "my dad can beat up your dad" kindergarten territory???

jtgillia said:

I, on the other hand, look forward to more of your posts.

I am nowhere near angry. LOL. I chuckled non-stop while posting that.
(though I have noticed you've taken to name-calling and
yet I'm the one being juvenille?.
Your system of logic is definitely skewed).

Geez you're so easy to get riled up.

IrishEcho said:

Oh on the contrary my friend it is you who needs help. Do you ever have anything to say in a positive note. Everytime I see a post by you its your ass talking and not your mind. Do some history homework on Abraham Lincoln and you will know why he is called a racist. It is based on his treatment, and ideals about slavery and blacks. He hated slavery but did nothing to stop it in the states he controlled. He also said that we could never equal whites and that if it was up to him he would send us all back to Africa!!

A Prophet is never accepted in his town or in his fam.