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PrintableWell I think the biggest problem with Prince's attitude today seems to be that he's just too comfortable.
In the 80's Prince was on a mission to get his message out there. You can just hear it in the music; that desperation to get across all his unique views on things like spirituality, sexuality, freedom, love, and the threat of the apocalypse. All while he was carving out his musical legacy and proving that he was the new genius in popular music. Then in the 90's that urgency was reborn through Prince being bored of playing his 80's hits and the fact that he wanted everyone to know of his sudden frustrations with the music industry. It spawned an all new aggressive, anxious and ambitious Prince that was all over projects like The Gold Experience and Exodus. It gave way to a very visceral sense of new life in his music. Prince was making music filled with so much pulsating energy that it was almost like he was trying to get it all out of his system before it was too late. Even Emancipation, despite the fact that it was also filled with what seemed like a lot of filler to get the album to three hours in length, had a wonderful bit of urgency in it. This time it was obvious Prince wanted us to all know how in love he was with Mayte. Maybe some fans thought he went overboard with that, but either way I think it spawned some of his most genuine sounding and imaginative love songs in years. Admist the filler was inspired stuff. Then, after the failure of Emancipation, after the tragic death of his child, and as he was phoning it in with failed comeback albums, there was suddenly The Rainbow Children. It just came out of nowhere. Once again Prince's need to prove something was evident in the music. This time it was clear Prince was once again eager to get a message out there; this time, that of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion. Say what you want about the lyrics or Prince's newfound love for a jazzier sound, but this album finally seemed to return Prince to the days of albums that had heart. So looking at his history, it seems the biggest problem now isn't that Prince has lost it, but moreso just that he doesn't seem eager to get any particular message out there. The Prince of today seems more comfortable simply basking in his past legacy and bragging about the fact that he's a real musician. That's just gonna mean more mediocre music that doesn't inspire love, hate, or real discussion of any kind. Meanwhile, it looks like Prince'll just stay content as a living, breathing tribute to old music. The world is a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel.
"You still wanna take me to prison...just because I won't trade humanity for patriotism." | |
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Great stuff being posted in here. 
I also don't think anybody should be ripping on PK for starting a "complaint" thread. Some people just like to analyze and share their opinions on things (especially geeks like me  ), even if it's with regards to something they're not happy with.
EDIT: I myself once started my own thread discussing how generally disappointed I've been with Prince's music post-"SOTT"/"Lovesexy". It's not that rare an assessment, guys. [Edited 1/14/06 17:27pm] | |
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PurpleKnight said: Well I think the biggest problem with Prince's attitude today seems to be that he's just too comfortable.
In the 80's Prince was on a mission to get his message out there. You can just hear it in the music; that desperation to get across all his unique views on things like spirituality, sexuality, freedom, love, and the threat of the apocalypse. All while he was carving out his musical legacy and proving that he was the new genius in popular music. Then in the 90's that urgency was reborn through Prince being bored of playing his 80's hits and the fact that he wanted everyone to know of his sudden frustrations with the music industry. It spawned an all new aggressive, anxious and ambitious Prince that was all over projects like The Gold Experience and Exodus. It gave way to a very visceral sense of new life in his music. Prince was making music filled with so much pulsating energy that it was almost like he was trying to get it all out of his system before it was too late. Even Emancipation, despite the fact that it was also filled with what seemed like a lot of filler to get the album to three hours in length, had a wonderful bit of urgency in it. This time it was obvious Prince wanted us to all know how in love he was with Mayte. Maybe some fans thought he went overboard with that, but either way I think it spawned some of his most genuine sounding and imaginative love songs in years. Admist the filler was inspired stuff. Then, after the failure of Emancipation, after the tragic death of his child, and as he was phoning it in with failed comeback albums, there was suddenly The Rainbow Children. It just came out of nowhere. Once again Prince's need to prove something was evident in the music. This time it was clear Prince was once again eager to get a message out there; this time, that of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion. Say what you want about the lyrics or Prince's newfound love for a jazzier sound, but this album finally seemed to return Prince to the days of albums that had heart. So looking at his history, it seems the biggest problem now isn't that Prince has lost it, but moreso just that he doesn't seem eager to get any particular message out there. The Prince of today seems more comfortable simply basking in his past legacy and bragging about the fact that he's a real musician. That's just gonna mean more mediocre music that doesn't inspire love, hate, or real discussion of any kind. Meanwhile, it looks like Prince'll just stay content as a living, breathing tribute to old music. Very well said. 
I wish I could've put it as well as you. "A Watcher scoffs at gravity!" | |
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PurpleKnight said: KoolEaze said: I think it was there on a lot of the TRC songs, especially Everywhere and Family Name and Digital Garden.
Now you may or may not like that album and the message or philosophy behind it but it had a lot of that urgency. And the ONA tour also comes to mind. Ahhhh, the good old SonnyT/MichaelB years...Morris and Prince and those two guys were on fire. That's actually a good point about TRC. Now I can't stand that album, but I do like that it has life to it. What's happened to Prince since then? He's gone straight downhill in that regard. Good point about those NPG mid 90's years. That single scream in Endorphinmachine is more ambitious and urgent than anything on Musicology. - Yes, it´s true...I think Gold Experience is very urgent, edgy. The end of ´I hate U´ is gorgeous, for example...the guitar screams!! I am glad u agreed on TRC, even disliking the album. It had passion on it, u can be sure. I would even say that some moments of Rave Un2 had lots of passion also. [Edited 1/14/06 23:37pm] |
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