skywalker said:

thank you.

skywalker said:

Fair enough.

namepeace said:

I agree...I was a teenager during that period and while it was certainly his artistic prime, a lot of the albums that are now regarded as classics were not at first well received by fans and critics...I think folks get too wrapped up in the man's legend to the point where they can't enjoy anything new...It's cool to listen to music without trying to dissect everything from the lyrics to the snare drum...Just take the man for what he is today...
[Edited 3/31/06 11:27am]

skywalker said:[quote]

cborgman said:

Some people really appreciate Prince's older music more, some people really appreciate his newer music more and some people, such as myself, really appreciate and love ALL his music. It's not about "charts" and "soundscans", etc., etc. To say people are "over glorifying" the good old days I think is an error in judgement and to tell people to "Stop over glorifying" those days is IMO telling people how to "receive the music". I don't want anyone telling me what I should think about the "good ol' days".

skywalker said:

not about chart success or sales, its about creativity

i refer to Controversy - Sign o the times, as my good ole days. I was even buying LPs and 12" singles with extended mixes and B-sides

word to ya mutha

I don't think fans care as much about sales as they do quality of the music.

Prince at #1 with a shit album means nothing to me.

skywalker said:

Very Well Put.

TimeKeeper said:

Judging by all the recent posts here and on HQ about this feat, I wouldn't be so sure...

TimeKeeper said:

Amen. Then again, there are a LOT of shit albums that seem to hit number one.

skywalker said:

Agree with U. 2 see prince topping the charts again is adream come true.At least, I will not B viewed as the man obsessed with the has been weirdo "skinny motherf****r with the high voice". But I still dig more TGE, Emancipation, chaos &disorder, The Truth, TRC than some ol days records like Grafitti Bridge, still dig them more than 3121, even if I dig that 1, but that's another story...

skywalker said:

Love your post and agree with it, but you cannot deny that Prince was the dominant artist of his time, everyone copied him.

skywalker said:

Damn, that's a very involved, complicated gripe you have.

Me, I like to keep things simple. Like this:

Prince #1! Awesome!

You don't think so? Bug off!

A word of advice, just to not give yourself heartache: save your breath. Although 3121 seems to have silenced a lot of the "nostalgia junkies", there are still those die-hards out there who, no matter what is said to get them to see another point of view, will just not budge. (Although I personally think that these folks complain ether out of a sense of boredom or just as a conversation piece. Go figure.)

I like music.

Rogue588 said:

Unfortunately.

I always hoped Prince would make a proper comeback with a great album.

TimeKeeper said:

But surely Prince at #1 with a shit album is means more to you than Christina Aguilera at #1 with a shit album?

padawan said:

Not really. I don't care what Christina does. I want Prince to be encouraged to create something very different and very cool, not stay in this lame state.

So, we aren't meant to live together
underneath the sun?

i'll never stop appreciating and enjoying the old stuff, and all the memories those albums hold for me, and i'll never stop looking forward to the new stuff, whether he's going out on a limb with a new style or just giving us a fun party album. anyone who expects prince to replicate the feeling of the first time they were wowed by him, well, they're just setting themselves up for disappointment.

TimeKeeper said:

You fail to get my meaning. If you care enough to be disappointed by a Prince album, it would give you mixed feelings when it goes number one. When you don't care at all, whether it's good or bad, tops the charts or sinks to the bottom, that's when something means nothing to you.

Prince albums mean something to you. Whether you like them or not.

TimeKeeper said:

You fail to get my meaning. If you care enough to be disappointed by a Prince album, it would give you mixed feelings when it goes number one. When you don't care at all, whether it's good or bad, tops the charts or sinks to the bottom, that's when something means nothing to you.

Prince albums mean something to you. Whether you like them or not.

TimeKeeper said:

You fail to get my meaning. If you care enough to be disappointed by a Prince album, it would give you mixed feelings when it goes number one. When you don't care at all, whether it's good or bad, tops the charts or sinks to the bottom, that's when something means nothing to you.

Prince albums obviously mean something to you. Whether you like them or not.

Anx said:

See, this is the mindset of the lazy and cynical listener. Prince has done his part as a musician and songwriter and entertainer, providing more material year in and year out than ANYONE out there, and he happens to be, in my opinion, the most interesting pop star going.

To dismiss his capacity to wow audiences, well, speak for yourself. Shit, his work ethic alone wows me. If a fan, however old and seasoned, can set aside their precious memories and approach his music with open, youthful generosity, his music--especially 3121---can still excite.

To stay young at heart takes effort and daring. It's much easier to fall into a smug knowingness about life and consign enthusiasm to some lost adolescent paradise.

padawan said:

I think you over-simplify.

padawan said:

so it's not enough to like the old stuff and look forward to the new stuff...that's what you're telling me? should i get rid of all my old prince albums and just listen to 3121 then? i think your response is weird, or else you didn't read what i wrote closely enough. either way, i won't be letting anyone else dictate how i enjoy what i listen to, so have a nice day.

Let's face it, 3121 is crap compared even to For You.

Anx said:

Agreed. I think people tend to put all the enjoyment factor on Prince, and don't take into the account that they ( the listener) is partly responsible for the listening experience. I mean, if you were being tortured in prison the first time you heard Lovesexy, it probably wouldn't be an album full of warm happy memories for you. Everybody is different and "hears" things differently.

FILF said:

Face it. Less than a week joining and already a bitter fan---cool.

Facts of the matter are the first ten years represent a body of work that can never be bettered by any artist. The growth and eclectism of the music are outstanding. Sales do not come into it, never did with me.

That's why Per Nilssen wrote DMSR, it IS his most interesting period musically. that's why when i load my Ipod i don't miss a track until it gets to 'Batman', GB, D&P etc and it's a case of what can i do without listening to?

The answer is plenty, just doesn't enter my mind to leave tracks off 78-88, but maybe that's just me.

skywalker said:

but your argument is incorrect. where he places on the chart is arbitrary and dependent upon other factors, including sales of other records. just as your original post so clearly shows that Prince was beaten on the charts by other artists, to make an honest comparrison of teh albums you have to look at the number of records sold not where the record placed.

if any of those albums, such as Parade or Lovesexy, sold more than 186,000 records in their first week, your argument is incorrect because those albums performed better in their first week than 3121, regardless of where those sales placed them on the chards, and thus the "glory days" as you refer to them are still better than today regardless of the lack of hitting number 1.

your position is dependent upon further info for it to be correct.

ex. If I make $100 in week 1 but a friend makes $150, then I make $75 the next week but the friend makes only $50, that doesn't mean I had a better second week than the first simply because I made more than my friend in week 2. I still made less than week 1, even though I made less then my friend in week 1.
[Edited 4/2/06 10:50am]

Anx said:

What's weird is how you overlook everything I wrote. I insist Prince music can still make a personal impact, provided you bring youthful enthusiasm.

Look, I can appreciate your point of view. It's measured, it's balanced, it's safe. It's youth-free. You're no longer thrilled by Prince records, fine. You think you can never relive that first time wonder, I gotcha.

Personally, I consider the charm of first time experiences an albatross. They must be overcome.

People try to relive those experiences, fail, and grow bitter and weary. They learn to guard themselves against disappointment by carefully tempering their expectations.

I don't expect to feel the same way I felt in 1984. I don't expect to hear Prince music and feel compelled to dress like him and talk like him like some giddy teenager.

From Prince I expect genius. And in my estimation he delivered with 3121.

And that's exciting to me.