I was listening to SOTT and the album holds up well, except for "It". It sounds very mechanical in a bad, 80's synth kind of way.


Do you all have songs you consider dated from P's catalogue?

Anything 1996-2000!!! i.e, NPS or Emancipation. I mean, I still love these albums, but they could have lasted the test of time with better production and drum programming!

SEXUALCHOCOLATE said:

true. although on the other hand they sound Princely enough to be in their
own league and therefore a bit outside of the whole "dated" sound game.

but yeah with better production they could have sounded more fresh. listen
to the album for example. i think a lot of the songs on there are too
lame and yet the real instruments make it still ok sounding.

most dated are probably the 'hip' tracks on Diamonds & Pearls, with the one
exception being "Gett Off", which is once again Prince enough to defy being
considered "aged"

all his 90's stuff

prettymansson said:

92 to 95 still sounds original and unlike anything before or after it. Papa doesnt sound dated, Now, Shh, Billy Jack Bitch, Return of the Bump Squad, Exodus has Begun, EndorphinMachine, Come (original), Race... They dont sound dated at all. I would love for him to return to that sound and see where it takes him. I think he abandoned it too early...

Rebeljuice said:

i disagree...yes a few stand out...but he was VERY much trying to appeal to 90's taste at that time...much like he is now with black sweat...compare any of the songs u mentioned with anything from parade and tell me which one was more PRINCE ???

Nothing from SOTT is dated. It's a masterpiece!!

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

Almost anything with Tony M's New Jack style rap attached to it. "Brother With A Purpose" is the only exception

actionthisday said:

Co-sign on that one.

All the 90-92 stuff with Tony M and TC Ellis is extremely dated, but most things from that era feel dated in the same way.

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

Lolita.

("It" doesnt sound dated for me.)

Ronnie Talk To Russia has no relevance today other than nostalga.

Yeah, "IT" sounds more rite now than Lolita. I love both, but Lolita is more 80's popish.

The whole Diamonds and Pearls album sounds dated to me 'cept for Money Don't matter 2nite.

And "The Pope" is REALLY dated.

GoldiesParade said:

luv4all7 said:

The message is the same 16 years later (money don't matter)
[Edited 5/11/06 12:44pm]

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

I'm suprised U didn't say 'Good Love.' Hater

It could also be said that Prince was trying to appeal to 80's taste when he jumped off of the Stevie Wonderesque/disco sounds of his 1st two albums, and started embracing new wave synth noises. Sure, Prince put his own unique stamp on 80's synths, but he wasn't the 1st to use them. This argument could also be made about his 90's sound, or "black Sweat". Prince takes current trends and turns them purple and makes the, sound like Prince.
[Edited 5/11/06 12:48pm]

skywalker said:

i agree with u...but he never was more original in his approach to production thats "current yet singular" like he was in the 80's..the 90's stuff all sounded like wannabe P FUNK or whatever was happening at the time...rap...new jack swing...techno...whatever...I think the songs were VERY often less interesting than the production...

The concept of a dated song continues to baffle me . Does the Rave un2 The Joy fantastic album sound dated ? If so , wasnt he deliberately revisiting a sound that he became famous for in the 1980s . If so then a lot of his 80s stuff must also sound "dated" too surely . As has already been said , does dated mean you can tell what period in time the song was made in , or does it mean it doesnt sound as good over time ,because the 2 are completely different things .
Prince's most enduring work in the 1980s created a sound that was copied shamelessly by lots of other lesser artists and hence is universally associated with that period in time , you can't get a more accurate method of dating a song than via an association like that can you . I dunno , date schmate , makey no sensey to me sorry

actionthisday said:

How can I forget Good Love...it sounds like electro-funk meets crap

moonshine said:

I guess my original intention was just how a particular song sounds to your ear...you are right, his 80's work belongs in the pantheon of excellent pop music, but some songs just don't age well...

It
Annie Christian

While others do...

I wanna be your lover
Kiss

Another poster stated he abandoned the Gold era sound too early and I agree...It's still a very enjoyable listen

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

Billy Jack:censored:

GoldiesParade said:

eh it has a little relevance...

Georgie Talk To Terrorists??

MajesticOne89 said:

UH, more like Georgie Spy on Americans. It's all dated. It's History. I'd venture
3121 as a whole, its recycled Prince. Hence all the 'familiar' references. Wot about it doesn't sound like the past?

Fire Extinguisher ready..

actionthisday said:

Yes Tony M is a clunky piece of dated early 90s semi rap, his amateurish rapping is more derivative of a c1988-89 feel than the 1990 to 1993 period its been dated to. (I am a archaeologist so a bit of scientific wit never goes astray- carbon dating rap music) Dated songs Jughead, Brother with a purpose, His rap on my name is Prince (ruins a perfectly good song). Although his rap is somehow also has a pre Cooolio feel to it as well.

For You is dated 70s disco sounding stuff, but fortunately I like the way its dated like a fine wine.

Generally Lovesexy, Batman and GB and some of Diamonds and Pearls (Jughead, willing and able, Strollin and Gett Off ) are that sort of dated flouro colour 1989-1991 Pump up the jam type nonsense. The rest of D and P especially Thunder is fresh and as relevant as ever.

I dunno if I agree with this entirely. Prince still sounded like Prince in the 90's even when he was doing his take on what was trendy. His music still never was EXACTLY like anything else out there-even when he was rapping it was still a little different than the rest.

prettymansson said:

I dunno. I dont understand this take that Prince was trying to sound 90's... Not until Emancipation came along, then I would agree with you whole heartedly... But take TGE, I honestly think that is as much Prince's own sound as was Parade or PR... Im not saying it was or was not as good, but it was absolutely his own sound which evolved from as far back as Lovesexy... "Welcome to the New Power Generation..."

I don't consider any of them "dated" because any song by any artist usually sounds like the decade it came from. If a song that isn't "dated" means it's a song that fits in well with the music of today, then give me the "dated" songs any day.

When Doves Cry