Well, I love the music he put out in the 'Mayte years', with Come as the absolute highlight. I didn't like his look though.

BT11 said:

but then his highlight was right at the beginning of the mayte years. that says a lot.

sallysassalot said:

Yes, but then you have a transition as Larry G. showed up on the scene at the end of the Mayte years. That says a lot also!!

realm said:

larry g's influence on prince was probably the straw that broke mayte's back. i'd get up outta there right quick, too!

its not so much that I hated those years(I became a Prince fan during that time period), they were just loaded with mediocre work and VERY bad PR.

-Emancipation was too bloated, New Power Soul was terrible, Crystal Ball was horribly distributed and Rave was a disappointment

-At certain points, he did look not himself. Like he was trying much to fit in to the music scene. If not that, he looked downright creepy at times.

-Some of his actions from 96-99, such as threatening to rerecord his ENTIRE catalog and that really weird message to Madonna(?), were a bit off.

I think now, during the Musicology and 3121 years, he seems more like himself and less pressured to prove shit to anyone

Now looking back its like? Prince, come on now Larry Graham??? I think he could have found a better funk master too look up to!! George Clinton, James Brown..but Larry G??? Not into Larry, Mainly cause Larry Grahams music sucks and he is way too conservative. He can play bass but where are the songs?

At least Mayte could shake that ass!

As far as a "comeback" with TRC, Musicology and 3121. Comback from what??? New Power Soul. Same with his touring, Prince can go out on tour and bring Larry G. along and then come around next year without him and everyone will rave how great. Same goes, People will love it when he ditches Tamar and gets back to playing his music.

I wasn't exactly a fan at the time (I jumped on the boat in '98), but I love those years musically and image-wise (Exodus was just about the coolest thing ever... Tora Tora - loved it!)... not over any other period, but I certainly don't think 'WTF'...

Yea, but the albums were some of his best. His live music sucked, largely because of his anger at Warners.

I guess I'm in the minority - I loved those years. The Symbol CD rocks!

bellanoche said:

Well I don't think she was as much a phoney as she felt the pressure to be the "perfect" woman for Prince. She was just a kid when she met him so I'm sure she didn't even know who she was, how she felt on things and since Prince was such a prominate figure in her world she probably looked up to him a great deal and adopted some of his way of thinking. Probably unconciously she thought " I really want him to like me" and formed herself to be what he wanted in a woman...not for any manipulative reasons but because she genuinly was in love with him and wanted his approval. Mayte always struck me as a woman who was unsure of herself in her younger years as all young women can be kinda insecure. She seems like she was pretty compliant to Prince. In that way she seems kinda different than Denise Matthews because I don't think she saw Prince in the same light. She seemed like the type of person to give it to him straight while Mayte seemed to go along with whatever his views were at the time. Denise Matthews kinda has a strong personality like Prince and has her own views and own way of looking at things...she is around the same age as Prince and there are just certain things you have in common with someone if they are from the same generation. Mayte seems to have alot more easy going of a personality although she seems much more sure of herself nowadays.

I'm not saying that Prince and Mayte were not in love...I'm sure they were but their almost seemed to be a daughter/father aspect to their marriage ( I don't mean that in a preverted way) and Denise and Prince had a much more "equal" or "balanced" relationship because of his celebrity was not on the same level as it was when Mayte came into the picture. That has GOT to have a affect on all his relationships unfourtantly...his level of fame at the time.

This is just how I see it...what it looks like to an outsider but as it goes without saying we don't know really at all if Mayte was a phoney, Prince a manipulator or they had geninune love between one another. I do think Prince and Mayte did have a close bond though. There is just something about her that he just loves...probably still loves.

I always enjoyed watching Mayte!!!!!

1sexymf said:

you're not alone, I love the symbol album!!!!!

K just cause p wasnt as creative or popular at this time in his life, blaming Mayte is not only silly but rather small minded.

Whatever Prince did or chose to do was his decision.

Dont be all "blame the Deliah,"

Prince cut his own hair.

Worst Prince era ever.

I'm sorry, for their sakes, that it didn't work out...

Now I'm sorry for him and Manuella.

Live & learn, I say... just taking a lesson from this to try & do well in my own life! There but for the grace of God go I.

Krystal666 said:

During the Mayte years Prince seemed to try a lot harder to be social, do interviews, chat it up and be all chummy with people like Sinbad. It was kind of sad to watch.

My take on it is that Mayte made Prince feel "normal." She probably intuitively understood Prince's emotional needs, and I'd conjecture his biggest need was to feel like a normal, ordinary guy. That would explain his sudden socializing, and how his music during that period was mostly mediocre. He was on a "normal" trip. For a guy used to being weird and eccentric, it must've been a novelty to act and feel like any average lovestruck boy.

He recorded COVER SONGS, for crying out loud. He was at his least original when serenading Mayte.

padawan said:

Well I think alot of fans agree but one thing is for certain...that man seemed SO in love with Mayte. Prince deserves to have that kind of love. He seems like someone isolated by his fame and that attracts lots of women who love him for the wrong reasons, not that he probably didn't take advantage of that but he's human and like any human wants to be loved for who he is. I'd much rather see him with Mayte and feeling good about himself and life and making "mediocore" music than see him have a nervous breakdown, try to commit suicide or become like Michael Jackson.

u people are crazy

He was on top. 92-96 bought great music.
The live shows were great with the "non-Prince" songs and the band had a great line-up.

He started the fight for his cause
and enjoying fuckin with everyone.

Mayte319 said:

mayte was only about 16 when she became part of prince's circle

kpowers said:

The Symbol Album was a great album to me minus the rapping. It was one of the last good albums before what I call the Mayte years. The influence of their relationship was there, but not totally to that point that it saturated the album. It inspired some of the songs, but not like latter work. A lot of that material came about before their relationship evolved into what it did. He wasn't so deep into yet. He was still playing with the idea of it while he romped around with Troy Beyer and assorted others. It was after Come that he was gone...

lazycrockett said:

I don't think anyone here blamed Mayte specifically. As the originator of this post, I simply stated that I was not a fan of those years. I NEVER blamed Mayte. Yes, I thought she was a phoney on a come up, but I have not, nor will not, blame her for the decisions that Prince made with regard to her and his own career. I simply stated that I think Prince lost himself during those years.

Bollocks.

Are you ka-ray-zee? I loved those years - 1993-1996, I'd about say. They were fierce.

1sexymf said:

I Loved Those Years, also.

origmnd said:

Ain't that The Truth, however I dig '78-Present.

bellanoche said:

Don't worry, Mayte once said that she hated the Bellanoche years too.

Astasheiks said:

Yeah those are my favorite years too!

theghostoftonym said:

I know that but everyone judging her without knowing how she was before and what she was like for real when she wasnt doingher Job for Prince

Nazli

padawan said:

Pesonally, I don't think she contributed much other than getting pregnant and marrying him. Mayte was probably nothing more than a piece of ass that happen to get pregnant. So to save face, Prince married her to avoid being just her "baby's daddy". There began this fairytale that he wanted his fans to believe.I do feel that the death of his son contribute to the type of music that he was putting out back then.I believe that both relationship and marriage were over before they began. His track record and Mani prove it!