I grew up LIVING for the newest Prince albums and singles...remember when a single would come out and the extended mix and b-side were like some kind of precious Messages From The Mountain that were as fun to sit through and decode as the albums? Remember how every piece of gossip and news about the man was exciting and auspicious and just out and out FREAKAY?! I remember reading a snippet of news in Rolling Stone about how he was going to cancel the album he'd just recorded so he could release a "gospel" album...I was beside myself...I knew whatever was coming, it was going to be fascinating. And it was. "Lovesexy" is still one of my favorites.

And then there's now. The only way I can get the music is by being part of a "club" which has the most horrible, user-UNfriendly services I've ever encountered; not only is the way they operate silly and lazy and cheap, but their so-called customer service is incompetent and condescending.

There's the music itself - I haven't heard ONA yet (in case you hadn't heard), but I haven't been able to get with anything he's done since "Chaos and Disorder". There. I said it. It felt good. Sure, I like bits and pieces of recent albums, but do I listen to TRC all the way through like I do music by other artists I admire? No. I may have played TRC all the way through maybe - MAYBE - three or four times.

Then there's the fan community. I will say this: thanks to the Org, I think lots of the fans have lightened up and become a lot less snobby and uptight and elitist in a "I have an Arms of Orion picture disc and YOU DON'T, nyah nyah!" kind of way. I also think Prince's flagging success has made a lot of us a LOT more modest. These days, having everything by Prince is a lot like saying you have everything Hall & Oates ever put out. Unless you're a dyed-in-the-wool fan, nobody really cares. In fact, they might find it a little weird. (Not that "they" really matter, of course, but I'm just sayin'.)

But then, I remember not very long ago when the Org was fun. I won't go into my usual "General Discussion Shutdown" rant, other than to say that between the Org being such a great place to visit and having just come off the incredible high that was seeing Prince's ONA tour earlier this year, I felt a second wind as a Prince Freak...maybe there's something to this whole "loyal fan" trip after all...

Then Prince.Org kinda crashed and burned in a fit of moderation-gone-berzerk. Then I paid NPGMC a hundred bucks for the privilege of confusing/snippy e-mails telling me I'll get what I paid for when they feel like sending it.

Let me be perfectly clear about my state of mind on this subject at the present moment:

IT FUCKING SUCKS TO BE A PRINCE FAN RIGHT NOW.

So my question is this: Do I have patience? Or do I chalk it up to nostalgia and quit giving him the money that I've been shovelling out for the past two decades? I dunno. It's sad when something you grew up with, something that brought you a lot of enjoyment and something that really got you through a few tough parts of your life, just seems to have given up, and becomes something else completely...something you can't relate to anymore...something that isn't as meaningful as it used to be...and something that's become downright disappointing, on levels I never could have predicted in, say, 1988. Or even, I suppose, in 1998 for that matter.

Sorry to be so party-poopy. It just sucks.


And HELL YEAH I edited this.
[This message was edited Tue Aug 13 5:24:35 PDT 2002 by Anxiety]

I 1986

So much fun to hear him say it is not 1986.
To me it is.

I've got the shaped picture disc of Kiss

I have to agree with a lot of what you say, things just are'nt the same anymore.I guess fans like you and me who have been around a long time (22 years in my case) miss the old days of waiting for new albums etc. I have to say i have tried to stick with Prince no matter what he did, but since maybe The Gold Experience i have not been digging him anywhere near as much.That said i will never leave the man or his music because its been such a big part of my life.

i think Prince is still a living legend but i wonder too 'why can't we just dance?' The fun, funky, free feeling that was synonomous with Paisley Park seems to have been replaced with other things. At the celebration we were told to find a chair and sit in it. Now instead of new music and shows, there's talk of Mani and her Mansion, and JW's Religious Beliefs. HUH? The funk seems to have taken a back seat for the moment, Prince has his own life and priorities. Still, even if he never creates another masterpiece, he has given more than any other artist alive.

I have to agree with just about everything said above.

I had, until yesterday, avoided parting with $100 (or £67.50 at yesterdays exchange rate - which somehow sounded/felt better). I did it because NPG announced a (possible) European tour (as I read on the Org). After joining, I was immediately disappointed to find that I had to wait for the album, and found only two tracks to download. But on downloading and listening to the live version of 1+1+1=3 (however annoying the truncation might have been) I remembered why Prince is still worth it! Fuck knows how he does it but he taps into something that I can’t escape, especially live! I went home and spent the evening listening to the back catalogue. This morning, CDs, tapes and vinyl in all the wrong boxes, and scattered all over the place.

I came to work with a smile!

I have no picture disks but I do have a copy of 1999 with DMSR missing of the track list! Beat that!

You obviously didn't attend this year's celebration...because if you HAD...you wouldn't even be asking that question...

YES HE'S WORTH IT...FOREVER AND ALWAYS!

i agree these are weird days to be a fan, and if i were in charge at the NPGMC i'd sure do things differently.
however imo even if prince may not always be perfect he's worth hanging in for.

Preach it, brother Anxiety!

Always on point.

totally agree with you - things are a far cry from what they once were and it is not for the better.

i remember fondly the days of reading Controversy mag and the sense of excitement - as you say - of the news bits and the build-up to a new CD...the b-sides, the unpredictable aftershows that in their difficult to find out about made them mystical events which i craved to attend.

the fact that the music was out of this world, that he set his own agenda, that he swore and didn't care, that he seemed to actually care about delivering real value to his fans.

but then, post-Gold he went to pieces. that he sued fan websites, that he acted like a spoilt brat because his mega-bucks warner deal meant he had to follow certain marketing procedures, that he set up a web club which is so startling in its responses to fans to take your breath away. not to mention for european fans so far $100 in february has netted me one below-par CD in ONA and nowt else.

i was obsessed with prince during the eighties and early nineties, he was my inspiration. i saw him 20+ times, i bought the boots, but now i just cannot conjure up the interest.

his music is, despite some of the rantings of people here, NOT a touch on his hey-day (and i genuinely do not believe that is just nostalgia kicking-in), he seems to be driven purely by money, his music is so religious to be suffocating if you do not subscribe to his beliefs.

his songs are tired and, dare i say it, just too predictable.

yes, there are some flashes of the old brilliance, but unfortunately it does not add up to more than other artists out there

in short, no, i don't believe prince is worth it anymore - and i never thought i would say or think that.

i still listen to the old stuff, still buy the old boots, but i will not renew my NPGMC membership and i'm not even sure i can be bothered to drag myself to a european tour should he make it to these shores - and not so long ago seeing him live was just the highlight of the year.

as for prince.org, well i still think it is soured by those who are so blinkered that anyone daring to suggest he is not great get bogged down with the 'he is great still and if you cannot see what he is doing then you are stupid blah blah blah' brigade.

oh, and i do have the arms of orion picture disc, and, in connection to the other response, the orig 1999 CD didn't have DMSR, but its not that collectable!!

(see, i can still be sad with the best of them!)

i've only been a freek 4 a few years, so i never got 2 live the days of the almighty 12" and all the singles and what-not. i do agree with u, anxiety...it is totally a screwy time 2 dig prince right around now.

all we can do is hope that things'll get goin once again...whenever that'll be...

PRINCE IS WORTH EVERY DOLLLOR I SPEND ON HIS MUSIC AND THE NPGMC AND VIDEO TAPES AND DVDS AND EVERY THING ELSE PRINCE SELLS I WILL BUY CUZ I KNOW PRINCE IS REAL AND HIS MIC IS ON !

I LOVE PRINCE AND I WILL ALL WAS WILL !

This question can only b asked when 1 really don't kno where they stand with Prince. There's 1 thing 4 sho' DAMN SHO' kno where stand with Lil man...'E's worth it!
Long standing fam's of 'is should know 'ow moody 'e is! 've only been a fam of 'is 4 8 yrs, Compared 2 sum otha's ( thought heard 22??? DAMN!) that's nothin but kno 'E's worth it.
& then again... guess this is y haven't joined NPGMC yet...'m hearing so much flack...BUT he's is trying 2 reach out 2 his fans in a mo' personal way, ain't 'e?

PRINCE IS WORTH IT
PRINCE IS WORTH IT

'E is the only artiste (not artist! ) that could take me 2 another level when hear 'is music. 'm sorry ya'll, 'm a sucka 4 'im & always will b, as long as homeboy knows 'ow 2 strikes the keys or chords or whateva instrument 'E decides 2 play: 'E can count on me 2 be there 2 harmonize with 'is melodies

(remember ya'll:it ain't ova!!!)
GOD, i luv THAT MAN

Prince has been worth EVERY penny I have spent on him, and he is worth alot more too. It does not SUCK to be a Prince fan! Just depends the way YOU look at it, your being extremely negative, and un-fair. So who cares if you don't have EVERYTHING that Prince has EVER written, oh no.. boo hoo. Well guess what? EITHER DO I! It doesn't matter, just keep up the funk and spirit and do me a favor... never say that being a Prince fan sucks ever again.

I have been listening, really listening, as different ones of us have expressed our feelings about Prince...
then and now. I think I understand why feelings run so deeply. The artist has played an integral part
in our lives.

Here is my experience. I only came on board with Purple Rain. I always admired the talent
Prince has, but I am more a poet, so lyrics have always been as important to me as any other part
of a song. At times I had to separate from Prince due to the lyrical content of his music. In doing so,
I had to deprive myself of some really great MUSIC. That was a personal sacrifice I was willing
to make...but I never blamed Prince for doing what he wanted to do.

So, at present, Prince is still doing what he wants to
do. It just happens that I now have few reservations
about the lyrics so I can enjoy the wonderful MUSIC more.
Others have the opposite experience. The lyrical
content is not to their liking. Where one could once
depend on the music to turn on one's libido, now
it is actually appealing to one's higher self, much
to the consternation of some. As a result, some are
deciding to sacrifice experiencing some really great
MUSIC. It's a personal sacrifice and Prince is not to
blame.

ONE OBSERVATION: Prince is gaining popularity from a
whole different section of the population. I know many
many 16 year olds to 21 year olds who are tuning in for
the first time and are being blown away by the new
"real music for music lovers" Prince. Also, Prince is
gaining the admiration of older ones who could never have
appreciated "His Royal Badness". I know personally of
many who have gone "Whoa! Is that Prince?...I gotta get
that CD!"

So as Prince says "for every door that closes, another
one opens". He is a musical genius, period. We can
get on and off the ride as we see fit...but we have
to admit that it's a heck of a ride.

And then there are those who will never leave him, no matter what.

-

SensualMelody said:

Well said SensualMelody.

BLAH, BLAH, FUCKING BLAH...

Stop living in the past people...

SensualMelody said:

Concur with ya on that. People who want Prince to forever be lyrically "dirty" and "nasty" need to grow up. It makes no damn bit of sense for someone his age to continually write sexually explicit lyrics. (Not that anyone in this thread has said such a thing.)


My experience mirrors yours.

TheResistor said:

but whos living in the past? one could easily point out that those people who like prince's current music are holding on to memory of prince's past greatness and are dillusional in their praise of his current work...no?

i hate stupid soundbites like the one above...speak your mind...share your thoughts...but dont lay a fart and then run out of the room...it doesnt bring anything to the discussion...

Hi, I also agree with the above response to some of the stuff going on right now.
BUT... whenever I feel down about what's going on I just pull out some of the old stuff and live boots that I can find and JAM!!!
I can't help being pulled back in. It's like a drug that I can't go long without. It puts life back in my bones and a smile on my face.

And I love the hunt for stuff I don't have. Boots to find or trade with makes this and the org. family alot more interesting for me.

COOL BABY!!

SensualMelody said:

Always enjoy reading UR views on P. Thanks again...




Y'all stay funky...

Prince has not put a really good tune out in YEARS. It's unfortunate, but that's just the way it is. He is surrounded by "yes" people and has got his head way too far in the clouds. I feel uninspired because of it, and I am a musician myself. I had always relyed on Prince to put out those tunes that were inspiring, exciting, different! That has not happened for me lately, and most people feel the same way. I believe his career is almost beyond repair because of his track record, and if he doesn't do something soon he won't be seeing another red cent from me, period! I'm moving on to other artists like Remy Shand who are new, fresh, and have something to say without being preachy. I'm not joining the NPG music club for a couple of crappy CD's a year, that's ridiculous. Good luck to you that have joined...It's obvious it's not working and I give it one more year and the club will be history.

Anxiety, that sounds a little over the top, but about right. I didn't join the club because I knew about the Crystal Ball thing, and the year before. Prince was cooler when he didn't give interviews, he didn't change his name, and he was this mystery guy who released amazing music. I tell you what, it was totally exciting to find that Diamonds and Pearls import single with "DIAMONDS AND PEARLS" and "PRINCE & THE N.P.G" (I think) spelled out in hologram on the actual cd itself. And that's what it's all about.

I agree with a lot that has been posted. I flip flop with it every day I think. When I first started listening I have to say it was the lyrics that drew me in...I could relate to it. I could say "man I think he wrote this for me" "how did he know this is what I am going through" but now it seems I am more into it for the music. I ask myself if it's just me growing up that the new music just doesn't hit me like it did in the day, or is it just different all together. I think I keep a very open ear, so I will always find something I like about the music. I don't hold my breath for anything so I will just take the music as it comes even though it may not blow me off my feet like it used to.
It's like smoking for 40 years and than trying to quit, once you do you find out you have cancer and you are going to die in 6 months...should have just keep smoking.
MS

For me personally, I've been a major fan of Prince for over 2O years now and the one thing that's allowed me to stay that way is that I've never paid much attention to anything other than his music. His name, relationships, business decisions, religious beliefs, etc. have always been pretty much irrelevent to me.

The bottom line is I've never met the man personally, had a conversation with him or corresponded with him directly in anyway, and probably never will. Prince "the musical icon" has been an integral part of my life because I love his music. Prince Rogers Nelson is a man that I have never met before and therefore has no baring on my life whatsoever.

I think people have made him more important than he should be. So much so that people allow aspects of his celebrity status, his relationships, and personal philosophy taint their view of him. I've heard people on this board say things like " I don't like Prince anymore because he doesn't curse anymore" or "I don't listen to Prince anymore because he let's Larry Graham influence him". WTF? None of which has any thing to do with his music.

The Music Club is a great idea, but unfortunately sucks for the most part. I tried it once on the trial basis and didn't think it worth it to fork over a $100.00. I'm glad I didn't.

Speaking of his music: It's changed a lot, but Prince has always changed his musical styles. This is nothing new. He often goes from funky to rock to freaky to spritual to socialy conscience to jazzy back to funky. Consequently there will be albums and or periods when even hardcore fans will be turned off. Again, this is nothing new for Prince. Some people don't like his current musicall state, some like alot, myself included.

He goes through life changes just like the rest of us. We should cut him some slack and allow him to do so.I just try to take each work on it's own merit without attaching a bunch of issues that don't matter.

Is it worth it anymore?

I dont know either...I guess I will have a serious disussion with myself when it comes time to renew for the npgmc next year...

this i do know...for me, other artist are starting to feel the emotional gap that Prince once did...Meshell, Eryka Badu, Radiohead, Bjork, Aimee Mann...these are the people that are pushing the creative envelope...

Its interesting that artist like Aimee Mann, Neil Finn and Bruce Springstein are having resurgences in their careers...Bruce has been in the music industry a lot longer then Prince...so it gives me hope that Prince might gain some emotional weight and throw it all into his music again...

but do I want to blindly throw away $100 in hopes that it will happen within that year? doubt it...ill still go to the concerts though...thats where Prince comes alive..and the mediocre music becomes great...why he cant translate that to his albums anymore is beyond me...


damn the edit!!!!
[This message was edited Tue Aug 13 11:23:30 PDT 2002 by SkletonKee]

WELL I DON'T SEE WHAT THE BIG DEAL IS ABOUT !!! HEY ITS LIKE THIS PEOPLE CAN'T MAKE THE HITS FOREVER.ITS TIME FOR A NEW GENERATION TO CHANGE THE STYLE OF MUSIC. YOU SEE IT HAPPEN EVERYDAY, SO GET OVER IT !!!

SensualMelody said:

I've had this type of experience too. Except they also say they are glad he finally got away from those pie in the sky utopia lyrics that are not reality based.