At this point I prefer '92-'97 over his 80's music.

One of the very rare times that Prince's 90's music gets lots of praise Well I'm gonna have to join the 90's gang. I love 3121 and I dig Musicology and TRC but I love and TGE and I dig the rest but ALL of the albums between 90-96 have songs on there that I truly love. So it's 90's for me but I don't hate the 00's.

A bit of a strange question IMO, because the 00's arent even ended yet, we still have 4 years to go, so, who know what will happen?

But looking at the situation right now, comparing his best records from the 90's with his 00's output:

90's
- Graffiti Bridge: flawed, but at least a handfull of very strong songs, reflecting his eighties heydays.
- Diamonds and Pearls: slick, polished, but a great drumsound, enjoyable from beginning to end, a few classic singles, not only his best nineties record, but part of his top 5 records ever, even.
- The symbol album: more loose then Diamonds and Pearls, and more messy, nonetheless a very excellent CD and a might fine backing band.
- The Gold Experience: nothing really surprising, solid songwriting and composing, but combined with the NPG being the most tight Pop/rockband at that moment in the world, its his second most essential 90's album (after Diamonds and Pearls).
- Emancipation: way too long, overindulgent of course. But the level of songwriting and composing on at least 15 tracks is on par with that on Sign of
the Times. A shame the production is way too slick and nondescript, but when you look trough that there is still one long CD of gems to be found within this 3 CD-set.

00'
- NEWS: never heard, not very interested also in listening to 4 14 minutes jazz-fusion jams. The 2 madhouse cd's officially released were quite pleasant, but not earthshocking. Prince should have kept it with that.
- Musicology: labeled as a comeback, because Prince deliverd a straight set of songs, each one just showing one style of music, and didnt he loose himselve in well played, but empty music combined with silly, toecurling lyrics (the Rainbow children) and stupid talk about being a slave and symbol etc. Nonetheless, a quite mediocre set of songs, lacking production, pleasant but quite boring in the end.
- 3121: A bit better then musicology, because he is at least trying to produce his music, the retrosounding tracks arent very memorable and substantial (i mean, peeps, Black Sweat wouldnt even be a b-side in the eighties), the tracks with latin rhythems showing a bit more warmth and promise, but where's the urge? the bite? the vision?

Concluding, the period 1990 - 1996 was a period when Prince released some very good albums, with some great tracks on it, maybe not on the level with his eighties output, but still showing he could 'deliver'.
The period 1997 - 2000 was a pure disaster, Prince diving in obscurity first, with his internetreleases, a very lame and boring 'comeback' record called Rave, and finishing with the laughable selfindulgent thing called 'The rainbow children' (and unfortunately continuing this vein with NEWS in 'OO).
The OO's till so far are a period of a recovery: calling himselve Prince again, focussing on compact, tight songs again. So far not with very inspiring results, but who knows what will come?

In short, the best albums of Prince released until 1996 are way better then the albums he released during this decade so far.

IMO he should let go to of the chains he put around himselve with him becoming a JW, and wanting to become a big star again at the same time, Prince operates best when he is following his own muse, musiciality and visions, and he doesnt tie himselve to religious dogma's and superstar tendencies.

Do u even have to ask?

Blatantly the 90s

I was just thinking:

Play 'Condition of the heart' and 'Lolita' after that...

and then think where it all went wrong...

Riverpoet31 said:

Play a somber ballad and then a lighthearted pop song? What kind of silly comparison is that?

simple... Condition of the heart is Prince going for a colourfull, hearfelt Tod Rundgren type of ballad, and succeeding

Lolita is him trying to sound retro and Time-like, and not really succeeding.

As a real musiclover i did have to witness Prince falling down from the next big thing in popmusic after Elvis, The Beatles and Bowie, a genious, moving down to the path of Prince, the veteran, grabbing back to his own musical past, the Time, a band that are superstars among Prince-fams, but just a footnote in musical history when it comes to the general history of popular music.

Its the distance between James Brown and Justin Timberlake, the distance between John Lennon and Noel Gallagher what i am talking about.

During the mid and late eighties Prince really was the most important popmusician on the earth, right now he is just a shadow of that: a wannabe, a veteran. THATS what i meaning with my remark.

But, hey, lets not be too negative, i mean, people like Lou Reed, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison had a musical renaissance around their 50th birthday. I just hope the same goes for Prince.

Id have to say the 90's because he was underground, everyone was turned off with the name change so we had less fakers.

both music era's are fine. I just like the underground-ness of it all

1 decade is as good as the other!Sheer perfection!

sexxydancer said:

u really are the worlds biggest Prince fan

InsatiableCream said:

Thank u!

Any person who rates Musuckology higher than Rainbow children on musicianship alone can't be taken seriously!

purplecam said:

Ain't that the truth?

ElectricBlue said:

Guess I'm a faker 'cause I lost it after

PurpleKnight said:

90s Prince music was obsessed with money and materialism ("Diamonds and Pearls," "Gold," the $100 million contract and subsequent dispute). The flesh and spirit theme of the 80s was now replaced with the conflict between business and art, which was articulated in "Graffiti Bridge," and literalized in his battle against Warners.

He never quite found his footing with this theme, as it found clumsy expression in songs like "Don't Play Me," "Money Don't Matter Tonight," and "Undisputed" ("commercialization of the music is what brought it down"--a disingenuous assessment at best). His purported anti-materialism, disdain for radio, even his crusade against the music industry, sounded more like sour grapes, a petulant pose to disguise his inability to recreate the Purple Rain juggernaut, than a serious artistic statement.

The Rainbow Children is Lovesexy version 2.0, as both records assert a new divine mission, a sort of cleansing ritual from all that came before. The major difference is, Lovesexy precipitated his commercial decline, while Rainbow Children resuscitated him to mainstream form. Where Rainbow Children arrived at the heels of a string of poorly received records--which may have humbled Prince, Lovesexy capped an impossibly spectacular run at the charts. Lovesexy was a heavenly orgasm, blissfully ignorant of the future; Rainbow an awakening of a sober, experienced entertainer who's preparing for what's ahead.

The 2000s is all about grownup Prince, mature and methodical Prince saying no to groupies, no to bad words, dutifully doing interviews and crowd pleasing shows. This new sedate persona is just a reaction to his excesses in the 90s, but it seems like he's finally made peace with the fact that Purple Rain will never happen again.

Are you KIDDING! Except for Musicology and 3121, the 90's prevail all over the place. Although this decade is not over yet, he can still make up time for the earlier low point releases. Why am I in this discussion. There is none! Just mention these for 4 90's albums compared to those 2 and it's a slam dunk.
1. Diamonds and Pearls--the best yet by far.
2. Emancipation
3. Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
4. The Gold Experience
Nuff said. Peace!

I wish i could some graphic charts on this site, lol..

But look at it this way:

1978 - 1979: Prince first, shakey steps when it comes to releasing records, For You shows a very good instrumentalist, but a very mediocre songwriter. Prince is a big improvement on that, showing he can compose and deliver solid songs, but still lacking his own identity.

1980 - 1984: With Dirty Mind Prince shows he is capable of having his own style, mixing rock and funk with naughty, sexual lyrics. Trying to mix them with silly, political expressions on Controversy, rapidly growing as a producer and arranger on 1999 (mixing influences from Kraftwerk, Talking Heads and Africa Bambaata), succeeding finally with the movie and album-triumph of Purple Rain, spicing things up with his guitar, the new Hendrix is there.

1985 - 1988: When he has become a superstar with Purple Rain, he starts to rebel against it, and at the same time frees himselve as a musician. Going down a claustophobic hippy road with around the world in a day, learning new colours, embracing the sounds of clare fisher and european music on Parade, defragmentating himselve on Sign of the Times. All this with a lot of help from his 'friends': wendy and lisa, clare fisher, Eric Leeds, Sheila E. Finally forcing out the ultimate musical and artistic statement, called Lovesexy, mixing all the sounds and styles he tried before, thinking he has reached his holy grail: the ultimate balance between the carnal and spiritual.

1989 - 1995
Prince feels he isnt there yet. Alltough lovesexy should have been a groundbreaking statement, he still feels battled by his inner demons, what others expect from him, his own narcism. He plays with these themes on the Batman album in a bleak way, on the other hand he still considers himselve the new messiah, resulting in the graffiti bridge project. Diamonds and Pearls shows his attempts of feeling popular among the masses again, but right after that you get the symbol album, Prince rebelling against himselve again, embracing silly egyptian mythology and wanting to be taken serious as a groundbreaking musician.
All the doubts around this time express themselve in a long fought battle with WB, resulting in the Gold Experience, a solid, strong record indeed, but Prince isnt showing the back of his tongue, he is playing save, still affraid of the outside world.

1996 - 2001
Instead of going upwards, Prince live as a musician and person goes downwards, he looses himselve in his obsession for the young Mayte, the released music gets more plastic sounding, detached, superficial. It is like Prince thought and felt, with freeing myselve from WB i am becoming a more free person myselve. Unfortunately, the contrary happens: Prince gets more and more wrapped up inside his own world, releasing mediocre albums which arent perceived by the general public at all. And finally, some harsh events: the death of his justborn child, his divorce from Mayte, the dead of both his parents, lead him in the arms of a dogmatic, dangerous kind of religion: JW. Thinking he found the real answers, he releases a very confusing album, the rainbow children, but he seems out of touch, disengaged, a shadow from who he once was and could be.

2002 - 2006
A kind of a rennaissance, not really artistically, but more in the mind of the general public. Probably fuelled by the help of his new wife, Manuella Testeloni, a more mature woman then mayte, Prince starts to realeaze he isnt finished yet. He is one of the key artists of the eighties, alltough the nineties werent kind to him, at least he released some great material during htat period, its time for him to regain his crown. Of course, he tries to play it very save with the albums he releases, musicology and 3121, but his live performances are mostly great, and he seems to realisize that he has the kind of back-catalogue you can never be ashamed off. In short: Prince is showing confidence again, is trying not to act all silly and eccentric, and, alltough the albums dont sell extremely, there is a new found faith and trust to be sensed among the public when it comes to 'Prince, the musician'

2006 - ?
A little rambling about the possible future. Gradually Prince seems to take more distance from the JW-dogma's, leaving Larry Graham outside his concerts, playing songs like 'I like it there' live. But is he brave and strong enough to be more then halfbaken? I mean, he is in the spotlight again, pleasing fans with the songs they know, appearing less eccentric and more human then he did for half a decade. But is he capable of really connecting to his own muse again? to release music as vibrant, original and urgent like on albums as Parade and Sign of the Times? I mean, of course, he can go on for years like this, giving good live performances, and releasing mediocre records, just like James Brown, or, does Prince have the strength and flexibility to rise up again, follow his muse, and release a new 'Sign'?