Looking back, what a horrid year 1999 was for Prince fans. First, we were treated to the dismal remake of "1999" featuring everyone's favorite, Larry Graham. Then with all the hype about the upcoming cd, the first single is the tepid and limp "Greatest Romance", which got little airplay. So, trying to rekindle interest, Prince agrees to appear on the MTV Video music awards. Sounds promising, considering his great performance on previous shows. However, there is no performance, just Prince showing up in that stupid outfit and hairdo so he can introduce the lame TLC, who go out to lip synch some tripe. Luckily, on the same show Nine Inch Nails performed "the fragile" and music was never the same for me. Anyway, fresh of his appearance, "Rave" is released and has a less than stellar debut of #18 on Billboard. No other single comes close to hitting the charts. Even the most devoted Prince fan would admit that the album was mediocre at best. Just a rough year...

4 me,all Prince years r good years.

i think personally, prince had a lot on his plate that year...not to mention he was trying to fashion a very self-conscious "major label comeback" project...and really, i think all that pressure showed in his work that year, both recorded and live.

Anx said:

I agree, listening to "Rave", he sounded distracted, like he was missing that certain something. Working with the guest stars (Eve, Gwen, Chuck D., Sheryl Crow) didn't seem to give him a spark musically. Maybe it was the pressure of the 'major label comeback', maybe it was his marriage to Mayte falling apart, I don't know, but "Rave" was a disappointment.

Well that was the year I went from being just a casual fan to an obsessed fan, so the Rave era will always have a special place in my heart (Good God that sounds insipid and contrived, but it's true ).

But I can understand what you mean. Looking back, it really was a transitional stage for him. It was supposed to be the big "Prince comeback" year, but I just don't think he, or the public, were ready for it. Fast forward 5 years to 2004, and the timing was perfect...
[Edited 1/25/07 19:27pm]

may have been bad for Prince, excellent 4 me- I had my son in 1999, actually its his birthday on sat!!!

prince also forgot how to play lead guitar that year(look at that awful rave 2000 dvd).althought he re-learn to play lead on 2002 one nite alone tour.

then that was followed by rainbow children, with a horrible debut position. It was an interesting title, enough for me to check it out but I couldn't stomach it. Maybe it was the deep voice that annoyed me

I have to say I kinda liked Rave. I remember listening to Emancipation with a look on my face like 10 year old that just got underwear for Christmas. Then came New Power Soul which was disappointing not so much because the music was bad, but rather because I'd heard it all before. He was even borrowing lyrics from earlier songs. With the exception of the first two tracks, The Truth was so bland and empty I could never listen to it all the way through. Then came Rave. I suppose my expectations were pretty low at that point but for the first time in about 4 years I put in a new Prince album and actually found some tracks that were worth skipping to (So Far So Pleased, Baby Knows, and Pretty Man are all classic Prince - IMHO). And I still think “So Far…” would have been a top ten smash if he'd only released it!

Actually, the biggest disappointment I had with the year 1999 was...well...1999 The New Master which I actually threw in the trash after hearing. But after that, I'd say the biggest disappointment was the non-release of Roadhouse Garden.

December1984 said:

I agree with you about "So far...", he should have capitalized on the popularity of No Doubt at the time and released that song. It would have been a hit, especially with a well made video, since at the time MTV was still somewhat playing videos....

it was the popularity of No Doubt that kept "So Far So Pleased" from being released that year
Interscope didn't see room for its release with everything else already going on
Prince didn't appear too happy about the decision, polling his fans at npgonlineltd

it was clear that Prince wanted 1999 to be a big year
returning to a major label (working with Clive Davis nonetheless)
and adding one of his best vault songs ("Rave") to the compilation
enlisting the help of several other artists (Chuck D., Eve, Gwen, Ani, Sheryl)
going back to using his name ("produced by Prince")
and giving television interviews and performances again

at the same time, Prince was in a huge transitional phase
l4oa became npgonline (later npgmc), mayte separation, larry graham influence, jw religious & racial change in focus, etc.
[Edited 1/25/07 23:42pm]

Snap said:

That's really interesting. I didn't know that. I really like that song and I think that even non Prince fans would have enjoyed that song on the radio too.

I agree,1999 was a sucky year.Ironically,this was the year that Prince really could have kicked ass.His 1982 hit "1999" was everywhere and folks were paying attention to him again.But he had to fuck things up by releasing a lame re-make '1999:The New Master' ranks up there with the 'Graffiti Bridge' movie as one of Prince's most embarassing career mistakes.

The year 1999 for prince sucked.

BUT actually it might have been his best year, because he learned from it!! This was the first year of people thinking of the past. Prince release the 1999 disk and it sucked.

But he learned from it!!! He knew he had 2004 coming up which rocked!! Now we have his last remember when with 2007 (ie: sign o times)

I think after 2007. He wont get that remember when push.

thebanishedone said:

blasphemy

thebanishedone said:

Wasn't 1999 the year he did that amazing lead guitar performance of 'Motherless Child' on Spanish TV, which is 'in circulation'?

He remembered that night.

While Rave isn't my favorite album, it had some really good moments. The end of 1999 signified another transition on P's life, with the separation from Mayte (and the the expiration of his contract with WB). Some of the songs on the album are quite heartbreaking. Prince always manages to put his heart into what he does, no matter how commercial it may seem.

Wasn't 1999 the year he did that amazing lead guitar performance of 'Motherless Child' on Spanish TV, which is 'in circulation'?

i heard it,its realy nothing special.it have cool noise in the middle section.if you want to show a friend great guitar playing,you wouldnt go for year 1999.
his lead playing was better before and after that period.
prince on musicology tour is almoust not
the same player as prince on rave dvd.

except sweet thing on cafe de paris
his playing was weak.
maybe he had some issues in his life so he couldn't concetrate on guitar.
guitar players know what im talking about,other people wouldnt see the diffrence.

Why don't you just speak for yourself, your opinion is just that, your opinion. I don't think 1999 was 'horrid' at all!

1999 was better than 1998 (NPS) and 2000 (High).

A lot of the euro TV performances were pretty cool at that time. AND he was doing those small frontin' the Family Stone shows.

98 & 00 were forgettable.

The problem with it was that he wasn't really being honest with his art. He tried to pull of the party like it's 1999 attitude, when he was suffering and miserable.

Rave is a decent album, but it's depressing and flat. If he'd openly embraced his sadness, maybe Rave wouldn't have sounded so forced.