....is that he was just worlds apart from everyone else in music. Especially Black music. He just played by his own rules and didn't sound or act like anyone else. In fact, by the time the mid-80's rolled around, everyone else was trying to catch up with him.

I was listening to some "Parade" tracks earlier and I was just thinking that I couldn't really compare those to anything else that was hot back in 1986. Would you compare that to Janet or Whitney, or New Edition? I think not. Prince was so far ahead of the game.

But that's what I loved about him.

Parade is spectaular!

NWF said:

Agreed. People in and running the music biz and, even many music fans, have an idea that certain skin colors should make certain music or have certain sounds----one of the things I dig the most about Prince is that he makes whatever sound he feels like making.

NWF said:

Parade is different from everything else during its era. It's amazing, and really stands apart in his catalog.

Other music all sounded the same - Janet sounds like Jody Watley whose music both sounded like New Edition.

That's where Prince differs from Jam & Lewis - they cranked out hit after hit with a formulaic sound. Prince changed his sound on almost every album.

Agree with your general thread. Parade is a musical statement. A statement that was unique then and is still unique sounding now twenty years later. It's one of my favorite bodies of work.
[Edited 4/18/07 20:03pm]

skywalker said:

That's me as well.

And nearly everything he does, no matter the genre, I find something to enjoy about it.

I enjoy his music too.
Especially when I'm listening to it.

I just loved his nerve, I'd never seen a 5 ft man in 3 inch heels jump off of a 6 ft speaker, that's some damn nerve!

It's an incredible album!

wlcm2thdwn said:

Parade and Around the World in a Day

The coolest thing about Prince in the 80's 4 me-Lovesexy!

sexxydancer said:

Yes... that 1 2... add 1999 and Batman and U have my top five

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

Well said! In perspective, you CAN'T BE a Prince fan because of your love of a certain genre of music. Because you don't know what Prince is going to do next and he's covered so many genres already. Sure, we all have favorites, but you have to be in this for Prince. Like DreamyPop says, you just find something to enjoy about all of it because it's still Prince!

Keith/Kacey

One cool thing I liked about P in the mid 80's was his ability to bring his audience into his world. So much of his work was conceptual but he made it all make sense. It was like taking a journey with him. He was so influential but it didn't seem forced it was like u wanted him to take u by the hand and lead u into the most fantastic places u only imagined in ur dreams.

adorable2 said:

whoa, you just read my mind.

That's exactly what I feel... I still feel like he's able to do that, it's not exclusive 2 the 80's. After I heard TGE, I thought that he gained that ability during his era as

Then I listened to Purple Rain again... and totally understand it from his perspective... I like trying to find his heart within the music because that's what he told me in the first dream I had of him.

I keep an open mind whenever I listen to the albums I own. I first try to listen from his perspective, see what he's trying to get across... then after a while, he finds a way to pull me into it to keep things interesting.

I think that's the main reason I like him so much...cuz he is so diff from the others!

furygirl said:

not only different... but so much better, haha.
Seriously, though, I refer to my disc as albums because they carry with them experiences, what Prince himself is experiencing at time of production... that's something he's always had.

3121, compared to mainstream garbage today, is incredible... but that's mainly because I call today's radio garbage... it's that bad... but 3121 is the most recent exciting and diverse album I've bought (compared to the good 5% of other CD's I bought, not the other Prince albums I own)

parade sounds no other album every created by anyone (including prince) before or since. pretty great achievement

I could compare parts of "Parade" to Lawrence Welk. I can actually see bubbles in my mind during "Do U Lie".

Oh, hell naw! She ain't even as funky Slim Whitman. By the way, you mis-spelled her name.
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[Edited 4/19/07 14:46pm]