rusty1 said:

i'm wondering rusty if u have the guts 2 answer a few questions:

do u like funk or do u like pop more?

linn drum or michael b/john blackwell?

the revolution or the npg?

do u have a thing against hip hop?

if u can answer these questions, they would provide great insight ..thanks

I honestly feel that Prince didn't care to make an album worth a crap in the 90's. He was at war with the powers who owned his music. Why give them more genius? I wouldn't. The question now is does he have the power to bounce back after being so seperate from those powers who own the air waves?

Music has changed. Prince defined the 80's with his sound, but the 80's are gone and sounds keep moving. Could he redefine music again? I think we get disappointed in Prince because he is not defining mass music as he once did. Chances are, he won't.

But egad. He defined a decade. He defined the sound of the 80's more than anyone else. He did not define the 90's, but he stayed in the lime light. He still produced, and we still listened. We waited for him to redefine music again. I know I did.

Now in the 2000's, I don't look for that anymore. I don't expect that out of him. I am well satisfied to have a good sounding solid album each year. It's one of my gifts to myself each year. The past three have been great to me, 3121 being my favorite. That's just me. None of the albums defined the 2000's, but when musicology came out, I heard it playing in Orlando in the backdrop at Downtown Disney.

I was in a store and I saw fury on a television playing.

I was in a makeover symposium for women, and there was a Prince video playing.

Even though the music has changed and been redefined by others, they will be traced back to Prince for inspiration somewhere if they have any inspiration from the 80's at all, because that entire decade is his sound.

So I am satisfied to love the music that Prince is proud to produce and call his own, and though he is not defining the sound, he is still defining much more.

Look at the ambitious ways that he has been marketing his music. He found some rather unique ways to climb the charts in a system that is dominated by music companies and radio partnerships. In his efforts to redefine the game, they of course called him a cheater and tightened up, producing policies to make sure that they remained the ones in power.

Prince has tried to teach all musicians that they are the producers, and that they have the power. If they all walked out on the contracts today, they would gain ownership of the titles that they produce. They workers always have this power.

So he is still defining new ideas, still creating and breaking down walls. This is why we still say his name.

prety good hollywooddove, i think thats all fair to say. well put!