From 2004-2007 Prince has produced 3 albums Musicology, 3121, and Planet Earth. I consider each album to be stellar work. I think many so-called fans underrate these albums. I think those fans that are expecting innovation and general weirdness from Prince miss the great song writing and craftsmanship that Prince illustrates on the albums.

It as if fans can’t appreciate well-structured songs from Prince unless they are outlandish in some way. I really don’t think there is anyone else alive and making music who could make those three albums. They don’t have the range, abilities, and imagination to create them. Feel free to make a case for a contemporary artist who has shown this ability.

Those so-called fans that put down these albums remind me of Hendrix fans who couldn’t get past the theatrics of Hendrix and see the great songwriter underneath. I find it so disturbing that people keep trying to stop the march of time. Prince changed because he had too. Just as we all must do. I love is old work but I don’t live there. I wish more of his fans could appreciate him as he is and not as they wish he would be.

Prince is still working at a very high level. A level must performers/musicians will never reach. I think some of u will only appreciate his work later in the years to come. Xpectations are a bitch

I admit that I do not have the ability to produce fantastic music...That is why loving Prince is easier, than trying to pick up a guitar at 42...I'm lazy that way.

My thoughts exactly Tricky99 - couldn't agree with you more

tricky99 said:

So you are only a fan if you appreciate all his work?

Now that's a bit... ermmmm extreme, innit?

So when I tell you that the last three albums are just boring, re-hashed funk, disco and middle of the road rock I came to expect from Richard Marx in the 80's, then I am a 'so-called'fan?

WOOHOO!

You are so-called intellegunt!

tricky99 said:

I agree with u. There are so many here that claim to be fans that put down damn-near every album he has done since PR. It really irks me when people always say that 3121 or Musicology are horrible and they can't listen to them.

The only album in that bunch that I'm not a big fan of is PE. I'm not dissing the entire project, but I just didn't care for it.

Well we are allowed to disagree right? I love watching prince play live, less so his current direction in the studio. I loved TRC, Xpectation and NEWS cause he was genuinley trying 'new' things again, the majority didn't seem to like these albums though, so it's back to trying to appeal to the masses for Prince.

So i find that disappointing, Still a fan, went to the O2 a few times, paid for cancelled Belfast. that's alright isn't it? so I find Incense and Candles to be poor comparede to 2 Nigs For West Compton, so what!

HamsterHuey said:

It means you're an ex-fan. U can't be a "fan" of something or someone u don't like. That goes against the very definition of the word. Just accept that u are not a fan. I'm sure Prince doesn't see u as a fan lol.

Anyone that would compare Prince to Richard marx on a sonic level is not too bright or at the least as a terrible sense of hearing.

Marrk said:

That's fine. I was more talking about the folks who dismiss whole works of diverse and well written music as if anybody could have created them.

i don't know. i prefer not to judge or define other fans based on my own preferences. if someone's just into the really old stuff, then chances are they have better knowledge or a better collection of stuff from that era than someone who has more of an interest in prince's later work (and vice versa).

basically what i'm saying is, everyone has their worth, and we can all learn from each other's concentration of interests.

that said, i think there's some good stuff to be found in prince's 00s output, but it's far from my favorite era thus far. i think all the accolades and legend status has made prince soft and bored. he needs a new challenge, and when he finds it, i bet we're gonna be in for a wilder ride than we've had in years.

Marrk said:

I see your point. I, too, think that albums like TRC and Xpectation are great albums also. I think the problem is when people always try to say that he hasn't released anything good since Parade or SOTT, etc.

When you put albums like 3121 or Musicology up against anything that was released at the time, Prince's stuff reigns supreme (imo).

You've been posting this kind of stuff for years Tricky, I don't think it's gonna change anyone's mind, you're preaching to the converted.

Just sayin'.

Anxiety said:

That's all fine and well but a lil pie-in-the-sky thinking. Its pretty unrealistic to expect a 50 year old who has been in music 30 years and produced countless songs to be very innovative. Especially since he has covered so much territory it will take a lot to suprise the fans. I think both NEWS and TRC are landmark Prince works but plenty of fans shit all over them. Prince is fighting against his own past and also against mainstream music. So he is out of step with alot of peoples desires and expectations. Prince isn't going to get anymore brillant than TRC. Different yes but innovative no. A lot of fans will never accept whatever he does because its not 1987.

NouveauDance said:

Yeah I know. I'm just bored lol.

tricky99 said:

not-a-fan of one segment of an entire body of work -- particularly one as vast as Prince's -- doesn't makes someone an ex-fan. you've confused "fan" with "sycophant"

daPrettyman said:

i agree, planet earth is the only album i have totally disliked even tho the gems of guitar and shoe r on it. Ever since ATWIAD came out, I have NEVER tried 2 put prince in a box 2 meet MY xpectations. He is a artist that needs space 2 xpand his craft not locked away in the purple rain-parade phase of his career. and that 4 me xtends 2 his live per4mances as well, i would rather him push the envelop of playing songs that weren't worldwide hits 2 suite the audience because they never grew 2 know his other material past the 80's. Whether his fans accept it or not, he did have a career in the 90's, and presently and has always come up with new music in that process. Warner Bros, the media and even his fans CONTINUE 2 stifle this man's artistic vision. So if u don't like a album or song, that's fine, but 2 say he's not as creative as he was in the 80's is silly. If u ate ur favorite meal every single day 4 the rest of ur life with no other types of food 2 ingest, u would become sick of ur favorite meal as well. music is the same. don't just dine on past glory, xplore ur mind and ur palate with an open mind and not hoping that his next album or song reminds u of how u felt when u 1st listened 2 sign o the times

madartista said:

How long do you go before u reach ex-fan? If u haven't liked anything in say the last ten years i think u qualify as a ex-fan.

tricky99 said:

i agree, if prince touches hip hop then his fans say it's lame, if he goes in2 regaee then some will say lame, but yet if he does funk/pop/rock then the comparasions begin

would it b better if he never made music again so then he won't have 2 suffer from his past? or should he do a full fledged country album or polka?

L4OATheOriginal said:

Exactly how I feel. I love the journey as much as the destination. And Prince has been on one hell of a musical journey. I've enjoyed all of his work to vvarying degrees. The valleys are just as interesting as the peaks for me.

tricky99 said:

Of course, this is your opinion....I still feel that Planet Earth was hastily thrown together, and sub-par compared to even 3121 and Musicology, which I think are masterpieces, for the most part ( I don't care for all of 3121)

L4OATheOriginal said:

He should just follow his heart as much as possible. To me whatever genre he does is filtered though his genuis of a mind so at the least its going to be interesting. I don't expect Prince to rap like a rapper. Its just another musical tool to utilize. I would never compare Prince to say Jay-z.That's all Jay-z does and can do. Prince justs uses rap as another form of his musical expression.

kenlacam said:

I don't know which of the 3 I like the most. They seem like apple and oranges to me. PE doesn't sound hastily thrown together IMO. What do u base that opinion on? The songs seem well constructed and finished to me. Its not like they sound like demos or anything.

tricky99 said:

Xcellent post/thread tricky99. I feel just about the same way you do with this issue. PE isn't one of my favorites but I dig it alright.
[Edited 8/13/08 9:37am]

So what u are saying is that u have to like every single thing that P has ever done to be a fan? That is ridiculous IMHO. I would draw a comparison to sports I am a Minnesota Timberwolves fan and they havent done crap in years. They have made allot of moves, and played allot of games that I thought were horrible in the past couple of years. But that doesnt make me any less of a fan. All I hope is they can try harder and do better. Same goes with P. And this is coming from a person that didnt hate all of his last albums just think he could do better.

I learned something major when Musicology was about to come out. I learned that for me, if I continued to compare Prince of today to Prince of 1982 or 1988 or 1995, I was only setting myself up for disappointment and heartache. The only thing I needed to hope for was for an album that I would like and enjoy. Ever since I changed my way of thinking and let go of unrealistic expectation like wanting Purple Rain 2 or just something innovative, I've enjoyed the albums that have come out since 2004. I have an album that is in my top 10 from this time, 3121, and I even heard TRC with a different ear and I love it more now then I did when it came out and I liked it when it came out.

To me, music is not a biology project that I disect left and right, it's just something that either grabs me or it doesn't and Prince is the one artist who still grabs me from when I was a little kid. I don't like everything he's done but what I focus on what I love and thank God there's a lot for me to choose from.

I'm off the soapbox now

HamsterHuey said:

Nice one! I agree it's pretty ridiculous to be called a "true" fan, only if you don't criticize his music. In fact I feel the opposite. I feel that a "true" fan would in fact be criticize his work and analyze what he is producing compared to other albums. As far as his last three albums I do not think they were as the Tricky99 put it, "stellar work". I do think that there was "stellar work" on the albums, but as a whole the albums were not great. This leads me back to the thread I posted the other day. Prince is still doing good work but he is not living up to the potential that all of his fans know he is capable of. I actually think that his best period was late 80s early 90s, with albums like D&P, Gold, , Come, and up to Emancipation. That period is when Prince showed the most diversity and imagination that Tricky99 seems to be calling Prince's most recent period. Tricky I think you may be a little mistaken in your view.

tricky99 said:

well, okay. i still disagree with you, though. and i don't expect his music to be xerox copies of 1987 in order to be groundbreaking or even interesting. i've seen other artists make creative comebacks in the second halves of their lives/creative careers, and i have no doubt that prince has the potential of pulling a few more surprises out of his bag of tricks before he finally calls it a day.

planet earth was a disappointment to me. you might think it was the greatest album of all time, and hey, god bless you. if that's the case, the album wasn't a total waste of time because it at least reached YOU. my whole point was, it's great that there are some people who are enthusiastic about his more recent material and it's great that there are some people who care more about his earlier stuff, or his symbol-era stuff, or whatEVER, because it just means there are more people running around who have an expertise on a particular era, and we have the potential to learn from and influence each other. that's not pie in the sky. in my years on this site and my years of being a fan and interacting with other fans, i've actually EXPERIENCED that kind of exchange. and it's great.

but that's just my opinions based on my experiences and my perspectives. i think what you have to say is valid, even if i agree with precious little of it. i hope i didn't seem to claim otherwise.

fanatic4ever said:

When did i say u have to like everything or the PE is the greatest work Prince has ever produced? I'm talking about the boo birds who haven't liked anything in years and talk about the music he has produced in recent years as being shit and crap. I think everything on PE is "good". None of the songs rank in my probably top 100 Prince songs but there is enjoyment to be found in each and every one ot them. I'm very comfortable with where Prince is. I don't expect to be surprised or blown off my feet by the newest Prince. I'm sure if it happens I'll probably enjoy it more than others because I don't have any expectations other than a well crafted song. I don't think any of u can argue that anything on PE is incompentant on a musical level. The songs may not move u as an individual but they are almost all better written then 80% of the stuff that passes for hits records at this very moment.

Anxiety said:

I remember being disapointed by both C&D and NPS on there release. I still recognize that they are not his best work but I still enjoy them. They each have unique place within his portfolio.

purplecam said:

Thanks Cam!