Please share your opinions, i just can't find an answer.

I don't agree with either of the two parts of that statement.

I also disagree. I think that he is a superb live and studio artist.

He's stronger at live performances. I personally think he's great in the studio as well. Maybe, he's just strongest on stage. Ain't nuthin wrong wit that

JayJai said:

Exactly. I agree with you JayJai.

Live he has the energy of the crowd to feed from, but if he's 'average' in the studio, wth is below average???

He has always maintained how free he is on stage, before and after the 'slave' days. His live performances are so insanely spectacular that it makes his studio work seem inferior even when in it isn't by any means.

Your statement on its face is entirely untrue. Until recently no one has ever accused prince of being average in the studio. U can't do all the things he does in a studio and be average. Some people just seem to prefer the live vibe. I like both. They offer two different views of the same performer. Both offering aspects that the other can't. The complexity of some of his work can't be replicated live.

Aloisio said:

As opposed 2 who?

up till about 1988 or so his studio wizardry was as good or even surpassed his live shows.

Dont know if it was conincidental but right around the time he stopped recording in analog and started to overuse layered tracks as a crutch was when we started seeing the studio stuff become average.

I think his recent studio albums were designed to sound better or very similar live.


Old songs like "When Doves Cry", "Raspberry Berret", and "if I was Ur Girlfriend" weren't written with live performances in mind, I'm sure. They were written to be good singles.
They each presented challenges in being brought over to the live stage.

His newer songs sound almost ready for the stage.

I think a lot of musicians are moving towards a business model in which their records are promotional tools for the live show instead of vice versa, cause live shows are normally more lucrative. I think Prince took it one step further in ensuring Musicology and 3121 could be easily ported to concert venues.

Of course my theory is always weak, cause he performs so many of his older hits during his shows.

Imago said:

Definitely. Songs are not produced anymore to sell discs, neither the artists get much revenue for selling them on iTunes $0.99 each.

As for the question of the thread, I think it's a matter of opinion. I'm sure there are people don't like Prince's ways of performing live.

He is magnificent at both, but U R forgetting something crucial here.

Prince has ALWAYS aimed 2 top his studio versions live... since the beginning.

"It's gotta be better than the record." he was quoted as saying 2 Jimmy Jam, while training The Time.

Take "Fury" 4 example... Folks heard the live SNL version first, so they hated the studio version, which is great in itself... just different.

PEACE>

~G

It's the whole "Tomato - Tomahto" thing. As LiveToTell86 said, it's all just personal opinion. Doesn't matter to me, I dig the stuff I like all the same. The live stuff will always trump the studio stuff. It's been like that since the 80's so to me, it's just business as usual.

Giovanni777 said:

Oh I remember that vividly. People here were so sure the CD version was going to be just like the live one on SNL and i knew that wasn't going to be the case. I even warned people not to expect the same kind of version and sure enough, almost 3 years later (amazing right there), people are still mad that the 3121 version of "Fury" didn't sound like SNL. As for me, I dig both versions. I'm glad I had the insight to not set myself up for disappointment like that. As a result, I let Fury play on my iPod when it pops up.

purplecam said:

That's a great point both of you made. When I saw "Fury" on SNL, I couldn't believe how much Prince shut all the guitaristas up. It was a brief but spectacular display of his musicianship. Singing, playing guitar, soloing, dancing, all from the same guy in a five minute song, LIVE. It was great.

When I saw the video, I thought...man, what a different vibe...

That's the thing. It was said earlier that Prince had told Jimmy Jam that the live stuff has to be better than the studio stuff. I'm so glad he had and still has that mindset, cause if he did the albums like some of you in here want them to be, he'd be one boring old geyser on the stage, cause he wouldn't bring anything new to the song. It would be a carbon copy.

That's what makes a Prince show so special. The uniqueness he brings to his music. You hear things live that you don't on the CD and, at least for me, it makes the song(s) even better than before and it makes me want to hear the songs again and hear it in a new way. Even if Prince plays a song that I think sucks gigantic amounts of ass, the way he usually does the song live will make me think twice it and I might even start to like the song. Like I said, if he was exactly the same on album as he is live, the "unique" feel of the songs live would be lost. I like the separation of studio and live shows.

Giovanni777 said:

Cam? Did U not read my entire post?

...and also, with "Fury", it became nearly impossible 4 people 2 separate them, and just treat them as different performances, or even renditions.

The live version is pure FIRE... a volcano of Prince.

The studio version is cooler... less impassioned, but perfect in it's near 'Dirty Mind' album vocal delivery.

Giovanni777 said:

Oh I read it all my friend and it was on point! It inspired me! I hope I didnt offend ya.
[Edited 1/7/09 8:41am]

purplecam said:

Well Jimmy Jam surely didn't take Prince's advice because the stuff he did for Janet didn't really translate well to stage since she's always doing carbon copies of album versions, after more than 20 years. No wonder her last tour was a huge flop.

LiveToTell86 said:

That's cold. I saw Janet's show a week after I saw Prince in October and Janet show didn't have the uniqueness that P's had. Still had a great time but you can't compare the 2.
[Edited 1/7/09 8:58am]

Aloisio said:

Prince is arguably (and not just by us on here) one of the most innovative studio artists of all time. Yes, there has been weak moments, but to say he is an average studio artist is like saying Elton John didn't wear comedy glasses in the 70's.

i think prince has the tools to be a superb studio artist, and there's proof of that fact on many of his albums.

i think if prince seems less consistent as a studio artist as opposed to a live artist, one reason might be because he is forced to collaborate in a concert setting, which i think opens him up to a number of different influences and possibilities. whereas, in the studio, he is used to handling most everything by himself, which could make it more difficult for him to grow.

plus, there's the obvious factor of playing live vs. playing in a studio. when you're playing live, you're feeding off the energy of an audience, as opposed to in the studio, where that energy has to come from within. there's going to be a different level of energy displayed in the music.

methodcal said:

u hit the nail square on the head ..it's about a crowd's energy giving it back 2 u 2 make u xcel even higher.

LiveToTell86 said:

okay let's analyze this further shall we? ur gonna compare janet 2 prince's live shows ..hmmmm interesting...last i checked janet has dancers galore on stage and just sings (or lip synch depending on what ur ears r hearing), where as prince can play a multiple amount of instruments, sing and dance ...

apples 2 oranges really don't u think?

I would like to know the basis of the statement that Prince is just an average studio artist. If that is simply an opinion, what could any of us say that would answer your question?
I personally think he is the best studio artist. That is of course, an opinion.

I don't think that there is anything average about Prince>

Aannastesia2 said:

No, his height is in fact below average.

purplecam said:

thx Cam

JayJai said:

No problem JayJai!