With all the excitement about new Prince music this year.....

. . combined with (annoying) success in recent years of people copying his classic style (Justin T, Pharell, etc.).....

. . . combined with the fact that "producers" nowadays are basically just guys who know how to work an MPC sampler . . . .

Doesn't it seem like it's time P dusted off the old Linn LM-1 drum machine and SHOW THE WORLD HOW IT'S DONE???

The producers of today are making WEAK beats using MPCs, or samples that pale imitations of the classic Prince beats.

So now could be the time for Prince to take out the original machine, and do some innovations with it like he used to..... and make it new and fresh again! (the thing is he didn't just use the Linn, he did stuff with it no one expected, ran it through effects, played it backwards etc.)

Think of When Doves Cry. The whole song is basically a complex, intricate Linn pattern with a killer guitar part (and a few spare synth hits).

ANd no . . . this doesn't mean it will be an 80's rehash...cuz he make it new and different as he's always done.

While he's at it, he could bring out the Oberheims too..... but one thing at a time!!!

i think he needs some help from Jack White

horatio said:

Uhhhh.....no.

...prince said" 'm interested in the inner workings of music, 'm trying 2 UNDERSTAND y we respond 2 BEATS differently"....that's heavy...prince 2 produce..that's his forte....i 2 have always been interested in the same...music makes ur body move....teen-age b-girl--->mzsexybaby'leather-tongue adidas'

Prince might never hit the charts again in the way he once did.

He does what he does (which is perfectly fine for the most part, for loyal fans) but what he does at the moment is neither fresh enough, nor gimmicky enough to "hit" it that way.
If he went gimmicky, he'd get slammed by his own fans for selling out and slammed by cynical folk (Hi!) for trynna keep up with the youngins and lookin sad.
And to hit it the other way...well, he doesn't have much "edge" left right now, so unless he got that back...

It's sweet that folk keep the dream alive, but nothing significant in any of our lives will change whether he charts or not.

..by now we all know prince has a language-->music..he stimulates the senses....mzsexybaby

I posted this in another thread, but it's just as relevant here:

Having a "hit" these days (in the 'Top 20' sense of the word) is 90% promotion/marketing and 10% craft. You also have to appeal to as broader market as possible - in particular, the 13-25 'young adult' age group. Prince definately has the talent and the craft to do so, but not the, or the hunger for, the other 90% required.

Can you really foresee a 50 year old Jehovah's Witness, with no major-label backing, who has a history of 'odd' behaviour*, and who half the population thinks is gay, maintaining consistent and lengthy sales from today's teenagers? Believe me, it would be funking AWESOME if it happened, but it just ain't gonna happen no matter how good the song is.

*name change to an unpronounceable symbol, writing 'slave' on his face at high profile events etc.

johnart said:

Well that is my point.

I think if he brought out the original Linn he could get some of his edge back. It might inspire him to innovate like he used to.

...i talk about prince 2 every1 i encounter in 1 way or another...when he comes out my mouth?...people pay attention..education is important..especially 2 certain people in the world...he is the BABY of my ...mzsexybaby'1-time'

Prince has more than enough hits. I actually would not mind if he just started experimenting with the sounds. Bowie did that twoards the tail end of his
recordings - after making hit pop songs in the 80s - and his hardcore fans love him for the return to experimental. I believe the same with P?? And personally, Much of P's successful music was experimental yet very catchy. I think he will get to that place again and we will know when?? Really I've enjoyed all the music over the years but also believe he can still cover new ground that..well no one has ever covered before. I believe he can record the impossible in the world of a million different styles of music.

realm said:

Exactly. That is what the Linn represented. He experimented with it and pushed it way beyond what it was to begin with.

I think if he took it out again he could really keep going and create something new and fresh.

For the last 10 years his production on albums has been pretty bland.

...prince's production has ALWAYS had it's own style..and it has been up-2-date in my ...prince has ..at this point it is him wanting 2 share...he wrote funk :music:machine at 7yrs old!...how many of us will eva get 2 hear THAT song?!...right this min...things are changing...mzsexybaby

Prince has already revived the Linn many times in recent years...

Undisputed
Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do
Props 'n Pounds
What Do U Want Me 2 Do?
Black Sweat
Future Baby Mama
(There'll Never B) Another Like Me

... just to name a few.

So if you haven't been happy with his latest music, I don't think bringing back the Linn is going to help.

Besides, from all accounts, the MPLSound album is supposedly chock full of those sounds so maybe you are in luck! (though I admit people have said that about every upcoming release since Emancipation!)
[Edited 1/15/09 21:08pm]

...MPLsound..is 1 i'm waiting 4....that's a BODY album..make mine move..SQUAT-TIME!...mzsexybaby .. ..

A good joke or a story or anything told once or twice may be edgy, three times or more may make the edge dull.

horatio said:

Cause he is all over the charts, right?

I doubt he will be on the charts from the new album. If he is promoting it with the few songs i've heard.. he isn't anywhere close.

No sayin it won't contain anything, but i'm sure there was a reason he chose these few songs to tout the new album

My suggestion to get back on the charts is simple: go back to the sound and look of the Purple Rain era.

The way Prince gets back on top is by doing hisown thing and enough people taking notice. He can't manufacture it, and as soon as be tried we'll all recognize it.

Black Sweat is probably one of his edgiest songs in years, with fresh sounds and interesting vocals, but many here seem to hate it for whatever reason.

I'd rather him realize he doesn't need charts anymore - he's moved past that. When is the last time The Boss had a top 10 song? Nine Inch Nails? Radiohead? Seriously, the guys moved past the Billboard Top 10 - forget it. If it happens it happens. Who really cares as long as he continues to give us something genuine?

bleutuna said:

It's quite obvious to me that he already realises that. When was the last time he really promoted a single? "The Greatest Romance"? That's almost 10 years ago now. These days his promotional appearances are more or less for tours. The albums are basically adverts for the tours.

SPOOKYGAS said:

Well, at least he's relevant.

Even if he released the direct sequel to "When Doves Cry" or "Kiss", he still wouldn't get played on US radio, because he's 50 and they tend to stop playing everyone who passes 40. There only chance for Prince is to record a duet with someone like Akon or T-Pain so he could get decent airplay, but I'm sure none of us wants him to do that.

here's a crazy suggestion. Release a decent CD , no more than 10 trax and make each song a killer.

funkyhead said:

Actually, that is the best idea!

GaryMF said:

P's chart days are over dude... let go and just enjoy when dude releases some music that moves you

GaryMF said:

I don't want Prince to hit the charts big! I want his sound belongs to him and for us to enjoy...He never cared about the charts. I was there before his sound got big and I'm still here.


When he got big the people came to him. Making music for the charts is not what True Artist do. All his best work was not chart music. some of his chart music attempts are his most annoying to me like Diamonds and pearls and all that pseudo hip hop NPG trash!
[Edited 1/16/09 7:39am]

Snake said:

whatever... Prince so wants chart success even to this day. He certainly does care and always has. Parade is an example of him not really caring and was still an incredible record there have been others ofcouse. Purple Rain, 1999 and to a lesser degree Sign of the Times are examples where he certainly did care and were efforts to place him back on top of the charts even if his single selections did not necessarily reflect that.

Being relevant of the charts doesn't make you any less an artist and Prince has certainly tried to be relevant chart wise... just not always

It's quite simple. If Prince really wants that chart success, he's going to have to have the right people PROMOTE his shit and he himself will have to PROMOTE his shit. I've said it before, payola is real and that seems to be the only way to get on the radio, at least Top 40 radio. Maybe he needs to do that. Also, he needs to get his music on iTunes. Many songs go on the charts on the strength of iTunes and if he taps into that, he'll be that much closer to having that "hit". I don't think it's impossible for Prince to have a hit again but I'm not holding my breath waiting for it to happen either. Who knows but if he has another hit song, it'll just be a bonus for the albums.
[Edited 1/16/09 9:18am]

Strip all his instruments off the songs and get one of those weak shit hop sounding drum machines that barely tap for the entire foundation of a song. If he feels he absolutely needs something else on the song, get someone else's old slow jam, slow it down even more, and sample it over the drum machine. Never go past midtempo, never sing in falsetto, release the songs under a fake name, and don't let the public see who recorded the song because if he does, these little brats will say...."Ewwww, a fag".

If he does all those things he will have a major hit.

vainandy said:

I know what you're saying; I hate what qualifies as "Music" these days.

I realize I titled this thread poorly.

I really meant that he could become innovative--and popular--again if he took out the old Linn and experimented with it like he used to (not just throw in the detuned sidestick once in a while like on the new song).

The irony is that When Doves Cry was basically a drum machine track with sparse instrumentation, but it was brilliant and innovative and pushed new ground.

Unlike what producers are doing today despite the fact they are all drum machine based. It's not the machine that's problem, it's who's operating it.