when i heard his non funky meterial

Hmm, I posted something along these lines and got blasted for it. And ignored. You've put it across better though.

So anyway, I stopped listening to Prince for quite a number of years (gave way to house and dancing my nuts off) before eventually coming back due to the 21 Nights tour. So let's say I've had everything from The Gold Experience onwards to listen to in the last couple of years (that being my last album bought at that point I think). Well I've gotta say in the gap years a lot happened. In the past I loved all of his stuff as it was so unique but coming back again and listening to those late 90s albums, well, he changed. A lot of it was too commercial and dull for me whereas some of it was Prince-lite. The groundbreaking material wasn't there like it used to be. It's still not really but that's to be expected.

But definitely Musicology. That is just an album of filler. It's not even on my iTunes. I know, I just checked

G. Brigde

I've honestly always known. It took me a while to get into Prince. He first appeared on my radar around 1984. I was 13 and I remember Purple Rain and especially When Doves Cry (Radio 1 played them a lot and the videos were shown on TOTP). I remember from pictures of him and the 1985 BPI award (now called the Brits) appearance and acceptance speech with Big Chick, thinking he was so odd. But over the mid to late 80s I really started to get into music in general, and realised this guy was a very special musician. SOTT, Lovesexy, & Batman soundtrack were my first proper Prince purchases. Even then though there were some tracks I would skip - Lemon Crush, Dance On, Play In The Sunshine, Slow Love for example. Of course these songs have gone in and out of fashion with me as I have recognised moments of genius within them at various points but they are still not my favourites.

When I went back and purchased his back catalogue it took me ages to "get" Parade (apart from Kiss). I found that muted jazzy, sparse funk feel alienating. Now I love most of the album. I wanted the 1987-1990 sort of sound, electric synths, funky little guitar licks a la The Future and distorted echo rocky pop guitar solos a la ICNTTPOYM. The first albums left me cold too apart from the poppy hits. Dirty Mind was different and I loved that one but then Controversy was a bit hit and miss for me. 1999 was near perfect, damn that one was good. I couldn't get enough of LRC's opening keyboard chords and Lady Cab Driver's endless groove but still, International Lover and Free were a bit bleurgh.

Ok this is turning into a "what I feel about Prince's music" post so back on topic, every album I have ever bought of his I have liked most tracks but dislike a couple or more.

I haven’t come across this yet as I appreciate the effort and work that he puts into all his music.
I may not like every song 100%, but I like some parts, some words, some bits of music enough enjoy.
And some things I get in time, the more I listen the more I dig.
I know, Love is blind!

there were many projects that left me wanting more. emancipation was the
first let down. but only because i had imagined it to be 3 discs filled
with gold/come like material. the total change in production left me with
a taste for something 'more', despite it being a 36 song 3 disc album.

new power soul was mediocre but still had a good vibe imo. same goes for
rave un2 the joy fantastic, which had enough cool songs on it and only 1
song that i disliked a lot (hot wit u).

it wasn't until musicology was released that i realised there might be a
point in the future where a new prince album would leave me cold.

as many things as i found to nitpick over on previous releases, i still
listened to them many times and do so till this day.

but musicology didn't disappoint me or make me wish for something else,
it just left me stone cold. the only song on there that i truly like is
reflection which is a career highlight no doubt but the rest of it is
just a lot of non registering fluff imo.

3121 rekindled my hopes that musicology was a one off because it had a
better structure and many more songs that i loved.

then planet earth was released and it was the first prince album that
i didn't even want to go and buy in a store. to this day i still only
have a dl copy. i like 2 songs from it.

overall, if pushed to compile a single 12 track stellar album from all
those 3 albums i would have a hard time doing so.

F.U.N.K. was the first song in ages (apart from perhaps 3121) that got
me back into that 1988 state of mind (when i became a fan). and then
the lotusflower album, which is amazing imo, reaffirmed that feeling.

i know now that i probably won't love all of his music as much as i did
his 1979-1995 material but albums like The Truth, TRC, Lotusflower are
enough to make me accept that prince's prolific output is just not that
consistent anymore.

and you know what, it doesn't matter. if he'd only released The Truth,
TRC, One Nite Alone and Lotusflower since 1997 they would all still be
5 star albums but we would have missed out on about 100 other songs he
released now, the majority of which are still good-very good.

it's just that with the flood of new material coming out there are a
lot more tracks that don't do much for me at all but the quantity of
good material is still just as big as in the 80s imo. you just have
to dig a little deeper.

that's a bummer for people like me who like to listen to complete and
rounded off albums instead of separate songs. but that's not to say
he doesn't give us fantastic songs anymore.

The first time I saw the movie Purple rain, I knew that I was hooked on Prince forevermore.

shorttrini said:

although i do like the song letitigo

ernestsewell said:

i was 15 when ATWIAD was released- and after PR which really introduced me to P i was like WTF?!?

but after a few listens ( and a good dose of vid i fell in love with this masterpiece.

it is one of the regular cds i listen to often- a lot of P's music collects dust in my collection ( ) but ATWIAD never does

GetAwayFromMe said:

i cringed

and thought to myself- Prince u sure do make it hard to be a fan of yours out in the open

prb said:

My only favorite from that mess was, "Space". Great song!!

coolcat said:

that was the album that was out when i started dating my now husband- he loves D&P's so when we listen to P together, that cd is always in the mix- but i do prefer other cds. thank heavens for ultimate and very best of :lol

D&P was one of our wedding songs

shorttrini said:

"come" was when i stopped pestering my wrecka stow 4 new stuff

i had to catch up later

Dayclear said:

i love icecream, but im not keen on peppermint flavour

When I first heard his attempts at rap.... [insert Worf head in hand gif]

Bless, he has improved somewhat - (Hey Valentina) but I still give my CD player the side-eye everytime I hear him rapping..
[Edited 5/12/09 4:51am]

BoySimon said:

Same here.

NpgSoldier said:

I might have to switch mine to Graffitti Bridge also... there are some songs that I really like on there... some songs I feel ok about... and some songs I really dislike...

I think in the bigger picture... Graffitti Bridge is where Prince began using more new-jack-swing type rhythms... instead of the 80s type beats... I really think this aspect has carried on all the way till now... This is the change I really dislike...
[Edited 5/12/09 6:35am]

..it hasn't happend 2 me yet..so far..so good!..
...don't you know that everything i do is ALWAYS done with you in mind...

..when i have proof os success...
...this is simply my homage to you...
..mzsexybaby' '

minneapolisFunq said:

His what?

mzkqueen03 said:

And we wonder why Prince hates his fans.

ernestsewell said:

...YEAH!..cuz u can ONLY speak 4 URSELF!!..
..but then again..u hate urself too!!...
...that ur lose!!..not mine..
..mzsexybaby

Hell.....I don't even like all of my OWN music.

mzkqueen03 said:

Tsk tsk.

Graycap23 said:

ahaha DITTO! I write some songs and think "Gheez, really Ernest..REALLY?!"

When i heard Do u lie

i just didnt get it in 86 and still don't

endymion said:

Really?

That song is a very good song. It asks if you ever lie awake at night thinking about the person you love.

Lovesexy

ernestsewell said:

Scared I think is more appropriate.

...yeah..like mr. morris day said..
..it is rough at the top..
...mzsexybaby