kenlacam said:

Right on. I can tell you most people in the Arab world have no idea who Prince is and if they do they don't like him much. But as soon as you mention Michael Jackson, they agree America have something to be proud of. The biggest star ever known on the planet. They'll sing his songs, dance his moves, talk about him and his talent and much more.
That said, I'm one of the few exceptions in my family and community who like Prince too.

HomeSquid said:

I'm loving this thread. In 9 years on the org, it's probably the first time people don't go crazy when Prince is not seen as the best.

NoVideo said:

He's the best. It's the missteps that add to it all. Genius is messy...it's not precision. It's about taking risks. As time goes one, Prince's shit will be more revered. Hell, people around here are just now starting to celebrates Come and Chaos and Disorder. Wasn't much love for those albums when they first arrived.

for me he is!

skywalker said:

I adore both Come and Chaos & Disorder. But Prince for me has been about what could have been over the last 20 years.

HomeSquid said:

Oh! Joni Mitchell has an opinion . . .
How do you overhype playing multiple instruments. Prince not an innovator? How much Prince has Joni Mitchell listened to? Just because Prince listens to her doesn't mean she would ever return the favor. She's certainly has no obligation to.
It terms of sheer artistic output? Prince runs laps around anyone else in pop regarding output.
Compare Prince's chart appearances (not peaks. lol) and releases to any other artist over the past 25 years.
I don't think anyone has turned out as much music.
And I can certainly deal with a 'Planet Earth' every 40 albums or so . . ..
To answer the question. . . No he is not the best of all time. He probably doesn't think he's the best he could be let alone the best of all time.
[Edited 7/7/09 19:52pm]

SPOOKYGAS said:

THANK YOU!! Someone finally speaks the truth!

The media circus continues.....

Clevelandgirl said:

i sooooo cringe at these posts

when i think of"best ever" i always end up comparing P to miles or ellington

not"the king of pop"

Clevelandgirl said:

Being a Michael Jackson fan is not dissing Prince.
As an entertainer Michael Jackson may remain unsurpassed.
As a pop musician Prince has never had his eye on that type of greatest that Michael Jackson and Madonna pursued savagely.
Michael's adult career wouldn't get Prince through a decade. It might just be a decade for Madonna. But here we are and they both find themselves lodged in Michael's shadow. They both know now, they will never be THAT.

Prince is one of the best! And God knows, I love this man and will support his music until the day I die. But I can't say he is the best of all time.


Embrace YouTube Prince...It could be your best friend!

This is too subjective and irrelevant to be anything close to useful.

Just enjoy the damn music.

Hmmmm.....

MJ is a superstar of the likes we will not see again. He grew up before the public and is cross racial, -national, & -generational. Despite the past 15 or so years, his death reminded us of his cultural significance.Is he the best of all time? In my opinion, MJ was what he was and that is what made him MJ. He was larger than life, combining the moves, music, and visuals to paint a picture of his art. In the hearts of millions, he is an icon and represents how music builds bridges between the young and old, black and white, etc.

Prince on the other hand, is a gifted musician and is extremely undervalued by the general public. As Little Richard has stated (in a documentary 20 years ago) if Prince had released a little less product(an album every few years vs yearly releases), it would allow the general public to appreciate his skills and music much more. Prince always struck me as a man who breathes music and he hears those sounds and before you know it, he has new material, hence the large output. The one critique I hear about Prince is that his music is more insulated, but that is the artist in him and he does whatever his artistic whim dictates.

Is Prince the best? Prince is what he is and he does Prince well. As someone pointed out, his back catalog can allow for the occasional Planet Earth(or in my case New Power Soul) to be produced.

I love the music of both of these guys, but there skill sets are different and to rate one over the other is pointless. Lets appreciate the fact that these guys represented the best of the best
[Edited 7/7/09 20:01pm]

SPOOKYGAS said:

You're right !!! I agree. Prince's competition is among innovators.
Add Miles, Jimi, Zappa and George Clinton...

kimrachell said:

And that's what matters!

i cant think of many artists who can top him

even if there are more technically skilled out there i doubt they are as Fonky and controversial as P.

NoVideo said:

I've always wanted Prince to be Prince. He's still being Prince. I never expected genius every time he released an album but I don't have high expectations, I was a Prince fan, strictly for me. He doesn't always make the best decision in my opinion, but who of us does? Always?

No.... he doesn't do anything for his fans or have any interaction with them, he just expects them to buy his records and tickets etc.

I have got to give it to him though, musically, to me he is the best guitarist and i've witnessed how great he is live so many times, he does have something very special. Anyone who has seen him do a heartfelt performance of Purple Rain will know exactly what i mean.

The GOAT can only be determined through consensus. And even such a vote could be overtly biased.

It's really all about personal taste.

Having said this, in my estimation, Prince is the only artist who has captivated me, consistently, in each and every decade. You could burn every album that he's made, to date, and I wouldn't care, because I'd still be feenin' for what he comes up with next.....

Prince is STILL vital and relevant, musically. Better stated, Prince seems as if he's still EVOLVING as an artist and musician. Prince remembers the adoration that Miles Davis had, and is hell-bent in living up to this musical giants' praises. He's a musicians musician with the showmanship of Barnum Bailey. Regular genius typically receives only one of these gifts. Our boy Prince got 'em both.

So no, I will not wait till Prince completes the Earthcycle evolution and transforms into the elements (I may start my cycle before he does) before I give all respect-due:

Prince constructs the type of sound arrangements that I find the most appealing of any musician that I've ever heard. His percussive arrangements, vocal delivery, guitar/bass/keyboard solo's all equal something so stylish that I can't name a credible competitor.

Mike was THE Pop Superstar.

Prince is a Sonic Ph.D, Musical Maestro Extraordinnaire. Waiting in the wings to unleash yet another masterpiece....

Prince is of the talent level that he would have demanded the praises of ANY so-called musician who lived before him, I do believe.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

Just two months ago you couldn't get anyone to admit they were a MJ fan (especially in America) except for his die hard fans, now everyone is calling him the greatest this and that. PHONY! A lot of people are saying MJ is the best artist ever because he sold more records but does that equate to greatest? Britney Spears sells a lot of records and I don't find anything of substance in her. I rank MJ as the best dancer and video artist of his generation and very underrated singer. Prince is the best musician and songwriter of his generation and also very underrated singer. Both of them are the best entertainers of their generation ( I define entertainment as something that can move you, whether it be by dancing or music).

I personally think there are better artist out there than MJ or Prince.

I also think this is one those threads to compare MJ and Prince.

best guitarist...no
best performer....in his prime maybe
best dancer...no
best vocalist...no
best song writer...maybe
best composer...no


The best OVERALL musician,performer, artist....HEL FUCKIN' YESSSSS!!!!!

no one ever has or ever will do all the things prince does, at the level
he does it...prince does it all...

Alot of artist are the MVP of a team....
But prince IS the the team...

I agree that Prince is not the best at any one thing...but the package is the best of all time, in one individual...

Shit, Calvin Johnson could shoot better free throws than Michael Jordan...but, who do most consider the best?

BTW, Prince is better at music than Jordan was at basketball....just putting it in perspective.

No. In order to be the best of all time, he'd have to be the best at all times and that's simply not the case, where Prince is concerned.

NoVideo said:

Well, that says alot more about your expectations than it does about Prince being great. Perspective is funny. Years ago critics and fans both shit on those two albums, you adore them. That said, you have been looking forward to what "could have been" since 1989.

In reality, Prince is still Prince...as someone already said. He hasn't REALLY fallen off. Sure, we fans piss and moan. However, if some new artist had just put out Lotusflow3r...the world would have freaked out. Yet, it's Prince. I've said it before, we are accustomed to his genius and take it for granted.

Yes art appreciation is 100% subjective so you are right if you think Prince is the "best of all time" or if you think it is MJ or Milli Vanilli or whoever else.

Anyway, when Prince was in his prime in the early to late 80s, there was nobody better before or since...plain and simple.

SPOOKYGAS said:

Well said..I would throw James Brown, Duke Ellingtin, and Miles Davis in there with the list that Prince "competes" with.

Pre-Bad album MJ was a lot better than Madonna or Britney but I basically agree with what you are saying.

Best of all time?? I think i can say that Prince never had the goal of being the greatest. His career speaks to that. He has stayed true to his art and done what he has wanted to and been quite successful at it. He is talented enough to put out hit after hit if he wanted to. Had Prince stuck to the same ideas from the height of his popularity I would have become bored and stopped listening along time ago. I am glad he is ever changing and challenges his audience.