Surely I can't be alone in thinking this. I am an out and out purple head and have enjoyed , like you, the vast amount of output over the years. BUT there is now so much that I can't get excited over a new release as the quality IMHO has waned so much. I loved most of the LF 3 Cd set, but it told me nothing that we knew he could already do?. His CDs now only serve to add to my collection and have as nice background music whilst I drive from A TO B!. In other words it's safe & inoffensive. I could bang on but you get where I'm coming from?.
So who else would love for P to go back and do say a 10 Track CD AND [!] leave a gap of 2 years between each. I was hopeful that MPLS sound would achieve the qulaity over just 8 trax but.....!.
P, i want more quality and less quantity, who else is with me?.

Nonsense.

I understand your point, quality is always desired, but when did Prince release a 10 track album every 2 years?

In the 80s Prince's output was at it's peak, what with albums, b-sides, mixes and produced albums and songs etc. If anything he releases less these days than ever. Lotusflow3r is the exception, not the rule.

And in terms of quality, I'd say the 00s has been a marked improvement over the 90s.

funkyhead said:

I don't think it matters what you want. Where's that Beating a dead horse emoticon?

Graycap23 said:

if P took 2 years off and delivered a 9 track CD on a par with Purple Rain would that not be better than all the recent CDs combined?. A CD that had tracks that covered both the artistic and commercial divide?. a CD that had original and bold songs like the original and bold version of In a large room w/no light? as opposed to the Jazz lite version from last week?.

funkyhead said:

I happened 2 dig all of his output and if u ask people what are their fav tracks, the answers would be all of over the place. Sorry the premise makes no sense 2 me. I want EVERY single thing Prince records. Period.

U can add other artist 2 that list as well:
Mint Condition
D'Angelo.....and others.

funkyhead said:

And who decides what "quality" is? U want prince to live up to some fantasy album that is spinning in your head. There are several thousand other fans with entirely different fantasy albums spinning around in their heads too.

U just said u liked Lotusflower so what's the problem? Just deal with the reality of what Prince is doing (take it or leave it). U do him or any other artist a disservice by overlooking the reality of the moment because u are fixated on music that only exists in the abstract. Nothing prince can do can live up to a masterpiece that is composed of no notes and no songs that only plays in your imagination.
[Edited 7/20/09 8:33am]

Well Lotusflow3r was put together using tracks recorded over a 3 year period so wouldn't this fit the bill.

He could have not released anything between 2004 and 2009 and put out one album, but I think were better off with the four we got in that time period.

I would gladly take one 50 minute album every 3 years that collected together the best stuff from those sessions rather than one every year or 2 that I get bored with after a month.

Because, you know, he has this official website that charges $77 a year for membership that he could sprinkle with the lesser unreleased tracks from the last one while we're waiting for a new one.

Not me.
I love how he just keeps throwing shit at the wall to see if any of it will stick.

I find about 3 good sticky turds on practically every CD.

funkyhead said:

I hate the 'safe and inoffensive' argument in criticizing Prince's work.
It doesn't need offend to be great. I mean, Stevie Wonder isn't singing about having sex with donkey's in his most brilliant works, is he? Why we would expect Prince to curse, swear, and talk about provocative sexual acts all the time, especially now that he's old and starting to look like a lipstick lesbian after years of wear-and-tear is beyond me.


During the 80s his quality was very high despite the fact that he was so prolific. I mean, when his own single 'kiss' goes to #1 and knocks "manic monday" which he penned from #1 to #2, it's apparent he can push a heck of a lot of stuff out and still write quality music.

The issue with Prince, to me, is inspiration--not that he writes alot. When you're locked up in your fortress, surrounded by 'yes' people, and despite having toured the world, spending most of that time in touring buses and changing rooms, your life-experiences can tend to become...stifled. Seriously, who relates to songs inspired from watching documentaries about "chem trails" from within the safe confines of Princetopia? But everyone knows the feeling of love lost and the frustrations of daily life (When doves cry).

When Prince lets down his guard, discards himself of this ridiculous image-obsessed bullshit, and gets 'real' with his own emotions, the result is going to be brilliant (if it ever happens). And I for one hope he's going through a promiscuous, prolific, song-a-day frenzy when that happens.

Dayclear said:

Looking for this

tricky99 said:

You hit the nail on the head!
Prince cannot possibly create the album we all want because we all want different things from him. Better to enjoy what he does put out and take from it what you like the most. If you want to create your "Perfect Prince CD" they have this thing on Itunes called a playlist.

For the last 10 years or so, I've been of the mindset that I'd like to see Prince release a steady stream of standalones singles that don't "belong" to any particular album.

SST/Brand New Orleans and F.U.N.K. are the perfect examples of this. Songs that were recorded as a direct result of current inspiration and were released while they are relevant.

Instead of one album a year of compiled songs that don't belong together, why not 12 singles? Or, to take it further, 2-track singles of one new song and one previously unreleased one?

There are so many options, but none of them will happen. I am content to get the 1 album a year on CD and mix/match in iTunes.

I will never understand the level of nastiness some of Prince's fans sling at the ones who don't agree with them, even when the initial poster is not being nasty to anyone.

Vendetta1 said:

There are a lot of die-hards who love everything he does for various reasons and get defensive.

Someone else's critique of Prince's music should not interfere with your own enjoyment of it.

Se7en said:

But they let it bother them. I don't get it.

Vendetta1 said:

They're the Prince.org version of Bush Republicans.

Se7en said:

A constructive critique of Prince is one thing but there are at least ten people on here who basically have nothing but negative things to say about every thread they hop onto. I thought this was a fan appreciation site not a let's bash Prince on everything he's done since 1989 club. Nobody expects anyone to love every single song the man has recorded but why not talk about the ones you like as opposed to the ones you didn't. Positivity! Have you had your plus sign today?

Nothing but 4 U all!
[Edited 7/20/09 21:35pm]

It's all subjective. I think Prince has made an effort to focus on "quality" over "quantity" in recent years.

HonestMan13 said:

That's a good point but even when people focus on the negative, why do the positive ones let that affect them to the point that they make negative comments. It adds to the negativity and makes them prone to the truly negative ones digging at them because they know it pisses them off.

BriaVelveeta said:

LOL How true this is!

I recently bought Love Or Money (b-side to Kiss) from iTunes. I had never had it digitally. I compared that to the "recent" F.U.N.K., and they're really not that far off in quality.

The problem isn't always the song itself, it's the context. Most people panned Te Amo Corazon, but that same song on Parade might've worked excellently.

Imago said:

I think we are both singing from the same hym sheet!. My use of 'safe and inoffensive' is in the context of his music being totally non challenging & non inspiring to these ears.

Vendetta1 said:

ah, tis all good, Been an orger since day 1 and love all on here!. Just sharing my current opinion. I am sure that if he did chill for 2 years and delivered a masterpiece we'd all be happy. As it stands we seem to have a jazz lite threat CD heading our way!. RUN FOR THE HILLLLLZ!!.

I want him to focus more on quality too. But I don't think you'll get much agreement among hardcore Prince fans on here that just loves almost everything he does.

I guess I'm just lucky that he's giving me quality music.

funkyhead said:

oops. sorry.


Did I mention that I'm really stupid?

quanity, quanity ,quanity...

it is allways mostly quality

funkyhead said:

That statement implies "you and your ears" should be the one to determine what we all get from Prince when it comes to a release.