Just a thought...Prince is this weedy little short guy, a black kid in a town with 97% white population. His home life is screwed, so he blossoms artistically to become this musical prodigy. His great art, borne of pain.

Years later, the polls start to slip. After the O+> album, Billy's speech starts echoing in his mind "nobody digs yo music...but yoself!". He starts to have issues with his record company, and gets all pissed off.

We get: The Gold Experience, Days of Wild, Undertaker.

He breaks free, has total freedom to do whatever he wants.

We get: Emancipation Disc 2, Rave and 1999 the new master.

He gets hated on via the internet:

We get: P-funk and No More Candy.

Prince works best when he has a bug up his ass! When it's all lounging around like the Te Amo Corazon video he gives us 77 beverly park. But dump some chemicals over the city while we sleep, his guitar roars into action, and he's ripping out Dreamer!
We need to work out how to give him little paper cuts, put cows milk on his Cap'n Crunch, and make sure his purple pants don't come back from the dry cleaner on time. THEN he will truly reign supreme once again as the Funky Imp of the Peverse, as we all know he should.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to put a dancing baby vid on youtube with Sexy MF in the background.
[Edited 12/14/09 21:35pm]

Please don't remind me of 1999 the new master.
I agree, artists like Prince reach deep and higher with their pain.

I've long said this, even in recent days.

ernestsewell said:

is there a topic on the org that u'll never reply to, ernestsewell?
[Edited 12/14/09 21:57pm]

cinnamongal said:

Does it matter?

ernestsewell said:

I don't think so! Why should we care?

ernestsewell said:

I agree and he really needs quality control, what he released on WB compared to what has come since isn't comparable, he needs someone to tell it's shit do it again, now he'll release whatever. that's why there aren't so many studio boots anymore, he's not trying this and that to make an album better, he records 12 songs then releases it bam!

I agree.
Mad = Art

And lets not forget...KEEP HIM SINGLE!!!!!
He had ONE great moment when he was with Mayte, and that was the Gold Experience. Other than that...
Prince + relationship = mediocre music.

but on the flip side....

Prince + Anger + An orgy of hot women = Incredible music!

ronnwinter said:

Not necessarily true. Mayte was around since 1992, and he was always fawning over her. She was around for 7 or 8 years. He wrote a lot of music about her that was awesome. However, during most of those years, he was also in the middle-to-end of his fight with WB. That fight spawned greatness like , COME, Exodus, The Gold Experience, & Chaos and Disorder.

Also, Prince was in a lot of relationships though the 80's, including Susan Moonshie and we got "When Doves Cry". He was with Susannah, and we got "The Beautiful Ones", "Adore", "Nothing Compares 2 U", and so much more.

I can't help but think of how When Doves Cry happened. The movie people gave him some direction (key word) of what that point in the movie needed and he did an all nighter and came up
with When Doves Cry fully recorded by the next day he gave it to them. He works well under pressure and when given
a challenge or direction. If he gets that moment of arriatic clarity then the magic happens. Same for many great songs conceptions. I don't think he needs to be pissed off though more inspired and with clarity. Same for me with the whole Lovesexy album tour and concept. Individually the songs didn't make it, it was the sum of the parts. The feeling, it draws you in.

Prince is hardly the only artist to be at his when mad/upset/under duress.

I think most of us are like that. I know I am.

Trent Reznor once said that he'd never written a "happy" song because when he is happy, he's too busy having fun to lock himself in a studio writing songs.

ernestsewell said:

I can agree with TGE, as I said before. But in my opinion, Chaos, Exodus, and Come hardly fall under the catagory of greatness. borderlines it.
The 80's were a very sexual time for Prince. His on and off relationships kept him sharp. Look at SOTT and LOveSexy..Sheila E and Cat equalled lots of tension, and look at those 2 eras.
Yes he has spawned some great works during a love spell..but I just think he works better without the distraction of a serious relatinship.

ronnwinter said:

You're the exception then, because most people see COME, Gold, and Exodus as a holy trilogy of greatness, myself included.

ernestsewell said:

Oh dont get me wrong...I really like them..but just not on a "greatness" level.
Gold Experience will always be his #2 greatest album in my opinion though. And if there was a longer guitar solo at the end of Gold...I would bump it to #1!

Why would anyone want anyone to feel negative feelings. I don't think any of us should wish that on another. What does one get out of being mad? Really I think we should all wish nothing but happiness and love for each other. The art created out of that would so surpass all the negative art. That is why the music of today is so lame because everyone is so angry.

mayrain said:

Very true... I think he should find a good woman that can put up with him and just open the vault. Make a series of albums from when he was angry and lonely...Lol

mayrain said:

Who said anger is a negative emotion? It's only negative if it controls a person. It seems that with Prince in the mid 80's and mid 90's, his frustration (probably more than "anger") with the WB, and his heartache with failed relationships is what he used to turn into something positive. "The Beautiful Ones" isn't negative, yet it was bred out of frustration. Even when Prince has been more direct w/ his feedback on a specific topic ("Hello", "Rock N Roll Is Alive", "Letitgo"), it's come out as good. It's all about channeling the bad into good. We all preach about "redirect your anger into doing something good". Let's not forget that's exactly what Prince has tried to do. No, I don't want him in conflict all the time, but "free" Prince has proved to be BORING Prince. Nothing since 1997 or so has been nearly as gritty, edgy, emotional, direct, bitchy, angst ridden, etc, as his last album like that, Chaos and Disorder. Sure he's mentioned things like publishing (White Mansion), relationships (She Loves Me 4 Me, disk 2 of Emancipation), record companies (Slave, Emancipation) etc etc, but that's looking back, not the experience of the moment.

Prince is gonna write about and sing how he feels. I'm thankful Prince is open. I don't believe any one emotion or mood would summarize Prince...ever.

I dedicate the song, "No One Emotion," by George Benson to wash over this thread. I don't think keeping Prince mad is a good thing. I believe Prince when he is mellow and relaxed is healthiest for song writing and performing.

ernestsewell said:

I absolutely agree about the awsomeness of that 90s stuff exodus, come, c&d. All unfairly maligned in my opinion. The question of relationships is moot I feel, as I doubt prince is really capable of giving himself 100% emotionally to a relationship. Even mayte seemed like 'mayte fair lady' with prince as Henry higgins! Mayte said in an interview she wasnever allowed to call him when they were married. Yet band members like Michael b and Morris Hayes have mentioned calling prince up on a whim.

Nah, the man's married to the music, ain't no earthly girl gon mess wit dat.

mayrain said:

My contention is that the reason music is so lameis that people are too happy. Look how sting's music went downhill after he moved to a hacienda in majorca. Anyway, I'm only half serious. Prince is plenty good at getting himelf mad without our input. If only he'd do it on the days he's in the studio, instead of attending the fashion show...

ernestsewell said:

Mayte was actually around since 1991, but they weren't together exclusively until at earliest 1995. There were several other women "hanging" around during those years.

motherfunka said:

So she was around even longer. Perfect.

Let's just let him stay where he is.
Or, he could do a compilation of his 'hits' from the last ten years, and entitle it:

LETDOWNS

cinnamongal said:

I see that negative Ernie got called out!! I love it. A hater will always try to spread their miserable seed. Ask Imago, he would be Ernie's VP on the Misery Party ticket.

NPGman said:

Don't be a fool. I was never negative, and that wasn't the point of cinnamongal's reply to me.

What did I say that was negative on this thread? TELL ME. Oh right, you can't, because you're so filled with hatred for me, that you can't even see the truth.

Gheez, your statement was just dumb.
[Edited 12/15/09 19:22pm]

skoolteecher said:

or "misses"

ernestsewell said:

Yeah, good idea, like Joni...

motherfunka said:

that was because she was underaged at the time. i'm sure that they would have been an item a lot sooner if she had been older.