Genesia said:

It's fogies - not foggies.

So let me get this straight - whether you like or don't like an album is the criterion by which the alleged deterioration of Prince's skills is to be determined? Well, that's objective.

I don't think I need you to "remind" me that Prince's music has always been a source of controversy. I was an adult when he started his career - fully capable of observing that for myself.

Some of us "olds" are perfectly all right with Prince's recent offerings. By "all right," I mean that we accept them - not necessarily that we love them. In particular, those of us who realize that we, ourselves, have been changed and shaped by the events in our own lives and do not expect a musician who has dealt with plenty of his own shit to help us to "turn back the clock."

Maturity (which is what the above constitutes) is not necessarily a function of age.

I want to apologize on behalf of Genesia, yall. She's really much nicer than she appears here, and though her points are VERY VALID and I agree with them, I do think she's been posting drunk again.

Please, don't flame her. She really, really means well.

Please.

TheVoid said:

Genesia said:

It's fogies - not foggies.

So let me get this straight - whether you like or don't like an album is the criterion by which the alleged deterioration of Prince's skills is to be determined? Well, that's objective.

I don't think I need you to "remind" me that Prince's music has always been a source of controversy. I was an adult when he started his career - fully capable of observing that for myself.

Some of us "olds" are perfectly all right with Prince's recent offerings. By "all right," I mean that we accept them - not necessarily that we love them. In particular, those of us who realize that we, ourselves, have been changed and shaped by the events in our own lives and do not expect a musician who has dealt with plenty of his own shit to help us to "turn back the clock."

Maturity (which is what the above constitutes) is not necessarily a function of age.

I want to apologize on behalf of Genesia, yall. She's really much nicer than she appears here, and though her points are VERY VALID and I agree with them, I do think she's been posting drunk again.

Please, don't flame her. She really, really means well.

Please.

Even drunk...totally on target.

See?

Aerogram said:

Definitely.

First of all, the dissatisfaction does have something to do with the change of persona. If Prince was being as sluttish as he was in his lyrics back in the day, you can bet some would be happier with the music. You do get the impression that some want Prince to help them continue some kind of psycho-sexual journey they started long ago.

And then there's the great musical expectations. Prince was supposed to keep transforming pop music or something.... for over 30 years? Unrealistic. These days he's a craftman, his lyrics are not written to grab you under the waist, and that is all there is to it. If you are still interested, keep on listening. If not, well... check once in a while, publish your sarcastic review and leave it at that.

That is my philosophy anyway.

I know many people jump on the sexual Prince part. But I don't think that's it.

But sexuality is an everyday part of life. Any ignoring of it is not truth.

My favorite album from the 80's is Around the World in a Day I don't think that was an album with strong sexual messages. Tamborine's imagery is very hidden, Temptation is more or less a lyrical struggle of God & Sex, He even mentioned in Hot Summer that, that is something that still intrigues him... So would it be wrong for him to write about it. Hell he's only 51 still in his prime. 60's is middle age.

I really don't believe that most of Prince's 80's music was all that vulgar or hyper sexualized. I do think a lot of his 90's music was though.

He might of talked about it in songs like Head Sexuality Let's Pretend We're Married, but it wasn't vulgar at all. Purple Rain music lyrically is hardly non stop sexed up lyrics

A lot of fan favorite eras are Purple Rain, Parade, Sign o the Times the Family

And I don't think any of those albums had lyrics as sexually suggestive as Prince album

I don't expect too much. I've already lived through his style change after "Purple Rain" so I really don't expect any absolutely great jams like he was making prior to "Purple Rain" because his head hasn't been in this place for decades but he still has done tons of good music even after his style change.

All I ask is that he make whatever kind of jams he wants but just keep all current shit hop sounds, lyric delivery, and slang out of the the songs completely because I despise today's mainstream music and don't want to hear even the smallest tiniest influence in his music. If I wanted to hear some shit hop trash, I'd go to the record store and buy something from these current sorry ass so-called artists. Prince is the only person left that can even halfway throwdown these days so let the no taste thugged out Romper Roomers have their shit hop and let us with good taste have Prince....completely uncontaminated of their sound. They have the whole current radio to listen to. The only thing new we have to look forward to is Prince.

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[Edited 7/20/10 9:02am]

poetcorner61 said:

After listening to Prince's last two releases back to back--Lotusflower and 20TEN just now..I am wondering if those of us who heard and saw Prince in his youth expect too much these days... I don't like every song on either Lotusflower or 20TEN but I do like a few a lot, which tells me Prince hasn't lost his ability.

What I get from his latest offering 20TEN is that he sounds happy and at peace in his life--as much as he knows it. I would never ask an artist to go back to the chaos that might have driven their best efforts--I just listened to some of Rick James' great music this morning--but that has been forgotten behind Dave Chapelle's "I'm Rick James, Bitch!" skit and Rick is no longer with us.

But...here is Prince...still making music that he loves...and some of it I still very much like and think it is comparable with some of his classics. Off Lotusflower--really love "Colonized Mind" and "Dreamer." Off the new 20TEN album I think "Act of God" stands up to the best. I also like "Sticky Like Glue" and "Lavaux."

Just to remind people who were around when Prince started, there has always been a love/hate, or not so sure relationship with many of his songs, beginning way back in the 70s. So, for all of you who have been around that long--do we expect too much, do you want more, or does Prince still deliver sometimes in his albums? I won't even include live performances, because there is no doubt about that!

LOTUSFLOW is a MASTERWORK,

20ten i haven,t heard.

Have been a fan 4 30 years and since the big change from Purple Rain to Around the world in a day I don't expect anything - I just keep my hopes up that I will enjoy what he produces. And most of the time I do.