Im listening to Raspberry Beret right now and thinking of Princes new material that hes released and Im wondering....has Prince lost his touch...has he run out of ideas...

Compare Lets Go Crazy, the opener to Purple Rain, a brilliant old Prince album to Boom, the opener to Lotusflow3r, a brilliant new Prince album. Both are killer tracks, but obviously Lets Go Crazy is better. WhyÉ Has Prince lost his ability to make new music...is it just that his peakis over, or is he just writing to writeÉ

StanceÉ

smoothcriminal12 said:

Im listening to Raspberry Beret right now and thinking of Princes new material that hes released and Im wondering....has Prince lost his touch...has he run out of ideas...

Compare Lets Go Crazy, the opener to Purple Rain, a brilliant old Prince album to Boom, the opener to Lotusflow3r, a brilliant new Prince album. Both are killer tracks, but obviously Lets Go Crazy is better. WhyÉ Has Prince lost his ability to make new music...is it just that his peakis over, or is he just writing to writeÉ

StanceÉ

Apples oranges and differing opinions. Let's Go Crazy and Boom are totally different experiences, and I would guess, designed/created with different intentions. Just because you prefer one over the other doesn't make one better or worse... factually speaking. You said it yourself, both are killer tracks. Obviously nothing...I am a bit tired of Let's Go Crazy. But, that's just me...

[Edited 8/13/10 20:22pm]

"my dear, i am the touch. hear me, feel me.."

the everlasting question

Has prince lost his Funk!!

Has Prince Lost His Creativeness?

Has Prince lost his aura and mystic?

Prince has lost his edge (news story)

Vanity was Prince's muse....is mojo...

robinhood said:

"my dear, i am the touch. hear me, feel me.."

I was gonna post this, lol.

Spinlight said:

robinhood said:

"my dear, i am the touch. hear me, feel me.."

I was gonna post this, lol.

"once again, i dont follow trends, they just follow me, just like the israelites through the red sea..."

love undisputed.

smoothcriminal12 said:

Im listening to Raspberry Beret right now and thinking of Princes new material that hes released and Im wondering....has Prince lost his touch...has he run out of ideas...

Compare Lets Go Crazy, the opener to Purple Rain, a brilliant old Prince album to Boom, the opener to Lotusflow3r, a brilliant new Prince album. Both are killer tracks, but obviously Lets Go Crazy is better. WhyÉ Has Prince lost his ability to make new music...is it just that his peakis over, or is he just writing to writeÉ

StanceÉ

Why is Let's Go Crazy obviously better than Boom? They're 2 different types of songs that aren't even in the same realm together. Boom is a straight up rock track with no frills. Let's Go Crazy is a pop song with all the bells and whistles. Boom was intended to set the tone of LotusFlower just like LGC sets the tone of Purple Rain. But would you compare the tones of those 2 albums to each other? It's completely different.

He has the ability to make new music as we are all painfully aware of sometimes ("Hot Summer" made a hot mess of my stomach when I first heard it). The question you're asking is if he can make poignant, relevant, interesting, unique music again. Probably not.

Prince has, especially with 20TEN, given in to the harsh bitching of people here on the Org and elsewhere and begun mining his past to present a record his fans want to listen to (while still keeping it his own, in his own style, about his own topics). He's still clever (as you can find out if you check certain little easter eggs on albums like LotusFlower/MPLSound, 20TEN, Planet Earth, etc), but he has reached his zenith.

In my 2 cents (which I rarely often give anymore on this topic cuz its pointless), he should try to make innovative music within his capabilities and that's the best we should really ask for. I don't think songs like "Hot Summer", "Sea of Everything", "Dance 4 Me", or "Incense and Candles" are amongst his most creative work - they could either be arranged and performed better or better songs could've taken their place. In any event, they didn't. That doesn't mean he isn't capable of putting better songs in their place anymore, though.

Nice points Spin....good post. I am kind of critical on here sometimes...You are right, Prince has peaked, but if this is a decline, I'm happy! I love Don Henley and the Eagles, but am tired that Henley is regarded as some sort of God, when in the 20 years after his brilliant "End of the Innocence," he has given us....1 solo album that was good, but not classic, and a few good songs on the Eagles last album, and a few extra tracks here and there....so few over 40 artists have really done much after that age. The few that have....only have a few releases here and there...U2 is my second favorite, and I have to wait forever for a new album from them...sure they never would've had a restraining order against Tony M within 4 seconds of meeting him....but as much as I love them...they just don't compare in the studio. Oddly, live, U2 are much more consistent, but also predictible. U2 will not have you plunk down $150 to see them sing a bunch of remakes, and have tons of guest vocalists. Oh well...like Spin said, threads like this are pointless.

Spinlight said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

Im listening to Raspberry Beret right now and thinking of Princes new material that hes released and Im wondering....has Prince lost his touch...has he run out of ideas...

Compare Lets Go Crazy, the opener to Purple Rain, a brilliant old Prince album to Boom, the opener to Lotusflow3r, a brilliant new Prince album. Both are killer tracks, but obviously Lets Go Crazy is better. WhyÉ Has Prince lost his ability to make new music...is it just that his peakis over, or is he just writing to writeÉ

StanceÉ

Why is Let's Go Crazy obviously better than Boom? They're 2 different types of songs that aren't even in the same realm together. Boom is a straight up rock track with no frills. Let's Go Crazy is a pop song with all the bells and whistles. Boom was intended to set the tone of LotusFlower just like LGC sets the tone of Purple Rain. But would you compare the tones of those 2 albums to each other? It's completely different.

He has the ability to make new music as we are all painfully aware of sometimes ("Hot Summer" made a hot mess of my stomach when I first heard it). The question you're asking is if he can make poignant, relevant, interesting, unique music again. Probably not.

Prince has, especially with 20TEN, given in to the harsh bitching of people here on the Org and elsewhere and begun mining his past to present a record his fans want to listen to (while still keeping it his own, in his own style, about his own topics). He's still clever (as you can find out if you check certain little easter eggs on albums like LotusFlower/MPLSound, 20TEN, Planet Earth, etc), but he has reached his zenith.

In my 2 cents (which I rarely often give anymore on this topic cuz its pointless), he should try to make innovative music within his capabilities and that's the best we should really ask for. I don't think songs like "Hot Summer", "Sea of Everything", "Dance 4 Me", or "Incense and Candles" are amongst his most creative work - they could either be arranged and performed better or better songs could've taken their place. In any event, they didn't. That doesn't mean he isn't capable of putting better songs in their place anymore, though.

I ask this in all seriousness. If Prince has lost his "zenith", then what does he/we have to look forward to?

It is pretty sad to think that a person can peak at a certain time, usually in their 20's. Because if they do, then what is there to live for really? Suppose you plan on living to be 100. But you peaked at 25. That is 75 years of mediocrity to look forward to. How sad.

Sure, as a music fan it's easy to say "Oh, Prince has peaked. Let's move on to a different artist." But if you ARE Prince, how do you tell yourself you have peaked? Do you just decide to quit and just go fishing for the rest of your life?

It does seem like a lot of artists hit their creative peak in their 20's and 30's, but why? And that is quite dreary to think about.

I mean, a baby is born, becomes a kid and develops a dream to play music. Then becomes a teenager and practices guitar 14 hours a day, meanwhile missing out on childhood and baseball and friends just because he is obsessed with the guitar. Turns 20, starts a band and gets a record deal. Writes compelling and genius music and has hit songs. Then... poof... hit the peak. It's over. No point in going on. So, everything he spent his life working towards peaked and is now worthless in pursuing?

What a sad state of human reality. Or is it?

berniejobs said:

Spinlight said:

Why is Let's Go Crazy obviously better than Boom? They're 2 different types of songs that aren't even in the same realm together. Boom is a straight up rock track with no frills. Let's Go Crazy is a pop song with all the bells and whistles. Boom was intended to set the tone of LotusFlower just like LGC sets the tone of Purple Rain. But would you compare the tones of those 2 albums to each other? It's completely different.

He has the ability to make new music as we are all painfully aware of sometimes ("Hot Summer" made a hot mess of my stomach when I first heard it). The question you're asking is if he can make poignant, relevant, interesting, unique music again. Probably not.

Prince has, especially with 20TEN, given in to the harsh bitching of people here on the Org and elsewhere and begun mining his past to present a record his fans want to listen to (while still keeping it his own, in his own style, about his own topics). He's still clever (as you can find out if you check certain little easter eggs on albums like LotusFlower/MPLSound, 20TEN, Planet Earth, etc), but he has reached his zenith.

In my 2 cents (which I rarely often give anymore on this topic cuz its pointless), he should try to make innovative music within his capabilities and that's the best we should really ask for. I don't think songs like "Hot Summer", "Sea of Everything", "Dance 4 Me", or "Incense and Candles" are amongst his most creative work - they could either be arranged and performed better or better songs could've taken their place. In any event, they didn't. That doesn't mean he isn't capable of putting better songs in their place anymore, though.

I ask this in all seriousness. If Prince has lost his "zenith", then what does he/we have to look forward to?

It is pretty sad to think that a person can peak at a certain time, usually in their 20's. Because if they do, then what is there to live for really? Suppose you plan on living to be 100. But you peaked at 25. That is 75 years of mediocrity to look forward to. How sad.

Sure, as a music fan it's easy to say "Oh, Prince has peaked. Let's move on to a different artist." But if you ARE Prince, how do you tell yourself you have peaked? Do you just decide to quit and just go fishing for the rest of your life?

It does seem like a lot of artists hit their creative peak in their 20's and 30's, but why? And that is quite dreary to think about.

I mean, a baby is born, becomes a kid and develops a dream to play music. Then becomes a teenager and practices guitar 14 hours a day, meanwhile missing out on childhood and baseball and friends just because he is obsessed with the guitar. Turns 20, starts a band and gets a record deal. Writes compelling and genius music and has hit songs. Then... poof... hit the peak. It's over. No point in going on. So, everything he spent his life working towards peaked and is now worthless in pursuing?

What a sad state of human reality. Or is it?

I don't think that's the way it is for everyone, though. And while I don't think Prince will put out anything truly unique or groundbreaking anymore (and may not even put out something stand-out in his own genre that he developed), I think he still has the ability to display his talents both live and on record. It's been said many times, but on Prince's worst day he will clown anyone on the radio at their best. It's true, in most cases.

I think most talented recording artists go that route now, too. They release as many albums as they can while they remain relevant and creative and when their creativity drops off, they become live touring shows predominately. Look at artists like Cher, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and, well, Larry Graham for example.

smoothcriminal12 said:

Im listening to Raspberry Beret right now and thinking of Princes new material that hes released and Im wondering....has Prince lost his touch...has he run out of ideas...

Compare Lets Go Crazy, the opener to Purple Rain, a brilliant old Prince album to Boom, the opener to Lotusflow3r, a brilliant new Prince album. Both are killer tracks, but obviously Lets Go Crazy is better. WhyÉ Has Prince lost his ability to make new music...is it just that his peakis over, or is he just writing to writeÉ

StanceÉ

Well, I dont really rate RB as that great or even ATWIAD in fact, I think MPLSound album is better

Yes

Poppycock!

This has become a rhetorical question.