What do you think? Prolific - or not ???


In the 1980's most of the other artists, the WB record label itself, the reviewers - and the mainstream consumers too - most had a bit of trouble to keep up with Prince,

every year another fresh and different album was released, with every release Prince took the music in a new and different direction.

And Prince was releasing so much product - and even (lol...so he said.....) Little Richard couldn't keep up with it, singles, maxi singles, videos, films, concerts.

Maybe Prince was the most "prolific" artist in the 1980's.

But what about now?

1. 20Ten gave us 10 new tracks, no videos or singles, no maxi single(s).

2. Every Prince album release lately is getting more and more inferior, with no impact on the music scene at all.

What has happened to "the prolific Prince" ???

HAS Prince LOST IT.. or is he just "Holding back the good stuff" for his vaults... ?

what do you think?

[Edited 11/22/10 14:41pm]

Prince is still plenty prolific. He just has distribution issues.

Genesia said:

Prince is still plenty prolific. He just has distribution issues.

We might not see it all, but he is still writing/recording it...

His post WB output has certainly gone in many different directions, just as before

Kamasutra

The Truth

One Nite Alone (piano)

The Rainbow Children

NEWS

Xpectation

Lotusflow3r

That list is as varied as ever, and has included some brilliant music.

What he hasn't had is airplay.

Every year or every 'other' year he has something 'we' can spin. His name should be Prince Prolific Rogers Nelson ...

Agreed shiloh66!

Who cares about a prolific artist, if the quality isn't there...

At this point in his career, does it really matter???

It doesn't matter that classic artists like Prince or Bruce Springsteen doesn't make music as prolific, or as good as it was in their primes.

Most people that go to see them live aren't there to hear the new stuff. That's where there income comes from.

How many times is a person supposed to be expected to reinvent the wheel???

At this stage of their careers, with artists like Springsteen, Prince, Bon Jovi, and The Rolling Stones, they don't go on tour to support their albums. They make albums so they can go on tour.

I'm afraid he' still one of the most prolific artists that there is, especially when he has been in the business for 30+ years.

A different story is that his output in the latest years is crap. But prolific? no doubt.

Im curious to know if he is recording volume wise as much material as in the past and keeping it " on the backburner "

Genesia said:

Prince is still plenty prolific. He just has distribution issues.

that's what i'm thinking. especially since he hasn't had a semi-decent website

in ages. the npgmc being the last one.

if he hadn't turned sour on the whole internet distribution thing, we might have

heard quite a bit more new music.

then again there is still a new album roughly every year and the last couple of

years there's also the 'radio tracks' thing happening. think "cause and effect",

"hot summer" and recently "rich friends". plus those weird releases on random

sites like "purple and gold" or "funk" and "in a large room with no light".

He hasn't made the "hits" like he used to. But he is still prolific no other artist can boast of what he has done. You can argue he is not releasing the top notch material but everytime he releases something people wanna hear it. Name an artist who has went in as many different directions and can release music as fast as he does?

he may not put out as much music as he used to. but overall he still has more material than most artists. his old stuff hasnt disappeared from the face of the earth. therefore he is still 'prolific'

Friskykitty said:

Im curious to know if he is recording volume wise as much material as in the past and keeping it " on the backburner "

for some reason I don't think so

Definition of PROLIFIC

He's slowed down in recent years, but he still puts out an album almost every single calendar year. If that does not qualify as prolific, I don't know what does.

Being considered prolific has nothing to do with quality.

Can you name any other established artist that started out before the 90s who's more prolific than Prince?

Also, videos and physical single releases have nothing to do with being prolific as they are marketing tools used by record labels (it's more of a past tense when it comes to physical singles of course).

yes, plenty prolific. Lotus was a triple album!

NDRU said:

yes, plenty prolific. Lotus was a triple album!

NDRU said:

yes, plenty prolific. Lotus was a triple album!

Albeit a triple album that incorporated a lot of leftover material that had been floating around a few years.

Efan said:

NDRU said:

yes, plenty prolific. Lotus was a triple album!

Albeit a triple album that incorporated a lot of leftover material that had been floating around a few years.

that's nothing new, though (no pun intended).

Graffiti Bridge was made up of some older material, but I don't think anyone would question whether he was still prolific then.

Se7en said:

He's slowed down in recent years, but he still puts out an album almost every single calendar year. If that does not qualify as prolific, I don't know what does.

Being considered prolific has nothing to do with quality.

^^ This comment here.

You've asked the wrong question. As most people have said here, he's delivered albums and singles regularly since his split with WB - so yes he's still prolific. And I've no doubt he's still adding to the vaults. The man is a musician first, and everything else second. I don't think age will ever diminish his desire to record.

I think the heart of this question, as with most threads like this, is your desire to have the Prince of your past - Prince at his peak (define your own timeframe on this), at his most popular, with the spotlight firmly on him.

The world has changed, you've changed, he's changed, and so you will never have that 'time' again. However, the solace is, when you look back at his most recent stuff, there are still gems to behold - I loved Dance 4 Me, Reflection and All the Midnights in the World, to name a few.

To me, Prince has still got it, but because of such a wealth of amazing back-catalogue, it's hard not to hold his new stuff up to his old, and wonder where the glory went. Just as time and circumstance has changed your perspective on his music, it has also altered the direction of Prince's music too - which is not an entirely bad thing. Would we have got Face Down, if Prince hadn't split from WB?