I've been listening again to some old favorites from the 1980s. Today, I'm listening to Around The World In a Day. I just started thinking about the controversy over Prince's last two albums and how many people are dissatisfied with his recent releases. I think part of what is missing in his recent music, compared to older classics, is QCC: Questioning, Conflict, and Complexity. It seems like in recent years he has replaced this with Quirkiness, Complacency, and Congruity. What do you think is missing from recent releases and why?

Vintage synth patches

People are always dissatisfied with his recent releases. Pretty much every album post-Purple Rain gets the same treatment. If he steps left, there will always be half his audience who say he should have stepped right, and vice-versa. If Prince was still doing all that 'QCC' stuff as you call it, people would be saying "I wish he just chilled already - we've heard enough of your complex duality shit!".

Best thing is to not worry about what is missing, and appreciate what is actually there .

Bagpipes, coz they are fookin' mental man!!

Thunderclaps and lightning

A spoon and triangle orchestra

All three of Mikey's posts are major wins.

Please keep em coming!!!!

Melody, rhythm, care and passion.

Fenwick said:

All three of Mikey's posts are major wins.

Please keep em coming!!!!

Don't get me wrong! I like some of P's new songs from Lotusflower and 20Ten but I can't help but compare them to older songs... I was just wondering what these newer songs might lack that the others didn't...and why. Besides the obvious fact that he (as well as a lot of us) are older. I'm not a hater...just wanted to start a thoughtful conversation. But, funny stuff is always welcome!

[Edited 11/19/10 15:15pm]

^^^ Funny stuff? i'm serious.

water, a sugar cube, and spoon

Instrumental jazzy noodles is what is missing from his recent music.

He should stop the plastic song tomfoolery blah blah, and do an album of jazzfunkwankery.

I'd buy that for £10.99

xlr8r said:

water, a sugar cube, and spoon

Free your mind and your ass will follow.

MikeyB71 said:

xlr8r said:

water, a sugar cube, and spoon

Free your mind and your ass will follow.

Im talkin absinthe lol

xlr8r said:

MikeyB71 said:

Free your mind and your ass will follow.

Im talkin absinthe lol

freaks and hippies like Jimi.

Fans.

squirrelgrease said:

Fans.

*THIS*

Seriously, I think "QCC" is the right answer... no matter how great his new music is, there is most certainly a lack of conflict. He's not challenging his talents or his ideas. There's no questioning and little passion. The elevator might be moving but there's no one inside.

The only track of recent that really has any of this this, imo, is Dance 4 Me which features the first allusions to the sacred and profane in years.

Not to say bad things about my boo, but I think the feeling is missing from the music Prince has always had that something in his music that touches a person and here lately it just hasn't done it for me

jtfolden said:

squirrelgrease said:

Fans.

*THIS*

Seriously, I think "QCC" is the right answer... no matter how great his new music is, there is most certainly a lack of conflict. He's not challenging his talents or his ideas. There's no questioning and little passion. The elevator might be moving but there's no one inside.

The only track of recent that really has any of this this, imo, is Dance 4 Me which features the first allusions to the sacred and profane in years.

Yes, I agree with you. Although I like certain songs in recent years, they don't drive me to play and listen to them over and over like some from the past do. Prince's best songs IMO feature, as you say, allusions to the sacred and profane which give lyrics, melody, and rhythm their complexity and sense of urgency which I don't find in recent songs. But in saying this, I am not writing Prince off, I am only making an observation. I still don't think he is over with studio releases. He is still tops peforming live...but the "QCC" needs to come back in his studio releases...

MikeyB71 said:

Bagpipes, coz they are fookin' mental man!!

fuck yeah! shoots and ladders beoootch

[Edited 11/19/10 17:25pm]

I miss Clare Fischer strings.

He needs to get "MC T on the hit 2 make sho' he don't miss and kick the beat since these fools persist!"

TONY M.

[Edited 11/19/10 17:42pm]

Life experiences.

That and we've developed a tolerance to it and we don't get the same buzz from it that we did when we were younger.

A sense of wonder is missing.

His music is amazing, but he's chasing me away with preachiness. It's hard to separate the music from the lyrics, so I struggle with him being such a talent, but making it harder to appreciate it due to his preachiness.

Earlier releases seemed to be searching for answers and questioning, which many can relate to. Now, he has all the answers/truth.

Anna Stesia and Elephants and Flowers brought me closer to wanting to know more about Christ and the Lord from a Christian perspective than anything on "The Rainbow Children." The you've got it wrong and I've found the light argument just makes me roll my eyes.

Silkilove said:

A sense of wonder is missing.

His music is amazing, but he's chasing me away with preachiness. It's hard to separate the music from the lyrics, so I struggle with him being such a talent, but making it harder to appreciate it due to his preachiness.

Earlier releases seemed to be searching for answers and questioning, which many can relate to. Now, he has all the answers/truth.

Anna Stesia and Elephants and Flowers brought me closer to wanting to know more about Christ and the Lord from a Christian perspective than anything on "The Rainbow Children." The you've got it wrong and I've found the light argument just makes me roll my eyes.

The questioning and searching...as well as musical exploration are the elements I miss the most. But I'm still gonna go see P perform in December! So glad he is still out there...wherever that may be!

carlcranshaw said:

Life experiences.

That and we've developed a tolerance to it and we don't get the same buzz from it that we did when we were younger.

I can agree with this

purplemookiebut said:

MikeyB71 said:

Bagpipes, coz they are fookin' mental man!!

fuck yeah! shoots and ladders beoootch

[Edited 11/19/10 17:25pm]

Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow.

rmartin70 said:

purplemookiebut said:

fuck yeah! shoots and ladders beoootch

[Edited 11/19/10 17:25pm]

Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow.

And wherever Mary went, Prince was sure to show!

where is his genius?

where has it gone?

somebody please please tell him what the hell is wrong...