SquirrelMeat said:

KlyphIsBackAgain said:

Ummm....you are kidding, right? The ONLY song on that list that could even be CLOSE to how Prince wrote in the 80's is Black Sweat. And I honestly like Dance 4 Me....but even that isn't worthy of 80's Prince.

The songs in your list are full of trite, preachy, non-catchy and downright amateurish song writing. They have no.....style is the word I would use. Prince had a style that was all his own (even if it was a hodgepodge of those that came before him.) You knew a Prince song even if that song was sung by anyone else. The songs above??? Generic as shit!

[Edited 3/30/11 7:06am]

Each to their own, but Black Sweat is probably the most basic, non chord driven song out of them. It the one song that becomes good simply because it was produced well. The song itself is basic. Much like DMSR or Delerious.

But I would certainly take "Love" over "All the Critics", "No More Candy" over "Jack U off" and "Black Sweat" over "Tamborine".

You are right....to each their own....but basic does not mean bad. I'll take a basic, well written song over a complex, multi-chord piece of crap everyday.

And stop kidding yourself.....No More Candy AND Jack U Off SUCK!!!

i agree that black sweat and love are both great songs- both would make my top 50 favourite prince songs.

But songs like Somthing in the water and lady cab driver are classics too- so experimental and creative. Maybe you should give them another shot.

i know u have overplayed his 80's music but ...

please before you compare such songs as automatic, all the critics love you, tamborine, to his modern drivel .. play them back to back, side by side, and really compare them.

i am betting even tho u have heard these songs before that you will still find more pleasure listening to them for the millionth time than you will listening to his new music.

dont compare by memory, actually listen .. then get back to me

the above mentioned are just too good for me to believe you actually think black sweat or beginning endlessly are better ... i am guessing u are going on memory and not actaully listening to them and comparing

TrevorAyer said:

i know u have overplayed his 80's music but ...

please before you compare such songs as automatic, all the critics love you, tamborine, to his modern drivel .. play them back to back, side by side, and really compare them.

i am betting even tho u have heard these songs before that you will still find more pleasure listening to them for the millionth time than you will listening to his new music.

dont compare by memory, actually listen .. then get back to me

the above mentioned are just too good for me to believe you actually think black sweat or beginning endlessly are better ... i am guessing u are going on memory and not actaully listening to them and comparing

I often have the hard drive in the car on Prince shuffle.

I love them all. But some of the newer songs rate as his best. They are just less frequent.

I think it would be doing Prince a huge injustice to dismiss all he new stuff, just because the main bodies of work are far more inconsistant than in the 80's.

None of P's albums from the last decade make my top ten list, but quite a few tracks would make it in my "best of" playlist.

To me, Resolution is better song than Do U Lie, but Parade is a better album than Planet Earth.

absolutely a 100% NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

1999 is classic Prince music 10/10

3121 5/10

20Ten 8/10

TheEnglishGent said:

For me 2010 has only 1 skipper, Sea Of Everything, all the others I love.

3121 I skip 2, Black Sweat and Incense and Candles.

1999 has many more skippers. I don't like All The Critics, Lady Cab Driver, Something In The Water or Automatic.

So on that basis, I'd have to say 1999 was the worst of the 3.

However... The good stuff on 1999 is better than the good stuff on the other 2.

There is the best answer! I agree except that I don't skip anything on 3121 and I don't skip SOE on 2010...LRC is so genius, that I can't even comprehend comparing a 3121 or 2010 song to it, but 1999 has alot of stuff on it that I never listen to. 3121 and 2010 get alot more play for me. So yes I do prefer 3121 and 2010 to 1999!

The thought of someone skipping All The Critics, Lady Cab Driver, Something In The Water or Automatic makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry myself to sleep at night.

Something in the Water is my favourite on the album, and probably in my top 10 favourite Prince songs.

I never really had time for All the Critics, and Automatic works much better as a three and a half minute single.....

WetDream said:

SquirrelMeat said:

No...

But, 20Ten and 3121 get played far more in my car.

I rarely play any WB era stuff these days, as I played it to death so much growing up.

I also think some people get caught up in the nostalgia, more that what they are hearing right now as it plays. 1999 broke new ground at the time, and I appreciate it for its creativity, but that was then, this is now.

Had a song like "Beginning Endlessly" been on 1999 it would be deemed a classic. It's a victim of its release time, rather than the quality. I would certainly rate it more than the likes of "All the Critics" and "Automatic".

Songs like "Love" and "Fury" are as well written as anything he has done, its just the way he crafted them sounds dated in the era he has released them.

Plus much his own fan base get old and more stuck in there ways. 1999 was often "their youth", and no matter how good a current Prince release, it can't match up to that level of rose tinted nostalgia.

A lot of truth here.

Except that none of it is true. "Beginning Endlessly" is just another example of Prince's lazy "songwriting" over the past 10-15 years. It's got a cool enough synth hook, but lyrically and structurally? There's nothing to it. And that's not even taking to account the differences in energy and life in his old recordings vs new.

And I don't think the nostaligia argument holds any water. 20Ten was a blatent attempt at recapturing his old sound. I happen to like it just fine, but its just not up to the same standard as 1999. By contrast, take Twin Shadow, a new artist who uses many of the same vintage sounds, but who is currently writing stronger material than Prince. His debut, Forget, also released last summer, is a much better album than 20Ten. Seek it out and I think you'll see what I mean.

TrevorAyer said:

i know u have overplayed his 80's music but ...

please before you compare such songs as automatic, all the critics love you, tamborine, to his modern drivel .. play them back to back, side by side, and really compare them.

i am betting even tho u have heard these songs before that you will still find more pleasure listening to them for the millionth time than you will listening to his new music.

dont compare by memory, actually listen .. then get back to me

the above mentioned are just too good for me to believe you actually think black sweat or beginning endlessly are better ... i am guessing u are going on memory and not actaully listening to them and comparing

Some people like different things...so for some people Black Sweat and Beginning Endlessly is FAR BETTER than anything he did on 1999. Opinions differ. People that think Prince only did genius material in the 80s are stuck in a time zone. I've loved him since 87, but even I can admit I'd rather have some of his newer songs than the old ones. Musicology rates right up there with Kiss as Prince's funkiest songs. I'd love to hear Call My Name or Future Soul Song as much I'd love to hear The Beautiful Ones or Adore. Once a genius...always a genius. And part of a genius is changing. This is 2011, not 1981, the same thing that worked then won't work now.

Prince is a genius musician and still makes great music. Sure he's now taken out the overly sexual lyrics and cursing, but he is still making great music...he has great, sexy lyrics, funky beats, and amazing guitar work. Anyone being real would recognize that.

Parade is NOT a perfect album, neither is 1999, neither is Lovesexy, neither is Controversy, or Dirty Mind, etc. They just have some really GREAT moments. Just like his newer albums. Purple Rain and SOTT are considered about near perfect to most folks...ok, well just listening to albums and not comparing to others, 3121 is about perfect too (don't compare to PR or SOTT). 2010 is almost perfect as well. Every album Prince has ever released has a couple of classic songs that should be in the top 50. He is constantly doing different sounds and being innovative with his songs and lyrics.

^^ This motherfucker, I swear.

DaphneLovesPR1NCE said:

TrevorAyer said:

i know u have overplayed his 80's music but ...

please before you compare such songs as automatic, all the critics love you, tamborine, to his modern drivel .. play them back to back, side by side, and really compare them.

i am betting even tho u have heard these songs before that you will still find more pleasure listening to them for the millionth time than you will listening to his new music.

dont compare by memory, actually listen .. then get back to me

the above mentioned are just too good for me to believe you actually think black sweat or beginning endlessly are better ... i am guessing u are going on memory and not actaully listening to them and comparing

Some people like different things...so for some people Black Sweat and Beginning Endlessly is FAR BETTER than anything he did on 1999. Opinions differ. People that think Prince only did genius material in the 80s are stuck in a time zone. I've loved him since 87, but even I can admit I'd rather have some of his newer songs than the old ones. Musicology rates right up there with Kiss as Prince's funkiest songs. I'd love to hear Call My Name or Future Soul Song as much I'd love to hear The Beautiful Ones or Adore. Once a genius...always a genius. And part of a genius is changing. This is 2011, not 1981, the same thing that worked then won't work now.

Prince is a genius musician and still makes great music. Sure he's now taken out the overly sexual lyrics and cursing, but he is still making great music...he has great, sexy lyrics, funky beats, and amazing guitar work. Anyone being real would recognize that.

Parade is NOT a perfect album, neither is 1999, neither is Lovesexy, neither is Controversy, or Dirty Mind, etc. They just have some really GREAT moments. Just like his newer albums. Purple Rain and SOTT are considered about near perfect to most folks...ok, well just listening to albums and not comparing to others, 3121 is about perfect too (don't compare to PR or SOTT). 2010 is almost perfect as well. Every album Prince has ever released has a couple of classic songs that should be in the top 50. He is constantly doing different sounds and being innovative with his songs and lyrics.

I don't care if I had NEVER heard ANY of Prince's 80's output, I still wouldn't think 20Ten was the work of a genius OR a great album. I would think 3121 is better than 20Ten but even it isn't a great album. Both have some good songs......that is it. THAT is real.

TwiliteKid said:

Except that none of it is true. "Beginning Endlessly" is just another example of Prince's lazy "songwriting" over the past 10-15 years. It's got a cool enough synth hook, but lyrically and structurally? There's nothing to it.

so Delirious and All the critics are lyrically and structually better?!

But I think you miss the point. Neither of us were saying we prefer 3121 or 20ten to 1999.

From my point of view, 20Ten gets a lot more play that 1999 because is newer, has some good tracks and I haven't heard it 10,000 times.

Chiquetet said:

Oh, alright, I'll do it

1999 is one of my least favourite '80s Prince albums. The title track is still nails down a chalkboard since it was played to death during the millenium celebrations and that's probably why I didn't end up buying the album until fairly late last year, so technically I've owned it the shortest of the three.

I loved 3121 and 2010 when they came out (yes, really) but neither has a lot that's kept my interest beyond the initial excitement (that's not to say both don't have some good songs).

To me, despite probably having more respect for the work on 1999, given it's significance in musical history vs the other two, all three of them are roughly equal in my personal preference, and tend to all end up near the bottom of the pile.

I suspect if you asked me again in 5 or 10 years though, the answer would be different. My interest in 1999 is growing, while it's gradually waning for the other two.

while listening 2 1999 create a playlist, thow in a few live version of the songs from show in 1982/83, though in a few What Time Is It? songs and Nasty Girls, Make Up, If A Girl Answers, Drive Me Wild, the 3 Bsides: How Come U Dont' Call Me, Horny Toad, Irresistable Bitch and a few outtakes: Purple Music, Extralovable, Moonbeam Levels, Turn It Up and you will definately burst with love for the album and if you can view pictures of Prince the noituloveR Jill Jones the Time & Vanity 6 to consumate your love... then you'll understand why it's one of his greatest eras

NouveauDance said:

The thought of someone skipping All The Critics, Lady Cab Driver, Something In The Water or Automatic makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry myself to sleep at night.

Don't cry.....the world needs people doing dumb shit, just so you can know who and who not to fuck with!

hhhhdmt said:

i agree that black sweat and love are both great songs- both would make my top 50 favourite prince songs.

But songs like Somthing in the water and lady cab driver are classics too- so experimental and creative. Maybe you should give them another shot.

And if you can get you hands on the live version of Something in the Water @ the 1st Ave 6.7.1984 show you'll have another level of appreciation for it

TwiliteKid said:

WetDream said:

A lot of truth here.

Except that none of it is true. "Beginning Endlessly" is just another example of Prince's lazy "songwriting" over the past 10-15 years. It's got a cool enough synth hook, but lyrically and structurally? There's nothing to it. And that's not even taking to account the differences in energy and life in his old recordings vs new.

And I don't think the nostaligia argument holds any water. 20Ten was a blatent attempt at recapturing his old sound. I happen to like it just fine, but its just not up to the same standard as 1999. By contrast, take Twin Shadow, a new artist who uses many of the same vintage sounds, but who is currently writing stronger material than Prince. His debut, Forget, also released last summer, is a much better album than 20Ten. Seek it out and I think you'll see what I mean.

There U go

I like 3121 and 20Ten just fine, but 1999 they ain't.

SquirrelMeat said:

No...

But, 20Ten and 3121 get played far more in my car.

I rarely play any WB era stuff these days, as I played it to death so much growing up.

I also think some people get caught up in the nostalgia, more that what they are hearing right now as it plays. 1999 broke new ground at the time, and I appreciate it for its creativity, but that was then, this is now.

Had a song like "Beginning Endlessly" been on 1999 it would be deemed a classic. It's a victim of its release time, rather than the quality. I would certainly rate it more than the likes of "All the Critics" and "Automatic".

Songs like "Love" and "Fury" are as well written as anything he has done, its just the way he crafted them sounds dated in the era he has released them.

Plus much his own fan base get old and more stuck in there ways. 1999 was often "their youth", and no matter how good a current Prince release, it can't match up to that level of rose tinted nostalgia.

Agreed - I'll take "Love", "Fury" and "Beginning Endlessly" over "All The Critics..", "Free" and "International Lover".

I almost NEVER play "International Lover" or "Free". Never liked either of those songs very much, they do nothing for me. "All The Critics.." is great, but I think "Fury" is a much better song overall. Especially the live version from SNL.

SquirrelMeat said:

TwiliteKid said:

Except that none of it is true. "Beginning Endlessly" is just another example of Prince's lazy "songwriting" over the past 10-15 years. It's got a cool enough synth hook, but lyrically and structurally? There's nothing to it.

so Delirious and All the critics are lyrically and structually better?!

But I think you miss the point. Neither of us were saying we prefer 3121 or 20ten to 1999.

From my point of view, 20Ten gets a lot more play that 1999 because is newer, has some good tracks and I haven't heard it 10,000 times.

Yeah, I think it's pretty clear that both of those songs are better than "Beginning Endlessly".

As for the largest point, I guess I shouldn't have said "none of it is true". I was mostly disagreely with the last three lines of your post. Sorry for the confusion.

20Ten is the worst/2nd worst. Seriously. It's his most anticlimatic, badly produced, clunky and overall dull album. It isn't a terrible album, just a huge dissapointment.

Now I love 3121. I love it. In the top 5...but it can't be better than 1999. That was my 2nd ever Prince album and that changed my music outlook completely. (So you could say it changed my life, I dunno...)

Skipable tracks on:

1999

Free

3121

Te Amo Corazon

Incense And Candles

Beautiful, Loved And Blessed

Get On The Boat

20Ten

Compassion

Act Of God

Walk In Sand

Sea Of Everything

Everybody Loves Me

Laydown

No contest, 1999 wins.

Hmmm. At first glance, I'd say I mostly agree with twiliteKid's posts. But in honor of the phrase trust but verify, I decided to go back and look at this track by track.

1999 tracklist:

1999/LIttle Red Corvette/Delirious/Let's pretend/DMSR/Automatic/Something in the Water/Free

Lady Cab/All the Critics/International Lover

Of these, there is only one cringeworthy moment for me personally - the song Free

I'm not a schmatlzy anthemic ballad guy and that's what Free is to me. The rest of the album ranges from very good to downright brilliant.

3121 and 20Ten.

Awww. crikey. I just looked at the tracklists and can't be bothered to list them. it's too damn depressing.

3121: The song 3121 is good. Especially live. Almost all of the rest of the album is a turbo train to shitsville. (IMO)

20TEN: has two good tracks. Beginning Endlessly and Sticky Like Glue. The rest range from tolerable (Compassion/Lavaux) to insufferably horrific (Purple yoda/Everybody Loves Me)

802 said:

Skipable tracks on:

1999

Free

3121

Te Amo Corazon

Incense And Candles

Beautiful, Loved And Blessed

Get On The Boat

20Ten

Compassion

Act Of God

Walk In Sand

Sea Of Everything

Everybody Loves Me

Laydown

No contest, 1999 wins.

HEY!!!! We both just had the same idea (albeit with different results).

Greatness....

Fenwick said:

802 said:

Skipable tracks on:

1999

Free

3121

Te Amo Corazon

Incense And Candles

Beautiful, Loved And Blessed

Get On The Boat

20Ten

Compassion

Act Of God

Walk In Sand

Sea Of Everything

Everybody Loves Me

Laydown

No contest, 1999 wins.

HEY!!!! We both just had the same idea (albeit with different results).

Greatness....

Coincidence?

It seems that I like 20Ten more than you, even though I listed more than half the album as filler.

Hell to the naw!

802 said:

Fenwick said:

HEY!!!! We both just had the same idea (albeit with different results).

Greatness....

Coincidence?

It seems that I like 20Ten more than you, even though I listed more than half the album as filler.

Yeah - I think 20TEN is tolerable in that, like Lotusflower (the single disc) it doesn't have many tracks that make me want to intimately befriend a noose. But unlike Lotus, it also doesnt have many songs I actually consider good.

For some reason many folks who agree that Prince's output in 2000s was spotty really like 3121. I just don't get it at all....

vainandy said:

Hell to the naw!

Hmmm... You just said in 4 words what I tried to say in 400.

Sometimes I think too much....

KlyphIsBackAgain said:

TheEnglishGent said:

For me 2010 has only 1 skipper, Sea Of Everything, all the others I love.

3121 I skip 2, Black Sweat and Incense and Candles.

1999 has many more skippers. I don't like All The Critics, Lady Cab Driver, Something In The Water or Automatic.

So on that basis, I'd have to say 1999 was the worst of the 3.

However... The good stuff on 1999 is better than the good stuff on the other 2.

WOW....all of your skippers are my favorites...... Go figure.

And right there, that's the beauty of Prince.

Something for everyone and people with wildly different tastes can still love him. It's why Emancipation should most definitely have been 3 discs, it's why the Lotusflow3r set was fine, it's why we don't actually need quality control on his albums. Just let him put it all out there and some will love it, some will loathe it, but who really cares? A single disc of Emancipation could have been a single disc of shit for me but you could have loved it and vice versa.

Right, I'm going to stick 2010 on.

KlyphIsBackAgain said:

DaphneLovesPR1NCE said:

Some people like different things...so for some people Black Sweat and Beginning Endlessly is FAR BETTER than anything he did on 1999. Opinions differ. People that think Prince only did genius material in the 80s are stuck in a time zone. I've loved him since 87, but even I can admit I'd rather have some of his newer songs than the old ones. Musicology rates right up there with Kiss as Prince's funkiest songs. I'd love to hear Call My Name or Future Soul Song as much I'd love to hear The Beautiful Ones or Adore. Once a genius...always a genius. And part of a genius is changing. This is 2011, not 1981, the same thing that worked then won't work now.

Prince is a genius musician and still makes great music. Sure he's now taken out the overly sexual lyrics and cursing, but he is still making great music...he has great, sexy lyrics, funky beats, and amazing guitar work. Anyone being real would recognize that.

Parade is NOT a perfect album, neither is 1999, neither is Lovesexy, neither is Controversy, or Dirty Mind, etc. They just have some really GREAT moments. Just like his newer albums. Purple Rain and SOTT are considered about near perfect to most folks...ok, well just listening to albums and not comparing to others, 3121 is about perfect too (don't compare to PR or SOTT). 2010 is almost perfect as well. Every album Prince has ever released has a couple of classic songs that should be in the top 50. He is constantly doing different sounds and being innovative with his songs and lyrics.

I don't care if I had NEVER heard ANY of Prince's 80's output, I still wouldn't think 20Ten was the work of a genius OR a great album. I would think 3121 is better than 20Ten but even it isn't a great album. Both have some good songs......that is it. THAT is real.

As I said...musical taste differ. I happen to think 3121 is just about perfect, but then again, I like that kind of music. And take off Kiss, and I'd never listen to Parade. Just like people rave about Lotusflower...to me, its just ok. Not his best in the last decade. But still pretty good. Opinions vary. 20Ten is just as good, if not better than the majority of the stuff he did in the 80s. Only PR and SOTT blows it away by a mile. Sure albums like Lovesexy have amazing songs like Annastesia (which is better than anything on 20Ten) but as a whole, its not as good as his recent stuff. I like to look at albums as a whole, not just bits and pieces of it.