KeithyT said:

The thread title is making me laugh. I've only just hit 40 but feel like an old timer. (adopts Sir Alec Guiness Obi-Wan voice) "I can't recall ever owning a Prince record..."

I'm stroking my vinyl now, saying " An elegant format......for a more civilised age."

SquirrelMeat said:

KeithyT said:

The thread title is making me laugh. I've only just hit 40 but feel like an old timer. (adopts Sir Alec Guiness Obi-Wan voice) "I can't recall ever owning a Prince record..."

I'm stroking my vinyl now, saying " An elegant format......for a more civilised age."

"Ancient vinyls and hokey popstars are no substitute for a good ipod at your side kid."

The 80s were a fantastic time to be a Prince fan, because you knew he was going to drop a new album every year, and you also knew the new album was always going to sound so much different to the last one.

Add to that, a change of fashion and hairstyle with each new album, the anticipation of what was coming next was unbelievable. I remember waiting for the "Wrecka Stow" to open on the morning that Kiss came out, and the guy had to get me my 12 inch copy from a box that had only just been delivered. It wasn't even on the shelf and I was hounding the guy for my copy! Happy days.

I went straight home and played it about a dozen times straight. The 12 inch versions and B-sides from that era were unsurpassed.

In answer to the questions;

1/ Lady GaGa maybe, depending on whether she can keep up the level of output. She has set herself a high bar. Madonna albums are still well anticipated these days. I believe Prince's would be too, if he were still releasing with lots of promotion and radio airplay instead of newspaper giveaways and downloads.

2/ A lot of radio stations back in the day would do "album of the week" and play various songs from the album. I can recall SOTT getting a lot of album track plays - Housequake and Hot Thing in particular. Can't remember too many more though.

SquirrelMeat said:

KeithyT said:

The thread title is making me laugh. I've only just hit 40 but feel like an old timer. (adopts Sir Alec Guiness Obi-Wan voice) "I can't recall ever owning a Prince record..."

I'm stroking my vinyl now, saying " An elegant format......for a more civilised age."

This is both funny and sad:

savvy said:

I would love to have helped you, but you called me (as I'm a part of the generation) whack, so piss off.

I think Virgo was referring to the generation of music rather than as a whole.

Shafty said:

The 80s were a fantastic time to be a Prince fan, because you knew he was going to drop a new album every year, and you also knew the new album was always going to sound so much different to the last one.

Add to that, a change of fashion and hairstyle with each new album, the anticipation of what was coming next was unbelievable. I remember waiting for the "Wrecka Stow" to open on the morning that Kiss came out, and the guy had to get me my 12 inch copy from a box that had only just been delivered. It wasn't even on the shelf and I was hounding the guy for my copy! Happy days.

I went straight home and played it about a dozen times straight. The 12 inch versions and B-sides from that era were unsurpassed.

In answer to the questions;

1/ Lady GaGa maybe, depending on whether she can keep up the level of output. She has set herself a high bar. Madonna albums are still well anticipated these days. I believe Prince's would be too, if he were still releasing with lots of promotion and radio airplay instead of newspaper giveaways and downloads.

2/ A lot of radio stations back in the day would do "album of the week" and play various songs from the album. I can recall SOTT getting a lot of album track plays - Housequake and Hot Thing in particular. Can't remember too many more though.

When I bought the Kiss single even the guys at the record store teased me for it.

Shafty said:

savvy said:

I would love to have helped you, but you called me (as I'm a part of the generation) whack, so piss off.

I think Virgo was referring to the generation of music rather than as a whole.

I liked Dazz, Zapp, Gap Band, Georgio. Also liked Duran Duran, Herbie Hancock, Whodini, and Journey. So, even if that's true, still an insult.

savvy said:

Shafty said:

I think Virgo was referring to the generation of music rather than as a whole.

I liked Dazz, Zapp, Gap Band, Georgio. Also liked Duran Duran, Herbie Hancock, Whodini, and Journey. So, even if that's true, still an insult.

I just don't understand what you are arguing about. The OP is part of the generation that was born after Prince's prime. I took the reference to the "whack generation" to mean the current generation, the OP's generation, the Rebecca Black generation. It didn't strike me as an insult because the OP is part of the generation. It was a comment on the current music scene. If you are also part of the OP's generation, then the question isn't directed at you. If you are a Generation Xer like me, then the so-called insult wasn't directed at you at all. If I say that people of my own generation have short attention spans because we grew up playing too many video games, that's not an insult. It's an observation by someone with personal experience.

electricberet said:

savvy said:

I liked Dazz, Zapp, Gap Band, Georgio. Also liked Duran Duran, Herbie Hancock, Whodini, and Journey. So, even if that's true, still an insult.

I just don't understand what you are arguing about. The OP is part of the generation that was born after Prince's prime. I took the reference to the "whack generation" to mean the current generation, the OP's generation, the Rebecca Black generation. It didn't strike me as an insult because the OP is part of the generation. It was a comment on the current music scene. If you are also part of the OP's generation, then the question isn't directed at you. If you are a Generation Xer like me, then the so-called insult wasn't directed at you at all. If I say that people of my own generation have short attention spans because we grew up playing too many video games, that's not an insult. It's an observation by someone with personal experience.

IF that's true, then I am PARTIALLY responsible for the mix-up, and I regret that. HOWEVER, in context "...this...generation..." when used in the same sentence as Prince would imply the generation of artists that would be considered Prince's contemporaries, or the listeners of those artists plus Prince. If he was referring to the CURRENT generation, then I'll give you one guess as to what word he should have used. Either way, not really completely my doing.

Virgo92 said:

1. Is there any artist of this whack generation that you can compare Prince to ?Anticipation wise, not talent wise. 2. What Prince songs that were not singles, got a lot of airplay? 3. When Prince first came out, what was everyone view on him? [Edited 4/6/11 15:36pm]

I'd say his prime was '83-'89, with the Purple Rain era being the apex of his popular career. In view of that time...

1. I think Gaga is a decent comparison with regard to anticipation. Her unorthodox look, her outrageous antics and her appeal such that peers suddenly try to emulate her are very similar. One key difference, though, is that where Gaga seems to be relatively accessible; I recall Prince was notoriously remote. He did very few interviews, and all of his public appearances were strictly in-and-out and on his own terms. He spoke sparsely and cryptically to the public and he didn't play to the paparazzi, mingle with other celebs or really engage fans. The mystique that came of that made people crave him all the more.

2. Most national outlets stuck to the singles. But there were some local stations that would play darned near anything they wanted -- B Sides, explicit stuff, whatever! They were either edited, played only at certain times in the evening/late night or bankable on having only "near-profane" language. Erotic City worked, for example, as long as they could convince us it was "we can funk until the dawn." I even remember hearing Scarlet Pussy in the middle of the day years later and thinking OMG!! Today's radio can be filthy, but I wonder if some of those old Prince songs could get airplay even now.

3. I became a fan in 1984, but Prince first came out about 6 years prior. Through that entire time, Prince was an anomoly. Just listen to Controversy for what people were thinking about him. Folk had seen sociopolitically threatening white rockers in the punk movement; sexually ambiguous girly men in new wave, glam (particularly Bowie) and parts of the disco scene; and outrageous and brash Black -- undeniably Black -- egos in Little Richard, James Brown and Rick James. But they had never quite seen all that stuff smooshed together in one act of obsure genre, sexuality and race. Plus, dude had a level talent for his age that even critics couldn't minimize and he had the nerve to be pretty enough to attract girls... which, in turn, attracted more guys. Yeah, he just @!#$% up everyone's head! It was amazing.

[Edited 4/7/11 21:08pm]

2. Sometimes it snows in April got quite some airplay here with the intention to lure WB in releasing it as single.

Living in Mississippi, home of the blues, we had a lot of well-established local radio stations, which could play want they wanted so from 1979 – 88, almost the entire Prince album would get airplay. So much of the album would be played that today I still must look at actual billboard data to know what the actual singles were. That was a cool time for me. By the time the album hit the store, we had heard most of it and knew we wanted to purchase it. Yes, you had to actually purchase an album unless you were lucky enough to have a friend who could make you a cassette copy, which often took hours. And, of course, the only reason to purchase a single was to get the extended version or the B-side.

It is so difficult to compare any generation, but especially this current generation because it is almost devoid of a space for musicians, which is what Prince is, which was/is his claim to fame. Yes, there was a great deal of hype around his sexuality, racial ambiguity, and seemingly playing with or thumbing his nose at religion, but even that hype would eventually return to the songs, his musicianship, and his live shows. Prince is a product and a victim of his own marketing, but for much of his career, and even now, his songwriting ability and his live performance forced most to respect him. However, with the current generation, the producer, much like in the era of disco, is the most important aspect, and the artists, especially if they are MCs or Hip Hop/R&B artists are seemingly interchangeable parts. I am interested to see how someone like Bruno Mars evolves whereas D'Angelo could have balanced the Hip Hop/Funk/Rock world but has seemed to burn himself out, and as much as i like Andre 3000 I don't think he has the musical skills to affect the music world as much as Prince did.

I got into Prince when I was ten with Dirty Mind. A local African American rock band used to rehearse near my house, and they would listen to the entire album, then play the entire album. Like most have said, Prince, MJ, Madonna, and we all forget how big Bruce Springsteen was/is. These were the megastars of the eighties. They were our Elvis, Beatles, Muddy Waters, you name it, but keep in mind that every generation's major star or stars will be different because the stars and the fans have the history of the past as well as the new technology that shapes how they are exposed to and engage art. Keep in mind, that I lived somewhat before MTV, so there was a time in my life where all music was accessed by radio and some live local band or a band coming to town that may play someone else's songs. The cool thing about Prince, MJ, Madonna, and Bruce to a lesser degree, living before YouTube and the internet in general, they were able to play with and redefine who they are in a way that is almost impossible for today's music entertainers. Also, prior to the nineties live shows were what one did, and were not viewed as they are today as just a part of marketing with a few select shows so as not to show how poor someone really plays or sings. Until the late eighties and early nineties, many acts would be on the road every year, some for two or three years at a time, which was not only good for their development but also good for their songwriting, giving them a lot more quality material for the next album. The lessening of developing talent on the road, especially for African American artists, has a direct effect on the quality of songs that are being produced, which puts more emphasis on marketing a persona or an image than the art. Again, Prince understood image and hype, which is why he lied about being mixed, played with gender, and surrounded himself with a racially diverse and gender diverse crowd. He knew what he was doing when he said "When I sneer, Wendy smiles. She makes me alright in the eyes of some people." Yet, with all of this, there was the music that sustained him for all of this time. And today, the music, the art, is just another marketing element to sell a clothing line or something else.

So, again, it is difficult to compare. I would say find the artist who is changing how people make music and identify themselves, and you will have your generation's Prince. But, if that is the measuring stick, then Prince was simply his generation's Marvin Gaye, Jimmy Hendrix, Little Richard, James Brown, Muddy Waters, Elvis, Beatles, Sammy Davis, Jr., etc...

I was a Freshman (79-80) in high school and living in the metro Detroit area when the Prince album was released and several girls had posters of Prince in their lockers. Either the long relaxed feathered do or the mega round Afro from the "For You" album.

Electrifying Mojo was the popular night time DJ and he played alot of songs that were not released as singles as well as the B Sides like Horny Toad, Messin About and Erotic City.

From the Prince Album, Bambi, Sexy Dancer, When We're Dancing Close and Slow, and Still Waiting were played regularly

From the Dirty Mind album Mojo played every song...sometimes the entire album was played at night.

Controversy- I dont know if Do Me Baby was released as a single but it was played alot

Parade- Sometimes it Snows in April

SOTT - Adore

Lovesexy - Anna Statia

I dont really see the next Prince anytime soon ...major record companies promote sure things and want to avoid risk and want a hit right off the bat, remember it took Prince's 5th album "1999" to garner mass/crossover appeal. Record companies will not allow for the masses to catch up to a artist like Warner Brothers did with Prince.

Virgo92 said:

1. Is there any artist of this whack generation that you can compare Prince to ?Anticipation wise, not talent wise. 2. What Prince songs that were not singles, got a lot of airplay? 3. When Prince first came out, what was everyone view on him? [Edited 4/6/11 15:36pm]

Perhaps the Prince female version Madonna, who was also then young, sexually charged and belting out "Like a Virgin." Boy George was also not your normal run of the mill...

I don't remember ever listening to much radio back then, only watching MTV a bit. I was also not inside much and busy with a dozen other things.

I don't know what everyone's view of him was. But at home he was kind of considered a no no coz anything that wasn't "white" was apparently "not good." I fought that though very hard and won I might add. Time always tells everything.

Echoing 1725topp, it's hard to compare Prince in his heyday to what's happening now because the mass media landscape has changed so much, mostly in that we're not nearly as shocked by revealing clothes and overt (and ambiguous) sexuality. As I recall (and remember this is mostly the pre-MTV era when there was only a few opportunities to see artists of the day on tv) Prince really wasn't THAT big of a media splash until after Purple Rain the movie took off. I remember my cousin having a pull-out poster from Right On magazine around the time of Soft & Wet; the conversations at high school the monday following his unconventional American Bandstand appearance; seeing him on SNL in '81 and Solid Gold in '82; cutting school to catch the Triple Threat Show in '83 (we all thought the Time was way more cool); etc. But I guess because we rarely SAW him, he sort of blended into the landscape 80's soul music.

Really, at the time we expected him to be a quirky fringe R&B artist at best, much like Aligator Woman era Cameo -- and that's not meant as an insult BTW. Not to sound racist, but back when music was much more separated by the races, he seemed a little freaky for many of us in the black community and until Red Corvette made MTV rotation he had little mainstream/pop (i.e. white media) exposure. That seems so weird now...

As a poster said earlier, in the 70's and early 80's so many radio stations were independently programmed so they weren't locked into playing only the hit singles from an album. I also often didn't know what was or wasn't a single; and then it got real confusing with the b-side Erotic City (as a side note, one local station always played a censored version).

OK I'm rambling (and showing my age). Bottom line it isn't fair to compare current artists against Prince's legacy. Over the course of 33 years he's created mind-boggling masterpieces and head-scratching failures, so to compare any star of today who not had time opportunity to experiment, evolve and learn as he has is like comparing going back to 1979 and comparing Prince to Stevie Wonder's legacy.

Like lots of people have already said Lady Gaga seems to be the one where there's a what she gonna do next feeling about her (and she mentions him in her cd booklet). It might just be that I'm getting old and I'm not young anymore, I remember getting pissed off because the days wouldn't go fast enough before the new Prince album would be released. Don't get those fellings anymore for anyone's music I'd rather wait until it goes down in price if it's that good it can wait, great music doesn't go out of fashion.

I remember b-sides getting more airplay than the singles "Hot Thing" being one of them.

After all the hype of "Purple Rain" it felt for me like I was part of a underground movement if you liked Prince, it wouldn't have felt out off place to have a secret handshake. Everyone just believed he was mad also a bit weird but that's what added to the attraction of him.

Virgo92 said:

1. Is there any artist of this whack generation that you can compare Prince to ?Anticipation wise, not talent wise. 2. What Prince songs that were not singles, got a lot of airplay? 3. When Prince first came out, what was everyone view on him? [Edited 4/6/11 15:36pm]

1) Absolutely, positutely NOT! I'm only 31 years old and according to what my peers are listening too, I'm supposed to be enthralled by such 'artists" (performers) as Beyonce, Niki Minaj, and Lady Gaga... I just vomitied in my mouth.

2) I don't know what non-singles would have gotten any airplay since I was only a toddler when Prince broke out. I never really listened to the radio anyhow. However, in my tweens I have heard DMSR on the radio many times.

3) I don't know how anyone viewed Prince because I was just born but, I'm sure my father thought he was all kinds of funky! (My dad loved his funk.)