Music critics are god awful at what they do. All they do is name-drop and rave about the same artists as everyone else. They keep their opinions to themselves, which isn't the point of the exercise. Movie critics are the only critics worth listening to because we're the only ones who have something original to say. Music critics flock together in sucking up to Bob Dylan or Nirvana or any other talentless wannabe counterculture hack artists. The real artists like Prince and Queen are snubbed, always, because the other guy says they're not fashionable. Why can't a critic talk about a Prince album without saying "it harkens back to the 80's" when it clearly doesn't. And that's not just Prince. They do that to everyone. These people devote their lives to studying music history and they don't know the difference between genre and era. Just because MGMT uses ambient synths doesn't mean they're a 70's prog pastiche! In the words of the Thin White Duke, "Fuck critics."

[Edited 4/13/11 23:01pm]

Mmmm... because 99% of what he put out after NEWS is utter crap?

Then, since he decided he didn't need a record company behind him and he started to fail enamouring critics there you have the full picture.

I could give a long and drafty opinion, for reasons why, bcuz the list is pretty long, and not all bad reasons, mostly bcuz ppl know he's a TRUE musical genius. But i'll just say i have no idea why some feel the need 2 downplay his new music (even some fans ) Its still incredible music.

It's not incredible, it's unbelievable.

In fact I can't still believe how he could release turds like Lolita, Valentina, Dance 4 me and many others.

It has a lot to do with the focus of his music, and sincerity. Mainstream pop is all about booty, bubblegum slackness. It is what the shitstem wants to force down the throats of the masses, especially the youth.

Prince has gone past that stage, and when he does attempt to conform, (not in all cases) it comes across as artificial.

And this is because his heart is not there any more. He will always be a romantic, or a lover, but he is now concerned about issues related to social justice, equality and the masses.

The shitstem is not concerned about this, but is geared towards making money. They are not really interested in socially conscious music, which is why reggae is not heard on the majority of mainstream stations, unless its some bimbo stealing a riddim, and using it to make a "hit."

But the massive support Prince receives in live performances is a testament to the fact, that regardless of hegemonic companies intention to overwhelm people with slackness in the name of "art"

Prince's skills as a songwriter, musician and performer are respected by millions...and this connection between him and fans is where the focus should be. He himself has stated that official releases are more for hardcore fans.

vitriol said:

It's not incredible, it's unbelievable.

In fact I can't still believe how he could release turds like Lolita, Valentina, Dance 4 me and many others.

Some folks love those tracks though. I do think there is a slice of the Prince fanbase who want nothing more than for him to be sitting atop the charts sounding like Black Eyes Peas feat. Rebecca Black.

NouveauDance said:

vitriol said:

It's not incredible, it's unbelievable.

In fact I can't still believe how he could release turds like Lolita, Valentina, Dance 4 me and many others.

Some folks love those tracks though. I do think there is a slice of the Prince fanbase who want nothing more than for him to be sitting atop the charts sounding like Black Eyes Peas feat. Rebecca Black.

Rebecca Black? Lmao! You are a funny ladyguy [judging only from your pic]! LOL! I agree with you!

NouveauDance said:

vitriol said:

It's not incredible, it's unbelievable.

In fact I can't still believe how he could release turds like Lolita, Valentina, Dance 4 me and many others.

Some folks love those tracks though. I do think there is a slice of the Prince fanbase who want nothing more than for him to be sitting atop the charts sounding like Black Eyes Peas feat. Rebecca Black.

lol

Reminds me of "Laydown"... Who the hell told Prince he should play that song? It's not even released in the US so all those people in LA are gonna hear it and go get the album.... On Ebay? What a PR nightmare he is.

It's funny/telling that he says he is in recording rehab and that his CDs are only for "the collectors." His perspective on his music is more out of whack now than it ever has been. All these people talkin' bout rumors of album releases after 20TEN should be shook now. I wouldn't be surprised if homeboy doesn't release any new albums in a really long time since no retailer and no label wants to get burned by his no promo policy.

Spinlight said:

NouveauDance said:

Some folks love those tracks though. I do think there is a slice of the Prince fanbase who want nothing more than for him to be sitting atop the charts sounding like Black Eyes Peas feat. Rebecca Black.

lol

Reminds me of "Laydown"... Who the hell told Prince he should play that song? It's not even released in the US so all those people in LA are gonna hear it and go get the album.... On Ebay? What a PR nightmare he is.

It's funny/telling that he says he is in recording rehab and that his CDs are only for "the collectors." His perspective on his music is more out of whack now than it ever has been. All these people talkin' bout rumors of album releases after 20TEN should be shook now. I wouldn't be surprised if homeboy doesn't release any new albums in a really long time since no retailer and no label wants to get burned by his no promo policy.

Mmmm, maybe time to offload another couple of copies.

gunner82 said:

Why is Prince music of today so highly criticized?

Too many critics and not enough fans of the art of song composition and music production, that our man Prince does so well at. I always say, out of 100 songs P has written there are probably 8 of em I really don't like ...

Graycap23 said:

U if like the material......who gives a damn?

Prince doesn't.

gunner82 said:

Every time I see a review of a "new" Prince album [from the last decade], it's [mostly] always about what was "wrong" with the album, yet when I see reviews of albums by other "veteran" artist, they get critical acclaim? I've seen albums by Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, U2, etc. all get rave reviews for their lastest albums [which if you go back & listen to their old stuff, their new stuff pales in comparion as well]? Is Prince the only one held to such super high standards, or is it something else going on? What do you all think? Is it just me, or does anybody else ever notice this?

Because people are so busy living in the past.

And because Prince set the bar really really high with his early output, that people expect magnificence from him with every release. He doesn't really get the leeway to screw up or even just put out 'okay' output because of that, and his level of talent.

vitriol said:

It's not incredible, it's unbelievable.

In fact I can't still believe how he could release turds like Lolita, Valentina, Dance 4 me and many others.

Lolita and Dance 4 Me are both quality tunes, in my opinion. But Valentina is a total piece of shit, yes. I guess you don't like I Can Make You Dance?

armpit said:

gunner82 said:

Every time I see a review of a "new" Prince album [from the last decade], it's [mostly] always about what was "wrong" with the album, yet when I see reviews of albums by other "veteran" artist, they get critical acclaim? I've seen albums by Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, U2, etc. all get rave reviews for their lastest albums [which if you go back & listen to their old stuff, their new stuff pales in comparion as well]? Is Prince the only one held to such super high standards, or is it something else going on? What do you all think? Is it just me, or does anybody else ever notice this?

Because people are so busy living in the past.

And because Prince set the bar really really high with his early output, that people expect magnificence from him with every release. He doesn't really get the leeway to screw up or even just put out 'okay' output because of that, and his level of talent.

Those 2 statements actually contradict each other.

I'm going with your 2nd point. Prince from many different reason didn't always put out top quality after the 1980's too many hit's n misses and his WB issues and become more embattled with the system and trying to 'prove' he's still relavent. He really should take a bit of time away from recording songs and work the songs he had work your whole collection from 1978-2011 I was happy to even haer him play Laydown on Lopez the other night. But disappointed to hear that 3rd song(not his) it sounded good. But the constant boast of so many hits, but you never scratch the surface of even your hits. Make Shelby and the ladies sing something from the Apollonia 6 soundtrack.

OldFriends4Sale said:

V10LETBLUES said:

Key words in bold.

Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999, Purple Rain, Around The World, Parade, SOTT never sounded like anything on the radio or anytwhere else. They were a breath of fresh air.

Everything after 1990 sounded like stale cheap immitaions of every trend out there. Sure his sound always took elements of music history, but he made it his own.

True, and even when Prince did mess with rap he did make it his own during songs like Girls & Boys It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night Love or Money Alphabet St. Positivity

It was still seriously Prince music if fit into his world

the 1990's attempts at rap was not cutting edge, his sound changed on too much music to fit what was already a popular sound. I listened to Race from the Come album and the beat was just so generically similar to a lot of RnB sounds of the 1990's

I hear what both of you are saying. Prince's music was less "out there" and sonically original in the 90's than in the 80's.

That said, a song like "Race" sounded like nothing on the radio in 1993/1994. You can say it had a generic backbeat (which it sort of did) but the rest of the song, from the horns on down, was not quite like anything anyone in R&B, pop, or hip hop was doing at the time.

To get back to the original point, how often do artists like U2 or Springsteen maintain/go back to their signature sound? I would argue that Bruce doesn't stray too far from his roots very often, and that U2 went techno pop in the 90's, but eventually returned to their signature late 80's vibe.

Neither U2 or The Boss will be raked across the coals for not being groundbreaking and following others, because they never strayed to far from their roots in the 1st place. They don't take the music risks that Prince does, so they don't set themselves up for criticism in the same way. Both U2 and Bruce are much more purposeful and calculated with their musical output than Prince is...for better, or worse.

skywalker said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

True, and even when Prince did mess with rap he did make it his own during songs like Girls & Boys It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night Love or Money Alphabet St. Positivity

It was still seriously Prince music if fit into his world

the 1990's attempts at rap was not cutting edge, his sound changed on too much music to fit what was already a popular sound. I listened to Race from the Come album and the beat was just so generically similar to a lot of RnB sounds of the 1990's

I hear what both of you are saying. Prince's music was less "out there" and sonically original in the 90's than in the 80's.

That said, a song like "Race" sounded like nothing on the radio in 1993/1994. You can say it had a generic backbeat (which it sort of did) but the rest of the song, from the horns on down, was not quite like anything anyone in R&B, pop, or hip hop was doing at the time.

To get back to the original point, how often do artists like U2 or Springsteen maintain/go back to their signature sound? I would argue that Bruce doesn't stray too far from his roots very often, and that U2 went techno pop in the 90's, but eventually returned to their signature late 80's vibe.

Neither U2 or The Boss will be raked across the coals for not being groundbreaking and following others, because they never strayed to far from their roots in the 1st place. They don't take the music risks that Prince does, so they don't set themselves up for criticism in the same way. Both U2 and Bruce are much more purposeful and calculated with their musical output than Prince is...for better, or worse.

I hear u

But I don't think Bruce or U2 were original in the way Prince was.

His sound was very uinque, I mean the Minneapolis sound was very unique to that city and Prince took it outside.

Then with his developing/(developed) newer sound heard on ATWIAD Parade & SOTT, he just truly had a sound of his own.

i think black artists are usually held to a higher standard.

OldFriends4Sale said:

But I don't think Bruce or U2 were original in the way Prince was.

His sound was very uinque, I mean the Minneapolis sound was very unique to that city and Prince took it outside.

Then with his developing/(developed) newer sound heard on ATWIAD Parade & SOTT, he just truly had a sound of his own.

Agreed. Prince's music of today (or post 1987/8) is so highly criticized because of the sheer brilliance of his 1st decade. U2 and Bruce were never so starkly refreshing and "new" as Prince was. So, once Prince sonically became more mainstream and traditional he began to (unfairly in my opinion) be slighted because he wanted to move onto other sounds & ideas whether they were original or not.

I maintain that he still sounds unlike anyone else. To me, he's always been and amalgamation fo a lot of different things, yet unique at the same time. People may say he's sometimes trying to ape what's popular or current, but the fact is a song "laydown" sounds like something only the way Prince would do it...whether people dig it or not.

[Edited 4/15/11 11:03am]

"The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius."

Oscar Wilde

"My only competition is me in the past"

If anyone but Prince was releasing the music he's been releasing for the past 10 years, everyone here who's complaining would be enthusiastic about "this new genius on the block".

Janelle Monae and D'Angelo released great albums, but if Prince had released these albums, people would say it's crap.

It's as simple as that and Prince understood it as early as 1996 (see lyrics above).

skywalker said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

But I don't think Bruce or U2 were original in the way Prince was.

His sound was very uinque, I mean the Minneapolis sound was very unique to that city and Prince took it outside.

Then with his developing/(developed) newer sound heard on ATWIAD Parade & SOTT, he just truly had a sound of his own.

Agreed. Prince's music of today (or post 1987/8) is so highly criticized because of the sheer brilliance of his 1st decade. U2 and Bruce were never so starkly refreshing and "new" as Prince was. So, once Prince sonically became more mainstream and traditional he began to (unfairly in my opinion) be slighted because he wanted to move onto other sounds & ideas whether they were original or not.

I maintain that he still sounds unlike anyone else. To me, he's always been and amalgamation fo a lot of different things, yet unique at the same time. People may say he's sometimes trying to ape what's popular or current, but the fact is a song "laydown" sounds like something only the way Prince would do it...whether people dig it or not.

I agree with u, I can still tell if a song is Prince without hearing the voice, there is still a touch of something that says Prince.

For example Space is very much a 1990's sounding song. That early airy sorta crisp sound, but I really enjoy Princes use of the linn on this song (wish he would perform this one more often) The song sound like a 'general' early 1990's song but it sound like Prince

There are songs that in my opinion still have that foundational 4U/Prince feel like Tangerine, Somewhere Here On Earth

skywalker said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

True, and even when Prince did mess with rap he did make it his own during songs like Girls & Boys It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night Love or Money Alphabet St. Positivity

It was still seriously Prince music if fit into his world

the 1990's attempts at rap was not cutting edge, his sound changed on too much music to fit what was already a popular sound. I listened to Race from the Come album and the beat was just so generically similar to a lot of RnB sounds of the 1990's

I hear what both of you are saying. Prince's music was less "out there" and sonically original in the 90's than in the 80's.

That said, a song like "Race" sounded like nothing on the radio in 1993/1994. You can say it had a generic backbeat (which it sort of did) but the rest of the song, from the horns on down, was not quite like anything anyone in R&B, pop, or hip hop was doing at the time.

To get back to the original point, how often do artists like U2 or Springsteen maintain/go back to their signature sound? I would argue that Bruce doesn't stray too far from his roots very often, and that U2 went techno pop in the 90's, but eventually returned to their signature late 80's vibe.

Neither U2 or The Boss will be raked across the coals for not being groundbreaking and following others, because they never strayed to far from their roots in the 1st place. They don't take the music risks that Prince does, so they don't set themselves up for criticism in the same way. Both U2 and Bruce are much more purposeful and calculated with their musical output than Prince is...for better, or worse.

What ground do you think Prince could break next? A folk/punk/techno album? A Country/death Metal/pop album? Prince has done so much groundbreaking already & fans seem to bash him for it. I hadn't really ever heard a track like "3121" before. I think we all miss the Prince that DID have comp back in the day. He really doesn't have any now days....& look at what sells...PATHETIC!

gunner82 said:

What ground do you think Prince could break next? A folk/punk/techno album? A Country/death Metal/pop album? Prince has done so much groundbreaking already & fans seem to bash him for it. I hadn't really ever heard a track like "3121" before. I think we all miss the Prince that DID have comp back in the day. He really doesn't have any now days....& look at what sells...PATHETIC!

3121 is really the same ground he broke back in the Parade and SOTT days. It's still a great song though.

Graycap23 said:

U if like the material......who gives a damn?

Prince doesn't.

Yeah, that's why he plays his latest albums in concert.

Oh wait, he doesn't.

I guess even Prince can admit that his recent output is shite, but his fans can't.

muleFunk said:

1. The internet made everyone a critic . The negativity started after the name change. Many here now praise the Gold Experence CD but 14 years ago it was heavily criticized. Why ? That's when mass internet usage began.

Bullcrap. Fans loved TGE -- but then Prince didn't release it till the end of 1995 and left off the best track and never promoted it. That album was DOA because it was too litle, too late.

Oh, and it also didn't help that Prince decided to celebrate being chosen as VH1's artist of the month in Jan 1996 by showing a crappy video movie that involved a female fan stalking him and invading his privacy etc. "Hey, I'm the center of attention! Now let me celebrate this by crapping all over my fans!"

2. No real label contract. The labels own the critics .

Bullcrap.

Good idea for everyone is to kill all music sites until 3 months after the release of a new Prince album. If for nothing else to enjoy the album for yourself and not engage in groupthink.

If your opinion can't stand being challenged, then your opinion wasn't that firm in the first place. It's the equivalent of putting fingers in your ears and singing "la la la la" at the top of your voice to avoid hearing something you know is true but can't face up to.

mrsquirrel said:

muleFunk said:

Dude I know that. However check out the earliest threads about TGE and most panned the album. The Org showed up in what 97/98?

much like Crystal Ball did.

CB is shite. Overpriced, disastrous, rip-off. That compilation is a sham and a scam. The freaking thing contained LIES in the liner notes.

gunner82 said:

I hadn't really ever heard a track like "3121" before.

Dude, please. "3121" is Prince desperately trying to imitate the stuff he did in 1986/87 and completely failing.

BartVanHemelen said:

gunner82 said:

I hadn't really ever heard a track like "3121" before.

Dude, please. "3121" is Prince desperately trying to imitate the stuff he did in 1986/87 and completely failing.

Hardly, he never used heavy basslines and beats like that back then, and his use of horns also was completely different with Eric and Atlanta. U could say that about a lot of other things he did these last few years (F.U.N.K. comes 2 mind, and most of MPLSound and 20ten) but 3121 was really not "80's-like". The first time Prince sounded heavy like that was when he incorporated Sonny and Michael into his band in 91, and really in 93 with "The Undertaker". My humble opinion anyway, i might be wrong

databank said:

BartVanHemelen said:

Dude, please. "3121" is Prince desperately trying to imitate the stuff he did in 1986/87 and completely failing.

Hardly, he never used heavy basslines and beats like that back then, and his use of horns also was completely different with Eric and Atlanta. U could say that about a lot of other things he did these last few years (F.U.N.K. comes 2 mind, and most of MPLSound and 20ten) but 3121 was really not "80's-like". The first time Prince sounded heavy like that was when he incorporated Sonny and Michael into his band in 91, and really in 93 with "The Undertaker". My humble opinion anyway, i might be wrong

Personally, I think you're right. "3121" is a very dope song. The only thing 80's I thought about that song was the "Camille" voice. The whole sound of that song is unique. I wish the rest of the album would have been like that.

BartVanHemelen said:

gunner82 said:

I hadn't really ever heard a track like "3121" before.

Dude, please. "3121" is Prince desperately trying to imitate the stuff he did in 1986/87 and completely failing.