I have to say that I have had a personal debate about this for years. The Prince I 'knew' probably went away at the end of 1988. Batman, while a good album, was for me the first time that Prince made music to chase a trend or fad and in that he chose to pastiche his own past glories. He went on to do this many more times right up to 20ten. Prior to 1989, I waited for each album and knew each track's name, I can still remember every albums running order but now I couldnt name more that 3 tracks from any of his albums since Emancipation.

I would say that two things contributed to the Prince we know going away, he started to chase pop rather than creating it and he got rid of a crucial part of the pop music making process, a record label. Quality control was gone.

He is still a great performer live, a clever musician and lyricist but sorry to say that the guy who could make you double take when a new track was premiered on the radio has left the building.

clarityman said:

I have to say that I have had a personal debate about this for years. The Prince I 'knew' probably went away at the end of 1988. Batman, while a good album, was for me the first time that Prince made music to chase a trend or fad and in that he chose to pastiche his own past glories. He went on to do this many more times right up to 20ten. Prior to 1989, I waited for each album and knew each track's name, I can still remember every albums running order but now I couldnt name more that 3 tracks from any of his albums since Emancipation.

I would say that two things contributed to the Prince we know going away, he started to chase pop rather than creating it and he got rid of a crucial part of the pop music making process, a record label. Quality control was gone.

He is still a great performer live, a clever musician and lyricist but sorry to say that the guy who could make you double take when a new track was premiered on the radio has left the building.

interesting take, how about his high points, Joy In Repition,Gett Off, the problem is I guess, like all movements they end up splintering eventually, some here think his post eighties work is crap, some think his post pr work is crap (that's right sott, lsxy, parade are all considered crap by vainandy) pretty much everyone is unanimous that his golden period was from Dirty Mind to Purple Rain with 1999 and PR being his apex's. I happen to think he did plenty of great work, and improved as musician, singer, with his music becoming more polished. It just depends on what your musical values are, people still think elvis never did anything past the sun sessions, or post 50's but he did plenty and it's a matter of not being a lazy listener and going through the stuff. Same with Prince. I'm guilty too, I can't really listen to News, the rainbow children enough to let it sink in.

treehouse said:

No more splits!? You promise? Thank the heavens.

There was a point there where it seemed like all he did was splits, and sometimes spins into splits. It was as predictable as watching a Hulk Hogan pose down.

His stage show is probably the tightest it's ever been, and he's more in tune with his audiences, that's for sure.

Oh great, now we've got people dissin' the fact that he did so many splits!! Gimme a fuckin' break, org! I'd rather see him do all those splits than the little "I'm too cool" shuffle bullshit he does now on stage. *yawn*

HonestMan13 said:

formallypickles said:

the old prince should stay dead

there is nothing more tragic than a man stuck in the past

[Edited 6/17/11 14:09pm]

What about a fanbase stuck in the past?

Everyone on here talking about I haven't been excited since year X is full of it! You all still admit to copping every release then going all highbrow and saying "I don't listen to it though".

Being "excited" about something is hella different than just merely "copping" it. Just because someone downloads his new album doesn't mean there's any excitement in listening to it. I'm not excited AT ALL about his recorded releases (unless they're going to be remasters) or even his current live shows, to be honest. But, I'll still eventually check it out when I get the chance, if anything just to hear what it sounds like.

A lot of people are STILL on this site only to talk mainly about all of the funky, wonderful thiings Prince did for the first 15-16 years (and even shorter, for some of us) of his career. And there's a helluva lot of stuff from that period to discuss, from the stories, personnel involved, the live shows, outtakes/bootlegs, musicianship, etc...

[Edited 6/17/11 23:30pm]

alexnvrmnd777 said:

HonestMan13 said:

What about a fanbase stuck in the past?

Everyone on here talking about I haven't been excited since year X is full of it! You all still admit to copping every release then going all highbrow and saying "I don't listen to it though".

Being "excited" about something is hella different than just merely "copping" it. Just because someone downloads his new album doesn't mean there's any excitement in listening to it. I'm not excited AT ALL about his recorded releases (unless they're going to be remasters) or even his current live shows, to be honest. But, I'll still eventually check it out when I get the chance, if anything just to hear what it sounds like.

A lot of people are STILL on this site only to talk mainly about all of the funky, wonderful thiings Prince did for the first 15-16 years (and even shorter, for some of us) of his career. And there's a helluva lot of stuff from that period to discuss, from the stories, personnel involved, the live shows, outtakes/bootlegs, musicianship, etc...

[Edited 6/17/11 23:30pm]

Since pretty much of his work after Warners is out of print or extremely hard to find it stands to reason most of us bought them when they were released. If the ones saying they're done had bought maybe the 2 CD's after they lost interest then I could understand it. 15 years later is not being over anything. If you've supported an artist who you don't care for anymore for 15 years then guess what? You still care for them!

berniejobs said:

Way to bring down the hope of humanity. It's depressing to think that after a certain age "it's over". To think that when you hit 30 or 40 or even 50, that the rest of your life will never compare to the younger days. According to your theory, after a musician, artist, whoever, hits their peak age (30 or 40 perhaps) that it's over for them. Then if that person is going to live to be 100 years old, all they have to look forward to is 70 years of boring dragging years?

I don't buy that. I choose not to accept such a depressing theory. I am 30 and I sure hope I live to be OVER 100 years old. And if that is the case, I certainly don't want the next 70 years to be a drag.

Very well said! Thats why I still look up to people like Madonna and Prince. All the way into their fifties they are still living life to the fullest and being bold. I'm 30 and will be damned if I let myself die before my time because of some asshole stuck in what are becoming outdated notions of age. People live a long time now. Take it all in and enjoy it. Oh yea and Prince still completely rocks. We are all used to his sound and antics. Bring in someone whos not and they are usually blown away. Even by the new material. Sorry but songs like Lion of Judah, $, Glass Cutter, Planet Earth, Call My Name, Beginning Endlessly, and many more are among his best material ever. To be honest Im not gonna say IMO because just listen to this music it is amazing. LET GO OF THE PAST AND EMBRACE WHAT IS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

meisme said:

berniejobs said:

Way to bring down the hope of humanity. It's depressing to think that after a certain age "it's over". To think that when you hit 30 or 40 or even 50, that the rest of your life will never compare to the younger days. According to your theory, after a musician, artist, whoever, hits their peak age (30 or 40 perhaps) that it's over for them. Then if that person is going to live to be 100 years old, all they have to look forward to is 70 years of boring dragging years?

I don't buy that. I choose not to accept such a depressing theory. I am 30 and I sure hope I live to be OVER 100 years old. And if that is the case, I certainly don't want the next 70 years to be a drag.

Very well said! Thats why I still look up to people like Madonna and Prince. All the way into their fifties they are still living life to the fullest and being bold. I'm 30 and will be damned if I let myself die before my time because of some asshole stuck in what are becoming outdated notions of age. People live a long time now. Take it all in and enjoy it. Oh yea and Prince still completely rocks. We are all used to his sound and antics. Bring in someone whos not and they are usually blown away. Even by the new material. Sorry but songs like Lion of Judah, $, Glass Cutter, Planet Earth, Call My Name, Beginning Endlessly, and many more are among his best material ever. To be honest Im not gonna say IMO because just listen to this music it is amazing. LET GO OF THE PAST AND EMBRACE WHAT IS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm only an asshole because you disagree, right? It's weird how I've disagreed with a lot of what's said on this site, but I've never referred to anyone on this site as an "Asshole"....people sure can be rude here.

uh oh there's the a word again :facepalm:

thisisit said:

uh oh there's the a word again :facepalm:

Which word? Asshole???

Tittypants said:

thisisit said:

uh oh there's the a word again :facepalm:

Which word? Asshole???

out of the mouths of babes...

thisisit said:

Tittypants said:

Which word? Asshole???

out of the mouths of babes...

Personally, I don't understand why I'm called that so much on this site....

Tittypants said:

thisisit said:

out of the mouths of babes...

Personally, I don't understand why I'm called that so much on this site....

if that is the extent of your worries then i envy u

thisisit said:

Tittypants said:

Personally, I don't understand why I'm called that so much on this site....

if that is the extent of your worries then i envy u

Tittypants said:

thisisit said:

if that is the extent of your worries then i envy u

Blah, Blah, Blah! Listen at the risk of sounding bitter I came to the org because I got tired of having no one to talk about his music with. What I have found are a lot of really bad cynics. Not hating on anybody but why would you post on a regular basis on a site devoted to someone you think is over and done with. The hope of a future great cd is no reason. I have never seen a "fanbase" hate on an artist so much. How can the public like the new or old material when the "fans" dislike it so much? I used to love every cd when they came out. Then I started coming here and was like WTF? I do enjoy the different opinions but I mean sometimes I feel like this site should be changed to I Hate Prince.

Anyway just venting. I'm sure you are all beautiful people but come on guys. Lets show some support.

meisme said:

Blah, Blah, Blah! Listen at the risk of sounding bitter I came to the org because I got tired of having no one to talk about his music with. What I have found are a lot of really bad cynics. Not hating on anybody but why would you post on a regular basis on a site devoted to someone you think is over and done with. The hope of a future great cd is no reason. I have never seen a "fanbase" hate on an artist so much. How can the public like the new or old material when the "fans" dislike it so much? I used to love every cd when they came out. Then I started coming here and was like WTF? I do enjoy the different opinions but I mean sometimes I feel like this site should be changed to I Hate Prince.

Anyway just venting. I'm sure you are all beautiful people but come on guys. Lets show some support.

I've come to the realization that most of the orgers are simply waiting for one of the following...

...remasters

...opening of the vault

...Prince to die(so they can get the first two)

They'll buy everything they can and hunt down every bootleg they can find but then they will lament about how it's over and he's done.

meisme said:

Blah, Blah, Blah! Listen at the risk of sounding bitter I came to the org because I got tired of having no one to talk about his music with. What I have found are a lot of really bad cynics. Not hating on anybody but why would you post on a regular basis on a site devoted to someone you think is over and done with. The hope of a future great cd is no reason. I have never seen a "fanbase" hate on an artist so much. How can the public like the new or old material when the "fans" dislike it so much? I used to love every cd when they came out. Then I started coming here and was like WTF? I do enjoy the different opinions but I mean sometimes I feel like this site should be changed to I Hate Prince.

Anyway just venting. I'm sure you are all beautiful people but come on guys. Lets show some support.

I'm happy with the Prince of today, personally. [Like I'll say again] I wrote this for those who DO constantly complain about everything I said. From a music stand point, I may be right or I may be wrong [which I honestly hope I am]. But there are a lot of people on this site who complain about stuff that can't be fixed by Prince no matter what. He's not going to give those people stuck on his 80's stuff their wish when it comes to what he used to do. He's more mature, so I'm saying "deal with it".

I came here for the same reason you did btw. But I realize most people read things different or not all. If I comment on threads, I like to read through all of the other comments first before I respond.....

To tell the truth its more that the fans got old and died then prince did. People got wrinkles and kids. Got fat and stuck wanting their youth thru Prince's youth. Thing is prince refused to stand still. Refused to play the game the way he was expected.

He ditched his band, his sound, his record company, his wife and even his name. Why? beacuse Prince is married to his art. We are only voyeurs peeking on his journey. That some of us demand satisfation from him like he is a musical crack dealer is sad. Worse some expect him to be our musical whore.

When you take any kind of journey expect each step to be different each experince to be unlike the last. There really is no going backward. Do I enjoy each step with the same excitement? No because I am mature enough to know that's not possible.

But I most certainly enjoy what Prince has to give. As I have stated before the average prince fan is limited in their own ability to assimilate all the twists and turns and sheer volume of the art prince has produced. I have seen people state that they can't be bothered with even tracking down the protege albums. When in actuality the multitude of protege albums contain some of prince's best work.

Why would anyone think that the excitement they felt for album 2 is going to be the same for album 30 no matter who the artist is? It reflects an unrealistic approach to the effects of time.

The "death of the Prince we used to know" happened on a micro level when we heard the second album because it in itself was a change/shift. What has ketp me with Prince is that he keeps producing works. Keeps revealing his thoughts on the world, life and his own situation on an almost yearly basis.

It is the fans that can't keep up. They want Prince to have a stopping point at a sound/style that they are comfortable with.

tricky99 said:

To tell the truth its more that the fans got old and died then prince did. People got wrinkles and kids. Got fat and stuck wanting their youth thru Prince's youth. Thing is prince refused to stand still. Refused to play the game the way he was expected.

He ditched his band, his sound, his record company, his wife and even his name. Why? beacuse Prince is married to his art. We are only voyeurs peeking on his journey. That some of us demand satisfation from him like he is a musical crack dealer is sad. Worse some expect him to be our musical whore.

When you take any kind of journey expect each step to be different each experince to be unlike the last. There really is no going backward. Do I enjoy each step with the same excitement? No because I am mature enough to know that's not possible.

But I most certainly enjoy what Prince has to give. As I have stated before the average prince fan is limited in their own ability to assimilate all the twists and turns and sheer volume of the art prince has produced. I have seen people state that they can't be bothered with even tracking down the protege albums. When in actuality the multitude of protege albums contain some of prince's best work.

Why would anyone think that the excitement they felt for album 2 is going to be the same for album 30 no matter who the artist is? It reflects an unrealistic approach to the effects of time.

The "death of the Prince we used to know" happened on a micro level when we heard the second album because it in itself was a change/shift. What has ketp me with Prince is that he keeps producing works. Keeps revealing his thoughts on the world, life and his own situation on an almost yearly basis.

It is the fans that can't keep up. They want Prince to have a stopping point at a sound/style that they are comfortable with.

tricky99 said:

To tell the truth its more that the fans got old and died then prince did. People got wrinkles and kids. Got fat and stuck wanting their youth thru Prince's youth. Thing is prince refused to stand still. Refused to play the game the way he was expected.

He ditched his band, his sound, his record company, his wife and even his name. Why? beacuse Prince is married to his art. We are only voyeurs peeking on his journey. That some of us demand satisfation from him like he is a musical crack dealer is sad. Worse some expect him to be our musical whore.

When you take any kind of journey expect each step to be different each experince to be unlike the last. There really is no going backward. Do I enjoy each step with the same excitement? No because I am mature enough to know that's not possible.

But I most certainly enjoy what Prince has to give. As I have stated before the average prince fan is limited in their own ability to assimilate all the twists and turns and sheer volume of the art prince has produced. I have seen people state that they can't be bothered with even tracking down the protege albums. When in actuality the multitude of protege albums contain some of prince's best work.

Why would anyone think that the excitement they felt for album 2 is going to be the same for album 30 no matter who the artist is? It reflects an unrealistic approach to the effects of time.

The "death of the Prince we used to know" happened on a micro level when we heard the second album because it in itself was a change/shift. What has ketp me with Prince is that he keeps producing works. Keeps revealing his thoughts on the world, life and his own situation on an almost yearly basis.

It is the fans that can't keep up. They want Prince to have a stopping point at a sound/style that they are comfortable with.

Wow.............someone who "gets it".

Thanks.

Graycap23 said:

tricky99 said:

To tell the truth its more that the fans got old and died then prince did. People got wrinkles and kids. Got fat and stuck wanting their youth thru Prince's youth. Thing is prince refused to stand still. Refused to play the game the way he was expected.

He ditched his band, his sound, his record company, his wife and even his name. Why? beacuse Prince is married to his art. We are only voyeurs peeking on his journey. That some of us demand satisfation from him like he is a musical crack dealer is sad. Worse some expect him to be our musical whore.

When you take any kind of journey expect each step to be different each experince to be unlike the last. There really is no going backward. Do I enjoy each step with the same excitement? No because I am mature enough to know that's not possible.

But I most certainly enjoy what Prince has to give. As I have stated before the average prince fan is limited in their own ability to assimilate all the twists and turns and sheer volume of the art prince has produced. I have seen people state that they can't be bothered with even tracking down the protege albums. When in actuality the multitude of protege albums contain some of prince's best work.

Why would anyone think that the excitement they felt for album 2 is going to be the same for album 30 no matter who the artist is? It reflects an unrealistic approach to the effects of time.

The "death of the Prince we used to know" happened on a micro level when we heard the second album because it in itself was a change/shift. What has ketp me with Prince is that he keeps producing works. Keeps revealing his thoughts on the world, life and his own situation on an almost yearly basis.

It is the fans that can't keep up. They want Prince to have a stopping point at a sound/style that they are comfortable with.

Wow.............someone who "gets it".

Thanks.

Ikr?

HonestMan13 said:

alexnvrmnd777 said:

Being "excited" about something is hella different than just merely "copping" it. Just because someone downloads his new album doesn't mean there's any excitement in listening to it. I'm not excited AT ALL about his recorded releases (unless they're going to be remasters) or even his current live shows, to be honest. But, I'll still eventually check it out when I get the chance, if anything just to hear what it sounds like.

A lot of people are STILL on this site only to talk mainly about all of the funky, wonderful thiings Prince did for the first 15-16 years (and even shorter, for some of us) of his career. And there's a helluva lot of stuff from that period to discuss, from the stories, personnel involved, the live shows, outtakes/bootlegs, musicianship, etc...

[Edited 6/17/11 23:30pm]

Since pretty much of his work after Warners is out of print or extremely hard to find it stands to reason most of us bought them when they were released. If the ones saying they're done had bought maybe the 2 CD's after they lost interest then I could understand it. 15 years later is not being over anything. If you've supported an artist who you don't care for anymore for 15 years then guess what? You still care for them!

The releases post-Warner are NOT "extremely hard to find". Not at all. What are you talking about? It's easy as hell to download ANY of his albums, and as my post stated, "Just because someone downloads his new album doesn't mean there's any excitement in listening to it." Even then, the physical copies aren't that difficult to cop now either, if you knew where to look. And the majority of my Prince music consumption, post Warner, has been like this: eventually download and then for completist sake at some point, get the CD. And even that part's a stretch, because I STILL haven't bothered trying to cop 20Ten, and probably never will.

Being completely in love with his output from the past few years and merely wondering what it sounds like are completely different things. Then, after listening to it, you're like, "Meh"; when you compare that you then constantly listening to and talking about the things/music from the first 15 years of his career, it does NOT mean you're giving a shit about their stuff anymore.

If someone tells you they didn't give a shit about his current output anymore, just take him/her at their word for it. What's the point in doubting or arguing with them?

tricky99 said:

To tell the truth its more that the fans got old and died then prince did. People got wrinkles and kids. Got fat and stuck wanting their youth thru Prince's youth. Thing is prince refused to stand still. Refused to play the game the way he was expected.

He ditched his band, his sound, his record company, his wife and even his name. Why? beacuse Prince is married to his art. We are only voyeurs peeking on his journey. That some of us demand satisfation from him like he is a musical crack dealer is sad. Worse some expect him to be our musical whore.

When you take any kind of journey expect each step to be different each experince to be unlike the last. There really is no going backward. Do I enjoy each step with the same excitement? No because I am mature enough to know that's not possible.

But I most certainly enjoy what Prince has to give. As I have stated before the average prince fan is limited in their own ability to assimilate all the twists and turns and sheer volume of the art prince has produced. I have seen people state that they can't be bothered with even tracking down the protege albums. When in actuality the multitude of protege albums contain some of prince's best work.

Why would anyone think that the excitement they felt for album 2 is going to be the same for album 30 no matter who the artist is? It reflects an unrealistic approach to the effects of time.

The "death of the Prince we used to know" happened on a micro level when we heard the second album because it in itself was a change/shift. What has ketp me with Prince is that he keeps producing works. Keeps revealing his thoughts on the world, life and his own situation on an almost yearly basis.

It is the fans that can't keep up. They want Prince to have a stopping point at a sound/style that they are comfortable with.

Sure.

Well, I guess everybody's entitled to its opinion.

I discovered Prince when I first saw The most beautiful girl in the world video and and been a fan from The whole Gold Experience album, but my favorite album is actyually Emancipation, (listening to it at the moment) I just love the flows, the groove of it and the way it sounds, I also really like The Vault and Musicology.

Of course I also love the classics, my fav being "Kiss", but.. it ain't over 'til it's over, and I really prefer the way he looks now rather that how he looked during Purple Rain!!!

I don't mind no splits in the shows anymore, as long as I don't see a 2 hours of facial pubic hair

The man looks good, sounds good, he does get older, but hey who doesn't, at least he's still here, not like Mike who left before I even got the chance to see him!

i only care about his bootlegs. everything else blows.

lol, did someone actually say that the fans can't keep up!!!. Sure we can't keep up with lame CD after lame CD where the sense of pride and adventure died a long time ago, we can't keep up with the fact that his gigs are now nothing more than money grabbing excercises, can't keep up with the fact that he doesn't give a damn about his legacy, can't keep up with the fact that he is slowly but surely killing his live rep leagcy by announcing gigs with a few days notice and then has to virtually give away tickets to get butts on seats, can't keep up with the fact that he treats people like shit and above all else can't keep up with the fact that he's 53 clearly has made his millions and has wasted a God given talent pissing around in the studio and achieving fuck all.

In case you wonder why I stick around, well it's more in hope that this creatively dead MF comes back as a bad assed, funked up, rocked out Zombie and reclaims his throne!.

funkyhead said:

we can't keep up with the fact that his gigs are now nothing more than money grabbing excercises, can't keep up with the fact that he doesn't give a damn about his legacy, can't keep up with the fact that he is slowly but surely killing his live rep leagcy by announcing gigs with a few days notice, <br> can't keep up with the fact that he treats people like shit.

Have to agree on that one... ESPECIALLY the last statement... One of the reason why M. Jackson is my #1, he always cared for his fans and showed them lots of respect.

[Edited 6/18/11 16:11pm]

I don't know how to explain this but almost all concerts and tours are done to make money. They are done to sell albums, etc. Prince doesn't have an album to sell but that doesn't make his concert less interesting. He did this back in 1990 with the Nude Tour and he had no album he was selling. It was to raise awareness for his upcoming (and terrible) Graffiti Bridge movie... and to make some money.

His 21 nights in LA were amazing for most of the people who went. I went with low expectations and was blown away by the show. I think it increased his value as a performer and exposed his talent to an new generation of fans, or at least reminded the old fans of how talented he is. People who hadn't seen or paid attention to Prince in well over a decade were going and realizing how amazing he is. Yes, he was doing it to pay his bills, but that is what performers do. Led Zep toured constantly when their first albums came out. It established their reputation and got them noticed and helped sell their records.

Prince is laying the groundwork for something... at least he is hoping to do that.

The problem with Prince is he has ADHD when it comes to his projects. I don't think he is able to devote the sort of time that he did to a project like Purple Rain again. At that time he took a year off from releasing an album (or any protege albums) to focus on creating the synergy of a movie, an album, a tour, and 2 protege albums and it paid off. Right now, he can't focus on one project to make it seem planned. His attention is so scattered that sometimes I am shocked that he even shows up for his performances. He has amazing focus on his music, but when it comes to long term plans and sticking to them, he has major problems. Most of his projects since leaving WB (with the exception of The Rainbow Children and NEWS) have seemed like collections of songs that he was working on with no overall focus. He slaps together songs that he has recently recorded but they rarely build on each other to create a theme. Purple Rain had a theme, ATWIAD had a theme, Parade had a theme and a vibe, SOTT, Lovesexy and even Batman had a theme and consistent vibe that felt united the album... I haven't felt like that with most of his work for a decade and a half. Even Emancipation felt like a scattering of songs he had recorded with no overall theme or direction... and then when he said he'd focus on 3 years of touring to push the album, he stopped touring fairly quickly. I just think he can't focus on one project, and that is unfortunate... at least to me it is.

funkyhead said:

lol, did someone actually say that the fans can't keep up!!!. Sure we can't keep up with lame CD after lame CD where the sense of pride and adventure died a long time ago, we can't keep up with the fact that his gigs are now nothing more than money grabbing excercises, can't keep up with the fact that he doesn't give a damn about his legacy, can't keep up with the fact that he is slowly but surely killing his live rep leagcy by announcing gigs with a few days notice and then has to virtually give away tickets to get butts on seats, can't keep up with the fact that he treats people like shit and above all else can't keep up with the fact that he's 53 clearly has made his millions and has wasted a God given talent pissing around in the studio and achieving fuck all.

In case you wonder why I stick around, well it's more in hope that this creatively dead MF comes back as a bad assed, funked up, rocked out Zombie and reclaims his throne!.

Well it sounds to me like Prince could come out with an album that is better than 1999, PR and SOTT put together and you're not going to be happy. hey, your opinion is your opinion and I respect it but can't agree. Prince has never gotten lazy, he's become undisputably better as a musician, a singer and he has become sharper in the studio past his "golden" years. An attitude like yours (and of course you are not the only one) is not changeable. For me, Prince did plenty, he doesn't have to do a thing ever again and I will cherish him and be proud to call myself a fan forever.

Imaginative said:

You never know.

People counted Dylan as irrelevant and dead, and then in what will most likely be seen as his final period, he releases a great, Oscar Winning single, "Things Have Changed," followed by a triumvirate of classic albums; Time Out of Mind, Love & Theft and Modern Times, that will sit comfortably alongside his best work for the ages.

Paul Simon also continues to release music of a very high quality, but then again he is unusual of his generation in that he has never experienced a dip in quality, outside of his one experiment with Broadway.

[Edited 6/13/11 22:49pm]

Johnny Cash did it!