There is a recurring theme on here stating that Prince's music had it's hay-day in the 80s and has been in decline since... I've also read on many threads that 2004 onwards releases have been scraping the barrel or music-by-numbers.

While I'm willing to agree to this to a certain extent, there also seems to be a constant supply of new fans joining this forum who have only discovered Prince in the last few years.

My question is; for the new fans, did you discover Prince through his 2004 - onward catalogue, instead of past glories. And if so, when you have dug into his back-catalogue (no innuendo intended) do you agree with the longer-term fans that his past work was better, or do you prefer his newer work?

I'm asking for personal opinions and am not out to bait. I'm just curious about whether growing up with his new sound taits his old music to you, whether you like everything, or whether you would also agree that his older work is still his best...

Thanx

Its a good question. I'm an old fan, so I can't answer, but I can look back at how I became a Steve Wonder fan in 1985 at the age of 15.

Stevie was past his glory years. So what made me a fan? It actually was his current "In Square Circles" album, which did not get good reviews. I then worked backwards through his catalogue.

On the flip side...

I became a James Brown Fan based only on his back catalogue.

The first few songs I heard from Prince were off the 3121 album, but the songs that made me a fan were undoubtedly the classics: When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy, Controversy, 1999, Little Red Corvette (this is the song that made me a fan). I've delved extensively into his back catalogue since becoming a fan, and if you're talking about consistency, I do find his older material to be better overall, but I still enjoy recent albums (e.g., LOtUSFLOW3R). My least favourite era is probably the 90s, I do like a lot of songs from that decade, but just can't get into the whole decade.

I posted this in a thread the other day, and I seriously doubt that these ratings are going to change. If you see the way I've rated the albums, chronologically, you can see that there's definitely a pattern which clearly shows that I generally prefer the older material:

For You: 3/5

Prince: 3.5/5

Dirty Mind: 4/5

Controversy: 3.5/5

1999: 4/5

Purple Rain: 4.5/5

Around The World In A Day: 4/5

Parade: 5/5

Sign O' The Times: 5/5

Lovesexy: 4/5

Batman: 2.5/5

Graffiti Bridge: 3.5/5

Diamonds And Pearls: 3/5

: 3.5/5

Come: 3/5

The Gold Experience: 4/5

Chaos And Disorder: 2.5/5

Emancipation: 3/5

Crystal Ball: 4/5

The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale: 3/5

Newpower Soul: 2/5

Rave Un2/In2 The Joy Fantastic: 3/5

The Rainbow Children: 3.5/5

One Nite Alone...: 3/5

Xpectation: 2/5

N.E.W.S.: 3/5

Musicology: 3/5

The Chocolate Invasion: 2.5/5

The Slaughterhouse: 2/5

C-Note: 3/5

3121: 3.5/5

Planet Earth: 3/5

LOtUSFLOW3R: 4/5

MPLSoUND: 3/5

20Ten: 3.5/5

[Edited 7/1/11 7:52am]

SquirrelMeat said:

Its a good question. I'm an old fan, so I can't answer, but I can look back at how I became a Steve Wonder fan in 1985 at the age of 15.

Stevie was past his glory years. So what made me a fan? It actually was his current "In Square Circles" album, which did not get good reviews. I then worked backwards through his catalogue.

On the flip side...

I became a James Brown Fan based only on his back catalogue.

Thought I'd try for a sensible question as there seems to be a lot of filler going on at the moment.

I was the same with Ani Difranco - I discovered her 'Not a Pretty Girl' album then went backwards. I didn't like the older music as much as that album, however every release afterwards I loved... Well, until 'To the Teeth', then I got off the bus as I wasn't feeling it as much.

To keep it really short: Musicology worked as a bait for me to get into the older stuff.

And while I've liked 3121 and Lotusflow3r (though, I admit, that I respectfully admire Lotusflow3r's equilibrism and skill more than I enjoy it), I enjoy the more theatrical sounding Prince of no later than 1995-97.

[Edited 7/1/11 7:55am]

Thanks to Craven and Victor for you input.

Personally I was introduced to his music through 'You've Got the Look' on a mix tape... I then missed LoveSexy somehow and got the Batman soundtrack which (incredibly) hooked me and made me go in search of the decade I'd missed.

I did love his early 90s releases up to Gold/Exodus/Emancipation and anticipated all the new albums making sure I was in the record store on the day of release, but it didn't last and I started to lose a little faith when Rave dropped despite it also being connected to Ani Difranco.

Since then only 3121 has ignited my interest in the same way the early 90s did

Guess I qulify as "new" since becoming a fan 3 years ago.

Let's see, I actually became a fan through watching Purple Rain and I started on my Prince music-listening venture backwards with 1999, Controversy, Dirty Mind, Prince, and For You. I LOVE that music, so I decided to venture onwards through late 80s and 90s and it was declared it okay except for select fews. But my main Prince pacifier is and prefer his early 80s music, even though I still listen and respect his later and coming music.

BTW, when I started, I didn't even know he was still making music! lol, I was shocked when the latest album that came out was Planet Earth in 2007!

i remember liking Musicology, and then Black Sweat, just the singles mind you. It wasn't until i randomly heard 1999 on the radio, that while I knew since i was little, for whatever reason really resonated with me in 2009. I dug into all his older albums, and slowly went forward. I really like 80s Prince, and enjoy 00s Prince, 90s Prince is really off putting to me, he totally grabbed me by his ambiguous, EVERYONE is invited aura. That was a bit lost in the 90s, and still now obviously, but there's something about Prince intentionally trying not to sound like Prince that doesn't sit right with me. It's not like every 80s album sounded the same, so for him to go even more off the deep end just made it unbearable, uncomfortable, and some of it a bit embarrassing really. lol.

id always been a very very very casual fan, only knowing his main stream songs from the radio(i listen to an oldies station). they play erotic city all the time and it became one of my favorite songs, my prince fandom just sortof spiraled out of control from there. and then things got even worse when i saw him in concert

[Edited 7/1/11 14:56pm]

Vict0r said:

The first few songs I heard from Prince were off the 3121 album, but the songs that made me a fan were undoubtedly the classics: When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy, Controversy, 1999, Little Red Corvette (this is the song that made me a fan). I've delved extensively into his back catalogue since becoming a fan, and if you're talking about consistency, I do find his older material to be better overall, but I still enjoy recent albums (e.g., LOtUSFLOW3R). My least favourite era is probably the 90s, I do like a lot of songs from that decade, but just can't get into the whole decade.

I posted this in a thread the other day, and I seriously doubt that these ratings are going to change. If you see the way I've rated the albums, chronologically, you can see that there's definitely a pattern which clearly shows that I generally prefer the older material:

For You: 3/5

Prince: 3.5/5

Dirty Mind: 4/5

Controversy: 3.5/5

1999: 4/5

Purple Rain: 4.5/5

Around The World In A Day: 4/5

Parade: 5/5

Sign O' The Times: 5/5

Lovesexy: 4/5

Batman: 2.5/5

Graffiti Bridge: 3.5/5

Diamonds And Pearls: 3/5

O( >: 3.5/5

Come: 3/5

The Gold Experience: 4/5

Chaos And Disorder: 2.5/5

Emancipation: 3/5

Crystal Ball: 4/5

The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale: 3/5

Newpower Soul: 2/5

Rave Un2/In2 The Joy Fantastic: 3/5

The Rainbow Children: 3.5/5

One Nite Alone...: 3/5

Xpectation: 2/5

N.E.W.S.: 3/5

Musicology: 3/5

The Chocolate Invasion: 2.5/5

The Slaughterhouse: 2/5

C-Note: 3/5

3121: 3.5/5

Planet Earth: 3/5

LOtUSFLOW3R: 4/5

MPLSoUND: 3/5

20Ten: 3.5/5

[Edited 7/1/11 7:52am]

How did u rate the Black Album??

rgsince81 said:

Vict0r said:

The first few songs I heard from Prince were off the 3121 album, but the songs that made me a fan were undoubtedly the classics: When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy, Controversy, 1999, Little Red Corvette (this is the song that made me a fan). I've delved extensively into his back catalogue since becoming a fan, and if you're talking about consistency, I do find his older material to be better overall, but I still enjoy recent albums (e.g., LOtUSFLOW3R). My least favourite era is probably the 90s, I do like a lot of songs from that decade, but just can't get into the whole decade.

I posted this in a thread the other day, and I seriously doubt that these ratings are going to change. If you see the way I've rated the albums, chronologically, you can see that there's definitely a pattern which clearly shows that I generally prefer the older material:

For You: 3/5

Prince: 3.5/5

Dirty Mind: 4/5

Controversy: 3.5/5

1999: 4/5

Purple Rain: 4.5/5

Around The World In A Day: 4/5

Parade: 5/5

Sign O' The Times: 5/5

Lovesexy: 4/5

Batman: 2.5/5

Graffiti Bridge: 3.5/5

Diamonds And Pearls: 3/5

O( >: 3.5/5

Come: 3/5

The Gold Experience: 4/5

Chaos And Disorder: 2.5/5

Emancipation: 3/5

Crystal Ball: 4/5

The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale: 3/5

Newpower Soul: 2/5

Rave Un2/In2 The Joy Fantastic: 3/5

The Rainbow Children: 3.5/5

One Nite Alone...: 3/5

Xpectation: 2/5

N.E.W.S.: 3/5

Musicology: 3/5

The Chocolate Invasion: 2.5/5

The Slaughterhouse: 2/5

C-Note: 3/5

3121: 3.5/5

Planet Earth: 3/5

LOtUSFLOW3R: 4/5

MPLSoUND: 3/5

20Ten: 3.5/5

[Edited 7/1/11 7:52am]

How did u rate the Black Album??

• Dream Factory: 5/5
• Crystal Ball (1986): 4.5/5
• The Black Album: 3.5/5 (I don't see what's so dark about it)

[Edited 7/1/11 18:34pm]

I don't know where I stand since I've been a fan since the Gold Experience album.. didn't live the 80's hype, yet have been a fan from about 15 years now...

I have never lived that Prince craziness from fans in the 80's, when I became a fan (when I first saw the Most Beautiful Girl In The World video on TV), almost nobody was talking about him here, he was like... underground!

Musically speaking, I tend to prefer the albums that are near the time I became a fan, so Gold experience and Emancipation are the ones I listen to the most, since they were 'my' personnal Prince hype time.

I do REALLY enjoy the 80's classics though and some of my favorite are from that era, I just think his music matured and matured good. I love the funk still present in his albums, I was actually very happy when I heard the 20ten album (on ytube before it got erased) cause I loved the sound of it.. (wish he would release it here though..)

Otherwise, I tend to enjoy the albums/songs that most fans don't seem to like a lot.. i.e. Graffiti Bridge

So.. since I can't make my choice between what's best 80's or now, I think I just don't have to choose because the man's career is all of that from the first note he ever played til the day he dies (please let that be in many many years) No matter the albums, there are always gonna be songs I like a lot and others less.

Nosferatu said:

There is a recurring theme on here stating that Prince's music had it's hay-day in the 80s and has been in decline since... I've also read on many threads that 2004 onwards releases have been scraping the barrel or music-by-numbers.

While I'm willing to agree to this to a certain extent, there also seems to be a constant supply of new fans joining this forum who have only discovered Prince in the last few years.

My question is; for the new fans, did you discover Prince through his 2004 - onward catalogue, instead of past glories. And if so, when you have dug into his back-catalogue (no innuendo intended) do you agree with the longer-term fans that his past work was better, or do you prefer his newer work?

I'm asking for personal opinions and am not out to bait. I'm just curious about whether growing up with his new sound taits his old music to you, whether you like everything, or whether you would also agree that his older work is still his best...

Thanx

I'm not a new fan, so actually this question doesn't apply to me...I've been a fan for around ten years....

But I honestly listen to Prince music from all his eras. I don't do 'just the old stuff' or just the new stuff, I bounce back and forth alot. I'll listen to something from Musicology and then listen to an outtake from the 80s...

I've been a fan since 2007. I was familiar with a few of his hits, having heard them on the radio since I was a child, and enjoyed seeing the Musicology video on tv as well as the Superbowl performance--but I think I sought him out mostly because of singles I was familiar with like 1999, Little Red Corvette, Raspberry Beret, and Kiss. I actually didn't know any songs from Purple Rain, but started listening to him with that album.

While I do think there's (usually) at least one song on every album that's worth checking out--including all of his protege/side project output--I think it's clear that his strongest albums were created in the 80s; there are numerous post-80s songs that I consider my favourites... just not any albums.