1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. He didn't dress much differently than many other musicians from the 80's, although at times he definitely wore a lot less than most.

2. The Big 3 of the 80's were Prince, MJ and Madonna. Nobody else came close.

3. Around The World was very surprising, because the artwork and music was unlike anything Prince had ever done - but very similar to the Beatles' Sgt Pepper.

4. There were many others that parents tried to keep away from their kids - Rick James, 2 Live Crew, Guns 'N Roses to name a few.

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

Not even close. Prince being well dressed is a recent thing. Before the Lotusflower era he just work whatever insanse outfirst made him stand out next to all the tall women in stilettos that he hired to dance on stage. He used to look like a midget transvestite who had stolen half his clothes from Boosty Collins and the rest from Frederick's of Hollywood.

2. Who was Prince real competition?

Michael Jackson and Madonna in the 1980s. But by 1993 The Chronic had blown up and Prince was washed away by the rising tide of G-Funk rappers.

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

Not half as much as the music. Cover art in the first half of the 80s was pretty shitty in general, so ATWIAD wasn't at all odd.

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

I don't think most parents had any clue what Prince was singing about. They just thought he was that nonthreatening light-skinned black evangelist who played stuff that sounded vaguely like disco. What freaked out parents in the 1980s was Madonna and the secret backwards messages supposedly hidden on metal albums. That's probably why Tipper Gore went on a crusade against “Darling Nikki”. Nobody paid attention to the guy who opened “Let's Go Crazy” with a sermon when Madonna was boning black Jesus and dancing in front of burning crosses.

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. no

2. michael jackson and madonna and he lost to both

3. not really

4. my parents liked prince

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. Maybe not the best, but certainly one of the most interesting. Moving from from his earlier look to Purple Rain to ATWIAD - all very interesting and unique.

2. I would say 'none'. People have listed MJ and Madonna, but they were "popular at the same time" more than real competition. Others include U2, Bruce, Guns and Roses, etc. But in term of someone who created their own sound, wrote their own musics, played all (or most) of the parts, was a strong front man that sang, played guitar, and danced? Nobody. Joni Mitchell once called Prince an "amazing hybrid" - and I think that is a pretty good description. He borught together punk, funk, R&B, rock, and sometimes gospel.

3. Not a surprise - but it was different and cool. He was created his own world and followers. I still remember "May u live to see the dawn" on the album covers / insert. He did a good job of creating a sense of belonging to something bigger than the music. I do remember how cool I thought the mountains were on the cover (lady lying down).

4. My parents liked me listening to Prince. Sex aside, there is a lot of positivity. Metal scarred parents more at that time.

Madonna and MJ weren't in the same league as Prince. NOT EVEN CLOSE! What are you talking about? It's almost insane to compare these people to him. This world is full of crazyness.

ludwig said:

Madonna and MJ weren't in the same league as Prince. NOT EVEN CLOSE! What are you talking about? It's almost insane to compare these people to him. This world is full of crazyness.

Not this again.

smoothcriminal12 said:

ludwig said:

Madonna and MJ weren't in the same league as Prince. NOT EVEN CLOSE! What are you talking about? It's almost insane to compare these people to him. This world is full of crazyness.

Not this again.

You don't like to hear the truth?

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. Not at all. Although my mom was happy to see him clean cut during the Parade/Under the Cherry Moon era.

2. It was MJ, Madonna and Bruce as the top 3 artist of the 80's. Prince was 4th, except during his brillant run from 82-86. He was emulated by a lot of acts, mostly one hit wonders though. His choice of singles and crap videos is what kept Prince in 4th place.

3. Not that big of a deal really, the font was the cool part of that release as well as the debut of the original Paipley Park logo.It was one of the first releases on CD format. It was packaged different than most cd's, which was annoying. Just like Lovesexy being one track.

4. I was 12 when 1999 came out, Prince taught me a lot about sex. I knew what tracks to play around my parents and what to just play on the walkman. The publicity he recieved about his blend of sexuality/religion was controversial but never stopped my parents from letting me go see the movie Purple Rain and the Tour.

ludwig said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

Not this again.

You don't like to hear the truth?

Your truth, not the truth.

And the only reason I said that is because you KNOW what happens when someone says that.

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. Pretty much...

2. Frank Zappa and Bruce Springsteen somewhat in the live act department, on record there was no competition... Madonna and MJ were catering to kids, different ballpark... At least that's how my parents saw it...

3. No...

4. Don't know, listening to Prince was pretty common and normal in The Netherlands in the 1980's... My parents indoctrinated me with Prince, Zappa, Bowie, P-Funk and Jazz when I grew up...

From what I can remember is that parents cared more about what their kids were doing than to what they were listening to... When I entered my "Gangster rap" phase in the early 1990's that's when they started to get a little nervous but never tried to censor what I was listening to...

Neversin.

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. Best dressed? Best individual style.

2. In my book, (a musician) Prince only had Stevie Wonder as competion in a TALENT situation.

Writing, producing, singing, and playing. Sales and all of the other stuff had nothing 2 do with competetion but mostly marketing.

3. No.

4. Parents in my neck of the world had more important issues than worring about what type of music we listened 2. It was a NONE issue.

jpnyc said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

Not even close. Prince being well dressed is a recent thing. Before the Lotusflower era he just work whatever insanse outfirst made him stand out next to all the tall women in stilettos that he hired to dance on stage. He used to look like a midget transvestite who had stolen half his clothes from Boosty Collins and the rest from Frederick's of Hollywood.

2. Who was Prince real competition?

Michael Jackson and Madonna in the 1980s. But by 1993 The Chronic had blown up and Prince was washed away by the rising tide of G-Funk rappers.

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

Not half as much as the music. Cover art in the first half of the 80s was pretty shitty in general, so ATWIAD wasn't at all odd.

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

I don't think most parents had any clue what Prince was singing about. They just thought he was that nonthreatening light-skinned black evangelist who played stuff that sounded vaguely like disco. What freaked out parents in the 1980s was Madonna and the secret backwards messages supposedly hidden on metal albums. That's probably why Tipper Gore went on a crusade against “Darling Nikki”. Nobody paid attention to the guy who opened “Let's Go Crazy” with a sermon when Madonna was boning black Jesus and dancing in front of burning crosses.

Nailed it.

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. in the 80s definitely. in the 90s definitely not.

2. himself

3. not as much as frankie goes to hollywoods "welcome to the pleasuredome"

4. my parents wouldn't even have tried, can't beat a good british mam and dad.

1) He was never considered "best dressed" back then. Sure his clothes were one of a kind, but we've always said that he can wear stuff that no other man can wear. Still kinda holds true today.

2) He was always lumped in with the 'other' mega stars of the 80's but he had no real competition back then. The 'Rick James' rivalry was created by Rick. Anytime P was mentioned in the media

back then (1983-85) it was usually MJ's name mentioned, not Rick's.

3) Wasn't suprised by the cover art. Actually expected something off the wall and completely

different from "Purple Rain". Half the fun was trying to figure out which band member was on

the cover.

4) After the Tipper Gore deal, it kind of backfired on her. P was the biggest star back then and he

crossed over with so much success. EVERYONE I knew dug and respected P and his music in

1984-85. Even my own mother (who said he was a 'hot mess' in 1981) respected him by

then.

bonnie184 said:

2. It was MJ, Madonna and Bruce as the top 3 artist of the 80's. Prince was 4th, except during his brillant run from 82-86. He was emulated by a lot of acts, mostly one hit wonders though. His choice of singles and crap videos is what kept Prince in 4th place.

According to Billboard:

Michael Jackson had 18 Top 40 hits in the 80s, Madonna had 20, Prince had 19. Springsteen had only 13. So......

Add to that, Prince had at least 7 more Top 40 hits through the likes of Sheena Easton, Sheila E., The Bangles & The Time not to mention Chaka Khan having her biggest hit of the 80s covering Prince. And as you said, I believe, more artists tried to cop Prince's sound & vibe than Michael, Madonna or Bruce.

Anyways, Prince WAS in the top 3, not Bruce, and, if you count his proteges, he managed to have more Top 40 hits (in the 80s) than all the others.

[Edited 7/25/11 15:05pm]

[Edited 7/25/11 15:06pm]

djThunderfunk said:

bonnie184 said:

2. It was MJ, Madonna and Bruce as the top 3 artist of the 80's. Prince was 4th, except during his brillant run from 82-86. He was emulated by a lot of acts, mostly one hit wonders though. His choice of singles and crap videos is what kept Prince in 4th place.

According to Billboard:

Michael Jackson had 18 Top 40 hits in the 80s, Madonna had 20, Prince had 19. Springsteen had only 13. So......

Add to that, Prince had at least 7 more Top 40 hits through the likes of Sheena Easton, Sheila E., The Bangles & The Time not to mention Chaka Khan having her biggest hit of the 80s covering Prince. And as you said, I believe, more artists tried to cop Prince's sound & vibe than Michael, Madonna or Bruce.

Anyways, Prince WAS in the top 3, not Bruce, and, if you count his proteges, he managed to have more Top 40 hits (in the 80s) than all the others.

[Edited 7/25/11 15:05pm]

[Edited 7/25/11 15:06pm]

Hey, that's cheating!

smoothcriminal12 said:

djThunderfunk said:

According to Billboard:

Michael Jackson had 18 Top 40 hits in the 80s, Madonna had 20, Prince had 19. Springsteen had only 13. So......

Add to that, Prince had at least 7 more Top 40 hits through the likes of Sheena Easton, Sheila E., The Bangles & The Time not to mention Chaka Khan having her biggest hit of the 80s covering Prince. And as you said, I believe, more artists tried to cop Prince's sound & vibe than Michael, Madonna or Bruce.

Anyways, Prince WAS in the top 3, not Bruce, and, if you count his proteges, he managed to have more Top 40 hits (in the 80s) than all the others.

[Edited 7/25/11 15:05pm]

[Edited 7/25/11 15:06pm]

Hey, that's cheating!

MJ did the same with Rockwell (Somebody's Watching Me), maybe others, but certainly not 7...

bonnie184 said:

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. Not at all. Although my mom was happy to see him clean cut during the Parade/Under the Cherry Moon era.

2. It was MJ, Madonna and Bruce as the top 3 artist of the 80's. Prince was 4th, except during his brillant run from 82-86. He was emulated by a lot of acts, mostly one hit wonders though. His choice of singles and crap videos is what kept Prince in 4th place.

3. Not that big of a deal really, the font was the cool part of that release as well as the debut of the original Paipley Park logo.It was one of the first releases on CD format. It was packaged different than most cd's, which was annoying. Just like Lovesexy being one track.

4. I was 12 when 1999 came out, Prince taught me a lot about sex. I knew what tracks to play around my parents and what to just play on the walkman. The publicity he recieved about his blend of sexuality/religion was controversial but never stopped my parents from letting me go see the movie Purple Rain and the Tour.

Well, that's half the decade, so where is he in your eyes for that particular time?

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. 80's yes with Madonna, 90's definitely not

2. In the 80s for me it was Madonna and Michael for pop, but people like Terence Trent Darby and Whitney Houston were definite threats, later on towards 1988 -1990, Living colour were another threat, but their appeal did not endure. Also some may say that groups like REM and U2 may have been a threat to him in the Rock Stakes and even Springsteen as the corporate threat.

3. Not really, a lot of lesser known 80s acts in New Zealand and Australia had strange and flouro coloured album covers like Split Enz for instance. Prince's cover looks tame and conservative compared to covers by Mental as anything, Split Enz, Crowded House etc.

4. In our house, all types of extreme metal like Judas Priest and Megadeth were banned (My brother was into them), same with Twisted Sister, Boy George and anyone else who did not look like the gender they were (Annie Lennox too) as my parents were worried such artist would make me a homosexual (I already was!!!). By 1990 they had banned all the rap by 2 live crew, Ice T, nigger with attitude etc.

Adorecream said:

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. 80's yes with Madonna, 90's definitely not

2. In the 80s for me it was Madonna and Michael for pop, but people like Terence Trent Darby and Whitney Houston were definite threats, later on towards 1988 -1990, Living colour were another threat, but their appeal did not endure. Also some may say that groups like REM and U2 may have been a threat to him in the Rock Stakes and even Springsteen as the corporate threat.

3. Not really, a lot of lesser known 80s acts in New Zealand and Australia had strange and flouro coloured album covers like Split Enz for instance. Prince's cover looks tame and conservative compared to covers by Mental as anything, Split Enz, Crowded House etc.

4. In our house, all types of extreme metal like Judas Priest and Megadeth were banned (My brother was into them), same with Twisted Sister, Boy George and anyone else who did not look like the gender they were (Annie Lennox too) as my parents were worried such artist would make me a homosexual (I already was!!!). By 1990 they had banned all the rap by 2 live crew, Ice T, nigger with attitude etc.

No NWA

ManlyMoose said:

Adorecream said:

1. 80's yes with Madonna, 90's definitely not

2. In the 80s for me it was Madonna and Michael for pop, but people like Terence Trent Darby and Whitney Houston were definite threats, later on towards 1988 -1990, Living colour were another threat, but their appeal did not endure. Also some may say that groups like REM and U2 may have been a threat to him in the Rock Stakes and even Springsteen as the corporate threat.

3. Not really, a lot of lesser known 80s acts in New Zealand and Australia had strange and flouro coloured album covers like Split Enz for instance. Prince's cover looks tame and conservative compared to covers by Mental as anything, Split Enz, Crowded House etc.

4. In our house, all types of extreme metal like Judas Priest and Megadeth were banned (My brother was into them), same with Twisted Sister, Boy George and anyone else who did not look like the gender they were (Annie Lennox too) as my parents were worried such artist would make me a homosexual (I already was!!!). By 1990 they had banned all the rap by 2 live crew, Ice T, nigger with attitude etc.

No NWA

Why would you even let your parents become aware of the existence of the the likes of N.W.A.? That's the kind of thing you should have listened to on headphones and when out with friends, not on your boombox in your bedroom with mom & pop in the room next door...

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. As others have said, no. He was trying to get attention and express himself (especially in the 80s), not be classically stylish.

2. For the 80s: Michael Jackson, U2, REM, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen. He wasn't as big in the 90s. There were a lot of artists who sold more than he did. Depends how you define "competition", of course.

3. I remember that people were more surprised by the music in ATWIAD. Many people expected "Purple Rain 2" and were disappointed. (By the way Bruce Springsteen did something similar - with "Nebraska" coming after "The River")

4. No. Metal and rap were considered worse by many parents. Mine didn't have any problem with me listening to Prince when I was a teenager.

dandeeland said:

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. no

2. michael jackson and madonna and he lost to both

3. not really

4. my parents liked prince

Though I will say IMO he lost to MJ and Madonna COMMERCIALLY, not artistically.

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

From 82-88 he was...but that's just my opinion.

2. Who was Prince real competition?

His only competition was MJ. I don't ever remember talk of who's better...Prince or Madonna? But that's all you ever heard between him and Mike. That said...they were definitely the "Big 3". And if Prince came in third, it's only because he refused to sell HIMSELF...he only sold the music, which is all that matters. In other words...PRINCE WON!!!

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

No...but the music sure did. He was accused of being "too white", which was a crock of shit. I mean, did they even listen to "Tamborine", "Paisley Park" and "Pop Life"? Sure, it was a hippie kind of sound, but too white? Nah...too funky! But honestly...it was the end of an era. Clinton dropped "Atomic Dog" in 82, then Prince dropped "1999". After that, hip hop took over soul music...some folks held on, but many shook their heads at "Purple Rain" for being "too rock". "ATWIAD" was the straw that broke the camel's back. When it dropped is when most of the "black" community left Prince.

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

No...they were WAAAAY more concerned with metal..."devil worship" music is what they called it.

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. There were a few moments in the 80's where he was definetly the best naked artist.

2. What competition? He had his own universe.

3. Never heard anyone talking about that. We had Madonna to upset the pope with things like masturbating on stage.

4. I believe my mom is still scared of him. BUT she NEVER censored any reality for me in any way, Thank god for that

djThunderfunk said:

bonnie184 said:

2. It was MJ, Madonna and Bruce as the top 3 artist of the 80's. Prince was 4th, except during his brillant run from 82-86. He was emulated by a lot of acts, mostly one hit wonders though. His choice of singles and crap videos is what kept Prince in 4th place.

According to Billboard:

Michael Jackson had 18 Top 40 hits in the 80s, Madonna had 20, Prince had 19. Springsteen had only 13. So......

Add to that, Prince had at least 7 more Top 40 hits through the likes of Sheena Easton, Sheila E., The Bangles & The Time not to mention Chaka Khan having her biggest hit of the 80s covering Prince. And as you said, I believe, more artists tried to cop Prince's sound & vibe than Michael, Madonna or Bruce.

Anyways, Prince WAS in the top 3, not Bruce, and, if you count his proteges, he managed to have more Top 40 hits (in the 80s) than all the others.

[Edited 7/25/11 15:05pm]

[Edited 7/25/11 15:06pm]

Okay...I just answered how I remembered it. A 20 year span puts Bruce in 4th. His releases were much better received than Prince/ in the 90's. I wish he was #1, he's my favorite, but my opinion is he was 4th.

His brilliant run from 82-86 includes the protege stuff, he was great from 80 to 82, but when What Time is it?, Vanity 6, 1999 came out in 82, that's when the brilliance/genius came and continued that pace up until the end of 86 (oddly coinciding with Wendy & Lisa departure) But after Sign(recorded mostly in 86), The Family,Jill Jones and Madhouse stuff came out he started losing his crasp on the title of the musical genius of that time. I mean he was still great live after 86, but his ability to produce/write classic material started fading fast. We got a few gems after that time period, but not like those years.

Some of these answers are complete nonsense.

Let's take a look at number 2: Competition.

Prince: Diversity, Funk, pop, rock, ballads, R&B, Blues,........and every other style u can throw around.

Prince: Write, arrange, perform and produce his own material.

Prince: Live: vocals, guitar, piano and dancing.

Prince: His own unique sound that folks in 2011 are still borrowing from.

Competition: Name a single other artist that could do the same. (I'll be waiting 4 your answer)

[Edited 7/26/11 6:00am]

Graycap23 said:

Some of these answers are complete nonsense.

Let's take a look at number 2: Competition.

Prince: Diversity, Funk, pop, rock, ballads, R&B, Blues,........and every other style u can throw around.

Prince: Write, arrange, perform and produce his own material.

Prince: Live: vocals, guitar, piano and dancing.

Prince: His own unique sound that folks in 2011 are still borrowing from.

Competition: Name a single other artist that could do the same. (I'll be waiting 4 your answer)

[Edited 7/26/11 6:00am]

To be honest, I'd say Stevie Wonder. That's all I can think of NOW. Michael may be my favourite artist, but I will definitely say that Prince is way more well-rounded than he ever was.

TylerHippie said:

1. Was Prince the best dress artist during the 80's and 90's?

2. Who was Prince real competition?

3. Did the cover art to "Around The World In A Day" suprise people?

4. Was Prince the only artist parents did not want their kids to listen to?

[Edited 7/24/11 23:09pm]

1. Good question. It's too bad I don't have a definitely answer at the moment.

2. In the case of The Funk, Rick James. In the case of crossover mainstream pop culture, Michael Jackson. In the case of musicianship, Stevie Wonder.

3. The only thing that surprise me about the album cover was the fact that The Beatles NEVER got any credit from Prince for the inspiration.

4. Are you kidding? My late mother used to be a Prince fan! But I think she stopped after the Parade album, while my older sister and I continue on as Prince-fans.

[Edited 7/26/11 6:27am]