I hope this thread makes sense(?)

I was a huge 100% Prince fan in 1983 to 1989, + going through thick and thin with him in the

years 1993-95. I guess I was "fan-atic" back then.

then my "Prince fandom" dropped a bit with the release of Emancipation, and the post Warner Bros music. 1996-2010.

Looking back, from when you began listening / following Prince's music:

What "story" can you tell,

what "ups and downs in Prince's career" can you refer to....

Are you still the fan you used to be....

maybe you are even believing more in Prince today, than when you began listening....

Has your "Prince fandom" changed for the better - or worse.

(ps. I am still loving Prince's music, but lets be honest, the music isn't like it was back then, right?)

thedance said:

I hope this thread makes sense(?)

I was a huge 100% Prince fan in 1983 to 1989, + going through thick and thin with him in the

years 1993-95. I guess I was "fan-atic" back then.

then my "Prince fandom" dropped a bit with the release of Emancipation, and the post Warner Bros music. 1996-2010.

Looking back, from when you began listening / following Prince's music:

What "story" can you tell,

what "ups and downs in Prince's career" can you refer to....

Are you still the fan you used to be....

maybe you are even believing more in Prince today, than when you began listening....

Has your "Prince fandom" changed for the better - or worse.

(ps. I am still loving Prince's music, but lets be honest, the music isn't like it was back then, right?)

that & during PR & Lovesexy (mostly live)

Last couple of years, out of ten years. Because I'm a young whippersnapper

I was a huge fan during the 1999-Lovesexy + Batman years HUGE FAN

My attention wavered starting during Batman when I realized the band had changed again

GB totally sapped my affections I was disappointed and embarrassed

Diamonds & Pearls and onward I continued to watch what he was doing

but the painful realization that Uptown was no more just caused me to loose him

I still check out what he was doing but I wasn't a 'fan' anymore

My attentions peaked at different times like when I heard I Hate U, I thought this album was going to be Prince again possibly, I went to the record store as much as often waiting for the album appearance and then was ... let down

I still watched what was going on, but wasn't a hardcore fan anymore

I'm still the fan I used 2 b. Sometimes I lose interest 4 some time, mostly when Prince hasn't released any new music 4 a long time, but in the end my interest has always been strong.

The greatest ball I had being a fan was probably

- 1990-1991 because that's when I bought his complete back catalogue and really got in2 it.

- 1993-1995 because these years were really "the days of wild" in terms of name-change, new music, war with WB, new perspectives, etc.

- 1998 because between Crystal Ball, The Truth, Kama Sutra and the Newpower Pak albums we had so much new music in a year, and I really loved most of it.

- 2001 because NPGMusicClub Year 1 was just the best shit he ever did (in terms of career), with almost an album's worth of new music every month.

After that I'd say that it kinda became a routine, but the release of each of his new albums kept being being among the highlights of my life (music in general is among the greatest highlights of my life!).

I wish he'd do something really significant again in terms of career moves or releasing an enormous amount of music in the lapse of a year.

I think by this time, if I'd had to lose interest in his music, or to start disliking it, it'd be done. 22 years and I'm still really enthusiastic about Prince's music.

I became a fan only four years ago (2007), and throughout 2008 he was all I listened to, and I thought everything he did was perfect. I would classify as "obsessed" back then. Now I still like or love about 90% of his music, but I'd say I hit my peak of Prince 'fandom' in 2008. He was my favorite artist, now I'd say he's #2.

[Edited 9/9/11 16:15pm]

The first song I liked was Alphabet Street. That was released when I was 11. I heard it in a WEA compilation. The next year I loved Batman and in 1989-1990 started buying all his back catalogue with genuine excitement. The first new album I bought after becoming an enthusiast was Diamonds And Pears, which I still love as much as back in the day. I saw him live in 1993. So 1990-1993 was when I was the biggest Prince fan.

I saw the rest of the decade as a downhill for Prince. I liked Come, The Gold Experience and Emancipation, but to me it wasn't the same. Also, in 1994 I became a hardcore David Bowie fan, and he somewhat took Prince's place for me. I still bought New Power Shit and saw him live in 1998. Rave I didn't bought, I listened to a friend of mine's copy and thought it was also shit. That was enough for me. Prince's music became secondary to me until 2009, when I recovered it.

I think the last three years I've been the biggest Prince fan once again... just like in the early 90's. I may not be an old fart after all...

1991 - 1995 - my fav years, and it didn't change through last year!

then could be 1988, i don't like much Lovesexy, but i truly adore performance of Electric Chair, and his gig in Dortmund at Lovesexy Tour.

1993, 2002, 2006-present though I liked him before 93 too

Definitely 95, had most of albums them, first year at College (I was a Freshman away from home), had money coming out my wazoo (Student Loan - Living Expenses), bought any and everything with Prince in it. Remember camping by the Record Store waiting for the "Gold Experience" to be released, playing Purple Medley on the intercom in my hall, and dressing up in Purple for a College Ball. What a great year.

Years 1981 - 1988 were the most appealing to me. Controversy (1981), 1999 (1982), Purple Rain (1984), Around the World in a Day (1985), Parade (1986), Sign o' the Times (1987) & Lovesexy (1988) described perfectly my own inner feelings of sexuality those days. Then I settled down, kinda grew up and moved on in my life.

1984-1988

Aw hell it was all so confusing for me as a kid.

He was Prince, he wasn't Prince, he was a squiggle, he was Prince again. I was born late--86--and didnt even know who Prince was till 98, so I was coming in like just BEFORE the Rave thing took off and I LOVED Prince in Rave. At the time, I almost gave up another singer for Prince before my mom scremaed he "was too nasty!" But I didn't know what to make of Prince when he was TAFKAP, but was like nutty for him during Rave. The long hair, the swagger, the look. He was the shizzz-nizzz-it!

Rave is it!

At first I was gonna say the "1999," "Purple Rain," but then I thought...I have to say how much I loved hearing, "I wanna be your lover," on the radio. The "Prince," album is what I think of when Prince sings, "Boy, I was fine back in the day." I laugh but, I thought so too...I absolutely fell in love at first sight with that picture of Prince...shirtless...Just a cute, puppy love kind of time.

if i have to look back, it would maybe be a few weeks, perhaps months. i love what Prince is doing in 2011. playing music, rocking/funkin' the world, all the while attracting new fans. he has but is still proving himself 2 b one of the hardest working people in show bizz, without the gimmicks that many contemporaries rely on - its real music, skin to instrument (or pick to instrument).

i am excited for his possible next release. feels the same as it did in the early to mid-80's when I could not wait 4 Prince's next cd/album to come out. i can remember going to record shops and pre-ordering these.

all that Prince needs to do now, to satisfy my soul, is bring the NPG Musical Festival down to South Africa. it will be a huge success

1991-2002.

now lol, when my friend bought me the new Prince cd when I moved into my college apartments, a few years back (Lotusflower) I was so excited because everyone knew and still knows I love Prince. I love the era when I was growing up, with diamonds and pearls, the most beautiful girl in the world! Eye hate u, but it wasn't until last summer I watched under the cherry moon and GB on netflix again, I wondered more about him. I am a bigger fan more than ever, however I have died down since I saw him live lol.

i'd have to say 'old boy prince'.. cuz as wonderful as his career has been i can only really identify with being a fan since 2007, so i have to say that after seeing his live shows, following his recent work has been the most exciting & interesting 4 me but that i also very much appreciate his past efforts

1984-1996 Long stretch, I know. I pretty much have only paid attention with the live shows since then and won't pass up a show in Minneapolis. I still get the new CD when it comes out, but it usually ends up right back in the case. The height of my "fandom" was 1991-1996 when I had moved to Minneapolis and went to Glam Slam and Paisley Park all the time.