madhouseman said:

V10LETBLUES said:

Obviously people visit this site becasue we love/like Prince's work, maybe not all, but in general. Let's not get too screwy and try to make more of it than that.

What I got from the thread topic was about a common complaint by some about the quality of his newer music not being up to the level of his classic works, or just not digging it as much. That's all.

I personally do not get why some want to blow this up into anything more than that or insulting people becasue of it. Art is subjective and expressing our thoughts on it is not just natural, but also integral to art appreciation. Part of art appreciation involves "listening" to others opinion in an open discussion. Not about asking questions and then trying to expel folks when they answer.

So relax everyone, don't take your fandom too seriously. Enjoy the site. I do. I love this site. Don't get too bent out of shape, it's not science, it's just about personal art appreciation and personal tastes. Ease your finger from the trigger, everything is going to be alright.

[Edited 10/14/11 18:32pm]

So true. No one asked if we hated Prince, weren't fans, etc. It was "when did Prince lose you"... and many have honestly answered that, only to be kicked for answering it. I don't know why it is so important for everyone to be a fan of everything the man has done to qualify to be on this site! lol. Some things he's done well, others have sucked and the uber-fan herd has thinned, but everyone still has just as much right and reason to be involved in this site. I don't know how to put it any simpler than that.

Nobody said you had to like everything. Now you're either trolling or just being a d-bag.

Spinlight said:

madhouseman said:

So true. No one asked if we hated Prince, weren't fans, etc. It was "when did Prince lose you"... and many have honestly answered that, only to be kicked for answering it. I don't know why it is so important for everyone to be a fan of everything the man has done to qualify to be on this site! lol. Some things he's done well, others have sucked and the uber-fan herd has thinned, but everyone still has just as much right and reason to be involved in this site. I don't know how to put it any simpler than that.

Nobody said you had to like everything. Now you're either trolling or just being a d-bag.

just clarifying it for those who don't understand, but then again, I'm probably both! hahaha

Spinlight said:

madhouseman said:

So true. No one asked if we hated Prince, weren't fans, etc. It was "when did Prince lose you"... and many have honestly answered that, only to be kicked for answering it. I don't know why it is so important for everyone to be a fan of everything the man has done to qualify to be on this site! lol. Some things he's done well, others have sucked and the uber-fan herd has thinned, but everyone still has just as much right and reason to be involved in this site. I don't know how to put it any simpler than that.

Nobody said you had to like everything. Now you're either trolling or just being a d-bag.

Dude you're so predictable. I know you do not merit a response and I want to pity you and have compassion for you becasue you were obviously abused as a kid or something, but you remind me too much of snot globed tissue that also doubled as a tampon. Don't call someone a douche or troll when you are ten levels below that yourself.

squirrelgrease said:

Dsoul said:

The hard line religion being crow barred into every song put me off but I aso fully believe his music dropped off in quality at the same time. I've liked a few songs since but he's mainly just the 80s and 90s music plus live performances to me now.

That's exactly it for me as well. The lyrics are now made to fit an ideal, no matter how ham-handed it ends up sounding, Prince seems to be OK with it as long as "The Truth" is spread on a bed of instrumentation and passed off as a song. It comes off as a clumsy musical equivalent of a JW pamphlet. In the past, his religious views were soft-pedalled for the most part, or at the very least thoughtfully and poetically married to the music.

Sure, there is the occasional gem, and even full LP that showcase how talented he is as a musician and can be as a lyricist, but those two elements in combination are few and far between since his Larry Graham mind-meld.

Yep and ultimately music used to be far away #1 in his life then it took a back seat to Jehovah and the rest is history... ever diminishing returns.

NeonCraxx said:

It's their loss. Not Prince's.

Just saying.

Laura?

squirrelgrease said:

NeonCraxx said:

It's their loss. Not Prince's.

Just saying.

Laura?

Sarah?

Spinlight said:

madhouseman said:

So true. No one asked if we hated Prince, weren't fans, etc. It was "when did Prince lose you"... and many have honestly answered that, only to be kicked for answering it. I don't know why it is so important for everyone to be a fan of everything the man has done to qualify to be on this site! lol. Some things he's done well, others have sucked and the uber-fan herd has thinned, but everyone still has just as much right and reason to be involved in this site. I don't know how to put it any simpler than that.

Nobody said you had to like everything. Now you're either trolling or just being a d-bag.

Huh? Spinlight, I like you and usually your posts are cheekily brash, but have intelligent thought behind them. I'm very curious as to why you think madhouseman is trolling. What I'm reading from him is that he's trying to explain his point of view and the way it ties in with the question posed by the OP. For some reason a few folks cannot wrap their heads around the simple concept that we can still be fans of Prince's past output, but find that the early genius has perhaps become just plain crazy at a certain point in his career.

Madhouseman has been nothing but straightforward and polite in his vain attempt to explain his POV. I can't fathom the need for name calling on your part, especially in this case of a simple back-and-forth, generally pleasant discourse.

NeonCraxx said:

squirrelgrease said:

Laura?

Sarah?

I don't know if he ever lost me but he came darn close circa 1998-2003.

Crystal Ball was quite a disappointment. I thought he could have given us quite a bit more music, instead we got two discs spread over three. The Truth was quite good, I like it much more now than I did then. Kamasutra? It's hard for me to rate that as good or bad but I don't have the hatred for it that some fans do.

Newpower Soul I still regard as one of his three weakest albums. I don't necessarily blame Larry but it just strikes me as being a singularly uninspired effort.

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale had some gems and I like it much more now but at the time it was underwhelming. I'm not sure what I was expecting but after being slightly disappointed with the contents of Crystal Ball I had high hopes which were not met.

Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic had some good songs but it seemed like he was pandering too much to the "mainstream" audience. For the most part the guest appearances do not work and "Everyday Is a Winding Road" should have been taken behind a shed and shot in the head before it ever reached the public.

This brings us to the NPGMC. At the time I did not own a computer so I didn't see the point in joining. In fact I was not even aware that the club existed until I saw the ad for it in the booklet of The Rainbow Children. Obviously if he was releasing most of his new music as downloads and I had no way to hear them I ignored this era. I didn't really hear much of this material until 2003-2004. Much like Newpower Soul I found this material to be very lacking in inspiration. Most of the songs have at least one cool element to them but very few of them work as actual songs. It's easy for me to understand why the High album was scrapped. I would probably rate this era as his most confused and least focused.

The Rainbow Children I can appreciate on some levels but I just don't like it. Musically I dig the fact that for the first time in ages he was pushing himself and trying something new and I think it is one of his best sounding albums but I don't really care for a lot of the lite jazz sound of the songs. The keyboards in particular bug me. I quite like the last four songs ("She Loves Me 4 Me," "Family Name," "The Everlasting Now" and "Last December") but otherwise I don't care for much of it.

One Nite Alone-Piano was ok but not being a member of the NPGMC I did not hear it until a couple of years after it was released. I view it as a cousin to The Truth but unlike that album many of the songs seem a bit underdeveloped. It's not terrible but far from great.

Around this time he started to release a fair bit of instrumental only music (Xpectation, N.E.W.S., most of C-Note), this stuff I really didn't care for nor did I enjoy the "jazzy" sound of the One Nite Alone box set. For me 2003 was definitely the time I was least interested in his new music. I was actually a little worried that he had abandoned vocal pop music. Had he done so I'm sure that I would have continued to buy the albums but I don't think I would have received much enjoyment from them.

Musicology was probably the first album I enjoyed since The Truth and since then I have quite enjoyed his output, even Planet Earth which a lot of people seem to dislike. The only dud for me in recent years was MPLSoUND. Lotusflow3r I love and would rank as one of his better albums, easily his best since Emancipation.

So for me 1998-2003 I kind of view as being the "dark ages." There are quite a few songs from that time that I enjoy but overall for me this is his weakest era. While I do quite like the 2004-present era I do wish that he would try something much more ambitious. True, I didn't care for The Rainbow Children but I would love for him to try something like that again. His recent music has been good but it has also been a little too safe. Also, even though they are not my favourites I wouldn't mind him releasing another instrumental album just for a change.

Congratulations to anyone that managed to read all of that crap!

squirrelgrease said:

NeonCraxx said:

Sarah?

OMFG so good to see u again hehe....

Anyway back to what i was gonna say...Im what u say casual now...yes back in the day aka 80s when it all began i was deep in his music ...is all i would listen to....NOW... well another story i like variety of music ranging from jazz to whatever catches my ear or what ever i feel at times and yes certain Prince aka purple midget songs catch my feet a tapping....and another thing called real life has taken hold that i cant eat sleep and breath or take a shit the purple fucker 24/7..sorry daughter comes first before a purple man ....he purple midget has his pros and cons like all in the world ... and if he cant take a bit of criticism then o well its life....he isnt MY god nor God himself although there are ppl on this site that think that and that is their perogative.

Secondly..i have to agree with squirrels comment about calling someone a dbag and name calling and telling them to LEAVE a site all cause they voice their honest opinion on a thread is insane all at the same time ... telling anyone to leave would be there own choice and not the one calling names .....if anyone ends up leaving the site will be cause of a banning..so tbh ill be laughing about that one...*whispers* its call personal attack or flaming read ur org rules on that one Spinlight

im sorry i dont bow down to the purple fucker like i did but hey its life

I think I just vomited in my mouth from the foul stench of bullshit.

The purple yoda never completely lost me but on more than a few occasions(years 95-2010) i've listened to a new album and thought to myself, "What the F*** is this"?? With Prince(4 me) it's like that saying, "Every time i try to get out, they(he) pull(s) me back in!!" I been a fan since 1980 so i guess im in it for the duration.

squirrelgrease said:

Spinlight said:

Nobody said you had to like everything. Now you're either trolling or just being a d-bag.

Huh? Spinlight, I like you and usually your posts are cheekily brash, but have intelligent thought behind them. I'm very curious as to why you think madhouseman is trolling. What I'm reading from him is that he's trying to explain his point of view and the way it ties in with the question posed by the OP. For some reason a few folks cannot wrap their heads around the simple concept that we can still be fans of Prince's past output, but find that the early genius has perhaps become just plain crazy at a certain point in his career.

Madhouseman has been nothing but straightforward and polite in his vain attempt to explain his POV. I can't fathom the need for name calling on your part, especially in this case of a simple back-and-forth, generally pleasant discourse.

I think the difficultly in believing what they're saying is true is the fact that they still bother to buy the new material. The fact that they don't like it has nothing to do with it. If Prince lost you with a particular CD then buying the following 2 might be understood. Buying the following 10 CDs is not the sign of a "lost" fan!

pretty much spot on musically (although I though Musicology was lame too) but you avoid what I think is the main problem with post-Emancipation Prince. This fanatical, incoherent, mean spirted, racist, mysoginist, "religious" vibe. (dont know if its JW or some concoction from his head. its definitely not "Christian" to me)

rialb said:

I don't know if he ever lost me but he came darn close circa 1998-2003.

Crystal Ball was quite a disappointment. I thought he could have given us quite a bit more music, instead we got two discs spread over three. The Truth was quite good, I like it much more now than I did then. Kamasutra? It's hard for me to rate that as good or bad but I don't have the hatred for it that some fans do.

Newpower Soul I still regard as one of his three weakest albums. I don't necessarily blame Larry but it just strikes me as being a singularly uninspired effort.

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale had some gems and I like it much more now but at the time it was underwhelming. I'm not sure what I was expecting but after being slightly disappointed with the contents of Crystal Ball I had high hopes which were not met.

Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic had some good songs but it seemed like he was pandering too much to the "mainstream" audience. For the most part the guest appearances do not work and "Everyday Is a Winding Road" should have been taken behind a shed and shot in the head before it ever reached the public.

This brings us to the NPGMC. At the time I did not own a computer so I didn't see the point in joining. In fact I was not even aware that the club existed until I saw the ad for it in the booklet of The Rainbow Children. Obviously if he was releasing most of his new music as downloads and I had no way to hear them I ignored this era. I didn't really hear much of this material until 2003-2004. Much like Newpower Soul I found this material to be very lacking in inspiration. Most of the songs have at least one cool element to them but very few of them work as actual songs. It's easy for me to understand why the High album was scrapped. I would probably rate this era as his most confused and least focused.

The Rainbow Children I can appreciate on some levels but I just don't like it. Musically I dig the fact that for the first time in ages he was pushing himself and trying something new and I think it is one of his best sounding albums but I don't really care for a lot of the lite jazz sound of the songs. The keyboards in particular bug me. I quite like the last four songs ("She Loves Me 4 Me," "Family Name," "The Everlasting Now" and "Last December") but otherwise I don't care for much of it.

One Nite Alone-Piano was ok but not being a member of the NPGMC I did not hear it until a couple of years after it was released. I view it as a cousin to The Truth but unlike that album many of the songs seem a bit underdeveloped. It's not terrible but far from great.

Around this time he started to release a fair bit of instrumental only music (Xpectation, N.E.W.S., most of C-Note), this stuff I really didn't care for nor did I enjoy the "jazzy" sound of the One Nite Alone box set. For me 2003 was definitely the time I was least interested in his new music. I was actually a little worried that he had abandoned vocal pop music. Had he done so I'm sure that I would have continued to buy the albums but I don't think I would have received much enjoyment from them.

Musicology was probably the first album I enjoyed since The Truth and since then I have quite enjoyed his output, even Planet Earth which a lot of people seem to dislike. The only dud for me in recent years was MPLSoUND. Lotusflow3r I love and would rank as one of his better albums, easily his best since Emancipation.

So for me 1998-2003 I kind of view as being the "dark ages." There are quite a few songs from that time that I enjoy but overall for me this is his weakest era. While I do quite like the 2004-present era I do wish that he would try something much more ambitious. True, I didn't care for The Rainbow Children but I would love for him to try something like that again. His recent music has been good but it has also been a little too safe. Also, even though they are not my favourites I wouldn't mind him releasing another instrumental album just for a change.

Congratulations to anyone that managed to read all of that crap!

squirrelgrease said:

Right about here...

[img:$uid]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n276/squirrelgrease/AnimatedGifs-5/Puppet-1.gif[/img:$uid]

This gif.

To answer the original question, I've only been a fan for a couple of years or so, so he's never 'lost' me, but there's albums/songs which I don't like that much.

And I have only got 2 of his albums from the last 14 years, I still need to get them.

Songs like The Everlasting Now, parts of Colonized Mind piss me off, the music is fine but I hate the lyrics.

I don't care that Prince is religious, but some of the lyrics and some the things he says/does because of his beliefs annoy me a little.

emesem said:

pretty much spot on musically (although I though Musicology was lame too) but you avoid what I think is the main problem with post-Emancipation Prince. This fanatical, incoherent, mean spirted, racist, mysoginist, "religious" vibe. (dont know if its JW or some concoction from his head. its definitely not "Christian" to me)

Hmm, to be honest I don't necessarily pay much attention to the lyrics. I would argue that incoherence and misogyny have, to varying degrees, always been present in his lyrics. As a non-religious person I have been tuning out any references to religion in his music since the very beginning so the JW stuff does not usually bother me either. Sometimes he does take it a little too far but if the music is good I can tune out the lyrics.

You really think that the lyrics circa 2004-present have been overly religious? Granted, there are probably some religious references that I am not catching but I thought that for the most part he toned down any references to his faith in his recent lyrics.

[Edited 10/16/11 8:31am]

Whoever created that JW gif needs to be yelled at. Seriously.

NeonCraxx said:

pretty much spot on musically (although I though Musicology was lame too) but you avoid what I think is the main problem with post-Emancipation Prince. This fanatical, incoherent, mean spirted, racist, mysoginist, "religious" vibe. (dont know if its JW or some concoction from his head. its definitely not "Christian" to me)

rialb said:

I don't know if he ever lost me but he came darn close circa 1998-2003.

Crystal Ball was quite a disappointment. I thought he could have given us quite a bit more music, instead we got two discs spread over three. The Truth was quite good, I like it much more now than I did then. Kamasutra? It's hard for me to rate that as good or bad but I don't have the hatred for it that some fans do.

Newpower Soul I still regard as one of his three weakest albums. I don't necessarily blame Larry but it just strikes me as being a singularly uninspired effort.

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale had some gems and I like it much more now but at the time it was underwhelming. I'm not sure what I was expecting but after being slightly disappointed with the contents of Crystal Ball I had high hopes which were not met.

Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic had some good songs but it seemed like he was pandering too much to the "mainstream" audience. For the most part the guest appearances do not work and "Everyday Is a Winding Road" should have been taken behind a shed and shot in the head before it ever reached the public.

This brings us to the NPGMC. At the time I did not own a computer so I didn't see the point in joining. In fact I was not even aware that the club existed until I saw the ad for it in the booklet of The Rainbow Children. Obviously if he was releasing most of his new music as downloads and I had no way to hear them I ignored this era. I didn't really hear much of this material until 2003-2004. Much like Newpower Soul I found this material to be very lacking in inspiration. Most of the songs have at least one cool element to them but very few of them work as actual songs. It's easy for me to understand why the High album was scrapped. I would probably rate this era as his most confused and least focused.

The Rainbow Children I can appreciate on some levels but I just don't like it. Musically I dig the fact that for the first time in ages he was pushing himself and trying something new and I think it is one of his best sounding albums but I don't really care for a lot of the lite jazz sound of the songs. The keyboards in particular bug me. I quite like the last four songs ("She Loves Me 4 Me," "Family Name," "The Everlasting Now" and "Last December") but otherwise I don't care for much of it.

One Nite Alone-Piano was ok but not being a member of the NPGMC I did not hear it until a couple of years after it was released. I view it as a cousin to The Truth but unlike that album many of the songs seem a bit underdeveloped. It's not terrible but far from great.

Around this time he started to release a fair bit of instrumental only music (Xpectation, N.E.W.S., most of C-Note), this stuff I really didn't care for nor did I enjoy the "jazzy" sound of the One Nite Alone box set. For me 2003 was definitely the time I was least interested in his new music. I was actually a little worried that he had abandoned vocal pop music. Had he done so I'm sure

eros said:

NeonCraxx said:

I think I just vomited in my mouth from the foul stench of bullshit.

'I think I just vomitted in my mouth a little'? ....no siree, that's not over used and played out into the ground

Who gives a crap if it's overused.

Maybe what I'm reacting to IS overrated and should be shut down.

NeonCraxx said:

Prince never lost me.

When he got with Mayte. I should have been THE ONE. We'll he'll never get me back... NEVER!

eros said:

I so love how some of the little self-riteous people with entitlement (or mommy) issues stomp their feet and demand that a thread be shut down when they don't like a subject seriously? Did someone forget to breastfeed you? Next you'll be posting dancing locks [Edited 10/16/11 11:58am]

You have nothing left to say! Judgement after judgement gets no point across.

I know you love me. This isn't news to me.

And what do you have against dancing locks? Let them mother fuckers dance!

[Edited 10/16/11 12:23pm]

NeonCraxx said:

V10LETBLUES said:

bobbyperu said:

I think everybody, including eros, and me, has misunderstood the question so far. When did Prince lose you means it's not about Prince, it's about us! Prince does what he wants to do, what he feels he needs to do and we either like him or we don't. And Prince always was religious but nobody blamed him for singing The Cross back in 1987. It has just become more apparent since he became a JW and JWs have a bad reputation as the folks who ring at your doorbell uninvited. But that's still a choice Prince made. So Prince has simply taken a different road in life than most of us. The recent concerts in Europe, when he was not preaching, have made me love the music again no matter what kind of man the musician is.

Yeah that's really true about the concerts. I didn't get the whole "I love Jehova you should love Jehova, too" kind of message. It was just pure Music and Excitment happeneing there. Nothing preachy about the tour at all. Even in his interviews lately he never said anything Jehovah Witness-ish.

bobbyperu said: