In the 80s,superstars like Michael Jackson and Madonna were taking a few years between albums.Can you imagine if Prince hadn't released any new albums in 1985 and 1986,and came back in 1987 with 'SOTT'?

What a dumb thread! The OP seems to think that because he's been a fan since the year dot, that seems to qualify him as some music career guru! Don't make me laugh - if you're so aware of how to make a successful pop career, why aren't you either a) a successful pop artist yourself or b) a manager?

What exactly is wrong with Prince's career? Did the apparent "mistakes" that you've highlighted end his career? NO! He's still here, making music, touring, earning money. BTW, if what you say is true, about being so ridiculed in the US post Purple Rain, well that was only in the US! Over here in Europe, he was fully embraced after PR and his popularity and critical acclaim only increased.

Your comments prove you have no clue about creative process. An artist who is true to his art and vision doesn't compromise for popularity's sake - he/she just does what they feel is right at the time. I don't think Prince cared at that point if he was alienating his fanbase and why shoud he? An artist cannot make art based on what he thinks will be popular, otherwise its contrived. That's part of my problem with MJ - he did some great stuff, but he was always conscious of being "the most popular ever" and "the biggest selling artist ever" - those ambitions are not artistically grounded.

Prince has done absolutely fine without your advice. But, seriously, get out there and manage someone if you think you know best.

[Edited 11/15/11 2:46am]

cdog572 said:

You don't have to tell me about Prince being experimental.That was part of why his music appealed to me.But experimental doesn't always equate to "Good" Purple Rain was experimental,So was 1999,Controversy,Dirty Mind,Prince,For You.The difference is those albums contained great innovative music.I can't say the same for ATWIAD which was Prince's attempt to recreate a 1960s Psychadelic Era and Sound of which he was never a part of in the first place.It was a retread of an Era long gone by.

There is nothing that psychadelic about ATWIAD, just because the look of the Raspberry Beret video was doesn't make the music of the album that

DaveG said:

OP.... I Disagree completely. I was 15 yrs old when ATWIAD came out. I was honestly shocked when that album was released. It was nothing like ANYTHING Prince had done before, BUT that's why he has such a huge fanbase & as much respect in the music community as he does today..

A commercial, Top 40 album would have been easy & predictable following Purple Rain. Look at the unreleased songs during that era... However, Prince was experimenting & kept people guessing.

SOTT was great, but you can't just remove ATWIAD & Parade from the progression.... Doesn't work.

^^^^^^^ listen and learn

cdog572 said:

Wait a minute folks.No need to insult me because of my opinions.I don't call myself a Guru,If you are not from the U.S then you haave no clue what the hell I'm talking about circa 1985-86.I know that Prince blew up in Europe during those years,I know he is still touring,Blah,Blah,Blah.But some people on this board are acting like I slapped their damn mother in the face when I criticize a record!Grow up.You think Prince is going to reward you for defending him?He might sue you for saying his damn name.Pay attention.I didn't say that Prince should've waited three years after Purple Rain.I said SOTT should have been the "Immediate" follow up to Purple Rain.If SOTT was released say around October 1985 or March 1986.Yes Rasberry Beret was a big hit for a short while as was Kiss,It was those two albums that destroyed any chance that SOTT had of blowing up.Europe had only started to embrace Prince when he was on the way down in America.I appreciate that.But don't down play the Megastardom Prince had achieved here that culminated with Purple Rain.Prince had dethroned Michael Jackson in America.ATWIAD and Parade destroyed what could've been.You had to be here during that time to know what I am talking about.Don't take this personal,It is a discussion between Prince fans.Remember that.You folks are talking about one album,I am talking about an Era 1985-86.

What people are saying is SOTT could not have existed without ATWIAD & Parade, just couldn't have happened.

like the other thread "Dance Electric" as a follow up would make more sense, not SOTT

SoulAlive said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

SoulAlive said:

What is up with all of this revised history on Prince's career?

I don't get it.

cdog572 said:

Wait a minute folks.No need to insult me because of my opinions

Well there is because you're talking bollocks and this thread is pointless

cdog572 said:

cdog572 said:

I am learning about the differences between American and European musical tastes.I thought that this post was relevant to this Site.When I see threads like "If you could whisper into Prince's ear what would you say to him?" Or "What type of food do you think Prince likes to eat?" I start thinking at least my post would be on topic and might create a good dialogue.Apparently not.I guess it might get a different response on an American based Prince Fansite.If one exists. [Edited 11/15/11 7:04am]

It's relevant to discuss. I think people are just having fun and getting into the debate of it.

(Also, this IS an American-based Prince site. Some would say it's TOO American. )

Sounds like a MJ career to me: one album every 5 years or so.

udo said:

The only song I listened to on ATWIAD was Pop Life, and then the B Sides, the rest I skipped. On Parade, the only song I love is Anotherloverholenyohead. The rest I skip to this day. I hate Raspberry Beret. It's probably not a common opinion around here, but IDGAF.

SOTT got me right back into things. Housequake, SOTT, If I was Your GF, Hot Thing, Adore.....yessssss!

I had epic battles with the Michael Jackson fans back then, SOTT vs. Bad. Thank you Princey!

SoulAlive said:

I've always considered SOTT to be the 'real follow-up' to Purple Rain.The two previous albums were too quirky (not necesarily in a bad way) to be considered proper follow-ups.

ATWIAD & Parade were my least favorite Prince albums of the 80's.

I see what the OP is saying about the commercial failure of ATWIAD, but to me it is one of his best albums, sure, not as good as Purple Rain, but in P's defence, Purple rain is a once in a lifetime masterpiece that excels in a way that real music lovers and casual gravy train music fans can relate to together, a very rare commodity.

On a personal note, I couldn't care less about the commercial success of his music, I'm just happy that he is/was succesful enough to still be recording albums as frequently as he is, because without him, my music library would be very one dimensional. Besides, average Joe music fans are usually just sheep anyway, so I'm glad they got off the train and left us proper music lovers to enjoy his music!

cdog572 said:

cdog572 said:

What drew me to Prince Music was the fact that he was not just another "Black Artist" like CameoRick James,Michael Jackson etc..Prince was a rebel and something completely new.He was controversial and he was completely out there.I was championing Prince when nobody knew who the hell he was.I remember when "Thriller" blew up,Everybody was on Michael Jackson's nutsack and I would say that Michael couldn't touch Prince.People were like "Prince who?" And I would let them listen to Dirty Mind,Controversy,1999 and the lyrics would shock them to my delight.Around 1983 when I heard that Prince was going to do a feature film,I told the naysayers "Wait till next year,Everybody will know who Prince is." Sure enough Purple Rain explodes and now everybody's a Prince Fan,Buying his older albums,Getting caught up with Prince's history.The sense of Pride I felt was unbelievable,It was magical.The consensus was now "Michael who?"But anyway,Prince dropped the ball with ATWIAD.Madonna ends up stealing Prince's act and mystique,Hip Hop destroyed Funk and replaced Prince as the bold force in music that pushed the censorship envelope.This post is about an Artist who made a bold career move that ended up being a disaster in The U.S and a stroke of genius overseas.

To the one who say that I had no clue about the creative process I say what the hell do you know?If I don't give ATWIAD or Parade high marks that's my opinion,Apparently Millions of Americans felt that way to.Even Prince said that Parade is an album he is not especially proud of,So The Simon Cowell wannabe who said that can "Kiss" my a$$.My opinion is what it is.Get off your throne.If you disagree,Say so.But you don't have to come off like a petulant woman.

Oow - seems I touched a nerve! Who's being petulant (apart from you?!)?And sexist, it would seem. Perhaps its because you have no reasonable argument to the points about creative process?

And, what the hell do I know? Well, I'm a music producer, performer and record label owner, so I'd say probably a bit more than you on that subject, eh? What is it you do exactly?

Oh and, furthermore, ATWIAD and Parade rank among Prince's best-selling albums - sure, they didn't achieve the dizzy heights of Purple Rain, but nothing he's ever done has even come close in terms of popularity. So, millions of people also liked the albums. You weren't one of them. But, the point you have continually missed is that popularity doesn't mean shit in integrity terms. Some artists are all about the money and the fame, others are about the music. Prince is in the latter. Even Eric Leeds and others around at the time were amazed that someone so avant-garde and risqué was so successful.

So, I'll decline kissing your ass, chum, as it likely smells worse than everything you've posted. Remember, you're the one who came on here with massive declarations about how you know better than one of the most successful musicians ever and then got upset when people disagreed - you brought this on yourself.

kangafunk said:

I see what the OP is saying about the commercial failure of ATWIAD, but to me it is one of his best albums, sure, not as good as Purple Rain, but in P's defence, Purple rain is a once in a lifetime masterpiece that excels in a way that real music lovers and casual gravy train music fans can relate to together, a very rare commodity.

On a personal note, I couldn't care less about the commercial success of his music, I'm just happy that he is/was succesful enough to still be recording albums as frequently as he is, because without him, my music library would be very one dimensional. Besides, average Joe music fans are usually just sheep anyway, so I'm glad they got off the train and left us proper music lovers to enjoy his music!

Can someone explain how an album that reached #1 in the Billboard 200 was a "commercial failure?" It's only if you take Purple Rain--one of the biggest-selling albums of all time--as the baseline that ATWIAD could be considered a commercial failure, and if that's the case then every other album Prince has released has also been a commercial failure. That's like saying a sports team had a failed season if they allowed another team to score any points, even if they won the championship.

Personnally I love all three albums (ATWIAD, SOTT, and Parade). I've been a fan since 1980 and I think each of his pre-Purple Rain albums had something unique that set him off as not your typical 'black artist'. I was graduating high school when Purple Rain came out and actually didn't appreciate the' bandwagonners' who discovered Prince as the flavor of the year in 1984. My musical tastes being what they were dug Prince's music for various reasons and none of them were because he was popular. I think ATWIAD was a welcomed change and Parade was a breath of fresh air. I truly appreciated Prince's musical evolution and felt privileged to be a part of it. The aftermath of Purple Rain's popularity showed Prince's versatility and made me a fan for life. I know for me his collection of music would be less rich and certainly less interesting in any other order. Just so you know, Adore is my all time favorite Prince composition.

kangafunk said:

I see what the OP is saying about the commercial failure of ATWIAD, but to me it is one of his best albums, sure, not as good as Purple Rain, but in P's defence, Purple rain is a once in a lifetime masterpiece that excels in a way that real music lovers and casual gravy train music fans can relate to together, a very rare commodity.

On a personal note, I couldn't care less about the commercial success of his music, I'm just happy that he is/was succesful enough to still be recording albums as frequently as he is, because without him, my music library would be very one dimensional. Besides, average Joe music fans are usually just sheep anyway, so I'm glad they got off the train and left us proper music lovers to enjoy his music!

Yes, Purple Rain it one of the baddest albums of all time

but in comparing PR with ATWIAD there is the movie that heightens the success of PR

Parade in my opinion could have been received on a higher level if band performances of the songs were included in the movie. If Girls & Boys(video) was the movie performance ??? and some of the other songs Another Lover, Mountains, New Position etc

I think ATWIAD is being called a flop cause it sold 3 million instead of over 10 million like Purple Rain. I'm sure 3 million was much better than the numbers he was doing before 1999 and Purple Rain, so no, I wouldn't call it a flop.