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Thread started 03/17/12 7:06pm

thebanishedone

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The importance of the filler songs

Fans like to slam Ronnie Talk to Russia,Wedding Feast,Jughead but the truth is those songs are there to do a healthy balance and fill the void beetwen songs of different quality.Imagine album full of only epic bombastic songs,wouldn't it be annoying?
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Reply #1 posted 03/17/12 7:42pm

1725topp

thebanishedone said:

Fans like to slam Ronnie Talk to Russia,Wedding Feast,Jughead but the truth is those songs are there to do a healthy balance and fill the void beetwen songs of different quality.Imagine album full of only epic bombastic songs,wouldn't it be annoying?

While I get the general gist of your point, I never perceived that Prince used "filler songs" to pad or have enough songs for an album. Now, my perception may be influenced by me usually liking about ninety to ninety-five percent of the songs on most of the albums, even today. Prince, like say a Stevie Wonder, has always seemed to be an artist that is equally invested in each song on the album. I could, of course, be wrong, but I have always said that Prince's Achilles heel is also, ironically, the aspect that makes him great. His love for so many different types of music and his desire to create something different often leads to albums that are perceived as uneven or lacking harmonic flow from one song to the next. So, while I agree with your point that Prince has and continues to provide "a healthy balance" on his albums, I wouldn't say that they are filler songs, especially since I love "Ronnie Talk to Russia" and enjoy "Jughead" a great deal while I have always considered "Push" a hidden funky gem on Diamonds and Pearls. And, if Prince has loaded his albums with filler songs over the years, then that speaks even more to his talent that his filler songs are so much better than most other’s main or primary singles. Or, it may just speak to my subjective taste in music. Either way, he rarely has a song on an album that I perceive as a throw-away song just to fill space.

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Reply #2 posted 03/17/12 7:44pm

rdhull

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thebanishedone said:

Fans like to slam Ronnie Talk to Russia,Wedding Feast,Jughead but the truth is those songs are there to do a healthy balance and fill the void beetwen songs of different quality.Imagine album full of only epic bombastic songs,wouldn't it be annoying?

Well his filler material from the 80's are actual jewels. From 1990-2000 they aren't too bad either as when he plays them live, they are a refreshing and brings a new appreciation to the songwriting imo.

Hell, The Sun, Moon, and Stars was great to hear live for example.

"Climb in my fur."
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Reply #3 posted 03/17/12 7:56pm

uuhson

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thebanishedone said:

Fans like to slam Ronnie Talk to Russia,Wedding Feast,Jughead but the truth is those songs are there to do a healthy balance and fill the void beetwen songs of different quality.Imagine album full of only epic bombastic songs,wouldn't it be annoying?


what about purple rain? i think every song on there is epic and bombastic, and i think a lot of his other albums you could say the same to a lesser extent

Bogey and Bacall, peanut butter and jelly, Wall being on fucking point, is "classic" dipshit. An iphone is top shelf technology. Get it straight. This thing is 4g. -Wall the great
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Reply #4 posted 03/17/12 8:41pm

thebanishedone

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Well,i feel all of you,thanks for these wonderful and insightful replays.i love Ronnie song ,music is great but i think the lyrics if different could be a great hit. On Purple Rain album the filler is Take Me With You.i bet it's sucess suprised even Prince. Prince once said that too much guitar solos would ruin the albums so i think he have the same aprouch when he compiles tracks for album.something like vip song and less important songs.
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Reply #5 posted 03/17/12 11:55pm

uuhson

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thebanishedone said:

Well,i feel all of you,thanks for these wonderful and insightful replays.i love Ronnie song ,music is great but i think the lyrics if different could be a great hit. On Purple Rain album the filler is Take Me With You.i bet it's sucess suprised even Prince. Prince once said that too much guitar solos would ruin the albums so i think he have the same aprouch when he compiles tracks for album.something like vip song and less important songs.


did that really surprise prince? didnt he purposely take it off of apollonia's album because it was too good or someshit?

Bogey and Bacall, peanut butter and jelly, Wall being on fucking point, is "classic" dipshit. An iphone is top shelf technology. Get it straight. This thing is 4g. -Wall the great
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Reply #6 posted 03/18/12 3:59am

thedance

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Take Me With U.... ain't no filler... mad

[img:$uid]http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/1065/takemewithuuu.jpg[/img:$uid]

^ it was a rather succesful top 40 single.

And........ a fantastic song... imo... I love this track,

that drums intro alone is classic... heart

Prince 4Ever. heart
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Reply #7 posted 03/18/12 5:13am

funkomatic

Nonsense. Filler songs mean a drop in quality. No album needs that. Besides you can't equate quality with epic bombastic songs.

[Edited 3/18/12 5:15am]

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Reply #8 posted 03/18/12 9:06am

NouveauDance

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thebanishedone said:

Ronnie Talk to Russia

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Reply #9 posted 03/18/12 12:21pm

Gohi

NouveauDance said:

thebanishedone said:

Ronnie Talk to Russia

Always nice to see Kyle Maclachlan... is this from showgirls? Never seen that one.

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Reply #10 posted 03/18/12 1:02pm

GIOShokadelica

thebanishedone said:

Fans like to slam Ronnie Talk to Russia

I Actually Love that Song!! What a world! You know What else? I'm Angry cuz the song Its too short! xD

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Reply #11 posted 03/18/12 4:06pm

peter430044

I wouldn't call songs on a great album bombastic, if they're really good they're not bombastic and filler material's only purpose is as a contrast, but I would rather have better songs than the contrasts.

To avoid appearing pretentious an artist should try to avoid filling an album with too much music about how to make the world a better place or music with too much ideology and I think Prince has mostly avoided that, an exception being The Rainbow Children. The music is for the most part very good, the JW-inspired lyrics are not.

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Reply #12 posted 03/18/12 4:39pm

kewlschool

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thebanishedone said:

Fans like to slam Ronnie Talk to Russia,Wedding Feast,Jughead but the truth is those songs are there to do a healthy balance and fill the void beetwen songs of different quality.Imagine album full of only epic bombastic songs,wouldn't it be annoying?

hmph! Umm, no "filler" on Sign O' the times or Purple Rain.

99.9% of everything I say is strictly for my own entertainment
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Reply #13 posted 03/18/12 7:45pm

savagedreams

an album of no fillers would be perfect. most artists dont feel any song is filler. you see it very differently when you live inside the music, and im speaking as a musician here. if you could figure out exactly what would be a hit, everyone would have hits, every time

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Reply #14 posted 03/19/12 6:29pm

PurpleSullivan

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Ronnie, Talk To Russia is my jam!
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Reply #15 posted 03/19/12 7:17pm

dandeeland

thebanishedone said:

Fans like to slam Ronnie Talk to Russia,Wedding Feast,Jughead but the truth is those songs are there to do a healthy balance and fill the void beetwen songs of different quality.Imagine album full of only epic bombastic songs,wouldn't it be annoying?

no not really. Purple Rain and 1999 are "epic bombastic songs" in my opinion and I think that is just fine

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