Hmmmm. First off when it comes to the artistic integrity and having the balls to jump in where others fear to tread these 2 projects earned him much praise from us and those in the industry. We got some great singles, 2 albums and a tour that showed the revolution at the height of its' powers.

But looking back I can't help thinking that ATWIAD was a totally unnessary album [IMHO 3 essential trax at best] and likewise Parade gave us a potentially great but ulimately very, very patchy album, a horror show of a movie all saved by an amazing tour.

Wouldn't it have been better if he did nothing in 85 & 86 and released the Dream Factory in early '87.

Perhaps he could have saved the best of ATWIAD for that project?. Anyway, IMHO the critical reception would have been phenomenal and I truly believe that the masses who fell in love with Purple rain would have been craving a 'new quality product' and it would have sold tonnes !. The tour could have also hit Europe in a bigger way.

We can't rewrite history but does anyone else agree that history proved that these 2 projects followed way too quickly,were really not necessary and killed him commercially as an album artist.

Probably his best career move.

The post-PR to SOTT canon cemented Prince's reputation as an artist, not just a popstar.

My thread has now got me thinking as to how many totally non essential P albums there have been!!, that's a big list so far !!, funnily enough at post P.Rain !!!.

NouveauDance said:

Probably his best career move.

The post-PR to SOTT canon cemented Prince's reputation as an artist, not just a popstar.

I agree

I think this thread is a bad career move.

Genesia said:

I think this thread is a bad career move.

I guess it depends on what is important.

Prince these days seems pretty damned focus on money and getting his cheese, but shortly after purple rain, it appears as if Prince was really trying to prove himself.

He could have easily just released a Purple Rain pt II, and would have been rewarded handsomely for it, but he simply wasn't as likable as Micheal Jackson was to a wider audience---Prince's music was to racey. Where MJ bloated and overpromoted his material desperate trying to top Thriller, I think Prince realized the energy was better suited pursuing artistic aims. I mean the streak of music, including unreleased material between Purple Rain and LoveSexy is just damned stunning to me---that period alone would define ANY other artist's career, while I always get the sense that Prince still has a few surprises up his sleeve.

Either way, his career was certain helped by ATWIAD and PARADE--not hurt by it. It's his 'movie' career he should have set aside.

Essential moves...those records marked the beginning of P's "mind-fuck" phrase.

No, more essential in the sense of him putting art first and commercial succes second.

At the time at least.

He proved he was able to create very diversive high quality music, which wasn't completely commercialised. It didn't make him irrelevant, if anything it made him more relevant. He made sure people would always view him as a true artist, not just a hit.

NouveauDance said:

Probably his best career move.

The post-PR to SOTT canon cemented Prince's reputation as an artist, not just a popstar.

It seperated him from all the pop stars at the time. He proved to be a true artist not just chasing the charts.

funkyhead said:

My thread has now got me thinking as to how many totally non essential P albums there have been!!, that's a big list so far !!, funnily enough at post P.Rain !!!.

What's your determination of/for something being non essential?

HonestMan13 said:

funkyhead said:

My thread has now got me thinking as to how many totally non essential P albums there have been!!, that's a big list so far !!, funnily enough at post P.Rain !!!.

What's your determination of/for something being non essential?

Non-essential = "an album I don't get/like"

ATWIAD & Parade..?

Those 2 Prince records are classics!

NouveauDance said:

Probably his best career move.

The post-PR to SOTT canon cemented Prince's reputation as an artist, not just a popstar.

THIS ^^ is why there is a Prince.org, that ^^ foundation is why the Prince interest is still so strong

funkyhead said:

Hmmmm. First off when it comes to the artistic integrity and having the balls to jump in where others fear to tread these 2 projects earned him much praise from us and those in the industry. We got some great singles, 2 albums and a tour that showed the revolution at the height of its' powers.

But looking back I can't help thinking that ATWIAD was a totally unnessary album [IMHO 3 essential trax at best] and likewise Parade gave us a potentially great but ulimately very, very patchy album, a horror show of a movie all saved by an amazing tour.

Wouldn't it have been better if he did nothing in 85 & 86 and released the Dream Factory in early '87.

Perhaps he could have saved the best of ATWIAD for that project?. Anyway, IMHO the critical reception would have been phenomenal and I truly believe that the masses who fell in love with Purple rain would have been craving a 'new quality product' and it would have sold tonnes !. The tour could have also hit Europe in a bigger way.

We can't rewrite history but does anyone else agree that history proved that these 2 projects followed way too quickly,were really not necessary and killed him commercially as an album artist.

Looking back at how much music was released & Created(not released) between 1983-1986 says that it's not possible for him to have gone a few years without release

the creative energy was too high

Genesia said:

I think this thread is a bad career move.

These moves were calulated by Prince.........and he was Dead on IT!

Hell naw.

Parade is Prince's best work.

^"Short-term" success, maybe. In the long-term they were the best career moves you could ever imagine.

Prince's best works seem to be more appreciated over time than at the time of release. Which is why he's always ahead of the game!

NouveauDance said:

Probably his best career move.

The post-PR to SOTT canon cemented Prince's reputation as an artist, not just a popstar.

Absolutely brilliant. Weeded out the Purple Rain bandwagon jumpers with a quickness!

Those in the know know what's up...know what I mean?

funkyhead said:

Hmmmm. First off when it comes to the artistic integrity and having the balls to jump in where others fear to tread these 2 projects earned him much praise from us and those in the industry. We got some great singles, 2 albums and a tour that showed the revolution at the height of its' powers.

But looking back I can't help thinking that ATWIAD was a totally unnessary album [IMHO 3 essential trax at best] and likewise Parade gave us a potentially great but ulimately very, very patchy album, a horror show of a movie all saved by an amazing tour.

Wouldn't it have been better if he did nothing in 85 & 86 and released the Dream Factory in early '87.

Perhaps he could have saved the best of ATWIAD for that project?. Anyway, IMHO the critical reception would have been phenomenal and I truly believe that the masses who fell in love with Purple rain would have been craving a 'new quality product' and it would have sold tonnes !. The tour could have also hit Europe in a bigger way.

We can't rewrite history but does anyone else agree that history proved that these 2 projects followed way too quickly,were really not necessary and killed him commercially as an album artist.

I have to agree, both of these are my least favourite. A few staple Prince classics across them both. Prince doesnt get bak on it till the late 80's/ early 90's for me.

StonedImmaculate said:

NouveauDance said:

Probably his best career move.

The post-PR to SOTT canon cemented Prince's reputation as an artist, not just a popstar.

Absolutely brilliant. Weeded out the Purple Rain bandwagon jumpers with a quickness!

Those in the know know what's up...know what I mean?

Well said. It separated the MEN from the BOYS quickly. I still find it remarkable that he was able to put out Around the World in a Day during the mania of Purple Rain. The way he put it out is even more remarkable.

silverchild said:

StonedImmaculate said:

Absolutely brilliant. Weeded out the Purple Rain bandwagon jumpers with a quickness!

Those in the know know what's up...know what I mean?

Well said. It separated the MEN from the BOYS quickly. I still find it remarkable that he was able to put out Around the World in a Day during the mania of Purple Rain. The way he put it out is even more remarkable.

it really was commercial suicide. Maybe that's what he wanted as he seems to have found the whole Purple Rain thing a bit too big?.

Poplife88 said:

NouveauDance said:

Probably his best career move.

The post-PR to SOTT canon cemented Prince's reputation as an artist, not just a popstar.

It seperated him from all the pop stars at the time. He proved to be a true artist not just chasing the charts.

surely if he took 1985 off and released 'The Dream factory' album in '86 in either its' double disc or triple disc format he would have nailed both artistic adulation & commercial success instead of the ridicule that followed UTCM movie?.

I agree about the music but as far as "career moves" releasing ATWIAD 10 months after Purple Rain was not the wisest thing that he could have done.

The music was great but we are talking about career moves here.

ATWIAD and Parade should have been on one album that could have been a monster soundtrack for Under The Cherry Moon.

funkyhead said:

silverchild said:

Well said. It separated the MEN from the BOYS quickly. I still find it remarkable that he was able to put out Around the World in a Day during the mania of Purple Rain. The way he put it out is even more remarkable.

it really was commercial suicide. Maybe that's what he wanted as he seems to have found the whole Purple Rain thing a bit too big?.

But here is where the Purple Rain bandwagoners and the older cats who stuck with him way before PR have to be questioned. If you listen to Purple Rain and Around the World in a Day, they don't sound too distant from each other stylistically. Certainly ATWIAD was more cryptic and broader, but it was still very much in the vein of some of the styles he implemented on PR.

Now if we are looking at it from a promotion standpoint, yes. It was a bit understated and odd because he didn't really do anything with ATWIAD. It just came out and then there was the whole We Are The World controversy still hovering over him. That certainly played a bit of a factor. But it was still a brilliant move overall because I feel like he wanted to show alot of cats that he wasn't just this guitar playing dude, who prances around the stage, riding a motorcylce. He was serious all around.

[Edited 7/18/12 8:01am]

Nah they were essential to his development, he didn't wanna come off as a one-trick pony.

Interesting that many now view Prince's approach of releasing Around the World in a Day, something that essentially brought a halt to the Purple Rain/sales/hype/momentum, in a revisioned fashion as being genius because it weeded out the fake fans, etc.

1985 is the year the first year that serious Prince backlash began. Some of it could have been avoided on Prince's part. Then, just like now, he didn't give a fuck.

Whenever Prince makes headscratching career moves like that today he is strung up by many at prince.org for it. To me, Prince was doing then, what he does now. Whatever he feels like.

PS. If anything, Under The Cherry Moon (the film) was THE HUGE Prince misfire/bad career move of the 80's.

[Edited 7/18/12 11:33am]