thanks

vitalbacon said:

for last years, his cd's have to be considered as a minor detail of his entire output, which is only modern. according to actual times, it is, against all odds, on the internet, not in the cd-shop, that he still keeps astonishing his carefull fans. the live version of "sticky like glue", his so-called rehearsal-jams, his guitarwork on "i go crazy", etc etc - almost every day, there are jewels to be discovered. just keep searching.

the leaking of songs like "lust u always" also must be considered as merits of today, not only of the past. even in the eighties prince released some of his songs many years after their composing.

the best way to consume prince today, is to listen to the extremely fabulous "the orange park radio", where there is no distinction made between past and present, live and studio or anything else. it is only now, at prince's older age, that his complete body of work is huge enough to sustain such a flourishing one-man-radio-station. no other musician whatsoever could possibly give food to such a widely varied radio, hours and hours each day.

I certainly never thought or claimed that Prince had "lost" anything, but I think u r slightly confusing official and unofficial releases. There never were official releases/broadcasts/streamings of a live Sticky Like Glue or I Go Crazy (what's this anyway?), and Lust U Always and other new outtakes, as u yourself said, leaked without Prince being involved at any level.

No where u r right is in the fact that Prince currently focuses on live shows, which are now seen as the main economical alternative for the profit records used to make, and free promotion of these live shows through live songs or snippets streamed online (therefore using the internet as a promotional tool, which is the obvious thing to do these days).

skywalker said:

NouveauDance said:

I don't see how, unless you consider When Doves Cry or Moonbeam Levels 2012 tracks.

The old addage about him being the best live performer, well I won't argue with that - people still cling to that, and that's all very nice - but it has no bearing on the critique of his studio output, if anything any positives you can say about his live output is a negative against his studio output - i.e. why can't you translate the good stuff you're doing live to new studio music?

I understand the idea. Judge/appreciate Prince's work as as you experience it for today, rather than some score keeping score year by year. This would be easier if things like "lust u always" had been an official release.

Example: I experienced most of the Crystal Ball tracks for the 1st time in 1997/98. So, I gave Prince props in 1998 for "The Dream Factory." Hell, it was new to me then. I didn't have it on bootleg and had no grounds to bitch about any alterations I had/had not heard. I enjoyed it as pristine and new song/experience, maybe moreso, than I would have on bootleg tape in the 80's.

However, Prince isn't releasing "lust U always" officially. He's not releasing anything lately. So, thank you Prince of 1982 for recording and (apparently) misplacing your copy of "lust u always." My enjoyment of it here in 2012 has been sweetly appreciated.

Lastly, presentation counts for a lot. Like or not, many people appreciate proper albums and good promotion/singles/artwork/live playings of. Funky or not, Prince's work sometimes is viewed as scraps or leftovers because he presents them as such. He sneaks their release with little fan fare and, often, only briefly touches on them in concert.

Can you imagine if "let's Go Crazy" was released as an after thought in 2012, instead of being the kickstarter to the entire Purple Rain experience? It kind of takes the luster out of much of that song.

[Edited 8/6/12 11:19am]

Exactly!