I know I am going to offend a lot of you. HOWEVER after listening to the last few LPs that Prince dropped. I think he needs to work with other people now. Seriously I think maybe Andre 3000 or the Neptunes which are his students, would give him some ideas.

I haven't really been into Prince LPs for a while. There is always a flash of genius on each LP. Just a flash though. I am not 'hating' because I did enjoy MPLSound to some degree

funkyhead said:

2020 said:

First off, I would not consider the link you provided as great...not even close.

Where is the originality or hook or great beat or anything really worth listening to?

I'll take a crappy by the numbers CD from Prince over this stuff...

[Edited 11/9/12 9:38am]

really?, so you take r&r affair over the track on my link?, really??

yes sbsolutely

FunkiestOne said:

funkyhead said:

really?, so you take r&r affair over the track on my link?, really??

yes sbsolutely

[Edited 11/9/12 11:55am]

IstenSzek said:

i'm ready and i'm sure i'll enjoy it.

however

i just wish prince would make his music a little more daring and out there again.

arguably, he's already done most everything there was to do, at the time.

but sounds have changed and a lot of current music seems more edgy and the

sonics are much more urgent and sharp than what prince has been doing for at

least 10 years now.

not saying i don't like his songs and that he should 'chase trends' because the

current trends mostly suck. but lots of groups, like "bat for lashes", "radiohead",

"beck", "bjork" etc etc etc all have such a beautiful sonic palette and so many

intricate, flowing melodies that their music at this point is infinetely more 'real'

and current than anything prince seems to be doing.

it's been said before but he could probably do with an outside producer or at the

very least, get himself some new studio equipment.

at this point even his funk sounds a bit stale. because it's always conducted with

the same basic formula of instruments and they all start to sound alike.

he would do well to spruce things up a bit more and whenever he wants to use a

few electronic flourishes, they should be up to date and 'new' to his catalogue. it

was a thorn in a lot of people's eyes, i know, when he started using pro tools but

at least it changed the elements utilised on the songs on "mplsound", be it to a

less than satisfactory end result.

whenever he takes his time on an album and makes an actual 'album', he can do

little wrong in my eyes, even if he's just using all the regular components. i still

think "lotusflower" is an amazing disc, yet it doesn't have any of the elements i've

been wishing for.

but when he just chucks out 10 new songs that don't hang together very well, it

would be nice if they at least all brought something new to the table for him and

his sound. i'm not talking reinventing the wheel because he's already done that

a dozen times in his prime, but just a different approach and production.

plus, would it kill him to write 10 good lyrics? i'm getting a bit tired of having the

same subjects broached again and again. most of them don't move me at all in

the first place. some good universal storytelling and a few weird abstract lyrics

would do me just fine.

it would be nice if a new prince album would make you sit up and go "what the

hell was that?" or "wow, let me rewind that, i'm not sure what i just heard" or

just have a few plain old goosebumps moments again.

"rock and roll love affair" sounds healthy enough and it's quite fun, but it's not a

very special song by any means. it's obviously catered to a big audience and as

such it's just another copy of so many songs he's done in the past decade.

when the general public obviously doesn't care that much anymore, wouldn't the

time be right to just release something less obvious and easy? i'm sure he would

get some more lengthy and better reviews if he'd created something totally wtf

again. and the fans would eat it up. and keep listening to it for longer than just a

few weeks before thinking "i could do with another prince album already"

we know he could easily do an album like that, at least i still have faith. but with

all the albums past TRC on the table, i'm starting to think that he simply does not

feel the need to or just doesn't want to. he seems to be content with whatever he

is doing now because he keeps repeating it over and over again.

in concert he still has flourishes of brilliant ideas but they constantly fail to repeat

on his records. so i can only conclude that he wants to be fairly motr right now.

and that's the only thing that makes me mildy sad. not his albums. they're fun,

even if they've become predictable and a bit boring. i listen to much worse stuff

on any given day anyway and i love me some new prince stuff.

i just don't understand why he keeps trying to have commercial succes when it so

obviously isn't his game anymore. so why not say "well if the chances of a song

of mine becoming a top 3 hit are so slim, i'll not pander to that market anymore

and just create something that is different, weird and challenging even to myself,

if only to see where that direction might take me or just for the pleasure of being

in the studio and coming up with stuff that will make my true fanbase have their

mouths on the floor".

instead he's probably taken the last 2 years to create the perfect 'radio friendly'

album to shop around major labels or try to secure another 5 million up front kind

of deal. once again. that's fine. but it's also boring and not very much in the spirit

of who he used to be all along.

i could not have said it better . its time he took some chances again get out there. even van hunt tried to b odd with what were u hoping 4. p could do even better make some wired shit thats what i like.

Okay, so the song you posted isn't terrible. It's even interesting from a technical mixing of styles/genres, but the power/emotive movement of the blues is not felt fully because the samples seem over produced. That is--the groove of the blues is never allowed to breathe, blossom, and explode, and maybe that wasn't the writer's intent, but while the song is nice/good even, the lack of a real progressive verse (story), which is the staple of the blues, the songs becomes repetitive, not quite plastic, but never quite authentic. When it begins, I'm like, "This is nice/cool," but after two minutes it doesn't do anything, thus, becoming repetitive, which is why I would take "RocknRoll Love Affair" over this song. But, again, this song is not terrible; it just does not do much after the first two minutes.

*

Now, I never have a "wish list" or preconceived ides for the next Prince album. His following Purple Rain with Around the World in a Day taught me that he is always going to do what he wants to do, critics, charts, and fans be damned. However, since I don't think that Musicology, 3121, Lotusflow3r/MPLS, and 20Ten are "sonically dull CDs by the number," then I can wait patiently for the next record without any anxiety or prejudicial notions that cause me to dislike the record even before I hear it. If the album has something on it similar to what you have posted, I only hope that the verse is fully developed, allowing his vocal delivery of the lyric to simmer and explode the groove and its emotive power.

ok, let me put this another way. How many of you are truly expecting that his next CD will be amazing / challenging/creative/original/witty etc. Given the lead off single my expectations are lower than a snakes belly!-if you were honest you would be the same.

I did another very cynical thread recently about P dumbing down fans expectations!!.

So as a thread within a thread, step up to the plate and tell us if you are expecting the goods to be delivered on this next CD or will it be the same Prince lite project as per recent output!.

ya, i'm ready.

i want something gritty! something with some focus, more passion, and maybe not so polished and perfect sounding.

i'm listening to robert johnson tracks lately; just a guy with a voice, a guitar, and shitty recording equipment. but it's so emotional, so immediate. Really brilliant.

More warts, less botox!

let's get uncomfortable.

aint gonna happen, i know, but it's fun to write

1725topp said:

Okay, so the song you posted isn't terrible. It's even interesting from a technical mixing of styles/genres, but the power/emotive movement of the blues is not felt fully because the samples seem over produced. That is--the groove of the blues is never allowed to breathe, blossom, and explode, and maybe that wasn't the writer's intent, but while the song is nice/good even, the lack of a real progressive verse (story), which is the staple of the blues, the songs becomes repetitive, not quite plastic, but never quite authentic. When it begins, I'm like, "This is nice/cool," but after two minutes it doesn't do anything, thus, becoming repetitive, which is why I would take "RocknRoll Love Affair" over this song. But, again, this song is not terrible; it just does not do much after the first two minutes.

*

Now, I never have a "wish list" or preconceived ides for the next Prince album. His following Purple Rain with Around the World in a Day taught me that he is always going to do what he wants to do, critics, charts, and fans be damned. However, since I don't think that Musicology, 3121, Lotusflow3r/MPLS, and 20Ten are "sonically dull CDs by the number," then I can wait patiently for the next record without any anxiety or prejudicial notions that cause me to dislike the record even before I hear it. If the album has something on it similar to what you have posted, I only hope that the verse is fully developed, allowing his vocal delivery of the lyric to simmer and explode the groove and its emotive power.

that's not the point I'm making - forget the structure of the song the point is I heard this on radio today and everyone around stopped, looked, smiled and heads were bobbin'. It brings a solid blues riff with modern beats to a young audience - in short it got a great response and generated lots of interest. When r&r affair hits the radio what reaction do you think it will get?!!

I may not have been super impressed with the link funkyhead put up, and I agree with those that pointed out its a trendy track. At the same time, I do think I understand the need some have for P to be a bit more adventourous.

IstenSzek said:

i'm ready and i'm sure i'll enjoy it.

however

i just wish prince would make his music a little more daring and out there again.

arguably, he's already done most everything there was to do, at the time.

but sounds have changed and a lot of current music seems more edgy and the

sonics are much more urgent and sharp than what prince has been doing for at

least 10 years now.

not saying i don't like his songs and that he should 'chase trends' because the

current trends mostly suck. but lots of groups, like "bat for lashes", "radiohead",

"beck", "bjork" etc etc etc all have such a beautiful sonic palette and so many

intricate, flowing melodies that their music at this point is infinetely more 'real'

and current than anything prince seems to be doing.

it's been said before but he could probably do with an outside producer or at the

very least, get himself some new studio equipment.

at this point even his funk sounds a bit stale. because it's always conducted with

the same basic formula of instruments and they all start to sound alike.

he would do well to spruce things up a bit more and whenever he wants to use a

few electronic flourishes, they should be up to date and 'new' to his catalogue. it

was a thorn in a lot of people's eyes, i know, when he started using pro tools but

at least it changed the elements utilised on the songs on "mplsound", be it to a

less than satisfactory end result.

whenever he takes his time on an album and makes an actual 'album', he can do

little wrong in my eyes, even if he's just using all the regular components. i still

think "lotusflower" is an amazing disc, yet it doesn't have any of the elements i've

been wishing for.

but when he just chucks out 10 new songs that don't hang together very well, it

would be nice if they at least all brought something new to the table for him and

his sound. i'm not talking reinventing the wheel because he's already done that

a dozen times in his prime, but just a different approach and production.

plus, would it kill him to write 10 good lyrics? i'm getting a bit tired of having the

same subjects broached again and again. most of them don't move me at all in

the first place. some good universal storytelling and a few weird abstract lyrics

would do me just fine.

it would be nice if a new prince album would make you sit up and go "what the

hell was that?" or "wow, let me rewind that, i'm not sure what i just heard" or

just have a few plain old goosebumps moments again.

"rock and roll love affair" sounds healthy enough and it's quite fun, but it's not a

very special song by any means. it's obviously catered to a big audience and as

such it's just another copy of so many songs he's done in the past decade.

when the general public obviously doesn't care that much anymore, wouldn't the

time be right to just release something less obvious and easy? i'm sure he would

get some more lengthy and better reviews if he'd created something totally wtf

again. and the fans would eat it up. and keep listening to it for longer than just a

few weeks before thinking "i could do with another prince album already"

we know he could easily do an album like that, at least i still have faith. but with

all the albums past TRC on the table, i'm starting to think that he simply does not

feel the need to or just doesn't want to. he seems to be content with whatever he

is doing now because he keeps repeating it over and over again.

in concert he still has flourishes of brilliant ideas but they constantly fail to repeat

on his records. so i can only conclude that he wants to be fairly motr right now.

and that's the only thing that makes me mildy sad. not his albums. they're fun,

even if they've become predictable and a bit boring. i listen to much worse stuff

on any given day anyway and i love me some new prince stuff.

i just don't understand why he keeps trying to have commercial succes when it so

obviously isn't his game anymore. so why not say "well if the chances of a song

of mine becoming a top 3 hit are so slim, i'll not pander to that market anymore

and just create something that is different, weird and challenging even to myself,

if only to see where that direction might take me or just for the pleasure of being

in the studio and coming up with stuff that will make my true fanbase have their

mouths on the floor".

instead he's probably taken the last 2 years to create the perfect 'radio friendly'

album to shop around major labels or try to secure another 5 million up front kind

of deal. once again. that's fine. but it's also boring and not very much in the spirit

of who he used to be all along.

Good post! I'm quite surprised that we basically share the same opinion. It's just that I'm a little bit more radical. I can't take Prince doing this mediocre stuff anymore.

funkyhead said:

FunkiestOne said:

Some of you guys are cold and just clueless.

Who do you think feels worse about less than stellar music being released by Prince...all of us or him??

He's probably doing about the best he can at this point. He's just not inspired or he's old and tired or whatever. But must be like losing your superpowers to him to not be capable of past brilliance any longer.

Cut the dude some slack. You guys probably hate your grandparents because they can't run up and down stairs any longer...damn.

.

[Edited 11/9/12 8:56am]

oh come on, so if he feels he is not up to scratch anymore then why release crap. Why not just take a damn break for 3 years, live a little, collaborate a lot and come back with something worth while. He has taken a musical laxative and just can't stop releasing crap!!

Prince has officially released one song since 20Ten, Xtralovable. That will become a big whopping two songs released in two years on Thanksgiving when R&R Love Affair drops. He's been on more of a break than he's ever been on before. He hasn't said this song will precede a full CD(the fans are speculating yet again). So what type of laxative only makes you go once a year? If you truly feel innudated by two songs then I'd say you have the problem not Prince. You're actively seeking them out like most of us do but you already have a preconceived notion of what you expect so that's what you'll hear. If you think it's a 3 year break that he needs then don't listen to anything he drops until 2015 and see if he's upped the ante for you.

funkyhead said:

1725topp said:

Okay, so the song you posted isn't terrible. It's even interesting from a technical mixing of styles/genres, but the power/emotive movement of the blues is not felt fully because the samples seem over produced. That is--the groove of the blues is never allowed to breathe, blossom, and explode, and maybe that wasn't the writer's intent, but while the song is nice/good even, the lack of a real progressive verse (story), which is the staple of the blues, the songs becomes repetitive, not quite plastic, but never quite authentic. When it begins, I'm like, "This is nice/cool," but after two minutes it doesn't do anything, thus, becoming repetitive, which is why I would take "RocknRoll Love Affair" over this song. But, again, this song is not terrible; it just does not do much after the first two minutes.

*

Now, I never have a "wish list" or preconceived ides for the next Prince album. His following Purple Rain with Around the World in a Day taught me that he is always going to do what he wants to do, critics, charts, and fans be damned. However, since I don't think that Musicology, 3121, Lotusflow3r/MPLS, and 20Ten are "sonically dull CDs by the number," then I can wait patiently for the next record without any anxiety or prejudicial notions that cause me to dislike the record even before I hear it. If the album has something on it similar to what you have posted, I only hope that the verse is fully developed, allowing his vocal delivery of the lyric to simmer and explode the groove and its emotive power.

that's not the point I'm making - forget the structure of the song the point is I heard this on radio today and everyone around stopped, looked, smiled and heads were bobbin'. It brings a solid blues riff with modern beats to a young audience - in short it got a great response and generated lots of interest. When r&r affair hits the radio what reaction do you think it will get?!!

First I'd ask where you were when this came on the radio(a mall, a music store, your car, a public lavoratory). Second since when are young audience the barometer of good music these days. The youth of many nations have elevated "artists" such as Rihanna and Justin Beiber to star status. Even the slightly more talented bunch out today are too busy trying to emulate Prince, MJ or Madonna to even be compared to any of them with laughing. How much interest did this song generate was "everyone around" compelled to run to the nearest music store and purchase it? did they all stop and immediately download it to their smartphones? R&R Love Affair got bootlegged the instant it aired and downloaded by "everyone here". That's a lot of interest in my book.

funkyhead said:

that's not the point I'm making - forget the structure of the song the point is I heard this on radio today and everyone around stopped, looked, smiled and heads were bobbin'. It brings a solid blues riff with modern beats to a young audience - in short it got a great response and generated lots of interest. When r&r affair hits the radio what reaction do you think it will get?!!

To agree with and paraphrase HonestMan13, my interests are not the same interests as today's general or regular radio listener. The vast majority of the artists on radio bore me. So, just because today's youth may not like "RocknRoll Love Affair" is no judgment of its quality. Additionally, the song that you posted does not blend styles and genres nearly as seamlessly as "RocknRoll Love Affair" or any of Prince's work. The song you posted is clearly cut and paste work--not that being cut and paste makes it bad--but the fact that the styles aren't really blended causes the groove to feel truncated by the two minute mark, causing it, for me, to lose any innate or organic soul or emotive presence and power. If today's youth love it, it may be because they have been raised mostly on cut and paste music that is not so much cosmopolitan as say, Dirty Mind or even Musicology or Lotusflow3r/MPLS, but more so a mixing of ingredients that never quite become a soup or stew because they have been fed music by DJs and track producers and not musicians.

rdhull's scoreboard

(non)funkyhead: 0

everyone else:75

brought to you by Jack In The Box

Planet Earth was a good cd-shut up and enjoy the Purpleness while u can

He's been raving about Purple Pleaser nearly for 2 years now it'll be in 2013 since most of us heard this song for the first time. So, really we been waiting for 2 years for its release. WOW, what an anticipation for an old lame song. Lol

At this speed, it can only take another 4 years for another song after that shitty song he just released. He's very estranged I must admit.

funkyhead said:

kidsherriff said:

I agree. 2010 sounded like it had been mastered in some teenagers bedroom using a hooky copy of reason.

The stuff you posted a link to is cool. Reminds me a lot of Basement Jaxx. They're a bit heavy handed with the scratching but its still really interesting by comparison. Its been a long time since P came up with such a cool mish mash of styles that hang together as well as this stuff.

glad you liked it, have you heard Rudimentals new track?, it is amazing using traditional Prince type horns but mixing in drum n' bass backed with great lyrics.

Can't say I have but I'll look it up now you mention it.

novabrkr said:

I have found that the majority of those who think Prince has lost it in the studio listen to some sort of disposable hipster stuff.

Is that so. So are Tom Waits, Kate Bush, Julian Cope, Basement Jaxx, Air, Beck, Stevie Wonder, Esperanza Spalding, James Brown, Elbow, Zero 7, Soundgarden, Radiohead, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soul Coughing, Janes Addiction, Portishead, Qunicy Jones, Funkadelic, Isley Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, Pearl Jam disposable hipster stuff!!!! This is a list of CD's just sat next to my stereo. I could go on and on through my collection if necessary!

Sweeping, small minded, blinkered and ignorant comment. Cllueless.

datdude said:

IstenSzek said:

Let me pose a couple of questions to everyone who values the musical tastes of todays youth so highly.

As a kid growing up did your parents give you final say on what music they were listening to?

If you didn't like the music they choose did they automatically write it off?

I know my parents didn't and none of my friends parents didn't either. This site is full of old people chasing the validation of todays youth on their personal taste in hopes of seeming cool and relevant themselves. When you actively start consulting kids to make choices on what you should be doing you're OLD. If you're 100% comfortable and confident about what you're into and down with then you ain't worried about what the next person(young or old) has to say about it. I can make the crappiest Prince track into the fucking jam on full blast cause I'll play that shit with no shame and let anyone say what they want about it.

TweetyV6 said:

Great post. However..... 1 time, just 1 time after TRC I had a "what the hell was that?" moment; PFunk. There he showed his old brilliance briefly. After that it became dull again.....

hell yes! "F.U.N.K." is just amazing. i can listen to that any day and still go "yes, yes, yes!!!!!"

love everything about that track.

HonestMan13 said:

Let me pose a couple of questions to everyone who values the musical tastes of todays youth so highly.

As a kid growing up did your parents give you final say on what music they were listening to?

If you didn't like the music they choose did they automatically write it off?

I know my parents didn't and none of my friends parents didn't either. This site is full of old people chasing the validation of todays youth on their personal taste in hopes of seeming cool and relevant themselves. When you actively start consulting kids to make choices on what you should be doing you're OLD. If you're 100% comfortable and confident about what you're into and down with then you ain't worried about what the next person(young or old) has to say about it. I can make the crappiest Prince track into the fucking jam on full blast cause I'll play that shit with no shame and let anyone say what they want about it.

in the spirit of this post i just put "y should eye do that when eye can do this?" on full volume

and danced around the livingroom

i have no regrets and no shame. it felt great.

now i'm gonna make a hip playlist with current bands for when my company comes over in a

few hours

j/k

I'm going back and forth on this one.
At first I heard RnRLA and I was really surprised in a good way. IMO as someone who drinks less then the average amount of purple koolaid on this site, this is the best song he's released since 2007's 'Guitar.' I was keeping my fingers crossed for an album of other tracks at least this quality, and although I'm not a a fan or folksy music or country, at least this would be Prince breaking the streak of terrible sound alike cheese synth (I hold the lowest opinion of Lotus/20ten).

However, then I heard 'People Pleaser,' which is by the number post 2000 Prince drivel. Like so many Prince songs of the last ten years it somehow has all the elements that make funk awesome (driving horns, deep base etc) yet manages to not be funky at all. The lyrics are weak in the sense they don't have a really good hook or tell a story. I'm trying like all hell to get into this song but it's not working.

Bottom line for me is: An Album in the vein of Rock and Roll Love Affair would be awesome and I'd be totally happy, an album filled with stuff like people pleaser would put another nail in the coffin of a guy who used to be a musical tour de force.

HonestMan13 said:

Here's what I say to everyone who "knows" what Prince should be doing with his music.

"Go out there and make it yourself then bring it here for the ORG to tear apart or raise up."

When one orger cracks the mainstream with the funk driven CD that they claim we've all been missing and establishes themselves as the new face of that sound then drop me a line.

Here's an idea: until you've released something that is equal to what Prince has put out, you cannot lavish any praise on his output.

Oh wait, you don't like that I apply the same standards to your posts as you seek to apply on others?

IstenSzek said:

i'm ready and i'm sure i'll enjoy it.

however

i just wish prince would make his music a little more daring and out there again.

arguably, he's already done most everything there was to do, at the time.

Nonsense. For instance, Romanthony made a far better Prince album in 2000 than Prince had in the 5 years before.

at this point even his funk sounds a bit stale. because it's always conducted with

the same basic formula of instruments and they all start to sound alike.

It has been stale for ages. Listen to Andy Allo's single and you hear the same Vegasified MOR Prince has pumped out for ages. Pathetic. Especially when compared to someone like Angel Haze (go listen to her heartbreaking "Cleaning Out My Closet" or the insanely awesome "Werkin' Girls").

"rock and roll love affair" sounds healthy enough and it's quite fun, but it's not a

very special song by any means. it's obviously catered to a big audience

And it will do nothing because there's nothing there that he didn't do better previously.

Yay! Barts here!

rdhull said:

Yay! Barts here!

phew! - got some back up!!

funkyhead said:

rdhull said:

Yay! Barts here!

phew! - got some back up!!