SuperSoulFighter said:

That's YOUR view on it. Where does one begin and the other end? The Cross and the Lovesexy LP are definitely about religion.

say WHAT???

I didn't realize there were people who still thought this way. I would like to know what 'religion' these songs are as well. And do not say "Christian" as that is not a religion. The jehovah's witnesses claim to be "Christian," but they are not!

Lovesexy is my all time favorite album and I never heard anything about 'religion' coming through my speakers off of it. It is a spiritually charged, uplifting piece of art, with song lyrics still relevant some 25 years later. This is one fact to prove it wasn't a religious album...when the Lovesexy tour stopped in my town for a performance, there were church members and so-called "Christians" walking around the arena with picket signs, protesting his being in our town. Now why would "religious" people do something like that, about a "religious" album?

Make no mistake, Lovesexy is all SPIRITUAL! And if you don't know the difference between religion and spirituality, you'd better ask somebody!

SuperSoulFighter said:

Give it a rest, WonderU. Prince has always been a Christian. Oh and bytheway, if Wendy & Lisa & Eric sit at the Jedi Council, then Sonny & Michael & Levi deserve 2 B there also! [Edited 3/20/13 14:20pm]

Awww....did I make little Mary cry?

You don't get on the council just because you're cool. What Eric, Lisa and Wendy during their time with Prince is unmatched by ANY musician before them or since. Sorry if that's painful for you to hear

The excerpts of this that I've read have put me to sleep.

SuperSoulFighter said:

Hold on. "Christian" is not a religion? If you write a song about Jesus and it's not Christian, then what is it?

Exactly. So which is it? Protestant? Catholic? Presbyterian? Baptist? Methodist? Lutheran?

The list of religions in this country and around the world are endless. I would like to know which religion he was allegedly singing about. The word "Christian" does not cover ALL religion, because they all have different beliefs about what the word actually means.

errant said:

Toure is a dipshit and his level of commentary doesn't rise above what's to be found on "I the '90s"

notice, I didn't say "I the '80s." that's how shallow his insight is.

all true

LovesexyIsThe1 said:

WonderU said:

SuperSoulFighter said:

Orthodox? Assyrian? There's protestants who consider the Pope the Antichrist. Yet they're all Christians. Lovesexy is clearly inspired by the Christian belief and if it appeals to non-Christians who chose to call it "spiritual" then that's a big compliment to Prince's writing talent. But there's no denying where the inspiration came from.

Agreed. It is obvious where the inspiration comes from. But to call it 'religious,' when it is not talking about one particular religion, is very difficult to comprehend. As major or minor the differences are, there are enough differences in every religion's theology, to just place it under the umbrella of 'Christian.'

_____

Sorry to have strayed so far off topic. I read the interview with Toure when the book was released, and it doesn't seem like he is knowledgeable enough about Prince and his music, to have written this book. I'll pass!

[Edited 3/20/13 20:12pm]

It would be nice to hear how the book is and if its worth reading, since that what this thread is about...

jeffreymiller said:

It would be nice to hear how the book is and if its worth reading, since that what this thread is about...

so read the reviews that were posted in the thread. or, you know, wait a day so that the people who might have bought it the day it came out (today) have a chance to read it.

[Edited 3/20/13 20:12pm]

errant said:

jeffreymiller said:

It would be nice to hear how the book is and if its worth reading, since that what this thread is about...

so read the reviews that were posted in the thread. or, you know, wait a day so that the people who might have bought it the day it came out (today) have a chance to read it.

[Edited 3/20/13 20:12pm]

lol, what reviews, all 2 of them?

SuperSoulFighter said:

WonderU said:

Awww....did I make little Mary cry?

You don't get on the council just because you're cool. What Eric, Lisa and Wendy during their time with Prince is unmatched by ANY musician before them or since. Sorry if that's painful for you to hear

The Revolution had a sound all of its own. The NPG also had a sound all of its own. I happen to think the Revolution was NOT the best band he ever had. But he did write his best songs in those days. But that doesn't mean the musicians he worked with in his later years didn't influence his sound. How much we like this influence is for the listener to decide!

We weren't comparing the Revolution and NPG. YOU were trying to add Jedis to the council The NPG was a great band and sure they had an influence. BUT they did not have the influence of Wendy, Lisa or Eric, they made music with him on a level that even Prince alone can't match. I love the NPG and saw a bunch of shows with them, but as far as stage AND studio, can't touch the council I mentioned

The author was on the today show hocking this book. It's no more than an over long essay that should be turned in as an assignment not a book. MEH!

sp!

[Edited 3/21/13 0:39am]

Stymie said:

imago said:

Chile I would KILL myself if I had to read a Prince book written by him. Could imagine???

was born 2 a mother Tw3lve souls in2 h3r creation.

She CONtacted my fath3r after he left her his #.

Do U own Ur masters?

Oh fuck!!

Nevermind.

Nope the book Prince writes would open up and have a mirror inside. 'Cuz it's poetic and stuff.

illimack said:

Alright, just finished it.

Thesis & Originality: This is not another bio with the same old info regurgitated for the umpteenth time. Toure breaks things down in three chapters: one to explain Prince's relationship to the zeitgiest of Generation X, one to delve into sexuality in Prince and his music, and the last to illustrate spirituality & religion in Prince's music and posit that this is the ultimate message of his music. A unique approach. I give it an A.

Prose: Toure's writing is engaging and interesting. He keeps things interesting and enjoyable, but not fascinating. I give it a B.

Focus & Editing: The writing is VERY verbose. Toure often uses pages to say what could be said in a paragraph. He belabours the point and is unnecessarily repetitive. This is especially annoying in the opening chapter on Gen X. Maybe it's because I am generation x, I kept thinking "I get it, stop defining what it means to be Gen X". I give this a C.

Journalism / fact-checking & proofreading: On page 25, he says the song Papa is from 1996, when it is actually from 1994. On page 65 and again on page 140, he misquotes the lyrics to "1999". On page 124 he states that the song "A Place In Heaven" is from the Black Album. If I was having a conversation about Prince with Toure and he made these mistakes, I would correct him, he could call me a geek, and we could move on with the conversation. This is a book that he's selling for $19.99, a book that will be in libraries for years. I'm unforgiving of this sloppiness. I give it an F.

Overall: I've read about a dozen Prince books, some great & some awful. This one was pretty good and worth the read. There's alot in here for fans to discuss and argue about. It should spark a few discussions right here on the org. It's too bad some effort couldn't be put into being accurate in respect to the details. It seems to me this would be the easiest part of writing a book. All of the mistakes I mentioned could be corrected consulting album covers. He also thanks Prince Vault & Questlove in the book. He could have corrected these mistakes by spending a few minutes using Prince Vault as a resource. Or, perhaps Questlove, the self proclaimed "Prince scholar" could have proof read the book for him. Surely a Prince scholar would catch these mistakes. I give the book a C+. I would give a 2nd edition with corrections a solid B.

In my not-so-humble opinion, of course...

The book is interesting but too often, Toure sounds like he knows Prince better than Prince and makes a lot of presumptions about Prince the person based on his lyrics. Even after reading the book, I feel like Prince is still a mystery. He will forever be enigmatic, because Prince rarely explains things about himself that self proposed scholars about his music take upon themelves to explain. There are parts about the book that creeped me out like Toure's insistence to position Prince as a messiah.

bashraka said:

I wrote the above review minutes after finishing and closing the book. I've thought about it a little at work and have a few things to add...

Although Toure's thesis is interesting, it's not enough for a whole book. At 150 pages this is the perhaps the shortest book on Prince I have read. Considering in my opinion the 150 pages could easily be condensed to 100 pages if a good editor removed a lot of the unnecessarily verbose repetition, it's REALLY not enough for a book. Maybe it's enough for about 1/3 of a book. I think he should have done this:

- approx 100 page of bio, not an in depth retread of what can be found in a dozen other books, but a brief recap of Prince's life & career for those that haven't read other bios, and up to date for those that have read others, to at least get a little something new.

- approx 100 pages of this book edited down to be less verbose & repetitive.

- approx 100 pages analyzing the vastness of Prince's discography.

This would have made for a more well-rounded book.

And as I harped on in the other post, for funk's sake, hire someone at Prince Vault to proof read and fact check for you. I just can't get over the factual inaccuracies. It's unforgivable and easily avoidable. For me it knocks all the good qualities down several pegs, because, why should I take a writer seriously who can't be arsed to get his facts right. If your facts are wrong, I have trouble giving a shit about your opinions...

Genesia said:

bashraka said:

The book is interesting but too often, Toure sounds like he knows Prince better than Prince and makes a lot of presumptions about Prince the person based on his lyrics. Even after reading the book, I feel like Prince is still a mystery. He will forever be enigmatic, because Prince rarely explains things about himself that self proposed scholars about his music take upon themelves to explain. There are parts about the book that creeped me out like Toure's insistence to position Prince as a messiah.

Sounds like something Prince, if he bothered to read it, would have a good laugh over. I'm pretty sure I've never seen anyone more in love with the sound of his own voice (spoken or written) than Toure. (I left the pretentious accent off his name on purpose.)

Him and Questlove.

djThunderfunk said:

And as I harped on in the other post, for funk's sake, hire someone at Prince Vault to proof read and fact check for you. I just can't get over the factual inaccuracies. It's unforgivable and easily avoidable. For me it knocks all the good qualities down several pegs, because, why should I take a writer seriously who can't be arsed to get his facts right. If your facts are wrong, I have trouble giving a shit about your opinions...

LMAO at the title and the Christ parallels... Good grief... I couldn't have expressed my opinion any better than you all have yours. I just have to cosign on the bolded part x 100.

SuperSoulFighter said:

Thanx, DJThunder, you gave me an idea of what to expect. While I would enjoy an essay on Prince's role in pop music more than a bio (we have plenty of those) I think this would be something for a magazine article rather than a book. Think I'll give this one a miss... But still...after all those years, you're still interested enough to buy a book about Prince as soon as it comes out! You're under his spell...

Hells yeah! But, as long as I don't think everything is a "masterpiece", you don't need to worry about rescuing me from a cult.

This one wasn't worth the retail price though, I would recommend anyone that's interested wait for a clearance sale or buy from a discount outlet.

Had a great time last night at:

I Would Die 4 U: A Prince Dance Party with Toure and Ali Shaheeed Muhammad

http://www.housingworks.o...e-book-fe/

chocolate1 said:

Had a great time last night at:

I Would Die 4 U: A Prince Dance Party with Toure and Ali Shaheeed Muhammad

FRIDAY, MARCH 22 FROM 7:00PM TO 10:00PM

Celebrate Touré's new book I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon with a dance party featuring a night of Prince music spun by Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest.

Presented with WORD, who will be on hand selling I Would Die 4 U. 100% of ticket sales will go to Housing Works to support their fight against homelessness and AIDS.

http://www.housingworks.o...e-book-fe/

That was a partay!!!!

I had so much fun!!