Most Prince fans DO NOT find the last 20 years bad. Rather, its a case of you refusing to believe that people can actually like Prince's more recent work. The media did not give positive reviews to Chaos or to Come. TGE is well liked here, majority of prince fans actually rate the album among their favourites. If you refuse to believe that, then thats your problem.

You are the one who refuses to accept reality. Despite being proven wrong again and again on several topics, you are far too stubborn to admit it. Go listen to other artists whose work you like instead of whining about an artist whose work you dislike. Most of us like atleast some of his recent work, and that is why we are here. You do not speak for anyone but yourself and if you think most people are here wasting their time on an artist whose work they have not liked for 20 years, then you are deluded.

You do not understand the word REALITY, never have and never will.

[Edited 4/28/13 6:00am]

so you are saying that Most prince fans compare gold era and purple rain sott era and think gold era is better? You are sincerely out of your mind on that one. PR SOTT is the classic era .. Gold barely registers even among prince groupies such as yourself with absolutely no taste in lyrics. Gold fans probably rate 2LIVECREW as one of the best bands ever as well. Even Prince thinks the Gold era was trash. Thats why he handed it over to WB along with come and chaos. They were intended as giant FU's to WB. Even the song Gold spells it out. "all that glitters aint gold" .. well that Gold album sure had a lot of glitter all over it.

SOTT is Prince's best record. TGE is widely liked among fans and is a fan favourite. And i am not a "groupie".

TGE was not a fuck you to anyone.How do you know what prince thinks? You don't. You always repeat stuff such as "everyone knows" and "prince knows" whereas its just your opinion that most people do not agree with. TGE received strong reviews and is considered by the majority of Prince fans as one of their favourite records. Deal with it. If you want to live in denial, so be it.

No one is denying that Prince was at his peak in the 80's. However that is the case with every artist. Most great artists have one decade of brilliance, followed by some brilliance and inconsistencies. Prince had plenty of great stuff post SOTT, and clearly some inconsistency too. TGE, however, is a well liked record and widely considered to be amongst his best work. Majority of Prince's fanbase are not "groupies". Instead of criticising other people's taste, you need to understand that people have their own tastes. and if majority of prince's fan base considers TGE among their favourite albums and critics largely viewed it favourable, then they are not "pretending".

If i was a groupie, i would praise 20ten but it is a very mediocre record so i don't listen to it very much. Ditto for Planet earth. On the other hand i do like Lotus3flwer and 3121 and regularly listen to those two because i like them. Many others like 3121 and no, we DO NOT PRETEND TO do so. Most people here aren't pretending, we simply do not have as much spare time as you in investing time in an artists work we don't like. You are living in denial that people can actually like his recent work just because you don't do so.

Prince will never make another Sign o the times. Just like Fleetwood Mac will never make another Rumours, or Stevie Wonder will never make another Songs in key of life or Innervisions, just like Stones will never make another Exile on Main St or Sticky Fingers. Get over it.

That, however, does not mean that we cannot enjoy more recent music from these artists.

TrevorAyer said:

look Prince thru Sott defined prince .. it was his sound his themes his style his intentions his collaboration .. you all act like just cuz prince changes his underwear its a new era .. there is nothing after Sott that can be considered classic in any regard .. you diamonds and pearls and gold and rainbow fans just have horrible taste .. even prince fans know his later music sucks and certainly influences no one and certainly has nothing innovative going on enough to 'define' an era .. its mostly just prince rehash with crappy trends like elevator jazz and rap desecrating what is left of prince talent .. so if you love prince he certainly has a classic era of Prince thru Sott .. if u hate prince then yes .. gold is a classic era of prince sucking in a most classic prince way .. there is nothing classic that has come from prince since sott

This is a horrible presentation of a viewpoint. It's like barfing out an opinion and giving value to random chunks of truth that may be in the mix.

If Prince hadn't had such a strong run of outstanding material from 80-88, solidifying his greatness, people would rate him pretty low. If all we had heard of Prince was his 90-present music there is no doubt in my mind most would rate him as one of the all-time worst artists of all time. I would certainly rate him much lower than Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez.

There certainly is some gold buried throughout his 90's work, but who but us, the most hardcore would wade through so much sewage to pan for gold? Imagine if MPLSound was all we knew of him? I would dislike him as an artist with a passion.

hhhhmbdthhhpt ... prince did make another 1999 .. it was called purple rain .. he made another purple rain .. it was called sign of the times .. in between for fun he gave us parade and the family and around the world .. all of which were equal in quality to his other awesome records .. yet different and certainly not met with as much of the oh so credible critique of the press ..

again you are ignorant that this thread is discussing the CLASSIC ERA and you continue to argue that MOST people agree with you that the GOLD era is BETTER than the PR SOTT ERA .. gold better than pr 1999 parade sott family around the world? really? really? REALLY?!?!?!?!?! you are one of a few that have bad taste and you get really pissed off when nobody agrees with you .. you just have bad taste .. i am sorry ... i have compassion for you disease and mean no disrespect to your struggle

skywalker .. better than pooing out pure lies with no truth at all in them .. maybe its cuz i don't digest lies that they come back in the form of barf .. with some of my natural truth enzymes mixed in for you own health benefits

thank you violet blues for your sanity!!

TrevorAyer said:

hhhhmbdthhhpt ... prince did make another 1999 .. it was called purple rain .. he made another purple rain .. it was called sign of the times .. in between for fun he gave us parade and the family and around the world .. all of which were equal in quality to his other awesome records .. yet different and certainly not met with as much of the oh so credible critique of the press ..

again you are ignorant that this thread is discussing the CLASSIC ERA and you continue to argue that MOST people agree with you that the GOLD era is BETTER than the PR SOTT ERA .. gold better than pr 1999 parade sott family around the world? really? really? REALLY?!?!?!?!?! you are one of a few that have bad taste and you get really pissed off when nobody agrees with you .. you just have bad taste .. i am sorry ... i have compassion for you disease and mean no disrespect to your struggle

skywalker .. better than pooing out pure lies with no truth at all in them .. maybe its cuz i don't digest lies that they come back in the form of barf .. with some of my natural truth enzymes mixed in for you own health benefits

thank you violet blues for your sanity!!

you are the one with bad taste and zero musical knowledge. How many times do you need to be proven wrong? you keep spewing nonsense about how prince cannot keep perfect time on the drums without a click track (WRONG), how Prince cannot sing and play bass for a whole concert (wrong), how Prince has "failed to do most genres" (wrong, because he is widely considered to be one of the most versatile acts in popular music history), how wendy and lisa were robbed of songwriting credits on SOTT (WRONG, because they did not co write anything on that album, nor have they ever claimed to). You get owned over and over again and like a mentally ill person, you refuse to accept it.

You are deluded enough to believe that your crappy songs (which is some of the WORST music anyone has ever made) is actually better than Prince's recent work. I feel sorry for a failed "musician" like yourself who is jealous and bitter than he will never even have 1% of the talent or musicial ability that Prince has.

I have compassion for a terrible "artist" like you who will never accomplish anything musically and who keeps whining about one artist who actually has ability. You are the one with the disease, the disease of believing that your work actually qualifies as "music". Not only that but you are deluded enough to believe that people here pretend to like Prince's music.

hmmmpfhthpt .. do eye know u in real life? .. u act like a jealous ex ..

[Edited 4/29/13 8:10am]

hhhhdmt said:

TrevorAyer said:

hhhhmbdthhhpt ... prince did make another 1999 .. it was called purple rain .. he made another purple rain .. it was called sign of the times .. in between for fun he gave us parade and the family and around the world .. all of which were equal in quality to his other awesome records .. yet different and certainly not met with as much of the oh so credible critique of the press ..

again you are ignorant that this thread is discussing the CLASSIC ERA and you continue to argue that MOST people agree with you that the GOLD era is BETTER than the PR SOTT ERA .. gold better than pr 1999 parade sott family around the world? really? really? REALLY?!?!?!?!?! you are one of a few that have bad taste and you get really pissed off when nobody agrees with you .. you just have bad taste .. i am sorry ... i have compassion for you disease and mean no disrespect to your struggle

skywalker .. better than pooing out pure lies with no truth at all in them .. maybe its cuz i don't digest lies that they come back in the form of barf .. with some of my natural truth enzymes mixed in for you own health benefits

thank you violet blues for your sanity!!

you are the one with bad taste and zero musical knowledge. How many times do you need to be proven wrong? you keep spewing nonsense about how prince cannot keep perfect time on the drums without a click track (WRONG), how Prince cannot sing and play bass for a whole concert (wrong), how Prince has "failed to do most genres" (wrong, because he is widely considered to be one of the most versatile acts in popular music history), how wendy and lisa were robbed of songwriting credits on SOTT (WRONG, because they did not co write anything on that album, nor have they ever claimed to). You get owned over and over again and like a mentally ill person, you refuse to accept it.

You are deluded enough to believe that your crappy songs (which is some of the WORST music anyone has ever made) is actually better than Prince's recent work. I feel sorry for a failed "musician" like yourself who is jealous and bitter than he will never even have 1% of the talent or musicial ability that Prince has.

I have compassion for a terrible "artist" like you who will never accomplish anything musically and who keeps whining about one artist who actually has ability. You are the one with the disease, the disease of believing that your work actually qualifies as "music". Not only that but you are deluded enough to believe that people here pretend to like Prince's music.

Wow! That is so harsh. And oh how true. Remember folks the internet gives a forum where the crazy can be safely exhibited. There are several folks who post that really don't appear totally sane to me. Negative obsessions are scary stuff.

V10LETBLUES said:

If Prince hadn't had such a strong run of outstanding material from 80-88, solidifying his greatness, people would rate him pretty low. If all we had heard of Prince was his 90-present music there is no doubt in my mind most would rate him as one of the all-time worst artists of all time. I would certainly rate him much lower than Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez.

There certainly is some gold buried throughout his 90's work, but who but us, the most hardcore would wade through so much sewage to pan for gold? Imagine if MPLSound was all we knew of him? I would dislike him as an artist with a passion.

Is this for real? Britney Spears? Surely this is a joke opinion.

tricky99 said:

V10LETBLUES said:

If Prince hadn't had such a strong run of outstanding material from 80-88, solidifying his greatness, people would rate him pretty low. If all we had heard of Prince was his 90-present music there is no doubt in my mind most would rate him as one of the all-time worst artists of all time. I would certainly rate him much lower than Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez.

There certainly is some gold buried throughout his 90's work, but who but us, the most hardcore would wade through so much sewage to pan for gold? Imagine if MPLSound was all we knew of him? I would dislike him as an artist with a passion.

Is this for real? Britney Spears? Surely this is a joke opinion.

If Prince came on the scene in the mid-late 1990's we wouldn't look at him as the genius that we do know.

*

We probably would see him in an average light that we do a lot of other who came on the scene.

*

Would New Power Soul or Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic really be some mega start album?

OldFriends4Sale said:

tricky99 said:

Is this for real? Britney Spears? Surely this is a joke opinion.

If Prince came on the scene in the mid-late 1990's we wouldn't look at him as the genius that we do know.

*

We probably would see him in an average light that we do a lot of other who came on the scene.

I disagree. Prince is like your husband or your wife or drugs. You still love Prince, but you got used to him. It takes a lot to suprise us now. We rarely get the high we had in the 1st ten years. We take Prince's genius for granted. Human nature.

*

example: Prince is still genius. If some unknown artist showed up in 1996 and debuted with Emancipation people would have shit themselves.

*

But, alas, it was Prince and we (and the world) had become used to the breadth and scope of his sound. We are use to double and triple albums. We are used to genre crossing styles. We are used to produced, written, performed by Prince.

skywalker said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

If Prince came on the scene in the mid-late 1990's we wouldn't look at him as the genius that we do know.

*

We probably would see him in an average light that we do a lot of other who came on the scene.

I disagree. Prince is like your husband or your wife or drugs. You still love Prince, but you got used to him. It takes a lot to suprise us now. We rarely get the high we had in the 1st ten years. We take Prince's genius for granted. Human nature.

*

example: Prince is still genius. If some unknown artist showed up in 1996 and debuted with Emancipation people would have shit themselves.

*

But, alas, it was Prince and we (and the world) had become used to the breadth and scope of his sound. We are use to double and triple albums. We are used to genre crossing styles. We are used to produced, written, performed by Prince.

This is how I feel also. People are so jaded by the width and depth of Prince's talent that they take it all for granted. And yet still somehow expect him to blow their socks off.

For whatever reason I have never got jaded. maybe because I never expected him to remain still or only produce works of absolute genuis. He still impresses me with his work. And unlike others who compare the new to the old and say its lacking. I hear the new and think wow he is still moving forward and trying new things. He still has the fire to create a concept like 3rd eye girl or create a suite of four instrumentals (N.E.W.S).

skywalker said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

If Prince came on the scene in the mid-late 1990's we wouldn't look at him as the genius that we do know.

*

We probably would see him in an average light that we do a lot of other who came on the scene.

I disagree. Prince is like your husband or your wife or drugs. You still love Prince, but you got used to him. It takes a lot to suprise us now. We rarely get the high we had in the 1st ten years. We take Prince's genius for granted. Human nature.

*

example: Prince is still genius. If some unknown artist showed up in 1996 and debuted with Emancipation people would have shit themselves.

*

But, alas, it was Prince and we (and the world) had become used to the breadth and scope of his sound. We are use to double and triple albums. We are used to genre crossing styles. We are used to produced, written, performed by Prince.

I hear what you are saying on that 1st line: But I'm saying if someone named Prince came on the scene in 1997 (forget 1978-1989) His first album is New Power Soul, I don't think Prince would be seen as a superstar in the same light. There are a lot of other musical genuises out there, and very talented groups and entertainers. And I think that is what VioletBlue is suggesting.

*

If Prince debuted with Rainbow Children I would see genius. I don't think I would with Emancipation.

*

I don't think I'm taking him for granted, if I don't like something. Also the 'subculture' Prince created in the 1980's was huge: along with the protege music, just the whole Prince scene was addictive and entertaining. if you look at the protege scene with Prince after that, it was very dull and lacking, also in the 1990's Prince had a lot of other things going on, I don't think he was always at his full attention (that's human) has nothing to do with age, but his paranoia and his fight with WB -there is no way he's putting his best foot forward. And in a lot of ways I think putting out an album every year was not always good. Like right now, I know everyone wants an album, but I still say take the time and put together a good playlist, don't just through out an album with the expected (James Brown) funk song, the RnB slow jam, the rock in Roll number, the stripped accoustic piece, that we easily identify on many previous albums. I would be really happy with 6 or 7 strong cuts, not over done, stuff that sounds like PRINCE. And some lyrics that we can identify with. That's 1 of the issues I had with Rainbow Children, I love the music and they way you're singing it, but not always knowing or relating to what your saying. Rainbow Children to me is an example of that excitement to hear an album all the way through. And continue to listen to it fully.

*

It is 1980s Prince 'culture' that set us up, lol It was huge, protege acts that fit within the scope of his individual album vibes. the abundance of music, the Bsides/long versions, it was just a subculture in itself. It was very exciting. As happy as I am with every release then, part of me wishes he would have worked an album longer and not jumped so quickly from project to project. He said something about this in a 1990s Interview. Overload at times especially when there are a lot of disctractions going on can lead to releasing not so good material mixed with good material. He had some growing pains in the 1990s especially.

tricky99 said:

skywalker said:

I disagree. Prince is like your husband or your wife or drugs. You still love Prince, but you got used to him. It takes a lot to suprise us now. We rarely get the high we had in the 1st ten years. We take Prince's genius for granted. Human nature.

*

example: Prince is still genius. If some unknown artist showed up in 1996 and debuted with Emancipation people would have shit themselves.

*

But, alas, it was Prince and we (and the world) had become used to the breadth and scope of his sound. We are use to double and triple albums. We are used to genre crossing styles. We are used to produced, written, performed by Prince.

This is how I feel also. People are so jaded by the width and depth of Prince's talent that they take it all for granted. And yet still somehow expect him to blow their socks off.

For whatever reason I have never got jaded. maybe because I never expected him to remain still or only produce works of absolute genuis. He still impresses me with his work. And unlike others who compare the new to the old and say its lacking. I hear the new and think wow he is still moving forward and trying new things. He still has the fire to create a concept like 3rd eye girl or create a suite of four instrumentals (N.E.W.S).

Prince also can take his width & depth for granted and release stuff that really wasn't up to parr, and could have been better. It goes both ways.

If it isn't absolute genuis than what is it? Half done work? Why would I want anyone to release a piece of art that is a throw away or not genuis? If you need to take a few years off from releasing music and put out the genuis stuff then do so.

If you need to release a NEWS type album of 4 strong pieces, then do so, but don't put together an album of 15 songs if you don't feel genuis on that. But ego could say "everything" I put out is genuis, and that doesn't work.

OldFriends4Sale said:

I hear what you are saying on that 1st line: But I'm saying if someone named Prince came on the scene in 1997 (forget 1978-1989) His first album is New Power Soul, I don't think Prince would be seen as a superstar in the same light. There are a lot of other musical genuises out there, and very talented groups and entertainers. And I think that is what VioletBlue is suggesting.

That's just it though. Prince actually wasn't seen as the superstar that we know until his 6th album. It wasn't until his 3rd album that anyone really started paying attention...even then he was a critical darling with was a SMALL audience. It's not like For You or Prince broke any mold or made you think he was something genius.

*

If Prince debuted with Rainbow Children I would see genius. I don't think I would with Emancipation.

*

Well, I think all of the classic Prince elements are there in Emancipation. Rainbow Children is not "pop" or accessible enough for what Prince actually is/how he is regarded.

I don't think I'm taking him for granted, if I don't like something. Also the 'subculture' Prince created in the 1980's was huge: along with the protege music, just the whole Prince scene was addictive and entertaining. if you look at the protege scene with Prince after that, it was very dull and lacking, also in the 1990's Prince had a lot of other things going on, I don't think he was always at his full attention (that's human) has nothing to do with age, but his paranoia and his fight with WB -there is no way he's putting his best foot forward. And in a lot of ways I think putting out an album every year was not always good. Like right now, I know everyone wants an album, but I still say take the time and put together a good playlist, don't just through out an album with the expected (James Brown) funk song, the RnB slow jam, the rock in Roll number, the stripped accoustic piece, that we easily identify on many previous albums. I would be really happy with 6 or 7 strong cuts, not over done, stuff that sounds like PRINCE. And some lyrics that we can identify with. That's 1 of the issues I had with Rainbow Children, I love the music and they way you're singing it, but not always knowing or relating to what your saying. Rainbow Children to me is an example of that excitement to hear an album all the way through. And continue to listen to it fully.

*

It is 1980s Prince 'culture' that set us up, lol It was huge, protege acts that fit within the scope of his individual album vibes. the abundance of music, the Bsides/long versions, it was just a subculture in itself. It was very exciting. As happy as I am with every release then, part of me wishes he would have worked an album longer and not jumped so quickly from project to project. He said something about this in a 1990s Interview. Overload at times especially when there are a lot of disctractions going on can lead to releasing not so good material mixed with good material. He had some growing pains in the 1990s especially.

I hear you on many of these points. However, essentially what you are talking about is presentation. Meaning, Prince's whole presentation and way of promoting himself, his albums, and his proteges was much more cohesive and well put together in the 80's.

*

That said, the whole Prince schtick it was all new to us back then. It was albums that were 40minutes long. It was b-sides and bootlegs instead of warts and all triple albums and internet releases. It was a different time. Teenagers and 20somethings were much more into (and open to) Vanity and The Time than they were willing to accept Mayte and the NPG as a 30 somethings audience.

OldFriends4Sale said:

tricky99 said:

Is this for real? Britney Spears? Surely this is a joke opinion.

If Prince came on the scene in the mid-late 1990's we wouldn't look at him as the genius that we do know.

*

We probably would see him in an average light that we do a lot of other who came on the scene.

*

Would New Power Soul or Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic really be some mega start album?

but why are you talking nps, which is one of Prince's worst albums? If Prince debuted in the 90's, surely he would have better quality control, he wouldn't be allowed to release so much material by WB or any other record label.

Besides you cannot simply eliminate an entire decade of someone's work. This is like saying "if Stevie Wonder debuted in the 80's, we wouldn't be seeing him as a genius" which may be true but it makes no sense to pretend that an artists greatest decade never happened.

nps > rainbow children thru 3rd eye girl

come on is a classic

It started in 1976 and continues to this day. Although, some periods have been more classic than others.

OldFriends4Sale said:

tricky99 said:

This is how I feel also. People are so jaded by the width and depth of Prince's talent that they take it all for granted. And yet still somehow expect him to blow their socks off.

For whatever reason I have never got jaded. maybe because I never expected him to remain still or only produce works of absolute genuis. He still impresses me with his work. And unlike others who compare the new to the old and say its lacking. I hear the new and think wow he is still moving forward and trying new things. He still has the fire to create a concept like 3rd eye girl or create a suite of four instrumentals (N.E.W.S).

Prince also can take his width & depth for granted and release stuff that really wasn't up to parr, and could have been better. It goes both ways.

If it isn't absolute genuis than what is it? Half done work? Why would I want anyone to release a piece of art that is a throw away or not genuis? If you need to take a few years off from releasing music and put out the genuis stuff then do so.

If you need to release a NEWS type album of 4 strong pieces, then do so, but don't put together an album of 15 songs if you don't feel genuis on that. But ego could say "everything" I put out is genuis, and that doesn't work.

Why do u think Prince feels everything he produces is genuis? What artist of any type only produces genuis work? Is every movie by Hitchcock genuis? Is every song by Stevie wonder? Is every painting by Picasso? The answer is no. A artist creates and critics and the audience decide if it great or not. And that will vary by person.

Your point is simply silly. Does Lebron James score the same number of points, assists, and rebounds every game? Is his work half done if he only scores 25 points when the game before he scored 40?

Prince is not a machine so like every human his work and quality will vary. Is that not common sense? Is is work only of value when you decide it is of genuis level? One can enjoy both a goumet meal and a cheese burger.

RodeoSchro said:

It started in 1976 and continues to this day. Although, some periods have been more classic than others.

20Ten is classic?

tricky99 said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Prince also can take his width & depth for granted and release stuff that really wasn't up to parr, and could have been better. It goes both ways.

If it isn't absolute genuis than what is it? Half done work? Why would I want anyone to release a piece of art that is a throw away or not genuis? If you need to take a few years off from releasing music and put out the genuis stuff then do so.

If you need to release a NEWS type album of 4 strong pieces, then do so, but don't put together an album of 15 songs if you don't feel genuis on that. But ego could say "everything" I put out is genuis, and that doesn't work.

Why do u think Prince feels everything he produces is genuis? What artist of any type only produces genuis work? Is every movie by Hitchcock genuis? Is every song by Stevie wonder? Is every painting by Picasso? The answer is no. A artist creates and critics and the audience decide if it great or not. And that will vary by person.

Your point is simply silly. Does Lebron James score the same number of points, assists, and rebounds every game? Is his work half done if he only scores 25 points when the game before he scored 40?

Prince is not a machine so like every human his work and quality will vary. Is that not common sense? Is is work only of value when you decide it is of genuis level? One can enjoy both a goumet meal and a cheese burger.

You need to read more things that Prince says about his music.

*

All those silly examples don't mean anything, if we are talking about a particular person.

*

When Prince said "'You think she knows anything about my music? Susan Rogers, for the record, doesn't know anything about my music. Not one thing. The only person who knows anything about my music (pause for pointed effect).... is me."

*

Prince thinks everything he puts out is genuis

*

This is also the person that compared Bria Valente and her album to Sade...

*

a Genuis doesn't always put out his/her best, but most have an inflated sense of themselves and believe they are putting out the best.

OldFriends4Sale said:

RodeoSchro said:

It started in 1976 and continues to this day. Although, some periods have been more classic than others.

20Ten is classic?

What's wrong with 20ten? I like it a lot because it's Prince utilizing his classic Minneapolis Sound in a way that isn't forced.

hhhhdmt said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

If Prince came on the scene in the mid-late 1990's we wouldn't look at him as the genius that we do know.

*

We probably would see him in an average light that we do a lot of other who came on the scene.

*

Would New Power Soul or Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic really be some mega start album?

but why are you talking nps, which is one of Prince's worst albums? If Prince debuted in the 90's, surely he would have better quality control, he wouldn't be allowed to release so much material by WB or any other record label.

Besides you cannot simply eliminate an entire decade of someone's work. This is like saying "if Stevie Wonder debuted in the 80's, we wouldn't be seeing him as a genius" which may be true but it makes no sense to pretend that an artists greatest decade never happened.

Read VioletBlues post #94, I'm replying to someones reply to this post.

*
Is New Power Soul one of his worst? Some would say that's just your opinion.

OldFriends4Sale said:

tricky99 said:

Why do u think Prince feels everything he produces is genuis? What artist of any type only produces genuis work? Is every movie by Hitchcock genuis? Is every song by Stevie wonder? Is every painting by Picasso? The answer is no. A artist creates and critics and the audience decide if it great or not. And that will vary by person.

Your point is simply silly. Does Lebron James score the same number of points, assists, and rebounds every game? Is his work half done if he only scores 25 points when the game before he scored 40?

Prince is not a machine so like every human his work and quality will vary. Is that not common sense? Is is work only of value when you decide it is of genuis level? One can enjoy both a goumet meal and a cheese burger.

You need to read more things that Prince says about his music.

*

All those silly examples don't mean anything, if we are talking about a particular person.

*

When Prince said "'You think she knows anything about my music? Susan Rogers, for the record, doesn't know anything about my music. Not one thing. The only person who knows anything about my music (pause for pointed effect).... is me."

*

Prince thinks everything he puts out is genuis

*

This is also the person that compared Bria Valente and her album to Sade...

*

a Genuis doesn't always put out his/her best, but most have an inflated sense of themselves and believe they are putting out the best.

Does it really matter what prince thinks about his music? Do you like a certain song more because Prince thinks it's his greatest song lol. As the creater I would hope Prince feels it is of quality but if Prince were only to put out music he thought was the greatest he ever produced evey time he created something he would probably be unable to produce anything at all.

Creative people create and the judgment comes later. Can u even create art if you don't have any confidence in what u create? What a particular song means to Prince is entirely different than what it means to you or me or Susan Rodgers.

And he said he was going for the vibe of Sade not that Bria was as good or better than her.

skywalker said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I hear what you are saying on that 1st line: But I'm saying if someone named Prince came on the scene in 1997 (forget 1978-1989) His first album is New Power Soul, I don't think Prince would be seen as a superstar in the same light. There are a lot of other musical genuises out there, and very talented groups and entertainers. And I think that is what VioletBlue is suggesting.

That's just it though. Prince actually wasn't seen as the superstar that we know until his 6th album. It wasn't until his 3rd album that anyone really started paying attention...even then he was a critical darling with was a SMALL audience. It's not like For You or Prince broke any mold or made you think he was something genius.

Well, I think all of the classic Prince elements are there in Emancipation. Rainbow Children is not "pop" or accessible enough for what Prince actually is/how he is regarded.

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True, but that was the period that made him a superstar, Once PR hit people who became fans or where interested in him discovered his music prior to that if they were not already familiar.

I can listen to every Prince album and some have more of the 'classic' elements and some have less, but having the elements don't always complete the package, in my opinion.

Rainbow Children 4 me, completed the package. As a Prince fan it's extremely accessible, to me.

I don't think I'm taking him for granted, if I don't like something. Also the 'subculture' Prince created in the 1980's was huge: along with the protege music, just the whole Prince scene was addictive and entertaining. if you look at the protege scene with Prince after that, it was very dull and lacking, also in the 1990's Prince had a lot of other things going on, I don't think he was always at his full attention (that's human) has nothing to do with age, but his paranoia and his fight with WB -there is no way he's putting his best foot forward. And in a lot of ways I think putting out an album every year was not always good. Like right now, I know everyone wants an album, but I still say take the time and put together a good playlist, don't just through out an album with the expected (James Brown) funk song, the RnB slow jam, the rock in Roll number, the stripped accoustic piece, that we easily identify on many previous albums. I would be really happy with 6 or 7 strong cuts, not over done, stuff that sounds like PRINCE. And some lyrics that we can identify with. That's 1 of the issues I had with Rainbow Children, I love the music and they way you're singing it, but not always knowing or relating to what your saying. Rainbow Children to me is an example of that excitement to hear an album all the way through. And continue to listen to it fully.

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It is 1980s Prince 'culture' that set us up, lol It was huge, protege acts that fit within the scope of his individual album vibes. the abundance of music, the Bsides/long versions, it was just a subculture in itself. It was very exciting. As happy as I am with every release then, part of me wishes he would have worked an album longer and not jumped so quickly from project to project. He said something about this in a 1990s Interview. Overload at times especially when there are a lot of disctractions going on can lead to releasing not so good material mixed with good material. He had some growing pains in the 1990s especially.

I hear you on many of these points. However, essentially what you are talking about is presentation. Meaning, Prince's whole presentation and way of promoting himself, his albums, and his proteges was much more cohesive and well put together in the 80's.

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Yes, but that is what makes an (album)era, time period etc, it's not just releasing an album.

For example, 3 years from now, will we look at the 20Ten release as an 'Era'? or just an album release? There were no videos, no live performances, no tour or shows to promote the album. 20Ten the album and the Welcome 2 tours are two entirely different concepts.

So going back to the OP defining a classic era, has to have a bunch of ingredients, and I know at times we are talking about public perceptions. But the question really is directed at Prince fans. So even when the hype surrounding LotusFlow3r was starting, the shadows of a new protege:Bria Valente, 3 disc, someone in an interview comparing it to Controversy, Prince featuring Parade era videos and images on the website, and a website. I was excited and hoping, Not that it's the exact same as 1982 or 1986 but in 2007 that Prince puts it there and does it good. Make it good. Build on your legacy. I really don't think it's hard.

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That said, the whole Prince schtick it was all new to us back then. It was albums that were 40minutes long. It was b-sides and bootlegs instead of warts and all triple albums and internet releases. It was a different time. Teenagers and 20somethings were much more into (and open to) Vanity and The Time than they were willing to accept Mayte and the NPG as a 30 somethings audience.

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I agree, actually I can add 30 and 40 somethings too, there was a large age following of Prince then too.

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1986 must have a special place in Prince's heart, it must be a classic era for him, because in the last 4-6 years he's been featuring Parade era stuff from like the LotusFlower site and using the 1986 period to compare the excitement, pictures of the Revolution members from Parade photos, even up to recently with the 3rd Eye Girl using images from that Parade album collage

skywalker said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

20Ten is classic?

What's wrong with 20ten? I like it a lot because it's Prince utilizing his classic Minneapolis Sound in a way that isn't forced.

I like 20Ten as well

but can you consider 20Ten an 'Era'?

Can you consider it 'Classic'?

I listen to it still.

OldFriends4Sale said:

RodeoSchro said:

It started in 1976 and continues to this day. Although, some periods have been more classic than others.

20Ten is classic?

LOL, like I said - some periods are more classic that others. I didn't say albums were classic, LOL.

OldFriends4Sale said:

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True, but that was the period that made him a superstar, Once PR hit people who became fans or where interested in him discovered his music prior to that if they were not already familiar.

You asked they hypothetical: If Prince's debut album would have been one of his 90's albums, would he still be appreciated as he is now? I was stating, as it was, Prince wasn't even appreciated or viewed as the genius he is until his 6th album anyways.

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Meaning, in your hypothetical, why would his 90's debut album need to launch him into superstar/genius status? It took him a bit to get there in reality.

I can listen to every Prince album and some have more of the 'classic' elements and some have less, but having the elements don't always complete the package, in my opinion.

Rainbow Children 4 me, completed the package. As a Prince fan it's extremely accessible, to me.

I know Rainbow Children is more easy for Prince fans to digest. I agree that it has MANY classic Prince elements. I am simply wondering (again) if Prince fans actually decide/dictate what makes a Prince era "classic" other than time.

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Yes, but that is what makes an (album)era, time period etc, it's not just releasing an album.

For example, 3 years from now, will we look at the 20Ten release as an 'Era'? or just an album release? There were no videos, no live performances, no tour or shows to promote the album. 20Ten the album and the Welcome 2 tours are two entirely different concepts.

So going back to the OP defining a classic era, has to have a bunch of ingredients, and I know at times we are talking about public perceptions. But the question really is directed at Prince fans. So even when the hype surrounding LotusFlow3r was starting, the shadows of a new protege:Bria Valente, 3 disc, someone in an interview comparing it to Controversy, Prince featuring Parade era videos and images on the website, and a website. I was excited and hoping, Not that it's the exact same as 1982 or 1986 but in 2007 that Prince puts it there and does it good. Make it good. Build on your legacy. I really don't think it's hard.

What in life is ever as "classic" to you now as when you were younger/a teen/a child? Call of Duty is likely a much better video game than Frogger, but it will never be more "classic" than Frogger.

* In regards to Prince eras: Yes, from 2004 until 2012 there was not a lot of distinction in Prince's look/sound/concerts/etc. It wasn't until 3rdeyegirl that I think we actually got into a new era.

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Conversely, as I have said before, 1978-2003 was like a new era damn near every year. The 90's were nearly as diverse as the 80's. We Prince fans cannot even really agree/define these eras...how can we decide are "classic"?

1986 must have a special place in Prince's heart, it must be a classic era for him, because in the last 4-6 years he's been featuring Parade era stuff from like the LotusFlower site and using the 1986 period to compare the excitement, pictures of the Revolution members from Parade photos, even up to recently with the 3rd Eye Girl using images from that Parade album collage

Totally agree. However, does that make it "classic" to the rest of the world?

[Edited 4/30/13 7:58am]

OldFriends4Sale said:

skywalker said:

What's wrong with 20ten? I like it a lot because it's Prince utilizing his classic Minneapolis Sound in a way that isn't forced.

I like 20Ten as well

but can you consider 20Ten an 'Era'?

Can you consider it 'Classic'?

I listen to it still.

Not distinct enough to be a separate era.

Not old enough to be considered "classic."

Not impactful enough to be an "instant classic" ala Dirty Mind or Purple Rain.