Talent wise, is Prince truly in a class of his own? Can anyone name another artist that has all of these skills? Honestly, I can't think of anyone. I dont think we will see anyone with this level of talent and vision in our lifetime. He was the right artist at the right time with the right level of talent and determination.

vocalist

guitarist

bassist

pianist, keyboard player

drummer, percussionist,

songwriter

composer

arranger

producer

dancer, choreographer

music director

front man, live performer

player and writer of multiple genres of music

visionary(album concepts, fashion, set design)

prolific artist with over a 1000 songs recorded or written

I didn't include movie director or screenwriter because he was obviously lousy at it.

[Edited 7/31/13 15:39pm]

I don't know really, Prince is an amazing creator and yes, he combines all the things you say and it's quite impresive per se but it's not what should be taken into account in the end IMHO. Skills and the diversity of them, as well as being prolific, definitely count but it's more than that, it's the quality of an artist to provide an unique, original and strong vision of their own that should count first. Kate Bush produced a very limited quantity of music but she's a world of her own and for this only she's definitely in Prince's league. On the other hand a guy like Haruomi Hosono (very famous in Japan despite being virtually unknown in the West) was as prolific and as multi-talented as Prince, even though his solo discography isn't as impressive (he worked with/for hundreds of acts, though, and composed a scandalous amount of songs), and he had quite a strong vision as well so it's not like Prince is the only one. Bill Laswell plays less instruments but he explored 10 times as many musical genres than Prince did, composed as many tracks and released 5 times as many records, and he definitely has a vision as well. But in the end my point is:what's the point in comparing? Prince has the skills, the quantity and the vision. He has his limits, too. Tricky is very limited technically speaking, in terms of musical skills, but he had a vision so strong and so original when he started his career that his first records were amazing, something we'd never heard before, really. Who's better between Prince, Bush, Hosono, Tricky or Laswell? None is: they do different things, they do them brilliantly and they're all musical talents that stand among the greatest of our times. Comparing is quite childish: art is a galaxy, it has many stars, MANY of them really, and I just enjoy them for what they are, in their historic and artistic context, without trying to determine who's best but more wisely who led whom to do what and when, in terms of historical or contemporary influence, just for the sake of seeing these great talents nteract with each other.

I wasn't talking about quality of output nor am I saying Prince is the greatest artist ever. That's all subjective. I'm talking strictly about the variety of skill sets that he has developed.

Agreed, lrn36!

And I'd underline the vision part, too. His flare for using drama, controversy and mystery to entertain and fuel the music made him an unforgettable icon long ago.

No one has mastered as many aspects of music - multi-instrumentalist, songwriting, producing himself and other acts, showmanship, etc. all at such a high level - as Prince.

I never noticed so many multi-instrumentalists until after Stevie and Prince. Of course, there are many others who play many instruments/write songs, but few with the level of success and innovation as Prince and Steve.

And no one has been as prolific and creative a songwriter for as long as Prince has been, including my beloved Steve, simply because he releases little of his new material.

And though the radio airplay and chart success isn't what it used to be, Prince's new stuff is nevertheless still providing new sounds, different from his previous material, i.e. Lay Down, Here, Ain't Gone Miss U When Ure Gone, etc.

Of course, Stevie Wonder is a "One in a Century Talent," too. Just like Prince, James Brown, B.B. King and Aretha, there'll never be another one like him, either.

All love.

Yup.



Look, there are other people out there who can play the instruments that he plays, write complex and wonderful songs, and sing as wel or better than Prince.


But the look, the style, the energy, the dancing, the sexuality....the everything....that's not something we'll probably see duplicated in our lifetimes, and I would be surprised if we see it in the next couple of generations.

Prince is uniquely positioned as the true king of pop for ages to come.



That little girl has made her mark.

robertgeorgeakabob said:

The thing that set Prince apart was not his playing skills, impressive as they were and are, it was what was going on in his mind. He could take the most mundane of subjects and warp them. Traditional songwriting subjects such as sex, love, religion, masculinity were all moulded into an unique mindset. Listen to the Camille era, Expert Lover...that's the sound of an alien motherfucker!