I was thinking about this. I want to put some reflection on our (fans) appreciation of Prince's 2000 work as a whole, which shows long controversy in the org. Not approaching songs or albums separetely, taking outsanding 2000s artists whole recording work (song and albums), would Prince not be among the most accomplished of the last decade? I definately think he would.

Kanye West, Beyoncé, Outkast, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Eminem, LCD Soundsystem, Beck, White Stripes, M.I.A., Bjork (if I'm forgetting some, add it), were the more acclaimed artists critically (it's all over critics'publications), by the end of the decade's retrospective. Considering all their recording work and Prince's, I think his would definately rank among these. Thoughts?

[Edited 12/14/13 19:36pm]

the 00's is my least fave decade by Prince.


1. the 80's
2. the 90's (1st half 1990-95)
3. the 70's
4. the 90's (2nd half 1996-1999)
5. the 00's + 10's (20ten)

[Edited 12/14/13 23:58pm]

"Kanye West, Beyoncé, Outkast, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Eminem, LCD Soundsystem, Beck, White Stripes, M.I.A., Bjork":

^ I Björk's early work, her 3-4 first albums... -- and I like a few of the songs from Radiohead..


BUT... I really "dislike" and/or "hates" the rest of those "artists" on your list, Kanye West and Beyoncé makes me wanna throw up.

Those acts can't be compared to the genius work by Prince, imho..

He produced some great songs in the 00s - some which I would put right up there with his best work ever. But he also came across excruciatingly bland and tired sounding at times.

Overall I think the 90s were stronger. At least his bad stuff in the 90s was still entertainingly bad. His bad stuff in the 00s was just... meh.

[Edited 12/15/13 3:13am]

No.

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Prince has made some great songs over the past 13 years, but he has not produced a classic album. An album that has crossover potential outside his core audience, that is commercially successful, a critical hit, and had strong singles that resonate with the wider audience.

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His closest shot was 3121 and Black Sweat - I think that song is the one song since MBGITW that reached a wider audience and could've become a classic single had his promotional activities been tighter in focus and wider in scope.

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However as an album, it did not succeed at all in this definition. It may have worked as advertising for his live shows, but that album didn't produce 2 or 3 strong singles that would outlast the album and be remembered. And as a piece of work, the album is coasting at best, there was nothing there for the music press and critics to get behind because it was the same lazy mush he'd been churning out for the past decade.

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Prince has made solid, great albums in the 00s, he's had commercial success in the 00s - but never the twain have met.

I have between 50-100 albums for each year of the last decade (and just as much for the 90's and 80's, a bit less for the 70's and very few for the 50's and 60's) so it's hard for me to compare stuff like you do because I listen to so much in so many different genres. There are dozens of album I enjoyed each year, for various reasons. It makes little sense to compare IMHO, particularly since the OP's list contains artists from such different musical genres.

The main musical event in the 00's for me was the rebirth of synthpop, which originated in the electroclash movement and then spreaded everywhere from nu-disco to dream wave and the current synthpop and electrofunk revivals. Basically a huge return to the 80's, a decade Prince has definitely influenced a lot, and his heritage was all over the place for the last 10 years.

For me his music remains extremely good to that day. I love his 00's albums a lot. There was a lot of stuff: the end of the "plastic years" (which I love, the too short-lived jazz era, the neo-classic years... Prince's work is still top-notch if you ask me, much better than most of what R&B has produced for the last decade (but afro-american music has had a hard time renewing itself since the late 90's). But there are dozens of artists that I love, and once again for many different reasons. Now when it comes to comparing I don't play that game, I try to judge music for what it is, not by comparison to other works.

Basically save some new sounds in electronic music the 00's wasn't a decade of musical invention: with the end of technical music evolution, it doesn't contain strong new musical movements like every decade since the 1920's did. But it's been a delicious decade in terms of pop music paying homage to itself and an increase of genres-mixing. From that point of view Prince was part of it, eager as he's been to pay homage to both himself and the roots f soul and funk. If any new rookie had released Mplsound, he'd have been called a genius paying a brilliant homage to the minneapolis sound of the 80's. Just because it was Prince paying homage to himself, no one cared.

databank said:

If any new rookie had released Mplsound, he'd have been called a genius paying a brilliant homage to the minneapolis sound of the 80's. Just because it was Prince paying homage to himself, no one cared.

I agree with that. MPLSound was a great pop album and could've easily spawned a few hit singles if it was released by some up and coming twentysomething.

its becoming all about the longetivity of his career..he could release more and better quality but he's stretching it thin

I was a huge fan of Radiohead until right around 2004/2005. The last album I cared for really was Hail To The Thief. Everything since has been the same digital/ambient stuff with a more abstract song structure. Funny thing though, is that those more recent albums still get critical praise.

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You really have to compare Prince's work to someone who has as vast a discography as he does. Compare him to James Brown, Elvis, McCartney, Springsteen, etc. I'm not saying someone who's just been in the business a long time, but someone who actually has a similar amount of recorded output. Even the amount of MJs recorded output pales to Prince's.

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My point in judging on terms of output: NO, Prince does not get a free pass for recording so much, but only when compared to other similar artists can he be judged. I'm curious how Prince's trajectory might match up with McCartney's.

databank said:

I have between 50-100 albums for each year of the last decade (and just as much for the 90's and 80's, a bit less for the 70's and very few for the 50's and 60's)

WOW I guess you must do not much but listen to music. That's amazing numbers!

thedance said:

"Kanye West, Beyoncé, Outkast, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Eminem, LCD Soundsystem, Beck, White Stripes, M.I.A., Bjork":

^ I Björk's early work, her 3-4 first albums... -- and I like a few of the songs from Radiohead..


BUT... I really "dislike" and/or "hates" the rest of those "artists" on your list, Kanye West and Beyoncé makes me wanna throw up.

Those acts can't be compared to the genius work by Prince, imho..

Yes, but I did not list these artists from my musical taste, I'm proposing a discussion from what has been appreciated in the critics community, you'll find them all over critics publications (Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, all of them, or metacritic which has a comprehensive survey of pretty much all critics publications - at least those in English), as the best reviewed artists of the 00s. I think if Prince's work during the decade is such a matter of disagreement here in the org, regarding songs and albums, and regarding a comparision from what he did before, but if we would take his whole input in the decade next to these other artist's whole imput during the same period, P's work would be looked at a much more favourable light. I'm not talking about sales, hits, mass influence, nor what critics actually did appreciate (as we know P's work was actually not among the best reviewed in the decade). It's an abstraction. Many artist's work take new appreciation during time, and that reflects not only a change of critics appreciation, but of what music fans (not people only interested in charts) will research for their knowledge in the future. This has happened, for instance, with Jackie Wilson, after a perior of many years of critical and music fan's neglect, until a 80s rediscovery and acclaim. Forever Changes by Love is a rock psychodelic album which gets usually consensus as one of the best albums made in the 60s by both fans and music critics today. Yet it was largely unknown in the 60s. I can't think of more examples right now, but there are CERTAINLY many.

[Edited 12/17/13 7:59am]

Se7en said:

I was a huge fan of Radiohead until right around 2004/2005. The last album I cared for really was Hail To The Thief. Everything since has been the same digital/ambient stuff with a more abstract song structure. Funny thing though, is that those more recent albums still get critical praise.

Perhaps you should relisten to In Rainbows, it's such a great album and has great melancholy feel to it (and great songwriting). Not to be missed is an outtake from the deluxe edition called Last Flowers to the Hospital, one of the saddest songs I ever heard.

databank said:

The main musical event in the 00's for me was the rebirth of synthpop, which originated in the electroclash movement and then spreaded everywhere from nu-disco to dream wave and the current synthpop and electrofunk revivals. Basically a huge return to the 80's, a decade Prince has definitely influenced a lot, and his heritage was all over the place for the last 10 years.

That's a very interenting historical point of view. Could you cite some artists for me to listen to?

For me his music remains extremely good to that day. I love his 00's albums a lot. There was a lot of stuff: the end of the "plastic years"...

What are those plastic years? What does that expression mean?

...(which I love, the too short-lived jazz era, the neo-classic years... Prince's work is still top-notch if you ask me, much better than most of what R&B has produced for the last decade (but afro-american music has had a hard time renewing itself since the late 90's).

That's exactly my point.

BrazilianOnRaspberryBeret said:

databank said:

The main musical event in the 00's for me was the rebirth of synthpop, which originated in the electroclash movement and then spreaded everywhere from nu-disco to dream wave and the current synthpop and electrofunk revivals. Basically a huge return to the 80's, a decade Prince has definitely influenced a lot, and his heritage was all over the place for the last 10 years.

That's a very interenting historical point of view. Could you cite some artists for me to listen to?

Prince's influence is more or less there (if at all) but among dozens electrofunk/synthpop/new wave/nu disco acts I could cite Dam Funk, Felix Da Housecat, Peaches, Snax, Mt. Sims, Dirty Sanchez, Avenue D., Jupiter, Opolopo, Amalia, Munk, Annie, Chicks On Speed, Boss In Drama, Alan Braxe, Fred Falke, Sally Shapiro, Nam:Live, Calvin Harris, Chromeo, Goldfrapp, Freezepop, Hong Kong Counterfeit, Lo-Fi-Fnk, Hot Chip, Keenhouse, Lindstrom, ADULT., Kitbuilders, Tiga, The Knife, Little Dragon, Metronomy, Seleenluft, Parallel Dance Ensemble, Pollyester, FannyPack, Futurecop!, Hercules And Love Affair, Jessica 6, Le Tigre, Studio Killers, DMX Krew, The KDMS... These bands have very different sounds but they all have in common a massive reverence to the 80's, synthesizers and drum machines ^^

For me his music remains extremely good to that day. I love his 00's albums a lot. There was a lot of stuff: the end of the "plastic years"...

What are those plastic years? What does that expression mean?

It's how fans usually refer to the period going from 1996 to 2001 (from Emancipation to The Slaughterhouse and everything in between), the name comes from an alleged "plastic" sound Prince had back then, personally it may be my favorite era in the end ^^

...(which I love, the too short-lived jazz era, the neo-classic years... Prince's work is still top-notch if you ask me, much better than most of what R&B has produced for the last decade (but afro-american music has had a hard time renewing itself since the late 90's).

That's exactly my point.

The funny thing is that, among the artists I named above, almost none are Afro-Americans. Afro-Americans have moved away from the Minneapolis Sound and they usually incorporate P's heritage more in terms of singing techniques, melodies and a certain sensual aproach to sex in ballads and slow jams. On the other hand a whole new generation of caucasian americans, Canadians and Europeans have totally incorporated the synthetic and agressive funk and sexual elements of Prince's classic era into their sound, mixed with various other influences going from classic post-punk/new wave to disco, as well as synthpop, house and modern electronica. Even though I still listen to contemporary R&B acts I ended-up listening to these artists a lot more because in my opinion, the funk of today is massively there, not in modern Afro-American music.

[Edited 12/17/13 9:33am]

BrazilianOnRaspberryBeret said:

databank said:

I have between 50-100 albums for each year of the last decade (and just as much for the 90's and 80's, a bit less for the 70's and very few for the 50's and 60's)

WOW I guess you must do not much but listen to music. That's amazing numbers!

I mostly work at home so yeah, luckily I have a lot of time for music

thedance said:

"Kanye West, Beyoncé, Outkast, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Eminem, LCD Soundsystem, Beck, White Stripes, M.I.A., Bjork":

^ I Björk's early work, her 3-4 first albums... -- and I like a few of the songs from Radiohead..


BUT... I really "dislike" and/or "hates" the rest of those "artists" on your list, Kanye West and Beyoncé makes me wanna throw up.

Those acts can't be compared to the genius work by Prince, imho..

Be careful with Björk though: she was a massive visionneer in the 90's. Her work was (and still is to some extent) among the most daring, innovative popular music ever produced, and it influenced a whole generation of artists the same way Prince has. I was there, I remember, her first 3 solo albums were a shock: nothing like that had ever been done before, and even in the middle of the trip-hop/electronica explosion of the 90's it was still very much avant-garde. When I listen to Debut I still have a hard time to believe it was released in 1993! She has an incomparable talent, she's an exceptional composer with some classical background and her music is really very complex and subject to its own logic, away from the formulas of pop music. +, just like Prince and few others actually, she managed to achieve a major commercial success with some very experimental music, which is not so common. Now of course she does just like most artists (don't forget it's het third decade: she did a lot in the 80's with various bands), she does "her" thing and if you listen superficially it seems she's always doing the same thing, but if you dig a little bit and listen closely, she's actually constantly exploring different directions in the musical world she's created for herself.

BrazilianOnRaspberryBeret said:

databank said:

The main musical event in the 00's for me was the rebirth of synthpop, which originated in the electroclash movement and then spreaded everywhere from nu-disco to dream wave and the current synthpop and electrofunk revivals. Basically a huge return to the 80's, a decade Prince has definitely influenced a lot, and his heritage was all over the place for the last 10 years.

That's a very interenting historical point of view. Could you cite some artists for me to listen to?

For me his music remains extremely good to that day. I love his 00's albums a lot. There was a lot of stuff: the end of the "plastic years"...

What are those plastic years? What does that expression mean?

...(which I love, the too short-lived jazz era, the neo-classic years... Prince's work is still top-notch if you ask me, much better than most of what R&B has produced for the last decade (but afro-american music has had a hard time renewing itself since the late 90's).

That's exactly my point.

Also, in addition to my list of artists above, check out the 3 volumes of the compilation series "The Boogie" by Tokyo Dawn Records, they're FULL of Mplsound influenced artists (and really good ones on top of it!), and I also advise u take a listen to the mixes of DJ Go Go Bizkitt! on Mixcloud http://www.mixcloud.com/gogobizkitt/