I don't want to be a negative Nancy. The best four year periods are:

1. 1984-1988

2. 1979-1983

3. 2001-2005

4. 2006-2010

5. 1995-1999

I think the above demonostrates that he has had a long and diverse career and that he was not just great in the 80's.

By process of elimination, I'm leaving out 1978, 1989-1994, 1999-2000 and 2010-2014. He had some good stuff in those years, but I wouldn't include them as his best years.

He probably has four more good years left. Let's hope he makes the best of them. The material is already there.

The problem is not the lack of official releases over the last four years but the execrable quality of the music.

Musically, the last four years was a period that did not start well but that showed renewed muscial resolve in the last two years, I would say that Prince regained quite a bit of his old passion after letting it fizzle out following his Musicology comeback. RnR Love Affair, Screwdriver, Fixurlifeup, Breakfast can wait, The Breakdown, even Xtralovable Reloaded were loaded with passion compared to some of the stuff he released with cursory production and personel during the real Worst Prince Years Ever.

The worst four years were from New Power Soul to whatever he did four years after that record. There were more than a few songs I loved like When Will We B Paid, the Slaughterhouse, Silicon, lots of Rainbow Children, but let's just say the fillers in those years were particularly uninteresting. By comparison, almost every song Prince has done in the last two years has been full of life and true energy, though of course quite a bit is a rethread of some of his earlier songs.

Prince's predicament is that he has already written so many inventive songs that it's very hard to write something that does not recall one of his numerous songs. So whenever he achieves something like Fixurlifeup, you have to remember the amount of composing he has already done to appreciate the effort he made to come up with a song that does not sound entirely olike one of his old ones, even though I know many here (of course) thinks he stole it somewhere.

Prince in 2014 is actually awesome, there's no two ways about it. We're lucky he still has this fire in his belly.

While the beginning of 2007 started out great with his Superbowl performance, things took a hellava nosedive for fans later that year. So I'm going to go with late 2007 - 2011.

BobGeorge909 said:

'77, '76, '75, '74 were pretty bad. Not much material was released...maybe none at all.

made more material available in 2013 than ever save perhaps 2001, militant is correct. I've ripped most of what was streaming only or got it from our beloved now assassinated fan blog but being an album guy it's true that I haven't listened to it so much.

Now, well, I don't really care, it gave me more time to listen to other things. There's been plenty records I've loved from other acts those last 4 years, + older stuff, I won't complain that I didn't have enough music.

So sure I'd rather have 5 albums a year and I'm looking 4ward to getting whatever will eventually come out later on, but in the meantime I'll survive

donnyenglish said:

Militant said:

Sorry, disagree. I saw him live in 2011, 2013, and three times in 2014 so far. All shows were fantastic. He's released a ton of great music - "Screwdriver", "The Breakdown" and "FIXURLIFEUP" being my personal favorites. 3rd Eye Girl is a cracking band, absolutely awesome. He's been active on Twitter and Instagram.

If I had to pick a worse 4 year span (what's with the arbitrary 4 years?), I'd go with 2001-2005. The albums he released in that time frame : TRC, N.E.W.S, Musicology...... all sit at the very bottom of my list of Prince albums.

Luckily, he got his funk back in 2006 with the 3121 album and has been rolling well ever since.

We all have our opinions but TRC is one of his best to me and the Musicology tour was one of his best overall tours. So was the One Nite Alone Tour and he also gave us a Celebration during that time frame. How many us releases did we get? Trc, musicology, NEWS, One Nite Alone. All we got the past four years was the europe release of 20ten, which is one of my least favorite cds. [Edited 5/27/14 18:58pm]

I'm with you. (Don't forget about the NPGMC stuff).

2001 through 2005 was really good to me.

2010 - present have been miserable for me. I haven't been feeling a lot of the music. I'm not saying it's all bad (because it's not). It's just not all as appealing to me as it used to be.

I really wish he would tour the states like he did with Musicology and One Night Alone. Those were some really great shows. He also hit ALL different corners of the US. Whereas, with the last few tours in the US, he's had people flock to him. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but not great for some folks.

Although it is tough to say it i would have to say 1997-2001, and i know that is the "sacred" emancipation era, but it was a real let down musician wise during that run, till he got out and did TRC, but i was not really liking alot of what was on Emancipation, it does NOT hold up well (most of it) then coming with RAVE and the HIGH demos and stuff, it was just all one RB slick Kirky J funk nightmare.

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

we have got a large amount of material over the past year, I think people's problem comes with it being released in dribs and drabs, rather than a single album of decent length to get one's teeth around.

.

There are two problems: most of it really isn't that good, and all of it displays little planning. Simply put: Prince isn't telling a story, he's just throwing shit at the wall and hoping some of it will stick. Which shows that he really isn't confident about the material, because the Prince of 1984/5/6/7/8 simply released his music and toured it by actually playing it and didn't care about what anyone thought -- but that guy also was telling us stories.

donnyenglish said:

By process of elimination, I'm leaving out 1978, 1989-1994, 1999-2000 and 2010-2014. He had some good stuff in those years, but I wouldn't include them as his best years.

.

Anyone who includes 1996/97/98/99 and rejects 1994 makes a joke of himself. Hell, 1989-1994 are better than anything post-1995.

Aerogram said:

Prince's predicament is that he has already written so many inventive songs that it's very hard to write something that does not recall one of his numerous songs.

.

This is such BS.

.

So whenever he achieves something like Fixurlifeup

.

Bwahahahaha. FULU is a generic Prince rock song that tries to sound like his C&D era tracks (and C&D already is a lowpoint in hiw WB catalogue), coupled with the insultingly stupid selfhelp lyrics he so happily sings yet never applies to himself, played by a band that's amongst his weakest (oh god that painfully awful solo by the ridiculously overrated Donna Grantis). And then the last minute is P & co once again just throwing shit at the wall hoping some of it will stick, just like he's done so many times ("hey let's do some reggae to end this song", "hey lemme use a chipmunk voice at the end" etcetera). There's no vision, no aim.

BartVanHemelen said:

BartVanHemelen said:

donnyenglish said:

By process of elimination, I'm leaving out 1978, 1989-1994, 1999-2000 and 2010-2014. He had some good stuff in those years, but I wouldn't include them as his best years.

.

Anyone who includes 1996/97/98/99 and rejects 1994 makes a joke of himself. Hell, 1989-1994 are better than anything post-1995.

The only problem is that there is this disease affecting some people where they simply can't like anything...ANYTHING from Prince after the 1980's...or with some...up to 1995 or 1996. These people will not under any circumstance like a Prince song. It's like their ability to LISTEN to Prince's music has been sucked out of their soul. They can only HEAR it. Big difference between Hear and LISTEN. By the way, there are some U2 fans suffering from a similar illness. Some of those morons say everything after War is garbage, or after The Joshua Tree, but those people seem confined to naming 1984 to 1991 as the year U2 stopped making passable music. Yes U2 fans have a few Barts on the fansites there, but not quite so intense for their passion to post on a site for an artist they hate.

I don't think any sane person is going to say that Prince's best material is post 1995. You do have the looney tunes out there that say The Rainbow Children is his master work( I actually love TRC, and will defend it when the Barts of the world talk about how horrible it is)...but TRC is not 1999, SOTT, PR, etc...

But to just say everything post (insert year here) is TRASH, HORRIBLE...is just plain insane.

What the Hell are you smoking? Can people smoke BBQ Sauce?

It's tough for me to say what are the Worst 4 years of Prince's career...

2011-2014 is probably a good candidate. The Breakdown was a potentially great song reduced to just a good one with Star Wars Stormtroopers battling it out with Laser guns, and overproduction all over the track that wreaks of what happened to Endorphinmachine. Like others have pointed out, there have been a ton of download releases, streaming songs, rehearsals, etc.

The quality of the songs is not quite what I'd hoped for, but it's not awful. But these last 4 years may be the worst. 1997-2000 was pretty bad, but more so for the concerts which were complete medley fests with sub par musicians in the band. Still, some really nice songs came out of this period.

[Edited 5/30/14 21:05pm]

donnyenglish said:

I don't want to be a negative Nancy. The best four year periods are:

1. 1984-1988

2. 1979-1983

3. 2001-2005

4. 2006-2010

5. 1995-1999

I think the above demonostrates that he has had a long and diverse career and that he was not just great in the 80's.

By process of elimination, I'm leaving out 1978, 1989-1994, 1999-2000 and 2010-2014. He had some good stuff in those years, but I wouldn't include them as his best years.

He probably has four more good years left. Let's hope he makes the best of them. The material is already there.

I don't really want to be a Negative Bob, but those are all five year periods of time.

I remember when Emancipation and New PowerSoul came out i was a bit underwhelmed.Strange thing is, both albums have grown on me within the last couple years.I can even enjoy Kirk's drum programming now

1997-2000 is his worst. Musically and live. I skipped him live in 1998. The Gold Experience was his last album that was/is great. After that, only TRC is something worth. I'm not very fond of the Hit N Run concept. Don't get me wrong, i really enjoyed the ZiggoDome. But i prefer album ---> tour, album ---> tour, album ---> tour, etc. I think those days are over, doing a tour like he did in the 80's. The line-up with his backing band changes too. No problem, but 3rdeyegirl ain't it for me. One thing is for sure, it's always something else, soundwise, performing live. 1984 - 1988 i can remember so well, buying his records and going to see him live. It was an era that will be his best ever.

Its been 5 years for me. Just aweful period. I hardly even listen to him anymore. Keep hoping for new music but he just cant produce anything quality it appears.

GeurtWalraven said:

1997-2000 is his worst. Musically and live. I skipped him live in 1998. The Gold Experience was his last album that was/is great. After that, only TRC is something worth. I'm not very fond of the Hit N Run concept. Don't get me wrong, i really enjoyed the ZiggoDome. But i prefer album ---> tour, album ---> tour, album ---> tour, etc. I think those days are over, doing a tour like he did in the 80's. The line-up with his backing band changes too. No problem, but 3rdeyegirl ain't it for me. One thing is for sure, it's always something else, soundwise, performing live. 1984 - 1988 i can remember so well, buying his records and going to see him live. It was an era that will be his best ever.

I gotta second that on the LIVE part big time, i saw Prince alot in that era of time including a bunch of shows in 97 in NYC and in 1998, also in Phillie, but the Emancipation tour especially, nothing memorable on that tour, even though i saw him a few times on this tour, he seemed so "not interested" in it, a gig at Jones Beach is still to this day one of the worst concerts i have ever seen, the sound stunk, the band was dreadful, it was SO not his venue, and he really didnt care it seemed. Ironically he did an aftershow for this gig as i recall.

Militant said:

Prince has released far more than an album's worth of material in the last 2 years. We've had Rock & Roll Love Affair, Screwdriver, Screwdriver Remix, Breakfast Can Wait, The Breakfast Experience, Live Out Loud, Fix Ur Life Up, Boyfriend, That Girl Thang, Ain't Gonna Miss U When Ur Gone, The Breakdown, Pretzelbodylogic, FallInLove2Nite, Funk N Roll, Da Bourgeoise, Groovy Potential, Extraloveable Reloaded, Same Page Different Book...

People act like he didn't release any of those things. What? Because he didn't compile them into a set under an album name?

Even post 20Ten you had Rich Friends, Hot Summer, the extended version of Laydown.

And what about all the rehearsals? Dance Electric, The Sweeter She Is, Big City, Plectrum Electrum, Something In The Water, So Dark, Cause & Effect, Menstrual Cycle, Octopus Heart, Moon Drop.....

So you can miss me with that "All we got in the last four years was 20Ten"...... are you for real?

Well, to each his own but to me non of the recent "released" material is worth putting on an album. He has remained great live but his shows have become "greatest hits shows" and all the new material is weak, either in the way they are arranged or lyrically. His (well deserved) reputation as a live musician is what keeps him standing but outside of this fansite no-one shares that optimistic view on his new music. And I can't blame them - sadly enough.

jasminejoey said:

The problem is not the lack of official releases over the last four years but the execrable quality of the music.

There you go...

donnyenglish said:

Has there ever been a worse 4 year span for being a Prince fan than 2010-2014? This has to be the worst ever. Perhaps 1990-1994 is the next worst span, but nothing rivals this four years. Let's hope Warner Brothers gives us what we are waiting for and does not breadcrumb us indefinitely. No more teases. Release it.

Gone to two Prince shows this year, speak for yourself. Prince keeps getting better and better.

Lol every year after 1988 is a shityear for P fans.

BartVanHemelen said:

Aerogram said:

Prince's predicament is that he has already written so many inventive songs that it's very hard to write something that does not recall one of his numerous songs.

.

This is such BS.

.

So whenever he achieves something like Fixurlifeup

.

Bwahahahaha. FULU is a generic Prince rock song that tries to sound like his C&D era tracks (and C&D already is a lowpoint in hiw WB catalogue), coupled with the insultingly stupid selfhelp lyrics he so happily sings yet never applies to himself, played by a band that's amongst his weakest (oh god that painfully awful solo by the ridiculously overrated Donna Grantis). And then the last minute is P & co once again just throwing shit at the wall hoping some of it will stick, just like he's done so many times ("hey let's do some reggae to end this song", "hey lemme use a chipmunk voice at the end" etcetera). There's no vision, no aim.

I think you miss his old sexy faun persona hovering over Carmen Electra and your gripes are less musical than personal, for you to have been so mercilessly critical of whatever he's done since the days you had your Carmen site.

The truth is that Prince continues to demonstrate great skill and creativity -- you can dismiss it on account of him playing mostly his old hits, but FixUrLifeUp gets a reaction at concerts. Trying different things and seeing what sticks? How has it ever been different? You must be putting the old Prince on a pedestal to have such expectations about him.... that are predictably never satisfied.

We'll see what the next four years bring.

stillwaiting said:

BartVanHemelen said:

.

Anyone who includes 1996/97/98/99 and rejects 1994 makes a joke of himself. Hell, 1989-1994 are better than anything post-1995.

The only problem is that there is this disease affecting some people where they simply can't like anything...ANYTHING from Prince after the 1980's...or with some...up to 1995 or 1996. These people will not under any circumstance like a Prince song. It's like their ability to LISTEN to Prince's music has been sucked out of their soul. They can only HEAR it. Big difference between Hear and LISTEN. By the way, there are some U2 fans suffering from a similar illness. Some of those morons say everything after War is garbage, or after The Joshua Tree, but those people seem confined to naming 1984 to 1991 as the year U2 stopped making passable music. Yes U2 fans have a few Barts on the fansites there, but not quite so intense for their passion to post on a site for an artist they hate.

I don't think any sane person is going to say that Prince's best material is post 1995. You do have the looney tunes out there that say The Rainbow Children is his master work( I actually love TRC, and will defend it when the Barts of the world talk about how horrible it is)...but TRC is not 1999, SOTT, PR, etc...

But to just say everything post (insert year here) is TRASH, HORRIBLE...is just plain insane.

What the Hell are you smoking? Can people smoke BBQ Sauce?

It's tough for me to say what are the Worst 4 years of Prince's career...

2011-2014 is probably a good candidate. The Breakdown was a potentially great song reduced to just a good one with Star Wars Stormtroopers battling it out with Laser guns, and overproduction all over the track that wreaks of what happened to Endorphinmachine. Like others have pointed out, there have been a ton of download releases, streaming songs, rehearsals, etc.

The quality of the songs is not quite what I'd hoped for, but it's not awful. But these last 4 years may be the worst. 1997-2000 was pretty bad, but more so for the concerts which were complete medley fests with sub par musicians in the band. Still, some really nice songs came out of this period.

[Edited 5/30/14 21:05pm]

People who don't like much of anything post 1995 are mourning the passing of Prince Sexy Faun and Prince's youth -- and their own, as far as I'm concerned. It simply is not possible that Prince went from musical genius to being completely unable to write one single good song altogether and forever. You are right about people not listening to Prince with the same ear.

Shawy89 said:

Lol every year after 1988 is a shityear for P fans.

Let Bart write this drivel and leave his Prince Snob King crown alone, you provacateur.

Aerogram said:

Shawy89 said:

Lol every year after 1988 is a shityear for P fans.

Let Bart write this drivel and leave his Prince Snob King crown alone, you provacateur.

Fair enough, what if I told you that Prince kept doing THE SAME THING all over again post-1995? His only true respected approach was One Nite Alone? He was just mad repititive. So why would I listen to the same shit all over again? I only listen to good music, and P's good music was the 80's - some things off the early 90's... anything past that IS THE SAME THING.

Shawy89 said:

Aerogram said:

Let Bart write this drivel and leave his Prince Snob King crown alone, you provacateur.

Fair enough, what if I told you that Prince kept doing THE SAME THING all over again post-1995? His only true respected approach was One Nite Alone? He was just mad repititive. So why would I listen to the same shit all over again? I only listen to good music, and P's good music was the 80's - some things off the early 90's... anything past that IS THE SAME THING.

Considering you also found When Doves Cry unremarkable, it might just mean you're not terribly perceptive when it comes to afro-american musical idioms. Or maybe you're just one of those prematurely jaded folks that calls everything overrated because it makes them feel authoritative. Who knows? Kind of hoping for the latter because most times, people grow out of that after a few years.

only way to salvage an otherwise INSANE thread.....he needs to reease a 7 min funk n roll