Lately there have been a flood of posts about how Prince deserves more, Prince barely sold anything in the US, Prince had horrible promotion even at his prime, why does Prince have so few awards, etc etc etc.

.

He had a fairly great run from 1982-1994. After TMBIGTW hit huge and The Gold Experience bombed, what would YOU have done to rescue his career? AKA, what would you as his manager tell him to do. Would you try to make a huge 1996 comeback with Emancipation or is that too soon after Gold/I Hate U? Would you try and release Emancipation in 1997? What type of album would you want Prince to release and what kind of promotion (remember, he promoted the hell out of some of his late-90s albums and they STILL failed) would you want. What could Prince have done to secure a spot in that late-90s/early-00s era alongside the few 80s stars there like Sting, Madonna, Janet, Whitney, & Michael?

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Genuinely curious to see what y'all's opinions are on what he did wrong and why most of his 'comebacks' were only moderately successful.

EDIT: Also...... when do you think the comeback should have happened? Manuela helped him in 2004 but more to make him a legend/icon and show off his musical talents, not make him a pop star again

[Edited 12/4/14 14:15pm]

Prince's career needs no rescuing. He's been financially independent since in his early 20s and is presently a multimillionaire with his own studio. Maybe he doesn't even want to be a huge superstar ever again and is content doing things on his terms. Anyone expecting him to work as hard as Gaga at touring and promoting is misguided -- being a worldwide music superstar is very demanding, you need to really crave it to be motivated to that extent. He doesn't have to crave anything.

Aerogram said:

Prince's career needs no rescuing. He's been financially independent since in his early 20s and is presently a multimillionaire with his own studio. Maybe he doesn't even want to be a huge superstar ever again and is content doing things on his terms. Anyone expecting him to work as hard as Gaga at touring and promoting is misguided -- being a worldwide music superstar is very demanding, you need to really crave it to be motivated to that extent. He doesn't have to crave anything.

.

I agree with you. However, the point of this question is that a lot of people have problems with the way Prince did promotion/singles/appearances, especially post-Gold and pre-Musicology. So the question is how would his career have been 'fixed' then? When and how should the comeback happened?

[Flame snip - luv4u]

He promoted Musicology well...

3m copies sold worlwide

#1 grossing tour of 2004 with 86 million grossed

2 grammy awards

All this 20 years after his biggest success with Purple Rain too...

What would you have done to 'rescue' Prince's career?

Get him to sanctified his stabbing!

Frontless pants.

I've probably written a billion posts about this. Revisionist history is fun for me. I could probably make his career better now, but he'd probably rather botch promotion, he'd probably rather have a party with the "Lovesex That's My Jam" Girl, he'd probably rather have both albums tank quickly, he'd probably rather not have any real structured tour...so my interest in this has waned a bit...

But since I like revisionist history...I'd need a time machine

1. Let 1978-1981 be as it was.

2. From 1982-83 maybe just switch "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore" for "International Lover."

3. From 1984...make "The Beautiful Ones" the 3rd single with a unique video that doesn't use the film footage.

4. From 1985 on...Just release an album every 3 years. Let Sign O The Times be the follow up to Purple Rain, make B-Sides live versions of album tracks, let the original b-sides be great album tracks.

And most important...instead of 1 album every single year, stick with the every 3-4 years, and every 10 years or so release HUGE 10-15 disc sets of vault material for the diehards.

What would this have accomplished?

Instead of having a disjointed crowded mess in the Prince section at the Wreckastows, there would have been huge demand for the next release. Imagine Kiss, U Got The Look, and SOTT as the first 3 singles from SOTT...all likely would have hit #1.

Imagine getting a 10 cd set of outtakes in 1995, 1999, and 2004. That's 30 discs of music. Each disc would be 70-79 minutes instead of the 40 minute Crystal Ball discs...

So even though there would be only 6 or so albums after Purple Rain from 1985-2004, there would have been TONS more music released. The major releases would just have him put the best songs out there for the masses, and we would have all the deep cuts to argue about on prince.org. Instead of the public looking at him as a legend, but a legend with a lot of warts, he would have sold a lot more.

But then again, there are those on this site that think crowding the market was the better path.

Just ask U2, Janet, and Michael Jackson...all 3 of who FAR outsold Prince from 1986 on by NOT flooding the market.

stillwaiting said:

I've probably written a billion posts about this. Revisionist history is fun for me. I could probably make his career better now, but he'd probably rather botch promotion, he'd probably rather have a party with the "Lovesex That's My Jam" Girl, he'd probably rather have both albums tank quickly, he'd probably rather not have any real structured tour...so my interest in this has waned a bit...

But since I like revisionist history...I'd need a time machine

1. Let 1978-1981 be as it was.

2. From 1982-83 maybe just switch "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore" for "International Lover."

3. From 1984...make "The Beautiful Ones" the 3rd single with a unique video that doesn't use the film footage.

4. From 1985 on...Just release an album every 3 years. Let Sign O The Times be the follow up to Purple Rain, make B-Sides live versions of album tracks, let the original b-sides be great album tracks.

And most important...instead of 1 album every single year, stick with the every 3-4 years, and every 10 years or so release HUGE 10-15 disc sets of vault material for the diehards.

What would this have accomplished?

Instead of having a disjointed crowded mess in the Prince section at the Wreckastows, there would have been huge demand for the next release. Imagine Kiss, U Got The Look, and SOTT as the first 3 singles from SOTT...all likely would have hit #1.

Imagine getting a 10 cd set of outtakes in 1995, 1999, and 2004. That's 30 discs of music. Each disc would be 70-79 minutes instead of the 40 minute Crystal Ball discs...

So even though there would be only 6 or so albums after Purple Rain from 1985-2004, there would have been TONS more music released. The major releases would just have him put the best songs out there for the masses, and we would have all the deep cuts to argue about on prince.org. Instead of the public looking at him as a legend, but a legend with a lot of warts, he would have sold a lot more.

But then again, there are those on this site that think crowding the market was the better path.

Just ask U2, Janet, and Michael Jackson...all 3 of who FAR outsold Prince from 1986 on by NOT flooding the market.

Just ask Michael Jackson. Far outsold Prince, but died chasing him. Bummer.

-

Could I play make believe I am Prince's manager and tweak his career here and there to my whims and wishes? Sure, but overall he has had one of the best careers in music history. Who am I to judge?

-

Do wish he'd open the vault though. I'd pay college tuition money for that stuff.

[Edited 12/4/14 20:15pm]

His career does not need rescuing

bonatoc said:

Frontless pants.

This sh!t had me rolling !

Aerogram said:

The only things that truly hurt Prince's career were the fan lawsuits and constant bitching about his record deal on the albums. Other than that it's really just a matter of releasing unfocused albums without enough strong songs on them.

skywalker said:

stillwaiting said:

I've probably written a billion posts about this. Revisionist history is fun for me. I could probably make his career better now, but he'd probably rather botch promotion, he'd probably rather have a party with the "Lovesex That's My Jam" Girl, he'd probably rather have both albums tank quickly, he'd probably rather not have any real structured tour...so my interest in this has waned a bit...

But since I like revisionist history...I'd need a time machine

1. Let 1978-1981 be as it was.

2. From 1982-83 maybe just switch "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore" for "International Lover."

3. From 1984...make "The Beautiful Ones" the 3rd single with a unique video that doesn't use the film footage.

4. From 1985 on...Just release an album every 3 years. Let Sign O The Times be the follow up to Purple Rain, make B-Sides live versions of album tracks, let the original b-sides be great album tracks.

And most important...instead of 1 album every single year, stick with the every 3-4 years, and every 10 years or so release HUGE 10-15 disc sets of vault material for the diehards.

What would this have accomplished?

Instead of having a disjointed crowded mess in the Prince section at the Wreckastows, there would have been huge demand for the next release. Imagine Kiss, U Got The Look, and SOTT as the first 3 singles from SOTT...all likely would have hit #1.

Imagine getting a 10 cd set of outtakes in 1995, 1999, and 2004. That's 30 discs of music. Each disc would be 70-79 minutes instead of the 40 minute Crystal Ball discs...

So even though there would be only 6 or so albums after Purple Rain from 1985-2004, there would have been TONS more music released. The major releases would just have him put the best songs out there for the masses, and we would have all the deep cuts to argue about on prince.org. Instead of the public looking at him as a legend, but a legend with a lot of warts, he would have sold a lot more.

But then again, there are those on this site that think crowding the market was the better path.

Just ask U2, Janet, and Michael Jackson...all 3 of who FAR outsold Prince from 1986 on by NOT flooding the market.

Just ask Michael Jackson. Far outsold Prince, but died chasing him. Bummer.

-

Could I play make believe I am Prince's manager and tweak his career here and there to my whims and wishes? Sure, but overall he has had one of the best careers in music history. Who am I to judge?

-

Do wish he'd open the vault though. I'd pay college tuition money for that stuff.

[Edited 12/4/14 20:15pm]

And lastly, Janet, Mike, U2 do not haver the reverance of Prince..Bottom Line..They are by books, mkt promote artists..range is minimal..you cant compare Prince to anyone else..He has the career he wants.. Its mind boggling to want to go back and rewrite history..But i'llplay..

he limits his studio outout as you suggest and does heroin instead..OD's and dies while recording the song SOTT

I am not sure Prince needs his career rescued at all. Prince has done what he wants to and seems to be doing ok.

The only change I would have made was not having release his Greatest Hits album in 1993 which in my opinion knocked Prince's career off track. Prince had a great run muscially from 1982 to 1992. Most of the time Prince was setting the trends in music and always seemed to redefine what was cool and hip in our musical culture until 1993. 1993-94 was when Prince was writing all the music that became the Come album, which was released in 1994, and the Gold album that was released in 1995.

After the release of in 1992 I would have advised Prince to release the Come/Gold album material in 1993. At that time the Come/Gold material sounded fresh, hip, and very different for Prince and fit in the 1993 vibe. The GH album delayed that material by one to two years and by then Grunge exploded and the once cool Come/Gold material once released lost some of its shimmer. By then also most of those tunes were on bootlegs at the time so the music did sound as fresh as it would have if it was released in 1993.

The only other thing I would have changed would be for Prince to tour the US more than he did but to do that we would have lost a lot of really good music in the 80's and 90's. Not being on the road so much meant he could be in the studio more creating new songs. It is a trade off. I know I would not want to change anything about those days. The music was, and is, exceptional. They were great days to live through

CharismaDove said:

Lately there have been a flood of posts about how Prince deserves more, Prince barely sold anything in the US, Prince had horrible promotion even at his prime, why does Prince have so few awards, etc etc etc.

.

He had a fairly great run from 1982-1994. After TMBIGTW hit huge and The Gold Experience bombed, what would YOU have done to rescue his career? AKA, what would you as his manager tell him to do. Would you try to make a huge 1996 comeback with Emancipation or is that too soon after Gold/I Hate U? Would you try and release Emancipation in 1997? What type of album would you want Prince to release and what kind of promotion (remember, he promoted the hell out of some of his late-90s albums and they STILL failed) would you want. What could Prince have done to secure a spot in that late-90s/early-00s era alongside the few 80s stars there like Sting, Madonna, Janet, Whitney, & Michael?

.

Genuinely curious to see what y'all's opinions are on what he did wrong and why most of his 'comebacks' were only moderately successful.

EDIT: Also...... when do you think the comeback should have happened? Manuela helped him in 2004 but more to make him a legend/icon and show off his musical talents, not make him a pop star again

[Edited 12/4/14 14:15pm]

Emancipation would have been much more successful had not EMI collapsed a few months after its release. Sleep Around could easily have been a club hit in the summer of 97, for example.

1998 was the wild year when did whatever the fuck he wanted and we were spoiled with music so I ain't gonna complain he released too much.

Rave could also have been a D&P kind of success, had not Gwen Stefani's label blocked the release of So Far, So Good as a single, had not TGRES been chosen as the first single and hadn't gone into a feud with Arista 3 months after the album was out.

So basically there was nothing to be done about Emancipation because it was an external factor, and when it comes to Rave not much either because there was yet another external factor, poor choice of a lead single and 's usual bad temper.

As for when I think the comeback should have happened if Musicology won't count (why it shouldn't count IDK)? Never. I don't want to be a superstar, I want him to be an independent artist who releases 12 albums a year for his fanbase. NPGMC2001 was what I want. No more, no less.

1) Hired a top notch therapist.

2) Hired him a tutor to teach him world history

3) Locked him and Cody Chesnut into a studio with a drum, bass, guitar and a 4-track recorder

bonatoc said:

Frontless pants.

apparantly u havent seen his black lace see thru pants from 1988

skywalker said:

Just ask Michael Jackson. Far outsold Prince, but died chasing him. Bummer.

MJ far outsold Prince yet again in 2014 though eh? and in the words of 'Adore' probably will do "until the end of time" . Bummer.

[Edited 12/5/14 17:29pm]

Prince's career doesnt need rescuing. He knows what he needs to do. And, he can do it when he feels like it.

IMO if he needs anything he needs an EDITOR to take his output and make sure songs are placed on the right albums in the right order that make sense conceptually. Thats all Prince needs, if you can really say he needs anything.

I'll maintain that if he wasn't running the business he could solely focus on his art, but he's running his business and tbh he's not broke - he's doing really really REALLY well, no matter what it may appear to look like in terms of standards for the music industry.

People like to say Prince isn't a good business man, but I beg to differ...
he still makes money with MUSIC and not, sayyyy a vodka company. Prince does alot RIGHT. Whether we know it or not., or like it or not....He's very astute.

[Edited 12/5/14 20:21pm]

[Edited 12/5/14 20:22pm]

train23 said:

nosajd said:

bonatoc said:

Frontless pants.

This sh!t had me rolling !

me too

I would have euthanized him after the last Chaos And Disorder-sessions (we'd only be missing out on a handful of good tunes), released a deluxe Purple Rain box, and followed this up by a Vault-cd every year.

Pentacle said:

I would have euthanized him after the last Chaos And Disorder-sessions (we'd only be missing out on a handful of good tunes), released a deluxe Purple Rain box, and followed this up by a Vault-cd every year.

"Rescue" is a strong word. It implies that there was or is a problem. I don't look at his career in that light at all. Prince is one of the world's biggest enigma when it comes to the music world. He is a mystery to everything he does. He changes his musical styles, his clothes, his bands and he is focused on different things at different points in his career as a musician. But I firmly believe that he has accomplished all that he set out to do many years ago at a tender age of 17. He is a musical icon in so many ways. And to be perfectly honest I like that he is somewhat unpredicatable. I think he said it best in his own words during an interview the parade era. He said something to the effect that he wants to be judged by the music he makes, nothing else. I think that's very fair. Almost everything else is private and off limits. Yeah we can make comments and judgements but I think that for a lot of people the focus drifts away from the music and onto his personal actions. I am into prince for his music, period. In closing I still think his career is firmly intact and he needs no rescuing.

Manager.

That's what he needs.

He just makes the music. The rest, all of the rest, is managed by a decent manager.

udo said:

Manager.

That's what he needs.

He just makes the music. The rest, all of the rest, is managed by a decent manager.

But he'll never listen to this manager, Udo...

I think we were all hoping that WB had finally made him see some sense.

Pentacle said:

udo said:

Manager.

But he'll never listen to this manager, Udo...

So then he has this `failed` career.

See the remasters, live releases, album releases, fan treatment, etc, etc the past decade(s) or so.

udo said:

So then he has this `failed` career.

See the remasters, live releases, album releases, fan treatment, etc, etc the past decade(s) or so.

Yes...

Only the people who still enjoy his new music will be happy now.