The wonderful "Sign of The Times" thread got me thinking, just like that pre-Purple Rain initial movie thread did, about just how much Prince reinvented himself thematically from album to album, but Madonna was given so much credit for doing it.

True Madonna was the Queen of Reinvention and to me was so successful at it that she flipped it all the way up unitl her "Confessions" period. To me no artist besides Prince, Madonna and David Bowie have had eras so succinct that a picture alone can conjure up a specific period.

Prince and especially Madonna were old school reinventors. Their themes and look were purposefully specific. New school reinventors never got that. They feel they have to reinvent every time they leave the house (I'm looking at you Christina and Gaga).

My questiuon is who is the ruler of reinvention. Madonna might win for doing it successfully and with such impact so long, but Prince in his heydey was so much cooler.

Madonna, she reinvents herself every album, although her last one did not do that well.

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Still people care about her and she still has hordes of crazed fans. Plus look at all the hype over her so called new album, compared to the almost complete lack of interest over Prince's newest albums.

"She's old" "She needs to retire already" "I was tired of Madonna back when people knew what a rotary phone was"

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Prince reinvents himself as Dr. Frankenfurter with his sapphic trio... brilliance.

I never thought I'd see the day that Madonna would run out of ideas but it looks like after "Confessions" that came to pass.

The thing is that it was about time. I was beginning to think how many more reinventions can she come up with? And her reinventions are pretty conventional.

I forgot about Bjork in this thread. Her reinventions are more like inventions. But she's less impactful (at least right now) because of it.

CynicKill said:

I never thought I'd see the day that Madonna would run out of ideas but it looks like after "Confessions" that came to pass.

The thing is that it was about time. I was beginning to think how many more reinventions can she come up with? And her reinventions are pretty conventional.

I forgot about Bjork in this thread. Her reinventions are more like inventions. But she's less impactful (at least right now) because of it.

I agree with you, bjork tho leaves madonna in the dust as an artist, madonna is a sales machine....its apples and oranges...

oh please....most people don't even know who Bjork is Madonna is the true queen.Even after all these years,she still gets alot of attention.Smartest person in pop music.

SoulAlive said:

oh please....most people don't even know who Bjork is Madonna is the true queen.Even after all these years,she still gets alot of attention.Smartest person in pop music.

People might know who she is... she still makes shitty music. Take Bjork over Madonna any day.

Like I said I think Bjork's influence will come in time. She's one of the few that you can look at and see "new". I feel one day artists will start doing things and people will say "oh yeah Bjork did that back in 2015."

One example is when Bjork did her "Human Behavior" video and it used a new technique where the camera did this wierd swoop around her that was later used in the Matrix movie.

Honestly I feel that both Prince AND Madonna have seen better days as reinventors. It's clear they've run out of ideas. But it doesn't take their crowns away. Their heydey still can't be touched. I do feel Madonna's was more gimmicky then Prince's, but it was still cool. It was like she used the world ( the media) as her stage.

Madonna may have got corny at times and had a few stinkers like American Life and MDNA, but the fact remains. She is a brand and a recognisable one. Madonna is a household name whether we all like it or not.

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This is something Prince and Bjork have failed to do, both have left the spotlight at various times and never really came back (This is the first I have heard of Bjork since the mid 1990s), whereas Madonna is still out there and known. Even if she is in the news for the worng reasons (Adopting Malawians and being a bitch in general) she is still getting the attention.

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Brand MADONNA is burned into the psyche. Madonna is a household name now and will be for years to come.

Prince. Hands down. No contest.

Adorecream said:

Madonna, she reinvents herself every album, although her last one did not do that well.

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Still people care about her and she still has hordes of crazed fans. Plus look at all the hype over her so called new album, compared to the almost complete lack of interest over Prince's newest albums.

No one gives a shit about her new music though, she just knows how to stir up a few headlines. I guess Prince does too, her artistic rape clap-trap isn't that much different to his slave rubbish.

I can't even take this as a serious question.

Prince does the WORK, Madonna writes checks.

How hard is it 2 hire the producer of the moment?

Didn't Bowie invent the whole reinvention thing?

Give me credit for mentioning Bowie in the original post.

To me they've all cemented their place.

CynicKill said:

rusty1 said:

Madonna of course! Madonna is till incredibly cultrually musically relivant, because she continues to put out new and exciting music that sounds like nobody else. Prince this last decade, is trying to sound like today's current R&B....which is generic crap. Hell, I gave away AoA and PE to a co-worker, 2 weeks after purchasing them. This shows how much I didn't care for that co-worker.

well another way of looking at it: David Bowie, Prince and Bjork were/is in the front row seat when it comes to musical reinvention, Madonna jumps on the hay-wagon when the hype is (almost) over...

For example: Prince worked with electronic producer in 1989 (The Future and The Chair remixes), Madonna in 1998 (Ray of Light). Or is this off-topic because looks is more important than music?

I'm going with Bowie first > complete image change plus music sound/style inventions + changes

Then Prince > image not so much but music styles did change with image changes

Then Madonna > all image changes, but music doesn't change stylistically so much

So Bowie for consistent reinvention in sound and image together.

[Edited 2/1/15 4:13am]

NouveauDance said:

Adorecream said:

Madonna, she reinvents herself every album, although her last one did not do that well.

.

Still people care about her and she still has hordes of crazed fans. Plus look at all the hype over her so called new album, compared to the almost complete lack of interest over Prince's newest albums.

No one gives a shit about her new music though, she just knows how to stir up a few headlines. I guess Prince does too, her artistic rape clap-trap isn't that much different to his slave rubbish.

...yet she managed to be number 1 on itunes all around the world with her new album. Yes, you're right, no one is interested in her music anymore.