Which album best captures Prince's true spirit and philosophy on life? My vote is Graffiti Bridge.

NOTE: This is not a vote on which album is your favourite.

Obviously, Graffiti Bridge contained "that message" of his.

teller said:

Not necessarily.

Batman, for example, bares witness to his fascination with the spirit, and character, of Gemini. Diamonds & Pearls, for example, contains compelling references to his philosophy on life in Walk Don't Walk.

There are numerous examples on all these records. Dig deeper, y'all.

GB

Anji said:

No Anji, I think you are wrong. It really is pretty obvious.

ConsciousContact said:

Maybe.

Vicki Waiting contains Prince's first references to bearing children of his own. Money Don't Matter 2Nite and Live 4 Love are among a very few songs where Prince has cross-referenced the war with a relational and personal outlook.

Anji said:

Any Prince album is going to touch on his themes, but GB is one of the overt ones, like LoveSexy and TRC.

teller said:

It's interesting that very few people see either Batman or Diamonds and Pearls as close to Prince's heart. I think both of these albums resonated with his true spirit in many more ways than people give credit for. This indifference to both albums may possibly be due to their commercial nature and success?

Anji said:

Well you know, it's a tradition we true Prince fans have, to de-emphasize the commercial stuff. :LOL:

teller said:

Well, what the fuck is up with that?!

For example, the musical world shows its appreciation of Purple Rain but Parade is 'clearly' a better album in the Prince.org polls?

Are fans blind to the truth, or think they know better than the musical world, or what? Tell me, Telly.

Anji said:

Well they obviously know better than Prince, cuz he rates
Purple Rain as being a lot better album and being more
from the heart than Parade.

BorisFishpaw said:

My point, exactly.

Anji said:

I was being facetious.

But...the musical world appreciates only what it can hear. And it only gets to chew that which is played a lot for it often, which means The Hits. So of course the musical world is a big biased bunch of skewed know-nothings. They haven't done the work.

That said, Prince's commercial stuff should be judged on a level playing field by us fans, yes...

teller said:

You may have been being facetious, but it's a fact that fans emphasise the non-commercial stuff, to the point of being unable to see what they're actually saying.

"Prince is more than just Purple Rain." Hence, Parade wins the Prince.org polls of which is the better 'Prince and the Revolution' album.

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[This message was edited Sat Mar 22 10:33:47 PST 2003 by Anji]

Anji said:

Commercial or not, its my opinion and that of a lot of people on the Org that Parade is the better album. I saw on the original thread that you were disdainful of that opionon as it contrasted with yours. Its not due to it being less commercial or any of that bullshit, its just a matter of taste - and how does that make me unable to see what I'm actually saying???

On topic, I'm going with GB reflecting the man's take on life. I'd say the religious current that runs through the album best sums up his view on life.

dewmass said:

Actually, it wasn't disdain at all, but rather disbelief, that Parade was overwhelmingly voted as the best 'Prince and the Revolution' album. And not because it contrasted with my opinion, although it does, but rather because it contrasts with the musical world's opinion.

I don't know of many perceptions outside of the 'intelligensia' of the org, that would even think of suggesting Parade is a better album than Purple Rain. That thread higlighted how a Prince fan's perception of things, can vastly differ from that of popular opinion.

And Dewmass, it's never about right or wrong, that would be futile. My threads are usually designed to stimulate interest and debate, regardless of whether I actually agree with what I am saying.

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[This message was edited Sat Mar 22 12:15:18 PST 2003 by Anji]

I agree with Anji that all three albums explored very personal, recurring themes of Prince's. But I think Graffiti Bridge does so most visibly. The very notion of the "grafitti bridge" was a place of internal harmony and spiritual/physical balance.