Bowie’s latest, with album coming on 8 January:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kszLwBaC4Sw

Would you prefer Prince to try something different than his releases of recent years? He seems to believe he can still get on the radio and attract younger audiences, but his attempts to be “current” seem futile and misguided, resulting in “calculated” and bland music (with the odd exception). Meanwhile, Bowie continues to experiment and push the envelope, more than likely outselling Prince despite Bowie's lack of commercial considerations! A lesson to be learned there?

I found the last Bowie release to be terribly dull.

Conversely, I love Prince's latest releases. You take the best of Art Official Age and HITNRUN and you've got an all-time Prince classic that stands up to almost anything in his catalog. I can't say that I've enjoyed much of Bowie's work in a while. The last thing he did that held up to his best work, IMO, was when he duetted with Trent Reznor on "I'm Afraid of Americans".

So no, I'd rather Prince did not take the Bowie route.

I think he should. I would love a ten minute WTF-is-going-on-right-now single from Prince, followed by an album that would fulfill that promise. I think Prince has spent far too short a time being whimsical, and too much time being "cool" (or trying to be).

pernil said:

Bowie’s latest, with album coming on 8 January:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kszLwBaC4Sw

Would you prefer Prince to try something different than his releases of recent years? He seems to believe he can still get on the radio and attract younger audiences, but his attempts to be “current” seem futile and misguided, resulting in “calculated” and bland music (with the odd exception). Meanwhile, Bowie continues to experiment and push the envelope, more than likely outselling Prince despite Bowie's lack of commercial considerations! A lesson to be learned there?

Not sure if his sales numbers were way better for his last 5 albums, the last one performed best.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

I think he should. I would love a ten minute WTF-is-going-on-right-now single from Prince, followed by an album that would fulfill that promise. I think Prince has spent far too short a time being whimsical, and too much time being "cool" (or trying to be).

Well we've had our share of ten minute (or more) WFT tracks (maybe not singles).

And we don't know if Bowie's album will fulfill the promise. Blackstar is great but two other tracks (out of 7) were released earlier and IMO not so great.

donnyenglish said:

I think your point would be true if we looked at any stage in both of their careers. As great as Prince is, Bowie is simply more creative. Bowie is who Prince wants to be. With that said, Prince is a better musician and is more accessible than Bowie.

I agree except I believe Prince has been equally creative in the (distant) past.

Bowie knows who he is and is never afraid to say it with his music or interviews while Prince has always played games with the media and his (childish) fight with Warner Bros has affected his music and career for so many wrong reasons.

Even a couple years ago, the comment Prince made (with Bobby Z) about WB only 'getting the music they deserve' and him releasing albums he wasn't 100% proud of just to get out of his contract.

I could never imagine Bowie doing such a thing.

-

Directly answering the topic, no.

I want Prince's highs and lows exactly as they play out.

I like AOA but the first 4 tracks of HnR are unlistenable to my ears and even Horny Pony is Shakespeare compared to them-- but that's what I want. Let me be disappointed by his bullshit so that I can jump up 'n down when (if) the prodigal son returns.

If Prince attempted a truly experimental album beyond the idioms he has mastered (like two steps further than TRC, with loads of long atmospheric songs), it would:

- be called pretentious and self-indulgent;

- described as desperately seeking to be cool;

- be passed on by distributors ("he thinks he's Bowie now?")

- generate thousands of posts here reminding him he's a "pop artist".

I would bet good money on this.

Aerogram said:

If Prince attempted a truly experimental album beyond the idioms he has mastered (like two steps further than TRC, with loads of long atmospheric songs), it would:

- be called pretentious and self-indulgent;

- described as desperately seeking to be cool;

- be passed on by distributors ("he thinks he's Bowie now?")

- generate thousands of posts here reminding him he's a "pop artist".

I would bet good money on this.

Probably.

Still want him to do it.

Im just thankful theyre both still deciding to be in the mix and give it their all. I dont like everything either of them do but I totally appreciate that its out there to find what I do like. Bowies new stuff havent heard it all the way thru, but the song I did hear with the video im annoyed n bothered by it. I hate scarlet pussy n that voice crap prince does sometimes, it rakes my skin. Such is life. onward.

[Edited 12/6/15 21:59pm]

Im a HUGE Bowie fan.. and own just about everything from him, even the bad stuff. But I've been trying to get into both Blackstar and Sue and I think I don't really like them that much. I love when people experiment and Prince is no exception. Sometimes you have hits and other times misses. But when you say "take the Bowie route".. I mean, Prince kinda already has done quite a bit of experimental stuff and the masses generally don't appreciate it. More than a new experimental album, I want him to release the funk album he was working on a few years back but didn't release.

The closest that Prince has come to Bowie in the 2000's is The Rainbow Children. A body of work that was expressive, personal, "sales be damned" and masterful - but also divisive. It was controversial, touching on hot-button issues like slavery and anti-Semitism.

Prince hasn't had that level of personal expression since. Everything after TRC (and ONA since it was the same "era") has been commercial. Musicology/3121/PE/LF/MPLS/AOA/20Ten/AOA/PLEC -- all chasing hits.

Bowie doesn't chase hits, and doesn't care to re-tread old ground. Some of it might be boring, or "too weird", but that's art. If he released "Modern Love, Part 2" then his fans would call BS the same as we are on Prince.

...

[Edited 4/23/16 19:15pm]

Se7en said:

The closest that Prince has come to Bowie in the 2000's is The Rainbow Children. A body of work that was expressive, personal, "sales be damned" and masterful - but also divisive. It was controversial, touching on hot-button issues like slavery and anti-Semitism.

Prince hasn't had that level of personal expression since. Everything after TRC (and ONA since it was the same "era") has been commercial. Musicology/3121/PE/LF/MPLS/AOA/20Ten/AOA/PLEC -- all chasing hits.

Bowie doesn't chase hits, and doesn't care to re-tread old ground. Some of it might be boring, or "too weird", but that's art. If he released "Modern Love, Part 2" then his fans would call BS the same as we are on Prince.

What if he released 'Modern Love: The New Master'?

EroticDreamer said:

Se7en said:

The closest that Prince has come to Bowie in the 2000's is The Rainbow Children. A body of work that was expressive, personal, "sales be damned" and masterful - but also divisive. It was controversial, touching on hot-button issues like slavery and anti-Semitism.

Prince hasn't had that level of personal expression since. Everything after TRC (and ONA since it was the same "era") has been commercial. Musicology/3121/PE/LF/MPLS/AOA/20Ten/AOA/PLEC -- all chasing hits.

Bowie doesn't chase hits, and doesn't care to re-tread old ground. Some of it might be boring, or "too weird", but that's art. If he released "Modern Love, Part 2" then his fans would call BS the same as we are on Prince.

Well.. the albums between from Heathen and The Next Day are Bowie doing good mainstream music. And I love all of them. So its not "chasing hits" per se, but its definitely him returning to a mainstream sound he left for a number of years up to Earthling (which would be the equivalent of the Musicology to AOA/PLEC period for Prince).

I also wouldn't compare TRC to anything in Bowie's catalogue.. I'm don't see a RC like album in his catalogue.. which isn't strange considering they're very different types of musical artists.

'Hours...' (1999)
Heathen (2002)
Reality (2003)
The Next Day (2013)

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/dec/08/lazarus-david-bowie-review-roundup-new-york-premiere-michael-c-hall-ivo-van-hove