Cloreen said:

Cloreen said:

Cloreen said:

Cloreen said:

Cloreen said:

Cloreen said:

NorthC said:

As for Emancipation CD 2, he recorded that being in love and happy with his unborn child... Maybe that influences the way you listen to it?

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Yeah, that second CD in "Emancipation" is so hopeful for a beautiful future with wife and child...very sad to take in now. But to be honest, I didn't like it back then. I always preferred the angrier, gritty Prince. Best songs on "Emancipation" were those gritty ones -- "Slave" and "Face Down."

Yuuuup today its Diamonds & Pearls Rosie Gaines is amazing, should have been a major star.

i just got the 21cd set of Indigo Nights afterhows....they are blowing me away. Plus I listenened to "4 those of u on valium". But I can only do so much, still cant open all the tribute mags yet

No I'm not.

It's too early for a complete retrospective for me, I dig the newer music but am still going deep into his catalog for specific songs. I listen to music maybe three hours a week although I play songs in my head literally all the time, night and day.

Now that he has passed away, I'm more positive about some material. I know you guys think I'm a big "fam" who probably likes almost everything, but nothing could be further from the truth.

There are tracks on all but a few of his albums I just don't like. Often there are only a few tracks I care for. Some examples:

International Lover: When I first got the record when it came out, I treated this song as mostly an elaborate joke set to great music. Since then, it has come to represent Prince overreaching in the boudoir department, maybe it was recorded for fans that dream of making a spring symphony with him on that famous brass bed.

Glam Slam and Positivity: I like this better than International Lover, but ultimately this and Positivity are the Lovesexy songs I am least positive about. Something about the arrangement is too melancholic, like the kind of bittersweet reminescence you'd hear from a recovering addict in rehab. They're supposed to feel great but somehow they don't -- to me.

Stuff like Baby Knows.

On the other hand, there's lots of songs I now feel I was over-critical about. Maybe it's because at the time they failed to ignite or I could dismiss the arrangement as another typical Prince job.

Examples:

Cinnamon Girl: As a rocker, this felt too light at the time. The 3EG years only made it lighter. But now, I wonder WTH was my problem, this track is a great example of his work, now that everything must be ranked by responding to the question: Is this song a good "in the manner of Prince Rogers Nelson" song?

Now it doesn't matter if the song was considered a hit or a miss at the time, given where he was and where he had been. Time and death erase all these concerns, as they do whenever a great musician leaves us. For instance, a piano sonata by Mozart or Ludwig Van Beethoven might have been seen as just ok for them during their lifetime or even for a decade or two after their death, but in the end even music that is not as remarkable as other pieces gets reassessed because future listeners are looking for anything that is representative of the composer's style. I mean, J.S Bach wrote loads of cantatas, only a few are familiar to the average classical music fan but those that are into sacred music cherish all of them, because while there are many cantatas, there are still a finite number that were written by J.S. Bach, in his manner.

And so it will be for Prince. It could take a few years or a few decades, some songs will still be considered unimpressive in light of everything he has done, but there will still be a place for songs like International Lover that are not considered his best balladry ever, still trust me: there will be people who will look at all the ballads and consider them a whole, with great and less great examples.

sro100 said:

Something I never did before.

In no particular order.

I forgot that some I didn't like at all; New Power Soul, Planet Earth, etc. now sound pretty darn good.

And others not so much.

Y'all?

Actually yes . . I am, and I am almost done and I also finished a book by Ronin Ro

Why not chronological order? wouldn't that make the most sense? I'm at MPLSound

Not really listening to all of them randomly. The ones I am listening to a lot are

1. Parade

2. Lovesymbol

3. Diamonds and Pearls

4. Lovesexy

5. ATWIAD

and a lot of bootlegs/unreleased songs like Empty Room, others here with us and old friends 4 sale, original version with lines like "Cocaine became easy, to talk about things that you don't know"

I did this constantly since 1978. It is a way of life for the real fans from the old school.

I've been revisiting some records I have heard the least over the years: Graffiti Bridge, Diamonds and Pearls.

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And lots of live shows / rehearsals / unreleased.

Unforturately, a few years back, my entire digital Prince CD collection vanished into thin air when my hard drive DIED. So much $$$$ invested and wasted. I'm still over the loss. So little by little as I build my collection back up by rentals from my local library, I listen to them in the order received. I've downloaded 9 rentals so far. All newer stuff (2007 & up), which I was not fimiiar with. Out of the 9 I listened to I liked, "Art Official Age" the best. I'll be picking up 2 more titles today. I believe one of the CD's is, "COME". I've read reviews claiming "COME" mirrors more of his edgy guitar stuff from the 80's. Thats my favorite style of Prince music. He was an amazing guitrist. My opinion, one of the very best in history. And thats why I enjoy that era of Prince's music the best. Todays CD of choice; 1999. TGIF! Have a great day my fellow purple peeps!

thx185 said:

KingSausage said:

thx185 said:

I've been revisiting some records I have heard the least over the years: Graffiti Bridge, Diamonds and Pearls.

.

And lots of live shows / rehearsals / unreleased.

That's what I've been doing too. Stuff i don't listen to frequently. Live shows. Unreleased material. Etc.

Right on. It's such an amazing treasure trove. Standouts for me are The Flesh project (always love me some Leeds on the track), the soundcheck from Miami (1985.04.07), and The Line #2. Oh my god that track. So much lovesexy goodness! It has convinced me that the vault is going to continue knocking me on my ass with new treasures for years to come.

I've been listening to AOA, PlectrumElectrum, and HitnRun Phase 2 (Phase 1, not so much!).

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I have to say, I really think he was hitting a new golden age. Some REALLY great tracks on all 3 albums, and all capture the feeling of his live shows better than anything since... maybe Gold, but really SOTT!

.

Groovy Potential is freaking awesome!

thx185 said:

You mean listening to them all .... no

FUNKYNESS said:

I did this constantly since 1978. It is a way of life for the real fans from the old school.

No it's not. Real fans listen to whatever they want whenever they want.

Thizz said:

sro100 said:

Something I never did before.

In no particular order.

I forgot that some I didn't like at all; New Power Soul, Planet Earth, etc. now sound pretty darn good.

And others not so much.

Y'all?

Actually yes . . I am, and I am almost done and I also finished a book by Ronin Ro

Why not chronological order? wouldn't that make the most sense? I'm at MPLSound

Not chronological order. I'm trying to start with CDs I haven't listened to in a long time and working my way through from least-listened to finally "burned out" CDs.

I've been listening to all my vinyl, in random order. I have taken a bit of a break, though. It's still just so damn hard.

james said:

I've been listening to AOA, PlectrumElectrum, and HitnRun Phase 2 (Phase 1, not so much!).

.

I have to say, I really think he was hitting a new golden age. Some REALLY great tracks on all 3 albums, and all capture the feeling of his live shows better than anything since... maybe Gold, but really SOTT!

.

Groovy Potential is freaking awesome!

I agree on Groovy Potential!

Yes, his last "real album" AOA is definitely a high point.

Today its the album

KingSausage said:

Funkmeimfamous said:

i've been going through everything too. Then I get to some songs & they just repeat in my head. I keep putting 'My Computer' on repeat among others.