imago said:

Prince himself was deeply dissapointed, even distraught over the sales of LoveSexy in the USA. The tour started out with an enormous and eleborate stage, but dwindled to something approaching the Nude Tour production in the end. Whatever it's artistic achievements, LoveSexy was the beginning of fluctuating sales and reviews for Prince.

His hairdos also got increasingly bad.

i didn't realize the Lovesexy tour was a failure. It was close to, if not, sold out here in Seattle. I am aware the album flopped bigtime, even still, some of the reviews, seems like every album had a reviewer saying it was his best since dirty mind, lovesexy included. I read the album didn't barely sell gold at the time, an embarrasment for a star of his stature. However, Prince knew what to do, just like when his first album flopped, he put on his businessman hat and came out with a commercial album, Prince/Batman respectively. He was like Elvis in that his triumphs also planted the seeds of his failures. When he got the clout from batman, he blew it with GB, when he hit big with D&P he got himself into a ridiculous contract that took him years to finish dealing with. Just like Elvis, who after every triumph got himself involved in problematic things like movies/vegas.

One word MONEY.

Aw, I liked Prince's hair during the Graffiti Bridge era. There was one era where his hair kind of resembled a 1800's hairstyle. He is the only one who can do that to his hair. I didn't really relish on that one but I respect his creative skills when it comes to hair. He has done just about everything and every hairstyle there was. I am starting to wonder about what hairstyle he hasn't done.

DMarieIsMe said:

Aw, I liked Prince's hair during the Graffiti Bridge era. There was one era where his hair kind of resembled a 1800's hairstyle. He is the only one who can do that to his hair. I didn't really relish on that one but I respect his creative skills when it comes to hair. He has done just about everything and every hairstyle there was. I am starting to wonder about what hairstyle he hasn't done.

there was a poster on here that called his lovesexy-graffiti bridge era a "daddy's little girl" era for Prince, it was kinda insightful and true, if bizarre. Personally, I was embarrassed for him when he had the stubble ala george michael, he looked silly to me. But, hell, he was prince, he could do what he wanted.

TrivialPursuit said:

sonshine said:

And I'm tired of the fans who think the only real fans own every piece of music the man ever released and heap praise on the stuff that's unlistenable. (I know that's subjective.) But I refuse to spend money on a record I can't listen to. And I refuse to feel bad about not being a completist in regards to his work. Prince himself hated people kissing his ass and telling him how great his every note was. He wasn't stupid. I loved him for his efforts, his energy, his philanthropy, and for the years of entertainment. But he didn't make it easy for his fans or for himself as you so accurately reminded us. I just re-watched graffiti bridge last night for the first time since it was originally released and all I could think was WTF was he thinking?!?! Plus I hated his look in that movie, hair and all.

I have to say I do own 99% of his albums, because I am a completist to a point. I don't own One Nite Alone, One Nite Alone Live, or N.E.W.S. I think that's the only parts missing.

I agree with the GB look. It was just sloppy. Hair aside, the one-shouldered jump suit with a big shirt hanging out of one side - gawd awful.



Then the highwaisted pants (that he sorta kept through the 90s to some extent) just made him look shorter. He had no dimension or waist.




His was literally wearing old man/nerd pants.

LOL, the pants thing reminded me of Ed Grimley from SNL:

TopazGirl said:

TrivialPursuit said:

I have to say I do own 99% of his albums, because I am a completist to a point. I don't own One Nite Alone, One Nite Alone Live, or N.E.W.S. I think that's the only parts missing.

I agree with the GB look. It was just sloppy. Hair aside, the one-shouldered jump suit with a big shirt hanging out of one side - gawd awful.



Then the highwaisted pants (that he sorta kept through the 90s to some extent) just made him look shorter. He had no dimension or waist.




His was literally wearing old man/nerd pants.

LOL, the pants thing reminded me of Ed Grimley from SNL:

naw, those aren't quite old man pants because prince had a tiny waist. David Byrne used to wear oldman pants with a fatsuit and he reminded me of my old potbellied, ww2 vet uncle, those are old man pants. Prince has got on a different style.

PeteSilas said:

TopazGirl said:

LOL, the pants thing reminded me of Ed Grimley from SNL:

naw, those aren't quite old man pants because prince had a tiny waist. David Byrne used to wear oldman pants with a fatsuit and he reminded me of my old potbellied, ww2 vet uncle, those are old man pants. Prince has got on a different style.

Yeah, I'm exaggerating a bit lol. Prince's pants are more like a pants corset hybrid thingy lol. They look good on him actually because he has a great body.

PeteSilas said:

kewlschool said:

I think he drew inspiration for high-waisted pants and short coats from the traditional clothing that Spanish bullfighters wear.

[Edited 4/1/17 16:54pm]

rob1965 said:

kewlschool said:

It's the Rachel before their was a Rachel hair do.

Thank you for planting this image in my head to never make it go away again....

You are welcome. Prince not only pioneered the Minnepolis sound, but the Rachel Graffiti Bridge hair do.

Identity said:

His was literally wearing old man/nerd pants.

[img:$uid]http://funkyimg.com/i/2dKdZ.jpg[/img:$uid]

I think he drew inspiration for high-waisted pants and short coats from the traditional clothing that Spanish bullfighters wear.

ya, that's what i was trying to think of, matador.

Vashtix said:

The pics of the old man pants . . .PRICELESS!!

Mad me laugh way too much . . . .and the Rachel hair too . . .

indeed...too funny

That's easy Negative = $$$$$$$$$ Profits

Adorecream said:

I don't agree Ronin Ros' book is that bad

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Ronin claims Prince was working on the Black Album in December 1987. That's just one of many "mistakes" in his book.

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, the most negative to me is Alex Hahns, he pretty much divides it in half between (Rise 1978 - 1987) and Fall (1988 - 2002) and virtually every album from Lovesexy onwards is in his eyes crap, also there are several less than complimentary interviews with people who have axes to grind.

.

Gotta love those famz: pointing out events where Prince behaved like a dick = "people with an axe to grind". Oh look, that's the exact excuse used by Prince's official websites at various times. Always the same pattern: don't refute the facts, always attack the messenger.

Wlcm2thdwn3 said:

One word MONEY.

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Oh look, that old chestnut. Please inform us of the great riches to be had by spending months writing a book about an artist who sells a couple of thousand copies of a record.

Goddess4Real said:

That's easy Negative = $$$$$$$$$ Profits

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Another fam peddling this nonsense. Yes, as we all know Prince bios were always #1 in the NYT best seller list for months, right? I mean, I couldn't walk past a book store without seeing heaps of those books, and long lines of customers eager to buy them.

To the OP, I'm wondering why you think Per Nielsen was in any way "constantly critical" of Prince, or of Controversy? That's not how I remember his biography or TheVault.

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As I recall, Nielsen basically thought Controversy was quite good, but was a somewhat lesser artistic jump than Dirty Mind had been... which is exactly correct, and quite a fair assessment.

[Edited 7/5/16 2:06am]

BartVanHemelen said:

Goddess4Real said:

That's easy Negative = $$$$$$$$$ Profits

.

Another fam peddling this nonsense. Yes, as we all know Prince bios were always #1 in the NYT best seller list for months, right? I mean, I couldn't walk past a book store without seeing heaps of those books, and long lines of customers eager to buy them.

Instead o criticising things we all say, go and do something productive with your time, instead of being a troll. Don't just criticise other people's ideas and not add any thing of your own. It's called trolling

.

Also I like Hahn's book and I don't defend Prince's nastiness for a minute, I think Hanh's book is very good even excellent, but I did feel he was unduly harsh on Prince's later work. He calls Diamonds and Pearls a "pyrrhic victory" and even criticises The Gold experience, also Dez and Wendy have little nice to say about Prince.

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Also liking Prince and defending him is not a crime, neither is being a fam, this is a Princefan site after all, make you should take your trolling and hatred to a non Prince site.

Never actually got around to reading Possessed but I think pyrrhic victory for Diamonds and Pearls is a fair interpretation, there's a lot of trend-chasing on the album.

jaawwnn said:

Never actually got around to reading Possessed but I think pyrrhic victory for Diamonds and Pearls is a fair interpretation, there's a lot of trend-chasing on the album.

D&P proved that in the music industry, promotion often equals success. Gotta spend money to make money. It's by far his most over-rated album, in my not-so-humble opinion...

.

[Edited 7/5/16 15:56pm]

djThunderfunk said:

jaawwnn said:

Never actually got around to reading Possessed but I think pyrrhic victory for Diamonds and Pearls is a fair interpretation, there's a lot of trend-chasing on the album.

D&P proved that in the music industry, promotion often equals success. Gotta spend money to make money. It's by far his most over-rated album, in my not-so-humble opinion...

You're not exactly alone in that ideology, either. Militant and I (as well as others) have noted that D&P was a record company album. Prince needed a hit, badly. His last #1 was "Thieves In The Temple", but it was coupled with a shitastic movie. Prince, when provoked and corralled a bit, can sit and write a catchy pop tune, and have a hit. He can balance the artsy and eclectic with the Top 40. Of course sometimes the best singles go unnoticed because they're never released as such, and he opts for the artsy instead, losing a lot of the general listening audience. The record was generic enough, on many levels while remaining uniquely Prince, that the record company could promote it in huge ways. However, Prince - making bad decisions - didn't even tour it in the U.S.

I don't know if it's his most over-rated album, but it sure is in the top 3 for that list.

I dunno about it being overrated guys, it's always heavily criticised by fans and critics alike. It did its job of being a commercial success but that doesn't mean anyone rated it especially highly, they just bought it for the hits. I think people rightly point out that it was a fantastic singles album with a few more top drawer songs on it. I've always wondered what Prince thought of it as a cohesive piece, for all its faults it's not like its phoned in.

[Edited 7/5/16 8:40am]

rob1965 said:

I've never looked it up but Diamonds and Pearls was probably, by far, his best seller since Purple Rain. I loved the solos on thunder, I like strollin' i loved walk don't walk, the other songs were ok, I can't say i was crazy about the singles except for Gett Off, that's a pretty good tune there, with that great flute riff which was probably created by Alan Leed's brother. Also, the videos from it, violet the organ grinder, gett off gangsta version with prince in that leather leotard is a must see, watch him do pushups to impress his cat. I probably liked violet the organ grinder better than anything on the album, it was funky and quirky like Prince's best.

NorthC said:

rob1965 said:

NorthC said:

I have that book too and it really helped me getting to know Prince's music back then. They even discussed outtakes and club gigs in First Avenue. I wanted to hear about all that unreleased music these writers were telling me about and that's how I became a collector! But this book came out when Prince was at the top of his powers and he could do no wrong. When Tom Engelshoven reviewed the upcoming Diamonds & Pearls album in Oor magazine in 1991, he was a whole lote less admiring and much more critical. His verdict: a fine album, but nothing new. And that's the way I see it too. By the early 90s, Prince really had lost some of his magic.

Agreed. With D&P he became somewhat careful if not even middle of the road R'n B. Only Gett Off gave a hint of the Prince we knew by then. Luckily he got his magic back with the Love Symbol Album.

prince knew when to go pop, if he needed to, he did. after the overproduced, near perfect first album didn't sell but 200,000 at the time and he was in the hole about 800,000 to his record company, he had to switch gears and make a pop album, not only did he grow immensely as a pop songwriter between albums, he also showed some of his signature musical stylings with the jam on the end of Wanna be your lover, being as good and maybe better than the song and some of his piano solos which would influence producers far and wide in that decade and beyond. Prince sold about platinum, i've heard just under platinum and i've heard platinum. (yes, I know it's sold more now but that's not what I'm talking about) After that, prince took another wacky turn with dirty mind which i've heard didn't even sell gold, dez dickerson said his dissapointed record company tried to offer him his contract back.

does anyone remember the rumors in the late 80's, say, 88 that prince was broke? that probably has something to do with why he had to do batman, and then diamonds and pearls. the overhead on PP was/is ridiculous and it seems that it never became the motown that some people were predicting. he had to take care of it, mostly by himself I think.