I was among those that was very disappointed that this was going to be the first record of unreleased material, but I've changed my mind. While it's not essential for a hardcore Prince fan(I have a much crappier sounding version already), I think it is a very good entry point into Prince for people only aware of a few of his songs. He is extraordinary, and people that are only casually aware of him have no idea. Prince just screwing around kicks everyone's ass. The raw simplicity of this is very easy for anyone that encounters it to understand.

"Prince is really good." is an excellent statement to make with the first posthumous release.

slida23 said:

I was among those that was very disappointed that this was going to be the first record of unreleased material, but I've changed my mind. While it's not essential for a hardcore Prince fan(I have a much crappier sounding version already), I think it is a very good entry point into Prince for people only aware of a few of his songs. He is extraordinary, and people that are only casually aware of him have no idea. Prince just screwing around kicks everyone's ass. The raw simplicity of this is very easy for anyone that encounters it to understand.

"Prince is really good." is an excellent statement to make with the first posthumous release.

He is. Just the voice alone.

slida23 said:

I was among those that was very disappointed that this was going to be the first record of unreleased material, but I've changed my mind. While it's not essential for a hardcore Prince fan(I have a much crappier sounding version already), I think it is a very good entry point into Prince for people only aware of a few of his songs. He is extraordinary, and people that are only casually aware of him have no idea. Prince just screwing around kicks everyone's ass. The raw simplicity of this is very easy for anyone that encounters it to understand.

"Prince is really good." is an excellent statement to make with the first posthumous release.

Do u actually think that casual fans would be interested in this type of release?

There is a thread for the new release: http://prince.org/msg/7/456078

Graycap23 said:

Do u actually think that casual fans would be interested in this type of release?

I wouldn't expect that people who only bought the "Purple Rain" album to get super excited about this release, no. It is, however, an amazing display of his raw talent, a talent that no one that would be considered his contemporary in the 80s possessed. He had a very flamboyant, over the top image in the 80s that was a part of his success as a star, and probably sticks in people's minds at least as much as the music. He was too strange and challenging to be beloved in the same way as Michael Jackson. Presenting him in this way, without all the bells and whistles, seems quite astute in retrospect. It's perhaps the best release for people who weren't fans to begin with.

Would I personally have preferred a new record of hi-fidelity unreleased tracks? Yes. Would a casual fan care more about that? Not sure.

See http://prince.org/msg/7/456078