No. I've read 1,001 threads about trimming Emancipation down to 1CD, so, I know that as fans we are NOT on the same page in regards to Prince favorites. That's how good Prince is.

Nope, not baffled. Prince's music is so varied that it's inevitable that people will have different eras as a preference. That's just one of the wonderful things that make up Prince's catalogue.

soladeo1 said:

For example, my favorite era corresponds, like many of you, with when I first discovered Prince -specifically the 1999-Purple Rain Era. Therefore, when I find people who’s favorite era is something like the “Rave 2 The Joy Fantastic” era I am genuinely baffled... Are you too?

Sometimes it's less about the music and more about everything that comes along with that point in time. I remember Bono from U2 talking about how their band is at its best live, but that they aren't under the false pretense that when people see them live and are going crazy that it's about THEM, the performer. It's about the AUDIENCE responding to what those songs mean to THEM. It transports them back to that place and time.

So maybe for some of those, they're not necessarily saying it's his best era but more "my favorite."

Yes I loved Purple Rain/ UTCM Prince. But I've met a friend that was not even born then, and prefers the 90's Prince era. Which i cannot understand.

Baffled? No.

I might question a person's taste regarding individual tracks or albums, but having been along for the ride since the beginning (more or less), I think every "era" has something to recommend it.

Nope. I found it nice to hear from some other groups. There's a wide range of Prince fans it's great to be reminded of that.

there are more things to be baffled about, horatio
than other peoples' favourite prince album

I am just baffled that there are people out there who are NOT fan's of Prince. WTF?

Over the years I think I've seen at least one person say they either love or hate just about every single song there is - even those that 99.9% love, there's someone who doesn't like it and vice versa.

As it's been said on this site hundreds of times before, "One person's Lovesexy is another person's The Rainbow Children." Prince is a pie chart with many slices. Some of us like all of the slices, some of us like some of the slices, and some of us like a few of the slices. As for me, I like all the slices with a side order of crazy wangs.

Wlcm2thdwn3 said:

Yes I loved Purple Rain/ UTCM Prince. But I've met a friend that was not even born then, and prefers the 90's Prince era. Which i cannot understand.

Said the late 90s avatar.

NouveauDance said:

Over the years I think I've seen at least one person say they either love or hate just about every single song there is - even those that 99.9% love, there's someone who doesn't like it and vice versa.

I feel you.
The 99.9% occupy a rather small niche, or so it seems. I'm one of them.
There are very, very little songs I dislike. Because the trajectory is as important. Or maybe it's the most important when it comes to Prince: the journey he managed to have with his talents, struggling with them, amplifying them, taming them, getting out of control, indulging, bragging, lazypunkassing, and never failing to baffle by surprise once you get yourself into listening marathon.

I think overtime, one grows an appreciation for every single era (we have to get out of the album mindset with Prince). One has to insist a bit. "The reward is great for those who want to go", some like that.

When something sounds "too simple for Prince", you have to step back a little and give the Man some time to experiment and fool around with modern toys. Allow him to get back to simple, basic grooves, like in the 50s. He did the sextolets, the full symphonic orchestra, been there, doone that.

Give the man a break, it's a simple as that. Enjoy him indulging in his talents. It can be baffling and, yeah, unsettling (how much ego can can you pack in one man?). Just skip the imagery, even if with Prince, images come to mind the moment the needle falls on polyvinylacetate (Power Soul).

Imagine a Prince blocked forever on jazz-rock right after Parade, often considered the pinnacle. We wouldn't even be here. It's this ferocious will of not letting the blank page freeze him, the unstoppable joy to play (it oozes from any era, even when it's not your cup of tea — when it comes to live, few artists are so alive from career start to finish: I never heard bored Prince. I heard Prince a bit tired, but never on "full automatic"). One can only be in awe of his discipline of the daily journal. All of this never letting fun, pizzaz and equality out of sight? Get outta here. What an artist. Catharsis documented. Like Peanuts.

I'm not "baffled". I'm baffled at the rest of the world not getting Prince. I'll take fellows than only dig PR on the boat on the spot.
Usually, when they lift the cover, they'll witness the Prince quirk they liked mutating over time.
Usually, by then, they're hooked. But who'll take the time it requires anymore?

Unless we learn to slow down, I don't think we can do it, and suddenly I'm getting metaphysical and shit. Let' just accept that Prince's music isn't for the masses. But it can mean something to everyone. I'll always be grateful for "Man In The Mirror", for the light it shines. But there's something that start to smell when the same song mutates in "Heal The World", a song that tells you'll be frowned upon if you don't approve its message. You can't resume the human experience and the struggles with such demagogic refrains. It seems that we're inevitably not "one", and that's a good thing. We shouldn't blend into one. "Purple Rain" can, but it's one of the exceptions. Getting to spiritual communion with perfect strangers is a rare event.

It's a bit on the verge of mutual cannibalism: Prince's work filled his life, ate his sleep.
The time you give it ends up taking minutes of your life as well. It's not innocuous.
And it makes you think about the state of the world.
Because Prince's visions are all about alternatives to this fucking reality.
He's like an antidote to the anxiousness of the newsflash.

Personally, as a fan, given The Work volumes and a decent player and headphones, I could end like this guy.

The more I listen to my SKipper, the more I feel detached of the rat race. Having to participate to this circus is sometimes too heavy to bear. You have to scrub your soul every day, to make your hope shine a little again. Dust accumulates on it. Prince's work helps you with the scrubbing (you dirty doggies you) because it's a daily, monthly, yearly account of what life is: sometimes you ain't got enough gas, sometimes for months, sometimes for years (godforbid). But you go to the Soul Mines nonetheless. I blabber, but Prince could have left for the Bahamas after Batman and live off royalties all his life, patiently waiting for PR anniversaries. Like Michael, every apparition would have been Christic-like ("oh! He's offering us his divine presence again! Only for a few minutes! What extasis!").

Inspiration is like God, it hides all the time.
When we get out of gas, most of us wait for the tow truck.
Prince, he goes: "what the fuck, I'll push the ride."
His Blue Fairy made sure the next station was never too far.

And maybe there's a lesson in that, but if there is I think it takes the whole "Prince Book" to make sense.
SKipper didn't skip the pages of his life, maybe he was too fast a reader ; but he learned his lessons and did not shy away from starting all over: it may seem illusory, but it's the faith, the impulse that restarts the engine. Of course you can never really "start again". But believe in it, and one day you realize you're on different tracks. That's one of Prince's premises, accepting that you change over time, and that will make your friends do the walk. Accept the tears like you accept the joy.

If a page in 999 is uninspired to the point of "sounding false" (and it's subjective), that's a pretty feckin'goude average in my book (and ears). All I hear is a man going for it and never getting bitter about it. Prince never let his steadily growing bank account take over his self-imposed daily duty. How could he, with so much fun oozing out of his fingers?
Was it always fun for him? More importantly, did you have some? I guess Christopher would agree "some" is good enough.

Myself and the other 0.1%, we'll take it all.
Not in greedy way.
In a hungry way.
That's how I'll stay.

[Edited 10/24/18 17:48pm]

NouveauDance said:

Over the years I think I've seen at least one person say they either love or hate just about every single song there is - even those that 99.9% love, there's someone who doesn't like it and vice versa.

if a 'love' or 'hate' thread for a song or an album gets enough replies, you're sure to see all of those, yes

I actually enjoy when somenone describe how much a song/album/era means to them, even if it is not one of my favorites. Since he died, I even feel a bit of the warm fuzzies knowing that even his generally overlooked material has it's ardent supporters.

soladeo1 said:

TwiliteKid said:

soladeo1 said:

For example, my favorite era corresponds, like many of you, with when I first discovered Prince -specifically the 1999-Purple Rain Era. Therefore, when I find people who’s favorite era is something like the “Rave 2 The Joy Fantastic” era I am genuinely baffled... Are you too?

LIES!!!! I refuse to believe Rave is anyone’s favourite.

Strange, but true.

No need to be baffled. Everyone has their fave era(s)

I think those who praise the 90s work (esp CnD, Come, Eman etc) or think its the best era are very wack. I wouldnt trust them with cheese let alone my keys.

i've found it so hard to pick a favourite era or even album that I generally think it's no wonder someone could pick something different than I do, after all there is so much good stuff and it's often so hard to pick and feel like i'm overlooking something else, that i'm glad someone else can find a favourite in the thing i may have overlooked ^-^

No. Everybody's different. Like my favorite era is probably before Purple Rain. Like, Dirty Mind/1999. But a lot of poeple only know him for Purple Rain. Eh, doesn't matter.

Uh, no...there is a "Prince" for every era IMO.

No, I'm aware enough to know that there are different strokes for different folks. I only became baffled when Prince got all "Witnessy" and tried acting like the first 20 years of his career didn't really happen, the way that it happened And we were just supposed to forget about iit, in favor of his new way of being.

No because i think he was genius and even my least favorite eras are still amazing.

soladeo1 said:

For example, my favorite era corresponds, like many of you, with when I first discovered Prince -specifically the 1999-Purple Rain Era. Therefore, when I find people who’s favorite era is something like the “Rave 2 The Joy Fantastic” era I am genuinely baffled... Are you too?

So what if you'd discovered Prince in 2000 instead of 1983? Wouldn't Rave be your favorite era?