independent and unofficial
Prince fan community
Welcome! Sign up or enter username and password to remember me
Forum jump
Forums > Prince: Music and More > 70s vs 80s vs 90s vs 2000s vs 2010s Prince
« Previous topic  Next topic »
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
Author

Tweet     Share

Message
Thread started 08/12/19 1:49am

paddypurple

avatar

70s vs 80s vs 90s vs 2000s vs 2010s Prince

What era of Prince do you prefer? 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, or 2010s?

In my opinion he was at his best in the 2000s. He made songs like Cinnamon Girl, Call My Name, Family Name, Fury, And Guitar. That was my favourite era.

If you asked me my LEAST favourite era, it would be the 2010s. I mean, it was great, but it sounded like he was trying to sound relevant. But it’s still brilliant. I’m literally listening to HardRockLover when I’m typing this.

let me know in the replies! biggrin

"Wish eye had a dollar 4 everytime U say, don't U miss the feeling Music gave u, back in the day"
- Prince (2004)
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #1 posted 08/12/19 3:06am

TheFman

80s, OF COURSE, no comment needed. Every other answer is bull.

80

90

70

00

10

[Edited 8/13/19 6:12am]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #2 posted 08/12/19 4:09am

VaultCurator

avatar

Top Tier: 1980s
Everything he touched was solid gold. If I was to list what I liked about the 80s we could be here a while.
.
Second / Third tier: I can't decide between 1990s & 2000s. They are pretty evenly matched.
On the one hand, the 90s had the prolific Gold era (Come, Exodus, TGE, Chaos) with sensational songs like TMBGITW and Gold. Add to that the D&P era with songs like Diamonds and Pearls and Gett Off.
.
On the other hand, 2000s features some of my favourite Prince albums (outside of the 80s), ie, One Nite Alone..., Xpectation, The Chocolate Invasion, The Slaughterhouse. Plus there was also the most beautiful version of Empty Room and 3121 was decent enough. I don't know what he was thinking when it came to The Rainbow Children, but whatever.
.
Forth: 1970s
Not a bad era by any means, just the shortest. 'For You' is criminally underrated and who doesn't love 'I Wanna Be Your Lover'. Although unreleased he also did some beautiful work with The Rebels and some great disco tracks.
.
Last: 2010s
I have to be honest. I can't name a single Prince song I like after 3121. I've listened to all the albums post 3121 once, and they left no impression on me whatsoever. Maybe I should go back and give them another chance, maybe something will grow on me? But right now I regard the 2010 era as simple 'Meh'.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #3 posted 08/12/19 8:00am

Se7en

avatar

80s . . . front and center. An album a year, (except for 1983) almost like clockwork. Like you said, everytihng was gold. Side projects were hot too, as well as the songs he gave away. Ended the 80s with a blockbuster soundtrack, not bad!

I hate to sound like a cliché, but the 80s really were his prime. The music, the look, the energy (on record and onstage). Some album runs were evolutionary (like Controversy/1999 and SOTT/TBA/Lovesexy) and some were radically different than the previous one (Dirty Mind, Parade).

Then, in order of decade preference . . . 90s, 10s, 00s, 70s.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #4 posted 08/12/19 8:50am

MotownSubdivis
ion

80s is the only answer.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #5 posted 08/12/19 9:35am

jaypotton

The order should be (IMO)...

80s
90s
00s
10s
70s

But that is all about taste
'I loved him then, I love him now and will love him eternally. He's with our son now.' Mayte 21st April 2016 = the saddest quote I have ever read! RIP Prince and thanks for everything.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #6 posted 08/12/19 9:40am

nextedition

avatar

We wouldnt be talking about him right now if it wasnt for his 80s output.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #7 posted 08/12/19 10:37am

TrivialPursuit

avatar

80s is tops. The mid 90s, from about 93-97 is an incredibly prolific and funky time. The richness of those albums are solid and worthy of constant rotations. It's from Emancipation onward that gets iffy. The last 20 years certainly pales in comparison to the first 20.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #8 posted 08/12/19 11:43am

rusty1

MotownSubdivision said:

80s is the only answer.

👏
BOB4theFUNK
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #9 posted 08/12/19 1:40pm

Missmusicluver
72

jaypotton said:

The order should be (IMO)... 80s 90s 00s 10s 70s But that is all about taste

Agreed. It has been amazing to see how he evolved over the years, always re-inventing himself. cool

Love is God, God is love, girls and boys love God above~
The only Love there is, is the Love We Make~
Prince4Ever
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #10 posted 08/12/19 1:46pm

SoulAlive

80s

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #11 posted 08/12/19 2:54pm

PeteSilas

80's sure but I'll take any and all eras, i've said it before to some resistance, his prime was 78-16.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #12 posted 08/12/19 3:12pm

ChickenMcNugge
ts

avatar

Assuming almost everyone would say the '80s (as I would too), the really interesting question is surely what everyone's second favourite decade is.

For me, that's a straight shootout between the '90s and the '10s; I love the '93-'95 Hits/Come/TGE and 2014-2015 AOA/HITnRUN eras pretty much equally. Whereas the 2000s was obviously a really accomplished and interesting decade, but I'm struggling to think of many albums during that decade that rank as massive personal favourites for me.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #13 posted 08/12/19 3:25pm

WhisperingDand
elions

avatar

80s
00s (mostly for first half vs second half)
10s
70s

90s

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #14 posted 08/12/19 3:33pm

PeteSilas

80's only because i was a teen and young and impressionable, his 90's work showed growth as a producer and arranger certainly, and he was always improving as a musician and singer.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #15 posted 08/12/19 4:42pm

skywalker

avatar

First of all, there’s no “versus” here. It’s all pieces of the same purple pie. Naturally, humans like to put things into neat little boxes. In this case, an imaginary thing we call decades. It’s like looking at a Corvette. Which do you like better? The first 5 feet of the car? The middle 5 feet of the car? Or the back 5 feet of the car?
-
That being said, my order goes like this:
80’s
2010’s
2000’s
90’s
70’s
[Edited 8/12/19 16:43pm]
"New Power slide...."
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #16 posted 08/12/19 4:58pm

MIRvmn

avatar

80s smile
Welcome 2 The Dawn
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #17 posted 08/12/19 5:23pm

SoulAlive

I think it’s a safe bet that most of us are gonna choose the 80s lol
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #18 posted 08/12/19 7:51pm

RJP1205

IMO:
80's tie
00's tie
10's
70's
90's
...and not based strictly on the music but on personality, style snd live performances as well.
[Edited 8/12/19 20:11pm]
[Edited 8/12/19 20:12pm]
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #19 posted 08/12/19 8:17pm

AvocadosMax

Top tier is 80s. SOTT alone makes that decade his greatest. Although his biggest genius accomplishments were Parade, Dream Factory and Crystal Ball

Seconds is 90s
EndorphinMachine, Interactive, Billy Jack Bitch, Days of Wild, Come and so man others

Third imho is 2010s. This era is so underrated, it’s not funny. HitNRun Phase Two, Art Official Age, PlectrumElectrum, non-album Internet tracks and unreleased tracks make this era so great.

70s then 2000s
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #20 posted 08/13/19 12:35am

thisisreece

The 80s are the clear winner. It doesn't need any elaboration.

The 00s take second place in my book. It features The Rainbow Children, which I believe to be the only Prince album outside of the 80s that can comfortably sit alongside the pantheon of his greatest works (Dirty Mind, 1999, Purple Rain, Parade, Sign of the Times - there you go, a little elaboaration). Then there's the incredible ONA tour, Montreux 2009, the Lotusflower album.

The 90s comes next. Scattershot brilliance throughout, but it never comes together in a powerful way. None of the albums hit just right. What's frustrating is that behind the surface of the albums a lot of great things were happening. Prince shows in the mid90s demonstrated Prince at his rough and rawest, as did studio output like Da Bang and What's My Name, but this never translated to the albums. Come is the biggest example. As is, it's probably my favourite album of the 90s but before all the tampering, trading and cutting of tracks, it might have been one of the greats. Also this decade gave us The Undertaker and The War.

2010's. Once again there's brilliant things afoot, but it appears less than it does in the 90s. 3rdeyegirl didn't translate well on Plectrumelectrum, which is a shame because their live shows and tracks like Midnight Blues were great.

70s. My least favourite Prince music. For You is terrible. Bambi and When We'receive Dancing Close and Slow are the decade's saving graces.
[Edited 8/13/19 0:37am]
Hundalasiliah!
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #21 posted 08/13/19 10:10pm

ISaidLifeIsJus
tAGame

avatar

I've been following P since 1979, and have enjoyed every era, but....I am really into his 2010 music.


razz


  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #22 posted 08/14/19 4:09am

darkroman

I feel sad for people stuck in the '80s.

For each decade Prince gave us some phenomenal music and live shows.

The '90s was amazing! So many gems are from that period.

In the '10s Prince was on fire and enjoying himself.

Prince's music spanned FIVE decades so I urge people not to be stuck in just one.


cool

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #23 posted 08/14/19 1:52pm

Missmusicluver
72

darkroman said:

I feel sad for people stuck in the '80s.

For each decade Prince gave us some phenomenal music and live shows.

The '90s was amazing! So many gems are from that period.

In the '10s Prince was on fire and enjoying himself.

Prince's music spanned FIVE decades so I urge people not to be stuck in just one.


cool

Great advice! cool

Love is God, God is love, girls and boys love God above~
The only Love there is, is the Love We Make~
Prince4Ever
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #24 posted 08/14/19 2:25pm

Robbajobba

avatar

WhisperingDandelions said:

80s
00s (mostly for first half vs second half)
10s
70s

90s

This is the correct answer.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #25 posted 08/14/19 4:29pm

gandorb

Outside the 80s being the clear frontrunning, this is hard to break down. All the eras had some years of excellence and other years of material/concerts that were below his standard of excellence.

--mid 90s he was hot with Come, Gold, and the NPG Exodus, followed by significantly less exciting work.

--The early 2000s were great in terms of his One Night Alone tour and the brilliant Xenophobia concerts, easing into the early-mid period with his satisfying Musicology tour. However, the albums of this period and some of the concert tours of the later 2000 were missing some magic.

the 2010s - I really do think this period had the markings of something special that was cut short. Love AOA and really like HnR2 and love both the Plectum and Piano and Mic tours. The Plectum album and HnR1 bring the period down a notch.

All this to say

1. 80s

2. 10s

3. 90s

4. 00s - brought down by the albums not the live performances.

[Edited 8/14/19 19:53pm]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #26 posted 08/14/19 6:49pm

funksterr

I like the Grown Man Prince music. "Originals' cd sounded like listenting to a kid. Give me some Mr GoodNight!

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #27 posted 08/14/19 6:59pm

PeteSilas

funksterr said:

I like the Grown Man Prince music. "Originals' cd sounded like listenting to a kid. Give me some Mr GoodNight!

good point, still, i was surprised by how mature some of the originals sounded, it's easy to forget that he was 23-28 or so when these tracks were done. The Glamorous life has more depth than you might expect from him in that era as far as story.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #28 posted 08/15/19 12:08am

jaypotton

darkroman said:

I feel sad for people stuck in the '80s.

For each decade Prince gave us some phenomenal music and live shows.

The '90s was amazing! So many gems are from that period.

In the '10s Prince was on fire and enjoying himself.

Prince's music spanned FIVE decades so I urge people not to be stuck in just one.


cool



In the context of this thread I don't think it is a case of being stuck in the 80s but that that decade was the best!

All artists have their moment when everything aligns. For some it results in one phenomenal album, but Prince had such an awesome run from Dirty Mind to Lovesexy. These albums showed huge artistic growth and AT THE TIME sounded so different from each other (yet with obvious common threads) that it was hard to understand how this was one artist. With hindsight and familiarity that growth and difference in sound is harder to hear because we are all just so familiar with the music. If you lived through the 80s it was a trip.

The other reasons the 80s wins is because Prince was setting trends. He invented (or at least popularised) a whole style of music that influenced so many other artists. He was driving the zeitgeist. He was and remains synonymous with the 80s in the general public's imagination as well.

From the 90s onwards while he continued to produce some excellent albums and, arguably, some better songs, he was no longer setting or driving trends musically. He increasingly took his que from other styles past and present and adapted them to be more "Princelike".

After the Jazz detour of the early 00s (again arguably another creative high point though certainly not commercial and not to everyone's taste) Prince actually became increasingly self reverential. His albums became, well, Prince albums. For the most part you knew what you were gonna get. He met have a more rock vibe on this one or a more keyboard driven R&B vibe on that one but they always sounded like Prince albums.

Nothing wrong with that, there were some solid albums* and some amazing songs but by Prince's third decade in the music business he was (musically) part of the establishment.

Nothing unusual about that. There aren't many (any?) mainstream popular artist who has continued the level of creative growth Prince showed between 80-88 over a five decade career.

* on a personal note I have always played Prince's newer music more than older music (when he was alive this was clearly an ongoing continuum) I returned to classics but the new stuff got more spins.
'I loved him then, I love him now and will love him eternally. He's with our son now.' Mayte 21st April 2016 = the saddest quote I have ever read! RIP Prince and thanks for everything.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Forums > Prince: Music and More > 70s vs 80s vs 90s vs 2000s vs 2010s Prince