What I describe as the "lost" and "desperate" years.... 1997 - 2003 (NPS, Rave, TRC, Larry) Simpily just awful.

The "WTF" years 2011 - 2015 (3EG band - sorry couldn't stand it, PlectrumElectrum, musically just disconnected from everything and everyone)

When he died.

RIP thinking of Prince, love.

endiadj said:

Why does the "low points" thread have so many more posts than the "high points" thread? People like being negative, I guess.😑

This thread was started three weeks earlier.

endiadj said:

Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I sense strongly that love and study extra on this topic.

mcafee.com/activate

Probably Diamonds & Pearls...Batman and Graffitti Bridge were not as good as what came before, but it was still unmistakenly Prince. D&P was commercial sounding, what with the awful rap added. The gun microphone was Prince trying to do gangster rap. He had never followed before....The Symbol album was better, but still had the dreadful My Name Is Prince and Sexy MF. He kind of lost me at that point for a while....

SquirrelMeat76 said:

SquirrelMeat76 said:

Probably Diamonds & Pearls...Batman and Graffitti Bridge were not as good as what came before, but it was still unmistakenly Prince. D&P was commercial sounding, what with the awful rap added. The gun microphone was Prince trying to do gangster rap. He had never followed before....The Symbol album was better, but still had the dreadful My Name Is Prince and Sexy MF. He kind of lost me at that point for a while....

Have you seen this?

At 17:30, Prince says the microphone signifies that words are more powerful than weapons.

https://youtu.be/EhS6IL9Ojao?t=1050

1-The whole 90s era (exluding Daimonds and pearls & the gold exp)

2- Tony M rapping

3-Lisa and wendy leaving

4- 4/21/2016

5- Larry Graham joining stage

endiadj said:

Why does the "low points" thread have so many more posts than the "high points" thread? People like being negative, I guess.😑

Because there were fewer of them so they're more interesting to discuss than how great SoTT and Lovesexy are. Sort of like how people who discuss Mike Tyson fights dwell on Buster Douglas and the ear biting thing.

Gushing about how great he was at everything is a little tiring and is really just a feedback loop.

He usually crushed everything he did so the stumbles stand out and serve to humanize him to an extent.

RJOrion said:

SquirrelMeat76 said:

Probably Diamonds & Pearls...Batman and Graffitti Bridge were not as good as what came before, but it was still unmistakenly Prince. D&P was commercial sounding, what with the awful rap added. The gun microphone was Prince trying to do gangster rap. He had never followed before....The Symbol album was better, but still had the dreadful My Name Is Prince and Sexy MF. He kind of lost me at that point for a while....

the gun microphone is NOT Prince "trying to do gangster rap"...that was his idea...name one rapper or socalled "gangster rapper" who has performed with a gun mic... ill wait.... some 'people' are so quick to blame the ills of society on those terrifying evil gangster rappers...LOL

I always viewed the gun mic as him saying "music is MY weapon". Seemed obvious to me but apparently others disagree.

SimonCharles said:

TrivialPursuit said:

The Rainbow Children. Cultic dogma, arrogance, soapbox. Not interested, in the least.

It changed Prince forever, and his career was spotty after that. He stopped cussing, he changed his lyrics to a point that it was downright embarassing. "work that body like ya want some more" "it's mainly a spiritual thing" UGGG. I'd rather him not sing those songs at all than butchering them the way he did. "Days of Wild" sounded like garbage after he changed all those lyrics. Give me the CB version any day rather than the NPGMC era version.

Folks gonna get upset about that, but it is what it is.

This is an interesting post - see, I really liked The Rainbow Children. I thought/think the musicianship and composition is some of Prince's (and the band's) best. It was certainly one of the best live touring shows he did, again in my opinion. I didn't mind the religiosity of the album because it came across to me as authentic, on his part. I don't agree with it, I don't share the belief, but I can appreciate somesthing sincerely felt in others - if you know what I mean?

*

On the other hand, I am completely with you on the changing lyrics point. Don't sing the song. Even more so, don't tease your audience that you're going to sing a song and then don't - whilst looking coy and shocked...that's where the authenticity mask started to slip, for me. And, yes, it was embarrassing, and I felt, as an audience member, like I was being condescended to.

+1

herb4 said:

sexton said:

endiadj said:

Why does the "low points" thread have so many more posts than the "high points" thread? People like being negative, I guess.😑

This thread was started three weeks earlier.

That's 135 posts in 30 days for the low point thread vs. 40 posts in ten days for the high point thread. In other words, if both threads were started at the same time then you could assume the number of posts in each would be a lot closer. I don't think it's that people like being negative.

missing the opportunity of releasing his best ever album in 94/95

lots of 90s hate here.

everything from d&p to gold experience is great, great stuff. rapping, npg albums, tony m, everything. another creative peak that comes close to rivaling the 80s run.

RJOrion said:

rednblue said:

ForbiddenFruit said:

missing the opportunity of releasing his best ever album in 94/95

That would have been some album. Had lots of fun when I was younger creating different tracklists.

Ottensen said:

Ottensen said:

That damn Chaos & Disorder cd. I think I ended up using it as a coaster until I eventually threw it out.

You mis-spelled "Planet Earth"

RJOrion said:

herb4 said:

RJOrion said:

herb4 said:

You mis-spelled "Planet Earth"

Planet Earth is mostly filler, but "Chelsea Rogers", "Mr. Goodnight", and "Future Baby Momma" save the album from being a total disappointment IMO.

I'm with you on those tracks (but this whole board is gonna disagree). But if those are the high spots, that's not saying much. It was the first Prince album I listened to in forever that was just fucking BORING. Usually, after the WB split, he'd give us 2 or 3 killler tracks, 2 or 3 good ones, 2 or 3 whatever and 1 or 2 clunkers on the discs he's release.

C&D, Come, NPS...even Rave had some shit that got my attention or made me want to rewind. PE was the first time I thought his songwriting was just absent. I never break it out. Sits next to NEWS gathering dust.

There's nothing challenging on it.

macaylasdad said:

What I describe as the "lost" and "desperate" years.... 1997 - 2003 (NPS, Rave, TRC, Larry) Simpily just awful.

The "WTF" years 2011 - 2015 (3EG band - sorry couldn't stand it, PlectrumElectrum, musically just disconnected from everything and everyone)

I would agree that some of 97-03 is low by Prince's standards. But within that time, we got The Truth, standout tracks on albums (I Love U But..., Tangerine, Prettyman, The One, Wasted Kisses), two arguably outstanding albums in TRC and ONA, one of his most-lauded tours (ONA), an interesting diversion into instrumental music, a forward-thinking online music club, access to soundchecks, week long festivals at PP, a glut of music...

Actually, that was probably the most exciting musical period of my life, down entirely to P

Starting at the New Power Soul Album, although live he still kicked butt. I saw him in Philly at the Academy of Music for that tour. Him opening with Uptown was crazy!!!