Look, I never go back and listen to Graffiti Bridge, Diamonds & Pearls, or .


But orgers still jump down my throat when I say that.


I simply prefer his output for the remainder of the decade: Come, The Black Album (don't care about the technicality since this one is always skipped over in 80s discussion), The Gold Experience, Girl 6, EMANCIPATION (!!!), Crystal Ball.

Cinny said:

Look, I never go back and listen to Graffiti Bridge, Diamonds & Pearls, or .

But orgers still jump down my throat when I say that.

I simply prefer his output for the remainder of the decade: Come, The Black Album (don't care about the technicality since this one is always skipped over in 80s discussion), The Gold Experience, Girl 6, EMANCIPATION (!!!), Crystal Ball.

I do think his 90s material was just as stellar. The mid 90s seem to mirror the mid 80s. Lotta side projects, stellar albums in between. The Gold Experience is akin to Purple Rain, even.

GB feels transitional (changing band members through those years of albums you mentioned), and it's bloated w/ the associated artists. D&P and changed for me once I removed Tony M. from the songs. I always liked , but his voice killed some better moments on it, and dragged it down in others. I'm more likely to listen to them now, edited, than in the beginning.

I do believe that mid-90s stuff is just amazing. Come, The Gold Experience, Exodus, Chaos & Disorder, the new songs on Girl 6. It's just incredible.

So you're definitely not wrong on gravitating toward that stuff.

they have no clue, sorry haters. he was as good as he ever was then.

I think if you skip over the 90's, you skip over a LOT of stellar material. Not just "good", but "great".

TrivialPursuit said:

Cinny said:

Look, I never go back and listen to Graffiti Bridge, Diamonds & Pearls, or .

But orgers still jump down my throat when I say that.

I simply prefer his output for the remainder of the decade: Come, The Black Album (don't care about the technicality since this one is always skipped over in 80s discussion), The Gold Experience, Girl 6, EMANCIPATION (!!!), Crystal Ball.

I do think his 90s material was just as stellar. The mid 90s seem to mirror the mid 80s. Lotta side projects, stellar albums in between. The Gold Experience is akin to Purple Rain, even.

GB feels transitional (changing band members through those years of albums you mentioned), and it's bloated w/ the associated artists. D&P and changed for me once I removed Tony M. from the songs. I always liked , but his voice killed some better moments on it, and dragged it down in others. I'm more likely to listen to them now, edited, than in the beginning.

I do believe that mid-90s stuff is just amazing. Come, The Gold Experience, Exodus, Chaos & Disorder, the new songs on Girl 6. It's just incredible.

So you're definitely not wrong on gravitating toward that stuff.

Agree with all the above!

Se7en said:

I think if you skip over the 90's, you skip over a LOT of stellar material. Not just "good", but "great".

Totally.

Here's something to consider:

-

The CD as a format vastly changed how the scope/tone of Prince's music more so than incorporating new styles, production techniques, songwriting, band members, etc.

-

Think about it: The average length of a Prince album in the 80's was, what, 40-50 minutes? Any longer (as with 1999 and SOTT) and we got a double album. Once the CD became the go to format, Prince was able to load up the songs. Ergo, instead of a SOLID album of back to back gems, you had songs that would have been previously relegated to B-Side status, or perhaps given to other artists, or even left in the vault altogether. Some call it "filler"*.

-

Suddenly, the flow of a Prince album was different. You didn't have 2 sides, nor 4 sides. You had one continuous playlist. It just felt/played different.

-

I will argue to my dying day that Prince's songwriting/musical ability didn't falter in the 90's or beyond. Some of his greatest songs come from that decade and afterwards.

-

However, with the advent/popularity of the CD as a format, Prince no longer had to be a deft and concise with his decisions in terms of what to put on the album and what to leave off. So he didn't. Ergo, songs that would have been casually bemused upon as a b-side were now harshly criticized as being on an actual album.

-

*I don't believe in the term filler when it comes to Prince, nor Prince fans. I find that each of us have hypothetical alternate tracklists of albums like SOTT and Emancipation that are equally fascinating and bewildering.

[Edited 1/11/21 13:06pm]

It's according to where you say it. On facebook, in person, at work, at the grocery store, or anywhere like that is fine. Not over here though where someone in charge of the deluxe editions may be lurking to get ideas for the next deluxe edition. A year is a long time to wait for another project, especially when you're not getting any younger, and I don't want a year wasted on no 90s stuff.....at least until all the 80s and 70s stuff is released anyway.

Wolfie87 said:

A year ago, I listened to Graffiti Bridge without really knowing the track listing. Amazing flow into each songs up until, what, song number 7 or 8 maybe? Then it just get boring. 2 months ago i watched GB with the Prince Podcast commentary. And rarely have I been so ashamed and appalled by a movie. By far one of the worst movies I've ever seen. And that's puting in the fact that it must've cost an fortune to make. Everything is fake looking, plastic and unbelievable 90's cheese. However, almost everything unreleased 1989-1991 are my favorite tracks from Prince. And Love 2 The 9's is my 3rd favorite Prince track of all time. I love Prince's 90's catalogue. But GB is something a rarely go back to at all. [Edited 1/11/21 14:31pm]

We are famous for fighting like hell over here but most of seem to come together and agree on this.

vainandy said:

Number23 said:

vainandy said:

It's according to where you say it. On facebook, in person, at work, at the grocery store, or anywhere like that is fine. Not over here though where someone in charge of the deluxe editions may be lurking to get ideas for the next deluxe edition. A year is a long time to wait for another project, especially when you're not getting any younger, and I don't want a year wasted on no 90s stuff.....at least until all the 80s and 70s stuff is released anyway.

Bollocks, you’ll be shaking your urine soaked arsecheeks in your wheelchair in the old folks home to the Prince vocal of Release It when it’s released just like the rest of us lol

I want to be shaking it to clear versions of "Heaven", the original version of "Tick Tick Bang" and other tracks like those long before that though. And bring on that damn follow-up album to "1999" too.

vainandy said:

Not me, diamond and pearls was his most 2nd successful album, and singles top tens around Europe. He also signed a luractive deal with Warner, the biggest at its time, 100 million.

Wolfie87 said:

RODSERLING said:

Who cares what do you like or not, anyway?!

LOL

mynameisnotsusan said:

JayCrawford said:

I personally want my Parade, Dirty Mind and Controversy super deluxe edition to happen because like Andy said. Us original Prince fans aren't getting any younger and we need this shit to happen and THEN they can focus on the younger Prince fans of the 90s and onwards.

Deluxe editions should be handled like the coronavirus vaccines. Seniors are at higher risk of dying first so they should be the first to get their fix. Other groups come later.

lustmealways said:

jfenster said:

vainandy said:

JayCrawford said:

I personally want my Parade, Dirty Mind and Controversy super deluxe edition to happen because like Andy said. Us original Prince fans aren't getting any younger and we need this shit to happen and THEN they can focus on the younger Prince fans of the 90s and onwards.

Deluxe editions should be handled like the coronavirus vaccines. Seniors are at higher risk of dying first so they should be the first to get their fix. Other groups come later.