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Thread started 05/10/21 3:56am

funkbabyandthe
babysitters

why do some prince fans always think prince was an underdog?

i often see comments on forums about 'prince wasnt recognised by the critical establishment' (loose variations include how was he not recognised for being a great guitarist/performer/whatever')

maybe.

depends on the year and the album.

but critics sometimes get stuff wrong.

led zeppelin were shit on by lots of rock critics.

i think black sabbath were too.

they are still massively popular.

princes critical standing def fluctuated over the years, like happens with most artists.

but in the last decade or so, i think even he said he wished critics were less worshipful, as he never seemed to get a bad review, he entered the revered heritage act phase of his career.

but the guy sold millions of records

millions!

he sold millions of tickets!

millions!

why do people care what the 'establishment' thinks of prince?

[Edited 5/10/21 3:56am]

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Reply #1 posted 05/10/21 1:21pm

kingricefan

Well, let's see, he came from nothing. If that ain't 'underdog' then I don't know what is..... biggrin

[Edited 5/10/21 13:21pm]

[Edited 5/10/21 13:21pm]

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Reply #2 posted 05/10/21 1:54pm

Germanegro

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He was a man of color in the world of popular music striving to build his own diverse musical contnet in that realm at a time when the advocacy for such things was and remains scarce.

>

His messages were not always supportive of the traditional narrative of things: sexual--as he could be sensationalistic in that regard; religious--with his melding of the sacred and the profane and the contradictory conservatism that he later embraced; and social--always looking to break down established silos of perception and of status-quo.

>

He assumed a very unpopular stance toward the established musical entertainment industry complex.

>

He willingly took on ridicule for changing his name to a symbol for presumably self-indulgent reasons.

>

He was an odd duck who was easily marginalized and sensationalized by the mass media.

>

What did I miss? lol

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Reply #3 posted 05/10/21 2:26pm

PJMcGee

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He was really short.
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Reply #4 posted 05/10/21 8:22pm

ufoclub

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How did Underdog get his powers in the 1960s cartoon? - Science Fiction &  Fantasy Stack Exchange

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Reply #5 posted 05/10/21 11:09pm

kewlschool

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Prince generally got mixed to bad reviews for his WB (original stint) years. Perhaps Dirty Mind, Purple Rain, SOTT were the only ones that got some good reviews-yet still mixed reviews.

99.9% of everything I say is strictly for my own entertainment
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Reply #6 posted 05/11/21 1:49am

jaawwnn

Prince was a common punchline between about 1996 and 2004.

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Reply #7 posted 05/11/21 3:09am

funkbabyandthe
babysitters

jaawwnn said:

Prince was a common punchline between about 1996 and 2004.

yeah, for sure, in that period, he was routinely mocked and shit on.

but before that?

idk.

seemed like he was often misunderstood, but still got his due, overall.

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Reply #8 posted 05/11/21 3:10am

funkbabyandthe
babysitters

kewlschool said:

Prince generally got mixed to bad reviews for his WB (original stint) years. Perhaps Dirty Mind, Purple Rain, SOTT were the only ones that got some good reviews-yet still mixed reviews.

mixed to bad? you sure?

most albums get 'mixed' reviews, to some degree.

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Reply #9 posted 05/11/21 3:30am

jaawwnn

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

jaawwnn said:

Prince was a common punchline between about 1996 and 2004.

yeah, for sure, in that period, he was routinely mocked and shit on.

but before that?

idk.

seemed like he was often misunderstood, but still got his due, overall.

Yes that sounds about right. He was underrated as a guitarist on lists for a long time, until he wasn't. Some fans are just never happy I guess.

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Reply #10 posted 05/11/21 5:58am

olb99

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At the end of the day, should you care about what critics or the general public think about an artist, album, movie, etc. you like? hmmm

.

The older I get, the more I think that, no, you shouldn't care. If you care, it probably tells more about your own insecurities than anything else.

.

I'm still interested in knowing what critics/people think when I want to discover new stuff, because time is limited and I don't have the time to listen to all artists out there (or watch all movies), but then I will try to find "aggregate data" (Metacritic scores or others). I don't really care about what a single person thinks, unless I know and respect her/his opinion.

[Edited 5/11/21 5:59am]

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Reply #11 posted 05/11/21 8:15am

funkbabyandthe
babysitters

i check out critics reviews for recommendations, esp for old music. how else to know what to get?

prince did so many things, its prob impossible that he would get his dues for everything.

but if you check out reviews from the periods, they are never completely terrible.

i think ATWIAD is the only one that got dubious reviews from critics, mostly in america though. everywhere else, people got it.

[Edited 5/11/21 8:15am]

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Reply #12 posted 05/11/21 6:11pm

kewlschool

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funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

kewlschool said:

Prince generally got mixed to bad reviews for his WB (original stint) years. Perhaps Dirty Mind, Purple Rain, SOTT were the only ones that got some good reviews-yet still mixed reviews.

mixed to bad? you sure?

most albums get 'mixed' reviews, to some degree.

Yes, because I was a huge fan and would read them and think -did they listen to the album? I was always shocked how bad the reviews where. Most of them where bad because it was to sexual or not purple rain in sound etc. The reviewers just didn't seem to understand Prince's music.

99.9% of everything I say is strictly for my own entertainment
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Reply #13 posted 05/12/21 9:47am

LoveGalore

Because he was always compared to people who had more hype around them. The spotlight couldn't handle more than one superstar black man at a time and they had enough trouble trying to figure out Michael Jackson.
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Reply #14 posted 05/12/21 6:43pm

purplethunder3
121

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ufoclub said:

How did Underdog get his powers in the 1960s cartoon? - Science Fiction &  Fantasy Stack Exchange

Darn, you beat me to it. falloff

"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." --Plato

https://youtu.be/CVwv9LZMah0
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Reply #15 posted 05/12/21 6:49pm

jfenster

Once again u can see why prince had reservations about his fans...
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