I enjoy it all, I was at both shows from which it was compiled, so it brings back many happy memories.

I don't think I've listened to it for about a decade. Might have to give is a spin to remind myself!

ROCK STEADY >> WHOLE LOTTA LOVE.

Surprisingly, it was Prince's most accessible live album: at the time, I would often play it when I had guests who weren't particularly into Prince, but enjoyed old soul and R&B, and they were usually very pleased with the music.

.

The problem, and reason for the critical backlash among the community, was that it was a limited release aimed at die-hard fans only, who expected something radically different, a little less generic and a little more "princey".

.

It was a good record, but the wrong target audience. It should have been released without the book, and marketed towards casual fans, not the core fanbase.

3121, loved he mixed some of the Entertainer in there, record I recalled fondly as a young kid

For an amazing live performer, there really is little for the mainstream to buy/enjoy. I started a thread thinking perhaps a greatest hits live would attract attention, not much response, I know the Org would want the last Piano tour released. Oh well I have my 1999 Detroit.

databank said:

.

It was a good record, but the wrong target audience. It should have been released without the book, and marketed towards casual fans, not the core fanbase.

Wouldn't more casual fans be looking for a live album with some hits though? I'd imagine they'd be looking for their Purple Rain and their Kiss etc. Indigo Nights is for the most part lacking in that department.

mb71 said:

databank said:

.

It was a good record, but the wrong target audience. It should have been released without the book, and marketed towards casual fans, not the core fanbase.

Wouldn't more casual fans be looking for a live album with some hits though? I'd imagine they'd be looking for their Purple Rain and their Kiss etc. Indigo Nights is for the most part lacking in that department.

Not all of them. For one thing, not everyone is into hits or radio-friendly music (or 80's hits and radio friendly music). I know many people who despise that kind of stuff and would never turn on a Top 10 radio channel. You have more chances of luring certain people into Prince with N.E.W.S. or The War than with The Very Best Of. It was always like this with him: his music was eclectic enough that it would speak to different type of audiences.

.

I've met quite a number of people who never cared at all for Prince's 82-92 hits, but were genuinely surprised and conquered by some post-WB records, depending on their own music tastes. Believe it or not, but for some hardcore funk fans I now, Newpower Soul was their Prince "revelation". For others who were more R&B at the time, it was 3121. Some rock fans I know were truly impressed with The Undertaker. My girlfriend fell in love with Prince with HitnRun Phase II, and only then bothered to listen to his back catalogue (she's probably among the last few people who became Prince casual fans before he died), and lately, Madhouse 8 has been on heavy rotation at her place.

.

So if you're the kind to buy Aretha Franklin or Billy Paul compilations, that kind of stuff, Indigo Nights can totally do the trick for you.

^ I get what you're saying, but I disagree with some of what you say. I guess my idea of a casual fan is different from yours.

mb71 said:

^ I get what you're saying, but I disagree with some of what you say. I guess my idea of a casual fan is different from yours.

What I call a casual fan is someone who enjoys Prince's music moderately, may own a few albums, stream him regularly or have gone see him live once or twice, but isn't a hardcore collector who knows everything about him like us.

.

It does not imply they have to enjoy commercial/mainstream music at all, just that they can enjoy some of Prince's catalogue, whichever part of it that may be. I don't know if it's the case with you, but over the years I've seen many people here who could not, would not believe that anyone on Earth was listening to anything else but Top 40 material, and actually hardly even realized that anything else did exist at all, and if they did, didn't think anyone was listening at it, because no one they knew did. Yet, I know more people who despise commercial music than people who actually listen to it.

.

Fun fact: this girl I knew who was only into fringe punk, techno and hip-hop, and had no interest whatsoever in Prince's music until she heard Face Down, and then she was like "oh, I never know Prince could sound like Beastie Boys, I'll have to try and dig more into his catalogue".

[Edited 1/22/22 9:37am]

databank said:

mb71 said:

^ I get what you're saying, but I disagree with some of what you say. I guess my idea of a casual fan is different from yours.

What I call a casual fan is someone who enjoys Prince's music moderately, may own a few albums, stream him regularly or have gone see him live once or twice, but isn't a hardcore collector who knows everything about him like us.

.

It does not imply they have to enjoy commercial/mainstream music at all, just that they can enjoy some of Prince's catalogue, whichever part of it that may be. I don't know if it's the case with you, but over the years I've seen many people here who could not, would not believe that anyone on Earth was listening to anything else but Top 40 material, and actually hardly even realized that anything else did exist at all, and if they did, didn't think anyone was listening at it, because no one they knew did. Yet, I know more people who despise commercial music than people who actually listen to it.

.

Fun fact: this girl I knew who was only into fringe punk, techno and hip-hop, and had no interest whatsoever in Prince's music until she heard Face Down, and then she was like "oh, I never know Prince could sound like Beastie Boys, I'll have to try and dig more into his catalogue".

[Edited 1/22/22 9:37am]

I do agree with your description of a casual fan overall. I guess I was thinking more of someone who had a couple of albums and The Hits collection for example.

With regards to your second paragraph, I too have met people with similar feelings about mainstream music. I've met some who instantly dismiss anything slightly alternative or outwith the mainstram and regard it as rubbish. " oh well it must be crap if it hasn't sold a million copies."

I had a work colleague years ago who instantly latched onto The Symbol album when I played it, as he thought parts of it sounded like Public Enemy. It was the first and last time I've heard Tony M being likened to Chuck D.

Have a good weekend.

[Edited 1/22/22 13:04pm]

mb71 said:

databank said:

What I call a casual fan is someone who enjoys Prince's music moderately, may own a few albums, stream him regularly or have gone see him live once or twice, but isn't a hardcore collector who knows everything about him like us.

.

It does not imply they have to enjoy commercial/mainstream music at all, just that they can enjoy some of Prince's catalogue, whichever part of it that may be. I don't know if it's the case with you, but over the years I've seen many people here who could not, would not believe that anyone on Earth was listening to anything else but Top 40 material, and actually hardly even realized that anything else did exist at all, and if they did, didn't think anyone was listening at it, because no one they knew did. Yet, I know more people who despise commercial music than people who actually listen to it.

.

Fun fact: this girl I knew who was only into fringe punk, techno and hip-hop, and had no interest whatsoever in Prince's music until she heard Face Down, and then she was like "oh, I never know Prince could sound like Beastie Boys, I'll have to try and dig more into his catalogue".

[Edited 1/22/22 9:37am]

I do agree with your description of a casual fan overall. I guess I was thinking more of someone who had a couple of albums and The Hits collection for example.

I see. I'm really not sure how many people who only have a handful of P records have one of the compilations. I've met many who only had one or 2 albums, but no greatest hits package, so IDK. I suspect some people aren't into compilations, and others are. On the other hand, I've hardly ever met anyone who bought singles on a regular basis, so God knows who and where were these millions of people buying singles back in the 80's and 90's

With regards to your second paragraph, I too have met people with similar feelings about mainstream music. I've met some who instantly dismiss anything slightly alternative or outwith the mainstram and regard it as rubbish. " oh well it must be crap if it hasn't sold a million copies."

Too many people like that, it's sad. I still remember this fellow here who once wrote very seriously that Prince's instrumental albums couldn't be counted in his albums discography, because instrumental music isn't real music

I blame the mainstream media system for pushing a handful of artists/genres and ignoring the vast majority of the music being produced

I had a work collegue years ago who instantly latched onto The Symbol album when I played it, as he thought parts of it sounded like Public Enemy. It was the first and last time I've heard Tony M being likened to Chuck D.

I must admit the Beastie Boys/Face Down comparison took me by surprise as well

Have a good weekend.

I will try my best You too

Trax 10-15, Alphabet St. through All the Critics Love You in London are pretty special. Bit hit and miss before that. As has been said a lot before, he should have pooled songs from across all the nights.

Some of his funkiest stuff is on here, but you could say that about many of his concerts. The guy was just too fonky!