https://youtu.be/B8dcdhR5Ke8

In Europe, back in 1988, the racial thing that was going on in the US wasn't all that strong here.

Yes, the European market by then was big for him, he could earn more by sales and performances, here alone (someone correct me if this si worng in numbers).

Also, Prince's by then raunchy lyrics were much more appreciated here than in the US, with the parental sitcker and shit.

(Back in the eighties,) in Europe we didn't have religious pressure groups that attack artists in a way they did in the US.

Also, the cover art for Lovesexy was IN NO WAY an issue here in Europe for not selling that album for instance.

Sex in Europe has always been more liberal and accepted.

Strange if you think about it; like, the porn industy in general is mostly a big US industry (from what i once read), much bigger than anywhere else in th world.

Another thing not to forget, Prince toured with SOTT in Europe, and didn't do the US.

His live performance in Europe were always incredibly praised on all levels, in every country (by then).

Prince loved Europe.

.

Because Europe has taste

Vannormal said:

Europeans didn't understand all the lyrics, but the music was always slammin'!!!

LoveGalore said:

Vannormal said:

In Europe, back in 1988, the racial thing that was going on in the US wasn't all that strong here.

Yes, the European market by then was big for him, he could earn more by sales and performances, here alone (someone correct me if this si worng in numbers).

Also, Prince's by then raunchy lyrics were much more appreciated here than in the US, with the parental sitcker and shit.

(Back in the eighties,) in Europe we didn't have religious pressure groups that attack artists in a way they did in the US.

Also, the cover art for Lovesexy was IN NO WAY an issue here in Europe for not selling that album for instance.

Sex in Europe has always been more liberal and accepted.

Strange if you think about it; like, the porn industy in general is mostly a big US industry (from what i once read), much bigger than anywhere else in th world.

Another thing not to forget, Prince toured with SOTT in Europe, and didn't do the US.

His live performance in Europe were always incredibly praised on all levels, in every country (by then).

Americans didn't want to look on their CD shelf and see naked Prince sitting next to NWA.

yep.

Then again, Prince wasn't even 'naked' in the sense of showing off his dick or even pubic hair or his ass. Sadly all that is almost not alowed in hopeless puritan hypocritical America.

He was just not wearing any clothes and covered whatever's left to show with his arm and leg.

He just 'shockingly' showed 'half a nipple' for fucks sake.

-

Compare that with the (also abandoned) cover art of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Or that hard to find Pet Shop Boys Maxi vinyl of 'Before' with the picture of a real big dick on the cover.

Not to mention all these super nice 'n sexy disco, funk and RnB album covers of the 70's...

nayroo2002 said:

Europeans didn't understand all the lyrics, but the music was always slammin'!!!

There you're wrong. Oh yes we did understand, even all the 'slang',

the 'Murph Drag's', the 'drawers', you name it.

At least, i did, mostly.

-

Honestly, somehow you're right of course.

Three more reasons not mentioned.

- In 1988, Hip Hop hadn't established itself in Europe as much as it had in the US.

- Prince hadn't overstaturated the European market the way he had the US market.

- Prince toured SOTT, arguably his best record, in Europe in 1987

[Edited 1/18/23 19:11pm]

Germanegro said:

1) USA has a strong moral/social repressive faction that Prince presented an alternative philosophical perspective toward which many people here would turn away from. > 2) Europe's citizens seem to have earthier tastes in general, aligning more with Prince's presentation. > 3) Europeans seem to better appreciate the funk, as opposed to the general "White culture" USA traditions. > IMO

American's in the 80's didn't appreciate funk as much as European's? Strong disagree. Legends like Bootsy, George Clinton, Sly Stone, James Brown, were made and supported in the US. If anything, I'd argue that Europe, especially in the 80's, as much more receptive to Prince's rock side which is why whenever you see an 80's bootleg Euro concert, it is ALWAYS much more rock-centric than anything he'd ever do in the US.

[Edited 1/18/23 19:07pm]

[Edited 1/18/23 19:09pm]

chrisslope9 said:

Germanegro said:

1) USA has a strong moral/social repressive faction that Prince presented an alternative philosophical perspective toward which many people here would turn away from. > 2) Europe's citizens seem to have earthier tastes in general, aligning more with Prince's presentation. > 3) Europeans seem to better appreciate the funk, as opposed to the general "White culture" USA traditions. > IMO

American's in the 80's didn't appreciate funk as much as European's? Strong disagree. Legends like Bootsy, George Clinton, Sly Stone, James Brown, were made and supported in the US. If anything, I'd argue that Europe, especially in the 80's, as much more receptive to Prince's rock side which is why whenever you see an 80's bootleg Euro concert, it is ALWAYS much more rock-centric than anything he'd ever do in the US.

Ii agree on both your comments.

-

I would like to add that Europe in the early eighties was more new romantic alternative and New Wave-ish oriented, where Germany and the all sorts of '-wave' influences from the UK played a huge part, more than rock even.

The mid part of the eighties quickly were influenced by British popular music,

while after 1985/86, the US 'funk' and 'R'nB' influences came along.

... at least that's what I think.

chrisslope9 said:

Germanegro said:

chrisslope9 said:

American's in the 80's didn't appreciate funk as much as European's? Strong disagree. Legends like Bootsy, George Clinton, Sly Stone, James Brown, were made and supported in the US. If anything, I'd argue that Europe, especially in the 80's, as much more receptive to Prince's rock side which is why whenever you see an 80's bootleg Euro concert, it is ALWAYS much more rock-centric than anything he'd ever do in the US.

[Edited 1/18/23 19:07pm]

[Edited 1/18/23 19:09pm]

I say this not as the US being the birthplace of the music style, but as the US percentage consumption of the funk. Of course, rock will be seen as popular. That US export from Black Americans and the influenced Whites, primarily the youth audience here, spread to the UK onward as a great precedent influence. > If you want to investigate the "funk preference theory" fully, of course it can be done. Godspeed

The influence and embracement of funk, R&B, Soul, Hip Hop, and black artists in the US over the past 40 years is as apparent as a full moon on a clear night. Some of the biggest selling artists in the US in late 80's were PRINCE himself, Janet, MJ, TTD, Whitney, Chic, Earth Wind and Fire, Rick James, .... Not to mention early Hip Hop which was funky beyond belief. It wasn't too much Funk that did Prince in in the late 80's. Not even close. People wanted the funk. They wanted it so badly that they ate up second rate versions of the albums they wished Prince would make by artists like Janet and George Michael. Prince's experimental side was what did him in in the US.

[Edited 1/19/23 19:06pm]

[Edited 1/19/23 19:09pm]

Germanegro said:

I'm not gonna argue with that! Perhaps those in Europe also better dug his experimentations.

Could be true also.

-

Not that it has anything to do with the topic... but,

Prince was huge in Japan in the 80's too.

But was he known in the rest of Asia?

Because, I was in several parts of Indonesia and i found bizarre bad copied bootlegs, and not just a few.

Most bootlegs were mixed with songs from albums, and live tracks or even other artists.

Weird layouts, crap information or translations, but I was suprised to find them here and there.

Same in some other Asian countries.

I have one somewhere which was half Batman soundtrack and half a Whitney Houston album.

Germanegro said:

That is certainly an interesring perspective on Prince's popularity abroad and particularly Asia, divergence from the topic notwithstanding.

Héhéhéhé ))))