If Prince started his career with "Batman", and all his great albums from the 80's were never released, would you still dig him?

In my opinion he did't make one single album after LoveSexy that does really matter. He didn't even make one single song with real impact. If he didn't have a great history nobody would dig the shit he's doing nowadays and he's still getting worse.

The only reason you probably buy the shit is because he once was funky, and you don't wanna wake up. Save your money for the real Funk: JB, the Parliafunkadelicment Thang and Sly Stone ... and please ... buy their 70's stuff. Most of all, there’s plenty brilliant Prince material which he doesn’t approve off ... so what ... all I need is the music, not his personal shit.

Don't get me wrong, Prince made really brilliant albums and he's still my favourite artist, but he hasn't got enough credit to get away with the shit he is putting nowadays.

Most probably this isn’t the first time someone started this issue ... I apologize, but I just joined!

P.S.
I have a legal dispute with Rolex.
So would you please send all your legally bought golden Rolexes to me:
it would really help me to nail the suckers.

If I had heard certain songs off of subsequent albums I mostlikely would have gotten into him anyway. Not necessarilly as an obsessed fan like I did back in the 80s, but a fan all the same.

PS: Welcome to the assylum!
[This message was edited Wed Aug 6 12:08:35 PDT 2003 by LittlePill]

.. hmm, well If Prince's first album was BATMAN.. I'm not too sure that I'd dig him.. I like the album BATMAN, but you're right, I've probably only got it because its PRINCE and because I just want everything he releases because I'm a fan and because I loved his earlier stuff and I know he can be funky!!.. most of his 90's music doesn't mean anything to me.. nothing compared to the 70's and 80's music.. but I dig it because I know how talented he is..! But anyway.. I strongly doubt that I'd dig him if his first album was BATMAN..

most likely nope.

Hell no!

batman? i just woul have laught at him..

Yeah, probably. some stuff on Gold Experience is the bomb. I love the Symbol album and Days of Wild off Crystal Ball really does it for me.

I think so. I love the Symbol and Gold Experience album. I also like a lot on the Rave album (which a lot of folks hate).

Welcome, by the way!

i might like him, but i wouldn't be on a website about him, or own as many CDs as i do if this were the case

Huh?

It was worth it for Emancipation (some filler but mostly great) & The Truth. And Diamonds & Pearls is ok as a pop album. Also, no Prince album is truly awful, there's at least three or four songs from each album worth salvaging.

ThataintFunky said:

Cloudbuster said:

he had me at get off...

i would like him, just not as much as i do thanks to the 80s stuff

Cloudbuster said:

Oke,
but if I buy an album (not necessarily a Prince album) and it only got three good songs ... there's not a great chance I would discover these three songs, because I would hate to listen to the other twelve tracks. I bet you won't either if it wasn't a Prince album?!

I disagree with you to some extent. 1980-88 was indeed the "Golden Era" for Prince music. Prince has made few truly great albums since Lovesexy, if any. But he has made plenty of substantial, effective music. I think of "Joy In Repetition" as a perfect example (altho it was probably cut in the 80's).

That being said, if Prince's first LP were Batman, I would have followed his work and bought a few more LPs, but I certainly wouldn't be a huge fan. I'd consider him a good but not great artist.

If Batman would have been his first album it would have made a major impact !! Batdance was unique at the time, the clip was fantastic !The extended versions (The Rapture, The Future, Electric chair, party man) would have had much more status among us then they do now...

...and then there is Lemon Crush, try to dig that up !!

Fhunkin said:

He would have been a one hit wonder. At best.

ThataintFunky said:

I actually persevere with a lot of albums. And many that I didn't appreciate at first end up becoming favourites of mine. Tori Amos's 'Boys For Pele' is a fine example of this. I hated it for years, until this year in fact, it's now one my very faves.

LittlePill said:

i reckon you based your awnser on the career Prince has had. But If Batman would have been his first album, then there would not have been GB but D & P!! So...

Fhunkin said:

Actually I'm basing it on the commerciality of Batman. His follow up albums had far less commercial appeal and no movie fads to ride the gravy train with. And let's face it, artistic expression doesn't mean dick anymore. Therefore I concluded that Batman would have been a one hit wonder with his follow up albums selling even less then what they actually did.

Actually, I grew up on the new Prince, everything from Symbol and after. When I was young and stupid I stayed away from the eighties stuff because it was... well... eighties.

So, yes I would definitely, totally still dig him, because that's how I was raised on him anyways.

Good question.

ThataintFunky said:

Hmmm...maybe.
The Graffiti Bridge album has a special place in my heart,but most of the stuff after that that I've heard just doesn't move me much.

F*ck no!

ThataintFunky said:

I love the "BATMAN" album. However, without the other albums he did, how COULD one have gotten "used" 2 him & his art? He put out lots in fairly short amounts of time ( as much as Warner let him, anyway ) & thus we Bcame very familiar with him! IMO, he put out an immense amount of fabulous material AFTER "lovesexy". For instance: GOLD, CRYSTAL BALL, EMANCIPATION, ( some of it ) THE SYMBOL, THE HITS & B SIDES, and yes, TRC, 2 name a few. Excellent work from a genius that he is & no other IMO, can override him. He has in NO way lost the funk he was famous 4. In fact, lots of his "older" music was more "rock" than funk, ala purple rain. I happen 2 own all the work of JAMES BROWM, & SLY STONE, some PARLIAMENT-FUNKADELIC, etc. from the classic 70's, but hey, they dont play as great as they used 2 nowadays. BUT P DOES! He'll never lose it. I happen 2 love ALL that prince puts out these days. I'm never bored with his ever changing moods & rythymns of his art. His music alone, is like owning a lg. library of varied genres and artists & he does most of them 2 the max! The Best.