i was listening to rave utjf today after a few months of not hearing it and i found listening to the first seven tracks was a painful experience. only when the sun,moon and stars track came on did i recognise some of the old prince magic but they are getting fewer and fewer.
...
...i am one of his biggest fans( i flew from glasgow, scotland to minneapolis myself with one days notice so i could be at the 2002 celebration) but i think i must admit his musicial creativity is not what it once was.
...
...i tried to convince myself that his mostly average albums in the nineties were because of his fighting with warner bros but if we really think about it, it wasn't(as emancipation showed) prince has been slowly losing his musicial brilliance since the high point of s.o.o.t in 1987.
...
...his npgmc output has been mostly poor, the rainbow children was his best album in ten years but it does not compare to his eighties albums(apart from batman of course)
...
...
he is still untouchable as a live act but i think i am losing the belief that he is capable of another great album, i hope im wrong but i dont think i will be.

blackboab said:

i have to agree with u.
i'm sure that we all wish he still could suprise us with another brilliant album but in my opinion the chances are slim.
having said that if he had released the one nite alone album (piano) via record shops then it would have been comparable to the great albums of the 80's.
that album is amazing
[This message was edited Thu Jan 1 14:40:48 PST 2004 by cherrypieapplekisses]

I find it hard to reply to these sort of subjects because my general musical knowledge is poor. But isn't Prince's supposed creativity running dry just human nature.

I've heard or read that Bowie has rediscovered some creativity. He had a long so called barren spell. James Brown could never compete with his earlier work. Paul McCartney anyone? I know this is a bit general but what's the answer.

I do agree that it looks unlikely that Prince will put out a record that will fire my imagination like his earlier work. The one thing that springs to mind and that is often brought up is that he has no one in his inner circle to challenge him, like maybe W+L did, or Sheila and Eric when they were full time members.

You cannot compare prince of the 80s with prince 2004 2 totally different guys!

he has lost something, though i dont know what it is, he is still capable of great work, imo TRC and ONA are better than most of his other albums including ATWIAD and LOVESEXY!

i think its mostly prince's attitude and image in the 80s that we miss, his personality comes through in the music!

maybe now that he is old, we are just realising that he's never gonna say what he said in the 80s again!

blackboab said:

i'm not so sure about some of ur points !. but... as a live act i'd agree he is untouchable !!!

i think the nineties albums wer definetely effected by his wrangling with warners !

i think the piano album is a classic !
i think the rainbow children was a "great" album and the very proof he has'nt lost his "creativity"
n.e.w.s. was also a really good album certainly "creative"

i think we all crave another sott !!!!! but lets face it there aint gonna b another sott, just like there aint gonna b another....

1999
purple rain
parade
lovesexy etc etc

prince is gettin older and therefore gonna slow down... hey there r no splitz in his live show's anymore ! i think we do not bad from prince

theres bits and bobs from the club, ona piano,ona 3 disc set live, trc , news. touring europe , usa , and australia hong kong and hawaii,.....

not bad 4 the last couple o years !!!
[This message was edited Thu Jan 1 15:20:35 PST 2004 by danielboon]
[This message was edited Thu Jan 1 15:23:12 PST 2004 by danielboon]

Man, I am really tired of negative shit like this. Prince just got nominated for a Grammy and people still dont think he is doing anything good unless its Purple Rain 2.

i dont want to sound too downbeat.. he has made some of the greatest music of the 20th century, his first nine albums all showed creative growth which is an amazing and he is still all round the best in the business.

FunkyBrotha said:

Prince grows and changes like any other person. He has been out there over 20 years. If he was still running around in ass pants at 45, he would look pretty ridiculous and the same complainers and naysayers would be criticizing him for doing the same shit for his entire career.

Prince has matured since 1984 peak popularity. He has made great albums that didnt get pushed by the corporate machine so they dont have the sales figures (one of the most erroneous measures of artistic value that there ever was) so unenlightened dolts question it unfairly.

i think his incredible talent is still there but maybe his desire or will to actualize it is fading. imo lately his lyrcis feel so... angry and kinda preachy and it's turned me off for the first time ever i been following his work. it's like he gave up his dream and is a tad bitter or soemthing. or his inspiration is gone. but, maybe it's just a phase.

wait a minute here. i just had a GREAT IDEA!!! let's email prince and give him a lot of free advice on how to *improve* things. he'd like that, i think

undulatingacrobat said:

actually i really like his music. always have. and he deserves the rock hall of fame induction and a shot at the grammy.

thing is, oddly enough there hasn't been much that's new lately on the NPGMC site. even just artwork. it's like he doesn't care to spend much time on music anymore or maybe he's on hiatus or something. point is, he doesn't tell us and we can't guess so we'll likely never know...

XxAxX said:

Anyone trying to access the amount of time that Prince spends on music from the status of a website is really stupid

Well put, blackboab. In reading your post, you perfectly expressed my own observations.

I think that Prince does still have it in him to create another masterful work, but I think several things would have to change in order for this to take place, most of which has been mentioned above.

**He would have to get a clear vision of where he should go next. Right now, he seems to be meandering around without clear direction.

**He needs someone around who can challenge him to grow. I'm not a proponent of the theory that he owes all his greatness to the input of W&L, Sheila or whomever. His talent has remained a constant regardless of the revolving door of folks who have come and gone. But I think that he is in need of someone who can help him to focus, edit and tighten his work. And to push him to push himself beyond what has become easy for him, to not allow him to rest on his laurels.

**He has to want to do it. At the start of his career he was hungry and even into the 90's he at least showed a great enthusiasm for his music. He almost seemed compelled to create. I'm probably completely wrong, but I don't hear that same level of compulsion and commitment in his current output.

**He has to avoid self-censorship. I get the feeling that his spiritual interests are in conflict with his creative muse. He has to find a way to reconcile and find his voice again.

In the mean time, I'll keep checking out where he goes next. Just hope it doesn't take 40 years of wandering in the wilderness before we reach that promised land.

undulatingacrobat said:

Unfortunately, the Grammy nominations is for his worst work in years, N.E.W.S.
I don't want Purple Rain 2, I just want to hear Prince enjoying himself again, and put out something worthy of having his name on it, that's all

---

People are saying this for about 13 years now...

Yet I agree about most of it. Prince once was a megastar in the 80s), he was extremely succesful artistically AND commercially at the same time. And he kept getting better and better!
Prince's music just didn't really fit into the90s, when grunge, house, r&b and hip hop became very popular. Since then it's as if some 'sparkle' is missing from his work.

Prince still is very creative, but not as innovative as he once was. Still, I think The Rainbow Children is one of his most interesting albums, musically.
I much rather see him make cd's like The Truth, TRC and N.E.W.S. than trying to be the star he once was.
So no more New Masters I hope!

Nikkie said:

The Everlasting Now anyone?

Last December?

Family Name?

The Sensual Everafter?

Let the music speak for itself.

I think P is still viable artisically. TRC 4 me is Lovesexy part 2. I also think that NEWS is a great artistic statement.
He just isnt hitting the charts anymore and I don't think he's trying 2 either. 2 me that's a good thing, he's not trying 2 find that one killer single. He's not trying 2 create an album full of killer singles. He's trying 2 find or (although I don't think he needs 2) regain himself musically. Let's face it if he died 2morrow his place in music history is secure.
I personally feel that Prince has started 2 create music he really feels. He seems 2 have a lot 2 say. He's not that tabloid figure of fun anymore he's letting music not his public persona guide him. 4 me Prince has far from lost it. The arena is different.
Princes best days are ahead of him. I'm here 4 the ride.

MattyJam said:

All good songs. Musically I think that TRC has been a high point for him over the last 10 years. He worked on this album for quite a long time (in Prince terms at least) with previews for fans at the Celebration in June, release to the NPGMC in October and touring over it for the next year or more.

But contrast that to the majority of songs put out in 2001 (My Medallion, High and other forgettable tunes). My expectations may be too high, but I was spoiled by the run from '82 to about '96 (and I'm stretching). Those were his "best days" when he always seemed to surpass himself, grow in a new direction, challenge his listeners and challenge himself. TRC sounded like the inspiratiobn had struck. Some of the old passion was back.

Don't get me wrong. I'm still in awe of his ability to perform and his ability to create something - anything - new after this long in the game. But the urgency, fire and passion of the Old Prince hasn't been seen in a while. Is it still there? That's what we're all waiting to see.

With regards to Rave , I start it at Tangerine, great the rest of the way (except pointless Winding Road). Prince is still great , music has matured, shows more class and less showing off, and he is still prolific. Screaming like it was 1982 or going off on a guitar like it was 1984 serves no point. I don't want to see him break a leg just so he can show us he can jump off a piano into the splits with a triple spin to follow. Jazzy and mellow are fine, and yes he still has the funk. I agree the piano record, One Night Alone is a classic, but how many people have acutally heard it. Easier to find Norah at the store. So I think Prince has maybe a couple more classic records in him. Hopefully not hindered by needless rapping or scary Gold Operator or Rainbow facilitator voices. Actually the last thing I want out of him is a Dirty Mind 2 with Sister or Head revisited on it. He's 42 (or so), not 20 anymore, and maybe not as driven as he has been, but who amongst us older crowd are? Prince is fine.

i know that prince can pull something out the box 4 us.he always has .ome thing i know 4 certain,the 33 second guitar riff on the ona aftershow c.d.tells me that the man still has it in him...i'll keep the faith...i like whever u go
whatever u do from rave...i'll wait patiently...prince,keep bringing the stanka funka!lol!

as with all (or most) entertainers, performers. artists in thier 40s.

You cannot expect someone to put out the same type of work they did in their 20s.

Prince;s best days are behind him, big deal.

Prince remains a fantastic live performer! His live shows are as good as ever - One Nite Alone was such a treat to fans and non-fans, he got a lot of respect for that in the media and elsewhere from all around the world. So no missing sparkle there!

undulatingacrobat said:

this is catty but speaking of "stupid" you might wanna check your spelling on the word "assess" and your usage of the word 'access' in this context.

i posted my opinion about this here because i remember what prince himself said about releasing music independently. about "freeing" the music. and i note that ironically now that he's achieved his independence from WB his music far more inaccessible than ever before. the non-member public can't even *access* his wesbite unless thay pay a freaking FEE. and when they pay the fee and sign on what do they find? scripture and re-hashed oldies?

perhaps you'd like to explain your theory as to why this is the case??
[This message was edited Fri Jan 2 5:28:26 PST 2004 by XxAxX]

BlaqueKnight said:

undulatingacrobat said:

Prince got nominated for a Grammy in the same category as Kenny G! If you think that's something to brag about, go right ahead.

The Grammys lost all relevance over two decades ago. They are a complete joke, and the fact that Prince wasn't nominated for one during the 1990s actually shows how good his musical output was during the '90s, and how bad NEWS is.

MattyJam said:

Fine, but that's SO 2001. You can't go on about how great someone is based on something that was four releases ago. It's like saying he was great in 1998 (when NPS came out) because he'd released Gold four years prior. If the music speaks for itself, you have to let N.E.W.S. be the message, not TRC.

i like Prince. i think his music is good. thank you please.