I know I'm not the only one around here who has been disappointed with Prince's shit over the past few years. I wonder though how many of you will show some restraint if he releases another terrible album, destroys more classic songs, or put on more delayed and lame shows.

I think quite a few fans complain about how much they dislike Prince's work and such, yet they still go to the shows and they still buy the albums. This is like telling Prince that no matter how shitty he is, we'll still cheer him on and put money in his pockets.

I've learned to read concert reports and download album tracks before spending any cash. This has saved me a lot of money and disappointment. I like to put my money where my mouth is. If I don't like something he does, I'm not gonna support it.

So will you spend your money no matter what, or will you save it if he sucks this year?

Absolutely. Prince is getting it all. He's MY Daddy POP! But he Won't Disappoint anyone cause he's the BEST!

I always buy his new album, because I love hearing a new Prince album for the first time and deciding what I think of it.

So I'll buy Musicology without downloading anything, if that's what you're asking.

If 2004 ends up being a bad year musically with Prince, I'll be disappointed but hope he rebounds somehow.

Hey, he did it in '95.
[This message was edited Thu Feb 26 10:16:44 2004 by PurpleKnight]

Yes. But that's simply because I disagree with your entire post. I haven't been to a concert, or went to a show, where I left disappointed. Maybe that's because I've grown up in the era of disposable pop music, and lacking musicianship. Maybe. Or maybe it's because I think an artist is entitled to make what they want, not what their audience expects. Either way, I will continue to support a talented and committed artist. Do I like every song? No. Will I buy every album? Yes. That's part of being a fan. And that's what's needed if real musicians are ever to get the credit, sales, and press that they deserve.

Either I'm lucky, sheltered, or both, because while I may have some less than enthusiastic feelings about a lot of P's recorded output over the past few years, I have yet to see a live performance that hasn't left me grinning.

Well, there was that ONE hit and run clip I saw of him doing Darling Nikki w/ a towel on his head and Geneva acting like a complete moron in the background, but hey, what's a lousy three minute clip in 20 years of performance?

Anyway...for me, buying the new Prince album is like going to see the newest Woody Allen flick - it's a matter of tradition for me, and it's enjoyable even when it's crap. I don't consider it as being shit on, and when it gets tiring or less than fun, I pull back and dig on other stuff I like. No big whoop.

Besides, a lot of Prince's weakest work is still a lot better than some of the stuff you see on the mainstream music scene.

no. regardless of whether or not he does bad this year i ain't spendin any money to go see 'im. there's other things that'll come up this year that are more important to me than ol' boy. shouldn't be worried about other folks, ewm.

mine!

I just think it's a waste of money if it's not enjoyed. If you like his shows and new music, then hey, buy it all. But if you're gonna exit a show pissed off or let the CD collect dust, then it's wasted support. I love most of Prince's years and I will always respect him for what he's accomplished, but I refuse to spend one more dollar on what I feel is crap. There was a time when I would buy anything with his name on it, but luckily I grew out of that phase.

I was having a really crappy morning and Anxiety and you have totally cleared it up for me.

To truthfully answer your question, Evil One, I have been disappointed with respect to Prince in ways that have absolutely nothing to do with the music. Musically, Prince will always do it for me. When I heard he would be touring again, I once again, turned into his giddy little bitch and my moaning and complaining subsides. With the exception of other rude, fucked up Prince fans, I overall haven't been disappointed in concert but I also didn't start attending any til '98.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Oh, I'm not worried at all. I'm just curious as to how dedicated people are about Prince. I just find it silly to continue a collection just for the sake of collection, not because it's really enjoyed.

TheOrgerFormerlyKnownAs said:

Yeah, see I'd been seeing him since '92 so I remember when his shows were good. Everything after '97 was either so-so, or really shitty.

EvilWhiteMale said:

It's strange, but last night I played the RAVE CD and it wasn't bad -- I thought the CD was half baked when I bought . When I first bought the Black Album I did not like it at all -- It sat on the shelf for years before I played it again-- now I love it -- go figure.

EvilWhiteMale said:

Well, I dunno. More and more, I find it's not that easy an equation for me.

It took me five years to blow the dust off the Come album, because when I first bought it I *HATED* it...now it's one of my favorite albums of his.

I loathe 'Rave In2' but I really like 'Rave Un2', which I didn't get my paws on till last summer...and now I can appreciate both versions (though Rave In2 is mighty dusty, lemme tellya).

I couldn't be bothered with NEWS when I first got it in the mail last summer, but over the past couple of months, it's one of my favorite discs to play at work.

I guess what I'm saying is a lot of Prince's stuff lately, to ME anyway, is more time-release than it is immediate-gratification. I may turn my nose up at it today, but in a few months or even a few years from now, I might be like "whoa, hold on a minute..." I kinda like that quality. Honestly, the only album of his I just can't listen to is The Rainbow Children, and even THAT I like to hear played live - it's the Fat Albert narration that bugs me the most. And who knows, ask me a couple of years from now, and I might even be into THAT album...

Anxiety said:

I feel the same way --- but I do like TRC.

slm4m said:

Rave is a weak album but tollerable in my opinion. I could listen to a few tracks, but I'll find myself hitting the skip button a few times. TRC is an album that I simply can't tollerate. It would have been buried in my collection, never to see the light of day again. I just can't waste money like that anymore.

Anxiety said:

I think Come is actually a descent album. It has a few shitty tracks, but has some great ones also. I like it because it's consistent. I actually played it a few weeks ago. It definitely beats anything he's done lately.

I've bought his albums every trip as a matter of habit and I haven't been disappointed with a show since '84.

I understand what you're saying, EVM. But I have liked many of his recordings of late. I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Truth', 'ONA', 'TRC', and side 2 of 'Emancipation'. And in spite of all the other stuff he's released around it that I didn't enjoy, the good stuff reminds me of why I'm still hanging around. When he's on point, there's nobody like him.

So with that said, I've invested too much to stop now. If he shits on 2004, I'll be betting that he'll drop a gem on 'em in '05.

EvilWhiteMale said:

Will you buy Musicology? Or is that a dumb question?

EvilWhiteMale said:

I've been disappointed over the last year ,not necessarily because of the quality of the music,but the nature of it ,I just dont want to hear anymore instrumental stuff from the man as it doesnt engage me enough. I've not had any problems with the albums with songs ,Rave and TRC .If Prince's next album was another instrumental escapade I wouldnt buy it , thankfully hes SINGING again

Actually, I'm asking myself that question right now....

Would I still buy his stuff when he puts out music that I really, really don't like?
Kinda hard to say, since I've not yet have had that experience,
especially not with concerts. I can see what, mainly old-school Prince fans, do not like about the ONA tour. But I love this band he has now, I like most of the new editions of old songs. And I think some moments on the last tour, for example the Nighttown Aftershow, are absolutely incredible.

But like I said, I think that his approach like his personality might have changed a little and can see why some don't want to follow.
The one thing about Prince is though, that he f*cking does what HE wants to and I think that's rare in this bizz and ultimately, he'll rock everyone.

slm4m said:

I'll download a bunch of tracks first. If I like at least 3 songs, I'll buy it.

EvilWhiteMale said:

I am kinda looking forward to the next CD.

violator said:

I enjoyed most of The Truth and Emancipation, but that was the end of descent stuff for me. If you enjoy what he's doing now, then you should support it by all means.

calldapplwondery83 said:

Regardless of how I feel about him these days, I do think he and any other artist should always do what they feel is best for themselves. I'm just disappointed because I used to be such a huge fan, and over the past years, I've really hated everything he's done. It kinda pisses me off cuz I see other artists who have been around for as many years, still being consistent in their music and shows, and still keeping the fans happy.

But I bet most of those aren't "changing" as much as Prince does, aren't trying so many different things, are they?
If he sticked to one style, I think he'd be more consistent, too (personally, I don't think he's very INconsistent, but that's a matter of taste).
This way, it's just natural to lose some along the way, IMO.

Even if his "jazz" isn't the best, he still had to do it.

calldapplwondery83 said:

I respect him wanting to branch out, but it causes a major drop in fan base if he goes into a direction too far out there. I personally didn't care for U2's last album, but I think they kept a familiar style and pleased a lot of fans. They're just an example.

EvilWhiteMale said:

I just see the past few years as him getting some stuff out of his system before he tries to do the mainstream thing again. But does he have the stuff to be mainstream again? I think when he tries, he tries too hard, and winds up with over-produced, crappy fluff. It's the unhinged stuff that makes people crazy for him, I wish he "got" that...but maybe that's the beauty of following his output, I dunno...

However, this turned into an interesting thread, me thinks.

Anxiety said:

He could have gotten that stuff off his chest in private too. I mean he has tons of unreleased material he produced just cuz he felt like it.

I think the real problem is that he's burnt out and can't hang with music today. The guy has afterall produced well over a thousand songs, so it's not unusual that he would eventually run out of fresh ideas. I see no reason why he wouldn't want to make as much money as possible with his music. He's definitely still in the game for the profit, otherwise he'd be releasing his music for free. So as a business move, I think he's been making a lot of mistakes.

calldapplwondery83 said:

I'm glad. Though it's just a matter of time before the EWM haters come out with:

"Are you still bitching about how much you hate Prince"

"You're an idiot"

"Leave the site then if you're no longer a fan"

"Babble babble, bitch bitch"