What if the soundtrack, the movie, Morris & The Time, Apollonia (and Lake Minnetonka ), and everything else that had to do with the "Purple Rain" was never made? What would be the "classic Prince song"? What he still be as big as he is now?


Things that make you go hmmm

Even though a lot of people consider Purple Rain to be his best album (one of but not the IMO)....it actually in some ways hurt more than harmed his career.

Just ask yourself...how many fans did he lose because he didnt stick with the sound or image he personified in Purple Rain?

I beleive if it never existed he still would have became one of the most prolific artist of our or any time. The difference being that he would not have his the instant surge of fame which came with Purple Rain...it would have been a more steady ride.

Although it is arguable just how much or should i say more of a mark would albums like SOTT and a few others have made with no negative comparissons to purple rain..only going off of there own stregnth.

Good question. I think if P hadn't done the movie, he would've done some of the songs. "When Doves Cry" "Let's Go Crazy" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" and "The Beautiful Ones" would have been released anyway because those songs could have been on an album without a movie or concept. I think "Around the World" would have never been recorded. It would have altered P's direction. I think he would have stayed more cutting edge.

That wouldn't be possible

It's like saying what if earth was never made

Wow, thats a thought. The 80's, and life itself, would have been totally blank and meaningless, IMO.

unlucky7 said:

He wasn't saying it in that grand of scale. He was talking about how would it had effected P's career if it hadn't been made. P isn't the end all of all things. He shits just like u and me.

blackguitaristz said:

does he really s... like you and me? I don't know about that.

okay well i don't think he would be as popular as he is today.

SweetTemptation said:

no it wouldnt've.

OK, we're talking freakin' Purple Rain here! Can't even imagine life without it.

I THINK THE ISSUE WITH WB WOULD HAVE HAPPENED MUCH FASTER, AND THAT WOULD HAVE
BASICALLY DESTROYED HIS CAREER SINCE THAT WAS ABOUT THE TIME RAP WAS REALLY TAKING OFF. HIS CAREER PROBABLY WOULD HAVE END LIKE RICK JAMES (BUT NOT THE DRUG
ABUSE,OF COURSE!) WITH PEOPLE LIKING THE FREAKINESS OF RAP AS OPPOSED TO PEOPLE
LIKING THE FREAKINESS OF MUSICIANS LIKE RICK AND PRINCE. ONCE GANSTA RAP HIT THE SCENE ALOT OF ARTIST FELL OFF TRYING TO COMPETE WITH THAT. PURPLE RAIN DEFINTLY
PUT HIM INTO A LEGEND CATEGORY. YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU BECOME A LEGEND YOU CAN BASICALLY SHIT & PISS ON PEOPLE AND THE WOULD STILL LOVE YOU. (TO A CERTAIN EXTENT)

I think he would have the ultimate musician status, and more popular than a Frank Zappa -probably more in that Clapton/Santana area - but I don't think he would have had that Michael Jackson/Madonna Icon status to go along with it (which ain't necessarily a bad thing, come to think of it..)
[This message was edited Thu Jul 1 17:04:55 2004 by paligap]

I was thinking the exact same thing. Prince probably still would have put out a lot of the songs from the album. These songs are basically in the same vein as the ones on "1999" but slightly different. I think the album would have done well, he already had crossover success with "Little Red Corvette" so he already had a broader audience than before.

I don't think the album would have reached icon status without the movie but it still would hae done well on both the R&B and pop charts. I think he would have had to continue with the synth sound to survive. He wouldn't be able to afford to lose any part of his fan base. If he ever did drastically change his sound like he did with "Around The World In A Day", it would have been much later after the synth sound had gone out of style.

It might have been wonderful.

I would still be a fan without the PR strength. But in retrospect, he wouldn't have been able to build Paisley Park as his lasting legacy, and he would probably tour like Morris & the Time are doing now, that " Remember me " large club, theater size crowd.