http://www.cnn.com/2006/S...index.html

WIsh Prince kinda felt like this. Not the songs he's recording or the folky direction, but the attitude he has towards music these days. The adventurous non-commercial exploritory nature.
I personally wish he'd stuck to his guns with the direction he was going with TRC and NEWS. Maybe not the jazzy style itself, but the experimental "Let's see what's in this direction" attitude. Honestly, he should say "Screw the fans, I've served them enough. Now it's time to explore and if they come, they come."

And as an FYI I do like 3121, and I'm happy with it, I just liked not having to care about #1 records and VH1. I felt we grew past that.

He had that attitude with ATWIAD, TRC, Lovesexy,News, Crystal Ball, The Black Album and some parts of Sign O'

Jut my thoughts. Not an ultimatum or anything. Just a wish. Like I said. I like 3121. Especially the song 3121. Seems very old school. Like a tighter version of Crystal Ball.
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Jazz said:

and those are the kind of records that i appreciate the most. i like 3121
a lot too, but i don't understand his need to have chart success or to be
with a label again after he's proved he can do without them.

i think prince needs a new collaborator.

not wendy and lisa, not larry, not freakin' kirky j.

but someone who has a diverse view of music, someone who can push prince to widen his boundaries, or at least dig really really deep in the stuff that continues to influence him.

i want prince to do those "screw the fans, it's time to explore" albums too, but i want him to take the time to do justice to those projects the way he did with TRC, instead of tossing out perfectly wonderful music like the chocolate invasion or xpectation/C-NOTE as if they were afterthoughts.

TRC isn't my favorite prince album by a long shot (though i do appreciate a lot of things about it), but i loved how that album and that tour seemed to be so 100 percent HIM. that's what i'd be into seeing again. the glitz of musicology and 3121 have been great, but let's see prince be prince again without courting another dip into mainstream celebrity.

Jazz said:

Oh my god I couldn't disagree anymore. TRC and N.E.W.S. were his 2 worst freakin' albums ever. He needs to get back into those dirty mind speedo's,hump the stage,jackoff his guitar and start singing about 23 positions in a one night stand again. Okay maybe he's too old for that stuff but I would like to see him get a bit more edgey again.

bigsexy said:

i think that for a mid-40s version of prince, stuff like TRC and N.E.W.S. were the equivalent of the bikini shorts and the jackoff guitar.

Anx said:

flashy and overrated. I agree



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[Edited 4/25/06 14:57pm]

I love Bruce, but part of what makes him seem like he's maybe lost less than Prince is that he hasn't been as willing to change as much as Prince. He still does many of the same songs the same way--and to his credit he doesn't do medleys, or one-verse-then-sax-solo versions of his songs. He seems to stick to what made the song great in the first place.

It may seem like he's not concerned with hits (& he probably isn't so much), but I don't think he's taken the chances Prince has.

Not that Prince couldn't learn a thing or two from him...

What I like about Springsteen is how he seems to make an earnest attempt to stay grounded and humble. I remember him on Nightline, talking to Tedd Koppel (imagine Prince doing that!) and Bruce was getting some flack at the time for being somewhat outspoken about the 2004 election, so he stated his case that he's just a citizen voicing his opinion.

I thought it was cool for this millionaire rock star to put himself out there out like, no doubt incensing a bunch of his conservative fans. So did Eminem, for that matter.

padawan said:

Five minutes after Prince puts his opinion out there about stuff like this, the org will explode with "Prince should stick to making music" threads...

anyway, loved Bruce back in the day, but musically he's boring as fuck now, imho. If that's where is as an artist, then great, but I can't listen to him anymore

Universaluv said:

On record, I agree, but just like Prince, he's still great live.

Universaluv said:

Who gives a fuck if Prince's politics causes an uproar among fans? He's a U.S. citizen entitled to speak his mind.

In fact, some real world politics would do Prince and his music some good. The hustle and bustle of everyday life, hard choices on the streets and in immediate reality--that's what's missing from his music.

padawan said:

He's entitled to say whatever about whoever. But should he?
At the end of the day that's for him to decide.

Personally, there aren't really any musicians I look to for their political opinions, so if I die without knowing what Prince thinks about the equities of the estate tax, oh well....

Universaluv said:

You can poopoo the politics of musicians all you want, but when Springsteen and Eminmem did it, it was noteworthy. It was a bitterly contested race in 2004, the country was fiercely divided, the Dixie Chicks were blacklisted from country radio for crying out loud. And these two white millionaire MTV icons with huge red state followings stuck their necks out for what they believed in.

And don't forget: Prince gets political too. He's vocal about the evils of the recording industry, he's insistent on artist's rights, he's openly religious and vegetarian.

Now whether it's Sprinsteen endorsing Kerry or Prince decrying meat, it doesn't sit well with a lot of listeners such as yourself, who would rather musicians just stick to making music and entertaining us. Celebrities hold sway over their fanbase and some regard their politicking as abuse of that influence. And that's what Springsteen was responding to, when he said he's just a citizen voicing his opinion.

Their celebrity status sometimes obscures this simple fact. People view them as glorified clowns so it's disorienting when they show up on Nightline to discuss heavy things. People want their pop stars to stay in their pop star box. Which is a narrow and constricting attitude.

Jazz said:

And I thought he had this attitude since 1992 onwards

Problem is Springsteen's new album is uttelry shit. I'm very disappointed by this country crap.
Absolutely nothing new there. NO new arrangements, no new sounds. Just a country music cd like there are thousands out there (many of them being a lot better than this).
Springsteen is as lost as Prince sometimes. He does not know what to do anymore not to get bored.
And as a big Springsteen fan, I guarantee you he is not capable of introspecion whatsoever. he does the same stuff over and over again with always the same schedule :
year 1 : a big rock album (mainly witht he e street band)
year 3 : an acoustic and/or intimate album
year5 : a big rck album
year 7 : an acoustic and/or intimate album
etc

padawan said:

I don't want anyone to stay in their "pop star box" so I'm not sure who that whole essay is directed towards.

IMHO, if an artist wants to get political, fine.

If an artist doesn't want to ge political, fine.

I'm just not into saying "this artist should get political".

Prince ain't a politician so I don't expect or need that from him anymore than I expect or need you to voice yours.




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[Edited 4/26/06 8:28am]

Universaluv said:

No one said "this artist should get political." Don't make up quotes. That's a cheap way to make an argument.

If you don't care about a musician's politics, or mine, then don't respond to my post. Stop busting my balls with your inane thoughts.

padawan said:

You didn't seem to have a problem misquoting me saying that I "would rather musicians just stick to making music and entertaining us." That's not cheap.

I brought up the point earlier about whether an artist should or should not express their political views "He's entitled to say whatever, but should he." If you can't discuss my point without getting all ticked, well sucks for you.

But hey, I'm entitled to my express my "inane thoughts" regardless, as are you



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[Edited 4/26/06 10:17am]

Universaluv said:

Look, you have no appreciable viewpoint on this issue. You made it clear you don't care whether an artist expresses their politics or not.

My positition is that it can be compelling. And I illustrated just how it can be.

Jazz said:

I was thinking about how cool it would be if Prince would have a small snipplet of the sound of his next album at the end of his current album. Listen to the end of Get On The Boat. That sounds very different to me. Maybe thats a hint of whatz next? mmmmm...

Anx said:

I got sucked into that didn't I...