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Printabledamosuzuki said: Anxiety said: i was one of the seven people who bought 'blah blah blah' when it came out, completely guided by iggy's performance of 'real wild child' on letterman when he was promoting the album. it may have even been my intro to iggy, come to think of it. i went through a long phase of loathing/dismissing the album after the first few spins, but you know what? i think it's one of iggy's best VOCALS albums, too. the arrangements are dated and bloated for the most part, but it's true - it's the first album where iggy was allowed to really CROON and play the part of a pop singer rather than a mangey proto-punk rabblerouser (though there are MANY great iggy vocal moments all throughout his catalogue, don't get me wrong). i feel the same way about "tonight" - i can't completely abandon that album because there are moments where bowie's voice sounds incredible. and both were shat out at around the same time...  hmmph, maybe I'm being too harsh. I haven't heard it in years. Mr. Shifter, that Von Sudenfeld thing has been on my agenda since I first heard of it. I've always liked MoM's albums. They tower over their peers for the most part. i rarely listen to that album, but i do have my moods for it, just like with 'tonight'. actually, i mostly agree with you, if not for that nagging part of me that really DOES appreciate his vocals on that album. | |
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Songwriting - They've both written their fair share of classics, but Prince's most recognisable songs (to the non-fans) are mostly concentrated on one album (Purple Rain), while Bowie's classics are spread at the rate of roughly one or two per album from Space Oddity to Let's Dance (again, to the non-fans).
Both released their last great albums in 1995. Outside and TGE. Everything since hasn't been without interest, but it's fallen way short of the innovative peaks the two were known for. Prince came the closest with Rainbow Children/Xpectation. Guitar playing - 'cmon - is that a fair comparison? Bowie hires virtuosos (and Peter Frampton). Prince is a virtuoso. Piano - Has anyone ever seen Bowie play piano and sing in concert (Extras doesn't count)? Production - Prince needs a producer. And an editor. Maybe he should call Bowie. Bowie's produced The Stooges (badly), Lou Reed (greatly), Iggy Pop (greatly - thrice), himself (very greatly). Prince is more prolific than Bowie. Bowie doesn't have much unreleased studio stuff in his vault - at least not for his peak period. Prince has at least twenty five CDs worth of unreleased stuff (the Work), and that's just what's leaked out ... So, what does this prove? Prince is a better guitarist than Bowie? Check. In fact, he's a better musician than Bowie, but then he's probably the greatest popular musician alive. Prince has written more songs than Bowie? Check. Prince has written more stone cold classics than Bowie? No. But Bowie had at least eleven years head start on Prince. When Prince was at his artistic peak (SOTT - for the sake of argument), Bowie was coming out of a glass spider's ass. Are you sure about this? Among non/casual fans, Prince has well known/recognizable songs from several albums - 1999 (1999, Little Red Corvette), Parade (Kiss), Diamonds & Pearls (Cream, Diamonds & Pearls), Controversy (Controversy, Do Me Baby), SOTT (SOTT, You Got The Look, Girlfriend, Housequake), Batman (Batdance, Scandalous, Partyman) and Prince (I Wanna B Your Lover) in addition to the Purple Rain stuff. Maybe it depends on the audience. Prince definitely appeals to a wider, more diverse audience than Bowie because of the diversity of Prince's music, so some casual listeners in one audience may know/recognize different songs than another audience. Regardless, on a mainstream level, I can't see how David Bowie would have more stone cold classics. I think just about anyone can name 5 to 10 Prince songs, but I don't know about David Bowie, again non fans here. How many non-Bowie fans in a random street sample would know that many Bowie songs? [Edited 7/5/07 6:13am] perfection is a fallacy of the imagination... | |
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Bowie vs Prince is like My Father vs My Mother to me...  | |
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I just can't get into Bowie's music! And I'm trying so hard, I even bought Ziggy Stardust and the greatest hits and so far the only song I like is Soul Love.. I feel like I'm missing out on something really great.  | |
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BT11 said: I just can't get into Bowie's music! And I'm trying so hard, I even bought Ziggy Stardust and the greatest hits and so far the only song I like is Soul Love.. I feel like I'm missing out on something really great.
Have you got the 2 cd best of bowie? | |
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BT11 said: I just can't get into Bowie's music! And I'm trying so hard, I even bought Ziggy Stardust and the greatest hits and so far the only song I like is Soul Love.. I feel like I'm missing out on something really great.
you may just not be into his glam phase. you might be more into his plastic soul phase from the mid 70s or his experimental phase from the late 70s. he reinvented his style so many times, i feel like there's an "entrance" to his music for just about anyone. you may really click with his soul phase, and that might turn you on to his glam records, and so on... | |
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I took me a long time to see Bowie's genius. I started with the hits and then started diving into individual albums. Really amazing the scope of his work. Like any artist with a large catalog, I love a lot of it, am indifferent to some of it, and some of it I just ask "what the fu**?". But, that's exactly what a person should say about an artist who is trying new things, taking chances. If I liked everything, something would be wrong.
Bowie fans are just like Prince fans, endlessly debating which songs, albums,periods, concepts were better, and like Prince fans, they never agree. I know it's a cop out, but like others have said, I don't see a "vs." Too different. Two artist who completely wanted to do their own thing, and did it. | |
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Heathen is Bowie last masterpiece, and Reality comes close.
Prince and Bowie share a similar present: both have released two neo-classics (Musicology/3121, and Heathen/Reality) with moderate sales and satisfied reviews from critics and fans alike. By the way, Bowie is truly gone, it's been four long years since his last Lp   | |
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JoeTyler said: Heathen is Bowie last masterpiece, and Reality comes close.
Prince and Bowie share a similar present: both have released two neo-classics (Musicology/3121, and Heathen/Reality) with moderate sales and satisfied reviews from critics and fans alike. By the way, Bowie is truly gone, it's been four long years since his last Lp you know, i've made peace with the fact that, if 'reality' is his last album (which i don't think it will be), the man has put in a hard day's work and he's entitled to coast on his legend for the rest of his life, hanging out in lower manhattan and blogging on bowienet every now and again. good for him. i'll never get tired of what he's released thus far, and if that's the end, it's a damn impressive body of work. 
all that said, i NEED a new bowie album, like YESTERDAY.  | |
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Anxiety said: JoeTyler said: Heathen is Bowie last masterpiece, and Reality comes close.
Prince and Bowie share a similar present: both have released two neo-classics (Musicology/3121, and Heathen/Reality) with moderate sales and satisfied reviews from critics and fans alike. By the way, Bowie is truly gone, it's been four long years since his last Lp you know, i've made peace with the fact that, if 'reality' is his last album (which i don't think it will be), the man has put in a hard day's work and he's entitled to coast on his legend for the rest of his life, hanging out in lower manhattan and blogging on bowienet every now and again. good for him. i'll never get tired of what he's released thus far, and if that's the end, it's a damn impressive body of work.
all that said, i NEED a new bowie album, like YESTERDAY. To be completely sincere, I also think that there will be a new album (thought I think that there won't be more world tours  ). But it's really disturbing to see that (perhaps) Bowie isn't interested in music anymore: 4 years of absolute silence (well, not really, I read somewhere that he loved the Arcade Fire debut ), which is odd since it seemed that Bowie had returned to his roots with Heathen and Reality, two interesting and well-crafted albums, mixing Bowie-old school (the Heroes and Scay Monsters sound) with a modern, trendy production (Tony Visconti is great). And that albums came with only 9 months between them!!!
I'm sure there will be a new album (maybe the final one), but the question is: Has Bowie lost interest/enthuasiam about his career, about pop/rock music in general? I think he should take note from veterans like Bob Dylan, Springsteen or even Prince: never say never, baby  [Edited 7/5/07 18:47pm] | |
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Anxiety said: JoeTyler said: Heathen is Bowie last masterpiece, and Reality comes close.
Prince and Bowie share a similar present: both have released two neo-classics (Musicology/3121, and Heathen/Reality) with moderate sales and satisfied reviews from critics and fans alike. By the way, Bowie is truly gone, it's been four long years since his last Lp you know, i've made peace with the fact that, if 'reality' is his last album (which i don't think it will be), the man has put in a hard day's work and he's entitled to coast on his legend for the rest of his life, hanging out in lower manhattan and blogging on bowienet every now and again. good for him. i'll never get tired of what he's released thus far, and if that's the end, it's a damn impressive body of work.
all that said, i NEED a new bowie album, like YESTERDAY. yeah, fuck all that but the last thing you said. he needs to get off his lazy ass and put something out, if for no other reason that i say so. 
 "Half of what I say is meaningless; but I say it so that the other half may reach you." - Kahlil Gibran | |
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Anxiety said: JoeTyler said: Heathen is Bowie last masterpiece, and Reality comes close.
Prince and Bowie share a similar present: both have released two neo-classics (Musicology/3121, and Heathen/Reality) with moderate sales and satisfied reviews from critics and fans alike. By the way, Bowie is truly gone, it's been four long years since his last Lp you know, i've made peace with the fact that, if 'reality' is his last album... Don't scare me like that! 
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Anxiety said: JoeTyler said: Heathen is Bowie last masterpiece, and Reality comes close.
Prince and Bowie share a similar present: both have released two neo-classics (Musicology/3121, and Heathen/Reality) with moderate sales and satisfied reviews from critics and fans alike. By the way, Bowie is truly gone, it's been four long years since his last Lp you know, i've made peace with the fact that, if 'reality' is his last album (which i don't think it will be), the man has put in a hard day's work and he's entitled to coast on his legend for the rest of his life, hanging out in lower manhattan and blogging on bowienet every now and again. good for him. i'll never get tired of what he's released thus far, and if that's the end, it's a damn impressive body of work.
all that said, i NEED a new bowie album, like YESTERDAY. I think Reality's a load of half-baked throwaway crap, another Never Let Me Down - but that's just me.
I don't think Bowie's retiring from music, but he has said that he's become very pissed off with the music business. He might end up releasing his new stuff online from now on. The last i heard he was going to release an instrumental album. There are three sides to every story. My side, your side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each one differently | |
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Raze said: Anxiety said: you know, i've made peace with the fact that, if 'reality' is his last album (which i don't think it will be), the man has put in a hard day's work and he's entitled to coast on his legend for the rest of his life, hanging out in lower manhattan and blogging on bowienet every now and again. good for him. i'll never get tired of what he's released thus far, and if that's the end, it's a damn impressive body of work.
all that said, i NEED a new bowie album, like YESTERDAY. yeah, fuck all that but the last thing you said. he needs to get off his lazy ass and put something out, if for no other reason that i say so.
SING, MONKEY, SING!!! 
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As I gradually explore more of Bowie's work, I'd say he is, overall,a better song-writer than Prince, who imo is a very variable song-writer, sometimes great (tho less so in recent years), sometimes dire.
Bowie's songs can be annoyingly obscure and 'arty', but there's just something about his great ones, whether or not they actually 'mean' anything or not, that has it over most of P's songs. Obviously as a musician, Prince wins hands down. I must also give respect to Bowie's 'Earthling' album; underrated by some and a favourate of mine. | |
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Shapeshifter said: I think Reality's a load of half-baked throwaway crap, another Never Let Me Down - but that's just me.
Yes
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I think I can name 5 Bowie songs...
Let's Dance Changes Eyes Without A Face Ground Control ... Nope, couldn't do it...DAMMIT! Always, no contest IMHO [Edited 7/6/07 16:53pm] Thanks for the laughs, arguments and overall enjoyment for the last umpteen years. It's time for me to retire from Prince.org and engage in the real world...lol. Above all, I appreciated the talent Prince. You were one of a kind. | |
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Shapeshifter said: Anxiety said: you know, i've made peace with the fact that, if 'reality' is his last album (which i don't think it will be), the man has put in a hard day's work and he's entitled to coast on his legend for the rest of his life, hanging out in lower manhattan and blogging on bowienet every now and again. good for him. i'll never get tired of what he's released thus far, and if that's the end, it's a damn impressive body of work.
all that said, i NEED a new bowie album, like YESTERDAY. I think Reality's a load of half-baked throwaway crap, another Never Let Me Down - but that's just me.
I don't think Bowie's retiring from music, but he has said that he's become very pissed off with the music business. He might end up releasing his new stuff online from now on. The last i heard he was going to release an instrumental album. what's he pissed about? last i heard, he was basically an independent (ISO) and had a distribution deal with Sony, a la Prince. and that the reason he hasn't put anything out is that he's just feeling lazy (paraphrasing his rationaliztions, of course, not his specific word "lazy") "Half of what I say is meaningless; but I say it so that the other half may reach you." - Kahlil Gibran | |
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