Now I don't listen to any other music besides Prince, except for the mainstream hits on MTV,BET, & VH1 in the background...but Lady Gaga's oddness and vulgar attitude has caught my attention...because it reminds me of Prince in his boundary-defying stages. The showing up to awards' ceremonies in odd clothing, their sexual intensities, the brave & F-you attitudes, and the want-to-be-different personality. For those who've kinda caught or listened to her music videos and tv appearances, am I wrong? Don't you see at least a slight similarity????

No

she's just the latest flavor....does she play any instruments? she doesn't even sing that well...does she write her songs? I don't know much about her.

it appears to me that she's trying too hard to be different (it's just a front)
her clothes are not stylish, just diff...Prince had (has) style.

if anything, she would be lucky to carve out a career as long as Madonna's, who you should really be comparing her to.

Revolution said:

She does play piano, and she writes most of her material, yes. I'm not a fan though.

ecstasy said:

Your first statement needs attention. Branch out. Dig through the people Prince was influenced by. Go listen to something else besides Prince. It's silly to segregate yourself like that. Don't be shocked when you hear Prince stuff in other people's music that came out BEFORE he did. Just know the truth when you hear it, good or bad.

As far as Caca being a female Prince....girl, I hate to say it, but ni**a please!

Revolution said:

True about the Madonna comment. Yes she does write her own music and yes she does play the instruments

I see what u mean...but she bites waaaay too hard.

ernestsewell said:

lol aiight aiight...just a thought. And it is surprising when I hear Prince in other people's songs... like Beyonce' and others who "try" to do a cover of his songs. Thanks 4 the advice

ecstasy said:

Listen, I'll say this. If you think Prince's little fills and hand gestures to cue the band to do something, or his tag endings on things, are ALL original, you'll be shocked to find out otherwise. Yes, he came up with some very clever and original things over the years, but there is SO much in his music that he's taken from Santana, Clinton, Sly, James, etc etc etc. It's not about covers, it's about just taking.

A small example: The drums in "Release It". Go listen to "Squib Cakes" from Tower of Power (a song also sampled in some song on Emancipation I believe). The drum patterns, which are not copyright eligible, are almost identical between "Squib Cakes" and "Release It".

I think anyone can appreciate an artist more by knowing their influences. And if you dig Prince, how can you not want to delve into Graham Central Station, Sly Stone, James Brown, Parliament, etc etc???? Remember also, Prince used those people's music HEAVILY in the mid 90's during concerts when he refused to play "Prince" music. Boots like "Hallowed B Thy Name" show him playing either new material, or Sly song, or GCS songs, or Santana. It's all part of a greater, and funkier, picture. that's all.

ernestsewell said:

I personally wouldn't mind listening to Jimi Hendrix, just to hear his guitar work

She actually reminds me more of Pink gone dance. Between the two, Pink is much better value for money. I have heard the fame, its alright but I wouldn't go crazy over it

OMG find a bar of soap and wash your mouth out 4 even thinking this!
DAYUM

I would say she's more like Madonna than Prince. I personally think she sounds great live.

I think she's more like David Bowie than Prince. Not in terms of talent, but in attempting to grab attention with their look/fashion (ala Ziggy).

They wear the same outfits so I say yes.

ernestsewell said:

You really seem to know quite a bit about music, so that´s why I´d like to read your opinion on this.....do you think that the bassline in Cosmic Slop sounds a bit like the bassline in Space? Am I really the only one who thinks so?
I mean, it´s not the SAME bassline but, everytime I hear Prince´s Space, it somehow reminds me of the bassline in Cosmic Slop.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Stop it!


She's not the new Prince, of course not. She does however resemble him in interview tactic and stage/off-stage dramatics.

She would be the lovechild of Prince and Madonna. Not as gifted as Prince but more so than Mommy Madge.
[Edited 12/3/09 20:13pm]

KoolEaze said:

It's just about being in a state of loving music, and listening, and enjoying it (which sometimes does NOT go hand in hand! haha) A lot of folks here have a deep love of music, and have done their homework with older bands, either knowing about them back in the day, or finding them along the way in life. Oddly, sometimes we flat out miss a band or a popular song until someone points it out to us 30 years later. That makes it still fun to explore and discover old stuff.

After listening to "Cosmic Slop" and "Space"...for me, the similarity you might be hearing is in the rhythm of it, more than the notes themselves; although the first two or three notes are very similar in movement. The rhythm sections somewhat remind me of each other. Lotta high hat, has a shuffle feel to them both. Those two things coupled together create a bit of a familiarity between the two songs. That's my .

Thanks for the reply Ernest, I appreciate it.

My god, seriously? Prince is not the be all and end all of music. Gaga is similar in many ways to your king, whether you people like it or not. It's not like she's trying to take his place or anything.

Although, with what he's turning out as of late, I think it'd be pretty easy to top him.

BenaimanBawkah said:

Oh shit.

BenaimanBawkah said:

uh huh huh uh huh you said "top him".

Nah, Lady Gaga in a few years will be yesterdays news.

Oh, this is going to be fun.

realm said:

Time cannot pass fast enough then. Bring on 2012!

realm said:

Just like Prince.

ernestsewell said:

Nobody can say this with any amount of certainty. It is strictly yall's opinion.

I have to go with Ernest for the majority of this thread. I think the main problem is that too many people are unaware that Gaga isn't another product of the pop radio machine. In fact, she was the machine, writing songs for he likes of Britney Spears and NKOTB. Before she was Lady Gaga, she was also playing singer/songwriter shows at places like The Bitter End a la Fiona Apple.

So my bottom line is: Lady Gaga is very talented, especially one considers that many of her "peers" on Top 40 charts etc don't write their own songs and even fewer play any instruments. I don't think you can say she's a female version of Prince. Madonna is definitely the more appropriate comparison here. Even then, I don't know how much of a parallel can be drawn.

I only know a few Lady Gaga songs, but they're all great. I've been arguing in favor of her a lot lately, as I think many people do not realize how much of a breathe of fresh air she is in a largely stagnant Top 40 market. Maybe fellow musicians will understand me a little bit more on this one. It's almost like there is hope yet for a crossover artist of her accessibility to really leave a lasting impression; That the Top 10 spots on a Pop Singles chart can still consist of actual, talented performers. Sure, she's flashy and wears crazy outfits. But she's an entertainer, lest we forget when our man used to rock the briefs, boots, and trenchcoat. Besides, Bjork wears weird clothes and is artistically well-respected, it's just that Bjork hasn't had four top 10 hits in the past year.

Lady Gaga can have all the talent in the world. The machine worked different in 1979.

BenaimanBawkah said:

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! (Just like Peter in the episode, when he finds Chris has a crush on his teacher)