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Prince: Can he produce an outstanding album ever again?


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Old 03-09-2012, 22:54
koantemplation
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It's difficult to say what Prince's last greatest album was, the Gold album wasn't bad but it wasn't a stand out album like Purple Rain or Sign O the Times.
For me he was great up to but not including 'The Rainbow Children', perhaps 'Diamonds and Pearls' being his last greatest album IMO.
But I'm not sure if it is because I've heard so many of his songs that new songs will never be the same as first hearing 'Purple Rain' or even 'Around the World in a Day'
'Planet Earth' was bland in comparison to most of his albums.
'3121' was good but that was definitely an album I feel would have been better if it had been the first album I had ever heard of his.
So can he very produce another album that will not feel like it's just the same songs slightly different?
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Old 03-09-2012, 23:31
embryo
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To be honest I think it's incredibly unlikely. There are very, very few artists that manage to release outstanding albums that rival their best work more than 30 years after their debut. Though Prince has certainly released a fair amount of decent stuff over the last 10-20 years, he was clearly at his peak in the 1980s and I can't see him bringing out any new material of 'Purple Rain' or 'Sign o' the Times' quality.

Aside from anything else, I think since the whole 'creative freedom' and name change debacle he has lost his sense of quality control. He has released loads and loads of music from the mid-90s to the present day and there is some great stuff amongst it, but he does too often release albums that are full of filler or experiments that don't quite work.
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Old 04-09-2012, 00:17
mr muggles
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To be honest I think it's incredibly unlikely. There are very, very few artists that manage to release outstanding albums that rival their best work more than 30 years after their debut. Though Prince has certainly released a fair amount of decent stuff over the last 10-20 years, he was clearly at his peak in the 1980s and I can't see him bringing out any new material of 'Purple Rain' or 'Sign o' the Times' quality.

Aside from anything else, I think since the whole 'creative freedom' and name change debacle he has lost his sense of quality control. He has released loads and loads of music from the mid-90s to the present day and there is some great stuff amongst it, but he does too often release albums that are full of filler or experiments that don't quite work.
He obviously still has a need to be 'creative', but he would benefit from having stricter 'quality control' before he releases material. he needs to shed himself of those dining out on his association.
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Old 04-09-2012, 07:30
unique
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i think most of his fans know that he can, and that along with the live performances and old material keeps them interested

in the last 10 years or so we've had a couple of really great albums like the rainbow children, one night alone and NEWS. but the problem is he keeps trying to make another "hit" album and that's where it goes wrong. there is little information about his recordings over the last 10 years but i'm sure there is some killer material there that hasn't been released, just like the previous 20 years. he seems to do his best work when under some kind of pressure, such as the come/gold/exodus period when in full battle with warners, or when he gets some kind of inspiration to do something different like TRC, the truth, ONA, NEWS etc

we know he has at least one or two fully completed albums in the can for release, but until we get to hear them we have no idea what they will be like

he wouldn't be the first or last artist to have a hit or outstanding album after years on the quiet side, look at supernatural by santana, who would have imagined that? or the american recordings series by johnny cash

prince just does his own thing, he's not short of a few quid as he rakes it in with all the live shows he does. he makes more from those than with albums, bar the odd exception where he cuts a great deal such as for 20ten, PE, lotusflower
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Old 04-09-2012, 11:28
axlgod
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Love the 'gold experience' album, love 'pussy control', I think he just needs to start swearing again to get his mojo back.

Last edited by axlgod : 04-09-2012 at 11:29. Reason: Correction
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Old 04-09-2012, 12:34
unique
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Love the 'gold experience' album, love 'pussy control', I think he just needs to start swearing again to get his mojo back.
as long as he keeps up with the JW stuff we aren't going to see that in a while. it was larry graham who talked him into stopping swearing. and then he stopped performing a load of songs live and changing the lyrics to others
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Old 04-09-2012, 13:02
jackbell
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I truly believe artists have a shelf life - both commercially and creatively. MJ, had he lived, would never have equalled Thriller/Bad, Madonna will never equal Like A Prayer/Erotica. So the same is for Prince.

It's how it should be really. Kids need to follow new contemporary artists. Sadly there are no artists of that calibre around today so they are stuck with Rihanna, Gaga, etc.
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Old 04-09-2012, 22:46
koantemplation
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The main thing I'm worried about, is not that Prince can't produce a great album, but that I won't be able to appreciate it because I've heard so many songs of his and it won't be like when I first heard 'Purple Rain' which was along with '1999' was the first 2 albums I had encountered. Then went back for his first 4 albums afterwards.
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Old 04-09-2012, 23:04
Cloudbuster
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I will ask him next week when he pops over for a scone and a cuppa.

Diamonds & Pearls is my favourite from his ultra rich back catalogue.
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Old 05-09-2012, 07:27
unique
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I will ask him next week when he pops over for a scone and a cuppa.

Diamonds & Pearls is my favourite from his ultra rich back catalogue.
are you in chicago, as that's where he is next week for his new residency
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Old 05-09-2012, 13:59
soundstory
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The main thing I'm worried about, is not that Prince can't produce a great album, but that I won't be able to appreciate it because I've heard so many songs of his and it won't be like when I first heard 'Purple Rain' which was along with '1999' was the first 2 albums I had encountered. Then went back for his first 4 albums afterwards.
Yes I know what you mean, I loved his albums up to Diamonds & Pearls, but I lost interest thereafter

I did see him during his O2 residency, which was fantastic
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Old 05-09-2012, 14:02
barneyb
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The main thing I'm worried about, is not that Prince can't produce a great album, but that I won't be able to appreciate it because I've heard so many songs of his and it won't be like when I first heard 'Purple Rain' which was along with '1999' was the first 2 albums I had encountered. Then went back for his first 4 albums afterwards.
Exactly the same here.....I can still remember the excitement of the summer of 1984....going to the local record shop to buy Purple Rain on tape....... although he'll never release anything near as amazing as that
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Old 05-09-2012, 16:32
Waldstein
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Yes I know what you mean, I loved his albums up to Diamonds & Pearls, but I lost interest thereafter

I did see him during his O2 residency, which was fantastic
Me too. Definitely one of the best shows I've seen. I loved his 'too many hits, too little time' quips. My sister was lucky enough to see him play a secret gig in a small club a few years. I'm very jealous of that.

As for him ever producing an outstanding album again, I think it's very possible. As unique mentioned, look at Johnny Cash's later output as an example of what's possible. I think though it's tough for Prince because Sign'o'The Times, Purple Rain, etc., were such landmark albums. They challenged so many conventions and taboos of the time especially with regard to the media perception of black male musicians and of course him covering topics such as the HIV/AIDs epidemic which was relatively new at the time. He may never produce an album with such cultural relevance again, but IMO that doesn't mean he can't ever produce an 'outstanding' album again that can stand on its own musical merits.
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Old 05-09-2012, 21:24
unique
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Exactly the same here.....I can still remember the excitement of the summer of 1984....going to the local record shop to buy Purple Rain on tape....... although he'll never release anything near as amazing as that
i wouldn't bet on that. i could pick a selection of unreleased stuff that i currently have and put it on a disc and it would be just as amazing. and there are literally thousands more tracks in the vaults that even i haven't heard

unlike most artists who die and you get a bunch of horrible sounding cash in albums from the dregs left in the vaults, prince has far better stuff in his vaults than a lot of stuff he has released. it's not just audio material, it's video too. live shows and unreleased movies. that's plural

but if/when we get any of that, that's another story. but it can be done
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Old 05-09-2012, 21:30
abarthman
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There are very, very few artists that manage to release outstanding albums that rival their best work more than 30 years after their debut.
I was thinking about that the other day.

Very few, if any, of my favourite artists ever match the quality of their first one or two albums, even though some of them carry on for decades.

Sure, they might have a one-off hit single every now and again, but it's almost as though success drains them of whatever made them great in the first place.
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Old 07-09-2012, 13:20
barneyb
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Everyone has a limited shelf-life though ....no-one can sustain the high level of output that he did in the 80s/90s....not even being the genius he is
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