Between 1980 and 1992, there were few artists I loved more than Prince. 1994-1999 was a shakey stretch, but there was enough to keep me on board. But then it was a slow and painful decline from 2000-2016. It was bleak. I know there will be plenty of Prince apologists ready to tear me a new love symbol when I say, those 16 years were crap. Even Questlove has said how he's pretty much only on board for Prince's first ten years. I was loyal longer than Questlove.
Earlier this week, my old pal cmealha sent me an email with the above song attached. He said, "Thanks to you, I periodically go back to records I dismissed. It's how I came around to Elvis Costello's 'Momofuku.' I heard this on Prince's 'Planet Earth," and wow!"
Yeah, "Somewhere Here On Earth" is kinda wow. The rest of "Planet Earth," not so much.
My reply was, "There must be some patient Prince realist out there who could create two amazing records out of 16 years of garbage."
I am a Prince realist. But I have no patience. I am just coming out of a COVID fog, so I don't need to risk going back under by sifting through "Musicology" or "Art Official Age" for a gem or two.
But maybe someone reading would find this project a fun challenge.
Prince apologists need not apply. I am not looking for "not bad."
Your sources begin with 2001's "The Rainbow Children" and finish with 2021's gold-plated dreck "Welcome 2 America."
Two albums, each running no longer than 45 minutes.
18 comments:
I've always imagined someone doing this. Not me, but someone. And I was worried if I met Questlove he'd excoriate me for not recognizing how awesome three of the tracks on Crystal Ball really are! (Crystal Ball ain't eligible for this exercise, I know.) I hope someone takes you up on this.
There are a lot more than three awesome tracks on "Crytsal Ball."
FWIW, I saw him live during the fallow period you're citing, and he was still a tremendous performer.
I have yet to cover anything from The Rainbow Children on for the blog. I am trepidacious.
No question! Some of the best shows I have seen.
I was going to start with "3121" (which I thought was pretty decent at the time) but it runs almost 54 minutes...
Can't be two existing albums. And "pretty decent" might as well be "not bad." I'm thinking two compilations running 45 minutes each, with the absolute best tracks from those years.
I hear you Sal, and it might be possible. I was thinking a single 60 min CD, not 90 minutes. But, and I mean this is nicest way possible, why bother? John Mellencamp once said "I know why people don't buy my new albums. It's the same reason I don't buy the new Rolling Stones albums. I've got the good ones already."
"Why bother?"
Haha. I hear that. Let's say, it's purely selfish. I want to hear those two records if someone could make them happen. I am all for the revisit, it's just that I always come up empty on that stretch of Prince.
Ever see the scene in The Magic Christian where people are diving into a vat of piss, blood and shit to score some money?
VR
I'm honestly way too much of an apologist for this task. I love the idea, though .
Prince Crap Years Challenge, Vol. 1
3121 (4:31)
The One U Wanna C (4:29)
This Could Be Us (5:12)
A Million Days (3:50)
Groovy Potential (6:17)
Laydown (3:07)
Chocolate Box (6:14)
Fallinlove2nite (3:13)
The Everlasting Now (8:18)
Prince Crap Years Challenge, Vol. 2
Musicology (4:24)
Wow (4:28)
Boom (3:19)
Crimson And Clover (3:52)
Black Sweat (3:11)
Fixurlifeup (3:13)
Dance 4 Me (4:59)
Breakfast Can Wait (3:55)
F.U.N.K. (7:35)
1+1+1 Is 3 (5:17)
Hi, what would make me quite happy, as a person who became a musician at 12 years old after hearing "Little Red Corvette" back in '83, is if someone made a "best of" of the years somewhere mid-80s to 2000...if there really is stellar material in there. I stopped listeing around Purple Rain, but I believe you when you say there must be some gems there. I just been listening to all the concert albums on Butterboy's blog and feel now is the time to indulge myself. Check it out here: https://butterboycompilations.blogspot.com/2025/09/prince-city-lights-1995-11-x-cds.html
OK, well I just finished listening to Anonymous' 2 Volume set above. Nice work, and it sounds like Anonymous knows the post 2000 Prince well, although I did not listen to all the albums, just the mix. I feel comfortable with my comment above that there might be a quality 60 minute mix from this era, and this 2 Volume set demonstrates that quite well. There's about a third of it I'd omit. And that's no knock on Anonymous, it's just taste. I liked Plectrumelectrum and Musicology a bit, and I found some songs I thought were OK on Art Official Age and Hit and Run 1 and 2 (not enough to buy), but I also feel that nothing here breaks any new ground, not does it really compete with his earlier work. But it's "not bad". The Hits/The B Sides from 1993 and then Emancipation would be all I need in addition to full records from Dirty Mind to Sign O' the Times. Thanks to Anonymous!
Thx Anonymous for taking the plunge! (As for Crystal Ball, I believe you! It has 42 tracks! I have no doubt there's more than one good song on each disc. It ain't the Batman soundtrack! But it's def from the era where Prince couldn't be bothered to edit.)
Anonymous did wonderful work above (I had originally included 7 of those tracks in my pursuit of 2 albums). I found this period to be a lot of fun. Similar to the earlier The Dawn( project, it was rewarding to discover so much music that I had ignored. I’ve included a 12 track, 58 minute playlist - Prince “Y2K+”
‘Colonized Mind’
‘Chelsea Rodgers’
‘Screwdriver’
‘Breakdown’
‘When Eye Lay My Hands on U’
‘1000 X’s & O’s’
‘Dreamer’
‘Beginning Endlessly’
‘U Make My Sun Shine (feat. Angie Stone)’
‘Somewhere Here on Earth’
‘WAY BACK HOME’
‘Guitar’
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/prince-y2k/pl.u-r2yBg04Tl09BD
Thanks for the challenge. Most entertaining and enlightening Go J.E.T.S Jets! :)
Nice job Anonymous and Dr Wu!
File under ‘Dead Horse’: Was playing with ChatGPT this morning (thanks, NYT). I requested a single LP in the style of Parade using only 2001-2016 material.
Prince - Dream in Electric Blue
‘Million $ Show (feat. Judith Hill)’
‘Black Sweat’
‘CLOUDS’
‘Te Amo Corazón’
‘Guitar’
‘Call My Name’
‘Rocknroll Loveaffair’
‘Future Soul Song’
‘Screwdriver’
‘Baltimore’
‘WAY BACK HOME’
‘June’
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/prince-dream-in-electric-blue/pl.u-r2yBg52Cl09BD
Hope you enjoy. Now on with the rest of my life. :)
Post a Comment