Fuck you Dennis. You sold me. I want to change my stupid vote. Mods?
When I think of Prince I think first of Purple Rain then 1999. I have a couple of biases that led to me voting for him.
1) I fucking love Purple Rain to this day...the album and everything on it, and yes, even the movie. 2). I really, really like 1999. 3) The Chappelle "shirts and blouses"skit should be the first reason I listed. 4) I was a teenager when he made his best stuff, at a time when Stevie's big hits sounded to me like easy listening (at the time...I like his 80s stuff better now).
This shouldn't have been close though. Prince really lost me after Purple Rain. He changed and my taste changed too, and some of what he recorded was pure, unlistenable shit.
Fuck you Dennis. You sold me. I want to change my stupid vote. Mods?
When I think of Prince I think first of Purple Rain then 1999. I have a couple of biases that led to me voting for him.
1) I fucking love Purple Rain to this day...the album and everything on it, and yes, even the movie. 2). I really, really like 1999. 3) The Chappelle "shirts and blouses"skit should be the first reason I listed. 4) I was a teenager when he made his best stuff, at a time when Stevie's big hits sounded to me like easy listening (at the time...I like his 80s stuff better now).
This shouldn't have been close though. Prince really lost me after Purple Rain. He changed and my taste changed too, and some of what he recorded was pure, unlistenable shit.
I should have listed Morris Day and The Time among my reasons too. I'll pop in Purple Rain every now and then and skip to them on stage. Top fucking shelf entertainment there
One last post before I get off my trashing Prince streak... it hurts because I love Prince... but...
So, one more thing to consider is how original and derivative each of them were.
Prince basically took a few templates and went with them: glam rock androgyny, sly and the family stone (multi colored band) and James Brown (stage moves).
He freely admits all these things. Prince started as New Wave Glam Rock mixed with Rick James.
Stevie started at a time where he was a cog in the wheel at Motown and there hadn’t really been anything like him, but people said he was a young Ray Charles.
Then he tore up the template of “system QB” at Motown and got in major fights with Berry Gordy to get creative control. Once he had complete creative control he totally changed black music to that point -> Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions etc.
There was no template at all for that. It wasn’t a combo of things... he was basically taking a bunch of shit that was around and combining it into something tremendously innovative and new.
Sure he was informed by black power and the Afrocentric movement in the early 70s in the same way that Prince was informed by the vapid materialism of the 80s, but he never just had like 4 influences that basically sum up who he is.
Dennis I don't disagree with any of the above arguments. Stevie deserves to win this and I'm sure he will. IJFL Prince and the sound of his peak 1969- 86 years. Found myself in a personal coin flip and went with Prince. It's like Beatles vs Stones. Beatles beat Stones hands down in sales, artistic achievement and cultural significance. But I love the music of the Stones more so they are my 1A and Beatles 1B.
One last post before I get off my trashing Prince streak... it hurts because I love Prince... but...
So, one more thing to consider is how original and derivative each of them were.
Prince basically took a few templates and went with them: glam rock androgyny, sly and the family stone (multi colored band) and James Brown (stage moves).
He freely admits all these things. Prince started as New Wave Glam Rock mixed with Rick James.
Stevie started at a time where he was a cog in the wheel at Motown and there hadn’t really been anything like him, but people said he was a young Ray Charles.
Then he tore up the template of “system QB” at Motown and got in major fights with Berry Gordy to get creative control. Once he had complete creative control he totally changed black music to that point -> Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions etc.
There was no template at all for that. It wasn’t a combo of things... he was basically taking a bunch of shit that was around and combining it into something tremendously innovative and new.
Sure he was informed by black power and the Afrocentric movement in the early 70s in the same way that Prince was informed by the vapid materialism of the 80s, but he never just had like 4 influences that basically sum up who he is.
Dennis I don't disagree with any of the above arguments. Stevie deserves to win this and I'm sure he will. IJFL Prince and the sound of his peak 1969- 86 years. Found myself in a personal coin flip and went with Prince. It's like Beatles vs Stones. Beatles beat Stones hands down in sales, artistic achievement and cultural significance. But I love the music of the Stones more so they are my 1A and Beatles 1B.
The co-writing or writing for other artists - Prince is amazing at it... some of his better material.
However, Stevie has a lot too...
Let's compare:
Stevie: TEARS OF A CLOWN: Smokey & the Miracles (one of the true GOAT songs) It's a Shame: The Spinners Tell Me Something Good: Rufus & Chaka Let's Get Serious: Jermaine Jackson
Prince: Stevie Nicks "Stand Back" (1983) #5 US Chaka Khan "I Feel For You" (1984)#3 US #1 UK (yr end charts '85 #5 in us) Sheila E. "The Glamorous life" (1984) #7 US The Time "The Bird" (1984) #36US The Time "Jungle love" (1985) #20 US Sheena Easton "Sugar walls" (1985) #9 US Bangles "Manic Monday" (1986) #2 US (behind "Kiss, at #1), #2 UK Sheila E. "A Love Bizarre" (1986) #11 US Sinead O'Connor "Nothing Compares 2 U" (1990) #1 US #1 UK (#1 in yr end charts in us and #2 in uk)(#1 in 21 countries) The Time "Jerk Out" (1991) #9 US
My old man who is as white as it is when it comes to music gave me all the classic Stevie Wonder LPs. Minty early pressings. He couldn’t tell you a Prince song though so I voted Prince.
Comments
When I think of Prince I think first of Purple Rain then 1999. I have a couple of biases that led to me voting for him.
1) I fucking love Purple Rain to this day...the album and everything on it, and yes, even the movie.
2). I really, really like 1999.
3) The Chappelle "shirts and blouses"skit should be the first reason I listed.
4) I was a teenager when he made his best stuff, at a time when Stevie's big hits sounded to me like easy listening (at the time...I like his 80s stuff better now).
This shouldn't have been close though. Prince really lost me after Purple Rain. He changed and my taste changed too, and some of what he recorded was pure, unlistenable shit.
However, Stevie has a lot too...
Let's compare:
Stevie:
TEARS OF A CLOWN: Smokey & the Miracles (one of the true GOAT songs)
It's a Shame: The Spinners
Tell Me Something Good: Rufus & Chaka
Let's Get Serious: Jermaine Jackson
Prince:
Stevie Nicks "Stand Back" (1983) #5 US
Chaka Khan "I Feel For You" (1984)#3 US #1 UK (yr end charts '85 #5 in us)
Sheila E. "The Glamorous life" (1984) #7 US
The Time "The Bird" (1984) #36US
The Time "Jungle love" (1985) #20 US
Sheena Easton "Sugar walls" (1985) #9 US
Bangles "Manic Monday" (1986) #2 US (behind "Kiss, at #1), #2 UK
Sheila E. "A Love Bizarre" (1986) #11 US
Sinead O'Connor "Nothing Compares 2 U" (1990) #1 US #1 UK (#1 in yr end charts in us and #2 in uk)(#1 in 21 countries)
The Time "Jerk Out" (1991) #9 US
Prince takes it here for sure.
I changed my mind. This shouldn't even be close.
Stevie wins on the Wall of Sound style alone.