TS: Prince or Bowie?

Which is when?

ahem.

To re-address: Prince has released an incredible amount of great work (the wife was spinning Sign 'o' the Times just this week, and said album does kick a whole bunch of skinny, assless-pantsed butt), but I just don't see Prince as having the flair for 180-degree reinvention that was formerly Bowie's signature. Maybe Prince's equivalent of Bowie's Berlin period is out there (during his wilderness "slave" years, maybe?), but I haven't heard it. Apologies if I'm sounding misinformed.

Bowie played the same old post-Beatles game, I think; Prince's sources are, to me, so much richer. In my opinion, there's no contest between the Beatles and James Brown or the above-mentioned "funky people" that Prince supposedly ain't a patch on. Which statement I find, uh, odd. "Sign o the Times" is a high point for Prince just like "Station to Station" or "Lodger" is for Bowie; I find Bowie the face-o-fashion most of the time, synthetic but not in a good sense. Prince might've dicked around with "personae" and all that but he never did anything as outright dumb as that Zigaboo Modeliste (funky) Stardust shit Bowie was guilty of--what a load o' crap. Which isn't to say the songs aren't good, thanks to Mick Ronson.

They're both cheesemasters--I prefer Prince's cheese, infinitely. Prince's "pop" rips like "She's Always in My Hair" and "Peach" and "When You Were Mine" are a lot better than Bowie's--again, it's just richer to my ears. I mean, OK, Boston or someone like that took off from that whole Beatles thing, whereas Prince took off from Sly, Brown, etc. What's a richer source? Again, to me, there's no question which is richer.

Also, Prince is a far better singer than Bowie; one of the finest musicians around; and sure, the quality of his work falls off after '88 and "Black Album," but even then he's done some great work.

In my opinion, Bowie's whole career has been at attempt to latch onto some illusory "zeitgeist" and that's fine, but I don't hear too much underneath that attempt, which is why I like the obvious stuff, the hits. Whereas Prince was just doing what he wanted to do--OK, the early Prince was "black man doing white music in a black way or black music in a white way," which actually isn't true at all, that's just people bringing their own misconceptions to the project. As let's-give-the-people-an-image-to-hang-onto (because they're too dumb to get it any other way), "Purple Rain" beats "Ziggy Stardust" hands down. I don't like "Purple Rain" all that much myself.

I don't know how the debunkers of funk define the term--there are lotsa ways to be "funky" and the Meters or Sly or Brown are all different; for that matter, lots of New Orleans music (Benny Spellman, a great minor artist, comes to mind) is certainly funky without being overtly so. Prince's whole idea of forcebeat drums tied to "funk" or whatever you want to call it is certainly a moment in the evolution of black music, funky music, music--now what exactly did Bowie do, stylistically, to equal that? Guitar riffs? Makeup? Went Philly soul on "Young Americans"? I don't hear it. So I say that to appreciate Bowie you have to appreciate *extraneous* shit like his hair, clothes, makeup, "ever-shifting persona," stuff like that. It's only when he gets a bit more honestly dishonest and relaxes some--on "Lodger"--that I kinda like the guy more. But then he ups and hires Stevie Ray V. to play Real Guitar and Nile Rodgers to make him some big fat dance tracks on that goddamned "Let's Dance." Yeah, man, let's dance.

And as proof that Prince is "funky," go back and listen to "How Come U Don't Call Me," which is pretty damn funky, and he did it with just piano. I don't believe David Bowie could've done that, do you?

It puts the finger on my feelings in this matter; I like my Prince, but I love my David Bowie. And that's a completely subjective opinion based on nothing else than gut feeling and teenage infatuation.

I'm gonna pick Bowie, with a hell of a lot of reservations.

Quite, quite true.

this is so unbelievably wrong on so many levels - you can count ON ONE HAND the number of great classic songs Jackson has written. And Jackson's got what, one, two truly solid albums (Off the Wall and Thriller) to Prince's four or five (1999, Purple Rain, Sign O' the Times, Controversy, Lovesexy) Jacko's peak period is unbelievably short and is owed to a host of other people (Berry Gordy, Quincy Jones, etc.) "Off the Wall" doesn't even come close to Sign O' The Times in terms of scope, innovation, depth of vision, catchy tunes, surprises, left-field references, or even in terms of pure FUNK. Prince recent public dismissiveness of Jacko is completely justified in my mind...

Both have been absolutely crucial to me liking the music I like, and to becoming the person that I am. I'd pick Prince if I had to, but as far as I can tell the main argument for living in Western society is that I don't have to choose.

Just thought I should point that out.

and for what it's worth, jacko's peak period began in 1969, before either prince or bowie entered the conversation.

I personally am far MORE entertained by Prince BECAUSE he takes himself so seriously.

This is a pantload of poppycock.

Well definitely the 'more' part, if we're just talking his solo career. 1979 to 1991 = 4 MJ albums vs. at least one Prince album a year.

Xgau made some damned-scant-praise pissy line about Heathen saying he'd finally learned to sing. This is insane--technically, he's as good as his source, Scott Walker, and certanly more verstile.

Plus. my GF, who's 30, after watching the Reality tour CD, says she'd do Bowie--who's 58--in a heartbeat. So there.

and if you wanna talk sexiness - Prince seems to have avoided physically aging a single day. Whereas Bowie looks like a glassy-eyed corpse with a fashionable haircut. Hell, Prince was always sexier than Bowie, and still is. Maybe it's cuz, y'know, Prince conveys actual ENJOYMENT of sex, whereas Bowie emotes a much more detached, creepy vibe.

i like 'em both, bowie more, but prince is plenty creepy.

prince has released albums as bad as tin machine.

This is objectively impossible.

for what it's worth of course I love them both. but at the moment I do find Prince more endearing and capable of surprises than Bowie.

* There's a huge chunk of Bowie after, being as fair as possible, Tonight that I really could care less hearing ever again. I don't mind some of the more recent stuff, but there's a deep dark pit of blandness in the middle that I want to avoid. THAT SAID, there's nothing as classic as the period of Bowie between Man Of Music, Man Of Words/Space Oddity and Scary Monsters inclusive.. almost all of it is pure solid gold.. the only possible exception being the David Live album.

* There's a huge chunk of Prince after, being as fair as possible, Lovesexy that I haven't heard, didn't hit me the first time, but am willing to listen to again and be pleasantly surprised, and would bet that I would rediscover and like. There is no horrible pit of blandness that stains Prince's career (to date) as much as it does Bowie. However, to be perfectly honest, even between For You and Sign 'O' The Times, I don't think every album in between is dead-on perfect as I think the Bowie albums are.

Now the similarities: both INCREDIBLY influential in their own unique ways. Both started off sounding a bit shaky and of the times but quickly became very unique and praiseworthy. Both reinvented themselves musically (and sometimes personally) album after album. Both have an incredible amount of timeless songs in their peak periods.

Who would i rather have a beer with? Bowie.

Who did I actually shell out a good chunk of cash to see live most recently of the two, and felt I got my money's worth? Prince.

It's really a tie for me. Can't say.

DB, did you forget that I am a black man from Minnesota earlier upthread???

"We were listening to a lot of Kendrick Lamar," says producer Tony Visconti.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/the-inside-story-of-david-bowies-stunning-new-album-blackstar-20151123

funny thinking about bowie/prince/morissey - i could totally see prince covering bowies version of i know its gonna happen someday.

you beautiful men

looking for a picture with both of them on it

Gene Simmons,

"Prince, Glen Frey, Bowie. These are people who changed lives..."

haha

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/7/7e/Susanthesethings.jpg

Too sad: prince and bowie

i'll stick with you baby for a thousand years

http://www.breatheheavy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/bowie-prince.jpg

Couldn't work Glenn Frey in there?

http://youtu.be/BSUGJBcNF0E?t=2m41s

Can't wait for the paintings of Lemmy, Prince, Bowie, Glenn Frey and Keith Emerson looking soulful and jamming on a cloud start cropping up.

http://i.imgur.com/npsQVdS.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/kQ1LXPC.jpg?1

Lol both of these assholes are DEAD

Prince covered "Heroes" last month in Toronto.

(All video footage of the above seems to have disappeared from the webz.)

Audio tho:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqDX8-s6jYI

i know its early days yet, but i imagine a far bigger outpouring of pieces on him in the US than the UK, compared to bowie.

Lol both of these assholes are DEAD

― • (sleepingbag), Friday, April 22, 2016 12:12 AM (two years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

:-(

sleepingbag makes some strong points

:D

I wish Prince had covered "Win"...

― Intelligence Lends Mojo (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, March 5, 2009

damn good call

"Win" is basically the perfect Bowie song, I doubt anyone could do it better.