TS: Prince or Bowie?

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???

Of course not! Then again, I don't assume every black person from Minnesota is automatically a Prince fan. I know you're a Prince fan, Dan, but I had no idea if you were a Bowie lover as well but just never expressed it as much.

this is apropos of nothing, really, just though I'd mention in.

Stereotypes and assumptions are bad but some may contain a kernel of truth in them. Also, any black person from Minnesota who gets offended because you assume they they like Prince is by (my) definition a dick.

As for Prince vs. Bolan...
Actually, I would easily take Prince over Bolan.. not to dismiss Bolan by any means..(ask Ned, who's a witness to my mass collection of T. Rex material the past year or so) but Bolan has the slight disadvantage of, how to put it gently, being dead?... also dying right before a spark that could have possible re-propelled his career, too. Prince vs. Bolan is a rather unfair taking sides really.

Oh, and Bowie wins this sheerly on the strength of a fleeting moment in "It's No Game (Part 1)" where he sings..."Put a bullet in my brain...AND IT MAKES ALL THE PAPERS! (followed by indecipherable Japanese exhorting). That little moment right there is cooler than EVERYTHING little Mr. Nelson has ever done and verily will ever do.

I'll admit he's doing something on that track, though I'm not sure "sing" is the right word for it. "Croon" is a bit closer. In any case, whatever he's doing, it makes me wince.

Hmmmmph.

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.