Prince or Stevie Wonder?

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Who floats your boat most?

a) Prince
16
40%
b) Stevie
24
60%
 
Total votes: 40

sloopjohnc
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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby sloopjohnc » 08 Jun 2018, 18:23

Matt Wilson wrote:I'm sorry, John - but I've given up on older men for the moment, unless they make considerably more money than me.


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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby Brickyard Jack » 09 Jun 2018, 17:13

Pansy Puff wrote:Princes last album, Hit n Run Phase 2 had some great tracks too.


It does indeed.

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Diamond Dog
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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby Diamond Dog » 11 Jun 2018, 15:30

16-11 to Stevie......
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The Write Profile
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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby The Write Profile » 13 Jun 2018, 09:23

It's a really tough choice, because I admire both equally, for different reasons. Stevie Wonder's best stuff- and that includes the material he wrote in his late teens leading up to that imperial run of albums from Music of My Mind to Songs in the Key of Life- had a real openhearted warmth. That could spill over into sheer schmaltz at times, but there's something really humane in tracks like "I Believe When I Fall In Love...", "All in Love is Fair", "Love's In Need of Love Today"...all those songs really should set my teeth on edge, and yet there's a way he had with phrasing, and his use of synthesisers that made it sound organic, for want of a better term. He could also successfully bring the hard funk ("Superstition", "Higher Ground", "Living for the City" "Boogie On Reggae Woman" to name but three) and make it sound strangely comforting. I don't think he ever released a totally perfect LP, as much as I admire his "imperial phase", there are longueurs on even his tightest records (many of the songs on Songs in the Key of Life run a minute or two too long), but by the same token, it didn't really matter that much. I mean, those records are made to be immersed in.

Prince is more impressive in the sense that there's something so hard and even strident about his best material, whether it's the puerile (and it's actually a compliment) lo-fi funk of Dirty Mind , the art-pop of 1999, the epic, bordering on ridiculous of Purple Rain or the Beatlesque eclecticism of Parade, I'm kinda made to feel intimidated by his talent. There was something about his persona that makes it difficult to warm to him, as much as I like his best stuff. There's also the contradiction that for such an autodidact, he was often heavily reliant on his support band (be it the Revolution, and to a lesser extent the New Power Generation) to bring his vision together. I don't think you can discount the work of his band on something as monstrously funky as "Mountains". It's not just about him. And yet there's something almost solipsistic about a lot of his work, even the message like "Sign O The Times" (the song) feels like he's addressing himself as much as the outside world. Again, this doesn't matter: the sheer skeletal funk he wrings from that track (it's almost minimalist) overcomes any misgivings I might have.

I really can't pick a winner.
Last edited by The Write Profile on 13 Jun 2018, 09:31, edited 2 times in total.
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Diamond Dog
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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby Diamond Dog » 13 Jun 2018, 09:28

Nice contribution Matthew!
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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby The Write Profile » 13 Jun 2018, 09:37

Diamond Dog wrote:Nice contribution Matthew!


Thanks! I'll also add that Stevie Wonder has also benefited from the fact that his best albums have been really well remastered on CD, whereas Prince's best stuff, the recent reissue of Purple Rain aside, sound quite shrill on CD. It's frustrating, if ever an artist deserved a decent reissue programme, it's Prince.

Also, I've discounted the fact that both artists really did fall off the deep end in terms of quality. I think it was laziness on Wonder's part, with Prince, it was a lack of ability to self-edit (or contributors to rein him in). The perils of being a musical genius affected both.
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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby Bent Fabric » 13 Jun 2018, 12:50

The Write Profile wrote:The perils of being a musical genius affected both.


A lot of music makers in that sort of rarefied stratosphere tend to crash pretty hard, seemingly on the basis of when you're so exceedingly "right" as many times in a row as they are (uninterrupted - and often as a result of making wildly unconventional choices, playing outside odds), you probably aren't even going to see "wrong" coming.

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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby fange » 13 Jun 2018, 13:18



Prince's Controversy period hit home with me hard. Still does.
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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby Diamond Dog » 13 Jun 2018, 22:03

Looks like Stevie wins this - 20 to 12 at present.
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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby Quaco » 14 Jun 2018, 01:42

Stevie. I'm not that into Prince, though he was undeniably talented and driven.
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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby bobzilla77 » 15 Jun 2018, 01:02

As big a Prince fan as I am, even though he may win if you count up numbers, I can't possibly vote against Stevie Wonder.

Both have produced albums that are astonishing in their perfection. Both have delivered concerts in the last ten years that shook me to my core.

Abstain, too close to call. Thankful to have seen both in my lifetime.
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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby toomanyhatz » 15 Jun 2018, 08:00

The Write Profile wrote:It's a really tough choice, because I admire both equally, for different reasons. Stevie Wonder's best stuff- and that includes the material he wrote in his late teens leading up to that imperial run of albums from Music of My Mind to Songs in the Key of Life- had a real openhearted warmth. That could spill over into sheer schmaltz at times, but there's something really humane in tracks like "I Believe When I Fall In Love...", "All in Love is Fair", "Love's In Need of Love Today"...all those songs really should set my teeth on edge, and yet there's a way he had with phrasing, and his use of synthesisers that made it sound organic, for want of a better term. He could also successfully bring the hard funk ("Superstition", "Higher Ground", "Living for the City" "Boogie On Reggae Woman" to name but three) and make it sound strangely comforting. I don't think he ever released a totally perfect LP, as much as I admire his "imperial phase", there are longueurs on even his tightest records (many of the songs on Songs in the Key of Life run a minute or two too long), but by the same token, it didn't really matter that much. I mean, those records are made to be immersed in.

Prince is more impressive in the sense that there's something so hard and even strident about his best material, whether it's the puerile (and it's actually a compliment) lo-fi funk of Dirty Mind , the art-pop of 1999, the epic, bordering on ridiculous of Purple Rain or the Beatlesque eclecticism of Parade, I'm kinda made to feel intimidated by his talent. There was something about his persona that makes it difficult to warm to him, as much as I like his best stuff. There's also the contradiction that for such an autodidact, he was often heavily reliant on his support band (be it the Revolution, and to a lesser extent the New Power Generation) to bring his vision together. I don't think you can discount the work of his band on something as monstrously funky as "Mountains". It's not just about him. And yet there's something almost solipsistic about a lot of his work, even the message like "Sign O The Times" (the song) feels like he's addressing himself as much as the outside world. Again, this doesn't matter: the sheer skeletal funk he wrings from that track (it's almost minimalist) overcomes any misgivings I might have.

I really can't pick a winner.


Great stuff. I agree with almost all of it.

One part I don't: Fullfillingness' First Finale is about as close as anyone's gotten to a perfect record. I agree with you about the rest, even Innervisions, which is my 2nd favorite, has moments that you wish he'd either toned down or toughened up.
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Re: Prince or Stevie Wonder?

Postby Matt Wilson » 15 Jun 2018, 16:44

I went with Stevie. Not too far off topic, since Wonder wrote this song, here's a clip of Beck and Clapton doing "Cause We've Ended as Lovers."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o3CIa3nrZE&app=desktop


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