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Post by ganews on Jun 29, 2017 21:44:01 GMT -5
Chaos and Disorder (1996) Pre-existing PrejudicesThis was another Warner album, so of course Prince refused to promote it. But it's still a Love Symbol album, so whatever. This isn't one of the big sellers, but perhaps it will be a relatively hidden gem? I wasn't enamored of The Gold Experience on the new label. Songs"Chaos and Disorder" - This intro fuzz is a new sound. Hey, organ, scratching, this is alright. Ehh, the sound effects are still here. Cool synthesis of rock though. The theme here is somewhat like "Sign 'O' the Times", but less judgey and more fun. "If I had fifty ladies I would only fuck with one." (At a time; Prince won't run around on you but let's not be silly.) "I Like It There" - The delivery is a little bit like Wreckless Eric's "Whole Wide World". This is a pretty good song too. Big, buzzy guitar, this is so 1995. I mean fun! Prince is just rocking out. It's 180 degrees from the Grown Folks Music of just a few years previous. And to drive the big point home, it finishes with a gong for no reason. "Dinner with Delores" - This was apparently a top 40 hit; it does include the word "brontosaurus" after all. Of course it is the most familiar Prince territory yet, with sexier lyrics and easier listenin'. It's still guitar driven though, and he actually makes it sing a good bit in the bridge. "The Same December" - A combo of guitar, "The Heat is On" synth, and the chorus of Princes from For You. Then it shifts gears into a blues jam somehow, with tweety bird sound effects. At east two more shifts before the song ends, and it was only 3:24. "Right the Wrong" - I think grandpa is trying to recover the lost high heels? The horns reappear with the Prince chorus for a nu-jazzy affair. It also changes up mid-song, a pop musical decision I almost always support. Then it keeps meandering around, making a short song feel oddly long. This one also has that sort-of live sound so common on the last album. "Zannalee" - Prince busts out with a wah guitar solo from the 70s and pushes right through to the 80s. Live sound is back, maybe here to stay. Sounds like a big electric blues show, which is just fine by me, especially once the electric guitars sing more in the bridge. "See ya tomorrow, big ass." "I Rock, Therefore I Am" - Whoa, this one is busting right out of Diamonds and Pearls era, especially considering all the guest vocals (and rap and interjections from a Jamaican MC). Sweet turntable solo. Ironically, this is the least traditional rock song yet on the album, but it is pretty good. "Wait a minute, I just got some email" - technology marches on! No idea who the rude Jamaican dude is because this Wikipedia page is so thin, but I prefer him to Tony M. Guitar noodles and horns are here too. "Into the Light" - This piano ballad puts the brakes on so hard the album slams through the windshield. Then it picks up tempo a bit and Disney Prince sounds like he was writing for the Lion King soundtrack. This song is under three minutes, so why? Maybe he owed the sax player a favor and that guy wanted to play this solo. "I Will" - The brakes continue to be pumped. Kenny G. or whoever continues to reap the benefit. There's less piano, more guitar noodle. "Dig U Better Dead" - Seriously, more tonal whiplash. At least the dictionary tally broke 20. It's a hippity hop bump with a farty synth beat and a smattering of funky bass. It's pretty good, very classic Prince with jazzy chorus and mentions of God and your daughter. "Had U" - More suggestive than anything else on the album, but a very curious and brief number. All Beatle-y guitar and strings. Summary: It's another weirdly mixed album, but unlike, say, Queen, the like songs are grouped together, giving lie to the album title. Even though CDs got mentioned this was ideal for cassette play. The rock in the front is more prominent than the oddly-fronted Dirty Mind. There's not a bad song on the album, though, if I can judge the two ballads fairly despite interrupting what was a cool record in a fairly uniquely rockist direction. This one is very out of print, so it's the sort of thing Tidal is good for. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 1. The sex is barely there at all, and it's heavily rock after all. It's easily the best 1-level Prince album so far. Running come tally: 14 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 21 Favorite overall song: "I Like it There". Dammit, it is not easy to choose between that and "I Rock, Therefore I Am". I'll give it the edge for being pretty new for Prince. Favorite new-to-me song: "I Like it There"
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Post by ganews on Jun 30, 2017 22:56:13 GMT -5
Emancipation (1996) Pre-existing PrejudicesAw shit son, here we go: 180 minutes of Prince in a single, by which I mean triple, album. This is probably going to be a truly monumental wank, because no one has this much material (and this was already his third album of the year, along with Chaos & Disorder and the "Girl 6" soundtrack. Maybe the albums will be organized into themes, instead of making a single short record of three sharply different songs like last time. This is from around the time Prince was painting "slave" on his face, as in the song title, so yeah this will probably be a big wank. Tidal doesn't have it (dammit, what am I not-yet-paying for?!), my library doesn't have it, so I'm using other means (a sneaky Youtuber has uploaded every track). All right, let's tackle this beast. SongsDISK ONE "Jam of the Year" - Pretty sure I've heard this nu-jazz joint, or maybe it just sounds like Prince from the early 90s. The backup singer girl has that R&B warble, which is the freshest component of the song. Jazz flute! It's OK, but things had better get more interesting for three hours (which is like one hour of free Spotify plus ads). "Right Back Here in My Arms" - A little dark tone for an R&B jam. Testament to how prolific Prince is that this feels like throwback all the way to...four years ago. Good song with well-deployed choir and scratching. "Somebody's Somebody" - Soul and sitar is actually a very good combination for a R&B jam, even if it's not actually sitar. I like the lyrics. They're not crazy or complex, just full of longing and well-written. "Get Yo Groove On" - More upbeat and funky with some deep sax. "I got some money 'cause I just got paid" was great when Sam Cooke sang it, and it's still good here. This is a leeeeeetle too much corporate event, however, for what a Prince song with this title should be, even if the conversation samples would have you belive you're in a bar. "Courtin' Time" - It's movie-New Orleans ditty time, as the title might suggest. That's a related but different species from the boardwalk ditty. Nice horn playing with and without a muffler, though. "Betcha by Golly Wow!" - Wow, it's apparently a cover. Prince hasn't done another cover on all the records. Anyway, the Kenny G impersonator with the soprano sax is back for this karaoke video jam. "We Gets Up" - Oh hello, it's computer time. This cool song is out of nowhere. The chiptune of intro bubbles under the surface throughout, but otherwise it's funk party with extra horns. In case anyone is concerned, slang like this doesn't make the dictionary tally. Prince puts on some different vocal effects, including a sort of hair metal squeal and a soul croak. I like the fake-out ending before things get jammy and weird. "White Mansion" - Right back to Grown Folks music. Minneapolis: "Comin' from the land of snow, I guess I'm kinda used to cold." I absolutely love the byow-byow sound effect Prince make with his mouth when he sings about getting a new guitar; all the sound effects of the last two albums should have been made by mouth. The bass-thumping outro is better than the song proper. "Damned if I Do" - Instrumentally, it sounds like an early 90s sitcom theme at first. At best it's the light-hearted guitar, piano, and horn fare of "Let it Roll"-era Little Feat. It's not bad, certainly once it turns into a jam session, but all that snare sure is trying hard to make people smile. "I Can't Make U Love Me" - Another cover? Altered title, naturally. It's a decent, soulful sax and clap jam. Some rather-missed bedroom Prince whispers. "Mr. Happy" - White Guy Voice is back for the intro. Good song, a little near-Yes Sound synth for a R&B bounce. Solid rap here, good turntable use. For some reason it just occurred to me that on songs like this where no one else is credited with the scratching, Prince is doing it himself, which I didn't envision for some reason. And there's been a lot of scratching. The sample here is from an Ice Cube song, so Prince is a fan. Uh, I meant the rap from Prince before; now there's some other guy, and he's OK. "In This Bed I Scream" - Sort of a world-y sound here with the synth, guitar, and scratching. Not bad though, not like Around the World in a Day, more like what it should have been. Also room for thunder drums, electronics, and electric guitar wanking. DISK TWO "Sex in the Summer" - R&B with a dash of industry and a heavy dose of horndog. It's not about having sex, more like a night at the beach bar meat market. The guitar talks, and Prince also uses a little talkbox. Pretty good. Prince sings "get it on!" like "Jungle Boogie". "One Kiss at a Time" - Extra slow for this jam, with a little electric comet rocket to weird up the Grown Folks. "Soul Sanctuary" - More slow jam, with extra Kokomo in the sound. Prince's vocal delivery is suitably churchy, and there's a marimba here. "Emale" - Uh, a pun title? Oh my. Also this is the second mention of email in as many albums. Wow, these lyrics. A reference to computer chess? DOT CUM. Oh damn, he didn't say that, I was just wishing. We appropriately get a little computer whistle, sounds like "Nothin' but a G Thang". "Curious Child" - Mournful folk strings and drum rolls, rather a departure. It sounds like a 70s animated fantasy movie score. "Dreamin' About U" - Intimate spoken-word, atmospheric drum-tap worldly stuff. I guess the straightforward 90s R&B of Disk 1 is really done. "Joint 2 Joint" - The tallies are coming fast. "Sex me!" says the sampled backup girl. A little quiet, sexy rap. "Oh yeah I got some hot sauce" is the kind of silly playfulness beck was playing with this very same year. A lady comes in to rap, it's OK. The song is a little more progressively electronic and weird, and some odd percussion chorus starts. Break down and handclaps, pretty cool. This demands a full transcript: "You think you're my soulmate, you don't even know what kind of cereal I like. Wrong! Cap'n Crunch with soy milk" This earns the over-length and tiresome outro. "The Holy River" - Hmm, another sitcom entry but not very peppy at all. Heavy drum taps. Sort of reminds me of "Greatest Love of All" without the exhausting Whitney Houston vocal gymnastics. Jesus music. This is about Prince's new marriage and was his final top 40 single. Shift into big guitar solo. "Let's Have a Baby" - Piano "let's make love" music. It fits the run of Disk 2, except for the interruption of "Joint 2 Joint". "Saviour" - Staying romantic and sweeping, a churchy romance with plenty of organ. Hard to say how much this is double meaning, perhaps Prince is sexing up Jesus. Big guitar. The song is dragging. "The Plan" - Instrumental, another rare choice. Early 80s sci-fi synth, atmosphere. "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife" - How did Sister get in there? Is this going to be another weird Dirty Mind incest thing? No, it's just another holy family thing. Nice acoustic work. There's a beach but no orgasm like "Orgasm". DISK THREE "Slave" - Drum n' bass...well really only drum. Kind of a bore until it gets more industrial and breaks down, but still it's too long. And yeah, Prince's message doesn't really resonate. "New World" - Hey, it's a fun little 80s synth throwback rumble and bump. Prince's choir ensures there is no danger in the sound, though. "The Human Body" - Now here's a cymbal tempo to grab you, also weird samples. The sampled crowd "hey!" is dating the song, but this is the closest thing to an EDM track. Which, wow. "Face Down" - This is kind of a vague diss track, directed at whoever disrespects Prince. "Dead like Elvis!" Prince's mic affectation is kind of a dinosaur, but the rap is solid. Prince calls out to the instrumentation individually, and they keep it rolling. "La, La, La Means I Love U" - Cover 3. Oh, I know this one. I'm not sure if it's the Prince version I've heard before, but it's a'ight. The chorus is made to stick in the head alright. This is entirely falsetto singing, besides the spoken word, and it seems like that hasn't happened for a long time. "Style" - Made for BET, all right. It's not so special as a song, but you can't deny that Prince knows what he's talking about. "Bridge!" The synth is OK. "Sleep Around" - Perhaps these are just long to fill every disk to exactly 60 minutes. This is kind of a Miami party, I don't know, I'm getting tired. Pause for 70s wah guitar solo. "Da, Da, Da" - Oh it's not that song by Trio. Who is this rapping, they're pretty good. Prince supplies light background and 80s rainbow synth. More interesting than Trio. "Computer" - Oy, three samples of America Online. Prince really thought email was he greatest thing in the world. What was "Computer Blue" about again? This is passable, but everything is fading together. Three hours of anything would do this. "One of Us" - Cover #4. OH MY GOD not this song. Not this song. Oh Prince whyyyyyyyy. He just changed the lyric to "just a slave like one of us", that was probably the whole reason to do this. No one is going to say "come", I am skipping. "The Love We Make" - This is so slow I want to die. Strings back up this soul and guitar sing, please end this. "Emancipation" - Finishing finally with funky bass. Emancipate me from this album. Summary: Well, it wasn't the big wank I assumed. but man I am tired. Good for you, Prince, now please don't do this to me again, because this is feeling like work. Good lord the man had a lot of songs. Each disk was pretty evenly tuned, and the song line-up generally flowed well. Disk One was the classic R&B; Disk Two sort of the journey and culmination of Holy Relationship; Disk Three was just an assembly. The highs aren't as high as they used to be, though there were some choice tracks, but more importantly the lows aren't the worst thing in the world. But hell, this is the 20th album I've reviewed from Prince and they aren't all sounding the same. Which I say even if I can't remember which jam was which. Maybe the par is only par because of the blend, and it used to be sub-par. Look, it's late. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 2 I guess if that's your thing, whatever. Running come tally: 14 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 25 Favorite overall song: DISK 1 "We Gets Up" DISK 2 "Joint 2 Joint" DISK 3 "The Human Body"
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Post by ganews on Jul 1, 2017 20:17:59 GMT -5
Crystal Ball (1999) Pre-existing PrejudicesHoly shit, I can't can believe I'm doing another triple album on the very next day. This is a triple-album boxed set compilation of unreleased songs from throughout the 80s and 90s, and there was another album included with it, but that's for next time. As for prejudices, well hell; I would think it's going to be a great highlight list. Except why weren't they released originally. But they were passed around as fan bootlegs. Whatever, I just hope I can survive this, and it will help if it's more than 1/6 really good songs like Emancipation. Also my source is less reliable this time, so I hope all these songs are complete (maybe).
ETA almost 5 years later: this showed up on YouTube so I'm going back and filling in the gaps, marked ETA
SongsDISK ONE "Crystal Ball" - A little funk for the people, because it's from 1986 and the last new recording barely funked at all. Interesting percussion choices, guitar and horn licks. This was definitely not the 10 minute version, but it's a good jam. ETA the full version feels its 10 minutes. Actually one of the lesser track on Disk One. "Dream Factory" - Solo piano instrumental for a couple minutes, then what sounds like backwards lyrics, then a guitar shred, then more thrown-together whatevers. Then a song finally starts, mostly beat and weird vocal effect. It's OK. Too bad about the huge wind-up, otherwise this would fit in. ETA there is no long intro on the version I have here, so it's just cool by itself. "Acknowledge Me" - This is a classic Prince jam, with soul backup, a great beat, and come-on lyrics. Cool electronics touches all over. It's a got a nice rap too. I'm not going to spend this whole review trying to guess which era each song is or reposting Wikipedia, but this is the good stuff once Prince got past the Grown Folks and settled into the 90s. Should have used this to replace some Tony M. "Ripopgodazippa" - Can't wait to hear how this is pronounced. It's a reggae play, complete with affected accent in the verse (rip up/off go the zipper). Yes there is a zipper sound effect. It's pretty good as fake reggae goes, slow and sensual. Jazzy clarinet, sexy vocal play. I like the instrumental cowbell effect for the knock. "Love Sign (Shock G's Silky Remix)" - It's a funky bass party with licks and scratches. I wonder if the DJ that was with Incubus at least for their breakout was a Prince fan? This is much more fun than the corporate "Get Yo Groove On" from the last album. Are they saying "throw up the love sign"? That's quite a shadow puppet trick fro Prince's version. This is fun to sing along to, "pop pop pop go the pistol, bang bang go the gun". "Hide the Bone" - Now this is a song title I want. It's a little throwback rock intro, then it grows a beat for a sound rather like Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". But then they're talking about the same thing. That's cool, they're both jazzy stomps. This gets a funny outro, just Prince repeating "bowhn" and some other sounds. "2morrow" - The only copy of this song is some Youtuber playing his guitar along with the song, but it seems to to be a mid-tempo synth/guitar/beat/horn jam. The synth is actually really good and integral in a way we haven't heard from Prince in years. ETA lot of 90s sound, easy-going. "So Dark" - Partial live version is all that I have, it's Prince crooning over the sax player. And that sax player is rocking out. ETA slow jam. When they take your sex, money, and self-esteem, it is indeed mean. Evil woman in a classic theme. Trumpet fanfares instead of sax on the album version. "Movie Star" - Sorry folks, this link is busted and it doesn't exist elsewhere. I listen to a couple minutes of live Miles Davis that was good. ETA starts with club noise, then Prince spends a long time planning his outfit and his night. Cute ditty. Cartoon brake sound effect. This speech reads like Morris Day. Prince hates making movies but like the money. I should watch his three movies that aren't Purple Rain. "Tell Me How U Wanna B Done" - Another live version is all, but it's got an extended performance. Again, beat and jazz touches, sexy but not overt lyrics. Watching the live footage, I truly regret not seeing Prince in concert. Unexpected rap, everything's a sexy party. ETA big party and extremely sexy, lots of cunning lingual instructions. Pretty good scratching. DISK TWO "Interactive" - Again all I have is a snippet of the song. But this is much more rock n' funk instead of jazz n' funk, not bad. Handclaps and buzzer and a really sweet guitar solo. ETA Are you reddayy for this opener? Big organ and bass. Fulfills the promise of the snippet I heard. "Da Bang" - Sorry, this doesn't exist at all. ETA one of the best tracks here. Loud-quiet-loud dynamic, reminiscent of B52s "Strobe Light". This bass pops like Les Claypool. "Calhoun Square" - Bay-beh, it's extra funky wah with some cool rock organ too. The title is a Minneapolis mall. More cowbell! Quiet-loud-quiet. Lot of power guitar here. "What's My Name" - Live version only, though Kendrick Lamar's rhyme is cool. More quiet-loud rocker. ETA quiet talk over shaker, alternating with cool drum rolls, Seinfeld bass pops, and quite good turntable scratching. Quiet/loud. "Crucial" - Nope, sorry, not there ETA some of that Around the World in a Day Eastern style. Not the most notable high-tone jam. "An Honest Man" - This is a piano Instrumental From "Under The Cherry Moon" (and boy did that soundtrack suck), It's not what is actually on the compilation. ETA choir of Princes are joined by some orchestral synth, a throw-away track "Sexual Suicide" - nope, not there ETA big funky drummer pop with farty sax, extra bass pops. Cool but I have no idea what this is about. "Cloreen Bacon Skin" - ugh ETA 15 minutes of Prince talking as an old man character and calling out to the drummer is somewhat better than it sounds. "Good Love" - goddammit ETA sounds like 80s throwback. Prince sings in a nasally high register, this must be electronically altered? Don't think it's the Camille persona, but close. Pretty hot. Even a little rap. "Strays of the World" - ETA slow and bombastic, a real closing track. Is that a closing whisper of "come"? DISK THREE "Days of Wild" (Live) - Well at least this one is supposed to be live, and it's nice to hear a song again. Prince is back in uptempo R&B and he urges you against violence and disrespect for women. Rap verse and popping bass."Oh by the way I play bass guitar", and it's a nice solo indeed. "Last Heart" - Smooth R&B with a deep bass. It's got a little Michael McDonald back keyboard and a big sax bridge. "Poom Poom" - Yes and it is repeated often. Good beat, kinda creepy pick-up artist-character spoken interlude. "She Gave Her Angels" - Mournful 90s piano ballad. No joke, the Youtube copy is Prince singing a music video at a muppet funeral on the Disney channel. "18 & Over" - ETA More come whispers. "18 and over, I wants to bone ya", not one of the more subtle tracks. Prince raps, a girl moans. Got a "Nothin' But a G Thang" whistle. HA HA HA, a horse whinny followed by "here comes the bone ranger". I love it! "The Ride" (Live) - A different live performance, this is concert footage. Here's it's twangy blues, which is just fine. Kick-ass electric blues solo. Seriously, watch this. "Get Loose" - This is a live single B-side version instead. It sounds like BT (remember BT?) Oh wait, that's what I said when this was on Come. "P Control" - This is supposed to be a remix, but we've been here before. ETA RIP Shock G "Make Your Mama Happy" - Hey, a new song where it's supposed to be. Prince wears the 70s funk extra-heavy. It slows down for a little a capella interlude then instrumental, all a fun time. "Goodbye" - Slow it down for the last track. Not too exciting, synth strings and earnest crooning. Way too much talking. Summary: Frankly it's amazing I've gone as long as I did without missing a track. Live bootlegs are very difficult to judge because there's no telling how much it departs from the original. It's a real shame because what I heard was quite good. Except for the weird long intro to the second track, you could throw this on at a party and everyone would love it. The rock Disk 2 seemed like it was going to a good place, I don't know why the internet hammer came down on it. Disk 3 seems a bit more mixed, but really it's not fair to judge anything except Disk 1, which was solid but also incomplete. I'd especially love to hear Disk 2. It sure looks better than Emancipation, anyway. ETA One would think and assemblage of tracks recorded over 11 years would be iffy, but this is a great album - definitely a hidden gem. There is so much here that is better than tracks that did make it onto the album at the time.
Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 2 I guess, for uncertainty plus guessing the direction of Disk 2. Would have been 3 for Disk 1 alone. ETA now with the whole thing, I think this goes as high as 4! Running come tally: 14 ETA+2 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 27 Favorite overall song: DISK ONE "Acknowledge Me", Rest ? ETA, DISK TWO "Da Bang" DISK THREE "18 & Over" (but "Days of Wild" wins best live track)
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Post by ganews on Jul 2, 2017 15:16:55 GMT -5
The Truth (1999) Pre-existing PrejudicesFinally Tidal is pulling its weight again, so I get an album in full without skulking around digging. This was released with the Crystal Ball box set, and how good can it be if it got pawned off along with a bunch of bootlegs? Probably still good. I'll probably love it just because it's a normal length and I can hear it. Unlike the mixed-up box set, this is completely a new NPG album and maybe it's what was going on in the three-year gap after 1996, Prince's longest. Wikipedia doesn't say much except that it's mostly acoustic, which could be good or bad based on other acoustic tracks. Songs"The Truth" - Solo acoustic with a twang, fine finger work. This has that little bit of vibrato that makes me think of a small stage, like Springsteen's Nebraska. Ha, still gets a 60 Minutes Clock sound effect. How many albums ago did that become a Prince hallmark? Only a few years. Whoa, a little electronic weirdness peaks in while Prince screams. Interesting mix. "Don't Play Me" - "I'm over 30 and I don't smoke weed." I like this already. Prince's lyrics are kind of grumpy old man, and the solo acoustic playing is rather generic college campus stuff. More odd electronic back-up, a little backing vocal. "Circle of Amour" - Song about high school girls and sisterhood n' stuff. More instrumentation here, the acoustic guitar is just an element instead of the main idea. Pretty adult contemporary sentimentality. You know, reminiscing about your 10th grade lesbian love strength. I was in 10th grade the year this was released. Just throwing that out there. "3rd Eye" - Acoustic jam, complete with acoustic bass. It gets down. First reference to the third eye that will appear on future album covers? Gong roll! Beatboxing. The twin Prince lead and backup vocals are super good. "Dionne" - Extra twang, de-tune twang. Very bare acoustic notes. Return of the chorus and electric string orchestra. Dionne should have let him down easy. We get some calliope effects too. A things get weirder this could fit next to earnest boardwalk ditties. "Man in a Uniform" - Bongo time, plus acoustic guitar and Casio effect. Prince's girl likes him to dress up. I want this harmless little fetish song to be included in a movie scene on a military base. The Casio effect is sort of a play on the trumpet call. There's even calls to attention. This really fits the acoustic trappings. "Animal Kingdom" - Beach sounds, a foreboding organ synth. The vocal effects get extra weird, put casually over an acoustic guitar. Prince don't need red meat, white fish, or bleu cheese. Thank you, dolphin sound effects, but you're no Gold Experience "Dolphin". Oh now I understand, Prince is also saying not to drink milk. "The Other Side of the Pillow" - It's cool, get it?! I love this song title. Prince is gettin' down on the stage with his acoustic and laying out the similes. The chorus of Princes gets close to ditty territory, and the whistling pushes it down that road. "Fascination" - A little extra energy now, some quick picking, lively percussion, even sparse synth bits. Mildly preachy lyrics again, but the song is brisk so I don't mind. Lovely picking solo. "One of Your Tears" - Loudest bass bumps yet. "Better than the used condom you sent me..." Prince is singing about Jared Leto?? Most subtle acoustic guitar use since "Circle of Amour". Flutes make a sweet appearance. I find this all much more interesting than Prince's early 90s adult contemporary. "Comeback" - The vocals remind me of "7". Prince continues to deploy his single finger-snap, which has appeared another time. This harmonic is particularly sleepy. "Welcome 2 the Dawn" - But there is no electric version? This is the kind of title to get people speculating about your song vault. This is quite churchy. Again acoustic, but I think I heard a couple electric guitar notes. Summary: As an acoustic album I think this really succeeds. It matters less to the adult contemporary songs, but "Man in a Uniform" and "3rd Eye" really benefit. Nothing suffered anyway. It's not all "imitation of an intimate Prince acoustic concert" like I assumed from the title track, so I guess it's just something he felt like doing. The songs sound composed, not just like acoustic versions, and I never got too sleepy It's another in the list of styles that Prince tackled and did well with. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 1. Prince did manage to make one or two tracks a hotter, but it's still an album driven by acoustic guitar. Running come tally: 14 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 28 Favorite overall song: "3rd Eye"
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Post by ganews on Jul 8, 2017 18:13:04 GMT -5
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999) Pre-existing PrejudicesMuch like Crystal Ball, this is a studio collection of bootlegs. Mercifully, it is less than one-third the length. Crystal Ball was full of great tracks, from what I was able to actually hear, so this seems like it should be good as well. This is Warner instead of NPG, which is even better. Songs"The Rest of My Life" - Piano and big band like that "Let It Roll"-era Little Feat. It sounds better than the comparable "Damned if I Do" on Emancipation. "It's About That Walk" - Use of the word "dame" generally does not portend well. This also gets the electric organ and jazz jam sound. The crown sounds are OK, but Prince's spoke-word musings are rather corny. The horns are nice though. "She Spoke 2 Me" - I really like this brief, rolling intro with acoustics and bongo. It settles into very Sade-territory jazz, and I dig that too. It's kind of funny to hear Prince getting excited merely because a woman spoke to him, and he throws some moans on top of the guitar solo to emphasize this. At the halfway mark it breaks down into more jointed and also instrumental jazz, and it's great. Really nice guitar noodles. And what is this other thing, electric piano? And bass, and drums/sax, everyone gets their solo. Prince comes back to trot out some jazz lingo. "5 Women" - Bluesy lampshade jazz. No, jazz-tinged lampshade blues. It took five women (not a tally because this title actually means the number) to her off his mind. Prince won't father a child with another woman 'cause he's still got it so bad. Solid song for a smoky club. "When the Lights Go Down" - This jazz gets a different sort of percussion, not quite bongo. We're in for another long jam; it takes a few minutes just to get words in after the occasionally discordant piano. The whole song is really just jazz backbeat for some singing and piano solos. This is the sort of performance that people mean if they use the phrase "tickling the ivory". "My Little Pill" - It's a loopy, jazz-experimental number with spoken word. Social consciousness tinge. "There Is Lonely" - Slamming the brakes on? Maybe this smolder will push all the way over the top - I did just hear a gong, after all. Maybe not, this jazzy guitar picking seems pretty earnest. Prince is so lonely, only the Biblical Cain after slaying Abel could understand. Well, that was short but at least the gong came back. "Old Friends 4 Sale" - Making the tally 30! If this were a little less slow, it could be Prince's submission for a Daniel Craig James Bond movie. Strings, minor horns. It's OK. The more lyrics I hear, the more I really like this James Bond idea. And the whole thing is just about credits length. "Sarah" - Hey, what? This just turned into a lounge cover band. It's a little funky but still pretty tame. It pales in comparison to the real Prince funk, certainly. It's gets a little intense at the end but ends too quickly to mean anything. "Extraordinary" - Oh I guess now we're going back in time twenty years for old Prince slow jamz. Oh lordy, it's a chime waterfall. Multiple times. It also ends quickly. Summary: This album was apparently criticized for lacking theme, but the theme is plainly the genre like on The Truth...is what I wrote before heard the back half of the record. Seriously, tracks 1-5 and 6-10 are night and day. The first half is another pleasant and successful experiment in genre, and the back half is scatterbrained and half-finished. Almost as if the record label didn't care or had personal beef with the artist! It's not Prince's fault, but this is the most deserving of the Half-Prince-Nelson since I invented the term for Dirty Mind. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 2. You could argue the jazz is suitably seductive in a Sade way before everything splits. Half-Prince-Nelson indeed. Running come tally: 14 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 30 Favorite overall song: "She Spoke 2 Me". I've got a real habit of not selecting the singles, even if I never heard the singles before.
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Post by ganews on Jul 9, 2017 22:05:15 GMT -5
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999) Pre-existing PrejudicesAnother from NPG, and at last the final record from 1999. I glanced over the tracklist and has covers and guest features from contemporary artists. Not people Prince discovered, but whoever was lying around uselessly at the time, e.g. Gwen Stefani. I think that does not bode well. But this will not be another acoustic/jazz/soul experiment. Also screw you Tidal, I'm relying on some kindly soul from YouTube for these tracks. Songs"Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic" - Stadium guitar, pneumatic synth, and farty bass. It's a reversion to years past in the funky rock mode. Prince is extra squealy. "Undisputed" - Featuring Chuck D! This may not actually be the album mix. Menacing synth, menacing vocals. Chuck D may only be here to yell "bass!" or do other things that sound like samples. This is a pretty good song with a little funk to take the edge off. "How you gonna get my back when you runnin'?" Oh, Chuck D is rapping after all. Prince references the fact that he writes a lot of songs; indeed he does. "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" - The chimes are back, very low in the mix, but they're there. Also some scratching, haven't heard that for a while. This is some of that slow and contemplative R&B, by which I mean adult contemporary. The Bollywood sound touches are nice. The lyrics are not as cynical as the title. "Segue" - four seconds not on YouTube "Hot Wit' U" - Featuring Eve, remember Eve? This is a good blend of synth and chiptune beat, with sexy lyrics to boot. "Underneath the cream I'll meet you." More scratching for Eve's verse. Yes, she shouts out to Ruff Ryders. Her verse is not bad, but her "I'm a tough girl, can you handle all this?" deal doesn't exactly work against Prince. "Tangerine" - Slowing waaaay down to stilted acoustics and sounds effects from the ocean and such. Bongo. Mercifully short, therefore pretty pointless. "So Far, So Pleased" - With Gwen Stefani, who I would say is well-described by "pleased". This song kinda sucks. It sounds like late 80s electric Mellancamp pop. This is no mere guest verse, Stefani fully matches vocal duties. It briefly breaks down to a decent guitar solo. This is almost ostentatiously pop rock. Stefani gets in her trademark oohyeah. She's really barely there as an independent presence though, so what's the point? "The Sun, the Moon and Stars" - Fingersnap and tap jam time. Orchestra strings in the back for that adult contemporary groove. I guess Prince didn't give a fuck about an Oxford comma. Prince does a little Jamaican accent style for a rap. More ocean sound effects. "Everyday Is a Winding Road" - Yep, the Sheryl Crow song. This has a higher tempo, some surprising synth, bongo, R&B back strings, chimes. It's safe to say Prince is doing his own thing. He brings in the group of Princes and a little funky soul for the chorus. This is definitely superior to the blare of original from three years earlier, especially once the guitar squeals in for the end. Or I thought it was the end; Prince turns it into a jam. It's probably the most fun here. "Segue" - Orchestra string snippet "Man'O'War" - It's a sign 'O' Prince. It's another slow jam, really slow. I miss the horns that featured on these songs in the last few albums. I don't miss the chime waterfalls. This song is about Prince's vocal acrobatics. "Baby Knows" - Actually featuring Sheryl Crow this time. Harmonica (played by Crow) and fuzzy drums kick it off. Prince is putting down a southern fried jam. This is not the worst, at least Crow actually adds something and has supporting vocals instead of being a mirror like Gwen Stefani. Like the other tracks with guests, it feels like it was written for the purpose of having said guest more than for being a stand-alone song. "I Love U, but I Don't Trust U Anymore" - Featuring Ani DiFranco on acoustic only. The piano put the brakes go on so it caused a five-car pile-up. This is perhaps the lowest karaoke moments of Prince's career to date. Prince says he "would never pick the flower of [his] protege"; that doesn't sound right. "Silly Game" - Back to R&B fingersnap chime waterfall land. Nothing else to bother saying. "Strange But True" - Prince spoken word over a frenetic tempo patter, plus some other sounds and scratches thrown in. Some synth buzz in between that's actually pretty cool. Aptly and cutely titled song. It should be a little shorter. "Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do" - Yes indeed the Richard Marx song. This is more straightforward than the Sheryl Crow cover, not as slow and breathy. "1-800-Newfunk Ad" (hidden)- Prince's haunted house voice says to go to www.loveforoneanother.com, and for NPG swag dial 1-800-newfunk. The former redirects to LoveTests.com. "Prettyman" (hidden) - Gay lisp joke intro? That doesn't seem like Prince's thing. This jazzy funk has the most feeling in the album. "Superball used to be my nickname" is the best boast in a long while. Cypress Hill squeaks, electric piano, sax toots, farty bass. Summary: This has one of Prince's most inverse ratios between stylish album covers and music quality. It has been his least essential album in years. There were a few stinkers, but overall it was a lot of generic adult contemporary. With some songs written around guest performers thrown in at random. And for no purpose; the guests mostly add nothing. One year can only produce so much. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 2 I guess, for the genre quality of most of the tracks. Running come tally: 14 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 34. We're one-third of the way to 100, but Prince still has plenty of albums to go! Favorite overall song: "Prettyman"
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Post by ganews on Jul 15, 2017 15:36:17 GMT -5
The Rainbow Children (2001) Pre-existing PrejudicesIt's a new millennium, after 1999 generated some 10,000 years of content. Prince went back to using the name Prince in 2000, snd also this was apparently initially released on Prince's website before NPG, was anyone else doing that in 2001? And two tracks free to download, in the time of the Napster fight. The cover is a nice painting of a jazz band, and if this album is similarly a return to jazzy stuff over the R&B stinker of Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic it's a good thing. Songs"Rainbow Children" - At 10 minutes this must be Prince's longest track yet. It does begin with pure jazz, which is thankfully not horribly slowed down like the voice talking over it all. A little electric guitar and chorus vocal peeks in, but mostly it's this voice telling a story very slowly. There's some god-talk, the jazz gets alternately good and experimental-discordant. "Muse 2 the Pharaoh" - Organ and chorus, so churchy sounding but not about church. At least the vocals are recognizably Prince. "The opposite of NATO is ATON"; Aton was an ancient Egyptian sun deity. Prince just deliberately self-censored the word "fuck". "Digital Garden" - This has a little conga drum tempo while Prince croons more about this concept-album utopia. Then slowed-down voice is back while guitars generically rip apart. The voice quality makes me infinitely less than interested in what it's saying. A wasn't interested in the story at the end of Demon Days by Gorillaz either "The Work, pt. 1" - A little tempo, and this is the first song that sounds like a song. Mostly drums, horns, and chorus. It's fairly subdued, but nice. Ugh, slowed-voice tag. "Everywhere" - A lady is singing. A fast jazzy tempo strikes up. These drums are the best part of the album, but the slow song on top bores me. I wonder who played these instruments, Wikipedia doesn't have those credits. The tempo slows down at the end to to ruin my good will. "The Sensual Everafter" - I truly hate the Voice as I will now call it. This intro sounds like late 80s Genesis. Other than that it's instrumental and none too interesting. "Mellow" - Jazz flute and drum taps. Get lost in the mellow-mellow generic jazz backing. Prince does a little intimate whispering, but this album is barely holding me anymore. "1+1+1 Is 3" - Ménage à trois song? Ugh, Voice. Farty bass, some synth and electric guitar pick-ups. There is good electric weirdness and funk here. This is actually a fun track, what a thought. The backup party people even start making noise. Basically they abandoned the album concept after the beginning of the song and decided to have a party. "Deconstruction" - Voice story mode. "Wedding Feast" - Regular spoken word, then Disney's Hercules chorus singing something to the tune of "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead". "She Loves Me 4 Me" - No it's not Blessid Union of Souls (speaking of bad spelling), it's soft fusion jam. Soft is the only way to describe it. Acoustics and taps. "Family Name" - Electronics, synth fuzz bass, drums...and an electronic ATM voice and sound effects, just not the Voice. Prince just can't do without something to ruin it. Stephen Hawking's computer guest stars. How many of these songs actually feature Prince singing? Well he does sing three minutes in. Prince suspects corrupt preachers. More Voice and other stuff. This is a mess. I wonder how much Prince paid MLK's terrible children to include this snippet of "I Have a Dream"... "The Everlasting Now" - ...and how screwed up is it that the cheers for MLK are faded into Prince concert cheers? This has some funk, a lot of cymbal. "It don't matter [various things] how many women you laid, if you mess with the flag, to them you're still a spade." That also sort of links Prince to King who went on to speak against Vietnam. The song is a jam, and it keeps going 8 minutes. Voice. Prince slaps somebody [the audience] who wishes he would play like he used to. "Last December" - Slow and less interesting than adult contemporary Prince. The tempo picks up slightly for electric Jesus, then a bluesy guitar solo. Then slow again, whatever, I don't care anymore. "Last December (reprise)" - The word "one" repeated a bunch. Summary: Ugh, concept albums. The slowed-down Voice telling the story of the rainbow children is the worst thing Prince has done, and it's all over the album, even tagging otherwise OK songs. There was jazz, especially on side A, but it didn't live up to the album cover. This is the first time Prince has produced two trashable albums in a row. You can directly correlate the quality of a Prince record with the percentage of songs that feature his vocals instead of some sound effect or guest singer. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 1. The Voice and the story aren't sexy at all, the rest is either fairly neutered jazz or harmless party backdrop. Running come tally: 14 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 36 Favorite overall song: "Mellow" is the least offensive, you could put it on a mix CD. Any song using the Voice is ineligible.
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Post by ganews on Jul 16, 2017 16:11:41 GMT -5
One Nite Alone... (2002) Pre-existing PrejudicesThe last two albums have been lousy. According to the print at the bottom of the cover, this album is solo piano and voice, and that will probably suck. Then again, stripped-down Prince won't have that awful voice from Rainbow Children. It could actually be the intimate and private affair it is probably supposed to be, something closer to The Truth. At 35 minutes it's shortest Prince album yet, and that has value. Even the good overlong albums could use trimming, like Sign 'O' the Times. That said - Fuck You, Tidal for not having it. I've only got one week left on my free trial. I'm going to have to pick these tracks where I can, some from the live version that is actually on YouTube. Songs"One Nite Alone..." - Yup, piano. There's some other stuff going on too, orchestral production vagueness. Prince is whispering some come-ons, but still no utterance of "come" in this foreplay. The washy vocal effects are sparse, the whole thing is foreboding. "U're Gonna C Me" - no we're not, because it doesn't exist "Here on Earth" - doesn't exist "A Case of U" - Prince is a lonely painter. This gets a drum-rim tap and some back-up Princes. A little organ. This sounds more like what I expected of this album than the slightly weirder title track. Usually when I type something like that, the song immediately changes, and this one got the heavy keys and even a little bass in the outro. This is a Joni Mitchell song. "Have a Heart" - Dontcha have to have a heart first before you get it broken? Makes me think of Eddie Valiant in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" saying you have to have a heart for an attack. Pretty short, so not much room for ideas. "Objects in the Mirror" - ...are probably closer than they appear, but this track doesn't appear "Avalanche" - well, there is a 2011 movie called "Prince Avalanche", I can tell you that "Pearls B4 the Swine" - A little conga in the back, and little acoustic too. Just that little bit adds a whole lot to completely bare piano songs. Prince is saying Grace over a bagel and cream cheese. "Young and Beautiful" - Might be an anime title, that's all I got. "Arboretum" - Instrumental. Piano with a bit of sound crickety sound effect (yes, Prince...found a way) and some very quiet Enya choir. IMPORTANT EDIT: this song featured Prince's two pet doves, Majesty and Divinity. Al Roker says they actually cried when Prince died. Summary: Well, there's not much to say when half the songs can't be heard from an album this short. It's a trifle of an album. The more stripped the songs are, the more they sound like unfinished ideas. The ones with more production are fairly interchangeable. Who knows, this might be good with the gaps filled in. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 1 as far as I can tell; it's more likely to put you to sleep Running come tally: 14 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 40 Favorite overall song: "One Nite Alone..." almost by default
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Post by ganews on Jul 22, 2017 18:11:19 GMT -5
Xpectation (2003) Pre-existing PrejudicesWhat if Prince made a 100% instrumental album? Well Guess What! This was released as a digital download only on just two occasions, and that's it until Tidal made it available (good job Tidal; looks like I'll be paying for one month after all). So the scarcity of this record, combined with my antipathy toward purely instrumental music, plus the crummy and/or boring last few releases give me low expectations indeed. Songs"Xhalation" - A lone violin strikes out over the most ambient of jazz, a must-have for an instrumental record. Looking at the credited artists list to see if Prince is that much of a multi-instrumentalist (it's played by someone else) I see there is going to be a lot of this. Short and barely there. "Xcogitate" - Conga, sax, electric piano. I will endeavor to make this review more that a list of instruments, but Prince has to meet me halfway by making the music more than that. I do like jazz flute. This too ends without feeling like there was structure. "Xemplify" - Organ, horns, and a bit of pep in the drums. Too bad the drums aren't Prince either (he is credited with keyboards and guitar only). This is pretty good, especially when the violin does a little Charlie Daniels devil-style. All the most interesting parts are played by someone other than Prince, but he's the arranger I guess. I wish he hadn't arranged this to stop and get all serious at the end. "Xpectation" - The first thumb-in-your-eye drum solo. Not that I don't like drum solos, just that putting it at the beginning of a song is calling even more attention. This is the closest to a rock song. There's an electric sound that gets at the Little Feat "Let It Roll" style of some of Prince's other music. The keys get truly weird, and it's good. The drum solos are generous. It's a bit mixed up, I'm still not feeling structure. "Xotica" - Of course the one named "Xotica" is little more than a smooth sexy backing track complete with drum-rim taps and saxy sax. Replace the keys with vocals, it's a generic (not in a good way) Prince track. "Xogenous" - Mournful violin, sounds like Do As Infinity. (Any Inuyasha fans in the thread? Any readers at all? My god am I here all alone? Something is happening here, and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?) Anyway this picked up while I was typing, now there's some guitar noodling that's not bad. Finally Prince is the most interesting part of his own track. "Xpand" - Electric guitar jerks, vinyl crackle, and what's this a beat?? When the sax walks in it makes me think this is the first track here to sound like jazz fusion, not jazz called jazz fusion in an effort to interest people. It's best when the horn finally takes a break and the guitar comes back to play. "Xosphere" - Guitar picks around a bit. This is just come-down from the previous. Synth wash makes it sleepy. "Xpedition" - I was about to ask if OutKast sampled the drum intro from this song for their own drum intro on "Spottieottiedopaliscious" before I remembered that this track is newer. We're getting a little more aggressively weird. The violin really turns it up, the sax gets some wah accompaniment. This is the most fusiony yet. The snare rings like a bell. The piece meanders all over, befitting of its title, but this is a genre where an eight-minute jam is acceptable. And just because Prince cannot let something be acceptable without tweaking it for sake of weirdness, the closing sample is a baby crying. Summary: Is jazz something more than rhythm interspersed with virtuosic instrumental solos? Does jazz fusion mean more than jazz with some guitar? Prince takes few opportunities to dispel these notions. This wasn't bad, but honestly if anyone wanted to listen to this style they could go and actually buy any number of albums produced 25 years earlier that were doing it better. I could just go and listen to the Dixie Dregs (I have and they're better). You could put it on in the background of a martini party, no one would think anything of it. Even on an instrumental album, Prince managed to insert his idiosyncratic spelling. Sadly, it's the most listenable of the last few albums. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 1. Don't be silly. No one outside a conservatory has had sex because of jazz in decades. Running come tally: 14 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 49 Favorite overall song: "Xpedition"
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Post by ganews on Jul 22, 2017 20:01:05 GMT -5
N·E·W·S (2003) Pre-existing PrejudicesHitting this slump hard, dear reader. I saw that this one was another complete instrumental, and I just had to look ahead. Stay tuned for the big comeback. Meanwhile, this is Prince's lowest-selling album of all time; it was recorded in a single day; it was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental album. Serious strikes all. Let's get this over with. Songs"North" - It's an acronym, get it?? Right off the bat this is not jazz fusion so much as fusion. We got bubbly fart guitar, chime waterfall. I have butterbeans to shell, which is much easier when their are fewer tracks to credibly review. This was boring but not eye-rolling until it turned completely into piano. The last wo minutes are almost just air, I guess to get every track to 14 minutes. "East" - *hmm, since this is instrumental no one is going to say "come" or "purple"; therefore no one can prove I didn't listen* Lone snake charmer pipe. The drums and fire alarm beat inject foreboding. This passes into a new song, with a new beat and sudden guitar chugs. In case it wasn't clear, the four equal-length tracks thing is artifice. The guitar chugs are for when Maggie pulls out her pacifier and says "this is indeed a disturbing universe". Prince is suddenly playing the guitar part from "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver". The sax is farting on my face. Also ends with piano filler. "West" - Boring rejected backing track, like "Xotica" from last time. Now it got funky, because like "East" this is just different songs smashed together. This is bit is actually some of Prince's best funk-jazz fusion in years, but of course it just transitions away into Prince playing the Star Spangled Banner or whatever this is. "South" - Space sounds, then funk with space jazz fusion. Then some Edgar Winter "Frankenstein"; same as before, the 70s did this better. Then it slows way down, because Prince knew that 14 years in the future I would think to myself "it really was only the first track that was boring, the others are mixed-up but have good ideas". Finally out wih not a bang but a whimper. Summary: But your new shoes are worn at the heee-hee-hee-he-he-heels, and your suntan rapidly peee-hee-hee-he-he-heels, and your wise men don't know how it feee-hee-hee-he-he-he-heeeeeeeels...to be thick...as a brick. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 1. Running come tally: 14 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 49 Favorite overall song: "East"
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repulsionist
TI Forumite
actively disinterested
Posts: 3,556
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Post by repulsionist on Jul 22, 2017 22:21:57 GMT -5
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Post by ganews on Jul 23, 2017 14:40:14 GMT -5
I know, repulsionist, you're a loyalist. But I wouldn't blame you for skipping the past few stinkers. I'm ready for this supposed comeback.
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Post by ganews on Jul 29, 2017 15:20:45 GMT -5
Musicology (2004) Pre-existing PrejudicesThis is supposed to be the big comeback, and I am ready for it. With a few exceptions, Prince has been in the woods for me since 1994's release of the Black Album. Once again, screw you Tidal, I'm pulling these song-by-song from a loyal fan on YouTube. Songs"Musicology" - The first words are about funk, party, and Harlem, so I think we've left behind the jazz fusion ghetto. I have actually heard this song before, meaning I can finally bring back the category Like so many comebacks, this name-checks other quality stuff from the past, like Earth Wind & Fire, James Brown's "Hot Pants", Jam Master Jay (who was two years dead at this point), and "old school joints". The horns are sparse, the DJ is back. I had thought the title would refer to a deep study of Prince's own catalog instead of piggybacking on others. "Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance" - The title would be better without the first two words. "A bitch beyond compare"; Prince is feeling a little raw. Like the title track, this is sparse beat driven by vocals and mix. Also like the title track, it features a few words from Old Black Dude Voice. Instead of revival name-checks, it's a bit of a story song but third-person for a change. "A Million Days" - Starts with a roll on the drums and some 80s guitar, so it's already the most instrumentation on the album. Prince sings a mournful ballad with a limp funky-poppin' bass, some 90s wah-wahs, and inflated guitar that sounds like a parody of itself, like end-of-the-dial praise music. "Life 'o' the Party" - Return 'o' the 'o'. Drum breaks and big lady supporting vocals out of the early 90s. "Puttin' the I in fine." Curious breakdown mid-song. It's still sparse work just backing good vocals, but this one switches it up a bit. Oh snap, Prince maybe digs at Michael Jackson: "[my] voice is gettin' higher and I ain't never had my nose done". "Call My Name" - It's a piano and bass jam complete with chime waterfall. At least it's current events, references to stopping the war and bugging phones. "Call my name... *Prince*". "Cinnamon Girl" - No it's not a Neil Young cover, but I suspect that would be awesome. Prince does make the guitar cry over a quietly driving drum. The song is a real throwback to "Raspberry Beret", but more bland. This asks, "What if Prince collaborated with John Cougar Mellencamp?" "What Do U Want Me 2 Do?" - Seems this doesn't exist online at all, I can't even preview a snippet on Amazon. "The Marrying Kind" - Also nothing online. From a fan video I suspect this involves cowbell. "If Eye Was the Man in Ur Life" - The best Prince spelling of all. It's more letters than the original! Also Prince is with the times as he is now using "Ur", where previous songs used "Your". All that I have is a more intelligible fan accompaniment video, and I can say that this is an OK song. A little funkier, a little Mario Brothers synth organ, a clever lyric about a Lakers fan actually liking the 76ers. "On the Couch" - Electric blues jam. "Don't make me sleep on the couch" is a good start to a blues song. The horns blend into the vocals nicely, and Prince lets the guitar cry just a bit. Probably the sexiest song here, I wouldn't mind if it were longer. "Dear Mr. Man" - Interesting, a spooky organ, rattlesnake rattles? and a mournful slow funk jam. This is, amazingly, the first time Prince has directly quoted a Bible verse (Matthew 5:5). Prince criticizes The Man for causing the world's problems, and the song is a major 70s throwback. As tribute it works better than any other song on the album. "We'd like to end this letter with three words: 'we tired o' y'all". "Reflection" - All I've got is a YouTube of a VHS of a live acoustic version. (Prince wears a turtleneck and chain and makes it look good.) This is another kind of mournful nostalgic song, the sort of thing that translate easily to acoustic version. Prince says his Afro used to be the roundest. Summary: As comebacks go it didn't totally blow my socks off, but it was acceptable. It wasn't the best album in Prince's previous ten years, but it was better than all the tiring or outright bad stuff. Certainly it was more engaging than all the recent jazz fusion and/or instrumental stuff. It didn't quite live up to its title; Prince plays around and pokes through multiple genres on one tight album, something he hasn't done in many years, but his back catalog is also full of better examples of everything he does here. Again, not bad but not mind-blowing. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 2, rounded up to be generous and to get the taste of instrumental jazz out. Running come tally: 14 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 51 NEW TALLY Songs not online, period: 15. I had to create this tally (going back to Crystal Ball) because we surpassed the number of songs with "come". Favorite overall song: "Dear Mr. Man" Favorite new-to-me song: once again the more familiar single is surpassed by something I haven't heard
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Post by ganews on Jul 30, 2017 16:03:02 GMT -5
The Chocolate Invasion (2004) Pre-existing Prejudices2004 was another busy year, but at least the description says funk and rock instead of jazz. Perhaps Prince will just be coasting for these final ten albums (yes, ten to go including this one! I hope to be done by the end of August). Musicology was supposed to be the comeback, but I'd really like to be blown away at least one more time. Considering this is another download-only album like Xpectation, I don't have huge hopes. Tidal has this one, which is just weird but welcome nonetheless. Songs"When Eye Lay My Hands on U" - This is actually smoky and weird and surprisingly sexy with the heavily distorted guitar. The solo vocals of the verses are much more intimate and attractive than the choir on the chorus. Then later the guitar cries while the CD player rips itself apart (oh wait this was never released on CD). It's awesome! "Judas Smile" - Weird sounds carry over, then all of a sudden Prince says "you've been bamboozled, hoodwinked, took!" all over this funky dangerous electronic beat. Amazing, this is already the most exciting Prince release since Come in 1994. Sort of a post-"Matrix" electronica, but also with mid-90s touches (Record Club just did "Fat of the Land"). Actually with the lyrics this would have been great for a Matrix soundtrack, especially once the guitar start up. "1979 times two!" The funky bass starts and this transmutes into something different and more 80s. The electronics persist though and even if this song is too long it's kind of an amazing transition. "Supercute" - A plane landing. A piano plunky 90s beat starts up, the guitar peeks in. It's another in the cannon of story songs about girls Prince knows, but the underlying theme of social consciousness continues from "Judas Smile". The guitar just keeps crying over the crowd reaction sounds. "Underneath the Cream" - "Wait a minute, turn the 'phones up." Prince has just unlocked another achievement in contemporary music, the hip-hop mixtape studio outtake staple. This is a bit of a sexy ballad with lots of talk of thighs and wet dreams and ...oh my god, "the last time you came", it's one to break the decade-long dormancy of the come tally! Not much interesting instrumentation to speak of, just Prince sexy-crooning, which is OK. "Sexmesexmenot" - I'm listening to the original release track lineup, not the Tidal lineup which is different for some reason. This has more wild electronic effects (Beck's Prince inspirations were not limited to "Midnite Vultures") and a 90s shaker beat, even a liberal amount of turntable scratching. Prince is 'bout to wet your pants. "Leave your sister and your underwear at home". Prince is even doing a little low rapping, pretty cool. For the final minute the electronics spin up again in a big way, and it's worth the extra length. "Vavoom" - Big scratches, synth beat, falsetto, crying guitar. Lyrics are more simplistic, playful, fairly clean...until Prince offers to come inside if it's cool. Yes he does say "va va voom" in spite of the song title. Guitar noodling. Man, Prince just sounds like he's having fun. "High" - Synth washy 80s dance party. "The horn goes beep, *beep*, the music in the Jeep" - R Kelly reference? If so I consider that a very generous callout to an vastly inferior artist working in the same vein. (Nope, this was recorded 2000-2001, Prince beats 'em again.) The instrumental outro is much more interesting than the rest of the song, with synth, plunky piano, and Darude-light electronics. "The Dance" - This is the song that didn't make it to the Tidal release, therefore I am forced to compare two different remixes on YouTube. It's a ballad, it uses at least some chime waterfall if not necessarily using it a whole lot like this mix. These strings and background spacey electronics are probably original, it's OK. Prince's vocals let the pain out. "Gamillah" - Chime waterfall and bongo beat to slow it down (how much is hard to say) for another ballad. Some Kenny G soprano sax sound. Guitar picking and candlelight piano are all there in this instrumental. "U Make My Sun Shine" - Prince must've put the party and in the front so the ballads could be last, which is actually a fine choice for a sexy album. For a download-only mix, there's forethought in the track listing. This gets organ and Prince choir. A real song about love. It's come all the way back to a bit of social consciousness. A bit of little drummer boy snare, a little guitar warble. - Tidal only - "My Medallion" - Prince messed around with the original tracklist too, so I'm including this which otherwise appears after "Underneath the Cream". Rather slow, beat-heavy story song. A girl snatched his medallion and called him a bitch. Flute contribution! Some Terminator electronics. Summary: Forget Musicology, which was okay but looks like a wank in comparison. This was the true return to form, and it's a damn shame that it was just a download album because it totally surpasses the former. (They were actually released on the same day, as was the next album on the list.) The energy cools at the end but it's really the most exciting album in ten years. There's real innovation to be found here, don't just think that I'm desperate for sexy funky songs after a drought; Prince continues to innovate with a new electronic sound while still leaving room for raps, scratches, ballads, and other Prince hallmarks. The increased presence of guitar was also much, much appreciated. This sort of find makes Discography Review truly worthwhile. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 4 and solid. Went from dark and sexy to playful to fairly chaste ballads. Running come tally: 16 Purple song tally: 6 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 53 Tally of songs not online, period: 15 Favorite overall song: "Judas Smile", and really this is one of the more difficult Prince records to choose from, because there's so much good. Favorite new-to-me song: all new
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Post by ganews on Aug 3, 2017 19:43:04 GMT -5
The Slaughterhouse (2004) Pre-existing PrejudicesExpectations could not be higher for me. This is the most excited I've been for a Prince album since the big ones from back in the day. I've been dying to listen to this all week since I heard The Chocolate Invasion late last Sunday and didn't have time to continue into this one. That album came out of nowhere for me, a download-only tracklist that was leaps and bounds ahead of the fairly milquetoast comeback album, and here is Part 2. Like Part 1 this was all recorded a few years prior. Songs"Silicon" - Leading with an electronic rubbery sound over drumbeat, and Prince offers synthetically altered vocals with a little bit of menace in them, much more rapped than sung. This is all very computerized, a long-standing Prince theme. The Tron synth peeks in but doesn't dominate. "S&M Groove" - A farty beat, some funky guitar, electronic scratching. Prince sings through a megaphone or something. Namecheck of NPG records. "Wanna show you one of my purple toys", I thought that tally was done! This Tidal version had radio edits, which is kind of funny considering the track title and I guess original. This really make me long for an early-2000s Prince/late 90s Beck collaboration, especially once we get to handclaps and guitar noise. This is just fun, though the NPG shoutouts are getting a bit heavy-handed. "Y Should Eye Do That When Eye Can Do This?" - "This drummer wicked", and it does sound close to James Brown's "Funky Drummer". Prince is rapping low and mean, he sounds like the guy from C&C Music Factory. Horns make an appearance, but the instrumentation for these all tracks has been fairly sparse. Some of these lyrics are a little cheesy for this late a recording, like "boom shakka lakka boom". The songs also feel just a bit long even at 5 minutes or less. "Golden Parachute" - The flute says it's jazz time, but it's actually jam time. Slow beat, multiple chime waterfalls, funky notes, 70s guitar warbles. As per the title, Prince continues a bit of social commentary like Part 1. Sample lyrics "tax breaks with benefits". This is just as much evocative throwback as Musicology. The flute is actually quite nice, and the guitar noodles a bit. "Hypnoparadise" - Prince is whispering sexy-like, then it turns into an almost comically big dance beat with snare ringing like a bell. Electric piano, synth-chime waterfalls, flowery vocals. Is this the most Prince falsetto on this album yet? This one is the lost Prince/Of Montreal collaboration. It's so silly and fun. This one also feels stretched but it's justified by being a dancefloor number. "Props 'n' Pounds" - Sample of a music critic clearly talking about Prince. Then the song is a sort of lazy, laid-back funk. "Why you wanna holler when you know what the Bible say?" Prince stops for a rap. Then that music critic again, except the clip extends so he actually names Prince. Hilariously, in the clip the critic is talking about Prince mixing elements, and "fortunately he knows when to stop - usually." "Northside" - Another number driven by energetic drumbeat and vocals with just bits of other stuff like horn notes for flavor. Bass! Prince is deep into the George Clinton style on his one, sliding into Sly and the Family Stone. It occurs to me this would have been produced around the time that the Moby/Gwen Stefani version of "Southside" was all over the radio. Sweet organ solo here, good sax too. "Peace" - Prince starts with an interlude where he makes fun of himself using the guise of a old blues hall singer. Then the song starts up with a heavy electronic drum beat, guitar warbles, and big Prince chorus group vocals. This is as much throwback to the 90s as "Golden Parachute" was to the 70s, there's even a remix record-wiggle sound effect like there used to be everywhere. It finishes with the sketch from the beginning, "arrr-tist...formerly known...as Prince". "2045: Radical Man" - Prince speaks in front of a roaring crown about the evils of the record business like he was a preacher-hah. The song is also beat and vocal driven, with sound effects like a cash register and chime waterfalls. I like this pause to focus on the cool supporting electric piano. Prince defines the n-word for us, says the word really applies to the guys in corporate suits trying to keep down the Radical Man. The song also finishes with the opening sketch. "The Daisy Chain" - Prince lets out some screams, and this gets very funky with electronic assists and vocal modulation. Prince welcomes both black girls and white girls givin' it up. Someone who is not Prince shows up to deliver a rap, Wikipedia says it is David "DVS" Schwartz. Not bad, nothing world-changing. I wonder how he felt when this song got released four years after it was recorded, he must've been like "damn Prince, fuck this jazz and release the good stuff!" So say we all, DVS. Distorted guitar, distorted vocals. Summary: Another very solid entry, though not quite on the breath-of-air-to-a-drowning-man level of Part 1. It was more laid back than Part 1/ The Chocolate Invasion, and much more prone to referencing and imitating other artists and styles like Musicology. But then, they were all three released on the same day. Every song was essentially a jam, almost entirely driven by drums and vocals, and also everything felt just a liiiiitle stretched. I'm plenty willing to forgive it. It wasn't completely uniform though, just look at "Hypnoparadise". Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 3. It's a party but more relaxed than Part 1. Running come tally: 16 Purple song tally: 7 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 54 Tally of songs not online, period: 15 Favorite overall song: "Hypnoparadise". Such big fun and such a different sound from the others, and a successful experiment for Prince in general. Favorite new-to-me song: all new
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Post by ganews on Aug 6, 2017 15:34:01 GMT -5
3121 (2006) Pre-existing PrejudicesI'd like to believe with the trio of 2004 albums, we're simply done with Prince's Lost Decade. I peaked at Wikipedia a bit, and judging by the listed genres I think there's a good chance this is true. One important thing I have to share: "Prince included a limited number of 'purple tickets' with the album. Lucky winners who found tickets were flown in from Europe, Asia, Mexico and the US to attend a semi-private performance (along with a long list of celebrities) at Prince's home". Tidal doesn't have it (this seems to be the last one they're missing) and my library system actually does, but I've found it on MixCloud so I don't have to request the physical CD. Songs"3121" - Kick off with a drumbeat and some oddly electrified vocals. The guitar is also oddly peaky and distorted. You can come to 3121 if you want to, but you can never leave, kind of an Eagles thing. This is where the purple party people be. "Lolita" - Big synth and snap beat. If all of Prince's track from here out turn out to be throwback to his earlier sounds that is OK. The ol' stadium synth even breaks out. Gratuitous Spanish appears, but I thought Lolita was Russian. The fellas in the crowd and the girls in the crowd respond to Prince's calls, and I can't help but think of OutKast's "Hey Ya". "Te Amo Corazón" - A bit of South American flavor and bongos, but behind Prince's crooning I'd prefer more Spanish guitar and less piano. A little flute, a little horn. Prince's world sound is OK at least, like Lovesexy instead of Around the World in a Day. "Black Sweat" - Electronic whistle all over a big stomper. Prince whispers and squeals over that stomp, and you believe he really is workin' up that black sweat. The chorus of spoken-word Princes comes in for emphasis, and the arcade cabinet fuzzes out. "Incense and Candles" - Oh my god, that is Prince on T-Pain Auto-Tune. He's got a girl singing with him, and they've added all the sexy effects. He really exercises this Auto-Tune, and I can't say I approve. Prince is such a good singer, it's so very trendy and unnecessary. His quick rap on the other hand is hot and perfectly acceptable. The quick and slow energy of the song is actually really good, as cliched as all these elements are now. This isn't the 504 Boyz. "Love" - Vinyl needle fuzz and electric loop. This really is Prince for the new millennium. The same girl is still on backup vocals, and this is just a 2006 club dance track for college girls. The beat continues into a cooler breakdown though, Prince makes a straight call to the dancefloor, and the funky guitar turns up. "Satisfied" - Brakes on for a southern electric organ slow jam. "This is gonna be a long night" pretty much sums it all up, Prince just wants to croon at you a bit before taking all your time for a long time. "Foreplay starts in the mind". "Fury" - Tempo right back up for a big horn sound, piano chords, and guitar jam. This is another one where the production sounds like it was recorded live, especially whn the guitar sings. A mean, Prince is backing up and echoing himself, so it's not, but that sound is unmistakable. "The Word" - Stomp beat, that acoustic guitar I was asking about, light turntable work, sax toots. Prince is calling to action for I don't know what, maybe something vaguely progressive-churchy based on the sound. Yes Sound reappears after long absence. "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed" - Girl vocals again, Wikipedia says it is Támar. She used to be in Destiny's Child but left before it got that name. Her metaphorical vocals about being found unformed and shaped are pretty on point, seeing as she is best know for working with Prince, and he has a long history of this sort. There's not much hear but drum machine and vocals and not much for me to say. So pretty standard for a Prince protege. "The Dance" - Slow. I know I have heard this...ah, from The Chocolate Invasion. Probably the low point of that album. This has strings and piano, eh. The soulful Prince breakdown with handclaps really is the best part. "Get On the Boat" - Big horn and funky bass rumble. It's OK. This drum solo with the snare ringing like bells is cool, and everyone takes their turn. I know the boat is just an expression, but this is kinda cruise music. That's a little meaner than what I intend. Summary: It was a'ight. Like Musicology this was a big seller (biggest since Batman) and viewed even moreso as a big comeback. It's a little sexy, a little party, quite a bit scattershot. Almost immediately after I wrote I was OK with Prince not changing much, he went and used Auto-Tune and planted himself firmly in contemporary music. Hell, T-Pain didn't even break out until 2006 and all this was recorded in 2004-2005, so Prince proves he is still on the cutting edge. I just don't like that edge, but at least it was only one song. Most everything else can be sourced from some other place in his career, which is as I said, a'ight. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 3. Nothing too explicit, a lot of party, no big turn-offs. Running come tally: 16 Purple song tally: 8 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 54. This is the first album since before Controversy without an increase in this tally. ( N.E.W.S doesn't count.) Tally of songs not online, period: 15 Favorite overall song: "Black Sweat" Favorite new-to-me song: all new
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Post by ganews on Aug 6, 2017 17:15:22 GMT -5
Planet Earth (2007) Pre-existing PrejudicesWhat was going on in 2007? Based on the last one I sort of expect to coast on classic sounds with contemporary flavors sprinkled in. I hope that doesn't mean more Auto-Tune. Songs"Planet Earth" - Sad piano. I accidentally typed "paino", should I have left it? This is not Prince's first expression of concern over nature. The piano key slides and uninspired backing don't much...inspire me. The big guitar solo is fine, but I've lost interest. "Guitar" - And guitar-driven it is. Though it's not much more than scales. I think I've heard this? Apparently it was used in a Verizon commercial. "I love you baby, but not like I love my guitar" is a fine line to build a song around, but the song ain't much and it's just the two 30 second periods of solo noodles that are something. "Somewhere Here on Earth" - I was positive I had written this title before, but apparently not. Sloooooow jam, piano and sax, really early days stuff. "Guitar" wasn't world-changing, but at least it had a little energy. Even Prince's lyrics sound like he's freestyling in the lounge. "The One U Wanna C" - Back to a rocker, with late Beatles twang. Overall, maybe 70s wuss rock. Some hey-yay-yay-yeah backing vocals. I wish the bass pops in the breakdown were all over the place. I should put a positive spin on this and say it is easy power pop, which it is. Fade out on guitar singing, that sums it up. "Future Baby Mama" - Awesome song title, then it's an R&B jam. It would be awesome if this is intentional self-parody. Actually everything is played completely straight. Prince hasn't done this much soft romantic talking in a while. "Deep down I know what you want; you want your girlfriends to hate you 'cause they can't get your man." "Mr. Goodnight" - Transition to another R&B jam. Prince lays a little soft rap and explains the whole seduction plan, and it is extremely thought-out. He also offers a fair bit of between-line chatter, leaving the chorus to the backing vocalists. "A mind full of good intentions and a mouth full of Raisinets"...what?..."We can watch 'Chocolat' on the big screen"...oh. OK... This was actually pretty solid. "All the Midnights in the World" - Big piano/paino chime. Easy listening tempo, and pretty much everything else too. And then it's over. "Chelsea Rodgers" - Funky bass bump, oh funky everything. A woman is doing most of the singing. The horns are fine, the breakdown is better. Everyone gets a solo. "Shake it like a juicy juice." "Lion of Judah" - The funk track is over, so pump the brakes and strum that guitar. The tempo is middling, it's a bit less churchy than the Biblical reference of the title, but the vocal layering is very well done. Lay off the crash cymbal. Very late 90s, early 2000s guitar solo, sounds like Fuel when it's not noodling. "Resolution" - Strummy guitar rock, I thought Adam Duritz from Counting Crows was gonna start singing. The lyrics and the music are all very shiny happy feel good, the ol' Disney Prince, e.g. "c'mon everybody all over the world". Summary: Ehhhh, quite a step down. Not really awful, but most everything sounds like filler. Neither are there any great innovations, experiments or accomplishments. At least there was no Auto-Tune. Prince did it first and then it got played out. Yep, just a lot of filler songs here. There are only a few you would bother to make into one of those mp3s that Prince talks about so much. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 2 if you round up. "Mr. Goodnight" deserves something. Running come tally: 16 Purple song tally: 8 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 55 Tally of songs not online, period: 15 Favorite overall song: "Mr. Goodnight" because of the lyrics, and because the fun n' funky stuff didn't much stand out. Favorite new-to-me song: "Mr. Goodnight" even though I actually recognized a single.
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Post by ganews on Aug 7, 2017 19:59:53 GMT -5
Lotusflow3r (2009) Pre-existing PrejudicesIt's another long un', so for my convenience I'm breaking it up. These next two are two albums that were exclusively sold together, along with a third album by yet another Prince girl protege. Now that Prince is dead, I assume about three people in the world care about that third disk: the singer and her parents. This is the home stretch, recordings from the last ten years of Prince's life. The record is very mixed on multi-disk albums, so I hope this is one of the better ones like Sign 'O' the Times and Crystal Ball. Here's the first disk, I'm breaking up the review because they're separate albums or whatever. Songs"From the Lotus..." - Outer space, then guitar and keyboards that seem to want to go somewhere. It's an instrumental jam, so it jams and noddles a bit over jazzy drums. "Boom" - Contemplative electric guitar, Prince singing spacily. Then it rather stops short and begins an outright stomp...the back to contemplation. Sort of a curious stop and start, not exactly what you'd hope for from the song name. It's the right blend of new agey and funk for a goofy jam band concert. "Crimson and Clover" - The Tommy James original is one of my favorites. Prince is mangling it less than, say, Jimmy Eat World, and he's mixing it up with the Troggs' "Wild Thing", but it's not doing much for me. It sounds tame. This production has that live sound again, and of course the mashup sounds like improvisation. It seems like this big guitar solo jam is the only reason this song exists. "4ever" - Big churchy guitar. Jill Scott gets name-checked. Yep, this is the music and production of a talented praise band trying to go pop. "Colonized Mind" - More mournful guitar music, this time with miniature chime waterfalls. "The Revolution Princ-ipal", I see what you did there. Prince's lyrics are all over the place, about politics and conspiracy, and his guitar is gently weeping. Then less weeping and more noodling. "Feel Good, Feel Better, Feel Wonderful" - Something with a beat, some horn, some funk. And yeah cowbell! Prince has been using lots of vinyl needle effects lately. It's nice to have a song with a little positivity in it. It still sounds weird to me when he self-censors. "Let's groove to the purple rock n' roll!!" Maybe Prince is just in the mood to do what the people want, that's OK. "Love Like Jazz" - Let's not and say we did? As promised this gets jazzy taps and electric piano. It's actually a pretty good song though, some xylophone for giggles, laid back lyrics. As opposed to "Hypnoparadise" from The Slaughterhouse, this one is the late-period Of Montreal collaboration. Later on the drums pick up and we get a little more progressive rock kind of thing. "77 Beverly Park" - Ominous, echoing guitar chords give way to acoustics, loud string squeaks and everything. Harpsichord or something, Spanish guitar. "Wall of Berlin" - "Where am I?" asks Prince. Sounds like you're in Montreux playing the jazz festival in the 70s, to me. Who does Prince work so hard to make some of his tracks sound live? In case you needed reminding, this is a guitar jam album. Aw, have a drum solo too. "$" - So money, you don't even know. This is practically a guitar-driven ditty. It's not quite swing, not quite Brian Setzer rockabilly, but someone somewhere was wearing a zoot suit when they listened to this. It gets a little horn flourish, a little near rap. It's rather oddly, uniquely Prince, no one else could play this. "Dreamer" - Wah wah, wakkity wah, it's a big 70s guitar. There's even a cowbell back there. A little social commentary, a lot of power chords, a noodling solo, and live-sounding production. "...Back 2 the Lotus" - Basically a reprise of the instrumental intro. Spacey guitar, then it rocks a little in that live way, then it gets weird again to send us out. Summary: It's a guitar album, see? Prince sure did like people to pretend they were at a Prince concert. This was nothing particularly special, though I suppose the guitar emphasis keep it from being filler on the level of Planet Earth, the previous offering. Sure, lots of great solos. But when you are as prolific as Prince, you've got to keep the surprises and experiments coming to turn my head. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 1. Don't have sex at the concert venue, you could get arrested. Running come tally: 16 Purple song tally: 9 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 57 Tally of songs not online, period: 15 Favorite overall song: "$" for the sake of not picking the obligatory fun-but-not-fascinating funk track Favorite new-to-me song: all new
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Post by ganews on Aug 12, 2017 14:50:12 GMT -5
MPLSound (2009) Pre-existing PrejudicesI assume it's going to sound like part 1, Lotusflow3r, which I just realized is the top title of the three-disk set (and again, I'm not listening to disk 3 by Prince's protege). Songs"(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" - Wooooo! Big beat, immediately a real synthy strutter. Prince mentions his life-long love of email. Ask your family, everyone knows Prince is better. "Ooh mamacita." Prince can't stand nobody cussin', which is a funny thing to stay because he's cussed plenty. Also funny, it's a good thing Prince ate his spinach. "Chocolate Box" - Awesome, this features Q-Tip. Prince pushes out a bit of Auto-Tune edge, but it really is barely there, just for flavor. Much more forgivable than "Incense and Candles" on 3121. Synth-heavy beat, quick dance tempo. Classic Prince heavy breathing. Tip's rap is excellent; if only Prince had been featuring good rappers all along instead of the likes of Tony M. Tip also reference's Willy Wonka's golden tickets, funny since Prince just did purple tickets. Guitar shows up to embellish further. "Dance 4 Me" - Early 2000s pops, think Usher's "Yeah". Extra fashion references, Jimmy Chu and Christian Dior. Prince likes the private dance. This a a pretty classy strip club number for 2004. I wonder how many strippers have used Prince songs? "U're Gonna C Me" - Downshift to slow jam. Dontchuwanna lyrics and orchestral strings. It's not too sleepy, and "you're gonna see me" keeps the sound happy and optimistic. "You're the reason I took a rope and lassoed the moon", reference to "It's a Wonderful Life"? "Here" - Acoustic slow jam with other percussion and synthy bits. More lyrics about how the bed's too big and empty without you. Prince breaks it down in spoken word. "Valentina" – Back to synthy early 2000s club, except this puts on a thin Latin veneer on the backing vocals to go with the title and lyrics. The subject is rather creepy - Prince is gonna get with a Latina momma when she's done breast-feeding and otherwise taking care of her baby. Prince busts out a little rap, a little crying guitar solo. "Better with Time" - Piano slow jam with synth orchestra in the back. It's the softest and slowest yet, with some flute and chimes (but not R&B chime waterfall). "Ol' Skool Company" - I'm not ruling this a Prince spelling, because I'm pretty sure that's how Old Skool is properly spelled. Big but slow synth beat. "Oooh this my song!" Prince is breaking out the pimp imagery, and that includes the churchy talk. He reads the papers too, because he's pissed about the Wall Street bailout. "The Whit House is black". Shout-outs to both old Prince collaborators and contemporaries. Mildy noodly guitar solo which goes pretty well. "No More Candy 4 U" - Weird piano-driven old rock n' roll number, if that makes sense. Princes vocals and distorted guitar are almost background behind the piano, which has the cadence of a Casio beat. Thank god this was not the last song on the last album before Prince died. The lyrics are mocking the haters and the internet and the people who didn't pay their dues, but this song is no triumph. Guitar is solid when it peaks out though. Summary: A good deal better than part 1. The first three tracks are real standouts, the best since the 2004 comeback. Then is fell into OK but bland territory with some uncomfortable bits musically ("No More Candy 4 U") and lyrically ("Valentina"). At least Prince got Auto-Tune right, and he's still making good material. It's just the fate of artists with this much output to not condense the best tracks to truly amazing albums. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 3 when rounded up. The openers looked like the party was starting for the jams to take it into the bedroom, but it fizzled a bit. Running come tally: 16 Purple song tally: 9 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 61 Tally of songs not online, period: 15 Favorite overall song: "Chocolate Box" Favorite new-to-me song: all new
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Post by ganews on Aug 13, 2017 15:09:35 GMT -5
20Ten (2010) Pre-existing PrejudicesWikipedia says this one was also never released commercially in the US, only as free inserts in various English and European newspapers. Maybe it will be secretly great like The Chocolate Invasion and The Slaughterhouse, which were download-only? This was supposed to be Prince's diary over "a very important year" for the world. Songs "Compassion" - Quick tempo, stadium synth, guitar, and electronic drums. Is Prince shifting even further out of his old churchy lyric groove to grandmotherly world harmony lyrics? The back synth sounds like someone drew a smiley face on a Terminator, but the rest is shiny, churchy, can't-we-get-along. At least it doesn't have that live production sound. "Beginning Endlessly" - Big synth and martial drum roll. The song is more get-along, but the instrumentation has teeth. The guitar jangle lightens the mood. Prince shows why his vocals don't need Auto-Tune. "Future Soul Song" - Spacey slow jam. Sha la la la go the throwback backing vocals, an effect I like here the more I here it. The guitar shows up to jam a bit too. The lyrics continue to be utopian. "Sticky Like Glue" - Funky tip with sparse sounds behind the vocal, mostly relying on electric beat. Prince raps part of the story. The sound is good, the quietly funky jazzy funk, but the central lyric is kind of off-putting. "Act of God" - The funky sound leavened with synth is better than you might think for a Prince song with the g-word in the title. Actually it's another socially-conscious story about victims of capitalism getting written off as victims of an act of God. Prince says "freedom ain't free", but he doesn't mean what most songs with that phrase mean. Short and poignant but a good song. "Lavaux" - The rebirth of the Prince synth and electronic drumkit keeps rolling. This song sounds even more like Michael Jackson's "Captain EO", and that's OK. Another mention of the cost of freedom. The final farty bass note is funny. "Walk in Sand" - Piano time, with special guests chime waterfall and drumrim tap. This is extremely deep in the adult contemporary camp. Everything about this is a bad karaoke video (aka a karaoke video). "Sea of Everything" - Turn the electronics drums back on, but make it reeeeal slow. "I know you're busy, the world's calling you"; it's literally like Prince wrote and recorded these tracks in order and just remembered to add romance the the end of his save-the-world spiel, and he references it by calling out the the social worker girl. "Everybody Loves Me" - A little late pickup in tempo with farty synth backbeat. It sounds kind of corny even before the boardwalk piano plunks a few notes at the end of the chorus. "Laydown" - Apparently this song appears as a hidden track after some 75 other hidden tracks with about 5 seconds of silence each. Who was still doing this dumb stuff in 2010? It has a big beat and spacey sounds, strong chords and sharp backing vocals. The effect is menacing. Prince just called himself the Purple Yoda! taking the tally to double digits. Prince is sing-speaking and even rapping with the cadence of Baby from Cash Money Millionaires, or maybe 8Ball. C'mon now, bounce bounce - Prince is guaranteed to bring the dirty new sound - this is awesome. Summary: This feels like what would happen if Around the World in a Day was recorded by Prince using the same instrumentation he had been using in the early 80s instead of experimenting with world sounds. Except I don't expect this to have a happy ending (heh) like Lovesexy. Like I said when the album shifted off save-the-world mode, which wasn't without redeeming qualities, it feels like Prince remembered all of a sudden to try to get romantic, he's Prince dammit. Eh. The big revival of the synth n' drums was good (and continues the recent trend of instrumentally-themed albums), the songs just weren't the strongest. Until the hidden track "Laydown" was such a baller, where did Purple Yoda come from? Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 1. Even the jamz aren't sexy. Running come tally: 16 Purple song tally: 10 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 61 Tally of songs not online, period: 15 Favorite overall song: "Laydown", it's not even close Favorite new-to-me song: all new
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Post by ganews on Aug 13, 2017 18:39:55 GMT -5
Plectrumelectrum (2014) Pre-existing PrejudicesThus begins the final album run, where Prince has a third eye. This was released at the same time as Art Official Age (that's next time) with the famous third eye cover, and Prince's backing band here is called 3rdeyegirl (I think those are the three girls on the cover). Glancing at the Wiki it looks like straightforward funk rock and not a big seller, but my favorite albums of Prince's past 10 years weren't big sellers either. Songs"Wow" - Full rock band sound, a little loud quiet loud. No part of it is hurried. The first guitar solo is rather perfunctory, later it soars a bit. The showcase, if you were to see this live, is Prince speaking softly into the mic. "PretzelBodyLogic" - I have decided not to count smashed-together words as Prince spelling worth tally. The vocals (Prince and the girls together) and the guitar chords match, which makes the whole thing kind of noisy. It's still pulling loud-quiet-loud, like maybe tat is all this band knows. A little funky bass showcase, a little drum solo, fine, but let's talk about the song. "AintTurninRound" - The girls take over the vocals, and the band continues to sound like very early 2000s post-alternative Though at least not, like, Puddle of Mudd or Hoobastank or something; I was thinking of Boy Hits Car. Someone busts out an 80s overdriven guitar solo. The Voice from The Rainbow Children might be speaking through the distortion. "PlectrumElectrum" - This is the instrumental written by the band and arranged by Prince, and this is more 70s than early 2000s. Specifically, the chords are a helluva lot like Edgar Winter Group's "Frankenstein". I'm not sure if the drumbeat has changed for any of these four tracks. Some walking guitar is not impressing me too much, nor is the drummer's tom solo no matter how many times it is repeated. "WhiteCaps" - Finally a different song, like identifiably different. Girl singing (by the way I keep saying "girl" because that's what the band is called). Now we're on a trip to the early 90s with the slow rock number, for you Spin Doctors fans. Prince appears in the studio to add some backing vocals. The lead vocalist keeps sort of getting shy on the chorus so we can hear him. "FixUrLifeUp" - What is this intro - basically a cover of the intro to the Cars' "Just What I Needed". Prince is singing again, haranguing you to fix your life like he was Madea, again over this middling backing band. Nifty but out-of-place guitar solo, followed by and even more out-there solo. "BoyTrouble" - Cool, this features Lizzo, who I saw open for Sleater-Kinney a couple years ago. I'm always in favor of an adequate guest rapper, like Q-Tip was. And this is very women-focused soundtrack, all vocal performance over bass and simple beat. The guitar walks around a bit for the bridge. Lizzo comes back and references Jay-Z's "99 Problems" and other misogynistic stuff. "StopThisTrain" - Chime waterfall, you can't sneak by me on your lead to this slow jam where Prince can barely be heard behind the lead. I think I heard a bit of Auto-Tune edge, which isn't adding to this xylophone riff. "AnotherLove" - I don't recall Prince ever using this much reverb. "If you don't like this baby, find another love" - oh I would Prince, if I weren't locked into this project. Anyway this is a slow rock in the chorus and almost just a beat in the verse. This background guitar squall just amuses me. "TicTacToe" - Something about this, maybe just the words paper plane, make me wish Prince had recorded with M.I.A. instead of these girls. (Oh, it's "like a buncha blind people playin' tic-tac-toe.) Yes, it's another slow rocker. The chorus sounds sort like a less electronic, fun, whatever version of Sleigh Bells' "Rill Rill". Ha, there was a dolphin sound effect - Prince was here after all! "Marz" - Prince lost his job at McDonald's for giving free food to hungry black children before school. This has some tempo, though nothing much in this rock stands out. "FunkNRoll!" - Song, you better earn that punctuation. It has a rolling funky bass and dance-hall crowd, and hey some scratching. Prnce seems to put a little effort into the fake crowd work, but its too little too late for this album. Yeah, all the feeling of another obligatory funk number on a weak album, like the first disk of LotusFlow3r. Summary: Prince really got us good on this one - instead of sticking his protege onto an exclusive (and unheard) disk 3 of a 3-CD Prince release, he put his pet protege group all over an album under his own name and featured himself only half the time. The first half was recognizably rock but very samey, like we could be listening to any local band at an outdoor festival. The slower stuff with Prince barely there was barely interesting. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 1. No comment needed. Running come tally: 16 Purple song tally: 10 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 62 Tally of songs not online, period: 15 Favorite overall song: "FunkNRoll!" because it is not worth thinking hard about this one (Lizzo's verses were cool but Prince wasn't even on that track, like Graffiti Bridge)Favorite new-to-me song: all new
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Post by ganews on Aug 15, 2017 23:00:21 GMT -5
Art Official Age (2014) Pre-existing PrejudicesOne of the great album covers, in my opinion, but what of the music? This was released the same day as the thoroughly underwhelming Plectrumelectrum, and I notice it also features the unfortunately-named song "Funknroll!" that won best song on the last album by sad default. So this really does not bode well. At least this doesn't feature his mediocre touring band. Songs"Art Official Cage" - You read that right. Prince starts off with crowd noise, guest interjections, and handclaps...then everything gets very EDM. And there's a club siren. This sounds like a 30 second Spotify ad, writ large. There's a little funky bass, a little guitar peeking, but holy shit is this a new world fornPrince. There are way too many guest vocal effects, and there's another guest person rapping a quick verse. This is all mixed in. Ron Mael-style vocals. A friggin' bass drop. This is insane, and it's all happening so fast I can barely type these comments. "Clouds" - The radio dial sound effect flips us over into an old skool R&B jam. It's not too slow, and it's a welcome change. Prince is singing about the modern world moving fast; maybe the opening track was an insane parody? I can't see any other explanation. The sound isn't spacey, but Prince wants to flee to space. "Breakdown" - Slow piano and high singing, into a dirge with heavy bass, orchestra, and some Star Wars effects, sure. "The Gold Standard" - Plucky guitar, synth, and electric drumbeat, with Prince caterwauling and a scary deep voice for some reason. It's pretty hard to not sound like mashed-up elements of regular Prince features at this point, with horns and a song about groove. I am now positive that "Art Official Cage" was a parody. "Twenty-four carat hashtag" - I think I just got an alternate username! This closing skit stretches. "U Know" - Auto-Tune re-appears on the scene. This is likewise ultra-modern, all beat, looped piano, and vocal effect. The cut-wipes make it sound like a contemporary DJ sampling old Prince b-sides together. I am no longer sure that "Art Official Cage" was a parody. "Breakfast Can Wait" - Thankfully familiar ground, a sexy R&B jam with cool-dude snaps. "You shut it down last night; I thought the police were gon' come." Prince sings about all the breakfast foods he's not looking forward to as much as going for seconds "before you go to work", ha. OH GOD, why is this squeaky baby voice effect completely ruining the mood all of the sudden; it is like a needle in my ear. This could have been a really solid three minute song, then this shit for no reason. "This Could Be Us" - Slow jam. It sounds like Prince got the lyrics from a meme - "This could be us but you ____". The beat is all electric shaker with notes from piano and guitar E-string waterfall. "What It Feels Like" - Farty synth beat and chime waterfalls for a slow duet. Extra space sounds. "affirmation I & II" - The English girl voiceover talking about the future is back from "Clouds" in this skit. "Way Back Home" - Beat like wavy sheet metal, then thumping drum and synth noise in the back. This is another ultra-modern track, the Spotify ad sound. "FunknRoll!" - Yes, it's this song again. Wait, this definitely sounds different. On Plectrumelectrum this was funk filler, but here it is loud electric cowbell, electric drum snap beat, and a different vocal effect. The band riff is the same, then the bass drops and the tempo quickens into an EDM/RPG adventure theme theme hybrid. Why even use this title? "Time" - Phone dialing and ringing sound effects are never not annoying. This is yet another slow number with orchestra, electric beat, girl duet, and Prince singing through a filter. A little plunky bass and electrified horns show up, that's the best this can offer. "affirmation III" - One more bit of English voice, along with wavy sheet metal, snaps, strings, electric beat, girl vocals, and everything else that was lying around this album. Summary: Ho lee shit. I am flabbergasted. I went from thinking this would be Prince's most grandiose if horribly misguided experiment, to thinking the lead almost-title track was the greatest musical parody of our time, to feeling that if Prince had only committed to the bit this would be something truly memorable. Like Neil Young's Trans for a new generation (I have never listened to Trans). Perhaps I should have known better. Prince has a sense of humor about himself, but he has never wielded his music as a weapon. After the opening whatever, most everything was dull and flat with contemporary music flourishes. I don't think it's exactly "How do you do, fellow kids" (if Prince can make a song out of a meme, I can use a TV joke-turned meme in my review), but I don't know what it is. It both was and wasn't Prince; always willing to experiment but half-present on a lot of songs. Making good stuff but ruining it with gimmicks in class Prince fashion - the affliction of "Breakfast Can Wait" is on par with Tony M. killing "Sexy MF". Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 2, partly out of confusion. Half of this album does seem like what the Kids These Days might like for "sexy", but half is bland old Prince. Running come tally: 16 Purple song tally: 10 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 63 Tally of songs not online, period: 15 Favorite overall song: "What It Feels Like". This is momentous, the Prince album without a single redeeming or even "safe" pick for a good song. I scrolled long and hard to find a song with the least negative comments typed by my own hands. Favorite new-to-me song: all new
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Post by ganews on Aug 17, 2017 22:30:31 GMT -5
HITnRUN Phase One (2015) Pre-existing PrejudicesSecond-to-last and coming one year after another album pair, one a clunker and one an insane stinker. The third eye album covers continue, and I fully expect that to be the best part of the album. It saddens me that Prince looks to be going out like this. I hope for some bright spots at least. Songs"Million $ Show" - Strange voices warble, then a sample from "Let's Go Crazy", then finally the song begins. Peppy pop fast claps and a guest lady singing; you can tell Prince wrote the lyrics because she talks about the internet. Prince again sounds like a guest on his own song. The musical elements are all thrown together and shifting in and out with samples, but it's all fairly light. "Shut This Down" - Prince lays EDM and Auto-Tuned but strained vocals on top of an old R&B beat. This isn't quite my style, but it grows on me as the song goes on. It feels like the proper realization of the funk and 2010s EDM that Prince was trying to do on Art Official Age. Especially once we get to the bass solo and sampled 90s yells. "Ain't About 2 Stop" - Snake-charmer whistle intro into hard electronics. It's edging toward Spotify ad territory, but Prince keeps backing off before it goes over the top. This song also ends we a re-emphasis on more traditional instrumentation with the EDM, and here's that's actually a very good sound. "Like a Mack" - More hip-hop than the earlier tracks and full of contemporary electronic and vocal flourishes. It's clearly stated as club music. The guitar picks and solo horn are there for us old-timers. "This Could B Us" - Electronified slow jam. It sounds less like it was inspired by a meme than the track of the same name (except spelled "be") on the previous album. This is also a pretty good synthesis song with Prince's soul vocals, but I could do without this style of mixing. Every time I think old man thoughts like this, Prince brings in a guitar solo like on this song or some other traditional element to placate me. "Fallinlove2nite" - Straight outta the early 2000s disco. Prince echoes his own vocals through the squawkbox, the electronics wash over with the electric drums, orchestral strings, and horns. Everything else is so post-2010 this song is kind of out of place, but I like it. "X's Face" - Is your bass buzzing yet? Kids these days, I tell you what, do they actually like this deep voice burping in their earbuds? Prince was doing that years ago, I guess he was an innovator to the end. Someone made a monkey sound effect and there is mention of a banana; all I can think of is the Chappelle's Show bit where his "black pixie" says of the Ying Yang Twins "even I'm embarrassed". "Hardrocklover" - Prince sings softly until he busts out the guitar and makes it sing. It's a quiet-loud-quiet thing. In the song his girl doesn't like R&B but hard rock; this song is neither. It's a song where the sound has nothing to do with the lyrics; I am reminded of Fall Out Boy's Uma Thurman song. "Mr. Nelson" - The way the repeat the sample of "Mistah Nelson" makes me think of Del's "Mr. Dobalina" bit sampled from the Monkees. It goofs along, then a more serious electronic beat comes in, coming close to Terminator beat territory. Then the bass drops, the guitar sings, the Darude synth plays. "1000 X's & O's" - R&B sexy jam with slow bump, snaps, and subtle synth wash. Easily the most traditional song here (hell, it even fades out), but I can still tell what album it's on. It's pretty solid. It doesn't have any of the EDM production elements I hate. "June" - A little electronic effect like this is "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" from ten years earlier, otherwise a contemplative electronic piece. The lyrics reference Ritchie Havens and Woodstock, which is a funny juxtaposition. Neat electronic organ effect. These lyrics sound like Prince got high and walked around his house; it's all very cool. Comparable to James Blake's "Retrograde". Summary: Prince might have been making music for 35+ years but he sure wasn't afraid to keep trying new things, and he definitely wasn't going to coast like I suggested around the 2004 albums. In true Prince fashion, it took him at least one lousy album of experimenting with new styles (world music, rap, EDM) before getting it right. The man put out an album a year on average, you want him to wait and refine it??? I'm trying to keep my review from being entirely Old Man Yells at Cloud, so even though this contemporary electronic production isn't my thing I have to admit he did it well. Also it helps that the longest song here is under 4:30. Of course, I do have to wonder who the audience is for this, surely not the Kids who wouldn't listen to someone as old a Prince. Eh, the man can do it for himself. Anyway, it looks like I was wrong, and he's not going out with a whimper. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 2. There's a little more straightforwardly sexy stuff this time and better dance tracks, but I won't round up from 2. Running come tally: 16 Purple song tally: 10 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 66 Tally of songs not online, period: 15 Favorite overall song: "June". Just a really cool song. Favorite new-to-me song: all new
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Post by ganews on Aug 20, 2017 16:21:32 GMT -5
HITnRUN Phase Two (2015) Pre-existing PrejudicesHere we are, the final album. This is packaged with Phase One on Tidal, but it didn't come out until a few months later originally. This is also the first time since the title track to Musicology where I recognize a track my name ahead of time: "Baltimore", the big hopeful number Prince wrote after the cops killed Freddie Gray. With that as the lead, it seems like this would be a big soulful send-out, but it's just as likely (if not moreso) to be a continuation of the improved Prince + EDM alchemy of Phase One. What I don't expect is closure - Prince didn't expect to die, this isn't a Bowie situation. Songs"Baltimore" - Choir, strings, and lighthearted guitar. Freddie Gray and Michael Brown both get name-checked, and Prince calls for an end. "Enough is enough, it's time to hear the guitar play" - I think that sums up why I don't like the Live Aid genre, it sounds milquetoast and hippie and get-along when we should be angrily outraged. Prince does mix in chants of "no justice, no peace" a few times, but flutes and cello aren't so much how people feel. Prince has a history of socially conscious lyrics, so I don't begrudge him, it's just not a great song to me. "RocknRoll Love Affair" - Big horn sound from the Blues Brothers with some synth bursts. This is rock n' roll alright, Prince uses some George Harrison twang. Prince tells the story of two young people who blah blah blah. The boy has all of Prince characteristics, the lyrics even switching from "he" to "my". "2 Y. 2 D." - More big horn, plus flute beat. I actually like this sound, it's a mixed-up but not extravagant jam. Easy like a free outdoor concert on a weekend afternoon. The initials describe the girl at the center of the song, "old enough to do ya but too young to dare". "Look at Me, Look at U" - Slow jazzy jam, heavy on the flute. After the outdoor concert you move into individual clubs for intimate performances, that's what this is. The jazzy electric piano solo is quite nice. Sax solo too. This could have been the least annoying track on The Rainbow Children, but it's OK. "Stare" - Kick it off with a bass solo, add a beat and claps, then horns. The party isn't quite poppin' like Prince says, but this is a decent groove. There's the jangle riff from "Kiss" and some classic Prince heavy breathing, good stuff. The song does feel oddly long even though it isn't. "Xtraloveable" - Bongo, horns, synth farts, and bass, this is a solid funky sound. Also this brings the dictionary tally to 69, and looking at the tracklist to come that's where it will stay, I shit you not. Classic sound, call Prince if you need someone to take a shower with. The horn breakdown does something cool aligned with the synth. Prince squeals for the second time this album, and the electronics step to the front. Pretty cool. "Groovy Potential" - Chime water falls and snaps out the gate, it's slow jam time. The guitar has a jazzy jangle, there's a robot megaphone doing a Spotify ad in the back. Then the tempo picks up and you think it's not so slow after all, but it's actually kind of an up-and-down thing. It has the potential to be groovy, you might say. Lots of cymbal crash. For the last half minute it abruptly decides to get serious and stomp around. "When She Comes" - Bluesy slow jam. I detect accordion. Prince puts some relish into the title words; Prince might be pretty clean these days, but I'm giving this very deliberate double entendre a tally mark. The lyrics are rather cute and sweet, the metaphors aren't overdone. "Screwdriver" - Rock guitar rumble builds to full rock band, that same tame sound from the early 90s pop rock on the TGIF soundtrack. Eh. Better than "So Far, So Pleased" off Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastik. (In trying to remember which song this reminded me off, I revisited "Hide the Bone", what a great song that is!) "Black Muse" - Bass n' clap, jazz and choir on top. It meanders though Prince's old jazzy output, offering some fine electric piano. And it's quite long jam, again probing for pleasant memories of The Rainbow Children if there are any. (Ron Howard voice: There aren't. If you like Jazzy Prince you are listening to the Love Symbol Album.) "Revelation" - Slow way down to sparse drum taps, then Kenny G sax comes in over a low synth murmur. Prince makes a more elegant turn on the modern idiom "haters gonna hate". Pokey then picky guitar solo. "Big City" - The last one is a perky jam with some funky and proggy components. Big handclaps and a guest singer. It's not bad, with "you're gonna make it after all"-type lyrics. One last hurrah for the horn section and the fat sax. The guest singer does a bit of scatting. Prince calls for a funky breakdown and sings though a megaphone. I'm glad this isn't a clunker, because it is just impossible to hear this song and separate it from being the last song on the last album before his death. Prince's last words are even "that's it". Summary: So it was more in the vein of "Baltimore" after all, being all big sound. That's fine by me, and the feeling of a free outdoor concert on a weekend afternoon is a decent way to go out, especially for someone who wrote so many extended jams. Of course it is nothing like Phase One, which for my taste was more recognition of accomplishment than enjoyment. Prince definitely succeeded in bringing jazz back into his repertoire and making it good for the first time in twenty years or so. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 2 when you round up. It's a good date, not sex. Like that outdoor concert in the city. Running come tally: 17 Purple song tally: 10 Tally of song titles U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 69 Tally of songs not online, period: 15 Favorite overall song: "Xtraloveable" Favorite new-to-me song: Once again the newcomer beat the single And there we are. I'll come back one more time with a final analysis and then cancel that Tidal subscription.
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Post by ganews on Aug 22, 2017 20:52:33 GMT -5
PrinceFinalThoughts4UWhat a road it's been. I started this all the way back in February, right before I began my new job. I listened to all these records pretty closely, except for some of those jazz instrumentals, just as I did with the reviews of Queen and Metallica. This basically forced me to do all the reviews at home, because I enjoy my job now and have responsibilities. Add that to all the work out of my garden, tight deadlines at work-work, and my regular hobbies and chores, and this discography review felt like homework more than once (i.e. Prince had more than one triple album). I'm glad I did it though, because I heard a lot of great music. While I enjoyed Queen and Prince, I haven't revisited any of their album since - but I've already made Wifemate listen to Purple Rain and some choice tracks with me, and we're going to a Prince Experience cover band on Friday. I might even have to link this to the old college roommate fan that I mentioned in the introduction, and I haven't spoken to him in years. The StatsIt is simply impossible to rank all these albums. They span such a timeline and so many genres, there's no way to hold it all in your head. Therefore I present to you a ranking system to stick it to Prince and Tidal (the latter of which I paid for two months): from Sound Opinions, "Buy It, Burn It, or Trash It" Trash It - don't bother Graffiti Bridge, 1990 Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, 1999 The Rainbow Children, 2001 One Nite Alone, 2002 Xpectation, 2003 N.E.W.S, 2003 Planet Earth, 2007 Plectrumelectrum, 2014 Art Official Age, 2014 Burn It - You want to hear this again, or at least the good songs For You, 1978 Dirty Mind, 1980 Controversy, 1981 Around the World in a Day, 1985 Parade, 1986 Sign 'O' the Times, 1987 Diamonds and Pearls, 1991 The Black Album, 1987 (released 1994) The Gold Experience, 1995 Chaos & Disorder, 1996 Emancipation, 1996 The Vault…Old Friends 4 Sale, 1999 Musicology, 2004 3121, 2006 Lotusflow3r / MPLSound, 2009 20Ten, 2010 HITnRUN Phase One, 2015 HITnRUN Phase Two, 2015 Buy It - You want people to see that you own this Prince, 1979 1999, 1983 Purple Rain, 1984 Lovesexy, 1988 Batman, 1989 The Love/Prince Symbol Album, 1992 Come, 1994 Crystal Ball/ The Truth, 1999 - Partly just to hear those missing tracks! And because some of these albums literally cannot be bought on physical media... Pay to Stream It - It's even worth a Tidal subscription (at least until you can burn it) The Chocolate Invasion, 2004 The Slaughterhouse, 2004 That's a lot of data! I guess we need to see this in graph form: Other stats of noteNumber of songs in which Prince mentioned somebody coming: 17. Number of songs where Prince invoked the color purple: 10, "the Purple Yoda" from "Laydown" on 20Ten being the best. Number of albums where I knew at least one single, but it wasn't my favorite track on the album: 8. Number of song titles with spellings U know aren't true 2 dictionary: 69. Yes that's the number. Pretty meaningless stat though, because if you look in the liner notes, Prince wrote all the lyrics in his idiosyncratic spelling. Number of songs not online, period: 15 when I reviewed it, anyway. Surely some go up and down from YouTube regularly. Screw you, Tidal. Number of songs that mention a ménage à trois: 0. It is often help up in pop music as the height of sexiness, but no one was sexier than Prince (sit down, Justin Timberlake). But Prince wasn't into that scene. His attention was too completely focused on one woman, his feelings too strong for dilution. ----------- That's it. If you've been a regular or even semi-regular reader, thanks. I hope you enjoyed it. It's time for my vacation and then a little break from discography reviews. After that I tackle...Fleetwood Mac. Attachments:
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fab
TI Forumite
strange days
Posts: 1,617
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Post by fab on Aug 25, 2017 11:52:40 GMT -5
I'm glad you did this. I really need more Prince albums in my life. this is a great reminder of that.
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Post by Jean Luc de Lemur on Sept 3, 2017 13:00:05 GMT -5
I fell very far behind in the late eighties and feel like using your last post as a guide is cheating a bit, but the fact that you plotted your scores is awesome, ganews . I’m actually pretty amazed with Prince’s consistency even if he stopped reaching the innovative highs of earlier after a certain point—I don’t know his nineties work well at all but now I’m looking forward to exploring it. Interesting also that the only real sustained dip was ~ca. 2000, when my friends and I started to develop our own, independent-of-our-parents taste in music and we had to deal with the giant gap between Prince, the awesome eighties guy and Prince, early-aughts embarrassment. I might have to make a reply about the third eye era Prince, though—I remember liking it a lot, though there might be some nostalgia goggles related to that.
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Post by ganews on May 7, 2022 13:17:37 GMT -5
I have continued to listen to Prince here and there since I did this discography review five(!) years ago. This summer I will be visiting Minneapolis for the first time in about ten years, and I got myself some Paisley Park tickets which I am very excited about. So I've been listening to quite a lot of Prince albums lately (in no particular order, and none rated below "Burn It") and found my old reviews to be pretty consistent with my feelings today. I also watched all four Prince movies but that should go ina different thread. Now I feel like trying out some de facto Prince albums! Because forty-something studio albums plus concerts and the vault were not enough to contain one man's creativity, Prince also had three albums through his 90s backing band New Power Generation. Let's take a listen.
Goldnigga (1993) (NPG)
Pre-existing PrejudicesOne has to expect this is going to sound like early-90s Prince, and includes my old nemesis Tony M. (fuck that guy). This album is apparently an extremely rare collector's item that was only sold on a few occasions and never in record stores. But it's on YouTube. It's impossible to know about this album without reading about it on Wikipedia or Prince.com so I know it's gonna be funk. Jarring title, but this is not the first time Prince has deployed a version of the n-word in a title or lyrics. Songs"Goldnigga pt. 1" - Start with a chime waterfall and spoken word by not-Prince. All these raps and spoken-word are Tony M. Slow rap and social consciousness (not too different from non-single MC Hammer), jazzy horns, occasional scratching.
"Guess Who's Knockin'?" - was only available on the first pressing, so not on YouTube
"Oilcan" - Bongo and bass, farty horns, not a bad ditty.
"segue" - phone call sketch
"Deuce & a Quarter" - These tracks really run together with the sketches. Start with a new tempo and more scratching. More-spoken-than-rapped lyrics sound like a deeper-voiced, more-conscious Fresh Prince.
"segue" – more phone sketch
"Black M.F. in the House" - Start with a bouncer argument, then come into the funky rap club party. Frankly no matter how much you cuss, you don't sound as hard as contemporary gangsta rap. Prince shows up to make fun of rappers with his own rap. As I long-time Beck and OutKast fan I appreciate harmonica with my raps. Too much sketching with a stella (was Prince still calling girls stellas in the 90s?), white voice, and a ridiculous Deliverance reference complete with pg squeal.
"Goldnigga pt.2" - More girl talking to Tony M. Lots of sex sound and dialog. This implies that Tony M. himself is "Goldnigga". The plot is that Tony M. is screwing this girl and she ruins the mod in the middle by getting all philosophical.
"Goldie's Parade" - This slow funk would be pretty cool if these people would shut up. They're already sampling previous tracks and we're not even halfway through.
"segue" – Everybody greats Tony M. at the studio and they talk. Sounds like the 3 Chains O' Gold short movie.
"2gether" – Jazzy. Slow verse from Tony M. who gets some soulful R&B backup singers. I bet Tony M. thinks he wouldn't have thrown away that Hammer money if it had been him. Sax solo. Straight up for '93. Chime waterfalls.
"segue" – More conversation and mention of the Glam Slam, Prince's music club in the Purple Rain movie sequel Graffiti Bridge.
"Call the Law" – Siren sounds in music are so annoying. Tony M. raps are pretty cliched. Long guitar noodles and drum solos. More Fresh Prince-style hometown descriptions.
"Johnny" – Someone's getting introduced to stage in a sketch, but the crown wants NPG. This opening sketch really stretches. Finally the song features chorus rapping, like a Beastie Boys cutting room. Prince plays Johnny, and his rap is okay. Lot of crowd sound, more sketches while the band jams.
"segue" – still more record executive sketch
"Goldnigga pt. 3" - The music starts up again but the Tony M. sketch story just can't stop. Instrumental otherwise.
Summary: Pretty forgettable. You could really sum it up with the scene from Graffiti Bridge (the absolute nadir of Prince's filmography and his first "Trash It" album) where Tony M. and NPG are leaving Prince's club in defeat: Tony says resentfully "you should have let me rap!". So this is what that would have sounded like. If you take out all the sketches there's less than 30 minutes of music. I guess this had value in letting a fan know what a concert backstage would be like in the years before YouTube, but very unnecessary today other than for super-fans like me to say they've heard it; I respect the fact that it did not see wide release just for profit. Reading the YouTube comments, it's not hard to see how controversial Tony M. was among fans. Yeah, I'm aware that he was brought on basically as a Prince foil and alter-ego and his faults are Prince's faults. But Morris Day filled that role, was there from the beginning, and had good songs of his own. Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 2. My calibrator might be off because of time, but there's one track of Tony gettin down in this story. Favorite overall song: "Deuce & a Quarter" Favorite new-to-me song: never heard any of these before, will be shocked if this does not prove true
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Post by ganews on May 22, 2022 19:21:51 GMT -5
New Power Generation
Exodus (1995) (NPG)
Pre-existing PrejudicesThe last one was very weak, and this supposedly is fewer than 10 real songs with a lot of segue. But it's supposed to be more funk than rap, Tony M. isn't doing vocals, and "NPG Operator" all over the tracklist makes me hope for something akin to Prince's very solid The Gold Experience from the same year. Songs"NPG Operator Intro" - Welcome back to NPG studios.
"Get Wild" - Big beat with horns and organ. Definite P-Funk influence all over this, vocal and instrumentation. Prince himself adds a little rap. Farty, noodly sax solo.
"segue" - ladies night at the club again!?
"DJ Gets Jumped" - more sketch, "fuck this disco"
"New Power Soul" - Heavier horn, bass, and organ jam. Background chatter from the aforementioned party. Work that trumpet mute. Someone breaks the instrumental with an old-man character.
"DJ Seduces Sonny" - Sonny T. being the bassist who's doing the vocals, he's got the girls.
"segue" - bedsprings, but the news ruins the mood
"Count the Days" - More of a 90s-style funk jam instead of throwback, no horns here. Actually a song, not just a jam, about living the good life. Some mind-expanding rap about *new* life. Fine bass-poppin' on the outro.
"Cherry, Cherry" - Throwback doo-wop, could come from the "Under the Cherry Moon" soundtrack. Verse two is about Cherry at the basketball game, and I am very amused by the rhythmic coach's whistle.
"segue" - traffic
"Return of the Bump Squad" - 90s bumpin' indeed, dig those kettle drums. Watch out for those cops. I think there's a verse against sexual assault? Anyway there's sax and gratuitous Spanish and religious mentioning, just like The Gold Experience. Stretches on, devolves to sketch and character voices, plus some flute.
"Mashed Potato Girl Intro" - the girl isn't home
"segue" - but on TV is Prince doing a very silly gangster movie voiceover; this is almost a variation on the "stick my dick in the mashed potatoes" joke
"Big Fun" - Get freaky, let the head bob, listen to the G thang whine. You could grind on the floor to this pretty well. Sonny's falsetto is almost as good as Prince himself. Heavy breathing, more flute loops, some sax solo. Okay, just meandering now. You couldn't hear this today without thinking of "Get Schwifty".
"New Power Day" - More playing with characters and voices for another story.
"segue" - Harp
"Hallucination Rain" - Trippy jam, very lo-fi. Master P could be singing this...I kind of zoned out there until I realized the thing was pitching. The vocals do soar eventually.
"NPG Bum Rush the Ship" - The dream is over, back to sketch. In space
"The Exodus Has Begun" - Wind up for another jam, this one back to the full instrumentation press plus backup soul singers. Lots of voice modulation, so much it just makes you ignore the track. At least the other jams kind of went somewhere. Amusingly ends with a dedication to deceased (in name only) Prince.
"Outro" - Wake up Sonny, you dreamed the whole album.
Summary: Not exactly essential, but some okay songs and jams, one or two of which would be good enough for an actual Prince album. It's not fully embarrassing like Tony M.'s NPG album, but I don't know if it's a rare collector's item either. Worth listening to once for us completionists depending on your patience for sketches, throw a choice track in a mix to freak out the rare person in the know. There were multiple tracks jamming over five minutes, which isn't bad, but with an album over an hour we really don't need all this sketch time.
Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 2 I guess, since we scatter around some orgasmic moans here and there Favorite overall song: "Count the Days" Favorite new-to-me song: never heard any of these before
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Post by ganews on May 28, 2022 13:12:40 GMT -5
New Power Generation
Newpower Soul (1998) (NPG)
Pre-existing PrejudicesNow we're talking: this is credited to NPG alone but is considered a de facto Prince album, and it's the real reason I'm doing the NPG albums at all. I'm not sure what to expect, since this was kind of an off-year in the proper Prince discography. Exciting! Songs
"Newpower Soul" - I guess this will be Prince vocals all the way. Once again we get freaky, let the head bob. This might just be mildly funky, which will live up to my funkspitations. Generous with the horns. Many different breakdown and solos here, just a solid groove.
"Mad Sex" - Lot of piano tinkle and hammer over this late-90s Dust Brothers-sort of rumble. Prince drops a little light rap too. Close with some scratching and wah-wahs.
"Until U're in My Arms Again" - New age strings, electronic crescendo, chime waterfalls, fingersnaps, lyrics about longing and praying: Prince ballad in every way. Man, really heavy chimes.
"When U Love Somebody" - Ooh step it up. Breezy electric drum jam. Denshipiano horns, like a lot, like we're on a Carnival Cruise Lines commercial. Kind of milquetoast lyrics, sometimes you have a bad day when you're in love. The low rap at the end is a little more deep-sounding. Like other NPG tracks this goes on a bit longer than it needs to.
"Shoo-Bed-Ooh" - Gangsta wobble, neo-doo-wop to fit the neo-soul mode here. Lot of electronic washes.
"Push It Up" - Throwback to the first half of this decade, with a party song, crowd shout, and a hype man (who isn't Tony M) trading with Prince. Doug E. Fresh is on this for a verse, actually in sync with Prince which is an interesting effect. He refers to Prince as "The Artist" (one of those titles the man himself rejected when confused entertainment reporters were looking for alternatives to his unpronounceable symbol) and throws down a little classic DEF beatbox.
"Freaks on This Side" - The whole concert crowd sings the song title. It reminds me of Dead Man's Bones, "My Body's a Zombie For You". Slinky and dangerous-sounding for a change, though there's still a farty sax. The horns later just get freaky, then the toms break down. Must be like a nightmare acid trip version of a Prince show.
"Come On" - Apparently this was a single featuring Chaka Khan. Beat stomp and synth. There is some very surprising acoustic guitar string-bending bridge. A plane lands. Actually, there's not anything else notable here.
"The One" - Bongo-tapping jam. Sade "Smooth Operator" slow bass, orchestral strings. I am amused how Prince says "dinero" and the chorus of backing-Princes translates "money". Flute solo! Harp solo! Smooth and dark.
"(I Like) Funky Music" - The crowd singing the title is back, but now it's time to dance to the funky music. Don't get distracted by the farty synth distortions. Prince attempts to beatbox and finishes coughing, seriously. Doug E. Fresh shows up again for a couple brief verses and some longer beatboxing, and again respects The Artist and NPG.
"Wasted Kisses" - After a bunch of blank hidden tracks (ah the late 90s) there was this hidden track. Electric wobble, piano beat jam. Prince sings and hisses. This police siren is very unnecessary, and now the sound effects pile on: a man screaming, chatter, and a hospital flatline.
Summary: What a curiosity and a surprise indeed. Definitely worth listening to, but it's a bit Half-Prince-Nelson. There's funk but it's eminently safe funk, easy breezy. The second half of the album does go to some darker-sounding places, edging up to weird. It's definitely a Prince album far more than an NPG album despite a few nods to Exodus - no sketches for one thing, all actual songs for another. This neo-soul also occupies a strange space in the Prince timeline, still in the love symbol area but during the time of a lot of compilations and coming before the unfortunate jazz period. At least it's better than Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic from the next year. Rates "Burn It" and worth listening to again, unlike the other NPG albums.
Sexiness level, 1-5 scale: 1. There's no overt sexuality. Favorite overall song: "The One", a slower jam from the dark side Favorite new-to-me song: never heard any of these before
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