Rave Un2 has never been one of my favorite Prince cds.
Not that it doesn't have many fine tunes - its just
I can't play it straight thru & feel it.
It somehow doesn't mesh for me.

Now one story I remember hearing when it was released
was Prince took Rave to Clive Davis & Davis had some
suggestions on additional music that should be recorded.
Davis was hot off his Santana revival at this time
& it is easy to imagine that Davis's suggestions were
along the lines of guest stars & maybe some cover tunes.

So if you take the finished product - Rave Un2 - and remove:
Undisputed
Hot Wit U
So Far, So Pleased
Everyday Is A Winding Road
Baby Knows

what you are left with is:
Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic
The Greatest Romance Ever Sold
Tangerine
The Sun, The Moon & Stars
Man'O'War
I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore
Silly Game
Strange But True
Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do

I wonder if this was closer to Prince's orginal vision?
It clocks in a around 50 minutes which makes it a
more comfortable length cd - much like Musicology.
The songs all seem to revolve around love.
The greatest love.
Love lost.
Eternally devoted love.
Lovers fighting.

Of course this is all a theory based on
unsubstantiated hearsay & my own overactive imagination.
All I'm suggesting is put Rave Un2 in your cd player
& program that adjusted playlist & give it a listen.
I think it works.
[Edited 11/3/05 11:11am]

I read that Rave was more rock-oriented and out-there until people interfered. Whoever that would be.

If you're theory is right, I'd be glad that it let to the inclusion of Baby Knows and Undisputed. I like those.

Funny, that your bringing up RAVE. I've just been gettin' back into that album again, and I'm fallin' in love wit' it for the 2nd time. I don't have one bad thing to say about it. I'll take mine the way it is.....

I do see what your saying though. It does mesh well the way you have it. Maybe your onto something

I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore featured Ani DeFranco, though - so, following your theory, this would not have been on the original either.

booyah said:

Damn.
I forgot that.
& you can't cut that song.

It still sucks donkey balls.

It makes NPS look like SOTT.

I like the Rave Un2 cd

Undisputed
Hot Wit U
So Far, So Pleased
Everyday Is A Winding Road
Baby Knows

..are actually all the songs I don't like from this album.

BT11 said:

Hot w/you is good to dance too.
So far so pleased is just an upbeat happy cheerful song
everyday is a winding road is just an awesome remake and I love it!!!!!

I can't believe you don't like these songs!?!?!? What don't you like about them?

BT11 said:

Same here. I still don't think Rave ever had a chance of being anything too great with the songs he recorded from that time, but it would've been a lot better with this crap left off.

NouveauDance said:

No shit.

Ultimately, Prince was the only person responsible for the music on Rave Un2. No matter how others influenced him, or how we try and blame it's blandness on other people, he was the only person who created the songs that made up the album.

Thankfully, it's Prince's only moment of a musical nadir to date. It's no good blaming others for it's uninspiring content, it's best just to accept that every musician, including musical geniuses, goes through a patch where their music seems lifeless. And in Prince's case, we should be thankful that it was a very short patch.

I think Prince has had two lousy creative periods.

'97-'99
'01-present

rave un2: ick
rave in2: yum

not major yum, but palatable yum with a few stand-out tracks and improvements.

this is the kind of album you get when prince looks backwards and create music to try and satisfy his old fans. Prince please always look foreward to somthing new like you did with TRC

PurpleKnight said:

One Nite Alone (piano CD) and NEWS make the last four years seem worthy to me.

Love them or hate them, at least they showed Prince doing something new rather than looking back and trying to recreate something from his past.

And NEWS will always go down as his most controversial and fan challenging album ever, I think.

Actually, it was the more 'R&B' material that was added to album after it was
submitted to Arista. The original album had a more 'rock' bias and also
already had most of the 'guest star' appearances.

BT11 said:

See I like these songs I just don't feel them jelling with the other songs. I think these 5 songs plus Prettyman make for a great party EP.

BorisFishpaw said:

Is that orginal tracklist floating around somewhere??
[Edited 11/3/05 16:42pm]

Enigmoid said:

To me, ONA: Solo Piano & Voice is the exception. Love that album.

I respectfully disagree about NEWS. I think it's the start of the unambitious Prince that is still here today.

I've always thought the album was solid--like another disc of Emancipation. Better than Musicology in spots, but too long. Unfortunately, that all adds up to one of my least favorite Prince albums.

There is something to what you say. The album as you have it might actually be an easier listen. You have removed the songs which caused the greatest arguments. People either love them or hate them. But they kept the album from being bland, for better or worse. Still, bland might at least be a consistent flow. And you've removed some filler.

The problem with your new tracking is that it worsens the problem of the original cd. It's called Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, but most of the songs are not joyful, and most are closer to being outright downers. You've removed virtually every uptempo track.

andyman91 said:

I've often thought Rave Un2 was a poor choice of title.
My preference would have been Strange But True.
I envisioned a cd cover that would be a send-up
of the tabloids like Weekly World News.
Big picture of Prince caught by the papparazzi
with the headline STRANGE BUT TRUE.

thedoorkeeper said:

Not as far as I know, but tracks that were definitely on the original version
were So Far So Pleased, Everyday Is A Winding Road & Baby Knows. Most likely
contenders for 'last minute additions' are The Greatest Romance, Hot Wit U &
Man O War.

luv4all7 said:

I just don't think these songs are on a 'Prince' level.
Hot With U: He can do this type of song much better than this.
So Far, So Pleased: To average.
Everyday Is A Winding Road: Don't like the original, and this version doesn't make it any better.
And Baby Knows must be his worst 'Rock' song ever.

Anxiety said:

what exactly is the difference between Rave un2 and Rave in2? does the latter include Beautiful Strange? pardon my ignorance on this, but i was never really a huge Rave fan. I am a completist though.

I still love this album, though I prefer Rave In2 better
The Hot Wit U (Nasty Girl Remix) is awesome

Why does Baby Knows get no love in here???

calldapplwondery83 said:

"She knows how 2 make U feel like your stuff ain't brown 2nite "

"She got the long dark legs
She got the butt that go 'round
This kind of poochie make u beg"

That's why. Shitty Cream knock off.

kinaldo said:

check it out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w..._Fantastic

'beautiful strange' (which i LOVE) is on Rave In2, and there are several remixed/alternate/extended versions of the songs from Rave Un2 which, to me, sound much fuller and more playful than what came out on the Arista release.

also, you get a better lyrics/liner note booklet, with lotsa photos.

The rap from chuck d in undisputed is the worst thing on the album


choppy soundin b*stard...