1. Doesn't break any new ground
2. The studio version of Fury is shit compared to the propper version.
3. To much poppy pappy crap.
4. There aren't any classics
5. Not a single GREAT song (Although fury had the potential to be)

Don't get me wrong, it's still a god album and hopefully it will grow on me, but i was expecting a classic after all the great reviews.

Prince maybe u could do up fury before the release?

LALALALALAAA I CAN'T HEAR YOU LALALALALALA

i'll listen to it when it's delivered by musictoday. until then

um edit
[Edited 3/10/06 11:05am]

The only thing I am disappointed is Fury doesn't have a stronger guitar. Still that doesnt take away of me liking the song.

Other than that 3121 is a very good album despite the cheesy lyrics. I am one of Prince old school fans who didnt care too much about his albums after 1984 with exceptional of SOTT, Batman, D&P and Gold Experience but I really do like 3121.
[Edited 3/10/06 11:13am]

Nope, not even slightly...out of the 12 tracks on the CD, six of them rate as great in my eyes (Lolita, Black Sweat, Love, Fury, The Word, The Dance). 3121, Te Amo Corizon, and Get On The Boat fall just below those six...Very few Prince albums have 9 out of 12 songs (75%) ranking this high this quickly. The Rainbow Children and The Gold Experience are the only two albums by Prince to do so since SOTT.

Lovin' 3121 completely...

Not at all. Infact, I'm pleasantly surprised.
Prince makes arty, unclassificable wee ditties which are intended to stand up to repeated listenings, intense scruity and the passing of time. On record, a stolen moment captured for all time, he rarely rawks,. thank Christ. Prince is an true artist, not Slash. Fury is perfect the way it is - the way it was supposed to be, the way it was born in its creator's mind. I love all these morons having the audacity telling the guy who created SOTT how his songs should sound. Aye, I'll see you all at the concert.

Jeez, I never thought you of all people would be so critical of 3121 GoldenGlove! Seemed like every other thread you were popping up to promote the album saying how it was going to be a classic and how the singles were going to explode in the charts!

I don't completely agree with your points:
1. Half the songs on 3121 are almost totally composed of synths or have the tune carried on synth melodies, something I'm struggling to recall if Prince has done before like this, and if he has, then certainly not as fresh and vibrant. It's futuristic funk!
2. The 'proper' version of Fury is the album version, remember. I like the live version better too, but in reality it came after even though we heard it first. Prince just is brilliant at taking tracks to an even higher level live.
3. I think people forget that, at heart, Prince has always been a pop musician, so we shouldn't be too surprised when he comes out with pop music.
4. I'd agree there aren't any major classics, although Black Sweat and Love continue to grow on me, but classics can sometimes overshadow the other tracks anyway - this is a consistent album at least.
5. Well, a great song would be a classic, so you're repeating yourself, but look at it this way, there aren't any majorly terrible songs on there either.

I think it's a good album and I'm really enjoying listening to it, much more than Musicology. I'm not sure where I'd put it yet in the canon of Prince's albums, but not near the bottom for sure. I don't think any non-Prince fan picking this up are going to be too disappointed with the quality of tracks, unless they are expecting an album of guitar heavy rock tracks!

Initially, I was very dissapointed and I was kinda harsh on it. I did say that certain things would probably grow on me and that seems to be happening. I still say that this album is what New Power Soul woulda sounded like had it been a good album.

Because I've grown accustomed to the laid-back, "mature" Prince, my knee-jerk reaction was to accuse Prince of following Pharrell and Andre. Maybe it's because he hasn't ventured into this poppy/party music territory in so long I've forgotten how natural it used to be for him. And honestly, if Pharrell or Andre3000 had released this album, I'd probably be fawning all over it... and that's not fair.

But I have to admit now that like Musicology, it's a good album... not great, but good. It's a good representation of what he has always had to offer.


I still hate Black Sweat with a passion... I feel a little more ashamed each time I find myself singing along.

Not at all. I feel like I'm one of the only people here who actually got what they wanted/expected from 3121. This is what I wanted:

Songs that I could "drop it like it's hot" to - mission accomplished
Songs that were fun - mission accomplished
Songs to sound like there was life and energy to them - mission accomplished
An album that I love - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

They might be simple but it worked for me. I wasn't looking for the second coming of SOTT, I wanted something great for today and I got it.

I first heard it and went hmmmm. Now its WOW!

purplecam said:

I agree. I'm liking it more and more every time I hear it. Of course I'm psychic and am hearing this album from the future.


M

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Cool stuff!

No offense GoldenGlove, but you did it to yourself. I think you may have built this album up too much in your mind. But I believe you said this was Prince's first new release since you became a fan, so that excitement may be understandable.

But all the touting of this "masterpiece," the letter writing campaign to get "Fury" released as the next single (without ever having heard the studio version), etc., etc.....you just set yourself up for disappointment.

3121 isn't spectacular, but it's a cool little album. Once your initial disappointment wears off you'll probably start to enjoy it more.
[Edited 3/10/06 11:42am]

renfield said:

I totally agree. The way GoldenGlove feels with 3121 is the same way I felt with The Gold Experience. I read about it in 1994 and just knew it was a classic and I worked myself into this frenzy and when I first heard it, I was so disappointed. I thought man Prince done fucked up now! I was really pissed. I couldn't buy it at the time (Mom and her rules) but when I finally brought it and listened to again, I fell in love with it. It was like a totally different album to me. I'm not saying this will happen to GG or anyone else who reads this but most Prince albums take a minute to dig if in fact you ever dig it. Just give it time.
[Edited 3/10/06 11:46am]

Not a hint of disappointment over here. 3121 is BETTER than I'd hoped (and my hopes were pretty high).

Peace, David

renfield said:

yep. what'd i tell ya? never put the brotha on so high of a pedestal, otherwise your ass will get promptly bitten once something isn't done as you'd first hoped.

people sometimes forget the golden rule of being a prince fan (or any sorta fandom, even): EXPECT NOTHING. it ain't on ol' boy, it's all your own doing. hopefully you've learned a bit from this and will perhaps take more caution the next project around.


as for me: i ain't disappointed. there's still aspects of the album that i don't like or care for, but on the whole i'm not really disappointed.





[Edited 3/10/06 12:02pm]

GoldenGlove said:

Nope, I dig it...

GoldenGlove said:

Your disappointment is for your ears only. Don't try to even go there.

Byron said:

My sentiments exactly.

Byron said:

I think that's a very accurate breakdown.

And the inevitable 10-minute live versions of "3121" and "Get On The Boat" just might be something very special.

Brendan said:

I listened to the cd backwards today and I really enjoyed it. I listened to GET ON THE BOAT first. It was such a great ride to work!!!


M

Not dissappointed at all.

3121 rocks hard. Not disappointed at all.

The only slight disappointment I hav eis that "FURY" is not as raw on the album as it was live but otehr than that it's top notch.

this is nuts. how'd y'all access the album before its release date anyway?

Yes. I am.

This album is really growing on me. Initially I thought it was good, if a little bit sterile. But the more I listen to it, the more I like it (like all the best albums). '3121' is an incredible opener, the best for years. 'Love' sends shivers down my spine. 'The Word' is Prince at his most poignantly spiritual. And there are NO weak tracks.

So, after an inital twinge of disappointment, this album is exceeding my expectations. Bring on the UK tour.

GoldenGlove said:

ad 1: "breaking new ground" is a difficult affair in 2006, right?
ad 4: aha. so you can decide after some listening if a song is a classic?

+++++
why can't u all SHUT UP and wait till everyone has the chance to listen to it? no, you have to spoil everything.

SHUT UP ALREADY DAMN!

renfield said:

True.

No,it's a fresh pop/funk album,something some of us were hoping
4 but didn't expect anymore.I'm surprised and pleased!