Planet Earth - The CD - The Discussion - The Official Thread

Quit moving the threads around, I'm trying to post! J/K!

My quickie review after one listen:

The title track and Somewhere Here on Earth: sorry, but

Chelsea Rodgers is fun, I like this; of the tracks I hadn't already heard it's the one that made me stop and play it over a few times.

Guitar, The One, FBM: These are the ones I've already heard a few times...I like them, not classics but they're . Guitar was a good choice for a single.

None of the rest excited me yet, but there's always the potential for "growth"!

It's past bedtime here in Japan, I'll listen more tomorrow and see how my opinion changes!

Great album

I am hopign that someone will transcribe the lyrics here.

Strong...all the way through.
I have one teeny issue with it, but that will probably fade.

This will be the best reviewed Prince Album in god knows how long by music journalists, .....they wont drool over it, but they will certainly praise it as a welcome return to form.

ingela said:

Can someone post the lyrics to Chelsea Rodgers? TIA

2020 said:

anon said:

boring. can't get into it.

Sly said:

anon said:

Strong...all the way through.
I have one teeny issue with it, but that will probably fade.

What's the issue..?

I haven't heard the album in full yet, but i was fortunate enough to hear 'somewhere here on earth' and i have to say it's one of the most beautiful thing's i've heard him do. Seriously dreamy. Yeah, there's no hook so it's kind of forgettable, but that's the same with dreams, right..?

Just put it on Demonoid !

Dewrede said:

Great album

anon said:

Sly said:

What's the issue..?

I haven't heard the album in full yet, but i was fortunate enough to hear 'somewhere here on earth' and i have to say it's one of the most beautiful thing's i've heard him do. Seriously dreamy. Yeah, there's no hook so it's kind of forgettable, but that's the same with dreams, right..?

There's no hook!?

Sly said:

Wait I'm lost. Who is this guy in the black corset? Prince?!!? Who is That? He has an album out? What's it Called? Planet Earth!!?? Really? When does it Come out? Is this Prince guy any good? Really!!? 27 instruments? What do you say the album was called? Planet Earth?? And what's his name again?? Prince??!!


hmmm

Damn! I'm lost. As in the opposite of found?
[Edited 7/8/07 10:39am]

Bfunkthe1 said:

Dewrede said:

Great album

?
What I have heard (half the album) is indeed very good.
Can't wait to hear Chelsea and well the other half of the album.

There're hooks all over this album, just not many traditional choruses. There are melodies all over this album, but not traditional "repeat melody at point a, point b, etc." This is a really good pop/rock album, and now that I've listened to it with the songs in the proper order, its actually sequenced pretty well too. Some think its too "sugary" at times, but I think that's what I like most. Prince seems to be more in touch with his other sides and less "I've got to be Mr. Tough Funky Black Man".
[Edited 7/8/07 10:42am]
[Edited 7/8/07 10:43am]
[Edited 7/8/07 10:45am]

Dewrede said:

Bfunkthe1 said:

?
What I have heard (half the album) is indeed very good.
Can't wait to hear Chelsea and well the other half of the album.

oops edit
[Edited 7/8/07 10:41am]

.
[Edited 7/8/07 10:48am]

Dewrede said:

Dewrede said:

ah i see we've moved the discussion to another thread


Planet Earth: really like the opening with the piano, the drumtrack and
later the guitar. The verses are cool and stripped down. The chorus is a bit
busy for my taste, as if there’s just too much going on all of a sudden. The
bridge still reminds me of Could it be Magic and doesn’t do much for me. After
the bridge the verse and the building tension do sound nice. Reminds me of
Last December mixed with 3 Chains of Gold. (7.5)

Guitar: as far as pop rock tunes go I like this a lot. It’s breezy and
light and the guitar gives it a bit of an extra edge. Still a lightweight tune
in Prince’s catalogue. Nothing too dramatic or deep, just fun fluff. Not a
guilty pleasure by any means but not a classic either. Wish he would have kept
that guitar solo at the end going on longer and louder, like say let’s go
crazy. (7)

Somewhere Here On Earth: Cool instrumentation! Love the piano and horns,
although I’m not too sure about the drums, could have sounded a bit more real
perhaps. Anywho, vocal track is absolutely top notch highest caliber prince
delivery. Reminds me of the “One Nite Alone cd more than it reminds me of
Power Fantastic but I can see how people would think of that one because of the
horns and the piano et all. The only thing I don’t like about this song is that
he has this classic sounding timeless song and he has to mention a pager.(8)

The One U Wanna C: Very catchy. It’s stuck in my head all the time
though I don’t really like it, lol. I think this will be a grower. Something
I won’t play very often but will always like when it comes up on shuffle. Cool
effort, nice arrangement with lost going on without it being too cluttered or
over produced. It sounds breezy and open. (7)

Future Baby Mama: Still not sure about the title but once again a nice
vocal delivery and an all out vintage prince instrumental backing. Love the use
of the linn on this one. It’s like an updated version of What Do U Want Me 2 Do
more than anything else. And that’s a good thing imo cuz that is one of only 4
songs I can stand on Musicology. (7)

Mr Goodnight: Love how he mentions a handful of songs or lines out of his
catalogue in this tune. It flows well and contrary to what others have said I
think it fits pretty well on this cd, especially coming right after Future Baby
Mama which kind of leads into this track softly, in that it breaks with the
more pop rock organic feel of the preceding tracks. Love the fact that
it’s ‘rap’ yet the backing tracks sound more organic than he usually utilizes
for these type of songs. Perhaps it’s a guilty pleasure but I just love
Prince’s deep talking/rapping vocal. Not a classic lol but nice enough (6.5)

All The Midnights In The World: After all the negative talk from the
initial reviews I expected this to be horrible. Well, in fact I think it’s very
very nice indeed. Sure it’s sweet but there’s a redeeming quality in it. The
vocal harmonies are subtle and nice and the melody is different and quirky
enough to save it from being syrupy. I’m a sucker for short, mid to fast
tempo prince songs that last under 3 minutes and this is a great addition to
those we already have. (7.5)

Chelsea Rogers: Judging from people’s reviews I’m probably the only one
who thinks this tracks would have been better off relegated to a b-side or an
obscure online release. It’s not that the track is weak, it’s actually nice and
bouncy. Love the way it flows effortlessly and the bass is so incredibly
delicious. My gripe with this song is that it’s Shelby on vocals. I don’t like
that. One of the most upbeat and bouncy tracks on the album and Prince himself
is way down in the mix except some short shout outs. Although it’s a track with
great potential this is without a doubt the one I will play least of all.
Having said that, I think I will bust it out once in a while if only for that
delicious breakdown at the end and the horns on it. (6.5)

Lion of Judah: love the opening, the kick drum and the purple rain like
guitar and the opening line is just sooo beatles “sitting on the floor of an
all white room, feeling like the color blue”.
Absolutely love it. It flows effortlessly, like many of the tracks on this
album. Feels like it was recorded quickly and not messed with too much. Not
overproduced or muddled. Clear and spontaneous sounding. (8)

Resolution: another one of those songs that benefit from not being over
produced and laced with a million different keyboards and cowbells. Most
revolution sounding track imo even if it might not sound like something off
Parade. The lyrics are amongst pearls before the swine and dear mr man subjects
but come off less contrived than dear Mr Man imo. Which is what reminds me most
of the Revolution/Wendy and Lisa stuff in the early days. The only time it
leans toward cringe territory is when he says “come on now all over the world”,
that is just too cliché for my taste. Beyond that it’s probably my fav track
off the album (8.5)

the main thing i like about this album is that unlike some previous albums,
like Musicology, there is nothing on this that makes me cringe or think the
album contains real filler.

the production -as far as i can make out in this lousy quality- is perfect.
it sounds fresh, light and breezy from start to finish with only the title
track being an exception in all it's muddled 3 chains of gold glory.

another nice thing about this album is that it sounds like an album again,
diverse and with an erratic flow but still kind of glued. there's different
styles but it doesn't feel like a mixtape which was what imo both musicology
and 3121 suffered from somewhat.

fcuz you can never know how long prince sat on these tracks but they sound
as if they were recorded all together in a short space of time, without a
million overdubs and mixes being made. the melodies speak for themselves,
and eventhough most of them are not total classics, they don't reak of an
insane kind of pretention or wanna be status. they just are and sound very
healthy and uncontrived.

i can't wait to go to the store and get my excellent quality copy of this,
and listen to it over and over again.

i'm not completely nuts about this but that's fine, from what i hear on it
it sounds like it's an album that doesn't hit you like a ton of bricks but
will remain a favorit for a very long time to come none the less.

now all i've left to desire is a shitload of b-sides and outtakes from the
2005-2007 sessions popping up on 3121.com

IstenSzek said:[quote]ah i see we've moved the discussion to another thread


[
Chelsea Rogers: Judging from people’s reviews I’m probably the only one
who thinks this tracks would have been better off relegated to a b-side or an
obscure online release. It’s not that the track is weak, it’s actually nice and
bouncy. Love the way it flows effortlessly and the bass is so incredibly
delicious. My gripe with this song is that it’s Shelby on vocals. I don’t like
that. One of the most upbeat and bouncy tracks on the album and Prince himself
is way down in the mix except some short shout outs. Although it’s a track with
great potential this is without a doubt the one I will play least of all.
Having said that, I think I will bust it out once in a while if only for that
delicious breakdown at the end and the horns on it. (6.5)

[quote]

You're not the only one who feels this way. For me this is the worst track on the album and probably the one with the most untapped potential. With that said, its still damn good COMPARED to his recent "funk".

IstenSzek said:

(bla bla bla)

Track by track pontifications from first listen:

1. Planet Earth
Great stuff, most interesting thing he's put out since TRC. It gets a little grandiose with the pomp. but he pulls it back down. It would have much more impact without those FUCKING GLITZY CHEESY SYNTHS again, and just bring a dirty guitar to the front. Definately sounds like Empty Room as previously stated by many. Best opening track for a long time.

2. Guitar
Sorely needs an extended version, the guitar is just about to go off when it fades, FFS, what is that about?! It's let down by the lyrics a little, and what it's missing is that the guitar line that is really low down in the mix in the chorus/intro should be much more prominent. Otherwise, best single for at least 10 years (although it didn't have much competition, so that's probably not saying much).

3. Somewhere Here On Earth
Wow, a Prince ballad that breaks away from the Call My Name mold. It's still very saccharin, but it's way more interesting than any ballad on recent albums, including The Dance. Could've done with being half as long though, more like a two and a half minute kind of track IMO.

4. The One U Wanna C
I don't really like this one. It lacks energy, the lyrics are horrible, the Shania Twain-ness makes me feel unclean. It does bring to mind some of the more throw-away whimsy of the late-Revolution stuff.

5. Future Baby Mama
We're back in familiar Prince ballad territory, but I like it. It doesn't offend me like a lot of similar stuff on Musicology and 3121, but it's not setting my world on fire either. This would fit on either Musicology or 3121.

6. Mr. Goodnight
I haven't seen anyone say it yet (maybe I missed it) but the vocal style of this echoes 'Player' (which I *love*), this I do not love. All the 'uh, yeah' background grunts I hate in todays pop, so I don't like it here either. I would not ever listen to this kind of thing if it wasn't on a Prince album. Utterly forgettable.

7. All The Midnights In The World
This is the goofiest thing I've ever heard Prince put out, and that's all I have to say. It's like the retarded bed-wetting cousin of Starfish & Coffee, actually I'm laughing as I listen to it because it's sooooo 'happy-clapper'! Utterly drippy and laughable. Saving grace: It's as short as 'Somewhere Here On Earth' should be. And to think of all the great Prince tracks that languish unheard in the Vaults of Paisley Park *shakes head*

8. Chelsea Rodgers
It's fun. Straight up disco-funk, not really EW&F, more like Loletta Holloway or something, the closest thing Prince has done to this is 'Democrazy' on Chaka's 'Come 2 My House', I don't think this is as stand-out as others seem to, but it's pleasant enough, and I like that female vocal is the main focus, rather than Prince. The song this most reminded me of is Cheryl Lynn's 'Got To Be Real'.

9. Lion Of Judah
Vaguely theatrical, I guess it's from a similar place as 'Cinnamon Girl'. I think this might be a grower actually, it's the only track so far that I cocked my head at and thought 'hmmmm', yeah I like this one, but I thought I wouldn't as it began.

10. Resolution
OMG!..... Did I say that 'All The Midnights' was the goofiest Prince ever got? Well this is just as goofy. I actually snorted with laughter when the first line came in 'the main problem with war.....' That late-Revolution whimsy seen on 'The One U Wanna C' is back here. Another happy-clapper hymn - I get images of a load of people in a big white tent banging tamborines with shit-eating grins spread across their faces. Very disappointing.



Favourite tracks: Title track, Somewhere Here On Earth, Lion Of Judah.

Final Verdict: 6/10
For all it's faults, I already find it more interesting than either Musicology or 3121. The bad things about it like the goofiness of several tracks kinda make me want to listen through it again, where as the faults with Musicology and 3121 (treading the waters of the Emancipation-sound and post-Warner Prince catalogue) just made me want to never listen to them again.

Cinammon Girl seems the closest thing, instrumentation wise, to a lot of Planet Earth. The abscense of any straight up funk song is noticable (Chelsea Rodgers is very disco). It's not really a bad thing, as the more funky stuff on Prince's recent albums, well, it wasn't my cup of tea (Black Sweat, ICP&C, that kinda thing). But it's interesting that we hear hardly anything 'urban' here, except for Future Baby Mama and Mr. Goodnight. Because of that, it feels fresher than either the 2 previous albums, but the album still has that post '95 staleness about it, it's been with us so long now, I can no longer find fault with it, as it seems it's here to stay.


.
[Edited 7/8/07 12:22pm]

Damn, i feel like I just tuned into Bob Harris country on Radio 2!!!

Scallywags posing a threat to us? No wonder this is on the Mail on Sunday! ha!
[Edited 7/8/07 11:28am]

OK.

I'm blown away.

It's exactly as it was described 2 me.

The only thing I wonder now, is about the bunch of other songs that didn't make the cut.

I'll get more detailed about how i feel about each song, but this album works, BIG time 4 me. Even the initial songs i wasn't 2 excited about sound great in sequence.

The title cut is the Prince music I love the most... well... there r others 2.

This album is a grower and long lasting piece.

Peace.

G.