At least I think so.
I've heard it now four times. After my first listen, I shelved it for a month and forgot about it. After picking it up, I've gotten absorbed in its unusual little world. I realize this album gets a lot of heat and it has few supporters.
But it just won another in me, so I'm going to do my best to say what I mean and mean what I say.

It's a various album with many different genres, but more often than not, feels like variations of R&B.

The song Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic feels Parade-esque, but more... alive. I guess is the word I'm looking for. The lyrics are vague and not clear, but it's supposed to be an introduction to a different kind of party.

Undisputed: could do w/o the NPG input, but otherwise, I dig it. A combination of stating who he is and the undisputed truth that record companies don't know how to handle the music and the musicians should control their work.

The Greatest Romance: beautiful song throughout. Lyrically and musically, also the only song I knew before hearing the album.

Hot w/U: sure, it's not the strongest song in the world, has a good beat and the lyrics are fun to sing along to, especially early on. It kinda wanes with time.

Tangerine: good short track, hints what's to come. Sounds like one of those songs he sunk down to the studio in the middle of the night to write. Bittersweet, but I still like it.

So Far, so pleased: I think this actually could have been the last song on PE instead of Resolution. Has a good, fun feel to it... one of my favorites.

Sun/Moon/Stars: Was never a fan. Today, he made me one. I was just singing along with it and I really started liking it. It has beautiful lyrics.

Everyday is a Winding Road: not very popular, but I have a lot of fun listening to this one. I could care less if it's a cover. He made it sound like something he wrote.

Man O' War: R&B-esque, a little sad, runs a little long, but beautiful nonetheless.

Baby Knows: not so into the country, but has a sense of fun about it.

Love u, but don't trust u anymore: one of his best love songs, although its on the sad side... actually, a tear escaped me at the very end. I wrote earlier that "this is what it sounds like to hear his heart break"

Silly Game: not so into this, but I still like it just enough to keep it. I wonder if he's already found another woman :shifty eyes:

Strange but True: a little rant he came up with one night and put to some experimental music. That's all I can really say. I dig it

Wherever U Go: the bittersweet end to the album, he could be telling this to himself, Mayte or even all of his "fans", as something to take away from the album (with all its break-up songs).

Prettyman was the only song I didnt listen to because it kinda of disrupts the flow and "Wherever U go" feels like a better ending to the album overall.

On a score on 1 to 10, I give a 7/10.
Not excellent or terrible, but very good

7 of 10 may be about right. Hot Wit U was almost a good song. The Greatest Romance and Man O War are boring and the lyrics are weird. I can't listen to the 'Rave' song without skipping it. The rest of the album is pretty good though, especially Strange But True.

I Love u, but don't trust u anymore is my favorite track off the whole album

and i completly agree with u on Tangerine - short but sweet

i skip rave and hot w/u

It would definitely take a considerable amount of time to discuss each and
every Prince song....I think it's great that you took the time to comment on
the "Rave Tracks." I Love Prince's music, and for whatever, emotions I feel
at that particular time. I can imagine how your feelings may grow or wither,
as your life takes on new meaning with the changing of the years....

I remember crying to, It's gonna be lonely a hundred times, when I was 16...
and years later....It didn't make me cry anymore....because I chose not to
play that song when I was broken hearted. I've maybe heard that cut over 300
times since then. And I'll probably hear it another hundred.

VICKYMARIA said:[quote]I Love u, but don't trust u anymore is my favorite track off the whole album

Brilliant Song!!!

Overall I am not a fan of this one. I like the remix version better. However, there are some tracks on here that I DO think are classics.

Rave Un2 (like this more than the remix)
Greatest Romance
Strange But True
I Love U, But Don't Trust U
Wherever U Go
Pretty Man

the rest is bad to unlistenable (Everyday is Winding Road ) which ruins the album for me.

Tame said:

Thanks.
I figure. Prince puts so much work into all of his albums that I should put just as much work into listening to his work and giving it all the attention it needs so I can at least make up my mind on how I feel about it.

I believe this is a good selection of music, some better than others and the emotions vary from happy, romantic, sad and fun. I won't give it any awards, but shouldn't be thrown to the side either. Because I believe there is some good stuff here.

Good comments so far. Keep 'em comin'

I do think it's a good album.

It sure is. i Rave UN 2 Prince Rather!

Yeah,it's good,but Rave In2 is much better!

Here's a little something more for u guys to "chew on".

I thought this up while listening to TGRES yesterday.

But I can’t help wondering if there’s some hidden meaning behind it. What could he mean by “greatest romance ever sold.” You don’t buy/sell romance. It reminds me of my latest experiences with “The Beautiful Ones.” I know what it’s about, but I feel like there’s something more to it and I’m trying to figure out what that thing is.

I appreciate ur honesty, PurpleKnight.

It's nice to hear negative comments written patiently.

I agree with a lot that you said about some of the tracks and how they kinda miss the mark. I can see what you mean, definitely. And also how some of 'em aren't all that great (Baby Knows and Silly Game, I agree).

And love u, but don't trust u anymore is one of my favorites on the album as well.

Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic -- One of those "meh" tracks...it gets kinda sickening after a bit. Like the "Rave in2" version a little more.

Undisputed -- Have to agree with PurpleKnight here...plastic, and uninspired. One of a handful of / Prince songs I absolutely cannot listen to.

The Greatest Romance -- To me, this is an absolute gem! Great vibe, cool lyrics, classic Prince. (I know, I know...it's credited to but to me, it's definitely Prince here.)

Hot Wit U -- A B+ for effort, but it doesn't quite do enough for me. Sounds like it was a NPS outtake. Like the "Rave in2" mix better.

Tangerine -- Love this, and was so happy that it was extended on "Rave in2" ... I wish he'd have written 3 or 4 more verses and added some quirky instrumental detours at the end (à la TRC, the song). I want an 8-minute version!

So Far, So Pleased -- I like Gwen Stefani (although I strongly prefer the No Doubt stuff over her solo work) and I think she works quite well with here. Sure, this track's a bit bubblegum, but it's fun and I like to sing along to it!

The Sun, the Moon, and Stars -- Beautiful ballad and one of the highlights of the album. The rasta rap is cool, I really dig it.

Everyday is a Winding Road -- Horrible beyond comprehension. I never dug the idea of Prince doing covers in the first place, but this...ugh. Flat out THE worst track in / Prince's entire released catalogue. For what is worth, though, I adore Sheryl's version.

Man O' War -- Above-average ballad, albeit quite inferior to Sun, Moon, and Stars. I always thought the line, "Lovin' u is a waste of time" was so bluesy and

Baby Knows -- My guilty pleasure on the album. Cheesy? You bet. Immature? A little. Sweet funky-ass jam that makes you wanna dance 'til you drop? Abso-freakin-lutely!!!

I Love U, but I Don't Trust U Anymore -- The BEST song on the album and arguably the best track among / Prince's entire '90's output. AMAZING!

Silly Game -- Another "meh" track. Screams "Emanicipation" outtake.

Strange But True -- The cousin of "Undisputed" Just WEIRD and, uh, *BLARGCK*

Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do -- A little sappy, but a pleasant melody, nice guitar, and a comforting message that "ends" the album on a high note. Like it!


Prettyman -- The bastard child of "Movie Star" and "Cloreen Baconskin" Cocky little funk number that obviously is a little bonus treat and isn't meant to be taken as a part of the whole of the album. Quirky and fun...I love it! "When nobody around / I--I--I smell myself!" CLASSIC!!!

Overall rating: 6.5/10
Symbol Edit
[Edited 10/11/07 17:40pm]

Phew

Chris, I gotta say, I think this is the first time we've disagreed over our views on an album.
You love the tracks I'm not too into and don't like the tracks I love most.

We do agree on TGRES and Sun/Moon/Stars, so at least that's something.

But I'm glad u took the time to bring forth ur opinions. I always appreciate 'em.

Umm... what else did I want to say...
I feel like I just love all of Prince's music for different reasons. I posted a new review of the album on my blog. Hopefully tomorrow when I listen 2 it one last time, I'll be able to cut a few things and give a very straight-2-the-point review of the album.

Some of the songs have a certain charm and today, I think the album truly shined in all the places it was meant to shine. A couple of songs have slowly lost their appeal while others have gotten more impressive sounding.
But that's what happens when u leave ur experience of an album in the hands of the person who created it.
Thanks 4 a good ride today,

i agree with pretty much everything purple knight said, although i dont really like the title track (largely because of the ear-splitting production)

I absolutely love 'The greatest romance' (video and song)! Never really took the time to get into the other songs. For some reason the album stays shelved in my house, unless I feel like listening to 'The greatest romance'

I'm not going deep in to it.
i havent played them in a while.. Just like all my other "P" cds
But i still love them both

I have come to learn "To each His own" in regards to Prince albums, however I must comment.

I love Rave and Rave Un2. I do agree with some of the previous comments in regards to songs like Undisputed and TGRES.I am in the camp of fans that prefer their Prince without guests. I feel that Prince may have tried too hard with the album.

I also strongly believe that if this album had the full attention of Clive Davis and the Arista crew and if the videos for the songs made it to BET/MTV the result would have been different.Clive was overthrown by LA Reid. Reid and Prince had conflict over a female. No promotion from the label . Album dies .

The end !

muleFunk said:

Whats dis???
This I never herd.
Howz bout some more details?????

FYI: this is one "best of" post... what I put here was written either after yesterday's or today's listen thru the album. For the full version, to know what I wrote each day, its all on my blog. I'm completely honest there. But here, I'm trying to show all the tracks in the best light possible, no matter how I may feel about 'em now. Also in the fewest words possible, haha.

Title track: the first notes of guitar he plays got pretty old, made no impact. However, his guitar halfway thru the song, I dug that and still dig how he played it off against itself like an echo for the last minute of the song

Undisputed: hit an all-time low, made no impact whatsoever. Has good lyrics and all, but I just got bored, haha
[ok, some of the worst reviews made the cut... but im just being lazy]

The Greatest Romance: Pleasant experience with this song. Will always be one of my favorites. For a moment, when he sung the second verse, I could almost see him speaking me in particular. His way of saying, “here is my heart within the song for your viewing pleasure.” And when he rants, the meaning behind the song’s creation hit me. This was sort of his way of telling Mayte how he knew they were destined to be together like Adam & Eve and it’s his way of trying to save the relationship.

Hot W/U: I dig the lyrics and I LOVE the use of horns. It really brings the song together towards the end and makes it a little Come-esque. That song used horns where I certainly didn’t expect and it made the song sound just as great. Eve’s rap doesn’t do anything for me, personally. I think what prevents the song from hitting it big is it being sort of a “ by numbers” type of song. It gets a little repetitive after a while.

Tangerine: hints on sadness. Still like this track a lot, but its length leaves little left to say.

So far, so pleased: half of it sounds like a cheesy pop song (which he is so above doing), but love the guitar halfway through. Makes it fun and reminds me of Planet Earth (either The One U wanna C or Lion of Judah).

Sun/Moon/Stars: one of my favorites, the rap is fun to sing along to. That’s all I can say really.

Everyday’s a Winding Road: got one last good run out of it. I still enjoy it more than the majority on the boards, but I don’t care. I was never one to follow the crowd anyway :p

Man O’ War: I sung along with the lyrics to get all of the emotions of it. Haha, I think the only problem I have with the song is that he doesn’t use proper grammar with the opening line. Ridiculous, I know, but it gets on my nerves. I listened closely to the lyrics as I sung along and I actually got a visual about the girl leaving him a 7-page letter and his friends telling him to go after her. Then when he does that guitar solo and says to listen. He got my attention. I actually never paid attention to it before. Well, if his words don’t get through to me, his guitar usually does. Then the very last notes on guitar (or was it kind of woodwind) was beautiful.

Baby Knows: I’m not so into country myself. The chorus is some of the corniest lyrics I’ve heard him write and I can’t even sing ‘em, haha. But I still like the perfume line, makes me laugh.

Eye Love U, but don’t trust u anymore: What can I say? Very heartfelt, very beautiful, but at the same time, very hard to sing along to. Even before I got halfway through, I was getting all teary-eyed. He really knows how to convert the feelings in his heart into something audible. He makes you feel what he’s feeling and this is one of the finest examples of that talent he possesses.

Silly Game: I love first notes in this song, they’re sweet and pleasant and helps bring the morale back up after that last song. It brings the message back around that things aren’t going too well for his love life, but it’s a nice little song. I actually didn’t like it at first, but its very pleasant in my view.

Strange but True: has its own charm and its pretty much where he lays down the law. It’s kinda cool that he speaks the whole song and using his smooth voice to his advantage.

Prettyman: I gave it one more listen for you guys who love this song. It feels so completely out of place. I don’t know where to begin. I didn’t like “My Name is Prince” at first because I didn’t agree with the lyrics. I didn’t agree with the way he portrayed himself here. Egotistical and oh, some of the lyrics. How can he sing, let alone sing, “when no one else is around, I smell myself”… can’t make it any clearer than that.

Now, time 4 a brand new album and I can shelve this one for a few months if I wanted. Bottom of the barrell alongside D&P and either 3121 or Musicology (not sure which right now), but not a waste of $7.99 4a used album
It's gonna be hard to get these songs out of my head,but I really haven't heard many other of his songs this past week except 4 a few B-sides.

The fact I can't take any songs out of the line-up except the last earns it bonus points. was about this long and I cut out 3 songs. But it puts it in league with 3121, all the songs except for a few are of the same average calibar except for a given few, but I can't take any songs out of that line-up either if I wanted to.
[Edited 10/13/07 9:41am]

Prince and LA Reid have no love lost between them.
There are several reasons that have been whispered about.

The first rumor was from early 1990 that Prince and Reid was after Troy Byer. This is unconfermed.

The second rumor surfaced around 2000 when Reid took over Arista that Prince and Reid was sharing one of the TLC girls. Chilli? I do know that Prince was close to Left Eye and was reportedly sent flowers to her when she died.

Reid invited Prince to Arista to discuss the Rave project after Clive was booted.This led to a heated exchange between the two in which Reid gave Prince an ultimatim and Prince walked out of Arista never to return.

I think the Rave album was pretty weak, but if you cut it down to 7 or 8 songs there's some decent stuff though -- it's ruined by tracks like Undisputed, Greatest Romance, Hot Wit U, Sun/Moon/Stars. Those songs are not album worthy material. There's no heart or soul on Rave, no direction. The best songs are Rave, Tangerine, So far So Pleased, Man o' War, Baby Knows, and I Don't Trust U Anymore. The rest should all be cut.