Which Prince albums do you think are overated and underated.. here's my list;

OVERATED

Sign O' The Times

- Yes I know it's a controversal one as I and so many people love this album, however it's not quite a 'perfect' listen to be hailed as his greatest album.

Parade

- This is a strange one as I love so many songs on this, but as an album, it feels like there is something missing.. However, if this had been a double album with the extended versions of Mountains and Anotherloverholenyourhead etc and Love or Money plus all the outtakes from that era, this would undoubtedly be prince's best album by a mile.. why o why did they not release it as a double.

Dirty Mind

- Although this is a very important album for prince, being the first true prince album, it's demo like production spoils what could have been a greater album. Much prefer Controversy (see underated).

Musicology

- Although pleasantly surprised at the time that prince released an album which was 'easy on the ear' this has proven to be it's undoing, so many critics hailed it as a prince come back, I hailed it as a prince releases radio friendly album which is now a bore to listen to.

Planet Earth

- See above (musicology) although i really liked the title track.


Underated

The Gold Album

- Yes, I know most people on this site rate this album, but for me its still underated by the public, music critics alike.. This is for me in the top 5 best prince albums for sure and in my top ten general albums.. Prince really kicked ass on this, if any other artist released this it would have been hailed as a classic.

Controversy

- For me, possibly the most underated album from a critics point of view and a fans point of view.. A short album that grabs you by the short and curlies, its pretty much close to a prince 80's funk masterpiece.. great lyrics, funky songs, and proper prince filth.. how could you not like this??

3121

- What can i say, apart from coming from the new religious prince, the songs and (most of the time) production is top notch.. This is one 00's prince album that i feel sits well with his 80's stuff. It may be a re-tread of his old stuff but boy is it done well.

The Black Album

- May not contain some of prince's greatest songs but this album is so raw and funky.. really feels like prince is putting some emotion (probably bad lol) into this album.

Batman Album

- This album got me into prince and i still love it to this day.. not a masterpiece by any stretch but not a disaster as alot of people think.. A real funk and rock fest. Listen carefully to the production, some really neat keyboard playing etc on this album.. and how could anyone not like lemon crush lol
[Edited 2/10/09 15:30pm]
[Edited 2/10/09 15:31pm]

I don't know who underrates Prince's music. I don't, I see it for all that it is.

Some music listeners are just more inclined to music that moves their spirit's in the way they desire.

We here, like how Prince has carried us through the years.

Overrated:

Sign O' The Times. I know it's a sacred cow and all, but I just don't find myself listening to it much. The production is also slightly irritating in a way that I can't quite put my finger on.

Underrated:

BATMAN. This album is ridiculously good, and one of his most focused efforts.

Tame said:

Fair point, I think thats why i love princes music, each album is so different from the next that it educates the ear and opens our musical limits. It drives me crazy when artists repeat the same sound on each album.. I love to be musically challenged!

Underrated... The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale

squirrelgrease said:

I enjoyed that album but with so many prince albums he tends to put the guitars at the back of the mix in production.. cant understand why?

overrated :
sign o' the times
purple rain dated much better the sign o' the times

batman-sorry but that movie deserved much better and darker music then new jack swing influanced stuff

lovesexy-beside some exceptions like anna stacia,album doesnt go nowhere realy.
no strong melodies it definetly cant be his best as some say

underrated
the rainbow children-some people still dont understand its beauty

parade-a classic prince doing europian french funk music

chaos and disorder-for its purpose its great,it contains one of the best ever rock song by prince i like it there

planet earth-its much better then people are willing to admit

thebanishedone said:

What do you think about parade being a double album with extended versions etc as mentioned in my original post. do you not think that if this was the case it would definitely be princes best album??

squirrelgrease said:

People merely think it sucks, and I say it's still overrated.

prince's best album must contain more guitar playing.
parade contains only rhytm guitar work.
parade is very uniq album but it couldnt be the best.

Purple Rain - massively overrated.

sorry that's a joke on account of its all-encompassing cultural relevance.

Chaos And Disorder - massively underrated. Even "Dig U Betta Dead" gets a look-in on resonance.fm (London Arts Radio 104.4, no spamming).

The Love Symbol Album - just massive. I've been torturing my neighbours with this one

And of course, Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker. But Love is Hell is better.
Cx

Parade is overrated,and everything else is underrated.

PurpleKnight said:

I'll never understand why some people are so hard on this album. Maybe it's a testament to the diversity in some people's musical taste. Me, I like most everything, including smooth jazz and r&b, so I love this one. It's real fun, with great instrumentation and melody.

Anyway, my pick for most overratted would be The Black Album. Aside from "Rock Hard..." there wasn't too much that he hadn't done already, except better.

Most underrated: Prince (the second album) It was a real tight and funky set that hints at a lot of what he could do. Sexy dancer alone sells that album for me and I'd pick it over Contraversy anyday.

dirty mind isnt overrated

Under rated
Rave, its great got catchy commercial songs and lots of duets. It should have been a smash

Controversy. A great work that had the misfortune to be between Dirty Mind and 1999, two of his most brilliant and innovative works.

Diamonds and Pearls, despite being a quick cash in, listen closely theres some near perfect funk and roll here.

Emancipation, terrible 3cd set, absolutely killer 18 track set. Half the music here is amongst the best ever made, the other half ranges from mediocre to truly excreable (Da da da)

Sign o the times, although nearly everyone agrees its a great work, not every one is convinced, this is Prince being Miles Davis, James Brown, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Prince u get the drift, you can not heap enough praise or accolades on to this album. It comes out top on nearly every fans list.

3121, This extremely strong and well written later album did not enjoy the success it deserved, it was his best in 20 years, HELLO!!!!!

Overrated

The Rainbow Children, What is so fxxken great about it, laboured songwriting, ridiculous lyrics, substandard playing, cheesy beat, wibbling self indulgence, it sucks.

Symbol, Far too weird, and self indulgence, easily Prince losing touch with the real world.

Chaos and Disorder, Just comes up short, a painful after thought, Prince was having problems with his label, why the hell did the fans have to suffer.

ATWIAD, Too self indulgent and quirky by far, a sure fire way to kill a new star, boy were we swindled with this one, mediocre song writing and cloying instrumentation weighed this baby down. The album has 4 ok tracks and 5 pieces of lacklustre laboured filler

Overrated: Emancipation - Can't believe (if Prince even said it) that he said this was an album he'd been waiting so long to make! Pleeaasseee!
Over a 3 CD set I'd say there's about 6 songs which are OK.

Underrated: Are any ever underrated? - and if so by who!

golfgolfmark said:

Emancipation isn't overrated. The majority of fans don't particularly like it. Rather, Emancipation is probably his biggest disappointment considering the hype you mentioned.

PurpleKnight said:

I actually do think that Emancipation is very underrated. Everybody bitches and moans about it and says it could have been such a classic if it had been cut down to a double album, omitting the "weaker" songs, but when it comes to name the "weaker" songs, everybody has a different opinion and the "must-haves" for one are the "weakest tracks" for the other one.

Overated (in the fan community)

Sign O' The Times - There are a few gems in there like Adore, Pink Cashmere and If I Was Your Girlfriend, but I don't see SOTT as being the holy grail for Prince albums like many fans claim it is.

The Rainbow Children
Yes there are some unique sounds going on and a new form of musical performance for Prince, but the lyrical content is way too preachy for my taste.

Overated (Worldwide)

Emancipation
36 songs of over produced, choppy, mediocracy. The only part of that album that is still in my regular rotation is CD2.

Musicology
Supposedly a "comeback" album for Prince, it was just too way over-hyped by the media. There was nothing extra special about any of the songs on the album to make it worthy of such fanfare.

Underrated (Worldwide)

1999
This is one of the few Prince albums that I can listen to from beginning to end without skipping a song.

The Symbol Album
Another album that has it all - rock, pop, funk, reggae, blues and soul. With the right promotion this album could have been a worldwide success in my opinion.

The Gold Experience
This album would have been a hit if it wasn't for all the controversy surrounding Prince and Warner Bros. One of his best albums.

well phooey...i was trying to edit my edit. didn't work out so well.

dartluv5 said:

Are you sure Pink Cashmere was on SOTT?

Over-rated: Musicology...another this is Prince back to his best promises that yet again fell flat. Thank god for 3121 then, which finally lived up to the hype.

Under-rated: Gold Experience, one of his absolute best, crammed with radio friendly hits, barely puts a foot wrong (Dolphin sucks a big one though!)....and 1999, easily the equal of SOTT I reckon.
[Edited 2/11/09 9:14am]

PurpleKnight said:

Hey man, I'm just answering a question...I have no idea which albums are overrated or underrated...I have not subscribed to overrated/underrated magazine for quite some time now! Like you, I'm just giving my opinion..how can anyone possibly know which albums are overrated or underrated. Who is the judge? The thread is basically asking what albums do you like and not like! Emancipation is my least favourite...sorry

I will keep it with 3 albums either, or i could just go on and on... lol

Overrated:

Come: 5/10
Very mediocre songwriting and auto-pilot performances on most of the songs, which wouldnt even had made it as a b-side during the eighties.

The Rainbow Children: 4/10
A horrible darth vader voice, and annoying, brainwashed lyrics, and when you 'listen' beyond them, you dont find the musical masterpiece some people here make it out to be. Tiresome 70-seventies jazz-rock and a repeat of old ideas in a more organic production, is NO artistic comeback.

The truth: 6/10
Just because is Prince is trying something 'new' with this quasi-acoustic album, doesnt make it a masterpiece. Songs like Dione, Man in a uniform and Dont play with me, to name a few, are definitely not top-notch material. They are more like sketches, that should have worked upon far more.
Luckily there are a couple of better compositions (the title track, Welcome to the Dawn, and - yes, indeed - Animal Kingdom) that keep this album from being simply an 'interesting failure'.

Underrated:

Parade: 9.5/10
I know, this album often gets a lots praise on here, but i still don't think it gets the general credits its deserve. IMO the number one rival for Sign of the Times, when it comes to his best album ever.
You can be very 'stubborn' critizing Parade, saying things like: why does he mixes 3 or 4 top-notch soul and funk-tracks with those weird kind of (orchestrated) movie-music, or, its meanders to much stylewise, but when you take away these 'rationalisations' and just enjoy the listening experience, you realise its a wonderfully loose, colourfull, playfull, creative, sometimes whimsical, impressionistic collection of compositions, that works splendidly as a whole.

Graffiti Bridge: 8/10
Many people here complain about the songs by the Prince-protegees, but give songs like Shake, Round and Round and Melody Cool a listen again, and you will find out they are probably better then most of the songs Prince released in the 21th century.
And when it comes to Princes songs himself i like to quote the Rolling Stones journalist who reviewed the album when it come out. He said: the experimentical elements are often better incorporated in catchy songs then before in the eighties. Listen to songs like Elephants and Flowers (hip-hot beat, rock-guitar, scratching, gospel-like vocals), The Question of You (going from electo-blues to a waltz), Thieves in the temple (catchy and simple on the surface, but listen to those vocal arrangements!) to hear what he meant. They succeed in combining the 'poppy' directness of the Purple Rain-material with the more experimental arrangements Prince brought us in the second half of the eighties.
And Still Would stand all time (Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds' meets old-fashioned gospel) is simply one of the best Prince-ballads from the nineties.

Diamonds and Pearls: 8/10
Altough the Gold Experience is often considered as his best album from the nineties, i think this one is just a tad better. Its more diverse song- and stylewise, and more colourfull productionwise.
I know, Diamonds and Pearls, sound as a deliberate attempt to get mainstream succes again, but Prince and his new outfit simply do that with 'style'.
The 4 singles (Cream, Diamonds and Pearls, Money dont Matter tongight and - to a lesser extent- Get Off) are examples of more traditional songwriting, but the songwriting (and execution) is simply so good, that these songs have become Prince-classics from the nineties.
I could do with mediocre rapping of Tony M. on songs like Daddy Pop and Jughead. But the raps are mostly compensated by splendid musicianship by the NPG (especially by Michael Blands drumsound), and delightfull album-tracks like Willing and Able and Live 4 Love (Princes attempt at the 'manchestersound'?)
[Edited 2/11/09 12:00pm]