802 said:

I'll respect your opinion, but I think that TGE is no masterpiece I don't even think it's his greatest album of the 90's.

P. Control, Now and Shy are definiately not classic Prince songs. I'm fine with the rest of the album, though.

Ok - response to "802": cool..... we just disagree then,

some call The Gold Experience the Purple Rain of the 1990's.

Imo The Gold Experience is the Sign O' The Times of the 1990's.

Yeah I really appreciate TGE (I just can't stop lol), it's so grandiose really strong all the way through, with so many different styles and genres... almost every track is different than the others. Some say it's over-produced, imo Prince made a great job, Gold the title track is fantastic, sounding "sparkling". And I Hate U.... gives me goose bumps. The only weaker track is the often mentioned We March, the version of The Most Beautiful Girl is not as great as the original single.

Imo TGE is the peak of the 1990's and The Dawn 3CD bootleg tells a story of an incredible era... 1993-1995.

[Edited 2/11/11 7:22am]

damn fine topic and bloody hard to answer.

Over rated - Parade [really does feel like it was thrown together and given the material at the time he had in the can it could've been a classic]

Musicology - even Bart seemed to tip his hat to this one!!!- i think it's a poor effort, some great trax but overall very, very over rated.

Under rated - where do you begin?

LF Single disc - would've sold shit loads if promoted properly

TRC- It really is great

OldFriends4Sale said:

paisleypark4 said:

Overrated:

[img:$uid]http://images.uulyrics.com/cover/p/prince/album-prince.jpg[/img:$uid]

SLEEPER

Actually I never thought the Prince album was over-rated at all

Really? I hear alot of people say how it was better than For You..which I do not agree with at all.

paisleypark4 said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Actually I never thought the Prince album was over-rated at all

Really? I hear alot of people say how it was better than For You..which I do not agree with at all.

For You is much richer musically than his next three albums, but it's rather derivative. You can hear him developing his brand of Minneapolis Sound over the course of Prince, Dirty Mind and Controversy, but they're all fairly simplistic. The musicality and personality began to combine on "1999" and it just kept getting better.

PlusSign said:

paisleypark4 said:

Really? I hear alot of people say how it was better than For You..which I do not agree with at all.

For You is much richer musically than his next three albums, but it's rather derivative. You can hear him developing his brand of Minneapolis Sound over the course of Prince, Dirty Mind and Controversy, but they're all fairly simplistic. The musicality and personality began to combine on "1999" and it just kept getting better.

mblevels said:

Spinlight said:

Around the World in a Day set a precedent for piecemeal, slapped-together albums that lacked consistency.

Planet Earth is one. Graffiti Bridge is (an exceptionally well-executed) one. There's others, too. The Black Album is that way. I feel it's not that those albums lack good songs but that the coherence isn't there. The albums feel like greatest hits compilations almost. They just happened to be the best tracks that were being worked on at the time as opposed to albums like Parade where all the songs sounded like they were written for that album.

That's pretty much what I've been thinking for a while. I completely agree with you.

I commented about ATWIAD being an "uneven" album in my previous post, but that doesn't really have anything to do with the quality of the individual songs. I actually quite like most of the songs on it and Raspberry Beret is still among my favourite hits. But one of the things I enjoy in Prince's albums is that he usually sets a certain theme for an album and stays within it. Most of the time, he's even consistent with the quality of the songs. The entire album is either brilliant, mediocre or utter crap. The albums that feel sort of "weird" to me are the ones that is mixing good with bad songs or failing to find a theme. That goes for the albums you mentioned and I'd like to add Diamonds & Pearls as well. That doesn't really say anything about the songs that are on it, but it does say something about how much I'd enjoy an album, how often I'd listen to it and whether I think people overrate it or not.

I couldn't disagree more with you both about ATWIAD. The intimate feel of the album continues throughout the songs, including the b-sides 'Always In My Hair' and 'Girl'. A raw psychedelc sound, trippy, and a little quirky.

ATWIAD set a precedent for some of his best albums, by being so non-commercial. Albums like Lovesexy, Emancipation, TRC, and Lotusflower are great examples of this. Aside from Rasp Beret, most of 'Around' is not radio friendly, and these albums feel the same way to me.

But to each their own. I always find it interesting to see what people think about his discs. The ones I like, and esp the ones I don't.

Overated - The Gold Experience

I would pick 3121/Lotusflower/Mplsound and 20Ten before Gold.

Underated - 20ten

hhhhdmt said:

802 said:

I'll respect your opinion, but I think that it's no masterpiece I don't even think it's his greatest album of the 90's.

P. Control, Now and Shy are definiately not classic Prince songs. I'm fine with the rest of the album, though.

strange as it is, i like those three songs. The only ones i dont like are we march and billy jack bitch. Which album do you think is his best album of the 90's?

Some might not consider it a real album, but my fave from the 90's is The Undertaker.

paisleypark4 said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Actually I never thought the Prince album was over-rated at all

Really? I hear alot of people say how it was better than For You..which I do not agree with at all.

For You wasn't bad. And yeah, it contains alot of instrumentation and show off from Prince. But compared to his later 2 albums that defined his start, it's a super candy sweet and cute version of some of the most cute music you could get in the sweaty wet 70s cheesy drippin soul/funk/rnb. This album contains 0% masculinity, except from some of the guitarwork and soft & wet. Dirty Mind defined his persona as we saw through the 80s I think, and the album Prince was a nice bridge in between. His rock effort at the drums on For You is too basic and childlike. To me it felt like he just had to prove something about the fact that he could play many instruments. But he tried to prove that a bit too early imo. He wasn't that good of a drummer back then.

underrated:

lotusflower/mplsound

graffiti bridge

emancipation

planet earth

overrated:

parade

musicology

lovesexy

parade

dirty mind

Trashcat has counted the votes.

Most Overrated

5votes

Lovesexy

Parade

4votes

The Black Album

Diamonds & Pearls

Musicology

The Rainbow Children

3votes

Batman

The Gold Experience

SOTT

2votes

3121, ATWIAD, Emanicipation, Purple Rain

1vote

, 20TEN, Controversy, Dirty Mind, MPLSound, Prince, The Vault

Another vote count

Most Underrated

6votes

Lotusflow3r

The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale

5votes

Grafitti Bridge

Come

4votes

-

3votes

Batman

Chaos & Disorder

The Gold Experience

Planet Earth

The Rainbow Children

2votes

, 20TEN, ATWIAD, The Black Album, Emancipation, For You, New Power Soul, Rave

1vote

1999, Controversy, Exodus, Musicology, One Nite Alone, Parade, Prince

I'd agree that Lovesexy and Parade are overrated considering the impression they made when I first put the needle to the record.

But I'd say Black Album is the most underrated... based on critic reviews and general low enthusiasm from fans (there is a minority that love it, but I think it's a minority).

Black Album is my all time favorite Prince album. It was from the moment I first heard a cassette bootleg from a DJ, in college, in 1988. And what happened with it in the following year was incredible. U2 putting it on their best of the year list in the celeb Rolling Stone poll.... I agree.

Has he ever hit the dramatic party vibe of Le Grind, the creative peak of Bob George, or the deep underground vibe of Superfunky or Rockhard on a single album since? Not in my opinion.

njin said:

ecstasy said:

I love Dirty Mind. Greatest, rawest album ever. Every song hits the spot for me, except maybe a couple, but still my baby

you realize that a couple of songs is about 25% of one of his shortest albums? How can you make that the greatest and rawest album ever? It's close to being an EP. Other than that, I fully agree. It's one of his best and least polished albums

Because of the fact that it was done truly in his own free time at home. I know other albums were conceived and bornt his same way. But at the same time, this was his album where he broke out of the soul-type into hard edge, you know? Seemingly like his 1st honest album where everything is him and dirty. It doesn't hurt me that much that it's short, but he gets to the point with this album. I just love it cuz he was a little dirty baby at the time, lol

ecstasy said:

njin said:

you realize that a couple of songs is about 25% of one of his shortest albums? How can you make that the greatest and rawest album ever? It's close to being an EP. Other than that, I fully agree. It's one of his best and least polished albums

Because of the fact that it was done truly in his own free time at home. I know other albums were conceived and bornt his same way. But at the same time, this was his album where he broke out of the soul-type into hard edge, you know? Seemingly like his 1st honest album where everything is him and dirty. It doesn't hurt me that much that it's short, but he gets to the point with this album. I just love it cuz he was a little dirty baby at the time, lol

Hehe, it's probably my favourite. So I have nothing negative to say about it personally. THe whole records flow perfectly, and even though songs like Do It All Night is one of his songs that listen to the least. It's on of the bass lines I've practised the most, haha. It's the least classic song on the album, yet a really good feel and catchy song. A weird thing is that sometimes every song doesnt have to be perfect alone, since they are to be heard as a whole. Kinda like D'Angelo - Voodoo. I don't think that every song on that album is perfect alone. But the record as a whole is a beast.

underated : all pre-name change work

overated : all post-name change work

sure its widely accepted that prince older stuff is good but in terms of popular opinion its just not getting the real respect it deserves and visa versa his newer stuff blows so hard and even tho the critique is hard on prince it does not go far enough. its all cookie cutter repeat or copy, none of that original mold breaking prince could be relied upon for.

as for chaos and disorder, after seeing the album cover posted i have to wonder whose boot print that is smashing the 1999 record because prince is all about the high heels .. thoughts?

Underrated: "The Gold Experience"

Overrated: "LoveSexy" (sorry peeps, but besides the onvious - "Anna Stesia", "Alphabet street", "Glam Slam" and "When 2 R In Love", I hate this albul and I really really think it's overrated.. hell I even think 'Batman' is better!)

Trashcat said:

Trashcat has counted the votes.

thanks, good work

interesting (and/or headache-inducing) results...

i don't know if you do it for shock value or if it's a honest (snobbish?) thought, but why some people would say "Purple Rain" is overrated???? Sure, it has "Take Me With U" , but it deserves all the credits it gets!! Even the B-sides are the best ever ("17 Days", "Another Lonely Christmas", "God")... And I honestly want you to prove me what makes it overrated?? Because its 'mainstream' Prince music?? The movie?? The songs????? It's not my favorite album but I find weird that REAL Prince 'fans' hate it...

FrenchGuy said:

Underrated: "The Gold Experience"

Overrated: "LoveSexy" (sorry peeps, but besides the onvious - "Anna Stesia", "Alphabet street", "Glam Slam" and "When 2 R In Love", I hate this albul and I really really think it's overrated.. hell I even think 'Batman' is better!)

Easily agree. I find it even easier to listen to Batman myself. Batman song by song has no great classic besides Scandalous. But the album is atleast listenable as a whole, even though it sounds more like a mediocre remix dance album with some funky guitar than an actual Prince album. Lovesexy has more classics, but you can't skip the bad songs. Lovesexy set the standard for Prince albums to come in the 90s. Some great songs, but rarely listenable all the way through.

FrenchGuy said:

i don't know if you do it for shock value or if it's a honest (snobbish?) thought, but why some people would say "Purple Rain" is overrated???? Sure, it has "Take Me With U" , but it deserves all the credits it gets!! Even the B-sides are the best ever ("17 Days", "Another Lonely Christmas", "God")... And I honestly want you to prove me what makes it overrated?? Because its 'mainstream' Prince music?? The movie?? The songs????? It's not my favorite album but I find weird that REAL Prince 'fans' hate it...

I never said I hated it. Quite the contrary, I think it's a great album. However, it isn't AS AMAZING as people are convinced it is, and it's certainly not the best work he's ever done. He's done albums that were longer, had more songs (with EVERY song being amazing), and didn't have a movie to stand behind. Example A: SOTT, unless you count the concert film as a movie, which I don't. And I don't really mind the fact that it appeals to everybody, but I do mind the fact that people stand behind it like it's the reason they wake up in the morning.

So I don't think it deserves all the credits it gets, simply because it gets soooo much credit. It did a lot for Prince's career, which is great (for him), but I don't feel like it's the climax of his musical career. The album is very good, but I feel like he continued improved farther into the 80s.

Honestly, what makes it overrated is the fact that it's so highly rated. Personally it's harder for me to love music that everyone else loves, I start picking out all its flaws. But that's my opinion, and I'd probably change my mind if you agreed with me.

just1lousydime said:

FrenchGuy said:

i don't know if you do it for shock value or if it's a honest (snobbish?) thought, but why some people would say "Purple Rain" is overrated???? Sure, it has "Take Me With U" , but it deserves all the credits it gets!! Even the B-sides are the best ever ("17 Days", "Another Lonely Christmas", "God")... And I honestly want you to prove me what makes it overrated?? Because its 'mainstream' Prince music?? The movie?? The songs????? It's not my favorite album but I find weird that REAL Prince 'fans' hate it...

I never said I hated it. Quite the contrary, I think it's a great album. However, it isn't AS AMAZING as people are convinced it is, and it's certainly not the best work he's ever done. He's done albums that were longer, had more songs (with EVERY song being amazing), and didn't have a movie to stand behind. Example A: SOTT, unless you count the concert film as a movie, which I don't. And I don't really mind the fact that it appeals to everybody, but I do mind the fact that people stand behind it like it's the reason they wake up in the morning.

So I don't think it deserves all the credits it gets, simply because it gets soooo much credit. It did a lot for Prince's career, which is great (for him), but I don't feel like it's the climax of his musical career. The album is very good, but I feel like he continued improved farther into the 80s.

Honestly, what makes it overrated is the fact that it's so highly rated. Personally it's harder for me to love music that everyone else loves, I start picking out all its flaws. But that's my opinion, and I'd probably change my mind if you agreed with me.

When I started getting really into Prince music, this is probably some of the same things I was thinking. Since he made so much other great albums, it was natural for me to discover the ones that wasn't so widely appreciated as Purple Rain, but was nearly as good, or better. But when I strip it down to the quality and flow alone, Purple Rain still stands on the top as the best album. It's not my personal favourite though, as I'm more fan of him experimenting and jamming a bit more. But that album has no flaws imo objectivly it's his best album. Subjectivly I choose Parade, ATWIAD, Dirty Mind, 1999 and SOTT above it.

njin said:

Purple Rain still stands on the top as the best album. It's not my personal favourite though

That's the crux of it, right there. 'Favourite' doesn't mean 'best'. Lovesexy is my favourite Prince album, but I recognize it's not his best. Purple Rain is. Is Sign o' the Times a better album than Purple Rain? Yes. But is it his best? No. Purple Rain is.

gold31 said:

UNDERATED

OVERATED

I am right there with you on these two. Many songs on New Power Soul I think, are some of his best post Paisley Park songs. AS far as Musicology goes, maybe I need to give it a shot again, but it just always sounds very drab and mediocre to me. Never liked the song Musicology either. It sounds like a Sexy MF type of riff and I just don't feel it.

Underrated: 'Love Symbol' (many of these songs are classics,in my book)

Overrated: 'Around The World In A Day' (this is a fan favorite but I find some of these songs to be boring)

Overrated: Lovesexy. Don't get me wrong, it's very good, but it ain't the end-all be-all.

Underrated: Chaos and Disorder. I dig it.

SoulAlive said:

Underrated: 'Love Symbol' (many of these songs are classics,in my book)

Overrated: 'Around The World In A Day' (this is a fan favorite but I find some of these songs to be boring)

agreed!. 7, And God Created Woman, Blue Light, Love 2 the 9's are all classics IMO

njin said:

paisleypark4 said:

Really? I hear alot of people say how it was better than For You..which I do not agree with at all.

For You wasn't bad. And yeah, it contains alot of instrumentation and show off from Prince. But compared to his later 2 albums that defined his start, it's a super candy sweet and cute version of some of the most cute music you could get in the sweaty wet 70s cheesy drippin soul/funk/rnb. This album contains 0% masculinity, except from some of the guitarwork and soft & wet. Dirty Mind defined his persona as we saw through the 80s I think, and the album Prince was a nice bridge in between. His rock effort at the drums on For You is too basic and childlike. To me it felt like he just had to prove something about the fact that he could play many instruments. But he tried to prove that a bit too early imo. He wasn't that good of a drummer back then.

FrenchGuy said:

Underrated: "The Gold Experience"

The Gold Experience is not underrated, unless you're talking about the general public's reaction.