There's not one song on that album that is bad as a "Jack U Off" or "Darling Nikki", lyric wise. So what is so bad about this album. My favorite Prince album by the way.

[Edited 4/5/11 17:54pm]

[Edited 4/5/11 17:56pm]

Nothing for me it is funky! Only Prince thinks it's evil

Prince only said those things to provoke interest.

Evil my bollocks.

Did he actually say it was "evil"? I thought he called it "dark."

Genesia said:

Did he actually say it was "evil"? I thought he called it "dark."

I have no idea, evil, dark, it's all the same caboodle.

I don't think there's anything evil about it, but a lot of the music is very dark and the lyrics at times are pretty wild.

Bob George, although meant as a joke, could be taken literal. The casual or non Prince fan would probably be shocked by that one.

Superfunkicalifragisexy has the line "the blood's real good if you drink it real fast but the after taste just lasts and lasts..." I still don't know what he's talking about, but it could be interpreted to mean something questionable.

It's funny that one of his more romantic ballads appears on this album.

He was going through a pretty rough time, but calling it "evil" was going overboard, it was moe goofy and comedic than anything else. Weirdly enough, Lovesexy was the more serious of the two, the Black Album was just edgier and dirtier. The most baffling part is that Batman, one of his darkest albums, came just a year after Lovesexy, and then the brutal Gett Off and followed. What the hell, Prince?

I think the slowed-down voice in Bob George sounds kind of scary. But I love it. I don't think Prince really thought the album was that evil, as he performed many of the songs on the Lovesexy tour and eventually allowed it to be released. Most of the album is about partying. He's got two sides, but they're both friends.

electricberet said:

I think the slowed-down voice in Bob George sounds kind of scary. But I love it. I don't think Prince really thought the album was that evil, as he performed many of the songs on the Lovesexy tour and eventually allowed it to be released. Most of the album is about partying. He's got two sides, but they're both friends.

Two sides

NightGod said:

I don't think there's anything evil about it, but a lot of the music is very dark and the lyrics at times are pretty wild.

Bob George, although meant as a joke, could be taken literal. The casual or non Prince fan would probably be shocked by that one.

Superfunkicalifragisexy has the line "the blood's real good if you drink it real fast but the after taste just lasts and lasts..." I still don't know what he's talking about, but it could be interpreted to mean something questionable.

It's funny that one of his more romantic ballads appears on this album.

Virgo92 said:

There's not one song on that album that is bad as a "Jack U Off" or "Darling Nikki", lyric wise. So what is so bad about this album. My favorite Prince album by the way.

[Edited 4/5/11 17:54pm]

[Edited 4/5/11 17:56pm]

Somethings are better off not knowing or searching for!

The concept of the album came from a dark place within the creativity of Prince.

He tried too prove something to critics and acted as if provoked instead of challenged.

It was all amplified by the buzz/wording around Lovesexy as being the counterpart.

Those albums are in some sense yinyang and I always liked the way of releasing the music

(dark route through bootlegs / lights side through normal route), although this seemed unintented.

Genesia said:

Did he actually say it was "evil"? I thought he called it "dark."

Virgo92 said:

There's not one song on that album that is bad as a "Jack U Off" or "Darling Nikki", lyric wise. So what is so bad about this album. My favorite Prince album by the way.

[Edited 4/5/11 17:54pm]

[Edited 4/5/11 17:56pm]

Honestly, I think Prince just listened to it and realized that it wasn't that great an album.

It doesn't have any real strong central theme to it. It's not much of a concept album.

None of the songs are that good---they're not bad, but not good.

If he thought it was dark he could have removed Bob George, and it would have just been mildly perverse--which Prince was still into.

Shit, Chaos & Disorder was angrier than the black album.

I honestly think Prince just realize that in the shaddow of SOTT, he needed to step up his game a bit.

LoveSexy didn't succeed in doing this, but it was a more solid release.

It's propaganda. It's the same shit Prince does today. "Ya'll ain't ready for this!!!"

I've always thought this. If it was sooo evil why use 'When 2 R in Love' on your next project? Why perform segments of this album on tours afterwards? If it was so evil, trash it properly.

All that said, this album is the shit.

For the record, I believe the Lovesexy tour book has the quote "he had allowed the dark side of him to create something evil" re the Black Album.

Of course, that was written for the Lovesexy tour, and seems to be just more of that goofy pseudo-mythology. I'll bet Prince and the band were having a fabulous time recording the Black Album... it sure sounds like it!

Alguy said:

He was going through a pretty rough time, but calling it "evil" was going overboard, it was moe goofy and comedic than anything else. Weirdly enough, Lovesexy was the more serious of the two, the Black Album was just edgier and dirtier. The most baffling part is that Batman, one of his darkest albums, came just a year after Lovesexy, and then the brutal Gett Off and followed. What the hell, Prince?

I think he get's a bad pass with the Batman album because he was drawing from the movie/characters, which gave open for a darker side.

With the Black album though, I don't think any song on there is anything Prince hasn't touched on to various degrees since Dirty Mind (including unreleased music)

Sister, Tick Tick Bang, Extralovable(talk of rape) Computer Blue(ext) for example.

I think it just the bad trip he was on that influenced how he viewed the album

eyewishuheaven said:

For the record, I believe the Lovesexy tour book has the quote "he had allowed the dark side of him to create something evil" re the Black Album.

Of course, that was written for the Lovesexy tour, and seems to be just more of that goofy pseudo-mythology. I'll bet Prince and the band were having a fabulous time recording the Black Album... it sure sounds like it!

I agree. It was a fun album to me with an attitude

An artist like Prince could have really solidified himself post SOTT with this album, Lovesexy the album didn't do it, the tour might have but not the album.

1. bad mistake to jump 2 quickly from the sound of 1999/Purple Rain to ATWIAD

2. bad mistake to fire the director of UTCM and not have the bands in the movie

3. bad mistake to not release so much of that music during the Dream Factory years

4. bad mistake to break up the Revolution, because also the protege scene drops off

5. bad mistake to end the SOTT era so quickly and not tour the States

6. bad mistake to not release the Black album

7. bad mistake to break up the Lovesexy band

8. bad mistake to make the Graffiti Bridge movie

OldFriends4Sale said:

eyewishuheaven said:

For the record, I believe the Lovesexy tour book has the quote "he had allowed the dark side of him to create something evil" re the Black Album.

Of course, that was written for the Lovesexy tour, and seems to be just more of that goofy pseudo-mythology. I'll bet Prince and the band were having a fabulous time recording the Black Album... it sure sounds like it!

I agree. It was a fun album to me with an attitude

An artist like Prince could have really solidified himself post SOTT with this album, Lovesexy the album didn't do it, the tour might have but not the album.

1. bad mistake to jump 2 quickly from the sound of 1999/Purple Rain to ATWIAD

2. bad mistake to fire the director of UTCM and not have the bands in the movie

3. bad mistake to not release so much of that music during the Dream Factory years

4. bad mistake to break up the Revolution, because also the protege scene drops off

5. bad mistake to end the SOTT era so quickly and not tour the States

6. bad mistake to not release the Black album

7. bad mistake to break up the Lovesexy band

8. bad mistake to make the Graffiti Bridge movie

I agree with most of your comments. But it might not have been such a bad idea to hold the Black Album back. It caused a big stir and everyone started looking for the bootleg. I think the biggest problem with Lovesexy was the cover. It probably turned off some of his straight male fans and may have interfered with the promotion of the album by big chain stores.

electricberet said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I agree. It was a fun album to me with an attitude

An artist like Prince could have really solidified himself post SOTT with this album, Lovesexy the album didn't do it, the tour might have but not the album.

1. bad mistake to jump 2 quickly from the sound of 1999/Purple Rain to ATWIAD

2. bad mistake to fire the director of UTCM and not have the bands in the movie

3. bad mistake to not release so much of that music during the Dream Factory years

4. bad mistake to break up the Revolution, because also the protege scene drops off

5. bad mistake to end the SOTT era so quickly and not tour the States

6. bad mistake to not release the Black album

7. bad mistake to break up the Lovesexy band

8. bad mistake to make the Graffiti Bridge movie

I agree with most of your comments. But it might not have been such a bad idea to hold the Black Album back. It caused a big stir and everyone started looking for the bootleg. I think the biggest problem with Lovesexy was the cover. It probably turned off some of his straight male fans and may have interfered with the promotion of the album by big chain stores.

But he made no money off of the Black album

I bought the Dirty Mind album too, yeah it was a bit weird for a minute but when I saw promo posters hanging in the store it wasn't so bad. What I didn't like and that might have messed with people was the continuous play. I never listen to the album for that reason and yeeaarss later got the individual MP3 songs

OldFriends4Sale said:

electricberet said:

I agree with most of your comments. But it might not have been such a bad idea to hold the Black Album back. It caused a big stir and everyone started looking for the bootleg. I think the biggest problem with Lovesexy was the cover. It probably turned off some of his straight male fans and may have interfered with the promotion of the album by big chain stores.

But he made no money off of the Black album

I bought the Dirty Mind album too, yeah it was a bit weird for a minute but when I saw promo posters hanging in the store it wasn't so bad. What I didn't like and that might have messed with people was the continuous play. I never listen to the album for that reason and yeeaarss later got the individual MP3 songs

He's wearing at least some clothes on Dirty Mind. But I don't think the problem with the Lovesexy cover is that he's naked, so much the fact that he's reclining on a phallic flower and has a look of vulnerability. Maybe that makes the ladies go wild, but as a straight 14-year old boy in a small town, it was an embarrassing album to have in my collection. On the Dirty Mind cover, he looks like an angry young man full of testosterone who just happens to be missing his shirt and pants.

To keep this on topic, I would say that the Black Album cover was a stroke of genius. Too bad it didn't make him much money (though he must have made something from the 1994 release).

eye think prince said if something was 2 happen 2 him ? he was 2 die he didnt want the black album 2b his last & remembered 4 that.eye dont think its dark at all!!!eye love cindy c & bob george eye think prince was playing a game and it worked!!!!!

davetherave6767 said:

eye think prince said if something was 2 happen 2 him ? he was 2 die he didnt want the black album 2b his last & remembered 4 that.eye dont think its dark at all!!!eye love cindy c & bob george eye think prince was playing a game and it worked!!!!!

I'm glad I have the memories of getting my copy of the album in 1987

Spinlight said:

It's propaganda. It's the same shit Prince does today. "Ya'll ain't ready for this!!!"

I would agreed with the quote if Prince came out on stage in a wheel chair designed wear hig heels and do splits.

OldFriends4Sale said:

davetherave6767 said:

eye think prince said if something was 2 happen 2 him ? he was 2 die he didnt want the black album 2b his last & remembered 4 that.eye dont think its dark at all!!!eye love cindy c & bob george eye think prince was playing a game and it worked!!!!!

I'm glad I have the memories of getting my copy of the album in 1987

If you got a real WB-pressed copy in 1987, you are a very lucky individual. I had to settle for two different bootlegs, one on CD and one on vinyl. Both sounded muddy and distorted. It was great to get the official version in 1994.

OldFriends4Sale said:

electricberet said:

I agree with most of your comments. But it might not have been such a bad idea to hold the Black Album back. It caused a big stir and everyone started looking for the bootleg. I think the biggest problem with Lovesexy was the cover. It probably turned off some of his straight male fans and may have interfered with the promotion of the album by big chain stores.

But he made no money off of the Black album

I think indirect he did. This was an extra layer to his foundation of mystic and songs in the vault. It was one of the pilars of long lasting fandom of many.

dualboot said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

But he made no money off of the Black album

I think indirect he did. This was an extra layer to his foundation of mystic and songs in the vault. It was one of the pilars of long lasting fandom of many.

I definately agree with that.

Somehow it would have been cool if he made like 2 videos for songs prior to the pulling of the black album and let them leak too

I don't think there's anything evil about it. It is certainly shrouded in rumours though. For such a name as the "black" album I was expecting something really good, maybe a little dark and deep, but I was disappointed. Weird album in my opinion. It doesn't sound as if a lot of thought went into it.

It's sounds like a mix of electro, funk, pop and rap. There's no real theme or flow and most of the lyrics & the swearing leave much to be desired. One very consistent beat throughout most tracks and it's almost as if the lyrics were made up as they went along. Or I don't know, maybe there was thought behind it, but I don't hear it. A lot of the lyrics are sexually driven but not naughty and nice, but raw and so uncooked that they come over as rather simplistic. Prince has got more class than that.

There are a few funky parts here and there & in the jam- like-songs but you have to search (wait) for them, without them being the next logical step in a sequence of sound. The tracks are also long. Just not easy listening or grabbing. Was putting when 2 r in love put on there just to remind us that he is a decent song writer? I think so.

But always good to revisit the album. Different strokes for different folks I suppose. However, it's going back into hibernation in the cupboard.

Le Grind was a true gem!