electricberet said:

kangafunk said:

I see what the OP is saying about the commercial failure of ATWIAD, but to me it is one of his best albums, sure, not as good as Purple Rain, but in P's defence, Purple rain is a once in a lifetime masterpiece that excels in a way that real music lovers and casual gravy train music fans can relate to together, a very rare commodity.

On a personal note, I couldn't care less about the commercial success of his music, I'm just happy that he is/was succesful enough to still be recording albums as frequently as he is, because without him, my music library would be very one dimensional. Besides, average Joe music fans are usually just sheep anyway, so I'm glad they got off the train and left us proper music lovers to enjoy his music!

Can someone explain how an album that reached #1 in the Billboard 200 was a "commercial failure?" It's only if you take Purple Rain--one of the biggest-selling albums of all time--as the baseline that ATWIAD could be considered a commercial failure, and if that's the case then every other album Prince has released has also been a commercial failure. That's like saying a sports team had a failed season if they allowed another team to score any points, even if they won the championship.

I agree, it wasn't a commercial failure by anyone elses standards, but I would expect the follow up to one of the greatest records of all time to receive more sales than it did.

[Edited 11/15/11 11:27am]

cdog572 said:

Putting all of the BS and smug,indignant comments of some folks here aside.Looking back at it now,Would SOTT have been a better follow up to Purple Rain instead of ATWIAD? [Edited 11/15/11 11:28am]

No.

I love around the world in a day its one of my personal FAVORITES

wally1970 said:

I love around the world in a day its one of my personal FAVORITES

mine too, it's his most consistent album IMO

@ pissing on Parade

I think that without the albums in-between, I'm not so sure the sound on SOTT would have evolved to what it was. The songs could have been the same, but with different sounds or keyboards or sequences.

alphastreet said:

wally1970 said:

I love around the world in a day its one of my personal FAVORITES

mine too, it's his most consistent album IMO

in 2011 it's still my number #1 favorite

most cohesive consistent colorfully intimate album

OldFriends4Sale said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

alphastreet said:

mine too, it's his most consistent album IMO

in 2011 it's still my number #1 favorite

most cohesive consistent colorfully intimate album

YES! You get it!

cdog572 said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

in 2011 it's still my number #1 favorite

most cohesive consistent colorfully intimate album

You folks are going to make me put in my ATWIAD Cd and take a listen.It has been awhile.

if you have the album/artwork/lyrics look thru it while listening

add

Around the World in a Day

Paisley Park (extended)

Condition of the Heart

Tamborine

Girl (extended)

Raspberry Beret (extended)

Hello (extended)

Tempation

America (extended)

the Ladder

Pop Life (Extended)

Absolutely not.

If we're just talking theoretically, then as a career move, releasing Sign O The Times as a follow-up to Purple Rain would probably have been a huge commercial success, assuming at least two years had passed between the two releases.

But as has been pointed out, Sign O The Times just wouldn't have existed without its two predecessors, and that (to quote a cliché) 'musical journey' he took between Purple Rain and Sign. Also, ATWIAD is the perfect follow-up to PR artistically, because it has a very similar sound, but simply takes it in a slightly more perverse direction. If people didn't 'get it' then Prince seemed to see it as their loss - which is cool in itself really.

But in this alternative universe, you have to think what we'd have missed out on; ATWIAD and Parade (obviously), plus it's unlikely we would have had The Black Album and Lovesexy, as the commercially minded Prince in this scenario would be concentrating on his next multi-selling album rather than following his muse.

Prince, thankfully, has often eschewed commercial success in favour of following that muse and it's to our benefit that he's chosen the career path he has. Although since leaving Warners, he's made some pretty off decisions both musically and career-wise, but that's best kept to one of the other million threads on that subject.

So should Sign O The Times have been the immediate follow-up to Purple Rain? Commercially yes, but artistically, no.

MadamGoodnight said:

The only song I listened to on ATWIAD was Pop Life, and then the B Sides, the rest I skipped. On Parade, the only song I love is Anotherloverholenyohead. The rest I skip to this day. I hate Raspberry Beret. It's probably not a common opinion around here, but IDGAF.

SOTT got me right back into things. Housequake, SOTT, If I was Your GF, Hot Thing, Adore.....yessssss!

I had epic battles with the Michael Jackson fans back then, SOTT vs. Bad. Thank you Princey!

I never really liked ATWIAD,either.There are a few decent tracks but it's an album that I rarely listen to these days.I was thrilled when SOTT was released.Songs like "Housequake" and "It" are exactly the type of songs I wanted to hear from Prince....not silly stuff like "Raspberry Beret"!

Songs like SOTT, Housequake, Hot Thing and It (to name just a few) as a folow up to Purple Rain? Nah, that wouldn't have worked.

cdog572 said:

Still missing my point I see.The reason I respected Prince and not Michael Jackson is the fact that Prince put musical integrity before record sales.I am saying that because of ATWIAD and Parade,Prince lost his rock cred in the White Community and street cred in the Black Community along with his momentum.That might not mean much to certain people on this board but to others that mean't a hell of a lot.Pay attention folks.I am not talking strictly record sales when I say an album or artist flopped.I'm talking culturally as well.You being a music producer or whatever means nothing to me if you can't understand where I'm coming from as far as Prince's cultural impact in America at the time.Especially in the African American Community.You want to debate me on that one too?This post is not strictly just about the music of ATWIAD or Parade.

Actually, I get your point. Well, when ATWIAD came out, my head did the Exorcists spin. I didn't know where Prince was going with it and that's when I began to really see the other musical sides of Prince. It wasn't my favorite. Parade was alright. These albums took time with me, Parade eventually growing on me. I'll add that Prince has done much music since that hasn't grown on me. But, yes, in the beginning it was a bit alien.

bobbyperu said:

It's like George Clinton said:"we were too white for the black folks and too black for the white folks, but the people that liked us on both sides stuck!" And if that means not having a mass audience, I think that's a price both George and Prince and most of us are more than willing to pay. They have given us so much great music. Don't like a particular record? Don't listen to it. Big deal.

Do you read most of what's been written about you?

Not long ago I talked too George Clinton, a man who knows and has done so much for funk. George told me how much he liked Around the World in a Day. You know how much more his words meant than those from some mamma-jamma wearing glasses and an alligator shirt behind a typewriter?

What picture were you painting with 'Around the World in a Day'?

[Laughs] I've heard some people say that I'm not talking about anything on this record. And what a lot of other people get wrong about the record is that I'm not trying to be this great visionary wizard. Paisley Park is in everybody's heart. It's not just something that I have the keys to. I was trying to say something about looking inside oneself to find perfection. Perfection is in everyone. Nobody's perfect, but they can be. We may never reach that, but it's better to strive than not.

I remember when ATWIAD was released.People were like "wtf?" People thought that Prince had lost his mind.Especially the R&B/funk crowd.They weren't digging Prince's new direction.That's why copycat bands like Ready For The World were so popular....these bands were giving people the 'Minneapolis Sound' that Prince himself had just abandoned.To give you an idea of what I mean,here's the first sentence from Black Beat magazine's review of Parade....

For Prince fans who thought that 'Around The World In A Day' was the most expensive Frisbee they ever purchased,perhaps they'll have a little more affection for the new album....

See what I mean?

cdog572 said:

The reaction to ATWIAD was equivalent to the reaction of fans of the original Star Wars Trilogy when the New Prequel Trilogy was finished.You wanted to like ATWIAD because it was the much anticipated new Prince Album after Purple Rain.But when you experienced it the reaction was WTF?.

^^truth.com

SoulAlive said:

im not sure what i would do without raspberry beret or tamborine in my life

For what it's worth, here's a list of songs on Sign o' the Times that I don't think could have existed without Around the World in a Day and Parade:

• Play in the Sunshine
• Starfish and Coffee
• Slow Love
• The Cross
• It's Gonna be a Beautiful Night

Whatever that means.

cdog572 said:

Purple Rain was like an extreme high that you wanted to keep experiencing,ATWIAD was the cold water that killed the high.At one point SOTT was rated number 6 on the Greatest Rock Albums of all time.The music on SOTT would have a perfect compliment to Purple Rain.SOTT was just as innovative and experimental as 1999 and Dirty Mind before it.SOTT had Jazz,Rock,Funk,R&B,Soul,Pop.Music you could dance and make love to.The Cross is the perfect book end to the song Purple Rain.Artistically and commercially speaking SOTT would have been the correct follow up to Purple Rain.The high would have continued.The best songs on ATWIAD and Parade could have been B sides to SOTT Singles.Picture this,Purple Rain 1984-85 (Album,Movie,Tour) followed by SOTT 1986(Album,Tour,Movie) followed in late 1987 or 88 by Prince Live (With Bonus Studio Tracks being songs from the Black Album/Lovesexy Sessions)

U are really beating a dead horse

ATWIAD did not kill the high, Prince was riding off that high into 1986

No way Prince could have jumped from Purple Rain - Sign o the Times

There was too much happening in between that brought about Sign o the Times

And like BobbyPeru stated, Sign o the Times wasn't even the album Prince wanted

4 types of music were being played with during the 1985/1986 years the Flesh Sessions, Camille Music, a lot of instrumental types like Alexa de Paris & Dream Factory Music.

It's not possible that SOTT could have been the follow up

Maybe if Prince toured with ATWIAD and really gave it proper attention, to showcase it via performances touring and videos. The album itself is the reason it didn't do as good as PR

Purple Rain had major promo along with an accompanying blockbuster movie

Not possible that I would want 2 miss this

By the time Around the World in a Day dropped, Prince was completely over it.

I mean...think about it. Around the World in a Day, for all that it was released a year later, was in the can before Purple Rain came out. Personally, I think there are elements of it that were inspired by the Purple Rain project. Raspberry Beret is clearly inspired by the motorcycle ride through the country in the Lake Minnetonka scene and the barn scene. The "Love is more important than sex. Now I understand" ending of Temptation is a major theme of Purple Rain. And elements of it (his onstage "conversation with God") were incorporated into the Purple Rain tour.

He probably didn't even consider a tour for that album because the Purple Rain tour came after he recorded Around the World in a Day. And he was on to the Cherry Moon/Parade project almost immediately, too.