HatrinaHaterwitz said:

I 've been sitting here trying to think of the right words but only one keeps coming to my mind. And it's such a shocking, vile and vulgar word when it comes to Prince music, that I really shudder when I think about and don't want to say it but I will because somebody has to. The word is BLAND!

I really don't care what anyone else thinks. What I just listened to was uninspired, heart-less, soul-less, FUNK-less and preachy. Yes, BLAND!!!

What? You didn't hear "The Gold Standard"? That's the one track that he's given those of us that still like to jam to continue getting our sales. Are you greedy or something and wanting a complete album full of jams? Wake up and smell the coffee toots. The days of jamming are over with and today's mainstream is bland. Don't you know that if Prince wants to be back in the mainstream, he's got to become bland too? Hell, he can't get none of this young rough trade dick if he keeps putting jams on the albums because they've been raised on bland music their entire lifetime.

.

You're just being greedy. How dare you think that just because you're a consumer, you're supposed to get a product that sounds great all the way through. You've got your one little jam to keep you still around while he lurks the juvenille detention centers so get with the times honey. Hold on to that one jam, conveniently develop temporary amnesia on all the rants that Prince himself has done about contemporary mainstream music, give him a pass for selling out simply because he's Prince, and then turn around and not only kiss his ass in praise of the sellout stuff, but go even further and toss his salad. You've got to get with the program honey if you want to be a good little fam and earn your place in Prince's Purple Heaven one day.

.

.

.

[Edited 9/29/14 6:49am]

vainandy said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

I 've been sitting here trying to think of the right words but only one keeps coming to my mind. And it's such a shocking, vile and vulgar word when it comes to Prince music, that I really shudder when I think about and don't want to say it but I will because somebody has to. The word is BLAND!

I really don't care what anyone else thinks. What I just listened to was uninspired, heart-less, soul-less, FUNK-less and preachy. Yes, BLAND!!!

What? You didn't hear "The Gold Standard"? That's the one track that he's given those of us that still like to jam to continue getting our sales. Are you greedy or something and wanting a complete album full of jams? Wake up and smell the coffee toots. The days of jamming are over with and today's mainstream is bland. Don't you know that if Prince wants to be back in the mainstream, he's got to become bland too? Hell, he can't get none of this young rough trade dick if he keeps putting jams on the albums because they've been raised on bland music their entire lifetime.

that's accurate

I reckon we will see one or two Kingsausage 180's (the KS180) before long.

dustoff said:

LA Times Review:

in a career of classic groovers like "Kiss," "Housequake," "1999" and "Life O' the Party."

TheEnglishGent said:

dustoff said:

LA Times Review:

in a career of classic groovers like "Kiss," "Housequake," "1999" and "Life O' the Party."

yeah I laughed at that too

good review though

[Edited 9/29/14 7:28am]

Rebeljuice said:

ARock said:

vainandy said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

I 've been sitting here trying to think of the right words but only one keeps coming to my mind. And it's such a shocking, vile and vulgar word when it comes to Prince music, that I really shudder when I think about and don't want to say it but I will because somebody has to. The word is BLAND!

I really don't care what anyone else thinks. What I just listened to was uninspired, heart-less, soul-less, FUNK-less and preachy. Yes, BLAND!!!

What? You didn't hear "The Gold Standard"? That's the one track that he's given those of us that still like to jam to continue getting our sales. Are you greedy or something and wanting a complete album full of jams? Wake up and smell the coffee toots. The days of jamming are over with and today's mainstream is bland. Don't you know that if Prince wants to be back in the mainstream, he's got to become bland too? Hell, he can't get none of this young rough trade dick if he keeps putting jams on the albums because they've been raised on bland music their entire lifetime.

.

You're just being greedy. How dare you think that just because you're a consumer, you're supposed to get a product that sounds great all the way through. You've got your one little jam to keep you still around while he lurks the juvenille detention centers so get with the times honey. Hold on to that one jam, conveniently develop temporary amnesia on all the rants that Prince himself has done about contemporary mainstream music, give him a pass for selling out simply because he's Prince, and then turn around and not only kiss his ass in praise of the sellout stuff, but go even further and toss his salad. You've got to get with the program honey if you want to be a good little fam and earn your place in Prince's Purple Heaven one day.

.

.

.

[Edited 9/29/14 6:49am]

The Gold Standard is okay but the lyrics make it more gold-filled than solid.

I prefer "Breakdown" more for my one "Here, damn it!" track.

So nah! I'd much rather party in Prince's Purple Hell...where the good music obviously is; than spend eternity with this BLAND shit.

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

I 've been sitting here trying to think of the right words but only one keeps coming to my mind. And it's such a shocking, vile and vulgar word when it comes to Prince music, that I really shudder when I think about and don't want to say it but I will because somebody has to. The word is BLAND!

I really don't care what anyone else thinks. What I just listened to was uninspired, heart-less, soul-less, FUNK-less and preachy. Yes, BLAND!!!

Do you own a pair of headphones and a gram of weed? Try that.

.

If you want to hear bland, go spin Planet Earth.

[Edited 9/29/14 8:13am]

TheEnglishGent said:

Been listening to AOA on repeat for a while... whch is how I usually do my new Prince releases.I must say that IMO as a whole... this album is defiinately one of the strongest efforts from him in ages. Not necessarily the best... but definately strong. 'Way Back Home' i on a fast track to be one of my favorite Prince tracks ...period... loving it.

Still on first listen so will reserve judgement.

In the meatime, The cover art shows copies of Purple Rain on vinyl in the backgound. I assume this has been spotted ad discussed already. Thoughts?

herb4 said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

I 've been sitting here trying to think of the right words but only one keeps coming to my mind. And it's such a shocking, vile and vulgar word when it comes to Prince music, that I really shudder when I think about and don't want to say it but I will because somebody has to. The word is BLAND!

I really don't care what anyone else thinks. What I just listened to was uninspired, heart-less, soul-less, FUNK-less and preachy. Yes, BLAND!!!

Do you own a pair of headphones and a gram of weed? Try that.

.

If you want to hear bland, go spin Planet Earth.

[Edited 9/29/14 8:13am]

The fact that I had to use the word BLAND to describe a new Prince album is horrible enough but someone telling me to smoke some weed to help me not see the blandness is just too much for me. I'm going out to play in the

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

V10LETBLUES said:

Nikkie said:

The Guardian is moderately postive, 3 stars out of 5 for the whole package: Prince: Art Official Age and PlectrumElectrum review – no lack of ideas, just focus. http://gu.com/p/422x8/tw

A reviewer who had to write his review too fast without taking the time. If I had posted a review after two listens, I would have never writen what I think of AOA today. That basically AOA is an outstanding album. I just LOVE it.

And when I read a reviewer saying Prince should have mixed a bit of the two albums to make one is so plain stupid. Has he understood the concept and the sound of each separate album at least?

Having said that most reviewers are raving about the new cds everywhere in the world. Which I did not expect at all.

yea. that review is so annoying, completely misses the point! I dont mind constructive criticism, like i think the la times review is very fair, but this guy just gets it completely wrong!

V10LETBLUES said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

It is BLAND and I'm not the one that disappoints.

If it was just bland, id be ok with it. To me most of his newer music is just cringeworthy bad. To me playing this in public is like walking around with a bugger dangling from your nose. There is no way in hell I would want to be caught dead playing any of it in public. Embarrassingly bad. The Internet is one thing, but in real life try pictureing what type of person you would see playing AOA in public. Lol, I honestly can't. [Edited 9/29/14 9:01am]

Seems you've lost the fun of the music.

I will be skipping along outside blasting AOA and some of PE.

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!

KingSausage said:

Vibe loves it. http://www.vibe.com/photo...ficial-age

LA Times gave Art Official Age 4 stars so it's definitely about to get the 'critically acclaimed' treatment.

Plectrum is not enjoying the same level of acclaim. 2 Stars from LA Times and really people are reviewing them as a package deal and Plectrum's response could end up hurting AOA.

Nikkie said:

I think the album shows Prince in a playful mood, having fun in the studio, which is really nice, but there are far too many slow, tedious numbers. A few really strong cuts, though, and on the whole a fairly decent album.

P

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

herb4 said:

Do you own a pair of headphones and a gram of weed? Try that.

.

If you want to hear bland, go spin Planet Earth.

[Edited 9/29/14 8:13am]

The fact that I had to use the word BLAND to describe a new Prince album is horrible enough but someone telling me to smoke some weed to help me not see the blandness is just too much for me. I'm going out to play in the

You can do all three (grab some headphones, smoke a bowl and go outside)! It'll be fun! The fuck is so horrible about smoking pot and listening to music? I'm pretty sure that's a thing people do. You seem like a really fun person.

.

Forget the weed if you find the idea of getting high and listening to music insulting. Start with the headphones. I'm not trying to tell you what to like or not to like but to call this record "bland" leads me to think you may have a hearing problem or that you're listening to it through shitty laptop speakers. I can get why some folks might not like it, but it's hardly "bland". If you'd said it was overproduced, too slick, pretentious, plastic, synthetic, preachy or...well...even "artifical" I could take your critique seriously but the motherfucker aint "bland". Like at all.

.

Just so i have a frame of reference relating to your tastes, can you cite 3 or 4 Prince albums that you don't think are bland?

JoeTyler said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

Using the word BLAND when talking about Prince music just seems like sacrilege to me but I don't know how else to honestly describe AOA. Oh well, there will be much overrating this week but no worries, it'll be a forgotten memory by Halloween and hopefully we can get on with the remasters. :shrug:

yep, so Prince can FINALLY become a veteran artist: glorious past + remasters + so-so new albums

You are right to have your opinion but others have a different view as well. Below is the last sentence in the LA Times review of both albums and it was a fair review of both albums, giving AOA 4 stars and Plectrum 2 stars. It's all in the persons ears and their preference, personally I am not a fan of Plectrum but AOA I love.

It's tough to criticize Prince for offering such a welcome bounty, even if some of it's so-so. After all, who among the '80s superstars remains as relevant? U2? Madonna? Bruce Springsteen? I'll take the flawed, weird Prince rock of "PlectrumElectrum" over a conservatively bland U2 or Springsteen album any day. And I'll take an exquisite Prince R&B album like "Art Official Age" over pretty much anything else released this year.

Associated Press (AP) Loves it!

Prince seeks relevance in double release

http://abcnews.go.com/Ent...e-25834839

[Edited 9/29/14 10:33am]

Michigan loves it!

http://www.themorningsun....ertainment

Been craving new Prince music since the under-the-radar “20Ten” four years ago? Well, the Minneapolis auteur is back with enough new tunes to last you ... at least another couple of years if not until 2099. The sheer wealth of material is a bit overwhelming, with two different collections. “Art Official Age” is a Prince “solo” album and “Plectrumelectrum” recorded with his new rock quartet, 3rdEyeGirl, though the quartet also plays on “Art Official Age.” “Plectrumelectrum,” in fact, is the more fun of the two, simply because we haven’t heard Prince rock — REALLY rock — this hard over the course of an album before, and he sounds invigorated as he leads 3rdEyeGirl through the title track instrumental’s bluesy excursions, the power-chord drenched “Wow” and “Pretzelbodylogic,” the psychedelic-tinged “Fixurlifeup” and the hyper-speed “Marz,” though “Whitecaps” is a pleasingly melodic and laid-back change-up. “Art Official Age,” meanwhile, is a more “typical” Prince album, showcasing his trademark Minneapolis brand of sinewy, spacious funk with just enough touches of contemporary EDM and rap to indicate his antenna’s up. The 13-track set’s futuristic concept, about a world where social media and electronic communication have created a new social order, doesn’t quite carry through, but Prince still offers the goods to “turn it up (and) let your body groove” as he sings in “The Gold Standard,” as well as a healthy batch of libidinous slow jams that indicate we won’t be seeing Prince in any Viagra or Cialis ads any time soon.

dodger said:

dadeepop said:

I really hope Prince is proud of Way Back Home. Because he really, REALLY should be.

When played back to back - affirmation I & II, Way Back Home, affirmation III - thats some real deep spiritual goosebumpy stuff. Cant remember the last time that happened with his studio stuff.

Co-sign. That's what I was alluding to earlier when I said the back end of this record is insanely great. The last 4 or 5 tracks...I love the way it all ties together - the refrains, the recalls, the vocal distortions and even the segues (for once) don't bother me. Think about albums like Rainbow Children, Exodus and Love Symbol where all that shit was so overbearing it nearly overpowered and ruined some pretty good records.

.

Every time I listen to this thing I not only DON'T skip any tracks (when was the last time that happened?) but as soon as it ends I want to queue it up again and listen for things I missed. Those things haven't really happened for me since SOTT, Parade, ATWIAD, 1999, The Black Album and, yes, even Purple Rain; where I wanted to keep peeling the sonic onion that Prince had grown and find all the layers. The weirdness, for the first time in a while, is not so off putting and overbearing but serves as a way to further rope you in, exposing another layer.

.

Take the first track. I HATE "Roxbury" music and most club music. As soon as I heard this thing kick off I was like "oh, hell NO" but by the time you can reach the skip button, the track changes up on you. "Oh, shit. That's a nice guitar lick"....hmmm..."What the fuck did I just listen to? Was that one song or four?"

.

Some of these tracks didn't grab me right away, especially on thier own, but even the ones I'm not nuts about fit perfectly in the context of the album. 3121 was the last time he really put something together this cohesive and consistent but that album still loses compared to this one. 3121 might hit a few higher peaks (Love, The Word) but it doesn't hold together as well. The low spots are lower. AOA is like the old days, listening to several songs in a row that, even if they're not up your alley, suit your tastes or are otherwise in your wheelhouse, they're all rated at least a "7" and they all fit together.

.

Also, Prince hasn't sounded this vulnerable and open since things like "The Beautiful Ones", "Let it Go", "Wasted Kisses" and certains songs from "The Truth". "Way Back Home", "The Breakdown" and "Time" seem to be laying his soul bare and it really resonates. If you have a soul at least.

.

You know what AOA is? "Wasted Kissed" - the album.

dustoff said:

After all, who among the '80s superstars remains as relevant? U2? Madonna? Bruce Springsteen?

I'd add MJ (even though he's dead), Red Hot Chilli Peppers, David Bowie, maybe Sting and Peter Gabriel, Rush, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Robert Plant, Elton John...I guess you could add Paul McCartney to this list...but that's a pretty good point he brought up there. Aside from Bruce, U2 and Madonna, no one's really left and they certainly aren'y offering up anything like what Prince has done here.

V10LETBLUES said:

Nikkie said:

The Guardian is moderately postive, 3 stars out of 5 for the whole package: Prince: Art Official Age and PlectrumElectrum review – no lack of ideas, just focus. http://gu.com/p/422x8/tw

Seems like a more sober review. While he obviously rates it far better than me, I respect it. For me it comes down to, yes Prince has been ..funky, jazzy, pop, rock, indulgent, vulgar, weird, everything under the sun, but it wasn't until recently that we could add oblivious and corny to the list. from the Guardian review

Two decades on, Prince’s patchy period is still in full swing. If he’s never made a truly awful album in the ensuing 17 years, the kind of unequivocal artistic triumphs of which his release schedule once solely consisted have been noticeable by their absence. In their place has come a familiar sound: that of journalists trying to will an unequivocal artistic triumph into existence on Prince’s behalf. It’s almost an art form in itself, which reached a kind of apotheosis – its Sign O’ the Times, its Parade – with Tony Parsons’ 2010 piece, in which he informed the world that the mediocre Prince album the Daily Mirror was giving away was both the most important comeback since Elvis climbed onstage in a leather suit and literally the best album ever made: “as good as anything that anyone has done”. Which brings us to PlectrumElectrum and Art Official Age, on which Prince himself seems to join the chorus of voices insisting his new album, or rather albums, are an astonishing return to form.

[Edited 9/29/14 10:19am]

IDK V10... hes been corny for a while. Its a fine line with Prince. Diamond and Pearls you could be a happy boy or a girl. Gold... Graffitti Bridge. We are the New Power Generation and we want to change the world! He could be corny but a lot of times it worked. The music or the hook was soooo good it worked. On the examples I just gave that is not the case and honestly there is nothing corny on AOA IMO

If you don't mind me asking is their recent work you do like? LotusFlower (disc 1 of course)? Rainbow Children, 3121? Again I think some of your points make sense but its like you are talking about Planet Earth or Rave... not AOA