Noodled24 said:

JoeTyler said:

Specifically what elements here do you believe to be Princes trademark rock-funk? Specifically.

Hmm, no, I don't even have to share that information with you, because I woul hit the same wall, dude, you're a one way street

.

There are songs on AOA "where Prince didn't play an instrument" - Given the lyrics in this track are lifted direct from the PE version. I'd be willing to bet this is one of those tracks.

In other words - Princes TRADEMARK FUNK-ROCK that you hear in this song... is Josh.

mesmerizing information, but you're implying that SOMEBODY CANNOT reproduce the trademark rockfunk sound of Prince?

or perhaps you think ROCK MUST sound like Hendrix or Zeppelin, then again, that's your problem, not mine

what other rock tracks? I didn't necessarily mean tracks, more like PARTS

[Edited 9/30/14 10:34am]

No, Rock doesn't need to sound like Hendrix or Zepplin. But there are 2 main "parts" to this song. The hiphop elements and a very EDM dance outro... Neither are rock music.

THAT'S YOUR OPINION; for the third time, FUNKROLL is the same high-energy FUNK-ROCK filler song he's been doing since 1984, with a contemporary production

JoeTyler said:

Hmm, no, I don't even have to share that information with you, because I woul hit the same wall, dude, you're a one way street

.

Never stopped you before... of course nobody was asking for details and you could just make general statements without having to think.

mesmerizing information, but you're implying that SOMEBODY CANNOT reproduce the trademark rockfunk sound of Prince?

I didn't imply anything. You said it was Prince. I pointed out that this could be one of the Josh songs. (Josh... the guy who makes dance music)

THAT'S YOUR OPINION; for the third time, FUNKROLL is the same high-energy FUNK-ROCK filler song he's been doing since 1984, with a contemporary production

Again... a random general statement. You can say that about literally any uptempo song. FnR AOA version is ALL production, and it's obviously a dance song.

JoeTyler said:

2020 said:

Well said Murph

you two should date, here, some condoms, have fun

Come on Joe...U gotta turn that "asshole" down a little....U asked me to explain what I meant by "Real" Prince...I explained...

Now if you disagree with me or anyone else, again, I dig it. There is alot of shit that people disagree with me about. But no need to get all troll about it...lol...

I think you can make your point without the cheap shots.....

murph said:

JoeTyler said:

you two should date, here, some condoms, have fun

Come on Joe...U gotta turn that "asshole" down a little....U asked me to explain what I meant by "Real" Prince...I explained...

Now if you disagree with me or anyone else, again, I dig it. There is alot of shit that people disagree with me about. But no need to get all troll about it...lol...

I think you can make your point without the cheap shots.....

what's wrong with wishing you sex and offering you free (quality) condoms?

JoeTyler said:

Typical Org. Prince releases his best album in years and it's a clusterfuck in here.

Positivity?

I'm loving this more and more as the days go by.

controversy99 said:

Very interesting album. His second best of this millennium for me. If it had one solid single, it'd rank with his 70s to mid 90s material, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be that one strong, catchy song to help anchor this eclectic, weird, fun album. Something like Kiss on Parade or Alphabet St. on Lovesexy would put this over the top. 8/10

Singles aren't what they used 2 be.

2020 said:

New York loves it! http://www.newyorker.com/...ince-album A Legitimately Magical Prince Album CREDIT PHOTOGRAPH BY KEVIN MAZUR/WIREIMAGE VIA GETTY In 2010, Prince released an album, called “20Ten,” that ushered in the longest silence of his thirty-five-year career as a recording artist. For most of Prince’s creative existence, he’s put out an album a year, sometimes double and triple sets. After “20Ten,” though, came nothing. Well, nothing by Prince’s standards: plenty of singles trickled out, along with rumors about upcoming projects, but there was no major release. Then, earlier this year, he announced a return to Warner Bros. records, at first for the purpose of assembling a thirtieth-anniversary edition of “Purple Rain,” which would include outtakes and rare demos. This has not yet materialized. What has emerged is his first album of new material since “20Ten,” and the second: this week, Prince resurfaces with “Art Official Age,” a solo album, and “PlectrumElectrum,” a long-delayed collaboration with his all-female backing group, 3rd Eye Girl. “PlectrumElectrum” is easier to understand and easier to dispense with, which doesn’t mean that it’s subpar, exactly. It’s a short rock record with plenty of guitar, and includes meditations on sex, self-empowerment treatises, and energetic songs about energy. The more ambitious songs often spotlight someone other than Prince. Hannah Ford, the band’s drummer, sings the plaintive ballad “Whitecaps,” and “Boy Trouble” is a strange flower of a song with an out-of-left-field speed rap. The so-called solo record, “Art Official Age,” is considerably more interesting. For starters, Prince has dispensed with his typical “Produced, Arranged, Composed, and Performed by Prince” credit, the one on which much of his mystique as a one-man band and all-around genius was founded, and has shared production credit with Joshua Welton, who also happens to be Hannah Ford’s husband. Was this an admission by Prince that he needed another pair of ears? Was he in search of a more contemporary sound? The quasi-title track that opens the album (“Art Official Cage”) seems to suggest so. It’s a strange welter of E.D.M. clichés and Europop, with some gnomic lyrics, some grinding guitar, and some rapping. It’s a mess, provocative but not exactly successful; it sounds like a track that was left off Prince’s 1989 “Batman” soundtrack, updated for 20Fourteen. But the rest of the album is easily Prince’s most coherent and satisfying record in more than a decade. In the past few years, the Prince songs that leaked online seemed to be less about paving the way for a new album and more about trolling the Internet. “Breakfast Can Wait,” a lithe and light funk number, was released with a cover photo of Dave Chappelle as Prince. Only a snippet of “This Could Be Us” leaked, but it was enough to confirm that Prince had written a song about a popular Internet meme that used a picture of him from his “Purple Rain” days. As proper singles started appearing, though, the album came into sharper focus. Songs like “Clouds” and “U Know,” slower and more repetitive than the kaleidoscopic funk-rock we’ve come to expect from Prince, suggested a new direction—a kind of gelatinous, futuristic R. & B. These tracks worked in concert with the other singles to sketch out a theme: that technology separates us from those we’re close to, and even from ourselves; and that the lack of integration may well result in disintegration. “Clouds,” the second track on the album, which opens with the sound of a radio tuning, critiques the way the computer age offloads experiences to distant servers (that’s what the clouds are); the song instead prioritizes romance and human connection (“You should never underestimate the power of a kiss on the neck when she doesn’t expect a kiss on the neck”). It also folds in a well-constructed argument about the way the Internet era has encouraged empty exhibition and a half-baked argument about violence and bullying, before ending with a sci-fi monologue delivered by a British female voice that seems to suggest that Prince has been placed in some sort of centuries-long suspended animation. “Clouds” is a kind of manifesto: “When life’s a stage in this brand new age / How do we engage?” Prince’s answer is to do a version of what he’s always done, which is absorb nearly every kind of music available and, via alchemic wizardry, turn it into something that produces thoughts and emotions. That’s even more evident on “U Know,” which is built on a sample of the singer Mila J’s “Blinded” and alternates wordy half-rapped verses about romantic misunderstanding and spiritual crisis with an irresistibly seductive chorus. The songs seem like R. & B., but they’re statements of deep unrest. Then the album hits a lull, with tracks that declare the power of music rather than demonstrate it, and insist on the superiority of the past. It’s grumpy-old-man music, done with plenty of panache. None of this, though, is sufficient preparation for the homestretch of “Art Official Age,” which is where Prince stops worrying about the future or the past and truly inhabits the present. Beginning with “What It Feels Like,” a duet with the singer Andy Allo, Prince delivers a series of ballads, broken up by interludes and a red-meat dance song, that are like nothing he’s done before. It’s worth thinking about what it means for Prince to step into new territory. He has spent years trying to recapture pieces of his old self: the provocateur in black lingerie who got booed as an opening act for the Rolling Stones, the New Wave-inflected keyboard freak of “1999,” the motorcycle-riding rock god who ruled the world after “Purple Rain,” the tortured psychedelic introvert of “Around the World in a Day,” the jazzy genius of “Parade,” the pop polymath of “Sign O the Times,” the deeply divided spiritual pilgrim of “Lovesexy.” These old selves then became albatrosses. His albums of the late nineties and the past decade found Prince making gestures toward those personas without ever really inhabiting them again. And how could he? Here, for the first time, he suggests an alternative: maybe there’s an entirely new Prince music, possibly aided and abetted by Joshua Welton, that harnesses his talents and his vision. Maybe he’s not condemned to auto-pastiche. The closing songs are hard to absorb at first. “Way Back Home” sounds sluggish for a while and then, suddenly, it sounds revelatory. It’s a self-portrait painted in the strangest and most accurate colors imaginable, a melancholy confession and bruised boast in which Prince cops to the fact that he’s out of place, out of sorts, pushed forward at times by desperation but “born alive” in a world where most people are “born dead.” And “Time,” which runs for nearly seven minutes, is a love song, briefly lickerish, that’s mostly about the loneliness of the road. In both cases, Prince brings the tempo way down, focusses on the nuances of his melodies, shares the spotlight with female vocalists, weaves in motifs from earlier songs from the album, and adds a steady supply of surprising touches (such as the superbly funky, if subdued, horn outro to “Time”). The ballads are broken up by “FunkNRoll,” a straightforwardly exciting party song that also appears on “PlectrumElectrum,” but the version here serves the album’s over-all message—it’s knotty, both playful and eerie, with sonar-like sound effects that create a sense of distance and mediation. The closing track, “Affirmation III,” is a haunting reprise of “Way Back Home.” And while it’s abstract (the clipped, angelic backing chorus, which seems to be on loan from Laurie Anderson, is even more prominent), it’s also concrete. For the first time in years, Prince seems not just carnal but corporeal. Way back on “Controversy,” he challenged categories: “Am I black or white? Am I straight or gay?” By the time of “I Would Die 4 U,” the challenge had turned to taunting: “I’m not a woman / I’m not a man / I am something you can never understand,” and then, messianically, “I’m not a human.” Here, he presents himself as something understandable and fully human. In “Breakfast Can Wait,” he pleads with his lover that she can’t “leave a black man in this state.” But that black man is in this state: he’s in his fifties, grappling with loneliness, aging, creative inspiration, self-doubt, a shifting cultural landscape, and love. As luck would have it, he’s also Prince.

those last two lines are , I think,contradicionary. Aren't all those issues A RESULT of him being Prince?

Rorywan said:

Typical Org. Prince releases his best album in years and it's a clusterfuck in here.

Positivity?

I'm loving this more and more as the days go by.

Ditto. Still his best album in years though, regardless of the clusterfuck here

herb4 said:

Happy to know I'm not a big giant nostalgic pussy who's gotten too old for breaking out into gooseflesh and welling up with tears listening to "Way Back Home". That track is just fucking beautiful. I've never heard him write a song like that. The closest thing I can think of is "Wasted Kisses".

.

It's weird listening to Prince open up like this and almost acknowledge his age and vulnerability. I love even more that he revisits it in "Affirmation 3", and "Time" is a great bridge. That's the other thing about AOA. The track sequencing is on point for a fucking change. I picked up the discs today and listened to them in the car, wanted to skip to "my jams", but found myself just letting it play. I drove out of my way and circled the block just to let it keep going and not skip ONE SONG.

.

Bravo, Prince.

Bravo, indeed. I completely agree with you and had a similar experience.

JoeTyler said:

Future Soul Song is like 10000000000000 times better than Breakdown

[Edited 9/30/14 9:01am]

yeah and in fiver years' time, when he will start playing Breakdown live all of a sudden, I am sure we will al say Breakdown is 1000000000 times better then the 2019 song in the same vein.

Graycap23 said:

controversy99 said:

Very interesting album. His second best of this millennium for me. If it had one solid single, it'd rank with his 70s to mid 90s material, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be that one strong, catchy song to help anchor this eclectic, weird, fun album. Something like Kiss on Parade or Alphabet St. on Lovesexy would put this over the top. 8/10

Singles aren't what they used 2 be.

Songs still blow up, though. Take Blurred Lines...which, come to think of it, is a single that's exactly like they used to be!

Prince don't give a crap what none of you mugs think. He's been waiting all day to hear what I think because he values my opinion, not yours....

Here it is Princey....straight, no chaser. No comparisons to any of your other works and no pontificating to impress people, I just like what I like.

1. Art Official Cage...I love the living hell outta this track, damn! it's all over the place and interesting in a good way. This is thee repeat song for me...I cant get enough of it because it's bouncy and I like to bounce.

2. Clouds...Still don't care much for it but I can see how it fits within the context of the whole cd.

3. Breakdown...This is the only song I liked of the ones we heard pre-release. Not up there with his best power ballads but still very solid, enjoyable song.

4. Gold Standard....Another favorite of mine.

5. U know....Meh.

6. Breakfast Can Wait....Kinda fun. I like it slightly better than I did when I heard it previously.

7. This Could Be Us...I'm loving this one, especially the excellent vocals.

8. What It Feels Like...Very smooth but nothing earthshaking.

9. Affirmation.....Not particularly impressed...nothing I don't already know.

10. Way Back Home....Beautiful arrangement, lyrics and vocals. I love everything about this track.

11. FunknRoll... For whatever reason I guess Prince likes this song a lot because it's on both cds. I have not heard the version on plectrum so I don't know if it's the same but I don't like the vocals on this track at all.

12. Time...Nice. I like Prince's natural voice and I particularly like this one toward the end.

13. Affirmation....I almost wish this was an instrumental because it's a beautiful and moving piece of music. Love it.

I haven't found much to like in the 3rd eye era so this was a pleasant surprise for the most part. I'm giving it 7/10. After Hearing the cd in it's entirety, I'd say that I have a better impression of it than hearing bits and pieces of songs here and there. Prince updating his sound on this cd works well in some places and not so much in others.

AOA is interesting enough for me to want to keep listening though.

JoeTyler said:

Future Soul Song is like 10000000000000 times better than Breakdown

[Edited 9/30/14 9:01am]

I'm not sure about the exact number, but I agree that it's better. However, AOA is better than 20Ten. Future Love Song's a high point on its album. Breakdown's (honestly) a low point on its album.

TheKid94 said:

Art Official Cage should be the lead radio single. I know it would blow up. Some people think it sounds messy, and I despise that they used that annoying blow horn sound, but that first minute is pure ecstasy, and that funky guitar hook. It's time people my age (20), get on the Prince train. This song would also do great in clubs, especially on good speakers.

I'm way past 20 but I love this song to death!

OperatingThetan said:

herb4 said:

Happy to know I'm not a big giant nostalgic pussy who's gotten too old for breaking out into gooseflesh and welling up with tears listening to "Way Back Home". That track is just fucking beautiful. I've never heard him write a song like that. The closest thing I can think of is "Wasted Kisses".

.

It's weird listening to Prince open up like this and almost acknowledge his age and vulnerability. I love even more that he revisits it in "Affirmation 3", and "Time" is a great bridge. That's the other thing about AOA. The track sequencing is on point for a fucking change. I picked up the discs today and listened to them in the car, wanted to skip to "my jams", but found myself just letting it play. I drove out of my way and circled the block just to let it keep going and not skip ONE SONG.

.

Bravo, Prince.

Bravo, indeed. I completely agree with you and had a similar experience.

Can not stop listening to this album, loved it from start to finish instantly!

Time is just too amazing for words. Way Back home, affirmation lll , U know, The gold Standard are favourites for me.

Outstanding Prince

I really need to listen to Plectrum more but i just can't bring myself to remove AOA from my stereo

Rorywan said:

Typical Org. Prince releases his best album in years and it's a clusterfuck in here.

Positivity?

I'm loving this more and more as the days go by.

Most people seem to like it. I'd say it's 80% positive so I'm nor sure what you're on about here.

babynoz said:

Prince don't give a crap what none of you mugs think. He's been waiting all day to hear what I think because he values my opinion, not yours....

Well, shit, close the thread. babynoz is finally here and weighed in with a review.

[Edited 9/30/14 16:03pm]

herb4 said:

babynoz said:

Prince don't give a crap what none of you mugs think. He's been waiting all day to hear what I think because he values my opinion, not yours....

Well, shit, close the thread. babynoz is finally here and weighed in with a review.

[Edited 9/30/14 16:03pm]

I have spoken!

I gotta have me some fun with this.

NDRU said:

I'm no biologist, but I'm pretty sure if 1999 and The Black Album had sex they would produce "The Gold Standard."

dadeepop said:

Brendan said:

dadeepop said:

I'm no biologist, but I'm pretty sure if 1999 and The Black Album had sex they would produce "The Gold Standard."

I like that. Perhaps that would explain what's taking place here on the closing 30 seconds.

You're so right.

[Edited 9/30/14 17:27pm]

JoeTyler said:

Polo1026 said:

Just a question, do you like 'pussy control'?

I friggin' love that track, but I can understand why some folks find it irritating

The reason I asked was because Pussy Control was called 'Soul-less, wanna-be rapper, bullshit' by LOTS of fans. If you look at the design of the tracks, what is so different between Pussy Control and Funknroll? They are both attempts at the same thing except Pussy Control has copious amounts of curses. Nothing in Pussy Control, from the drum programming and the bass line and the rapping, is anything that is even a close reminder of '80's Prince music. It was all designed to fit in the sound of the time and yet Funknroll is garbage for the same reasoning? There doesn't have to be a reason why you don't like a song it's all subjective.

I've listened to the cd....completely.....FINALLY! After one listen the two standouts for me are "The Gold Standard" and "Time". I believe this more mature Prince is trying to give a new definition to what it is to be "cool" or at least what it is be to considered cool, hence the "you don't need to be rude...you don't need to be wild........." lyrics....and declaring that the Gold Standard....all while making you dance! I can appreciate that......if this is his goal. I love the bass on "Clouds" and I love how it seems he's allowing us a peep into his world with "Way Back Home" and "Breakdown" (that's what it felt like to me anyway). I didn't like Breakdown a month or so ago....now...it sounds really good. Overall this is a solid album....