JoeTyler said:

murph said:

...we must be listening to two different albums....20Ten?...lol

YES

20Ten is a strong album

AOA SUCKS

face it, accept it, deal with it

Nothing to 'face', 'accept' or 'deal' with. Just a matter of opinion where you happen to be in the minority.

OperatingThetan said:

JoeTyler said:

YES

20Ten is a strong album

AOA SUCKS

face it, accept it, deal with it

Nothing to 'face', 'accept' or 'deal' with. Just a matter of opinion where you happen to be in the minority.

source? proof?

JoeTyler said:

JoeTyler said:

JoeTyler said:

KingSausage said:

KingSausage said:

JoeTyler said:

source? proof?

Hmm, I don't know, THIS FUCKING THREAD PERHAPS?

do you mean I'm supposed to read 16 pages of (mostly) GARBAGE?

I have not and I will NOT

but, if it's true that the vast majority claims that AOA is def better than 20Ten, then this forum has finally become the mental asylum it was always meant to be

CONGRATULATIONS

this forum still kind of "had it" in 2005-2007 though, I remember the (mostly) positive reviews that 3121 got back when it was released...

after that people got jaded and the idi*ts from Housequake got here, and there you have it: it's 2014 and a clueless mass of people claims that AOA is better than 20Ten...

RIP Prince Forum, indeed

Okay, been spinning this since Thursday, absorbing it into my DNA, ready to give this a try:

Art Official Cage - elements I dislike (cheesy generic 90s faux-house sounds) mixed sublimely with elements I love (Purple pop funk reminiscent of Joint 2 Joint), altered vocals that don't grate my brain like usually happens with autotune but rather sounds like classic Prince vocal trickery, trippy Prince philosophy that I can follow and doesn't sound like he's preaching down to me, flows perfectly into the next track... Strongly like and thinking it's a grower

Clouds - fantastic pop R&B as only Prince can pull off, classic & futuristic at the same time, great romantic & sexy lyrics, Lianne's vocals are terrific, weird continuing "storyline" more intriguing than confusing and not obtrusive to song(s), guitar solo is beautiful - love it

Breakdown - average ballad, marred by sound effects and poor recording/mastering, lifted by fantastic classic Prince style scream vocals, Fantastic!, works better as an album track than as a single, but still not a standout - like

The Gold Standard - Still getting the funk face everytime I hear it, often for different reasons, Purple funk that sounds both classic and fresh, vocal effects sound great again, is this a "line-dance" song? (Oh, lawd!), infectious in every way, melody stuck in my head since I first heard it, "Here comes the chorus y'all" hilarious!, "this is exiting, it's different", AHHHH! it ends too soon!, bring on the 12''!!, this is my jam - LOVE it

U Know - ballady-ish but not really standard R&B, this is the kind of autotune that hurts my brains but it's not persistent, otherwise very interesting vocals & delivery, very weird sounding song which is a major plus for me, a bit too cluttered in the mix and too loud like Breakdown, like the rewind effect that's cool, moody track, like it better in context than as a single, might be a grower - like

Breakfast Can Wait - more pop R&B with Prince's purple-stamp on it, works fine on the album but as a year old single it seems an odd choice as opposed to say Groovy Potential or (insert your own choice here), great song though - like a lot

This Could Be Us - more ballad, fits right in but could really go for more upbeat at this point of the album, decent track, great falsetto vocals, really dig the last 30 seconds a lot! - like

What It Feels Like - extremely catchy purple pop! terrific duet with Andy Allo, laid back vibe but I'm over it and grooving to this one, sound effects at the end seem unnecessary but do segue nicely into the next track - strongly like/lovin' it

affirmation I & II - intro to the next track with silly new agish philosophy continuing the thematic thread that's still easy to follow and not preachy, so okay, unfortunately continues into the next track so it seems kind of pointless to separate them - eh, it's an intro

Way Back Home - mellow, I don't know how to classify this genre wise, great lyrics, love the vocals near the end - like it

Funknroll - first upbeat track in over 20 minutes, interesting mix of the kind of party track Prince has always excelled at, some of it works some of it doesn't, I kind of dig the breakdown with the Get Loose vibe and the classic Prince yelp, think I like the version on PE better though, would love to see NPG release a straight up funk band version on a future New Power Generation album, that would be sweet, this version definitely works with this album as a whole - like a lot

Time - slow funk groove, but damn! that's sweet, some more funk face goin on here (that bass!), great duet (Andy again?), digging the lyrics and the vocals and the callbacks to What It Feels Like & Breakdown, the last 45 seconds are my kind of funk, need more... Extended Version please! - Love it

affirmation III - reprise of affirmation / Way Back Home, more strange space-age blather that goes down smooth if naively cliche over the song extended out as the finale to the album - like it

As a whole, this album is the most cohesive and least formulaic, by-the-numbers, album Prince has released since Rainbow Children. I'm really lovin several songs and liking almost everything else and most of this feels like it's a grower that gets better with time. His vocals sound great, more powerful than in a long time. There's more low key / slow songs than I'd prefer and I think Groovy Potential would work better than Breakfast, but, hey, this album works. All the tracks have something going on that keeps me interested. I am digging it! Will happily buy the CD at a brick & mortar this Tues and the vinyl if/when it becomes available.

In my not-so-humble opinion, of course...

[Edited 9/28/14 12:41pm]

Bobby, I appreciate this attempt at irony, but you know that it's true

my opinions are, indeed, facts

BobGeorge909 said:

Silly...don't y'all know joes musical expertise is exquisite and beyond reproach. The mere utterance of his opinion turns them into immediate fact for everyone. Joe is just so utterly cool, that's it's not possible to share a view or opinions in other than his. How you guys don't know this is beyond me...pffft!

KingSausage said:

It sure is hard dealing with the fact that other people like something you don't like. The only explanation is they are crazy and their opinions aren't as good as yours. N

no, it's not hard at all; maybe a bit (and I mean, a bit) annoying

but no big deal, because, as I've said, this forum LOST IT after 2007...

if anything, I'd understand folks claiming that both 20ten / AOA suck...

The last time someone in this thread started attacking other people in the thread for their tastes this place got REEEAAALLLY ugly and had to be closed down for awhile, so, pretty please, don't feed them...

JoeTyler said:

djThunderfunk said:

KingSausage said:

Sorry, I should have added "face it, deal with it, accept it." Humility's not my strong suit.

the only thing I have to face and accept here is STUPIDITY, and I don't even have to deal with it (if I had to deal with, that would mean I'd have to do something about it, like adapting my point of view to the general stupidity of the 2008-2014 Prince forum, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna change my approach)

KingSausage said:

JoeTyler said:

no, it's not hard at all; maybe a bit (and I mean, a bit) annoying

but no big deal, because, as I've said, this forum LOST IT after 2007...

if anything, I'd understand folks claiming that both 20ten / AOA suck...

Your profile says you joined in 2007. Perhaps that explains the supposed downfall.

it's called a NEW account

JoeTyler said:

JoeTyler said:

KingSausage said:

JoeTyler said: Hmm, I don't know, THIS FUCKING THREAD PERHAPS?

do you mean I'm supposed to read 16 pages of (mostly) GARBAGE?

I have not and I will NOT

but, if it's true that the vast majority claims that AOA is def better than 20Ten, then this forum has finally become the mental asylum it was always meant to be

CONGRATULATIONS

this forum still kind of "had it" in 2005-2007 though, I remember the (mostly) positive reviews that 3121 got back when it was released...

after that people got jaded and the idi*ts from Housequake got here, and there you have it: it's 2014 and a clueless mass of people claims that AOA is better than 20Ten...

RIP Prince Forum, indeed

I'd rather live in a mental asylum than a lie!

theblueangel said:

omnithanos said:

You're having a laugh. Whoever doesn't appreciate Prince style 90's euro club music surely belong to a group who think those Batman films are Chris Nolan's best collaborations with Christian Bale.

Art Official Cage is pure Lovesexy!

I've read this comparison a few times on here, and I would really like some detail regarding how Art Official Cage supposedly resembles Lovesexy (not sure if you're referring to the track or the song, but either way). I think someone earlier compared it to Eye No, which is equally baffling. What elements of this song remind you of anything from the Lovesexy era? I don hear it in the lyrics, or the melodies, or the instrumentation, or the production, or anything else. Very confused.

The ending water sounds and guitar are very reminicent of the Positivity track.

Time sounds a bit like something off Martika's Kitchen to me.

The Gold Standard is my favourite but I'm very shallow and not very bright.

JoeTyler said:

KingSausage said:

JoeTyler said: Your profile says you joined in 2007. Perhaps that explains the supposed downfall.

it's called a NEW account

Calm down Joe -- no one's upset you don't like the songs.

But since you're asking for a source, maybe check the (so far) mostly laudatory notices it's getting from professional music journalists. So far it's anywhere from 3 to 5 (on 5). The consensus is more like this is one of his best work in a while, or at least something with some merits -- certainly no one but you is saying it's his worst.

Aerogram said:

One day Prince is trying too hard to sound like others, the next he's not listening to the people he's not supposed to be trying to sound like, then the following day Kanye made the kind of record you want Prince to make. I'm amazed you left out a diatribe about his failure to marry a Kardashian girl like that morbidly pompous Kanye.

I am not saying prince should try to sound like kanye .. I am saying kanye brought something very prince like to his sphere with yeezus and made something fresh with it .. as did beyonce rihanna and miley with we cant stop .. the point is the spirit of it .. pushing it to another level .. p with his stock writing style for steamy rnb lol .. its very repetative .. i wanna hear prince take chances just like kanye in the middle of pop domination releasing something as unpop and stark as yeezus or miley from her country roots to land this hip hop country crossover we cant stop was huge coming from the country world .. prince needs to step outside his comfort zone .. which he admittedly did a little on AOA .. but i would like him to really go for it like he used to when he took his super sexed up rnb into robot funk into jazz back to robot funk and into all sorts of areas until he got in a boring rut with his musical adventures .. prince doesnt need to be like kanye but i would like to see prince take real musical chances like he used to .. no not a lite jazz conservative christian album narrated by darth vader kind of musical chances .. but really trying to create something new and his own that hasnt been done .. some AOA tracks are great tho .. so it is nice to see a hint of it on a few tracks

ARock said:

We don't need another epidemic in this thread. Joe doesn't like AOA and thinks we all are crazy for liking it. Deal with it, accept it, move on

LOL -- no one has a problem with Joe's opinion. but he has a problem with others not recognizing he's right. You're reading this upside down.

TrevorAyer said:

Aerogram said:

One day Prince is trying too hard to sound like others, the next he's not listening to the people he's not supposed to be trying to sound like, then the following day Kanye made the kind of record you want Prince to make. I'm amazed you left out a diatribe about his failure to marry a Kardashian girl like that morbidly pompous Kanye.

I am not saying prince should try to sound like kanye .. I am saying kanye brought something very prince like to his sphere with yeezus and made something fresh with it .. as did beyonce rihanna and miley with we cant stop .. the point is the spirit of it .. pushing it to another level .. p with his stock writing style for steamy rnb lol .. its very repetative .. i wanna hear prince take chances just like kanye in the middle of pop domination releasing something as unpop and stark as yeezus or miley from her country roots to land this hip hop country crossover we cant stop was huge coming from the country world .. prince needs to step outside his comfort zone .. which he admittedly did a little on AOA .. but i would like him to really go for it like he used to when he took his super sexed up rnb into robot funk into jazz back to robot funk and into all sorts of areas until he got in a boring rut with his musical adventures .. prince doesnt need to be like kanye but i would like to see prince take real musical chances like he used to .. no not a lite jazz conservative christian album narrated by darth vader kind of musical chances .. but really trying to create something new and his own that hasnt been done .. some AOA tracks are great tho .. so it is nice to see a hint of it on a few tracks

Thanks for your take on it -- I completely disagree and think you don't give him enough credit for his work but you like Miley Cyrus and other people I can't stand, so we clearly have very different tastes, as nature intended.

Aerogram said:

ARock said:

We don't need another epidemic in this thread. Joe doesn't like AOA and thinks we all are crazy for liking it. Deal with it, accept it, move on

LOL -- no one has a problem with Joe's opinion. but he has a problem with others not recognizing he's right. You're reading this upside down.

lol I was indirectly talking to Joe.

Long time fan, about 4 spins in on AOA with headphones.

Best Prince album I have heard, start to finish in a LONG time. Too early to tell what sort of legs it will have. Mature, challenging, creative, beautiful with none of the cringe worthy moments that sometimes kill otherwise solid tunes.

Loving all the songs however standouts so far..

Clouds

The Gold Standard

You Know
This Could Be Us

Way Back Home
FNR

Time

Surprises

I love the british girl's narrative and Andy's vocals.

Enjoying Breakfast Can Wait & The Breakdown much more within the context of the album.

Can I be the first to rate this among my top 10 Prince albums?

1. Sign 'O' the Times

2. Purple Rain

3. Around the World in a Day

4. Crystal Ball

5. The Hits / The B-Sides

6. Art Official Age

7. The Gold Experience

8. Parade

9. 1999

10. Controversy

omnithanos said:

Can I be the first to rate this among my top 10 Prince albums?

1. Sign 'O' the Times

2. Purple Rain

3. Around the World in a Day

4. Crystal Ball

5. The Hits / The B-Sides

6. Art Official Age

7. The Gold Experience

8. Parade

9. 1999

10. Controversy

I think it is going to be a top 10 for me also. Really solid. Listening now and depending on the track I am either funk facing or tearing up over how good this is.