I bought both of them on the day they came out.

I still like the good songs on AOA and still can´t stand some songs on it and have to skip them (Art Official Cage, FunkNRoll and maybe one other). I like Time a lot, This Is What It Feels Like and Way Back Home. I think the newer songs from that Yahoo live broadcast should´ve been on AOA , too.

Not that it´s a bad album but it would´ve been so much stronger with those songs on it.

.

As much as I like the album for what it is, I don´t think it is THAT much stronger or different from his other releases in this decade.....which actually means that I liked some of his released songs more than other people on this site but albumwise, most of his albums have not been very cohesive lately. AOA sounds a bit more cohesive due to the production and most of all the storyline but I think this storyline and especially the spoken parts are going to make the album age very badly, like that annoying NPG Operator on TGE and Exodus.

-

Plectrum Electrum is an album that I only bought for completist reasons. Some of the songs on it are embarrassingly bad and I have to run and turn the volume down or skip a song sometimes. It´s neither rough and hard enough to be a rock album, nor is it funky enough to be funky...it´s neither fish nor flesh. It does have it´s decent moments but that´s about it.

-

It´s nice that he´s still coming up with fresh new ideas and a fresh band but the execution and the end result are a bit boring.

-

And....I miss the Hohner and the Cloud. He´s trying so hard to prove that he looks just like back in the days, posting old and new pictures and whatnot but he´s using a very average looking guitar instead of his trademark guitars.

But all in all I think these are still good times in the Prince universe.

I never would´ve thought I´d like Andy Allo´s influence so much. The songs he did with her are really nice and mellow, especially Time. Love that song.

thedance said:

Astasheiks said:

I still haven't bought Prince's New Album, ...

you're an idiot,

Art Official Age is a strong album, Prince's best in many years...

Now go out and buy it and support the artist.

I will eventually buy it, as for as your first sentence

SoulAlive said:

I remember a time when,I would have trouble sleeping on the night before a new Prince album was released.So much excitement and anticipation! I like a few tracks on AOL but I haven't bought the album yet.Maybe I still will,but I'm in no hurry.

I hear ya

lust said:

Prince has a new album?

As a sidenote, I bought "Lovesexy" on vinyl and took it back 3 times because it was skipping. Come to find out, it was supposed to sound that way!

And it's sad that The Man puts out 2 releases on the same day and within two weeks, the thrill is gone, no "World Premier" videos, parties, or contests, and people are snoring. Well, not us Orgers... But you know what I mean. But Beyonce drops a "surprise" album and she's credited with changing the music scene. Go figure...

This resonates with me. Knowing that record stores were shipped highly anticipated releases (and promo copies thereof) earlier than the commercial release date, I used to scour, beg, barter, etc. days or weeks weeks prior to a Prince-related release date. Sometimes I got lucky, and I was the envy of all my friends until they also could get their hands on the work.

These days? Eh. I'll get around to buying the new releases eventually.

[Edited 11/24/14 17:46pm]

FormerlyKnownAs said:

As a sidenote, I bought "Lovesexy" on vinyl and took it back 3 times because it was skipping. Come to find out, it was supposed to sound that way!

And it's sad that The Man puts out 2 releases on the same day and within two weeks, the thrill is gone, no "World Premier" videos, parties, or contests, and people are snoring. Well, not us Orgers... But you know what I mean. But Beyonce drops a "surprise" album and she's credited with changing the music scene. Go figure...

Which part made you think it was skipping?

And: Are you honestly expecting Prince to compete with Beyonce? Let's not be silly.

TwiliteKid said:

Tons of casual Prince fans didn't buy the album. There was no COMPELLING reason to do so. One album was some kind of meditation cd or something and the other was sort of a feature record for one of Prince's drummers, ,idk. Both records feature oh-so-clever digs at the fanbase, young people and modern technology. I think a lot of people, that could have been buyers, sat this record out, just because Prince failed to ignite their passions.

HonestMan13 said:

Prince two new labums were (are) mediocre at best. He's trying to sound like every day/current R&B. The best song on AOA os "Almost Home", because it actually sounds like a true Prince song. What I mean by that, is he's not trying to sound like any "current" ot "trendy" music. It's a song that only could be sung by Prince. On PE is "Wow", because again, it actually sound like a true Prince song. If you're into the noise passing off as current R&B music, then you will like AOA. PE was just crap.

RODSERLING said:

I don't know why all the drama. Imagine the reactions on this board had it exusted the day Newpowersoul was released on back in 1998. There would be 10 threads saying "What the fuck is this shit", with 10 pages on each and the 10 more asking "Newpower soul is a Prince album not a NPG one" and vice versa.

.

Then the thread - "Was 1998 a good Prince year?" full of hell to the hizzapaw, Ima bout 2 get raw, hell naw and fuck no!

.

Seriously some of you whingers. its like what Chris Rick said "You could fuck her with a diamond dick and she would still complain - The diamond's lost its shine" - I mean Prince could release 4 versions of "Purple Rain Reloaded" for every budget and then every vault song digitally remastered and you would still be howling and complaining about it. Insatiable ophirs these people.

.

We all know the guy is an erratic nut who likes to control his fans and the media like Stalinist Russia c.1937, so live with it!

[Edited 11/28/14 12:47pm]

Astasheiks said:

So I take it you think AOA is a excellent album?

Astasheiks said:

MIRvmn said:

It's amazing how Prince can release two so different records at the same time, Plec his most awful album ever and AOA his best in years

well u wrong ...but he DID do that with Lotus and MPL

I usually buy his albums the first day they are released. I haven't bought this one but I've heard it and I have no intention of buying it ever. I have the one jam I like, "The Gold Standard", and the rest of the album sounds like a bunch of selling out to the sound of current mainstream R&B which I absolutely can't stand and will not spend one cent of my money to support. As for the rock album, it's simply OK, nothing great and nothing horrible either. But I didn't buy it either from being so pissed that he sold out with the R&B album. I've bought mediocre Prince albums before but not this time because one of them is a sellout album and it's the principle of the thing by not supporting selling out even if it means not buying the rock album either.

I downloaded both when they leaked & purchased the physical CDs at a record store about a week after they were released. The only album I haven't purchased is 20ten.

vainandy said:

I usually buy his albums the first day they are released. I haven't bought this one but I've heard it and I have no intention of buying it ever. I have the one jam I like, "The Gold Standard", and the rest of the album sounds like a bunch of selling out to the sound of current mainstream R&B which I absolutely can't stand and will not spend one cent of my money to support. As for the rock album, it's simply OK, nothing great and nothing horrible either. But I didn't buy it either from being so pissed that he sold out with the R&B album. I've bought mediocre Prince albums before but not this time because one of them is a sellout album and it's the principle of the thing by not supporting selling out even if it means not buying the rock album either.

You showed him!!

You do know AOA sold way better than PlE, right. So, if you prefer PlE maybe buying it and not buying AOA would make your point. Instead the point you made is that you won't buy a new Prince album, period.

When he does stop making albums it won't be hard to figure out why...

Astasheiks said:

I still haven't bought Prince's New Album, ... I remember back in the day ain't no way I would let this many weeks past without buyin a New Prince Album. Now I have, I guess its old age and the thrill is gone, hee hee

Anybody else use to do the same, be quick to buy his releases but now when ever I get around to it. hee hee

When I started following Prince again after a long hiatus I just wanted to see him in concert. I didnt really care about the work he released since I was last into him. Now I buy his new work because I've found there's always a gem or gems and all I really care about now are live shows. I can afford it and I dont mind so its not a big deal to me at this point in his career what he releases. To be honest I expected to hate AOA because I didnt like the snippets I heard. But I do except for three songs. That's my approach to all the artists I follow now. I guess it depends on whats important to you as a fan.

[Edited 11/29/14 15:18pm]

you're not the only one. bought Plectrum Electrum today, as i've been listening to atificial age for the past month and am finally ready to listen to PE. LOVE PE. it's grown on me. there are some deeply funky songs. highly recommend both albums.

I haven't bought them (I've heard both, but didn't like them enough to buy).

But, this isn't true just of Prince. Pretty much, there aren't any musical acts out there anymore that I must absolutely buy their music right away. It's partially due to getting older, I guess. Come to think of it, I really should get around th hearing Bowie's last release.

djThunderfunk said:

vainandy said:

I usually buy his albums the first day they are released. I haven't bought this one but I've heard it and I have no intention of buying it ever. I have the one jam I like, "The Gold Standard", and the rest of the album sounds like a bunch of selling out to the sound of current mainstream R&B which I absolutely can't stand and will not spend one cent of my money to support. As for the rock album, it's simply OK, nothing great and nothing horrible either. But I didn't buy it either from being so pissed that he sold out with the R&B album. I've bought mediocre Prince albums before but not this time because one of them is a sellout album and it's the principle of the thing by not supporting selling out even if it means not buying the rock album either.

You showed him!!

You do know AOA sold way better than PlE, right. So, if you prefer PlE maybe buying it and not buying AOA would make your point. Instead the point you made is that you won't buy a new Prince album, period.

When he does stop making albums it won't be hard to figure out why...

no, the American consumer showed him. The album flopped.

The problem for me is that Rock 'n' Roll is really something I think is for the young to produce and to consume. I know folks who say many artist actually do their best stuff when they're older, but I disagree. I think the immediacy of younger acts points to most of their best stuff happening around 25 to 35 years of age.

The problem is that younger artists aren't outrageously talented these days. I mean, what does Taylor Swift offer the world that really needs to be heard? Nothing.

But, how does AOA add that is rememberable to Prince's body of work? Nothing much, either.

Astasheiks said:

I still haven't bought Prince's New Album,

Then why are you here?

This is for fams only!!1!1!!

First day buyers. Or better like pre-orderers.