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Thread started 04/01/19 4:27pm

TrivialPursuit

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MusicHound ROCK: The Essential Album Guide

I've had this thick-ass book for a long time. It's almost 1500 pages 2 1/4 inches thick, 9"x7.5" It's pretty detailed with short artist's bios and recommendations. Here is the Prince section (I'm not typing the bio). I am going to list the What To Buy, What To Buy Next, and What To Avoid sections along with the notes for each.

What To Buy:

Sign O the Times - "a masterpiece that leads the listener on an incredible journey through the world according to Prince... his diverse best and showcases his amazing range as an instrumentalist and singer."

1999 - "gave rockdom its first taste of Prince with the title track and "Little Red Corvette... a masterpiece of pop, rock, and funk... and it was Prince's breakthrough project."

Dirty Mind - "perhaps the definitive funk/rock album with a nasty theme."

Purple Rain - "may be a bit too mainstream for some but this album put Prince over the top and it's loaded with great dance/pop songs."

What To Buy Next:

The Hits/The B-Sides - "chock[ed] full of hits, though they do lose some of their luster when listened to out of their original context.

Parade - "often dismissed as a failure, largely because of the lack of success of its companion movie. It contains other great songs ("Girls and Boys", "Mountains", "Anotherloverholenyohead", "Sometimes It Snows In April") - that were inexplicably left off the hits package.

What To Avoid:

"Prince was handpicked to do the soundtrack for Batman woof! by one of the film's stars. That's one phone call Prince should've never answered. A couple of cuts ("The Future", "Partyman") aren't half bad, but the album as a whole is Prince's worst effort to date."


The Rest: (with their star ratings)

For You ***

Prince ****

Controversy ****

ATWIAD ****

Lovesexy ***

Graffiti Bridge **

Diamonds and Pearls *** 1/2

prince ***

The Hits 1 **** 1/2

The Hits 2 **** 1/2

The Black Album ** 1/2

Come * 1/2

The Gold Experience ** 1/2

Girl 6 *** 1/2

Emancipation ****

Crystal Ball *** 1/2

The Truth ** 1/2

New Power Soul **


Worth Searching For
:

The White Album (Netural Zone, 1989), a bootleg live CD recorded in Germany in 1988, is 71 minutes of no-holds-barred funk, made even better by its surprisingly fine sound quality.


*(OP note: is this Trojan Horse/Small Club? I've never heard that title on a bootleg before.)


What do you think about their recommendations? Remember, this was published in 1999, so anything after that didn't exist yet. Let's stick to what's here.

I don't agree with a few notes in this.


Here's my edition of the book on Amazon.


"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #1 posted 04/02/19 7:15am

Genesia

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What do I think? I think they deserve to have their asses kicked for rating Come the lowest of all his albums. disbelief

We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.
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Reply #2 posted 04/02/19 7:31am

BartVanHemelen

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TrivialPursuit said:

Worth Searching For:

The White Album (Netural Zone, 1989), a bootleg live CD recorded in Germany in 1988, is 71 minutes of no-holds-barred funk, made even better by its surprisingly fine sound quality.


*(OP note: is this Trojan Horse/Small Club? I've never heard that title on a bootleg before.)

.

As if the description doesn't already say enough (i.e. it's an incomplete boot of the Dortmund 1988 broadcast), googling the title and the label immediately reveals https://www.discogs.com/P...se/8430813 .

© Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights.
It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for
your use. All rights reserved.
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Reply #3 posted 04/02/19 10:22am

TrivialPursuit

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BartVanHemelen said:

As if the description doesn't already say enough (i.e. it's an incomplete boot of the Dortmund 1988 broadcast), googling the title and the label immediately reveals https://www.discogs.com/P...se/8430813 .


Why would I bother when I know you'll show up with your clipboard and red pen, Bert? I can kick back and wait for the staff to come thru and fix things (that'd be you).

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #4 posted 04/03/19 10:02am

NorthC

TrivialPursuit said:

I've had this thick-ass book for a long time. It's almost 1500 pages 2 1/4 inches thick, 9"x7.5" It's pretty detailed with short artist's bios and recommendations. Here is the Prince section (I'm not typing the bio). I am going to list the What To Buy, What To Buy Next, and What To Avoid sections along with the notes for each.

What To Buy:


Sign O the Times - "a masterpiece that leads the listener on an incredible journey through the world according to Prince... his diverse best and showcases his amazing range as an instrumentalist and singer."


1999 - "gave rockdom its first taste of Prince with the title track and "Little Red Corvette... a masterpiece of pop, rock, and funk... and it was Prince's breakthrough project."


Dirty Mind - "perhaps the definitive funk/rock album with a nasty theme."


Purple Rain - "may be a bit too mainstream for some but this album put Prince over the top and it's loaded with great dance/pop songs."

What To Buy Next:


The Hits/The B-Sides - "chock[ed] full of hits, though they do lose some of their luster when listened to out of their original context.


Parade - "often dismissed as a failure, largely because of the lack of success of its companion movie. It contains other great songs ("Girls and Boys", "Mountains", "Anotherloverholenyohead", "Sometimes It Snows In April") - that were inexplicably left off the hits package.

What To Avoid:


"Prince was handpicked to do the soundtrack for Batman woof! by one of the film's stars. That's one phone call Prince should've never answered. A couple of cuts ("The Future", "Partyman") aren't half bad, but the album as a whole is Prince's worst effort to date."



The Rest: (with their star ratings)


For You ***


Prince ****


Controversy ****


ATWIAD ****


Lovesexy ***


Graffiti Bridge **


Diamonds and Pearls *** 1/2


prince ***


The Hits 1 **** 1/2


The Hits 2 **** 1/2


The Black Album ** 1/2


Come * 1/2


The Gold Experience ** 1/2


Girl 6 *** 1/2


Emancipation ****


Crystal Ball *** 1/2


The Truth ** 1/2


New Power Soul **




Worth Searching For
:


The White Album (Netural Zone, 1989), a bootleg live CD recorded in Germany in 1988, is 71 minutes of no-holds-barred funk, made even better by its surprisingly fine sound quality.



*(OP note: is this Trojan Horse/Small Club? I've never heard that title on a bootleg before.)



What do you think about their recommendations? Remember, this was published in 1999, so anything after that didn't exist yet. Let's stick to what's here.


I don't agree with a few notes in this.


Here's my edition of the book on Amazon.



Can't really disagree with the "What to buy first" category, but the second one... I just hate it when people put compilation albums in lists like this. And how can you ignore Kiss when you talk about Parade?
The "what to buy next" list should include the more freaky albums that a newbie should be ready for after hearing the first four albums mentioned:
Parade
Lovesexy
Around the World In a Day
The Gold Experience
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