In every issue, Rolling Stone spotlights one older album under the heading "Greatest of all Time." In the current issue, SOTT gets the royal treatment.

From the page at http://www.rollingstone.c...?aid=63166:
It begins as a great book would, with the setting. "In France, a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name." In 1987, when Prince's double-album masterpiece Sign 'O' the Times was released, no one had to be told he was talking about AIDS. The title track syrups on, mentioning crack and nuclear bombs -- painting the Eighties as if Revelations had arrived and no one had realized. The direct political address recalls Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," but where Gaye was pleading for change, Prince is mournful, desolate and sadly accepting.
But then he's upbeat and dancing, prancing with "Play in the Sunshine," washing away the doomsday reportage with childish glee. If 1999 showed off Prince's funk potential and Purple Rain made him a rock star, then Sign 'O' the Times is his soul assault, with ballads ("Forever in My Life"), midtempos ("I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man") and dance anthems ("Housequake"). After Purple Rain, Prince was moving toward guitar-god status, but here the bass is the star, so sweet it's giving up melodies, so expressive you know it's talking to you in another language, so funky that if you ain't groovin' you might be dead. On "If I Was Your Girlfriend," he ponders aloud, "Would you run to me if somebody hurt you, even if that somebody was me?" -- but, like a true philosopher of love, he never finds the answer and leaves the question for you to run with.

Both discs are heavy with songs about hot sex ("Slow Love," "Hot Thing"), but those songs are outweighed by the towering ballads about love and commitment. "Adore" remains one of the greatest love songs of all time and continues to make women weak and wet with its opening promise: "Until the end of time, I'll be there for you." Even in a world so hopeless, Prince seems to say, love can conquer all.

Peace,
David

I thought SOTT was a great first single off the album. I remember it blowing up all over radio -- it was a top 10 single, wasn't it?

I think that "Strange Relationship" would've been a great pop single, too.

SexLovely said:

Ha! I forgot that people used to do that constantly at the old Org! You better not be trying to revive that!!!

I remember the 1st time RS reviewed SOTT when it came out. It was a lukewarm review that basically said SOTT fell short of being one of P's greatest statements...so it's nice to see them right the wrong.
That original review was done by that dildo Kurt "The Turd" Loder. Yes, I dislike him so much that I use childish rhymes when referring to him. I just cants helps myselfs.

XtrueX said:

Ironically enough, I also remember a couple of reviews for S.O.T.T. from a couple of UK publications. One declared that the album was "not a patch on 'Parade'", the other merely stated that S.O.T.T was "a duff LP", mainly because of all the "filler" that sounded like a bunch of demos and leftovers hastily cobbled together ... hah! there's no pleasing some people...

.

SexLovely said:

Didnt Prince release the first 3 you have listed as singles. I have the 12" singles for them. Adore should ahve been one of those singles though. It is one of those underground hits that dont get released probablt because it is a ballad. Put in the category of International Lover, Do Me Baby, and THe Beautiful Ones - all classics but not single releases!

BLACKMF said:

I think BLACKMF was referring to the singles being released in the order he specified, like "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" being the first single release, as opposed to "Sign O' The Times".

As a former reader of 'Controversy' magazine (an independent UK publication that bit the dust ten years ago), I remember reading the results of a poll devised by Eileen Murton which aimed to discover which were the fans' favourite songs on the S.O.T.T. album. Shockingly, "Adore" score the LEAST points, making it the LEAST liked song from the set!!!

.

this is his best album !!!

It is his best album, and he will never ever again come close--the sorry little bastard..

sup fam...big-up to Rolling Stone...maybe thre buttering him up for an exclusive on ONA-Live...not! I think they know true musician when they hear it...

I would have release the single as so:

SOTT/Remix edit

If I Was Your Girlfriend/Extended mix

Strange Realtionship/The Cross

HouseQuake/Slow Love

I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man/Play in the Sunshine

In reference to the RS review; I couldnt have said it better myself. It just goes to show you the SOTT is Prince at the top of his musical and artistic game.

I was so pleased when I saw this in the Rolling Stone at my hairdresser this afternoon. :WOOT: Especially when Brittney Spears was featured front and center on the cover. This is one of my favorite Prince albums and it was nice to see credit given where credit is due.

SOTT as the first single was amazing. I remember being in college and a friend -- not really a P. fan -- telling me about this great new Prince record called "Changing Times" or something. Then a few days later I heard it on the radio in a convenience store, and before I even heard his voice, I'm thinking "oh my God, what the hell is this?" It was that compelling.

Yeah, Prince will never make another SOTT. And Paul McCartney never wrote another "Yesterday", blah blah blah. I think it's only a measure of how amazing these guys are that we turn on them when they don't do miracles forever.

Well Said! I Co-Sign!

SOTT is a Masterpiece! It's ageless! His greatest ever!

Blue
Times...times

HEY DID ANY 1 HEAR THE NEW SONG FROM JAY-Z & BEYONCE (FROM DESTINY'S CHILD). ANYHOO IN THE SONG SHE SINGS A LINE FROM "IF I WAS YOUR GIRLFRIEND" ("WOULD U RUN 2 ME IF SOMEBODY HURT U, EVEN IF THAT SOMEBODY WAS ME ? ")

XtrueX said:

No, Kurt Loder's review was far lukewarm. He described it as "largely dazzling" and said of the 16 tracks: "half of them are brilliant, half merely better than ninety percent of the stuff you hear on the radio" and "his virtuoso eclectisism has seldom before been so abundantly displayed". His knock was that Prince seemed to be "on the verge of some Great Statement", but that SOTT, for all of its diverse brilliance, fell just short.

If you're going to bag on somebody, at least get your facts right.

1 of the best tracks on there is " It ", do i have issues???

I think SOTT was one of those albums which a lot of people don't get at the time but grows in stature as the years pass. Some of what are regarded as classic albums now weren't properly received at the time.

Same thing happens with films, eg. Bladerunner which did poorly at the box office when first out, but left an impact which people never forgot.

butter4yourmuffin said:

yep I Remember that Review from back in 87.He Said 4 Great Songs,4 Better than 90%,4 that left Him Puzzled&the Other 4 He wasn't into overall.but back then Kurt Louder was Respected&Actually had a Real Job back when Rolling Stone Mattered IMHO.

God, this takes me back!

I remember sitting in my room, eyes moist, listening and thinking 'This is the greatest thing I have EVER heard!'.

Immediate favourites on first listening were SOTT, It, The Cross (goosepimples by the fourth bar), Adore (oh my), Housequake and Three Ringed Circus.


Man, I'm filling up again just thinking about it!!!

pepperami said:

What the HELL am I talking about!

Change that: 'Forever in My Life'

Man!

Peace, B Wild, Love God.
P

Ahh SOTT..the good old days. When Prince was actually producing new music and Larry was just that guy from the 3 Stooges.

Now who do we talk to bout getting SOTT out on DVD.
[This message was edited Fri Oct 18 13:31:18 PDT 2002 by CmputrBlu]

pepperami said:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

That's the most I've laughed in days. Thank you.

My favorite song from the album is "One and Only Friend."

Oops, scratch that, I mean "If I Was Ur Girlfriend."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

As much as i like 'Adore', i rate 'Forever In My Life' as one of the best ballads ever. Enevrytime i hear it I get goosebumps...anywho my

As much as I like SOTT, I think every Prince album should be rated as the greatest.
I say this because I'm a fan, and I'm a fan because of his music.

Despot said:

DDAAAMMMNNN!!! I hate this internet!! OK OK I had the song reeling in my head and the line just...well popped in there - the fingers did the dirty on me and hey presto, Pep is a damn fool !!!

Ooooh the humiliation !

I have to agree with pepperami's view of "Forever in my life":

SOTT is his best album and "Forever in my life" is the best song on there. Just listen to that track loud (or with headphones) and sit in wonder... especially as the backing vocal were recorded off-time by mistake (see Uptown mag). What a wonderful mistake to make!

The whole song is carried on that hypnotic rhythm and Prince's voice just echos that... Simple. It takes you to some wonderful palces.

"Sign 'O' The Times"