MY RAINBOW CHILDREN EXPERIENCE

Wow! I really don't know where to begin.

Today, the unimaginable happened. I got to sit in a room and talk about God and music with Prince. I talked with Prince, he listened, and answered me. I just need to process that real quick because that was the last thing that I was expecting out of this listening party. I somehow knew the day would come but was not expecting it today.

It all started off with the album. We (about 20-30 of us) were led upstairs to Prince's billiard room. This is where his pool table and ping-pong table are and where he still has a framed poster of the 94-95 era NPG (the pic from the Beautiful Experience where Mayte has a red bra on in the shape of two hearts over her breasts.) This is because it was and still is his favorite band. That's what Femi Jiya said, anyway. The woman who conducted the party/discussion started off by saying that "The Rainbow Children" was in the same line as "Sign O The Times" and "Lovesexy". Only that with "Lovesexy", he was actually holding back. She also said that it was "beautiful! You guys are gonna love it." Cue the music.

It starts off with the introduction "With the accurate understanding of God and His law they went about the work of building a new nation: The Rainbow Children." This is in his slowed down "Bob George" voice a'la the intro of 1999. This type of narration repeats many times througout the album. He continues to tell a story of a man, "The Wise One" and his family. The Wise One is supposed to know the true meaning of God's law and he is to teach it to his wife and children. With that, we're into the first "song".

A drum beat kicks in (REAL drums) and we're off into the jazzy uptempo hymm "Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise. Flying upon the wings of the New Translation. See them fly, fly." It's very upbeat and energetic and sort of rambling and repetitive. It immediately reminded me of the campiness of "Jesus Christ Superstar" mixed with "Hit The Road, Jack." More narration comes in talking about "The Wise One and his woman" (Adam and Eve?) being tempted by "the Resistor" (Satan?) "The Resistor" tempted "his woman, first and only" because he knew "The Wise One's" faith in God was too great. "Chaos ensues and she and 5 others were bansished from the rainbow...4ever." The hymm continues. I find it interesting that "The Wise One" is capitalized and "his woman" is not but I digress. The "song" continues to unravel what I believe is the story of Adam and Eve. Although, Adam and Eve are not mentioned. It even includes the chant "Reproduction of the new breed leader. Stand up and organize!" from the song "Sexuality". Then there is more narration about The Wise One realizing that with his woman being banished and all, God would send him another, one day. The music changes into something less upbeat but still in the same vein and we're into "If she could b muse 2 the Pharaoh."

I believe this is talking about the new woman whom the Wise One was waiting for. It mentions "the future of the nation" resting in her belly and that if she sings Proverbs 31 Verse 10, she might be queen. A rap starts, sounding like it's from the Wise One who is trying to persuade her to "b muse 2 the pharaoh". I'm assuming that The Wise One IS the Pharaoh and that maybe he's trying to say, "Baby, you should git wit me." The music calms down and changes to a new "song". This is the piece that is featured after the Big City Remix of "The Good Life" on NPG AHDIO #5. From the lyrics, I believe The Rainbow Children are supposed to be the people of God.

The song kicks off with with some improvisational rambling on the keyboard and then a fast bongo groove kicks in. What it sounds like is Prince hit the button that said "Bossanova" on his Casio keyboard. This is the only example of sampled drums that I remember on the ENTIRE album. All the rest sounds like John Blackwell, to me. This is a good thing. John is amazing. In fact, the whole album has a live band feel to it. Nothing overtly experimental in it's SOUND, at all (mostly). I feel the only experimentation is in the lyrics and arrangements. Anyway, the main theme of this portion is "Love, like a rose in bloom. All of the Rainbow Children will feel it soon." It's kind of a haunting melody and somewhat repetitive. More narration starts about "the banished ones".

The Banished Ones approached the palace, shouting obscenities, trying to confuse The Rainbow Children and "dethrone their King. Using the lies promoted by the whosepapers, hellavisions, and scagazines-the Banished Ones constructed a Digital Garden around the palace that extended throughout the world." They demand compensation for coming out to the palace, which they are granted by The Wise One, and they then leave for the home city, MendaCity (mendacity). Immediately the Rainbow Children start to deconstruct the Digital Garden. After this, "door 2 door they went in search of those willing 2 do the work." I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought this was a thinly vailed hint towards the Jehovah's Witnesses. The Rainbow Children are witnesses? I'm not sure. But the woman who conducted the listening session says Prince is NOT a JW. It is merely something he's checking into. Whatever. Cue up "The Work."

Following, "The Work", more narration starts. I have to add, that everytime this narration comes in, I just wanted to laugh out loud. It's sounds SO SILLY in that slowed-down, droll-sounding, mechanically altered voice. "From all over, the people came 2 do The Work. And with every phase of the deconstruction the Everlasting Now beacame evermore a reality. Everywhere the people were witnessing a change, but the alchemy occured most in the Muse..." Cue up "Everywhere".

I believe this song is from the perspective of the Muse. It starts off with just a woman singing (someone from Milenia?) "There's a place I want 2 go/Where the milk and honey flow/Without God it wasn't there/Now I fell it Everywhere." The song is meant to be uplifting and inspiring with a loud choir-like rave-up towards the end repeating the chorus. I think it would've been with more accessible lyrics. I believe this was midtempo/uptempo, sounding again, like a musical. I have to add that none of these "songs" are really songs in the conventional sense. It's not verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus. The songs are much more unstructured than that. It just sounds like a story set to music (like a musical), with the music changing pace and melody at different times during the story. Again, more narration.

"2 all his good brothers the Wise One spoke highly of his Muse, because her love 4 the one true God was growing with every passing day. So he said, '2 all a good night', sent them 2 bed early and invited his Muse 2 join him in the Sensual Everafter..." Cue "The Mellow Of My Mind".

This song is a midtempo seduction number about The Wise One seducing the Muse and features some of the most incoherent lyrics on the album. "Wanna get lost in the mellow/Mellow of my mind/Chop a tree/Pay the cost/I'd rather have a glass of U that's fine/Come on over baby 'round 7/Chill in ur favorite chair/U can watch a tape of this mellow afterparty/Macy and Common were there/Besides, u know it takes awhile 4 me 2 do my hair." WTF? I don't remember specifics of melody on this one but it seemed kind of psychedelic but still fitting the Musical Theme. More narration ensues.

In a nutshell, the seduction works and she is his. And he askes her to repeat the line "1+1+1 is 3". This goes into another piece that is pretty upbeat and funky. It features some cool high rythmic guitar playing as well as soloing. Think about the way the guitar sounds at the end of "I Wonder U" and you'll have the idea. He talks about there needing to be a "theocratic order". Or a society run by God not man. "If U wanna b with me, aint no room for disagree/1+1+1 is 3." Some sillier lyrics include "We don't give a DUCK what u got on." "Moneyapolis sing-Rainbow Children/raise ur hands/If we cant do it/NOBODY CAN!" The meaning of the phrase (1+1+1 is 3) was later clarified to us by Larry Graham as God+husband+wife. Apparently there is a line in the Scriptures alluding to this being an unbreakable bond. Prince claimed that's why Larry and Tina were still together. Larry agreed.

I need to add that the a lot of the musical aspects of this CD are brilliant. There's a lot of twists and turns in the arrangements and some REALLY great guitar/bass playing. The whole sound to it is completely organic sounding even if it does, in many spots, reek of Broadway camp. It's all very bombastic. Musically, "Strays Of The World" and "3 Chanins O Gold" wouldn't sound too out of place on this album. Also, he sounds SO inspired in places and SO FREE. If it were a different message, or not one with such an alienating and specific agenda, I would be completely floored and inspired. Anyway, back to the "story".

Narration tells us that "The Banished Ones fled as they watched the destruction of the digital garden, from a distance. The HAZE was finally broken!" The world is awakened spiritually and we find the Muse awaking, only this time, as the Queen. Are you still with me? This portion leads to the most (unintentionally?) hilarious part of the CD.

It sounds like Millenia, singing a capella, a fast-paced melody that sounds like a silly classical piece written by Dr. Seuss. I have to include the lyrics as I laughed out loud at them. (Read like a Dr. Seuss verse) "Now there must b a wedding/Now there must b a feast/A feast, a feast/A smorgasbord at least/A brunch, a munch/Or cake if just a piece/Not just a vat of chitlins/Or turkey meat U c/We r what we eat/So we must eat a leaf/We'll dine under a tree/Unless it snows!" Ummmm.....ok. Luckily this part is very short. A new "song" begins possibly called "She Loves Me 4 Me".

This is a midtempo ballad that sounds very sweet, in spots. He's basically talking about waking up next to woman who loves him for him. A woman who he can tell of his secrets to and who won't talk about him behind his back. But of course, in the context of the story, this is not Prince talking. It's the Wise Man (The Pharaoh) talking about the Muse (Now, the Queen). I thought that this was one of the prettier melodies on the record. Also, this seemed close to a real song, like "The Work".

Next, comes more narration. Only this time it comes from the computerized voice from the NPG AHDIO shows. This portion of the album is featured on the AHDIO show and talks about the truth regarding racial history and the terms "black" and "white" being a fallacy. I believe this is only consistent with the rest of the story because it sounds like The Pharaoh and his Queen are going to get their marriage license (contract?) and they must complete this program on their racial history first. Doesn't seem coherent to the story at all and seems like cheap way to throw in his views on racial history and family names. The family name program is next and has a flashback "scene" from London circa the 1600's where slaves are being asked their names and told that they now, in fact, have new names. Their slave names. "What's ur name boy?" "Abu Cah." "Well it ain't now, it's Tom Lynch!" The first voice you hear in this scene is British (Femi?) but the voice you hear naming the slave is straight outta the dirty south. I don't know about the PC'ness of this but maybe it's historically correct? This leads into a new portion of music.

It's a song about the above topic of slavery and slavenames. It's a funky uptempo romp that ends up sampling Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's famed "Free At Last" speech. I believe this is called "The Everlasting Now". It swithches from racism to social injustice and prejudice and includes the verse, "See this girl/In her make-up world/Plastic boobs and clip-on curls/'Round the pole/See her big butt twirl/These are the dreams/That do unfurl/Never everlasting." Gosh...these LYRICS! Not even that they're WAY out there but that there so JUVENILE at times! So....thought up on the spot and not thought about much afterthat, or something. Narration interrupts saying that "from this day forward til times indefinite, those who love Christ r the ones who benefit." The song contintues for awhile and then breaks into the final piece.

I'm not sure of the title but it's a slower tempo, "inspiring" ballad. It's about reflecting on ur life, maybe at the moment of death, and thinking about what you stood for and how would people remember you. And whether or not anyone would remember you, at all. The chorus is a gospel rave-up that goes, "In the name of the Father/In the name of the Son/We need 2 come 2gether as one." Not sure but the title may be, "Come 2gether as One". The "na-na's" at the end where kinda cheesy. I could just see a group of actors onstage all hand in hand with their arms raised, swaying back and forth! Musically and performance-wise, AGAIN, it's very inspiring. Even the message behind it is a good one but very specific to CHRISTIANS. The song concludes the album.

There is something I MUST STRESS! This is truly a Christian album. It's theme, it's message....everything. As much as Prince denied it, it VERY MUCH IS. The lyric book reads like a hymmbook and the album sounds like a sermon. I can see a giant arena filled with born-agains totally rocking out to this.

I'll put more up regarding the discussion with Prince on a geocities website later on. http://www.geocities.com/...age_1.html

[Wow. Thanks for contributing this. Nice report! -Ed.]