This is an embarrassment - a trumpeted "return to form" that is so unbelievably NOT Prince that I almost wept when I heard it.

It starts badly, yet another song from the 80's that wasn't good enough back then and suddenly it turns up in a new form. Woeful tacky drums, cheesy and twee music - and what makes it worse is that there is a live version of rave on "Small Club" that is blistering, full of emotion and power and makes my skin prickle.

And then we move on - Gwen Stefani is completely wasted on what is a formulaic pop single with absolute none of Prince's usual flourishes. Winding Road would have been a foot-tapping b-side, but no more - and it just keeps going.

Hot Wit U ? No, ..stop... Tangerine (passable at best on another album, but no Starfish and Coffee), Sun Moon and Crap, Man o' crap, Silly Game (can anybody stand how that starts !!!! Unbeliebably cringe-making ! pa pa pa pa , paa paa... no..... stop.....), strange but true (what, was he bored in the studio - and stop with the slowed down voice.. it is so NAFF) , Wherever I go (When did Prince turn into Bryan Adams)

Not that its all bad - undisputed might sit okay somewhere else, Greatest Romance is sweet, Baby Knows is at least funny, and I love you but I dont trust you is nice.

But let me re-iterate once and for all.. don't defend this as being a GOOD prince album, or "even his worst is better than some people's best) - Yeah ? So what ? Doesn't make it okay.

It is awful, leaden, dull, passionless, directionless tripe.

And dont start with me about the remix album - Beautiful strange is the most interesting thing on there.

Fandango out

Ha ha, i dont mean to be overly critical, but I am a writer, and when I write shit I want people to say "That's shit" because I know if it's shit or not.

Prince knows Rave is shit. It probably freaks him out that it's shit. Because he can write music that transcends everything else out there. And right now, he isn't.

I feel for the guy.

Fandangouk said:

You're entitled to your opinion.....I feel for you.

Im curious How do you know what Prince thinks? That was an interesting comment. Hey at least you have the choice not to listen to it. There are a few Prince songs that i don't like. So i just skip it and move on. Maybe you can get others that like to complain about Prince and boycott. Maybe Prince will change do what you want him to do. Peace!

RAVE was a great release (in both forms un2 & in2) it was a consistant flow w/ only a few 'skiptrax'

Yes, it is one of his weaker albums. So what? There is still plenty to listen to on there, like you mentioned. The only thing is that "Man o'crap" is actually one of my favorite r and b ballads of his. Sun, Moon, and Stars was a cool song too, showing yet another style of music he hasn't hit us over the head with yet. The biggest mistake in the first place (besides Kirky J's plastic drumming) was naming the album Rave un2 the Joy Fantastic and putting that crappy song as the title track. If it wasn't good enough to come out back in 1988, it's not good enough now either. Oh, and I do like Wherever U go whatever u do. Why can't Prince put out a soft rock ballad if he wants to? At least it was better than Lenny Kravitz's "Again".

Although not technically a part of the released CD, I found the "Adam & Eve Remix" of TGRES to be outstanding. I think that it is arguably the greatest rap-influened single of Prince's career. And from the Rave CD itself, I really enjoy "Strange But True."

Overall, it's not my least favorite Prince CD. "Chaos and Disorder" has that distinction!

I don't like anything on it except for "I love you but..."

I'm sure it will grow on me tho!

i still listen to RAVE.....when i first got it i liked it....now i pop it in and listen to so far so pleased,tgres,or baby knows...fun songs

Who are you to say what is or is not sh*t? So , you're a writer , big freekin' deal. I'm a photographer. Does that give me the right to say what is beautiful and what is not. If you are a writer I just wonder what your employment status is. I know some 4th graders that are more articulate than you.
I may not enjoy every song on the album but I can't say what I like is the same as the next person. But as they say, 'Opinions are like a**holes,,,,, everyone has one.'
Love ya anyway man!

IMO Rave was ok at best. Undipusted was a good song (The Remix on In2 is 100 times better - awesome song), I thought Starnge But True was a good song. TGRES isnt bad. Man O War also isnt a bad song at all. And then I love you, but I dont Trust U is a very nice song. Baby Knows is also ok. See, I find my self saying every song is ok, thats what I think the album is. But you're not gonna see it in my top 5 Prince albums list, thats for sure!

Yeah, I agree, probably not his very best album. But there are some cool trax on it. It's just that the 'not so good' stuff is so damn silly.


Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic? Not sure actually. It would have been cool on a Crystal Ball type release. Not on this album tho. And the remix was, well I don't have any words for the remix actually.

Hot Wit U? Oh please. But I did like the remix in the last ahdioshow.

The Sun, Moon & Stars? Oh lord, other songs in this glass o water were cool [blue light, ripopgodazippa] but this one is just boring and tedious.

Winding Road? Skip-Skip-SKIIIIIP already, damn!

Silly Game? can anyone say 'Filler'???

Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do? sounds like 'every breath U take' 2 me. Not very cool. Double frustrating since the drums sound like '4ever in my life' while the song is dull as dishwater.


I've tried 2 make a mixed disc from Rave and Nps. Hard 2 come up with a good tracklist. And, fcuz, the album was intended the way it was released, wether we like it or not. Still, just 4 'private use only' I made my own copy.


01. Come On
02. Undisputed
03. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold
04. 2045: Radical Man
05. Tangerine
06. So Far, So Pleased
07. The One
08. Sadomasochistic Groove
09. Man O War
10. Baby Knows
11. I Love U But I Don't Trust U Anymore
12. Beautiful Strange
13. Strange But True
14. Mad Sex
15. Wasted Kisses
16. Pretty Man


Actually, listening 2 "Rave IN2" right now, and I have 2 say, I absolutely like the Man O War remix. Never noticed that one before. It's got a nice groove 2 it.

I think the above comments about the title track not being good enough for the 80s needs a slight tweaking.

The track was not released in the 80s not because it wasn't good enough, but because it sounded a bit too close to Kiss and he wanted to less it mature like a fine cheddar before releasing it. Hence the fact that the track was considered for about 4 albums, according to Uptown.

His decision to release it in 1999 probably meant that in his eyes our view of songs from the late 1980s had pulled Kiss and Rave further apart from each other in terms of similarity.

Well I LOVE: Rave, Hot wit U, The Sun Moon and Stars and Baby Knows. Especially The Sun... the beat, the orchestra, the crazy rap, the high note... mmmmm.
I don't like that much: Tangerine.

Fandangouk said:

Not once in your little tirade do you mention that this is just YOUR opinion. Perhaps you should remind yourself of that before you try to tell other people what they should be thinking.

It is MY opinion that I like Rave, in both incarnations, and my all-time favourite Prince song is on the album, TGRES.

Preface your comments with "I think" and then you won't come across as an opinionated retard.

He he he.. my, my.. why do you have to be so insulting. I just wanted to start a discussion is all. I don't want to fight ! Why must you hurt me when all I bring for you is love and respect ? I'm touching the screen right now, can you reach out and touch too ?

Okay, OF COURSE it's my opinion fuckhead.., and yes it is opinionated crap, so what ? I'm not about to start signing off every fucking word I write as "my opinion".. who else's opinion would it be ?

Dildo.

Complete Dildo.

I love you, marry me.

I don't want a Prince album that is "okay", you might, that's up to you, but I don't.

When Bowie released "Let's Dance", "Tonight" and "Never Let Me Down" a million people beat themselves into comas with tiny gnomes, and finally he has admitted that "David Bowie left the building" during the 80's.

But, in fairness, I apologise if you were offended by my blatant uninformed arrogance. I'm the product of the "Pop Idol" generation.

So, seriously, I'm interested, can you pick a song from Rave that you would rate as one of Prince's "classic" songs - See IN MY OPINION that list is made up of "Lady Cab Driver", "Kiss", "When Doves Cry" "Pasiley Park", "Temptation" (Am I the only person who loves temptation ?)

Sigh.

You're right though. I have no idea what Prince thinks. I meant Prince my next door neighbour. Prince Phillip Boswell, a landscape gardener.

He tells me what he thinks all the time.

Rave had some very nice songs, but the ´Prince´ production sucked. If Prince did the album with the same production of TRC, it would be a lot better album.

hak said:

- Great? wow..there are some people that like anything that he releases...

GustavoRibas said:

I guess it's fair to say that different people have different tastes. All I am saying is, like it or loathe it, musically and artistically Rave doesn't see Prince firing on all cylinders.

A review of "Gold" (which sold fuck all over here, godammit) said (paraphrasing) "This album has the pulse of a running wolf" - Isn't that a great line ! That's what Prince is like to me, fire in my belly, heart thumping and beautiful - Rave does not ignite for me... but if it does for you... peace.

I was pretty dissapointed by Rave. I liked Greatest Romance the first time I heard it, and that got my hopes up, and then I just didn't like the album. The only songs on there that I ever listen to are Pretty Man and Greatest Romance. Winding Road is embarassing beyond reason, and the Silly Game and Wherever U Go are two of the most forgettable songs he ever put on an album.

Fandangouk said:[quote]He he he.. my, my.. why do you have to be so insulting. I just wanted to start a discussion is all. I don't want to fight ! Why must you hurt me when all I bring for you is love and respect ? I'm touching the screen right now, can you reach out and touch too ?

Okay, OF COURSE it's my opinion fuckhead.., and yes it is opinionated crap, so what ? I'm not about to start signing off every fucking word I write as "my opinion".. who else's opinion would it be ?



I'm sorry if anything I said caused these hard words. I just get really ticked when people start putting their opinions out as fact when no one is qualified to do that.And then to say Prince knows it's sh*t is just plain crazy. We know from the whole Black Album episode that he does not put out what he does not feel like. Evidently Rave was good enough for him and personnaly I like it.
So again I'm sorry if I insulted you and I have nothing but love for you all.

STARFISHNCOFFEE said:[quote]

Fandangouk said:

Actually I haven't heard Rave, but I read a bunch o' reviews.. man Prince should get his act together... I think Prince knows he's lost it.. Prince is scared... Prince thinks Baba Papa is the best cartoon ever.. I know what Prince thinks... I know...

In my opinion Prince KNOWS that C&D, NPS and Rave are NOT his best albums.
Not even Emancipation can tip his best works.

That's why he hardly ever plays songs from those albums live and hardly ever will. He just knows most of those songs suck in comparison to his real jams/gems.

Prince simply had a downturn in his creative and production skills during 96-2000. High gets a little better, but it is still full off ridiculous attempts to sound hip again.

With TRC he is back on the right track again, that is musically and production-wise.

However he still needs to get his lyrics in order, in my not so fucking humble opinion.



-
[This message was edited Tue Apr 9 10:54:08 PDT 2002 by Abrazo]

AntonyGolding said:

Just of out curiousity, why is TGRES your all-time favorite Prince song? I understand "to each his own", but still...

Rave was 2 slick and hit-conscious 4 its own good. If u took the best parts from Rave In2 and Rave Un2 and splice them 2gether, you'd probably have a 4 star album. I think we can all give up on the idea of P ever giving us a thoroughly consistent brilliant record; one that foresakes the mad rush to the CD player to skip a given track. Funny, though, everybody I meet likes something different. I lean towards the funkier/rock trax, while others like the ballads and experimental stuff. I meet people who dig "Courtin' Time", "Strollin" and "Wedding Feast", so there you go. Frankly, I'll take it all and pick what I want, like the poster who mentioned CD's for his "own personal use".

I have to admit that is frustrating to KNOW that he could drop an absolute atomic bomb of an album on to an unsuspecting public that stopped caring and listening long ago. But hey, we know the Truth. Hendrix, Zappa and Stevie Ray didn't chart much either.

Rave as an album isn't that bad, really.

The songs that could've been left off are Every Day is a Winding Road, Tangerine, and Silly Game. I think if these songs were replaced with Beautiful Strange and maybe a nice instrumental - it would be great.

Oh yeah, if the version of Rave was different. I don't like the slow one too much. I'm glad we all have the Special Edition Rave to make up for it.

Is it me, or did a lot of you feel like with this album and all the advertising that this time he was really gonna hit hard again?

I recently ranked all of Prince's albums, and Rave came in at 9th place out of 26...pretty high. I still love this record. Of course, it is a matter of taste, but I'll take the title track any day over "Kiss". I also believe that TGRES, Hot Wit U, Tangerine, The Sun, the Moon and Stars, I Love U But I Don't Trust U Anymore and Strange But True are very worthy additions to his massive collection of great songs. The only song that I skip is "Silly Game"- I agree with your comments there! But just as you are entitled to your opinions (which you elaborate and express very clearly and descriptively- you are indeed a good writer), I am entitled to like it! I guess your "Temptation" is my "Rave", that's all!

RUJF over Kiss? You've got to be out of yer fricken mind!

Some of the things I read on here totally blow me away sometimes.

Dauphin said:

I never claimed to have typical taste...