review
Undaunted by the criticism Around the World in a Day received, Prince continued to pursue his psychedelic inclinations on Parade, which also functioned as the soundtrack to his second film, Under the Cherry Moon. Originally conceived as a double album, Parade has the sprawling feel of a double record, even if it clocks in around 45 minutes. Prince and the Revolution shift musical moods and textures from song to song -- witness how the fluttering psychedelia of "Christopher Tracy's Parade" gives way to the spare, jazzy funk of "New Position", which morphs into the druggy "I Wonder U" -- and they're determined not to play it safe, even on the hard funk of "Girls and Boys" and "Mountains", as well as the stunning "Kiss", which hits hard with just a dry guitar, keyboard, drum machine, and layered vocals. All of the group's musical adventures, even the cabaret-pop of "Venus de Milo" and "Do U Lie?", do nothing to undercut the melodicism of the record, and the amount of ground they cover in 12 songs is truly remarkable. Even with all of its attributes, Parade is a little off-balance, stopping too quickly to give the haunting closer, "Sometimes It Snows in April" the resonance it needs. For some tastes, it may also be a bit too lyrically cryptic, but Prince's weird religious and sexual metaphors develop into a motif that actually gives the album weight. If it had been expanded to a double album, Parade would have equaled the subsequent Sign O' the Times, but as it stands, it's an astonishingly rewarding near-miss.
~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide



Sometimes It Snows in April
Girls and Boys
Anotherloverholenyohead
Venus de Milo
New Position
Mountains
Do U Lie?
I Wonder U
Christopher Tracy's Parade
Under the Cherry Moon
Life Can Be So Nice
Kiss


track listed from my favourite to least. but i love all the songs.

One of my favourite albums. I would love to see Prince do a concert with only songs from this album. Maybe even an acoustic set. What are your favourite tracks from this album, videos, or memories?

Thanks!

parade is my all time fave

its just perfect...beautiful....

This album is killer, LOVE IT!!

Surely one of P's best records and it is in my Top 5.
It flows in a wonderful way and it is full of top-rate material...
All songs are great..... even tought I have to say that I didn't ever completely like the way "Life Can Be So Nice" was arranged.... how can I say, too much confusion... it's the only "Parade" song I can live without.

Wait....Kiss is your least favourite song from this album?

The amazing, perfect pop song it is aside, Prince has never been more loveable and charming than he is in the Kiss video imo.

I love the album.

Lush, beautiful, exquisite, celebratory.....PARADE is a true Prince gem. This is one album that really takes you on a journey. You feel you've entered another time...a simpler time. In Europe...living dangerously. The arrangements on the songs are incredible and 'Sometimes It Snows In April' is one of the most beautiful ballads I've ever heard.

PurpleKnight said:

Yeah..I suppose because I've heard it so damn much. Don't get me wrong; I love the song, and it's one of my favourites. But on this album, I just like the other tracks more. Ok..maybe it could've been higher up.

Sometimes It Snows in April
Girls and Boys
Anotherloverholenyohead
Venus de Milo
New Position
Mountains
Do U Lie?
I Wonder U
Kiss
Christopher Tracy's Parade
Under the Cherry Moon
Life Can Be So Nice


there.

It is one of my very favorite Prince albums.

Much better than most.

There were a couple of cool B-sides that came out of that album's singles too

Parade is definitely in my top four Prince albums

Prince's worst album of the 1980s.

vainandy said:

vainandy said:

vainandy said:

turns head towards vainandy....whatwhatWHAT?

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Hey....sorry.....just my opinion. I love "Kiss". I like "New Position" and "Girls and Boys". The whole classical feel to some of the other tracks turns me off.

When I heard "Do U Lie", I immediately said...NEXT! I heard "Venus De Milo"...I said NEXT! I still can't get into "Sometimes It Snows In April"...I'm sorry but it sounds too much like folk music for my taste especially with that tired moaning toward the end. The B Side, "Love or Money" should have replaced that one.

"Parade" almost lost me as a fan. If had not gone a different direction with "Sign O The Times" that would have been the last album I bought.

Chico1 said:

I know you didn't just put the energy drippin', funky as all hell "Life Can Be So Nice" @ the bottom of yo' list?? You think that schlocky "UTCM" is better? "Do You Lie" is better?? Venus de mutha mutha'n Milo is better? OH LAWD...

CalhounSq said:

Anotherloverholeinyohead is my fave

CalhounSq said:

I can't win!!

Parade is MUSICALLY PERFECT...The ORCHESTRATION is BEAUTIFUL... A Masterpiece...

love it!!
love it!!!
love it!!!!
[This message was edited Sun Aug 1 20:21:58 2004 by JOEYCOCO]

Love it.
But compared to other 80's albums, i almost have to agree with Vainandy. It still beats Batman quite easily, which is also a great album.

BTW,
If it would have been a double album (was it ment to?) what would've been the extra tracks.
Does anyone know the tracklist? And suggestions?

I think they've got their info mixed up. Parade was never intended as a double album. They're
probably confusing it with 'Dream Factory' (the unreleased follow up to Parade) which was going
to be a double album. Parade did undergo a few changes in it's evolution, and there are songs
that didn't make it onto the finished album, but was always just going to be a single.


I did make my own expanded version of Parade ages ago which looked like this...

1. An Honest Man (1:12)
2. Christopher Tracy's Parade (2:10)
3. New Position (2:19)
4. I Wonder U (1:35)
5. Mia Bocca (2:50)
6. Love Or Money (6:49)
7. Do U Lie? (2:42)
8. Alexa De Paris (4:52)
9. Girls & Boys (5:29)
10. Life Can Be So Nice (3:12)
11. Venus De Milo (1:51)
12. Under The Cherry Moon (2:56)
13. Kiss (6:59)
14. Anotherloverholenyohead (7:03)
15. Old Friends 4 Sale (3:27)
16. Mountains (9:30)
17. Sometimes It Snows In April (6:48)