vainandy said:

-----
Co-Sign

laurarichardson said:

okay, well....and a lot of people don't feel that way about the album.

Actually a large portion of the album was already recorded and intended for release even before "Purple Rain" came out. It was a planned move, not a narcotic inspired one.

And besides, you don't wanna hear the type of music people do when they are high. In reality, there is a solid good reason why there is practically no released records that would have been recorded under direct influence of drugs. Even Tricky claims he has never created an album while being high.

I have no idea if Prince was on drugs then, but ATWIAD is not my favourite Prince cd. In fact, it's far from my favorite. I think it's ok and I still listen to it once in a while, but it's fairly average IMO.

Novabreaker said:

xcept 4 george clinton and co.

Be careful with this thread. Some folks around here may try to get it shut down. They are threatened by topics about Prince and drugs.

EvilWhiteMale said:

Yeah, I just don't get it. Have you seen the shit on here about his ass and secret emails? WTF??

As it is your opinion, Xavier, I respect that only on the merit that everyone has one.

However, to dismiss the fact that Prince wants to release anything he sees fit, whatever floats his boat, whatever makes his soul content and happy, seems pretty shallow to me. As he, himself, has stated before, to make another Purple Rain would be too easy. When you dare to do the unthinkable and challenge yourself and listeners, and be true to yourself, whatever may be going on in your head, you become satisfied with your output. Think of it this way: if he were to have put out another Purple Rain-esque album, the ones who wanted to hear something different would have probably taken on the same opinion about it as you rather than enjoy the music. Not that there's much bad about it, unless your Prince. The damn guy can't win for losing with a lot of people.

Anxiety said:

But he still has that stutter.

I think he was on drugs when he did the Black Album

Oh...and though the masses probably weren't ready for a softer album...Prince was, he had pushed out 3 funk albums prior. For most though, this was really thier 1st or 2nd foree into Prince. Most saw PR as his 1st or 2nd album...not his 6th.

superspaceboy said:

Well, there is a story that he was on E when he decided not to release that album.

Anyways, take away "America" & "The Ladder" and ATWIAD is a brilliant album.

sinisterpentatonic said:

Anyway keep America & The Ladder and ATWIAD remains a brilliant album

kanamit said:

At your house it does.

sinisterpentatonic said:

No! Around the world

kanamit said:

You can say the same about a lot of music, doesn't mean it qualifies it to be brilliant. Whatever, that shit get's no play at my crib.

sinisterpentatonic said:

if you can't appreciate it i suggest you something less shitty, say Madonna or some dull rnb

kanamit said:

How about "Purple Rain" or "Baby I'm a Star"? Seeing that these are what those songs are in disguise.

I'll pass on the Maddy and the R n'B.


[Edited 3/8/05 11:56am]

sinisterpentatonic said:

Out of 20 odd P albums if you can only mention Purple Rain, well i can't do nothing for you man!!!!!

I swear some people round here are stuck in a time warp
Yes, the 80's were a great decade and 84 was a great year to be a Prince fan
I wish I had been there
but People change and grow

accept it

Prince tried something new and differant yet some how, he's still around
whereas many artists who remained static with their
sound have long since fallen by the wayside

kanamit said:

sinisterpentatonic said:

kanamit said:

Co-sign.

Whether he's still around or not, the release of that album at that particular period in time definately was a mistake. That album drove away herds of old and new fans and as for "people always wanting a return to 1984" and only the "true fans" remaining afterwards, Prince was around long before 1984 and was extremely popular. People tend to forget that Prince's first success was not "Little Red Corvette" or "Purple Rain". Not everyone that was disappointed with this album is wanting a "return to 1984".

Some of the fans remained that could adjust to it and Prince picked up many new fans that preferred it. That's why Prince is one of the few still around today.

vainandy said:

I value your opinion on Prince's music, so I was wondering-did you consider The Black Album a triumphant return of the old Prince? Cause you mentioned how you liked Batman for that reason.

As for my thougts on ATWIAD, I don't think a single Prince album has ever taken longer to grow on me. I really didn't like it the first time I heard it. It sounded incomplete and rushed somehow.

Now I love it though. It's definitely not as brilliant as Purple Rain or the albums before then, but his songwriting ability on it was still brilliant, the musical arrangements are fascinating and addictive, and he's passionate throughout all of it. I think it's got a great mix of psychadelic spirituality and classic pop hooks.

i'm not out to change anyone's opinion on this album.

all i know is, listening to this album for the first time in 1985, when i was 14 years old and had never heard an artist create a new album that was so different from its predecessor, was an amazing experience for me - probably one of the most profoundly rewarding listening experiences i've had as a fan. what made it even better was that i was able to share that experience with my mom, during a time when we were teaching each other so much about music. she was teaching me about the music she listened to in the '60s, and i was teaching her about the music i was discovering in the '80s. we were on the same wavelength listening to ATWIAD - 60s meets 80s, both of us completely surprised and pleased by what we were hearing.

and nobody's opinion can take that memory away.

so to each their own.

Anxiety said:

Great Story! I remember when my mom would ask me to put on Cyndi Lauper..though not Prince..it was a proud moment of musical acceptance.

I don't consider "The Black Album" as a return to the "old Prince" by any means. It's full of funk but it's not the same type of funk that Prince made when he was strictly known in the R&B world (cold dark drum machines and synths). "The Black Album" was more retro 1970s type funk which was still along the lines of what he was doing in the late 1980s and still does today. It's good funk but it's not what Prince was well known and loved for back in those days. Lots of people, even Prince's protegees, were still doing the "cold" thing back then and it would have been great for Prince to get on in there and show them how it's really supposed to be done while he was still, half way, big.

I liked the "Batman" album more than the other late 1980s albums and called it a brief return to the "old Prince" because of the "cold" music. It's much weaker than the early 1980s stuff but at least it was a try.

As for "Around The World In A Day", I love the album, it's absolutely great from start to finish, but it sure wasn't what I wanted then. It should have come about five years later when hip hop took over and music changed as a whole.
[Edited 3/8/05 14:56pm]