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Thread started 04/03/05 4:32pm

Xavier23

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XAVIER'S ULTIMATE MATCH UPS: "SIGN O THE TIMES" VS. "PURPLE RAIN"





VS.






which do u think is the better album???

i personally think that "purple Rain" is prince's defining moment. "sign o the times" is great but i just think "purple Rain" is better.
what u guys think?
"Americans consume the most fast food than any nation on Earth and the stupid motherfuckers wonder why they are so fat? " - Oprah Winfrey
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Reply #1 posted 04/03/05 5:14pm

Tish4

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Hmm.....When Doves Cry has to be one of the best on PR, along with The Beautiful Ones, COMPUTER BLUE, I Would Die 4 U/Baby I'm A Star and PURPLE RAIN of course. but on SOTT, SOTT, and Slow Love, Hot Thing, The Cross, Beautiful night, FOREVER IN MY LIFE.....






OH MAN! This has to be THE HARDEST shit to answer.....But my vote would go to... hmm I have NO idea.... umm..... OH LAWD.... uhh..... maybe..... nah....umm.... it would be..... ah fuck..... umm..... maybe my vote is.... it's.. I have NO clue.....













But for now it's gonna be SOTT, Purple Rain is good and shit, but FOREVER IN MY LIFE is one of the most beautiful songs written by ANYONE I have EVER heard. So SOTT it is.
You can't build something new, without destroying something old



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Reply #2 posted 04/03/05 5:27pm

HalluRain

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That's like asking if I prefer breathing, eating or sleeping. I can't pick just one.

PR was a surprise success. It managed to achieve the magical mix of an innovative (or at least not typical on the radio at that time) sound and critical acclaim and it fell perfectly in synch with all the elements to make it a commercial success.

SOTT was a whole different thing. It is a masterpiece of inclusion of genres and influences that still manages to come out sounding solely and inimitably like Prince. I consider it to be a greater artistic success.

Enjoy them both and let's stop with the comparisons.
I've gone to find myself. If I should return before I get back, keep me here.
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Reply #3 posted 04/03/05 5:29pm

HAMISHA

it has to be for me purple rain the best moive and cd wow and with him on the bike too enough said he is gorgous my prince on a bike
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Reply #4 posted 04/03/05 7:05pm

vainandy

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That's "old Prince" vs. "new Prince"....."old Prince" wins with me every time.

"Purple Rain" by FAR.
Andy is a four letter word.
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Reply #5 posted 04/03/05 10:08pm

baabahope

SOTT
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Reply #6 posted 04/03/05 11:55pm

jacktheimprovi
dent

well I think it's somewhat of a tie, I mean I've spoken about the comparison between the two millions of times, as have so many other critics and fans, BUT I must say that I think Sign O' The Times is in some ways only half the album it could've been. Prince could have easily made an album twice as long with material just as good as the stuff he wound up including on the actual album, granted this would have somewhat been "blowing his wad" but I think it would've been a strong contender for the greatest, longest and most bewilderingly epic album of all time. Here's my tracklisting for the expanded Sign O' The Times/Camille/Dream Factory/Crystal Ball Box set. Now of course if various other double albums had been expanded like this, they might've been even better but...well I don't know as much about the outtakes or recording sessions of those.

Sign O' The Times
Play in the sunshine
Housequake
Dream Factory
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
It
Starfish and Coffee
Slow Love
Hot Thing
Wonderful Ass
Soul psychodelicide
Crystal Ball

Rebirth of the Flesh
U Got the Look
If I was your girlfriend
Rockhard in a funky place
The Ball
Joy In Repetition
Strange Relationship
I could never take the place of your man
Shockadelica
Good Love
Crucial
We Can Funk

Visions
Forever in my life
Last Heart
Witness 4 The Prosecution
Movie starr
A Place In Heaven
Power fantastic
All My Dreams
In a Large room with no light
It's gonna be a beautiful night
adore
The Cross
[Edited 4/3/05 23:56pm]
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Reply #7 posted 04/04/05 1:58pm

whodknee

jacktheimprovident said:

well I think it's somewhat of a tie, I mean I've spoken about the comparison between the two millions of times, as have so many other critics and fans, BUT I must say that I think Sign O' The Times is in some ways only half the album it could've been. Prince could have easily made an album twice as long with material just as good as the stuff he wound up including on the actual album, granted this would have somewhat been "blowing his wad" but I think it would've been a strong contender for the greatest, longest and most bewilderingly epic album of all time. Here's my tracklisting for the expanded Sign O' The Times/Camille/Dream Factory/Crystal Ball Box set. Now of course if various other double albums had been expanded like this, they might've been even better but...well I don't know as much about the outtakes or recording sessions of those.

Sign O' The Times
Play in the sunshine
Housequake
Dream Factory
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
It
Starfish and Coffee
Slow Love
Hot Thing
Wonderful Ass
Soul psychodelicide
Crystal Ball

Rebirth of the Flesh
U Got the Look
If I was your girlfriend
Rockhard in a funky place
The Ball
Joy In Repetition
Strange Relationship
I could never take the place of your man
Shockadelica
Good Love
Crucial
We Can Funk

Visions
Forever in my life
Last Heart
Witness 4 The Prosecution
Movie starr
A Place In Heaven
Power fantastic
All My Dreams
In a Large room with no light
It's gonna be a beautiful night
adore
The Cross
[Edited 4/3/05 23:56pm]



That would've been a hell of an album but the idea was to minimize the Wendy and Lisa factor (if you're Prince) and optimize profits (if you're WB). You could expand Purple Rain if you wanted because there's just as much material from that era.

Purple Rain is the stronger album. It took me by surprise much more than SOTT. However, the sheer volume of it and the many different styles would lead me to choose SOTT as my desert island pick.
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Reply #8 posted 04/04/05 2:01pm

SexualSuicide

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jacktheimprovident said:

well I think it's somewhat of a tie, I mean I've spoken about the comparison between the two millions of times, as have so many other critics and fans, BUT I must say that I think Sign O' The Times is in some ways only half the album it could've been. Prince could have easily made an album twice as long with material just as good as the stuff he wound up including on the actual album, granted this would have somewhat been "blowing his wad" but I think it would've been a strong contender for the greatest, longest and most bewilderingly epic album of all time. Here's my tracklisting for the expanded Sign O' The Times/Camille/Dream Factory/Crystal Ball Box set. Now of course if various other double albums had been expanded like this, they might've been even better but...well I don't know as much about the outtakes or recording sessions of those.

Sign O' The Times
Play in the sunshine
Housequake
Dream Factory
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
It
Starfish and Coffee
Slow Love
Hot Thing
Wonderful Ass
Soul psychodelicide
Crystal Ball

Rebirth of the Flesh
U Got the Look
If I was your girlfriend
Rockhard in a funky place
The Ball
Joy In Repetition
Strange Relationship
I could never take the place of your man
Shockadelica
Good Love
Crucial
We Can Funk

Visions
Forever in my life
Last Heart
Witness 4 The Prosecution
Movie starr
A Place In Heaven
Power fantastic
All My Dreams
In a Large room with no light
It's gonna be a beautiful night
adore
The Cross
[Edited 4/3/05 23:56pm]



If this was ever released back in 1987 this album would have got my vote for life!!
"The little 1 will escort u 2 the places within ur mind"
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Reply #9 posted 04/04/05 2:04pm

RazzBeret

Sign O' The Times.
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Reply #10 posted 04/04/05 4:18pm

TheBigBang

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vainandy said:

That's "old Prince" vs. "new Prince"....."old Prince" wins with me every time.

"Purple Rain" by FAR.


Huh? We're talking less than a three year gap between the two albums. I would hardly say that the two constitute "old Prince" vs. "new Prince."

But I personally would choose Sign o' the Times. Purple Rain is a commercial masterpiece. Sign o' the Times is an artistic masterpiece.
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Reply #11 posted 04/04/05 5:23pm

sitruk7

TheBigBang said:



But I personally would choose Sign o' the Times. Purple Rain is a commercial masterpiece. Sign o' the Times is an artistic masterpiece.

word!
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Reply #12 posted 04/04/05 7:15pm

silverchild

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SexualSuicide said:

jacktheimprovident said:

well I think it's somewhat of a tie, I mean I've spoken about the comparison between the two millions of times, as have so many other critics and fans, BUT I must say that I think Sign O' The Times is in some ways only half the album it could've been. Prince could have easily made an album twice as long with material just as good as the stuff he wound up including on the actual album, granted this would have somewhat been "blowing his wad" but I think it would've been a strong contender for the greatest, longest and most bewilderingly epic album of all time. Here's my tracklisting for the expanded Sign O' The Times/Camille/Dream Factory/Crystal Ball Box set. Now of course if various other double albums had been expanded like this, they might've been even better but...well I don't know as much about the outtakes or recording sessions of those.

Sign O' The Times
Play in the sunshine
Housequake
Dream Factory
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
It
Starfish and Coffee
Slow Love
Hot Thing
Wonderful Ass
Soul psychodelicide
Crystal Ball

Rebirth of the Flesh
U Got the Look
If I was your girlfriend
Rockhard in a funky place
The Ball
Joy In Repetition
Strange Relationship
I could never take the place of your man
Shockadelica
Good Love
Crucial
We Can Funk

Visions
Forever in my life
Last Heart
Witness 4 The Prosecution
Movie starr
A Place In Heaven
Power fantastic
All My Dreams
In a Large room with no light
It's gonna be a beautiful night
adore
The Cross
[Edited 4/3/05 23:56pm]



If this was ever released back in 1987 this album would have got my vote for life!!


But do you think the Crystal Ball project, would been kind of controversial back in 87' if it was released? I mean most of those song titles are explicit. I was reading about this project in the Possessed: The Rise & Fall Of Prince book, and author Alex Hahn said that this album would have cost up to $20 something dollars if it was released. I also think it wouldn't have sold as much. What do you think because Sign O' The Times, although it's my favorite Prince album, could have been longer.
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Reply #13 posted 04/04/05 9:09pm

eyewishuheaven

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Purple Rain is a 'better' album, but I like Sign o' the Times 'better'! razz
PRINCE: the only man who could wear high heels and makeup and STILL steal your woman!
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Reply #14 posted 04/04/05 10:53pm

vainandy

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TheBigBang said:

vainandy said:

That's "old Prince" vs. "new Prince"....."old Prince" wins with me every time.

"Purple Rain" by FAR.


Huh? We're talking less than a three year gap between the two albums. I would hardly say that the two constitute "old Prince" vs. "new Prince."

But I personally would choose Sign o' the Times. Purple Rain is a commercial masterpiece. Sign o' the Times is an artistic masterpiece.


The "sound" and the drastic style change.....any old Prince fan will tell you "old Prince" is 1978-1984 and "new Prince" is 1985-Present.
Andy is a four letter word.
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Reply #15 posted 04/05/05 2:25am

chrisslope9

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TheBigBang said:

vainandy said:

That's "old Prince" vs. "new Prince"....."old Prince" wins with me every time.

"Purple Rain" by FAR.


Huh? We're talking less than a three year gap between the two albums. I would hardly say that the two constitute "old Prince" vs. "new Prince."

But I personally would choose Sign o' the Times. Purple Rain is a commercial masterpiece. Sign o' the Times is an artistic masterpiece.



that's nonsense. both albums are artistic masterpieces. if the powers that be wanted SOTT to be a commercial giant then you best believe it would have been one.if the radio programmers decided to play Starfish and Coffee to death would you consider SOTT to be a less 'artistic' record? does WHEN DOVES CRY have less artistic merit because people happened to like it enough to make it a number one single???
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Reply #16 posted 04/05/05 12:31pm

TheBigBang

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vainandy said:



The "sound" and the drastic style change.....any old Prince fan will tell you "old Prince" is 1978-1984 and "new Prince" is 1985-Present.


So it's a 6 year run up against the last 20? That just doesn't make sense to me.
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Reply #17 posted 04/05/05 2:15pm

BT11

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Purple Rain has his best song on it: The Beautiful Ones, but I'm more a soul-fan
so I pic Sign 'O' The Times. Also because it's more diverse.
Purple Rain on the other hand is a much more tighter collection. But SOTT gives me that ondefining special feeling.
music
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Reply #18 posted 04/05/05 5:30pm

Pondwater

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Purple Rain
fro

"Shut Up, Already. DAMMM!!!!!!!"
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Reply #19 posted 04/05/05 5:32pm

PurpleKnight

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Purple Rain

SOTT is a great album, but no song on there can match classics like When Doves Cry, The Beautiful Ones, and Purple Rain.

This is Prince in his absolute studio prime. There was nowhere to go after this masterpiece but down, and so down he went.

Purple Rain is my favourite album.
thumbs up!
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Reply #20 posted 04/05/05 5:36pm

Alexandernvrmi
nd

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Purple Rain by a pinch

While Sign is clearly more diverse and takes much bigger chances some of those chance fail

like...Play in the Sunshine, Slow Love and yes U Got the Look which is truly one of the worst studio songs Prince ever made

In this case bigger is not better

Doves Cry, Computer Blue, Darlin Nikki, Beautiful Ones are extroidinary records...extroidinary

two of my favorite records no question

but my absolute favorite record still...is 1999. It is the best collection of tunes he has ever done and they all work together...even more so than Purple Rain in my opinion
[Edited 4/5/05 17:40pm]
Dance... Let me see you dance
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Reply #21 posted 04/05/05 5:44pm

rudeboynpg

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Purple Rain kicks Sign O' The Times ass!
Goodnight, sweet Prince.
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Reply #22 posted 04/05/05 6:50pm

rudeboynpg

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Purple Rain really ROCKS! Computer Blue is only of my favourite Prince songs ever! It's awesome!
Goodnight, sweet Prince.
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