switters said:

This could've been my review of the record, except for the part about Pisa, Italy.
Rave was disappointing because we thought he'd do something hot in 1999 (same with Emancipation), but it doesn't make it bad.

By the way, isn't Switters the guy from that Tom Robbins novel?

I love Rave. I'd say it may be the most underrated Prince album.

Here's my review:

Hindsight too often plays a role in an album’s reception. Throughout the 90s, Prince (or The Artist Formerly Known As Prince), battled to stay relevant to a music market increasingly intent on packaging and re-packaging trends at the expense of musicianship and artistry. Prolific as ever, Prince pumped out album upon album of overlooked gems and missed opportunities. For some reason, quantity was now a barometer for quality and unmet commercial expectations precluded critical acclaim. The album that represents this the most is 1999’s Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic.

Issued with the support of a major label and Clive Davis, who masterminded Santana’s reemergence in 1999, Rave came with a lot of expectation. Rumors of collaborations with several major artists were confirmed with appearances by Eve, Chuck D., Gwen Stefani, Sheryl Crow, Ani DiFranco and Maceo Parker. Weekly spur-of-the-moment performances at Paisley Park created a buzz around Prince again. Interviews and spotlights in magazines and TV shows rare for an artist of Prince’s mystique were commonplace. A live broadcast of a concert entitled “Rave Un2 the Year 2000,” where Prince was to perform his anthem “1999” for the last time was planned and executed. Could this be the album to resurrect a commercially gasping career?

No. Missteps in promotion that plagued earlier albums of the decade likewise plagued Rave. A lush, extravagant video for the lead-off single, “The Greatest Romance Ever Sold” was shelved until months after the single release. Rumors of a second single never came to fruition. A market filled to the brim with adolescent juggernauts of style over substance apparently had no room left for an artist in his 40s. Initially positive reviews of the album (often called his best in many years) turned sour as Rave was dubbed a flop.

All of these failed expectations distract from the fact that this is a fun, quirky and diverse album. The first song, “Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic” is a leftover from 1988 and was planned as the title track of an album to follow Lovesexy. A synthetic funk workout, complete with mechanical beats, a hypnotic Eastern-tinged guitar riff and some screeching, passionate vocals set the stage. Other robotic offerings such as the irresistibly weird “Strange But True,” the playfully lustful “Hot Wit U” and the creeping, ominous “Undisputed” conjure the glory days of Minneapolis funk. “Prettyman” sees Prince lay down the brass funk in self-mock mode (quite unusual for him) in the vein of “Movie Star.” Most playful of all, however, is the searing rock of “So Far, So Pleased.” Prince and Gwen Stefani share flirtation and innuendo over a punchy backdrop. This is what pop-rock should be. Soaring melodies drift above some THICK guitars. Had this been released as a single, the fortunes of this album would have likely been much different. Other pop gems include the stealthily seductive “The Greatest Romance Ever Sold” and the shimmering “The Sun, the Moon and Stars.”

Rave isn’t all fun and games. Much of the record offers answers to his bitter divorce with Mayte. The over-produced “Man o’ War” is classic Prince “You done me wrong” balladry, but it can’t touch the similarly themed “I Love U, But I Don’t Trust U Anymore.” A stark, haunting piece featuring piano and Ani DiFranco’s acoustic guitar, the song slowly builds with increasingly vulnerable vocals that depict the despondent tale of unrequited love and false accusations. Elsewhere, the painfully short “Tangerine” is a colorful, melancholy highlight, the likes of which had not been seen since “Starfish and Coffee.” Later, the anthemic “Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do” offers reassurance and an effortless melody ripped off and watered down for Lenny Kravitz’s megahit “Again.”

Free from the harsh lens of a society with its ridiculous demands and expectations, 1999’s Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic offers something that Prince had kept hidden for a long, long time- an album that is at times fun, confessional, funky and relaxed. It succeeds in being quirky but accessible, sprawling but not over-reaching. There is no grand message here, nor is there interminable excess- Prince plays all of his cards on one disc here. And above all, the album is undeniably Prince. Had this album been released in 2004 like the similar but lesser Musicology, it would have benefited from a much more favorable musical climate.

Some really good songs on this album…but for some inexplicable reason the album doesn’t rank highly with me.

I will note that when I first popped the album in the CD player (bought it during lunch on launch day) and RAVE began playing, I couldn’t help but think PRINCE had returned to me.

Passionless... He is faking it, until he opens up with Manowar, Love you but... ., Silly Game, and the passion is then heartbreaking, I can hardly bear to listen to these songs, they are just so sad... in fact just thinking about them oh I'm sorry, I just can't... .

poetbear68 said:

As long as you know you're wrong we'll forgive you.

For whatever reason I've never liked the first three tracks nor Silly Game--
I like some of his corny songs but not with these whining lyrics. Other than that I like it. I rarely play it-- and only In2 when I do-- but I like it.

Anxiety said:

For some reason, I remember that album getting roasted even moreso than Rave. Musicology seems to be his return to critical favor.

Rave is not much better or worse than Diamonds and Pearls---thats for sure.

I LOVE this album!
it was the first Prince album I bought

The remixes are great too! and I think that Im the only one that really jams
to "Everydays a Winding Road"
It such a great remake IMO. Makes me wanna "vouge"

GangstaFam said:

really? because i got the impression that with TRC, it was kind of hip for the critics to write pieces like, "prince is still alive!" and proclaiming it an underrated gem or somesuch. which, of course, the critics also did with 'musicology' - it's just that there was a big media push to accompany the fanfare.

I like it
Apart from the rapping in Undisputed and Hot Wit U
i think it's

i like it!!!!!

Anxiety said:

Maybe we were just reading from different sources. With Rave, the initial reaction seemed to be fairly positive in the press. And the magazines, MTV, etc. were all willing to give him a fair chance. With TRC, it seemed like the concensus was "there he goes, even further into his cult," and like they couldn't be bothered. The hate for the lyrics of TRC seemed much stronger than the disappointment in Rave's Santana-esque sellout factor.

I think the biggest problem with rave is the plastic sound. I think rave would sound much better if it had the sound of greatest romance..! Compare it the other songs! it really sounds fresh and not so plastic. The second big problem is that there are too many slow / mid tempo songs! it has no power.
(Perhaps it was for the winter schlaf.????)
I must say after hearing Greatest romance i had high hopes for the new album. but it was a dissapointment.

i still likes it minus everyday is a winding road

I think the "lamb" had something to do with depriving someone or something of something they need in order to have something good for your own personal needs.

I really liked that song I love you but I don't trust you anymore.

YAlove said:

It sounds like something he made on the PARADE album. It really melodramatic and I also think it's dedicated to his break-up to Mayte. I think part of the RAVE UN2 THE JOY album is like a statement of the divorce of his wife Mayte.

misiu said:

I wish it could've been more of a R&B album than one of those pop comebacks. I really think it would've been more accepted.