Hands down 1999. Purple rain is a good album. But as far as Prince albums go, it is very average. 1999 was very diverse and very daring. Next to sign o the times, 1999 is my favorite Prince album, with Dirty mind not to far behind.

BTW I love Purple Rain album. There's nothing in the world that sounds like Computer Blue then or since (though it was a take-off of All The Critics imo).

But 1999 is just raw and the apex of the man at his one man studio powers peak.

Plus the primal screams throughout precurors to the screams throughout PR.

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[Edited 8/19/05 16:56pm]

DiamondGirl said:

I ran a thread dealing with P's screaming so much on the 1999 album and how heavily influenced his screams were by gospel music. That's a standard in old gospel music and P brought that in modern "pop" music. NOBODY was doing that in the 80's. Marvin touched on it in the 70's. But P had 3 gospel influenced songs with 1999: "Free", "International Lover" and the b-side "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?". Those 3 songs, musically and vocally are HEAVILY influenced by gospel music. For P to throw that into the mix with funk, rock, and new wave, he really soared to another level as an artist. Those songs I mentioned set up "God" and the song "Purple Rain" as being gospel influenced. He did it first and best on his 1999 album.

blackguitaristz said:

That's another thing, black. 1999 spawned some incredible b-sides.

I would say 1999, but if Purple Rain was release as a double album with the extended versions of Lets go crazy and computer blue, also including 17 days, erotic city etc. This would have been princes greatest ever album, nothing would have touched it.

this is not so hard now but it would have been if this was 1984 because
purple rain is kind of played out by now because it is always played as p's
greatest album and 1999 is more fun so i guess that i have to go with 1999.

blackguitaristz said:

Yes! The blood curdling scream on Something In The Water(Does Not Compute), the little screams on LRC, the scream belt on Lets Pretend We're Married, International Lover, DMSR signature aowahs, Free uninhibited singing. I feel you on th e gospel tradition vibe. Year later, critics attributed the screams of passion on the Purple Rain album as the "Primal Scream" therapy influence that John Lennon used for Plastic Ono Band era.

Purplerain7772001 said:

Not for me because even back then when PR was so fresh and so clean, I was heavily let down by the direction he had taken for the Purple Rain project. Even though PR is played out somewhat, II can still listen with clean ears to it. I bet I played 1999 album out more than Purple Rain. And I played Purple Rain a lot after I fell into its vibe.

blackguitaristz said:

Purple Rain was amazing. I'd have to say as an album, it was better as after many many years, I can say that 1999 could have been edited down a bit here and there. However, I say that wishing that Prince would have released the Purple Rain with the full 11 minute Computer Blue, included the 'i'm so confused' verse in The Beautiful Ones and extended When Doves Cry for 20 more minutes. I didn't even mention how he should have inclucded the ext version of Let's Go:) However, 1999 has one song that, if I had to pick, is still the perfect proof of his greatness - Little Red Corvette...yes, I know we've all heard it to death - but can you think of song with that tricks you into thinking it's rock, complete with a wicked solo but shocks you when it's sung like only a black guy can sing!???!?!??! Phenomenal. I also have a friend in a highly regarded band who agrees completely. He puts into perspective Prince's talent ssaying he has played with better musicians (perhaps not as dedicated) but no one can put it all together like Prince. Little Red is a prime example.

Ronny said:

You know this is one thing I really really like about Prince. He can play, write rock with the best of them... but none of them can match his voice.
Now mind you, Prince was not a vocalist like say Luther, but to have the whole package... he is really in a league of his own.
Mick Jagger... in my opinion can not sing. I know his fans may like his style of singing etc... but to a non fan (like myself) he can't carry a tune, and does he play an instrument??
Steven Tyler... again what instrument does he play? I can't say anything about his singiong... my husband thinks he has one of the best rock voices, so what do I know.
I do know that Prince's playing is one of the best of our times... and his singing is much better than lead singers in most of the top rock bands.

prodigalfan said:

Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler are both adept at guitar and piano

Ronny said:

That goes on my list of Practically Perfect Pop Songs.

tA
France countdown - T-Minus 5 days and counting.

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

Little Red Corvette was his blatant (and brilliant) attempt to make a classic car as a woman rock song analogy that was so prominent in rock (Trampled Udderfoot by Zeppelin, Springsteen and more). Funny thing is that he was influenced also by Kim Carnes Bette Davis Eyes single in making this one. Check out that synth and handclaps. White Horse and Erotic City aren't the only cousins in the purple rock.

I lot of the rockers are screamers also but I ain't seen nobody that can scream better than Prince. A lot of the black female singers are great screamers too. I'd love to see Prince in a screaming match with Aretha Franklin, Martha Wash, and Patti LaBelle. The four of them together would probably bust someone's eardrums.

Also, I love Prince's falsetto. Some of Prince's slow jams sung in falsetto can be played right in the middle of the great male falsetto groups of the 1970s like The Stylistics, Blue Magic, and The Delfonics and still fit right in. With Prince, you get the full package though, you not only get those great slow jams but you also get plenty of hardcore funk and rock too.

vainandy said:

VA,

If you're into the screaming thing, i'd suggest that you not ignore the Scream Master.

Included within the lexicon of Classic Screams has to be...



...Give It up or Turnit a Loose from Sex Machine (1970)

Some artists can give up once maybe twice in the course of a tune.
On this cut James gives up no less than 10 blood-curdling ones within this 7 min performance.

Don't mean to jack but I couldn't let this one go by.

tA
France countdown - T-Minus 4 days and counting.

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

Thanks TA. I've got the long version of "Sex Machine" on one of the 20th Century Master volumes of James Brown. He definately delivers the screams on this one. He lets out some good ones on "Think" also. I recently got the "James Brown 50th Anniversary Collection" and it is two CDs of the the best selection of James Brown songs I have seen out there.

By the way, what are you going to be doing in France?
.
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[Edited 8/20/05 14:32pm]

vainandy said:

When you get a chance, check out Give It up or Turnit a Loose on that Sex Machine release. It's a pseudo-live version.
Maybe the 1st recording with the new band (which includes Bootsy & Catfish Collins) after the mutiny.

Regarding the France thing, check your orgnotes.


tA
France countdown - T-Minus 4 days and counting.

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

DiamondGirl said:

Yeah, I wrote a thread about that a while back regarding Bette Davis Eyes.

DiamondGirl said:

Yeah, I wrote a thread a while back regarding Bette Davis Eyes.

DiamondGirl said:

Yeah, not only that, but Steven is a very good drummer as well. mick also plays guitar. Now, neither Mick (who was a big influence visually on P) or Steven can hold a candle to Prince when it comes to musicianship.

Call me wishy washy, but I can't answer. I could never, my answers would sway from day to day. I think so far in my Prince luvin' career, I've given Purple Rain more play overall between the two. But I tend to go back and obsessivley listen to an album after the fact. So next week I might be physco over 1999, and work it like a whore.....

Ronny said:

U know the wicked solo on "Little Red" was Dez, right? When P started off recording cuts for Purple Rain, u could tell his mindset was similar to that of 1999 as far as the original lengths of the cuts "Computer Blue", "Beautiful Ones" and "Darling Nikki". He probably HAD to edit those down only because of the film. I often said that I would have loved to have heard the album Purple Rain if he had never had any intentions of doing a film. Now THAT album would have been killin'! It would have been a true extension from 1999 and no doubt it would have been released in 83 and not 84. WB's didn't want P releasing a new joint in 83, because of the film in 84. Prince probably wouldn't have even recorded the song "Purple Rain". But that album would have been a lot darker and sinister, similar to the vibe of 1999, but crazier, like the unedited versions of the songs mentioned. P's whole album would have been like that. He had to clean up his image to a degree for the film and some of the material on PR reflects that. My opinion is "Take Me With U" "I Would Die For You" and "Baby, I'm A Star" would have never seen the light of day if P didn't do that film. But since he did, those songs "fit" with some of the tone of the movie. "Darling Nikki" was "true" Prince and without the film, that album would have reflected that type of vibe. And the unedited version of "Computer Blue" and "The Beautiful Ones" are part of that vibe.

blackguitaristz said:

Very true.

blackguitaristz said:

Now that is an intriguing thought. I always thought PR the film came first then Prince wrote the songs to match. So actually PR was an LP on it's own and then got tailored to fit the film. That would explain why there is such a difference in the tone of Nikki and take me with you... which sounds so unlike most of Prince's other "love" songs during that era.

Hmm well im not sure i could choose, cause they both have some of my favoutites. So i will say it's a draw!

FunkJam said:

Whoa! Very cool. You're the first on this thread to do that. I can dig it.

DiamondGirl said:

Yeah, I remember reading that about the Plastic Ono Band.

blackguitaristz said:

Just look at the Prince solo joints from Purple Rain. WDC, Beautiful Ones, and Nikki. Awesome. Can u imagine the whole cd solo? A takeoff from 1999 indeed.

DiamondGirl said:

Exactly.