On the 3 worst albums thread a lot of ppl seem 2 dislike TRC. After my first listenings I must admit I was a little freaked out 2 (and of course the narrating is off-putting!..it just makes me laugh when I hear it!!).

However, if u listen 2 the guitar playing,the drum playing, the melodies, the arrangements and the overall uplifting feel 2 the album and just the sheer originality of the whole concept then I cannot see how it gets so much critcism.

I agree, it definately is a grower, but in my opinion, it ranks up there with the best material he has ever released.

What y'all think?

PEACE.

Well I for one certainly agree.

Hmm, funny. I just had this conversation a few minutes ago with my sister before I logged on here. We were saying that we like "TRC" more & more each day. I actually been liking it more since I went to a "ONA" concert last month.

It's an album that polarizes opinion. You either seem to love it or hate it.

I love it and to me it's one of his best.

Dan said:

Well, ya know, it's got no "I wanna f*** the taste out of your mouth" rhetoric, no cursing, no give you head rhetoric, no masturbating with a magazine imagery, etc. He's singing about his religious beliefs, and people know Prince is into the JW religion. Had we not known maybe... how can we take such content seriously, and play this type of album around our homies without looking meek? And where the bloody hell does Prince get off actually changing philosophically as time goes by as opposed to being 25-28 forever?

The horror. Da utter horror!


TRC

Supernova said:

I like it! Nice use of sarcasm.

I give it two thumbs up!

MAYBE NEXT LIFETIME.
It has nothing 2 do with religious lyrics.
Some of my favorite songs r GOD and Elephants
and Flowers.As 4 me feelin comfortable around my homies
while listening 2 prince.I always got clowned 4 listening 2 him.They liked some songs but they always thought his look was SUSPECT

TRC IS a masterpiece ..aint a damn thing wrong with it. The ending of Everywhere wher he goes "can you feel it" is worth it alone. And this is what someone wrote about it when they heard about it..I agree with it wholeheartedlyt and appreciated the way they brokle TRC down:

It is long but it got me into TRC when I wasnt able to "hear" the vibe that Prince gave us..this is what they said over extended posts etc:

"NPG computer Steven Hawkins female version voice. "Family Name" is crazy. This is Princes most controversial album of all time. MOST controversial of all time.
I can see why people wrote this off but so far this album is getting a eight point 5 out of ten the quaylude Bob George voice... This is Princes most funkadelicesque/Sly song of recent. Prince got the right background vocalists too. Prince really jams out the funk on this. This is the album that people were saying "Prince you cant play anymore" And he answered you with this... The guitar solo on this is so raw ...
This is proof Prince buried his genius with Kirky J. And the genius comes out again.
that dirty bass line ?Now I wonder what he will do live now will it be the hits? I dig the sound bites.. thruit too John BlackWell goddamn ...
this is Princes answer to music magazines "you cant funk" he brought out the horns,the bass,the guitars,the keys,the flute, and the background vocalists. YOU cant count him out... The everlasting now... .damn...
and the bridge...those horns that wah wah guitar... I like every song ive heard off this album do you know how long that has been?When all the musicians hear this album they are gonna freak the heck out. on a first listen honestly I have to give this album a HIGH mark.yo this breakdown on Everlasting now is KILLING me. release stuff like this on the club and I might join. Now he is in Santana mode... Prince you did it you made an album people said you never could do. I knew it was coming just didnt know when.

I wasnt sure on how it sounded from the reaction but damn...
On the 1...SIKE" that was a big up yours to the critics this whole track about how he couldnt "bring da funk in innovative ways" It is about time he comes out and kills the people who said he couldnt bring something new. I think Sonny T and Michael B are happy the live band prince is back. This does really have the best sequencing of a Prince album in a long long time

I love the horn arrangements,I like the touches of Rhodes,I love the drums and percussion,I love the guitars,I love the different bass sounds and the keyboards and the background vocalists. ALTHOUGH...one thing was missingDo you know what? CLare Fischer no string arrangementsHe better hurry up and work with Clare again he is a old timer.
Id like to see a record with all Fischer Strings someday.

THIS is a band record. This is a record where you can listen to the horn arrangements,the drums,the guitars,the bass,the keyboards,the background vocals,the percussion,He has taken a band vacation for a while on record he took a one with "Gold Experience" Now he got on the "Rainbow Chile"Ocean Liner...
and he is taking another "live trip"
I mean have you ever heard as much horns on thisrecord as any Prince album? Gold Experience didnt have any.
Sign o the times had a few.
Madhouse.. had some
Love sexy had a lil bit.
Symbol album had some
I might even say this is Princes best band record ever.

This is rawer than TGE.The bass is dirty.
the guitars are all mixed top notch you got crystal clear rhythm,distorted searing lead,crunched the eff up riffs in places,wah wah,
the background vocals are defined since the times with Rosie Gaines.
The drummer is a monster.
the keyboards. Prince plays such nice rhodes on this and analog synths and piano
This album is Prince taking his one eyed bass/habibi and swingin at other bands. This is his response to Beck to say "Why doesnt he kick ass anymore" Will anyone say anything after this release? Only the jealous artists who didnt have this kind of inspiration and this friggin band. The horn arrangement on Everlasting now will kill you. This is some Sly and the fam stone/Hornheads shit.and how they switch it up and able to follow the zig zag funk melody. and when he screams? tooo sick And the band takes off again? This is contender for Princes top 5 albums. Yes I am ready to say rhat now when I think back on the album catalog.There are so many hilites of this record I was worried it would be all "The work" type naterial. Not that I didnt like the Work it was just I didnt want a similar veined record. Wrong so wrong. He did it he made one of the most innovative creative brilliant records of the year. As I said Princes return to the "BAND sound" and it gets no crazier than this for Prince.
Disregard what people said as unfocused. THEY are on crack you couldnt ask for a better sequencing for Prince record. MY GOD...how it starts and the middle track? and the funny interlude? And She loves me 4 me? DAMN Someone has their thinking npg beanie on again.If ypu played this nonstop you will be shocked how it unfolds. And how does Prince keep his voice still in unbelievable shape? It must be because he isnt talking that much. Anyways this is no way a disappointment this is a triumph for Prince in every sense of the word. I thought this record was gonna be some Rave Part II.But that emancipation sterile mix copaseptic sound of Prince has vanished. And is it Rave? Is it NPS? Is it any of that? but no... Prince came storming thru the gate and just didnt tear the gate down he blew the gate up with his c-4 surreal funk.and the way they mixed the crowd sounds on particular songs ...somebody has been listening to their mixes. and the last song? Prince was thinking hard when he made this album. If this only proves one thing Prince is one of the greatest innovative genius bandleaders in music history and right now he still is at TOP of his game in the channeling funky sounds dept.
and if you told me 3 years ago Prince would have a band album that would shock the hell out of me. Id say you were eating purple paint chips. Id say "Yea right Kirky is still gonna be with him and they are gonna sample record scratch noises and npg soundbank loops. Prince will make a amazing band record in a long while like 10 years" 6 years later after TGE I was off by 4 yearsSaul Williams just got his dose..for those voodoo liner notes.

I heard people were leaving after the first listen to this at the park at the listening party.Are they crazy?? This is what you ASKED for. You got yout dream artsy concept record.
People got Prince energized by saying "Why you wanna do jiggy hip hop crossover tracks? Why arent you bringin the funk"reccomend this to your friends who are "Art" type and say "Oh prince he doesnt do anything challenging anymore he just wants to fit in with the trends." Give them a copy of it. 1 plus 1 plus 1=3 is going to be the live jam anthem when he takes this on tour."

the above is all from the one peron who knew what tyey were talking about imho. Viva la TRC
[This message was edited Thu Jul 4 16:56:14 PDT 2002 by rdhull]

Well, ya know, it's got no "I wanna f*** the taste out of your mouth" rhetoric, no cursing, no give you head rhetoric, no masturbating with a magazine imagery, etc. He's singing about his religious beliefs, and people know Prince is into the JW religion. Had we not known maybe... how can we take such content seriously, and play this type of album around our homies without looking meek? And where the bloody hell does Prince get off actually changing philosophically as time goes by as opposed to being 25-28 forever?

The horror. Da utter horror!


TRC[/quote]

Yeah, but it does have alot of God music with a song about singing to the chic while she masterbates stuck right in the middle.

I agree. I think RC is not only an interesting, brilliant piece of work (even if I'm not on the man's particular religious wavelength), but is also among his greatest discs ever.

Solon say a man ain't happy truely until the man truely dies.

Xagain said:

Yeah, but it does have alot of God music with a song about singing to the chic while she masterbates stuck right in the middle. [/quote]

There is a difference between suggestiveness and explicitness. Come on now, discern that post a bit better.

It's a Masterpiece, when you listen to it initially; you hear it in parts. The 'Bob George Voice', The God, and JW refs, the absence of Sex etc. But then when you put it all together, you have a brilliant work of art.

I'll get shot for saying this, but It was the "Album of The Year" in my book!

Why would any1 care what their friends think about them? All of my friends are Hardcore Rap fans. But I've caught every last one of them, snapping their fingers to the 'Jazzy Rainbow Children' or saying, 'This how it's gonna be, if you want to be with me, ain't no room to disagree, cuz 1+1+1=3, hey...'

Even they can't deny it, and Jay Z is the greatest musician ever to them...go figure.

Blue Cashmere
"Don't Play Me"

I don't jive with Prince's bible connection, but this album is UNDENIABLE.
We all wanted (hell, NEEDED) a great album from Prince and boy did he give it to us! The over all sound of this album is beautiful. I agree that he doesn't make it easy as a lot of ppl have said that it has been growing on them,
but I think that is a sign of the musical depth of it.
I made a streamlined cd of TRC for a great musician that I know. I cut out some of the loose ends (Wedding, decon, digital G), cut out the narration where it wasn't really needed ("going door to door to do the work, etc..."), and he was just telling me what a great album it thought it was.
I wish TRC had gotten more exposure. It seems like certian elements (a biblical concept and computerized narration) can completely derail the public's interest in an album.
Reminds me of a biblical/sexual concept and nude cover having the same effect.
Too bad.
I think that we have gotten an album from Prince that sounds like nothing he has done before.
When was the last time we were saying that?
I say:
T H A N K Y O U P R I N C E

Dan said:

I almost didn't reply to the 3 worst albums thread, because it's usually just a bunch of people going "well i like this one and not that one" with no real pattern or insight, which really just confirms that he reaches all of us sooner or later with whatever sound we respond to and doesn't reach us when we can't see something.

That said, TRC is deep and heavy in the Lovesexy tradition, and I welcome it on those grounds, narration and all. If you don't want narration, then buy the next album, or the next one, or the next...and on that note, I think I'll put TRC in for a spin.

The music is quite good.
Thematically, the lyrics are occasonally are silly and inane ("Wedding Feast" and
NATO/OTAN controversy), contrasting with a more profound religious allegory.
However, the flow of the entire album is seriously flawed with the intervening
BOB GEORGE narrator voiceover. I find the original, unedited/1 track
version of TRC to be extemely unlistenable.

Xagain said:

hahahahahahahahahahahaha... hehe. i remember when you absolutely hated it

why doe you care what people think? masterpiece or not..enjoy the music or hate it...

stop worrying about what other people think and enjoy it on your own..

just because your opinion differs from another doesnt make either party wrong...like alan thicke sang, "different strokes for different folks"..


and like gloria loring sang from a tune written by alan thicke "you take the good u take the bad you take them both and what you have..."

damn...the topics and content within them all seem geared towards twelve year olds...

this place is starting to mirror a star wars fansite...you got both sides whinning and crapping and acting childish cause the other side refuses to see their view...

all at the sacrafice of intelligent sharing of opinions...this is a sad day, *for me*...

hehehehee

The Rainbow Children is the BEST album he's done in years. When will people Realize it as a Masterpiece? Probably when Prince is Dead. Just like Amadeus. Mozart.

IT'S WONDERFUL!

I 'member when I first heard it at the celebration, I did countless eyerolls through many of the lyrics, but when it was all over, I was floored. It made me so excited for the week to come. It also worried me, cos I didn't think he'd release it.

Well, I was wrong and it was released and after many listens I still love it. Now, I don't agree with the religious tones, but musically I feel it's the most creative work he's done in 10 years. It felt fresh, it felt like a new Prince, and it's been a long time since I said that after a new Prince CD.

?
[This message was edited Wed Feb 26 2:42:59 PST 2003 by IstenSzek]

I think it might be my favorite Prince album, but I've had my top 3 (Lovesexy, 1999, and Prince) for so long, it'll take me awhile before I feel right about replacing one of those top 3 classics with The Rainbow Children. Plus, the weird spiritual stuff kinda concerns me. Where's he coming from? I know my Bible, but he's adding something else to it. It's not quite Christian or JW. What's it all about? And why?

When? I think about a year ago or something?

It got great reviews overall. You know, Rolling Stone doesn't really mean a shit anymore...

the first time i heard it, i was blown away, (and not in a big gust of wind). it reminded me of "parade". not so much in the music itself, but in how it has changed the way i listen to an album. i now regulate new releases by all artists against TRC.

some albums just have that quality. it may be a statement, or just a display of art. i feel that prince acomplished both with this one. TRC is among my favorites of all time. i am still moved when i listen to it.

this is the first "prince" album in a while. he has done some excellent music consistantly throughout his career, but this is the first "album" in some time where ALL the pieces fit and compliment each other.

can't wait to see what he does next. remember, what came after "parade"...

I liked TRC when it first came out, and I've loved it ever since. I think that it's the best out of his recent releases! I love any kind of music that actually makes people think
[This message was edited Fri Aug 2 2:11:39 PDT 2002 by NPGDiva]

I think the reasons why a lot of fans dislike the album are quite simple. prince has a pretty wide spectrum of fans. there's:
a. the hardcores/fams who consider EVERYTHING that prince does his best or the best on the market.
b. the oldschoolers who have a strong dislike for anything which came out after lovesexy.
c. the pop crowd who in general are more into the 80s thing and prefer Prince's more pop falvored material.
d. the funksters. I'd consider myself to be part of that category. we know deep down prince can be very funky and soulful. we dont appreciate songs like "take me with u" or "diamonds and pearls" too much.
however we love the truly black prince stuff (not in terms of color, more regarding his musical style) like
the black album, some of SOTT and especially the post purple rain live material.
most people of group a like TRC because its a prince album. the pop people in that group might not favor it, but hey its still prince.
the oldschoolers of group b dont really get into it because of its lack of x-rated attitudes and because they cant really get into anything which doesnt remind them of their teenage life in the 80s. come on, get over it.
the pop crowd of group c dont dig TRC too much because they dont dig the real funk. they listen to anything from michael jackson, phil collins, elvis costello to whatever... because of a lack of understanding of afro-american musical culture they dont know how to deal with TRC.
finally, the funky d... for us TRC is a real mindblower because prince finally has captured his capability to funkyfy on record (with a few exceptions like wedding feast). we feel fortunate to now hear in a studio production what we have only heard in concerts so far, if even. hard funkbeats jabo starks style, funk guitar and mellow rhodes piano. all sounds like real music, no drim computers, no samples.
I consider it his overall best album so far. and I am glad with xenophobia he will continue in this tradition. I dont give a shit about the religious message. to me the music is what matters (after all James Browns lyrics where silly as hell).
my .02

Admit it, if Prince's name was not on this cd, everyone one of you masterpiece-ers would have trash it and would have probably never even heard this cd. It would have been placed in the religious section of the cd store, under another name, get your head ot of Prince's ass. Have you bought any other cds while crusing the religious section this year? I didn't think so, this is the only one in your collection, why? Because it has his name on it, Period

Why should we admit to that?

I have "Antichrist Superstar" on my shelf and that's as satanist record as it is. Now, I don't believe in God but neither do I support the satanist ideology. What's the difference? I guess it's okay for me to dig "Antichrist Superstar" because its a modern rock classic that shook the world, but not TRC because it's the JW fundamentalist indie album by my favourite artist and therefore not really an album I would buy had it been released by someone else.

?

Not to split hairs, but Marilyn Manson is no more of a satanist than the members of Motley Cure ever were. Novabreakers example is valid in one way, but the truth remains "Antichrist Superstar" was a peice of commercial pop aimed to shock people, it was not a religious record. Marilyn isn't a real satanist and he's not promoting his b-liffs, he's putting on a show.