EMANCIPATION WARS 2002!

The year was 1996 and the Prince internet community had just started to flourish thanks to the much-cherished PPML and Steve Hammer's chat rooms. Another major event in world history had also just happened that year, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince had just released his career-defining 3CD opus, "Emancipation". And man, did that behemoth of an album have potential! Amidst the 36 sprawling tracks there was hidden a true masterpiece containing twelve excellent songs that were just waiting to be singled out. That is twelve and exactly twelve (12) songs - no more no less, because everybody agreed that there were exactly twelve excellent songs on the record and the rest should have been best left unreleased. Yet nobody agreed on which twelve songs they were! Thus the Emancipation wars had begun.

A lot of blood was shed, contradicting opinions flung and life-long friendships broken when trying to track down what kind of songlisting would have made the greatest ever Prince record - and of course, had Prince himself released the album as just a single album he without a doubt would have released exactly the same configuration as you. And furthermore, if he only would had released your version he definitely would have had a huge international hit saving his commercial career that since has started to wane ever so rapidly.

For good old times sake, and I am sure there is still a lot of frustrated blood inside of you all that is just seeking a way to get out even after all these years, I am inviting all of you to once more open the Emancipation Wars for a seasoned debate:

So, in your own divine opinion, which twelve (12) songs should have constituted Emancipation - the one CD release? (Note that you are not only encouraged just to list your picks but also if possible, in the true spirit of the original Emancipation Wars, disparage other people's choices as loudly as you can.)

THere is actually no merit to a listener's theory of what the tracklist of Emancipation should have been. The fact that Prince created the work and is the only true determining factor of what makes us admire his work in the first place renders any proposed alterations irrelevant.
The art is the vision of the artist. Everything we know and love or even dislike about Prince is a product of Prince as a musical entity. That can not be disputed or corrected. It just is. Certain things in the world simply are. The grass is green and the shy is blue and tha tis all there is to it. What true basis is there to assert that the grass should be orange? And if it was, there would be so many that thought green was the way it should have been anyway.

PS. Black MF, what did you smoke today ?

My classmates used to call the album EMASTURBATION, because of the famous sexual content of some (older) Prince songs.

ChocolateInvasion said:

THANK YOU!!! I 'member the day I got Emancipation, Vi asked me what was "the cut." Without hesitation I answered "Joint 2 Joint." I still feel the same way. Other tracks my tug at my emotions more, but for pure sonic pleasure, it's all about Joint 2 Joint.

PS, Novabreaker...Get Yo Groove On AND Damned If I Do??? Ouch! I hope these are included in the "not necessarily your favorites" category!

and ChocolateInvasion, if you sing that MrHappyCrappy one more time, I'll...heehee

Moonbeam said:

Hooray!!!

But if you play Mr.Happy at the reception, I'm leaving!

or at least going outside to have a smoke break with Aaron

Moonbeam said:

Well, it wasn't released for only one reason and you know what it was. Let's not discuss that here.

Anyway, up yours. "Mr, Happy" is one of the worst Prince songs ever (just kidding dear friend, I'm just trying to keep up the genuine "Emancipation Wars" attitude. And man, am I getting really nostalgic rushes by reading these posts)

20/20
In This Bed I Scream
Face Down
Somebody's Somebody
My Computer
Dreaming About U
Joint 2 Joint
The Holy River
White Mansion
New World
Soul Sanctuary
Emancipation



Still not completely happy with that. But I bet you could make a nice EP from that set

3. The Love We Make

4. Style

9. One of Us

What about "Saviour", "Let's Have a Baby"...