Byron said:

true.. i wouldn't have used the delay on the synth though.. or a lot less of it in any case.. but i guess it came with the preset.. lol

JellyJam said:

I agree. I have been a fan since 82 and this is his most accessible/contemporary album in years BUT!!!!!

It is missing the mind blowing track that either hits you emotionally or makes you say "WOW! Only Prince can do that!" Otherwise, this is a good Prince record.

If it only had 1 or 2 of those type of tracks, this could/would be a classic 5/5 album as the tracks are fun and consistent. All of the tracks are good to very good++, just not UNBELIEVABLE like we know he can do.

This album also needs to be played loud and is not a headphone album.

3121 World Tour will be hot though as the songs sound as if they will be great live, ala Fury.

This album will be an enjoiable time passer until there is a new Prince record. But I am not sure it will be played much 5 years from now. It is a FUN album though. Good for a party or bumping in the car. Just not MIND BLOWING, ya know?

As Prince said "My only competition is well, me in the past".....

If Prince were 18 and this was the first we ever heard of him, people and critics would be talking about what a bright future this kid has.

All in all, I dig 3121 very much. Will it stand the test of time, doubt it.
Later

Byron said:

If it had 4:04 of silence it would be perfect.

Seriously, the cheesy lyrics, the redundant synth and lack of any musical excitement leave me limp for Lolita. I'm glad you dig it though. Different strokes...

Wall said:

"Redundant synth"...yeah, like "Cool" had a redundant synth and "Dirty Mind" had a redundant synth. I'll take it.

And there's quite a bit of musical excitement, I catch more on each listen...

Wall said:

you seem really disappointed in 3121

Byron said:

Like I said, glad you like it.

I really don't want anyone else to like this album either.

Payt said:

Maybe some of the whining is because we saw what IS there and it ain't much.

Novabreaker said:

I liked that...lol

Byron said:

absolutely. it is cheesy, but in an absolutely good way!


i love princely cheese. i love it goooood.

Where are the reviews from the ladies?

roanmairin said:

And I wouldn't personally say I'm 'whining.' I'm not sitting her with a curled lower lip and stomping a foot as I think of 3121. I'm only giving my honest critical and gut reactions to a Prince album. I don't expect anything from a work or attempted work at art. The listener isn't entitled to anything other than the artits work.

First listen report (will change the coming weeks!):

3121

old stylie with a nasty groove and beat and funny voices. Indeed remniscent to ‘days of wild’ but not as good. definetely not, different which is good. (8/10)

Lolita

Shit, this is wrong. Bullshit to do this in this phase of your musical life. No serious, ofcourse it’s catchy etc, but is too much of nothing (4/10)

Te amo corazon

Enough said about this one. Indeed fits fine into the whole. (6,5/10)

Black Sweat

Even more said about this. Except for the distorted bass (which I really hate): a FULL 10!

Incense and candles

Smart song in the way that it has a modern R&B sound. Musically very poor. The intro, oh my god, that’s way beyond. Well it’s catchy and can make it to a small hit (maybe even big) but it’s really cheap. (5/10)

Love

Prince meets Jackson meets Madonna!
Great start, terrible bridge(s), love it though. Remix this to a proper clubtrack!
You hear me mutha, remix this!!!!! (8,5/10)

Satisfied

Strange placed on the album. But really great old classic Rhythm & Blues. Too short though.
(8,5/10)

Fury

Oeps, this lakes the energy of the live-version we all heard. Guitar is blunt, but more direct than the live version. It’s more square than the live. (7/10)

The Word

Atmospheric & addictive. Great mix of electric nowaday sound and oldie feel. Again that bridge: brrr…. In my ears a real ‘new’ song. No referring to older shit (besides a few samples) just Prince in the present make a song that will hook up to the ‘electronic generation’. (9,5/10)

B,L&B

Really nice song, but not for this album. (7,5/10)

The Dance

A bit boring in the beginning. But at the right moment at the right time. Bit overproduced.
(7,5/10)

On the boat
Classic Musicology etc. Give me a full live jamming album of this.
(8-/10)

Overall: suprising. Here and there daring, sometimes bully, sometimes safe, sometimes experimental. Great effort. Smart album. It’s a pleaser. No coherent idea. You could say he lost it, in the way that he lost what he had with TRC and even Musicology. But it’s a commercial album. In the past coherent albums of him became even a commercial succes because of the inner creative strength. That’s not the case with this one. It’s a calculated single album. Hope he makes it. Show me the live version soon. Next please… (!)
(8/10)

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Prince cheese done well is damn tasty...


'Specially on toast.

roanmairin said:

I'm sorry that you find yourself unable to enjoy this album.. prolly has to do with expectations not being met or something to that extend.

PurpleCharm said:

i put mine up already.

Wall said:

Yeah, me too, it isn't like I hate it. Actually I really like it. But it just isn't "a return to form" as I had heard so many times.

Byron said:

indeed.

roanmairin said:

But what's a return to form? What form? Purple Rain and SOTT? Those are two albums in a 30 year career. You'll find bad reviews for Controversy, ATWIAD, Parade, and Lovesexy, too. People say the same thing about Woody Allen too. Oh, Match Point is a return to form! What form? No, it's too much like Crimes and Misdemeanors! No, Annie Hall is better! Come on already.

roanmairin said:

ah yes.. high expectations eh?.. lol.. i can understand with all the hype. I've been careful not to expect too much, but just see what P will bring us next. I'm pleasantly surprised by a lot of the stuff on 3121, while some other tunes are indeed a bit redundant (I&C especially)

lspear76 said:

Just listen to the albums you refered to. Sure they didn't sound the same as each other but there was a quality to each that rarely surfaces in the studio for him anymore. (TRC excluded of course)

If you don't see the difference I certainly can't explain it but it's there.

roanmairin said:

I don't hear any difference. In fact, there are more lousy tracks on Parade than on 3121.

I appreciate everyones opinion of the songs . But it kills me how people can say this is "his best album in a long time" or that "this album is garbage" after only listening to it for a day.

Typically for me the songs that hit me as good immediately , months and years later do nothing for me. And song im like "eh" on initially turn out to be the ones that stick with me for years.

For example , I loved "Illusion , Coma ,Pimp and Circumastance when I first started listening to Musicology ..I cant bear it now. At the same time "Reflection" bored me to death... Its now my fav from that set.

Thats what makes the mans music so great , you cant properly digest it in a day week or even month.


That being said I love hearing what others think about 3121 good and bad, I just take it all with a grain of salt knowing its subject to change.

lspear76 said:

That's quite a fact. Care to list which tracks makes 3121 a better album that Parade?
[Edited 3/7/06 12:28pm]

newpower99 said:

F-I-N-A-L-L-Y! A voice of reason

lspear76 said:

LoL...When I hear people talk about how "cheesy" Lolita is, I think of how cheesy I thought "Do U Lie" was when I first heard it.. ...mg, that song made me cringe in embarassment when I heard it. Pretty melody, sure...but I was not impressed in the least by it, or "Anotherloverholeinyourhead", either. Thought it was extremely boring R&B (where's the guitar, dammit?!)...etc, etc.

Not EVEN gonna pretend I was right, tho...lol...just that it was my "gut reaction" upon first hearing Parade..."Life Can Be So Nice" was messy and didn't have a catchy-enough melody to make me wanna hear it again. "Christopher Tracy's Parade" was juuust on the right side of pretentious to my ears...and on and on. "Venus De Milo"? Pure elevator music...being pretty wasn't enough.

My opinions have changed somewhat over the years as I distanced myself from my preconceived expectations of what I personally wanted and expected "a new album by Prince" to sound like.

Still think "Do U Lie" is cheesy, tho...lol...but in a good way.

Wall said:

I think 1999 is a good example;

There is no;

Something in the Water or Lady Cab Driver on 3121
but there is plenty of Delirious on 3121.

Not that it is a bad thing, but it is that type of ommission that keeps 3121 from being a classic.

3121 is a really good party album, because of the type of songs it has.

Only Prince can do cheese like he does. That is part of what makes him Prince.

Later
[Edited 3/7/06 12:34pm]

newpower99 said:

I've heard thousands and thousands of records during my lifetime, I know by this point upon the first couple of listens if I'm going to like a record or not. It used to be different, but this is how it seems to work for me these days.

BananaCologne said:

ditto

Hey, I'm just happy there are no deeply pitched voiced monologue in between the tracks.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Oh, ok...I am posting from work, so I haven't been able to keep up with all the reviews. I guess I shouldn't say anything since I haven't posted my review yet.

But it seems like most of the reviews are from the men.

I will post my review when I get home this evening.

[Edited 3/7/06 12:36pm]