3121!..... the cd you have been waiting to get your hot hands on and now that you have it..... well, whatcha think? Did it meet or exceed your expectations or not?

Note: Those with different time zones got it earlier.

[Discuss 3121 cd here. All other threads will be locked and redirected here]

First!

luv4u said:

He gives thanks to Jehovah.
When was the last time he gave thanks to his fans? I'm not having a go at him, just curious... he always used to thank "u".

2005 said:

send NPGMC an email

luv4u said:

No way.
I wanna see him live again when he tours.
I don't want to go on any npgmc black list

its so funky!!

get on the boat, get on the boat people, we got room for a hundred more.....

Not bad at all...teh only song I will skip evry time is The Dance...its just rubbish but the rest range from good to excellent.

My only complaint is the packaging - sack the knob who thought it was a good idea to design a cd tray with rough writing engraved in the plastic...my cd came complete with an imprint in the bottom but it plays ok.

Only trouble is I was so eager to hear it I listened to it on my PC at work....and its still in there, Ive just come home with an empty box.

Its a shame there are no vids or anything on the CD...that would have been nice

Well ive not had chance to take it all in fully yet, cause ive only listened once. But theres certainly some great songs! One thing i cant stand tho is the dance, what a shit version! Should have just left it on the chocolate invasion!!

can anyone post who the players are? I swear he says LISA during the Dance. Or is it just him and a few others we don't really know.

2005 said:

He used to thank god. this is in replacement of that.

AWESOME!! Bets tracks are love, Word, Boat, Black Sweat, 3121, lolita and Fury

superspaceboy said:

Nah Wendy & Lisa arent in there...there is another Coleman.

The first few songs are Michael B, Sonny T etc

I love the picture of the pool table with the symbol o it! now that is class!!

superspaceboy said:

Umm... yeah i know.
That wasn't really what I was asking.

2005 said:

What? I dont recall him ever thanking U?
He would thank god.
Jehovah is gods name.Not just to Jw's either....

Heres my attempt at a personal review, im not a music CRITIC thus i can only give my own bias opinion and use other P stuff to draw upon.

The packaging is neat, the cd stood out, and was No 3 at the time i got it, i reckon itl go #1 in the UK.

The booklet inside the digipack cardboard is a bit fiddly to get hold of and is diferent to that of TRC or musicology where the booklet was attached to the case, the last page of the booklet looks like the gold experience booklet.

I wont go into the 3 already released trax except that Te Amo has really grown on me and I really dig it, I cant stand Black sweat/B.L.A.B.(the version on 3121 seems to be longer-and doesnt have the sprinking of guitar at the end)

3121 in my opinion is a strong start, first thing i thought is that the bazz/drumz sound like or have been taken from - days of wild (is this right, seeing as sunny and micheal b are credited?)

Lolita - I really like this and at first play the keyboards sound very soft n wet, the song caries on with P's latin/hispanic suject matter - anyone have an insight to this? as its been going on for a bit now. The shouts are very morris day and time-esque.

Incense and candles - pass, not for me!

Love - Pass, not for me! this could be MJ on the invincible cd?? there could have been 2 real tuff songs here instead!

Satisfied-v.Al Green, short and sweet, I liked this from the Vanguard jam appearance and wished that hed used a group of back up singers on it would have made it, in my opinion, sound more live and un studio like, great opportnity missed I reckon - still i really like it.

Fury-all too short but i still love it, of course its not gonna have the nrg of the live versions but i overall i was happy with it

The word- kicks off sounding off like something off my lucy pearl album, lyrics seem very JW influenced and an average track, some nice guitar and percussion at the end keeps my attention.

The dance-a really strong track in my opinion - something about it brings to mind 'when 2r in love', theres a latin theme again and i really like the guitar/piano at the end which sounds like some of the stuff on ONA.

Get on the boat - i found this kicking in at around 2.57 in, sounds out of place in the context of the disc - but i guess thats why its the closer, i love maceos signiture licks - very summery and funky of course

I would have liked a bit more rock, say a couple of trax from fury onto the dance but im not gonna moan as i have a cd to listen to for a few months, basically ima stop whining, and accept that the real prince is live, make sure you catch him this summer.

I’ve been a real fam today and bought the CD right after my lunchbreak. Just listening for the third time (I’ve even ignored the presence of my boss today). Here’s my review:

3121 – Wow!!! Wow, wow! What’s that? Just to qualify this track as a return of Camille doesn’t do it any justice. The dark bassline, the guitar noise, the distorted vocals… this is Prince doing the craziest Bowie/Eno stuff or something like that? (10/10)

Lolita – Grower! Great pop! The synthline, the melody, the little “Dirty Mind”-like keyboard licks in between, the chants at the end (1999-ish). Cool 80’s retro tune with a few contemporary elements! (9/10)

TAC – I always liked this song, but in the context of the record, I realized its absolute greatness. Though maybe not Prince’s strongest melody, the instrumentation and the dark vibe of this lovesong are amazing! (9/10)

Black Sweat – A little bit of classic Prince (Linn drum, falsetto), a little bit of contemporary R’n’B (synth hook), a little bit of new (industrial in the drum sounds?). Great! (9/10)

Incense and Candles – Has been described by many as the weakest track on the album. I hate to admit it, but people, you’re right (so far). Not really bad, but just doesn’t make a huge impression (compared to the other songs). Contemporary R’n’B in a better way than 95 % of contemporary R’n’B artists can do it, but just not outstanding. Still not bad. (7/10)

Love – Second grower! First reaction was WTF, does he do Usher here?! Repeated listen made me realize that it’s actually very innovative (mixture of pop, techno, industrial, R’n’B and funk)! And it’s catchy! (9/10)

Satisfied – Yes, y’all are right, it IS “On the couch” pt. 2 (stylistically). But it’s also more consequent than its Musicology sibling (stylistically). Prince goes Ray Charles and 60’s southern soul in this song on a high level. Fantastic instrumentation! (8/10)

Fury – O.k., my 2 cents on the “SNL vs. studio” story: The vocals on the SNL version are more passionate and the song has more energy. But that studio version is fucking amazing, folks!!! It shows the song in a totally new light, as an 80’s new wave rocker with heavy synths (the studio vocal style actually fits nicely into that imo). David Bowie having heavy sex with The Cure or something like that. And the guitar work is some of the best Prince put EVER on a studio recording – dissonant in highest glory! And no, I don’t care that it’s a little lower in the mix, I have ears. This song is a classic, top ten Prince ever! (10/10)

The Word – Third grower! Relaxed groove, possibly the best use of synthie sax I’ve heard in a long while. And that guitar… A dark religious song, great! (9/10)

BL&B – Call me fam, send me moon earwraps, I don’t care, I like this song. Well placed in the album sequence, a relaxed 90’s style groove with great vocal layers and a fantastic ending section. Not outstanding, but good. (8/10)

The Dance – Wow! What an arrangement! Latin touch. Again, very clever use of synths, and have you heard that piano?! Maybe not a very catchy song, but very well done. Room to grow on you. (9/10)

Get on the Boat – O.k., who of you here was the comedian to write “another JB style jam”??? Are you kidding? This is classic funk combined with Latin sounds, Mambo/Salsa! Innovative arrangement, and a great band jam!!! And that horns and “get on the boat” hook are so damn catchy, I can’t get it out of my ear. FANTASTIC! (10/10)

Overall: 9/10. A great album, maybe not his best, maybe not reinventing pop music, but very high ranking in the Prince catalogue. It’s a pop album, commercial sometimes, but very innovative, fresh and energizing. And it’s definitely not Prince repeating himself. He’s exploring new ground (3121, TAC, Love, Fury, The Dance, Get on the Boat). O.k., he’s doing some things (stylistically) that he probably can do even after 15 beer (Incense, Satisfied, BL&B), but at least he does them well. And no, it’s not Musicology pt. 2 imo. It’s less retro.

Sidenote: In contrast to Musicology (retina destruction), this album has a great artwork imo! And I really dig the “3121” concept! Though his interior designer must be on crack or something…

HUH?? Its out. I'm late. I thought it was tommorow??

superspaceboy said:

Booklet says:

"Spacial Thanx 2 guest per4mers:
Tamar, Maceo Parker, Sheila E., Candy Dulfer, Greg Boyer, Michael Bland, Sonny Thompson, Ray Montiero, Joshua Dunham, Cora Coleman Dunham, Liza Lena, Herbert Urena, Ricky Salas"

Credits for "The Dance":

"All instruments and vox: Prince"

No Wendy, no Lisa.

Again I ask where did all of you buy a copy today?

Love2tha9s said:

it's out in the US tomorrow. out in the UK 2day.

Love2tha9s said:

Out in the UK today (March 20th). In some other countries even earlier, in some later (Germany March 24th, for example).

listening to the title track I haven't been so excited since I first heard 'Crystal Ball'. It's just the coolest thing he's done in years.

Lolita is just awesome.

Call me crazy but I love Te Amo in the context of the album. i loved all the ones which everyone seems not to like so much: B,L & B, Incense and Candles

The weakest track to my ears was Fury but perhaps it'll grow.

The Dance is a bit of spine tingler.

Love2tha9s said:

Time zone difference

luv4u said:

No. Just different weekdays for new record releases.
[Edited 3/20/06 12:18pm]

Overall, perhaps the most commercial album since Diamonds and Pearls but never as cheesy.

The best track is the title track. This is Prince to me. Funky, exiting, different. The Dance is not very impressive. The rest is good I think, not outstanding but I`m pleased with the album.

Norwayman said:

I totally agree - 3121 is one of the best songs Ive heard in a long time!

I wont have the cd until tomorrow, but does anyone know anything about this?



http://www.target.com/gp/...B000ECY2Y4

^ to be released March 28th with a bonus track
?

GodzHand said:

Bonus track to be announced!!