If I had produced the last two Prince albums, I would have made them a whole lot more than just songs collected together for an album. In both cases, I would have added interludes and other goodies to make them more conceptual.

For example, Musicology was reported to be Prince taking us "back to school". One might think that given this assetion, it would have been easy to have "this is how you do it" segues, in a kind of "taste test", with some new sounds, and back in the day type feel to it (which I think was what Prince suggested in the title track)

With 3121, I was left thinking that this would be an album showcasing the house parties Prince had thrown at his LA house, so given that, there would have been a cool chance to throw party segues and other little vignettes in with it.

As they stand, both these albums are pretty dang cool (3121 in particular) but if there had been more effort put into them, or at least as much to match the promotion, they would be CLASSICS! Anybody feel like I do?

interesting idear...if i were producing i would ask susan rogers to engineer the beasts and make prince record the songs live with additional edits afterwards.

PurpleKnight said:

I love how Prince fans think they have a grip on the situation and can suggest Prince do this or that.

ICPC isn't a demo; Prince knew what he was doing. And I prefer the albums as they are.

Spinlight said:

I know it isn`t actually a demo. It sounds like one, and I`d prefer it this way, since it`s structured so well.

Oh fuck no.

Yeah ICP&C sounds like a demo.

folks, the question posed is what would "you" do...instead of getting all cunty at other's for their ideas why dont you suggest your own ideas or just declare they are perfect the way the are..

damn...

1999n3121 said:

Then it would be a Janet Jackson album.

sosgemini said:

"cunty"..officially my favorite word...

good idea. although i am usually not a big fan of interludes, the ones
you propose are really rather good.

especially with these two albums and the concepts behind them, it would
have been really great if he had done those type of segues.

it would have been nice to have some 'in the studio' skits of prince
talking to the band and stuff, playing basslines or a bit of drums n
remembering how things were done when he was just starting out as a
young recording artist.


with 3121 i especially like the idea of segues to make the album sounds
more like a party. like the type of segues that precede alphabet st. or
2 nigs united 4 west compton.

a bit of an intro, like a car rolling up and people walking up to the
house with muted music in the bg before the title song kicks in.

and especially the last cut "get on the boat" would have been ace if it
would have been mixed to sound like a live performance at one of those
parties.

so yes, i think i would have really liked both albums that way.

Cloudbuster said:

Theres hardly anything I hate more on cds then interludes & seques & plays. They just demand programing the cd everytime.
I love The Love Below but I never just pop it in to the cd player & let it go. I have to program it every single time to skip those dreadful interludes.
Thank you Jesus that Prince didn't include that filler crap.
I mean thats so Janet Jackson.

I tend let ARTIST make what ever statement they want to make. It's THEIR art.

I wouldn't change a thing except maybe the mix on Black Sweat. That lead synth is wearing my ears OUT.

thedoorkeeper said:

Agreed.
Interludes = shit.

Cloudbuster said:

is that a crack pipe too?

1999n3121 said:

So how many albums have you produced? Are you a producer? Do you play any
instruments or write songs? Can you sing?
If you answered none or no to any of the questions above,,,,STFU!

thepope2the9s said:

wait a minute, is any of that called for? hypotheticas are fun questions to pose. gee, why ruin other peoples fun?

thedoorkeeper said:

Skits ruin every good rap cd.

Spinlight said:

And some of us don't like On the Couch

OdysseyMiles said:

eg


lol. i was just about to say that!


i'm not a fan of the segues, when i'm jamming to an album i dont like to here "yo, tamkia i know you be sleepin' with my man"


that's just me though each is ones own.

If I had produced 3121 and Musicology, Prince would have fired me after the first three minutes after I asked "what do all these buttons do?"

PurpleKnight said:

MUSICOLOGY:3121 (A musical Course)

(Special Edit)
Not For Sale!
4-15-06 / 2006

1. 3121
2. Lolita
3. A Million Days
4. Black Sweat
5. Call My Name
6. Cinnamon Girl
7. Incense & Candles
8. Love
9. Te Amo Corazon
10. What do U Want me 2 Do?
11. The Marrying Kind, and If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life
12. Satisfied
13. Fury
14. The Word
15. The Dance
16. Dear Mr. Man
17. BL&B
18. Reflection


(Nice & Long Approx. 79 Min,)

OdysseyMiles said:

But remember - Janet Jackson learned from Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, who were assoc. with Prince, who basically rewrote the idea of a concept album. That is the one reason I think Purple Rain isn't my favorite album or in the top five, and TRC is my favorite album totally, is that there is a storyline (concept) there.

IstenSzek said:

I've gotten clear that 3121 is rather an atonement album for Dirty Mind and Controversy. Atonement to God, in the sense that he is taking the same energy that he "grunged" with the early albums, and put it to more positive usage.

However, this is the reason why Exodus is also chalk full of good ish-nit, is because there's a plot! If 3121 told a story with a plot, you'd have to chase 'em out of the wrecka stow after it closed, they'd be climbing the walls to buy it!

thepope2the9s said:

I have self-produced 5 albums, and used to do the whole package like Prince. I play keyboard, percussion and lead voice. Also have sung with 3 choirs before. 'Sat answer your question, dearie?

u2prnce said:

You speaking the truth right there. That's why I rarely buy them.

You can re-write the tracklists all you like, or combine the two albums... it won't change the fact that neither are particularly inspired and show little more than a passing glimpse of what he's capable of.

I mean, c'mon... where the fuck are the gut-wrenching guitar solos which he seems to have forgotten about? What about the parts in A Million Days or The Dance where they reach a climax at the end, and you really think it's about to take off but they just disappoint. It all sounds a little contrived... nothing on either of the two albums sounds spontaneous. It all sounds like he's gone over every note a million times and it just sounds tired.

Get On The Boat, Musicology, Prettyman, The Work... they're ten to the dozen, bog-standard pastiche's of another artist. I really wish he'd get over that little James Brown Jnr. fixation.

Sure I dig some of the tracks on both albums, but when I listen to them as a whole experience I'm left feeling very hollow.

If you want to hear a story read a book or watch a movie. Music should be set aside from storytelling. All it does is make 75% of us fast forward to where there is an actual song.

Musicology's old school feel came from the songs, not someone telling me in between songs how old school it is. Listening to "Reflection" makes me feel like I am sitting on a neighbrohood stoop with Prince watching the traffic go by. I didn't need someone to prep me before that song in order to feel that way, the song took me there.

Prince songs are like expensive chocolates, you savor each one for the way it was made and tastes. But you would never pour cheap syrup over expensive chocolates.

As far as making 3121 into more of a LA party feel, NO THANK YOU. The only people that care about LA is people in LA, it is the fakest place on earth. Prince should never forget where he came from and that is the midwest.

Both Musicology and 3121 are just fine the way they are.