i lawys think that if prince had shelved slow love and put on crucial instead the world would have been privvy to one of THE greatest jams-

am i alone on this musing?

Both songs r equally fantastic,so it's hard 2 say....I always trust Prince's decisions,tho!

jonylawson said:

Before I even clicked on this thread I thought the same thing just from the thread title!

So no you're not alone!

'Sign O The Times' is perfect, in both track selection and sequence. I wouldn't have changed a thing...

The only thing I could think of 2 improve it, would be, well, 2 make it 3 albums...

Oh wait.

NOTHING!!!!! The LP/CD IS DOPE!!!!!

No change

Crucial is too similar to Adore. It would be a mistake to have both tracks
on the same album.

Slow Love coulda been replaced, but not with Crucial.

I always skip Slove Love, it just bores the pants off me. I guess it's not a bad song, I think it just kinda comes at the wrong time on the LP. Track 7 isn't too early for a big ballad, but it's just SOOOO sloppy.

jonylawson said:

I always kinda of Felt Crucial belong on the lovesexy album

jonylawson said:

They would be privvy to it, but it wouldn't have changed anyones thinking about the album. Both songs are pretty on par with each other. I feel though had he left off Adore and put on Crucial instead, it would have weakened the album.

I think it's great just the way it is.

"Slow Love" was inserted specifically so that, if you were listening to the album straight through, you could take a pee break during that song. I applaud Prince for the gesture.

More cowbell!

blasphemy!

The album's fine, but if Crucial had been the b-side to U Got the Look or I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, it woulda been out there for the world to enjoy (and it would've had a proper fade-out, grrr).
[Edited 10/18/06 19:21pm]

I would have chucked Beautiful Night, I just dont think it fits into the sequence of the album.

Dont know what I would have put in the songs place.

lazycrockett said:

Nooooo!!!

I do this all the time, change the sequencing of albums to improve them in my eyes, however the only one i struggle with is SOTT, because any change feels like sacrilege. Its not a perfect album. Slow Love is definitely one of the weaker cuts, and one i always skip. In fact a lot of stuff left in the vaults from this period is as good / better than things that made the final cut:

Last Heart
Crucial
Power Fantastic
Crystal Ball
Dream Factory
A Place In Heaven

I could go on, but the point is, SOTT is perfect not because all of its songs are, its perfection comes from our collective adoration for it as a seminal album in his career, ditto Purple Rain.

No question Erotic City and 17 Days would have made Purple Rain even better, but i cant contemplate changing it because its legendary as it is.

Albums such as ATWIAD, 1999, Parade, Lovesexy, Graffiti Bridge are all the albums I like to chop and change, mainly because there are excellent outtakes from those sessions.

To give all these albums and unheard songs the love they deserve, some pretty mighty re-issues/re-masters need to be put together, but the chance of that happening is pretty much nil right now - we can dream though.

lazycrockett said:

I agree.I'm sure I'll get alot of flak for saying this,but "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night" feels like filler to me there are so many better songs (recorded during this time period) that he could have used.

It's fine as it is.

I love Crucial! I think it should have replaced IT.

the only change to Sign must be a new crystal clear remastering so we can throw away our crappy cd's... love the vinyl though

The only thing left to improve this masterpiece is to remaster it !!

Controversy said:

MartyMcFly said:

Co-Nooooo!!! That's like one of the best songs on there.

Slow Love is one of my favorites! He should have added to it, not taken anything away.

ZeroSoul said:

Totally! What was Prince thinking!

Sorry for the blasphemy, but drop SOTT for Crystal Ball, dump Slow Love for A Place in Heaven (Lisa on vocal, hey I know, but it's a fantasy), and release Strange Relationship as the third single (no weirder than some of his other choices) with U Got the Look as the first one, then ICNTTPOYM second.

I like all of P's stuff.