I agree, Black Album isn't a dark album. The first time I listened to it I was expecting a really nasty record, full of explicit lyrics, porn and violence, but I just found a party album, with the common Prince's sexual (but harmless) lyrics and a few parodies: Bob George (funny as hell) and Dead on it. This album is a naughty satire, but certainly isn't dark or evil.
If BA is dark, then the gansta-rap records of the late 80's are just pure evil, and Prince songs like Jack U Off or Sister are just hardcore pornography...

this thread makes my brain hurt.

Watch out sosgemini! The simpsons are "dark" satire

Anyhow. the whole "party album thing". I've never been able to sneak any TBA songs into a party mix. Unless it's been all prince fans, which rare to get more than handful in one room. Maybe Cindy C.

Rev said:

Rev said:

Cindy C is probably the only one you can.

Nah, this is a straight up party album for Sheila that I really don't think P seriously considered releasing. I think after he had cut the songs, then he was like "Hmmm...this shit is bangin'! Maybe I will release this." I wish he had released this as a double album with Lovesexy. It was truly possible since both albums share "When 2 R In Love". If he had released it as a double and had the whole good and evil, heaven and hell thing, with two album covers, he would have had a monster on his hands. I can see that tour now. His wardrobe would have been off the hook. Spooky Electric/Lovesexy combined.

Rev said:

i don't know about that. i think 'when 2 R in love' is a pretty sincere love song, even if it's borderline naughty/nasty. (ok, maybe not even 'borderline', ha)...there's gotta be a reason he recycled it for 'lovesexy'.

i TOTALLY think prince desired lovesexy to be a positive, uplifting answer/rebuttal to what he was going for with the black album, but i think the reality is, the same chaos and frenzy was still going through his soul when he made both, but he tried his best to channel it in a different direction. i think there's anger in 'lovesexy' just as there's playful abandon in the black album...and vice versa. they're like two sides of the same coin with shared energy going in different directions, as far as i'm concerned.

and i don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.

I think Prince never ever had any attention of releasing the black album, i would bet he was the one bootlegin' the album. The whole story behind is far fecthed. and during the lovesexy tour he performed many of the tracks off the albums, including it's only dark track "Bob George" in which he acted the song out on top of it. I think it was idea made up by Prince in order to cause a great intrest in his new album, and also a way for Prince to get his music out as Warner Bros. didn't want him releasing the amount of music he wanted too. Hence why he had his side project such The Time, The Family, Vanity 6, etc. so he could get his music all out. All those bands where, where Prince songs w/ others singing over his vocals, as i'm sure you all know. Prince wanted to release 3-4 albums a year. And he did just that. I think w/ the black album he wanted to come up with a way to release an album under his own name, along with his other albums under his own name. SO i bet he came up with this scheme on WB to make an album then pull it at the 11th hour, the end result was huge intrest in the album, and becoming the biggest bootleged album ever! and Prince got what he wanted in 1987 he release 4 albums (Sign O The Times, Jill Jones, The Black Album, Madhouse 8) with the Lovesexy album bitting at the heals of those albums.


of course this is just my speculation

It's not really "Dark", I think dirty, raw and gritty are good words to describe it.

blackguitaristz said:

People keep saying it's a party album, because he brought it to Sheila E's B day party? They were all involved musicians, ofcourse they would have enjoyed it. Cindy C maybe When 2 are in love for a slow jam are the only two songs I can picture in a mix for non fans. And that's assuming they don't walk off the floor.
If P came to my house a broke it this shit out. I would tell him it wasn't.

I've always thought these albums should be viewed as one moment in time.

Rev said:

You seem to be confused. He didn't just bring it... Bob George, 2 Nigs United 4 West Compton, and Le Grind were all created back in late 1986 specifically for Sheila E.'s party of that year. Rockhard was a leftover from Camille/Crystal Ball, Superfunycalifragisexy was recorded during Parade sessions around the same time as Sexual Suicide. When 2 R In Love was the only 'new' track recorded for the TBA project, in 1987. ...and the rest were random, older tracks.

The album was, essentially just thrown together in order to have something to release and move on after SOTT.



You assume Prince was making this album to appeal to 'non-fans'. He certainly wasn't making it with the intent to have a mainstream comeback, a fact all too clear to WB at the time.

jtfolden said:

(coughing).

Seems like the myth of the Black Album has eclipsed the facts
(but then, the truth is rarely as interesting as the hype)

I really think he wrote TBA to win back the urban/funk/R&B purists, after pop/rock albums like PR or SOTT or other odd albums like ATWIAD or Parade.

BorisFishpaw said:

Lol.....no doubt.

JoeTyler said:

I think so too. Word on the street after ATWIAD and Parade was that The KID had sold out for the white folks. Also, that P "had lost it". I think that's why he called it "The Black Album". "I'll show them...this is for the black folks."

BorisFishpaw said:

Very true... seems like there's a LOT of fans these days that prefer to continue believing the hype and mystique, though, about most of Prince's actions.

JoeTyler said:

Given the fact that the tracks were compiled after the fact, I don't think they were technically 'written' for that purpose but the fact the album had the working title of The Funk Bible when it came time to select tracks and throw them together, certainly seems to agree with your theory in general.

it's dark in the flesh
and i'm not talking about one's outer hue

the story of camille
spooky electric's deceit
shelved in favor of the more spiritual lovesexy album
the difference between the two halves of the lovesexy shows

DARK

its indeed a dark album, concerning the lyrics wich deal with sexual obsession, drugabuse, mindless partying and domestic violence.

Its like Prince uses the lyrics to show us some of the darker aspects of his personality.

But at the same time the injection of humor (in lyrical lines, or in the delivery of the music and lyrics) 'enlightens' this darkness from time to time.
It shows Prince use of irony and humor, aspects that are often overlooked in his music IMO. On earlier records like 1999 and Parade he has also shown his capacity of using humor to tone down 'darkness' or pretentiousness of material.

So, in short: I rather see The Black Album as a 'black comedy' then as mere dark album.

I would like to ad something:

I have always considered The Black album being very connected to the camille tracks (that came before it) and Lovesexy and The Batman album (that came after it).

Lyrically it sounds like he has some inner 'demons' to deal with and the forementioned songs and albums tell us about his attempts to deal with those.
The music often reflects this fight in the form of dense, dark, slightly unsettling funk-rock.

Anyone else sees the connection?

Riverpoet31 said:

See, that's the thing... all the things that people point to as being dark about TBA generally apply to almost every other release from Prince. There's nothing unique about it. The issue here, as has been pointed out is that TBA is treated like a singular event. If Prince hadn't created a story around it, claiming how evil it was, no one would even bat an eye. They'd just think of it as a funky party album, like most people on this thread, and go on about their business.

Black Comedy isn't a bad term for it, though...

Rev said:

This is true (and it's actually all been said before many a time on here, it's a great topic of discussion as always.

The thing about it being a dark album like you say is the mystique of the album, and that of Lovesexy. But also it was borne out of negative influences, not the material itself, but the project for which the songs were collected for: the creation of an album as an answer to critics (and that part of Prince's self which listened to them) who said Prince had lost his hard funk edge after the 3 Revolution albums. That's a negative state of mind for an artist to create something - I think that's where this whole dark thing comes from in reality, which translates in 'Prince speak' to the story in the Lovesexy tour book about Camille/Spooky Electric.


Just as a side note: Besides Bob George, I'd also say Superfunkycali... is also quite a dark song with it's themes of sadomasochism.
[Edited 4/6/07 11:46am]

NouveauDance said:

Thanks. Those are actually my words but Rev doesn't know how to quote.

But also it was borne out of negative influences, not the material itself, but the project for which the songs were collected for: the creation of an album as an answer to critics (and that part of Prince's self which listened to them) who said Prince had lost his hard funk edge after the 3 Revolution albums. That's a negative state of mind for an artist to create something - I think that's where this whole dark thing comes from in reality, which translates in 'Prince speak' to the story in the Lovesexy tour book about Camille/Spooky Electric.


Just as a side note: Besides Bob George, I'd also say Superfunkycali... is also quite a dark song with it's themes of sadomasochism.
[Edited 4/6/07 11:46am]
[/quote]

Thanks Nouveu
This sums up why this isn't a positive happy feat / get on the boat kind of thing. This with presentation is where I'm going with the "dark". I'm not saying it's as goth or whatever. Just that for a prince album it doesn't carry a positive vibe.
Unless you want to strip this down to music notes, presentation has always counted with Prince.

Thanks. Those are actually my words but Rev doesn't know how to quote.[/quote]


Get over your quote all ready. I copied pasted from the other thread it didn't look right. If anyone read they could figure what the points are, it's not important who said what.


You are not the "Bottom line on opinions" if you've been around here you should no better.It's art, it's subjective.

Rev. you're 36 yo. Learn how to quote already.

I don't like this album, I ordered it off ebay for a lot of money because I was curious and was very disappointed and only played it once and will not be playing it again!