Some Prince albums give the impression that he has something he wants to tell us and they're all about what he's feeling at that time. Projects such as Lovesexy, TRC, Chaos & Disorder, Come and The Gold Experience have been albums where Prince has had an issue that he desperately wants to share with us.
Alternatively, Musicology, 3121, Sign O The Times and Diamonds & Pearls come across as albums that have been just released as collections of songs that he wants us to hear at the time of their release.

Although every song will have a message of some kind, whether shallow or deep, the albums themselves have always varied between those that as a whole seem to want to tell us something about the way Prince was feeling at the time and those that just come across as a collection of songs that he thought we'd probably like to hear and maybe the masses would buy.

So which type of P album do you prefer, given that each type of album (strong message theme vs collection of songs theme) have had varying degrees of quality?

The theme albums seem more personal, so I would say those. Although I dont think SOTT is any less valuable to me as a fan than say Lovesexy which has a strong theme.

To add to that, there are also those albums which are very clear that he wrote most of the songs to be hits so that the album would have some commercial success for one reason or another. These like the "theme" or concept albums were also written for a very specific purpose, imho.

Personally, I do like the concept albums better -- they're more cohesive, often more personal, and have a strong meaning which often shines through in the lyrics (sans the segues, please) and passion of the performances. It seems that much more thought is put into the composition, instrumentation, and studio work on these albums as well. I know it's not always the case, but these are the reasons why I enjoy the concept albums more.

And that being said, those "collections of songs" albums ain't too bad either, especially when one listens to each song for it is, separate from the whole. 3121 is a jumbled mess, but (imho) there are A LOT of great songs on it!

Peace.
[Edited 4/9/07 16:14pm]

You can really tell when he's "just there" and is putting out just a collection of songs. Rave and 3121 are the most-recent "just there" albums IMO.

Some of his "issue" albums are SOTT, Lovesexy, The Gold Experience, and The Rainbow Children.

I prefer "issue" albums, because even though some are in-your-face (The Rainbow Children), they are usually full of heart and emotion. I'd rather he sing passionately about something controversial than try to make another hit.

LleeLlee said:

I don't think SOTT falls into the "just there" category, but I can see how it's not 100% an "issue" album either . . . sorta halfway I guess. The title track's political stance is not indicative of the whole album, I agree.

Se7en said:

I think the songs are too diverse for it to fall into that category. Although in essence it has the "feel" of a concept album, it isn't really imo.

Se7en said:

I really don't think Sign O The Times is an 'issue' album at all. The title track is, but the whole album isn't in my opinion. That said, why do you think that it is an album with an issue?

I like the concept albums better, they seem to go deeper and be a little weird. But they also tend to be more flawed.

They're not what I would recommend to everyone, just my weird & flawed friends.

Hmm, lets see if we can break it down...

"collections"
For You
Controversy
Sign O' The Times
The Black Album
Chaos & Disorder
Rave
3121

"Concepts"
Dirty Mind
1999
Around The World In A Day
Parade
LoveSexy

Come
Emancipation
The Rainbow Children


"Commercial"
Prince
Purple Rain
Graffiti Bridge
Diamonds & Pearls
The Gold Experience
Musicology

Thoughts?

I've noticed that myself.

Props to the thread-starter

Musicology. Prince has said in the interviews from 2004 that he released it to bring real music back. Basically, that's the message behind the album. It unites under the fact that it uses old-school music to show the way Prince saw it "back in the day", his day.
People have been hard on this album, but I think it has a message. And the way I see it, it's very valuable 2 me, since it shows me what real music is all about (real instruments instead of computers & heartfelt lyrics), unlike mainstream radio garbage, which has no point.

3121 is pretty commercial & "modern"-sounding. At first listen, I did connect with it... but I've lost that and I gotta find it again. Right now, it's more or so a "collection".

Purple Rain, I agree, is also commerical... but to me, it feels like a "coming of age" album for Prince because his musical style matures throughout it, musically & lyrically.

TGE, my favorite of the 4 I own, has an issue he wants to share. In my case, issues. When I first started diving into it, I saw it as Prince soul-searching thru the concepts of sex, his heart and his soul... and he finds enlightenment. He takes me along with him on a journey towards that enlightenment.
Recently, we've connected on a personal level thru it, and I feel like he was trying to help me find my own enlightenment. I also felt like he was right there with me, helping me come to grips with things about myself and it felt good to have him have my back, as a friend.

That's more or so the reason why TGE is my favorite. I feel like there's still so much Prince has to teach me thru its music. B4 Prince, I didnt know an album could have that kind of power. In any case, I hope that I find that joy in the next albums of his that I buy.

jtfolden said:

I'm not so sure about those. There are musical concepts and lyrical themes, particularly in Emancipation, it seems, but I'm not sure there's any real connection between the songs as there is in, say, Lovesexy.

Emancipation really should be a concept album, but disc two is the only one that really has lyrical connection. Musically, of course, there is a plan behind it, though. They aren't just 36 songs strung together. But they don't exactly tell a story.
[Edited 4/10/07 10:25am]

NDRU said:

Based on what I know of its "history", Emancipation sounds like it should be a concept album.
First album in freedom sounds like a concept to me.

Prince called it very joyous and such while promoting it. I call TGE joyous, so it'd be interesting to see what he meant by that. This album has always been on my priority list, so one of these days, I promise to get back to u on that.
I think each of the 3 albums probably has its own theme. The joyous nature is probably what unites them all, I'm not sure if all 36 songs on all 3 discs will be strung together, thu... that'd be incredible... but even Prince has his limitations.
I'll probably get torn down for my comments cuz I don't own the thing. All of what I'm saying is based purely on Prince's attitude towards it.

More on TGE: I read the album cover's "story" after listening 2 it the first (or 2nd) time... and it was interesting story that got me into his head a little bit... but I don't think I understood it as well as I do now after having heard the album 8 or so times.

I agree with the "story" in the cover that says TGE is about processes and Prince takes u with him on his journey of self-discovery. I definitely picked that up after breaking it down the way I have.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

The theme of Emancipation is part love (that's what he was going through), but mostly freedom. The freedom means that he isn't really tied to a specific story or theme. So there is a concept, but it feels more like there isn't. It feels mostly like a bunch of songs.

But disc 2 is basically all about love, so that one kind of has a concept feel.

NDRU said:

Thanx for the insight.

How could I forget? Mayte played a huge role in this collection's inspiration. I guess that's where the "joyous" nature he spoke of comes from.
As much as I learn when I get an album, it's good to know a little of what to expect b4hand.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

Yeah the joyous theme probably stems from both Mayte and that he supposedly recorded it free of the constraints/expectations of Warner Brothers. So generally it's a pretty happy album. Gold has lots of energy, but some of it is kind of negative. When he recorded that he was battling Warners.

NDRU said:

Yeah, there are some negative points in TGE 4 Prince... like Eye Hate U. I've heard that its directed towards WB... although I don't see that.

I find the song just a little sad sometimes becuz u can hear that he's feeling pain and heartache... the guitar solo in the end says it all.
One could say that Dolphin is negative. The memory of his performance on Letterman is out of my head to the point where I just remember what happens, but can't recall a visual... nor do I want to. I find that song to be about freedom and recently, I found a personal connection to Prince thru it (u can imagine now why I speak highly of the song these days). To me, it's his way of saying "we're a lot alike". I feel like he's a free-spirit and I am too.

Come, I think, takes care of the bitterness in the battle against WB.
Again, I derive this from "here-say" on this site.
TGE makes me happy, so I really don't see too much of the negative anymore.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

TGE has some negative stuff, for sure, but I think he was focused on moving forward at that time with a new name, new girl, new music, etc. So it has a positive energy in that sense. Also he was obviously inspired, which makes for exciting music.

Emancipation is seen by some as kind of bland. Maybe he was a little too joyous at the time?

sott is definitely a "collection", but was kinda supposed to have an "issue", in that it was supposed to be crystal ball, and before that dream factory, both of which would have had "issues" of sorts. sott ultimately includes tracks that had origins in about five different aborted projects, and is stylistically all over the place.

emancipation is definitely a "concept". even outside the second disc, there are lots of songs which tie into the themes of freedom and a new beginning and spiritual peace and suchlike. jam of the year, in this bed i scream, slave, face down, the title track, etc. the songs were also all written and recorded very close to the album's release date, unlike, say, sott or grafitti bridge

NDRU said:

All very true.
When I first heard "Gold" in the context of the album, that was the message I derived from it... about him moving forward, saying he has a lot more to accomplish and more great music 2 write. B4 I got the album, I just thought "Gold" was a great song becuz it was great music... I didnt see the true message(s) behind it until after hearing it in the context of the album.
I certainly was inspired by it... boy, I can't wait for the day when I can compare these 2 albums.

I always looked at Controversy
as a concept album..

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

I think you're right on about Gold. That song is the ultimate message of the album. The previous songs take you on a trip through different moods, some positive and some negative. As is the case with many of his albums he goes through trials and is ultimately redeemed.

NDRU said:

That's certainly good to hear. That's why I find TGE great... I also see the same in Purple Rain too.

With every listen to TGE, I discover a different interpretation of it. No matter what it is, Gold always finds a way to sum it up. That's why its a great album ender (and my favorite Prince song). I think I've know that song for about a month now... and we've already been so much. I doubt it could find a better home than TGE.

NDRU said:

Yeah, I was kind of on the fence about Dirty Mind and 1999. However, they both seem more than just simple collections. With Dirty Mind maybe it's just the 'sound' that feels conceptual/artistic... If so, does that merit dropping it into the 'collections' category? With 1999, I always saw the album, as a whole, about sort of 'dancing in the face of an ever more dangerous/restrictive world'...

As far as Emancipation goes, I think it features numerous aspects, even the structure of 3 CDs each containing 12 songs and exactly 60 minutes of music show a long term plan.

I like Purple Rain.
It's my favorite.

Illustrator said:

It's my 2nd favorite... it takes a backseat 2 TGE, which I haven't stopped raving about since I connected with it.

jtfolden said:

yeah, I hear you

Emancipation really is a concept album, it just doesn't sound like one. The concept basically is "no concept, but freedom" Ironically, the music is rigidly structured.

Dirty Mind, you could argue, is variations on a dirty theme.

And 1999 is, like you say, living it up while we can in this dangerous world

Most good albums have some connecting threads. That's one thing the 60's gave pop music.

I've got a question about the album "1999". Do the tracks center around the title track with that same upbeat, happy type of theme?

I've only heard 3 songs from the album, [1999, Little Red Corvette, D.M.S.R.] and they all seem to be very upbeat and happy, musically.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

I think maybe the 1999 sound is the origin of the term Spooky Electric in Prince's mind

It's definitely upbeat, not necessarily happy.

NDRU said:

Thanx anyway. I was just watching the two videos for the first two (after having to read thru that thread 'how would we cope of 'his Greatness' leaves this world?'... and it made me feel a lot better. He seemed a lot more carefree those days and wasn't quite as serious as he was in Purple Rain. I dunno... there was just something I enjoyed about that. I figured that I had to ask.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

U better have a listen 2 Let's Pretend We're Married...asap