I've got to be totally honest... I put off buying it for a long time because most orgers seem to dislike it. I finally did add it to my collection about a year and a half ago - and I've got to admit... I ranked it right up there with Around The World In A Day from the minute I listened to it. It's every bit as catchy and creative, and even more diverse in style.

I'm sure I'll be crucified here. But I'm really curious why this gem isn't more apreciated...

I think it is a fantastic blend of music.. It is one of my faves... I absolutely love Love Machine and Tick Tick Bang.

Not that what the "critics" say should be a major factor in determining how you feel about an album, but whenever the album was released (several months ahead of the movie), I read nothing but stellar reviews...it was only *after* the movie was released (and resoundingly panned) that the music reviews started being lumped together with the movie (and panned as well)...

...(obviously that is a generality, but most critics seemed to have trouble separating the music from the film...as much as the movie Purple Rain probably was elevated in status with critics mostly due to the music, the Graffiti Bridge music "suffered" because of the--according to critics--comparatively poor movie)...

...or not.

When it came out elements like "Round and round" with it's non-prince authored mix seemed wrong...

And the movie was wrong... and irritating....

also there wasn't a fun pop song that could be marketed....

but it does have some great tracks...

I wish "Joy In Repetition" would get a single track mix release like the bootleg version some of us lucky people had on vinyl in '88. The lone drum intro...

this is definintely NOT a bad Prince album. I just wish it contained only the Prince songs and left the Mavis Staples, Tevin, and Time songs off...maybe left them as b-sides?? I made my own Graffiti Bridge album and left only the Prince songs and added the long version of Theives and the 86 version We Can Funk. Its one of my fave P albums by far.

I think GB is actually a great album, if you whittle it down to just the Prince tracks then it has a great flow and seems an almost logical progression and improvement from LoveSexy.

The only thing I do have to say about it that is slightly negative, is to agree with a review in, I think, Entertainment Weekly, that stated something along the lines of "for the first time in his career, Prince seems to be singing to an audience who has already left him behind." I think that's true, the mass music market has fickle tastes and this was a nice album that was simply put out at the wrong time. If it had appeared a few years earlier, I think it would have received a better reception. I think even Prince realized this in the end, which is why he went in such a vastly different direction with D&P.

So now every1 loves Graffiti Bridge?

Anyways,... I like it 2
But I think it's how U held back from buying it just because others disliked it

theodore said:

Yeah, I hate to say it but I would never let org consensus hold me back from buying much of anything. Some of my favorite albums would still be sitting on the store shelf.

jtfolden said:

So the general opinion is that it was a "good" album that could have been better if Prince had not allowed other performers to "mess it up". That's interesting. I'll admit that it took a few listens to wipe away my prejudice. But I honestly enjoy having the other artists punctuating the mix. I find that songs like Melody Cool, Release It, and even Round And Round tend to hold my interest just as much as most of the "Prince" songs.

I think it's a good point that the album would have been linked to the movies popularity (or the lack thereof) at the time of its release. I've always considered that to be the case with Purple Rain as well. But that seems to be a point that would only hold true over time for the "general public". It suprises me that some hard-core fans would still be victims of such a cliche' after all these years. I'm not trying to degrade anyones opinion by any means. Everyone should be free to think whatever they want. I guess I just assumed that there was some kind of general philosophy amongst fans (such as with Emancipation) that made it difficult for many fans to appreciate it for what it is.

GB is horid. awful "popped" out versions of some great songs he had recorded year earlier mixed in with more awful pop tripe with TC and the likes. sure, we all love Joy in Repetition, but that isn't neough to change the album form what it is -- an awful compilation of poorly redone music.

theodore said:

Yeah... Looking back I definately would have collected things in a different order if I had known any better. I've really never been into top 40 type music. When Purple Rain was popular I was listening to Motley Crue and Ratt, and when the hair bands got popular I moved on to Queen and Meat Loaf in an attempt to discover the roots of those bands. By taht time it was the mid `90s and I was totally out of touch, and more interested in the "roots" of modern music, so I got more into Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy to learn about Blues and early Rock. So by about '99 or 2000 when I was ready to discover Prince, my thought process was that since he was a "pop" artist I should check out his more popular releases, as they would probably be "better". I assumed that the goal of his art was that it be a reflection of what was currently happenning in popular music, and that if it did not become popular the he must have failed in his attempt. I didn't want to buy a CD full of songs where he was "trying" to be popular. I wanted the ones that showed him at the fore-front, as the epitome of what was popular.

In short I knew that he was a talented musician via interviews with respected musicians like Clapton and Bettencourt. But I didn't understand that he was actually creative.

My greatest advise to anyone who be, NEVER listen to the members of this message board. The will ALWAYS lead you in the wrong direction.


You get by money on if.. Org members says it's really really bad. Then it's pretty darn good!



Well... except for me. I'm cool. In all honesty i say buy everything and make the choice for yourself.
[Edited 4/8/07 11:50am]

Graffiti Bridge has its moments. If u ever get a chance 2 hear ? of U live, treasure it. He broke it out on his Muicology tour here in Memphis and blew me away by how hard and raw and bluesy it was.

Take off the other artists' songs and it's one fine album, start to finish. Prince's songs are amazing ('cept for maybe the title track, but that's it).

rico86 said:

He played it in Omaha too! Then they put it up for download at the NPGMC and I never did buy it. I'll never forgive myself for missing out on that!

I love Graffiti Bridge...I was into this since I was in 3rd grade! The songs, movie, look, videos was everything I loved about Prince at the time. I thought his music was so energetic, fun, and just made me happy. When I thought of Prince music I thought of a party.

Love
the
soundtrack

nurse said:

@ ur space key

Don't ever judge Prince's work by anyone else's opinion,didn't you learn that a long time ago?

Love that album!

dig the spiritual noise

dumbass said:

indeed!

The versions on GB of Can't Stop This Feeling I Got / We Can Funk are awfull compared to the earlier versions we already got
Joy In Repetition is really missing the great intro ... and to be honest, I really liked my rough demo version better, just because it was grittier which fits the song better.
Still Would Stand All Time is such a disappointment compared to the 1988 aftershows.
The Question Of U is disappointing too compared to the Nude tour live versions which we all heard before.

So indeed, listening to GB for the first time was a great disappointment.
I even liked The Time's Pandemonium better, and that's not a great album neither (they were almost released simultanously)

Strip out the non-Prince tracks, the horribly cheesy "Graffiti Bridge" song, distance it from the terrible movie and you've got a decent Prince album with some of his best work on there.

i like the soundtrack- or most of it. Melody Cool was a song I found myself (surprisingly) very much. It was a great part of the film too. Tevin's song is good only to listen 2 once or twice, then it gets annoying. I never heard the whole title track, but what I did hear of it was good.

tznekbsbfrvr said:

R U kidding? Round and Round is classic!

I just tend to like the album as a whole simply for the fact that it tells the story. You can either listen to the album front to back or watch the movie. It's almost the same.

Krystal666 said:

i'm sorry if my opinion offends u, but thats just the way I feel abt the song. yes, Tevin did look like a cute lil boy in the video, and yes it sounds nice- but after a few times i get tired of it.

Maxx said:

I myself, only listen to these songs from Graffiti Bridge-
Can't stop this feeling I got, New Power Generation,Thieves in the temple, and Still would stand all time.
I can nicely do without the rest.

"Tick Tick Bang"

and I'm through
[Edited 4/10/07 12:55pm]