After having a year to digest it, I still believe this. Agree or disagree?

FunkiestOne said:

I think 3121 is Prince's best album since The Gold Experience. And it's better than TGE also.

I love Crystal Ball and The Truth.


The Rainbow Children 2

Jakeasaurus said:

haha, no way...

Sure, based on first impressions alone, 3121 beat out TGE... but I've grown so fond of TGE...

But I'll check up 3121 and give it another listen... then I can be sure. I can't really comment on the topic cuz I don't own Emancipation (although I plan 2).

theodore said:

A man after my own heart!

I was just going to say that two of my all time favorite albums, The Truth and the Rainbow Children, came out during that 10 year period. So, in short, I would have to disagree with the original poster.

.
[Edited 4/11/07 11:39am]

I'd have to disagree. I thought The Rainbow Children and Musicology where both better then 3121

I can't even count the ways how abysmal 3121 is. it is running a tie with GB as worst Prince album of all time, and even New Power Soul is laughing its fucking ass off at it. there isn't a single track on 3121 nearly as good as Come On or Wasted Kisses, and I don't want to hear that it is a NPG album. NPG is Prince, that is ismply a marekting device.

there isn't one memorable or remarkable track on the charade of a Prince album known as 3121.
[Edited 4/11/07 11:53am]

The first 4 songs off 3121 are classics in my book... but the album takes a serious dive from that point on... Fury is great as well... Satisfied is good... and that's about it...

I like "Musicology" better...

N.E.W.S

MartyMcFly said:

ONLY five great songs? Yeah, I guess that is the mark of a bad album. (?)

theodore said:

I don't really count Crystal Ball as a real album, considering it had so much stuff we had already heard before (including previously released material) and remixes, etc.

3121 was just a return to top form for Prince...ok, maybe not top form, but it at least reminded me of his best stuff...funky and catchy and just fun.

FunkiestOne said:

Just my personal opinion... On a scale of 1-10 I'd probably give it a 6,5... dig?

MartyMcFly said:

I'd like to argue against that.

3121 & Lolita are good songs and all, but I don't consider them extremely special. They are fun in their own ways though. I don't think there really is a point where the album dives. It builds up from 3121 to Lolita... and reaches a good plateau with Te Amo Corazon becuz it's my favorite. It dips a little with Black Sweat, which shares a similar modern sound with the first two tracks... it gets a little better with Incense & Candles (everyone's hard on this track, but I happen to like it)... Love is pretty much the end of the "modern" sounding songs, but I love what he did with it. One of my favorite tracks. It takes a little dip with "Satisfied" cuz I really don't get into it much, but Fury helps justify it, even if it's not as impressive as the live version.
Another plateau is reached with The Word becuz it's so different. People can argue against BL&B as being a good track (I think it's new & different).
The Dance raises the game because it's pure class and Prince at his best, taking everything he's learned and mix it into a good ballad. Get On the Boat is a decent ending with all of the instrumentals, I like the band he has with it. Sheila E's drums are awesome in that song. And it prolongs the album for a few extra minutes, cuz the first time around, I didnt want it to end so soon. That hour passes by so fast.

it's okay if you like Musicology better. I went thru a little phase a few weeks ago when I had a hatred of mainstream garbage. 3121's modern sound just reminded me of that (please dont kill me 4 that :cringe: ). Musicology I like better because it centers around a common concept... 3121 doesnt have one as obvious, but I'll keep listening until I find something.

To me Emancipation is by far one of his best album's that he has ever done. 3121 reminds me alot of the old Prince. The stuff that I grew up with. I like it alot but I like Emancipation more.

JENJEN said:

3121 reminded me of the Prince I saw at diff. points last year... it was a familiar vibe and I really liked it 4 that. My other albums just stand out more to me.

I gotta get Emancipation one of these days... it's on my priority list [along with Come, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic... and 1999, it seems], but I'm not in the position to get any new albums yet. (I need a local FYE and more money, ive only got enough 4 one more right now).

No No No and NO! Rainbow Children is musically his best since pation

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

Did you know Emancipation is ridiculously cheap these days!?

FunkJam said:

I've heard rumors, haha.

I saw Come 4 $8.99 at FYE last time I was there (when I got 3121 & TGE a few weeks ago).

But it's always been on my priority list. I even asked people here if it or Rave was better than the other.

Emancipation has always been the one of the two I looked at more.

I would agree that 3121 is his strongest overall work since Emancipation.

FunkJam said:

4,99$

By the way, 3121 isn't his best since Emancipation, it's his best since TGE! Ok, Rainbow children is a masterpiece, but I somewaht prefer 3121: it feels like Prince old school without sounding too retro, it's tight, with 12 concise pop songs, very listenable, and most of the material is just gold: 3121, Lolita, Corazon, Black sweat, Love, Fury, Satisfied, The word, the Dance, BL&B...
[Edited 4/11/07 12:58pm]

JoeTyler said:

I'm not exactly sure how much that is in english money but it cost me only £2.99, I think I've seen it go for even cheaper tho!! That's just in shops aswell, alot of Prince cd's go for virtually nothing on ebay.

UCantHavaDaMango said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

like totally

FunkiestOne said:

I do

It's be quite some time b4 I'll be able to comment on the debate "3121 as Prince's Best Album since Emancipation"... since I don't own Emancipation yet.

Several have commented that 3121 is the best he's done since TGE. I can't really comment there either just because I don't own anything between TGE & Musicology.

The two albums certainly share a lot in common, thu. It's kinda creepy thinking about it. A few of the tracks seem to correspond 2 each other.

The first 2 songs of each are upbeat and similar to one another. But while I like Lolita more than 3121, the opposite is true of EM & P. Control.
Shh & Te Amo Corazon are two seductive tracks that have scored points with me in different areas. BL&B and TMBGITW are two feel-good tracks, so I class them together.
Eye Hate U is also like The Dance because they both tell stories and Prince's attitude changes thru each of the songs... and by the end of both, I feel so bad 4 him. Luckily, the next tracks of both pick the mood back up... Gold is still a much better ending though.

Both albums definitely make me smile and have a good balance to them. 3121 has a good mix of upbeat tracks & mixes retro with classic... it's kinda like a big party album. Each track builds up on the next, like in PR & TGE. Musicology doesn't have that, it's more of a collection, really...

no, best since The Rainbow Children

No, The Rainbow Children is his latest 'master stroke'. It just gets better & better. Maybe now he aint got no nagging woman on the scene, he can get back to the 'nitty-gritty' and turn out the shit like he can when his minds on it 100%

FunkiestOne said:

Yes, I'd agree that it is. I'd go so far as to say it's his best single platter since TGE.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

I think once you hear more of Prince's 80's and early 90's output you'll see how 3121 really doesn't sound that modern. If anything, much like Musicology, it tends to recall his older works. 3121 sounds like a Sign O' The Times outtake for example, Lolita could be from 1982/83, Te Amo Corazon and Black Sweat recall Parade from 1986, Incense And Candles/Love remind me of the to Come era, and so forth...