I'd like to hear from you about those aspects of this album, which you enjoyed.
Can we focus on what it is that you liked, as opposed to what you didn't?

love

well, I suppose Prettyman is pretty funky...if you can make it that far

ILYBIDTYA worked for me. Other than that...

I like the title track okay, Silly Game, the beat on Undisputed. I even like Everyday is a Winding Road okay. Tangerine is okay, TGRES is good, but a bit forced. I like the cryptic lyrics. Prettyman is a nice throwaway funk tune.

Anji said:

I dig the whole album except for "Baby Knows." That tune makes me cringe.

.....

I love this album,but I love Rave In2 even more!

If I'm honest, I reckon Prince enjoyed making it far more than either Musicology or 3121.

Problem is, I like ALL of his albums!!

From Rave, I really like man O' War (a classic, I reckon), I love u but I don't trust u anymore, Tangerine and So far, so pleased a lot. As I said, I think he enjoyed the music a little more then.

My favourite line is probably "what's this, out of touch? My dear, I am the touch!"

(I'll probably have that wrong somehow though!!)

alxndrstff said:

haha...

I only own 4 albums and I like them all. But that's not saying much.

I think he enjoyed doing Musicology. I think it has so much of his personality engrained into the tracks.

I haven't heard many good reviews of Rave myself. And when I started considering which albums to get, my first question was "should I get Emancipation or Rave?"
I already set my mind to getting 3121 & Musicology since that's Prince at present and I'm already familiar with him at present (plus I saw so many interviews from the Musicology era that he completely sold me on it, thanx Prince).

I got other recommendations, but more people liked Emancipation more than Rave, but that's not saying much either. Few people like either of the albums, but I'm still interested in them.

Rave, I've only heard TGRES (and love it), so it's not as high on my list of priorities as it used 2b.

The title track rocks! And at the time, it was great to finally hear it properly. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold is also a fantastic tune. Tangerine is as refreshing as the very thing it's named after and Strange But True was the first proper 'Prince' (as opposed to ) song in years.

Oh and I've got a soft spot for the packaging. Solid, yet unique.

I love Strange But True. That was a rare, special treat on the album. Also, there are a couple times on the album where Prince seems to be writing from a place of vulnerability, something he doesn't do very often (Strange But True, ILUBIDTUA).

• The cover is cool - I like everything about it (the blue suit, the font, etc).

• Most of the songs are really good to excellent, with TGRES, Man O' War and Prettyman being the gems of this album

• The guest stars are still relevant and current (Sheryl Crow, Eve, Gwen Stefani, Ani DiFrance, Chuck D), compared to some of the "nostalgia" guests of recent history (Larry Graham, Chaka Khan, Doug E. Fresh)

• Sheryl Crow's input on Baby Knows seems to get lost in the mix a bit, although I like the song. I wish they would've bumped up her vocals.

• I don't like Tangerine or Silly Game. To me, they're filler songs that detract from the overall experience of Rave ... and I never liked how Silly Game starts with "I never thought you would be the one" when I Hate U starts with "I never thought that you would be the one". Those lyrics are far too similar for similar-sounding songs that are only 5 years apart.

• I like the fact that Prettyman is a hidden track - adds to the mystique while also being one of the standout tracks. That's classic Prince for you.

• I think it's cool that there is a remix version of virtually the whole album which I believe will add to the popularity (and rarity) in the future

looove Man O War. The title track is pretty cool too but doesnt really fit.

alxndrstff said:

I think this is most certainly true of Musicology. People like to slam Rave but it felt like he was, at least, still trying to move forward there. Musicology sounds like Prince consciously playing it safe and producing something recognizable as "traditional" Prince music for the masses.


I think Rave features a lot of really enjoyable music. A majority of the tracks, when taken as individual works are great, imo. They just don't gel together "collectively" into a cohesive whole.

Undisputed
TGRES
The Sun, The Moon & Stars
Man O' War
I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore
Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do
Partyman

...all great tracks.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

I'd get Rave before Emancipation if I were you

Jakeasaurus said:

Yup, I agree. if you don't like Rave then you won't likely enjoy Emancipation very much either, imo.

Rave's got a lot of good stuff - It just feels too long for its own good.

Still, all things considered, I love all 8 of the following tracks and I'm pretty indifferent toward the rest on the album:

Undisputed
Greatest Romance
Tangerine
The Sun, The Moon, & Stars
Man O' War
Silly Game
Strange But True
PrettyMan

On the other hand, there's also Wherever U Go, which I've never been able to make it through. It sounds just south of Backstreet Boys-ish to me.
[Edited 4/24/07 23:47pm]

TGRES was his last great single and could've had real chart success had they not of fucked up the release.

UK radios were playing that song on a loop! That was the last time I ever heard a new Prince song get that kind of exposure.

Shame it didn't work.

The Greatest Romance That's Ever Been $old
Tangerine
I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore
Strange But True

i could listen to those any day, any time.
they're great prince tunes.


So Far, So Pleased
Man'o'War
Pretty Man


are good tracks but ones i have to be in a
certain mood to listen to



Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic


absolutely fantastic song, just a bit out
of place on this album.

MattyJam said:

co-sign

it's such a gorgeous song. with the right kind of push and the video ready
in time for the single release it could have done a lot better.

i still consider it amongst his best 90's work. and it always surprised me
to see how many people don't like it.

Excellent songs:
Tangerine
I Love U But I Don't Trust U Anymore

Pretty damn good songs:
Prettyman
The Greatest Romance Ever Sold

Quite good songs:
Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic
The Sun, The Moon and Stars
Man O War
Strange But True
Wherever U Go Whatever U Do
So Far, So Pleased

I liked the tribute to Miles Davis.

That is all.

NouveauDance said:

Agree! And the title track? One of his worst track ever.

"Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic"
"Undisputed"
"Strange But True"
"I Love U But I Don't Trust U Anymore"
"Every Day Is a Winding Road"
"Tangerine"
"Pretty Man"

jtfolden said:

ok, if u guys say so.

when i come home from college next week (and i might have to wait another week to go out), I'll check to see what's available at FYE, they had a pretty hot collection...

but w/e, if I'm really in a desperate mood, I won't wait to find it, I'll just go online.
I've only heard one, two songs off Rave (like them), so I really am not as sure about it as I used to be. Then again, I've only heard a handful of Emancipation tracks (5 at most), but I've liked them all... so far.

But I'd still like there to be some surprise when I get either album.

Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic is much better than the official release.
[Edited 4/28/07 8:22am]

SANSKER7 said:

I tend to substitute the following In2 tracks over the originals:

Rave (remix)
Tangerine (Extended Version)
Man O' War (Remix)
Baby Knows (Extended)
Beautiful Strange

I don't like the other changed tracks, though...
[Edited 4/29/07 18:47pm]

jtfolden said:

Funny, I actually disagree on every one of those. I'm not too sure about the Rave remix. I don't think the extended bits really add anything to Tangerine or Baby Knows. The Man O War remix is a noble attempt at something a bit different but I prefer the original. And I prefer the original version of Beautiful Strange.

That's just my opinion though.

Tangerine
Man O' War
Silly Game
The Sun,Moon and Stars
So Far, So Pleased
The Greatest Romance

leecaldon said:

Well, I just think the original version of Rave sounds out of place on an album recorded a decade later... and with Man O' War I like it simply because it does sound more alive being different whereas the original, to me, sounds a little too close to many ballads that have come before. The other remixes aren't a biggie either way but since they're there I take advantage of them. As far as Beautiful Strange goes, there isn't ANY version on Rave Un2...