I think the problem with this album is that there's no WOW factor. It's just a bunch of average songs that really don't have a lasting impact.

If anything, I think the most impressive tracks are:

The Word &
The Dance

The Word, I think is probably one of the few remaining examples of Prince's sheer brilliance in current material. It sounds like he isolated himself in a room with only a spotlight & acoustic guitar and just let the music come to him. The words might not make any sense (a lot of people complain about the bridge with the "guard against forked tongues" line), but I believe the first verse talks about his closeness with music. I'll elaborate later on.

in The Dance, he added the right balance of instruments and creates 2 different characters from 2 vastly different voices he uses. And it creates a story and leaks of passion that hasn't been seen since "The Beautiful Ones" & "Condition of the Heart"

Would anyone care to raise the ante and note anything in this "average" album that says "wow" that is worth listening to every now and then?

Or will this be one of those albums that you appreciate more 10 years from now?

There's nothing "WOW" about this album. The closest things for me are the title track and The Word.

But I do enjoy this classicist era of Prince's output. Musicology and 3121 are, I think, the albums that he was trying to make for so long with Emancipation, NPS, Rave and the High/Peace stuff from NPGMC. There's nothing "wow" about what he's doing on record at the moment, but it's like finally figured out how to make that mainstream pop comeback album without sounding desperate, like he did for so long with those other releases.

I think that the whole album is WOW. You sort of get a piece of every side of Prince. There is some rock, some funk, some dance, just about everything you might want from Prince. The songs might not be his greatest, but the album as a whole is one of his best. I can listen to the whole album, but I will sometimes skip Satisfied. This is one of my favorite albums.

chaosandisorder said:

for me, it's the overly polished, slick production that brings it down.

With Musicology and 3121, I wish he'd taken the songs as they were released and used them as demoes and gone back into the studio and re-recorded them with the full band. To give them a more raw sound. It's like the production has sucked all the life out of them. Exhibit A: Fury on SNL vs. Fury on the album.

the freaky dissonance in the title track made me say "huh", and the funky little "let's skate" break in the song "love" made me happy for a bit, but no "wow" moments. i think it was passionately adequate.

I'd love 2 c "get on the boat" live

virginie74 said:

Hearing it at GMA positively changed my opinion of it.

The only 2 songs I still play regularly are "Black Sweat" and "3121".

how lame and predictable it is...

Raze said:

See, I tend to think the only reason the Musicology/3121 era has so far been so successful is due to enough years going by for Prince to achieve universal 'legendary status'. Sufficient years out of the mainstream finally distanced him from various negative career moves, not least the name change and fight with Warners, so that he could be accepted back and his music appreciated on a simpler level. In other words, Rave released in 2004 might have been as big if not bigger than Musicology simply because of the timing.

Saying that, I do like 3121, I think it is a cohesive enough album such that it is stronger as a sum of its parts. No wow factor for me, although the oddness of the first track, and the synths of Lolita almost got me there!

3121 is going to be one of my all-time favorite prince albums

good 2 c some action here.

Yeah, it definitely seems to be overly polished to be. I mean, it sounds more typical than any other Prince album... anyone could have pulled something like 3121 off (i mean the album here).

I always thought of it as unbalanced because half of the songs stand out while others are just... blah... just don't really make it worth listening to all the way through sometimes, but I do it anyway.

the title track has grown on me and its pretty innovative for something so modern. I dig it time and time again.

Lolita & Fury kinda fall flat for me. Whether they're live or not... I dunno. The last time I gave Lolita a listen, I just wanted to turn it off really bad. But my mind's been kinda weird lately.

The Word is where Prince is in his own little world that's nothing but music... that's why I think its such a gem.

Incense & Candles I've always sort of liked too. Everyone's so hard on it, but I do like what he did with it.
Love is a great innovative track... but I was in a weird mood last time I listned thru the album...

I don't think there's anything wow about this album. The Dance is the best song on the cd and although it's a great song, I would never say wow.

Well Dreamy, I actually really love this album, even tho there is no WOW song, the album as a whole is WOW to me. I know alot of ppl do not care for it, but it is one of my many favs of P's. I am also looking forward to the new album, I am sure it will be wonderful.

Incense and Candles is WOW to me.....

Wow? with a question mark is different than wow!

But I think I understand what you mean anyway.

Wow! is The Dance. Wow! is the bassline of Get on the Boat.
[Edited 5/29/07 23:23pm]

bobsteezy said:

I that song!!!!!

I really don't get what the deal is with all the love that "The Dance" gets. It's a bland 1996 outtake re-done in an extremely overwrought style. It really gets on my nerves actually.

i think the whole album was WOW. the lyrics were well written, there's some great beats, etc. i love that album.

I love 3121, it is Wow!Like any other Prince album.It has a definete variety,when i wanna dance- Lolita ,Incense and Candles(absolutely love the rap bit,got it down pat,including screaming PRINCE).When I wanna have fun-Get on The Boat.Whe I wanna brood-Te Amo Corazon, The Word.When I'm lusting-Satisfied ,The Dance etc etc.That's why Dreamypoproyalty probably finds some songs lacking.Need to b in right mood 4 certai ones,like any other Prince album Hennce the skip button.
It's fucking WOW! alright

Raze said:

Gotta love what U just said!
Lots of his sub par studio stuff sounds 1,000,000% better in concert! Average songs like, She's always in my hair, sound magic live. And great songs like, Pop Life, are awsome live!

Maybe he should release the soundtracks 2 "live at The Aladin" and Rave unto the year 2000.

Everything

The album, the concept, all of it


I am obsessed with 3121.

3121 is the most fun i've had in a short while
to me, the wow factor belongs almost souly to "The Word"

hmmm, I would agree The Word and it's acoustic guitar and message have wow effect.

Fury, with it's guitar work and passion has wow, somewhat decreased by it being preceded by that killer live version which is superior (on SNL)

I will also say Beautiful, Loved and Blessed. Tamar and P voices mix well, great spiritual message song with some tasty guitar work at the end.

In fact , I often think of Marvin Gaye and some of the duets he did early in his career so effectively when I hear Tamar's contributions to 3121. Of course , she is most obvious on BLB

Raze said:

Have to agree there - obviously meant to conjure up memories of Beautiful Ones, but it sounds way too forced for me.

The title track and Black Sweat are good fun though and to be honest after all these years I'm not expecting any WOW factor (not whilst he's still making pop records anyway).

metalorange said:

Agree. 3121 is a good album. The tunes that have any wow factor for me is 3121 and Lolita. .
Lolita is a great tune. I use to absolutely hate cuz it was too popie. Now love it, cuz it is too overly-popie (if there is such a word )on purpose.
It's brilliantly made.

The only 2 songs that I still listen 2 alot on 3121 is The Word and The Dance.I'm not sure this will b one of my all-time favorite Prince albums but it's an ok album better than Musicology, NPS, News and C&D.No there is nothing "Wow" about this album but I wasn't dissapointed when It came out.But I hope Prince next album is better than 3121.

The only 2 songs that I still listen 2 alot on 3121 is The Word and The Dance.I'm not sure this will b one of my all-time favorite Prince albums but it's an ok album better than Musicology, NPS, News and C&D.No there is nothing "Wow" about this album but I wasn't dissapointed when It came out.But I hope Prince next album is better than 3121.

i love the bit where he sings-``whose gonna save us when those spiders get next to u--on THE WORD


great great album