With the imminent release of Planet Earth, I've decided to post mini-reviews of most of Prince's albums. NPG Music Club albums like The Chocolate Invasion and The Slaughterhouse were purposely left out, as well as Crystal Ball, because they are basically compilations of previously unreleased songs, and not true albums. The Vault:OF4S is included as it was actually released by WB and is an important part of Prince history. After Planet Earth comes out, I will post a detailed review of that album. Reviews are based on a 10-point scale.


For You: An above-average debut album, For You only impresses when one looks at the album credits. 6

Prince: Slightly better than his debut, Prince is by and large a by-the-numbers funk/r&b record. 7

Dirty Mind: The first great Prince record, Dirty Mind thrills with its raw, demo like quality and unabashed sexual content. 8.5

Controversy: At once one step forward and two steps back, Controversy does very little to enhance Prince's musical legacy. 7

1999: The first classic Prince record, 1999's abundant use of multi-tracked synths gives birth to the first Prince catchphrase: The Minneapolis Sound. 9.5

Purple Rain: The very definition of a perfect album due to its song selection, sequencing, and length, Purple Rain is Prince at his commercial best. 9

Around The World In A Day: Just when Prince had the potential to be homogeneous, he releases ATWIAD. Colorful and psychedelic, playful and melodic. 9

Parade: A continuation of the psychedelica of ATWIAD, Parade is the perfect showcase of Prince AND his band, The Revolution. 9

Sign O' The Times: Is it flawed? Yes. Is it a masterpiece? Yes. Is there anything else to say? No. 10

The Black Album: Based solely on its musical qualities, The Black Album is a 7 to 7.5 at best. However due to its legendary status as "the album you weren't supposed to here" it receives an 8.5. Funky and at times dark, its lack of strong melody is its weak and ironically strong point.
8.5

Lovesexy: The last great Prince record of the 80's, Lovesexy's dense arrangements and religious subject matter could put some off. Still it's Prince's definitive spiritual statement.
8.5

Batman Soundtrack: As a movie soundtrack, Batman is pretty good. As a Prince album, its only above average. 7

Graffiti Bridge: While containing a few Prince classics (notably The Question Of U) Graffiti Bridge is mess, and continues his post-Sign O' The Times decline. 7

Diamonds and Pearls: With a new band and a new live sound, Prince tries to reclaim some of his musical glory with mixed results. 8

: A "rock-opera" of sorts and a continuation of the sound of D&P, this album, with its use of wanna-be hip hop artists and slick production techniques falls flat. 7.5

Come/The Gold Experience: Basically two sides of the same coin, Come and TGE have a common history due to their original track lists being intertwined. Come, "Prince's" last record for WB could come off as a throwaway record, but it contains many noteworthy experiences, including forays into techno and ambient classical accapela. Overproduced and compressed, TGE's slick sheen almost causes it to sink. However, several musical styles and live-show favorites save it. 8/8.5

Chaos and Disorder: For all intents and purposes, an album released only to fulfill his WB Contract. Chaos' rock sound lends it a charm that his previous releases didn't contain; however, it wasn't enough charm to save this album completely. 7

Emancipation: With a whopping 30 new songs, Emancipation is a hard pill to swallow. While it contains enough songs to make a killer single disc, this 3-cd set is only impressive due to its sheer volume. 8

The Truth: A mostly acoustic album contained in the Crystal Ball compilation, The Truth is stripped down Prince, yet it somehow seems dressed up. 7.5

NewPowerSoul: Credited to the New Power Generation, NPS is a without a doubt a solo Prince record. Uninspired and dry, this album is one of the lowest points in Prince history. 6

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale: The last album on his WB contract, this collection of Prince throwaways and I'll Do Anything soundtrack leftovers is a utter disaster. The worst Prince album ever. 4

Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic: After the disappointments of NewPowerSoul and The Vault, Rave seemed refreshing. While nothing brilliant and containing many guest stars, it did bring Prince back into "Princely" mode. 7

The Rainbow Children: Religious and at times borderline anti-Semitic, The Rainbow Children is an unusual addition to Prince's catalog. However, its jazz-infused musical direction make up for the subject matter and create another Prince album milestone. 8

Musicology: Musicology had the potential to be a great Prince record. Instead it ends up being a pretty standard release with its by-the-numbers, multiple music genre approach. 7.5

3121: Continuing the "one size fits all" approach used in Musicology, 3121 fails to inspire. Even though it contains multiple musical styles, it ends up being one of the most homogeneous Prince records ever. 7

Too much time on your hands

Klyph said:

throwaways??? I really like 5 women She Spoke 2 me, Extraordinary... and My little Pill too.

Well, that was just UR opinion. Carry on!
[Edited 7/1/07 16:24pm]

Shhh747 said:

hell yeah
i listen a lot to this disc it contains very melodic jazzy funky groovy experimental lounge stuff really great
and i listen to new power soul more often than atwiad wich i find one of his lesser albums
lovesexy is also overrated in my opinion

everybody has their own taste and opinions
it just seems that people who looooove funk n soul ànd the ballads like his 90's work better
the rockers can't stand his funk escapades and while their nagging about it we be shaking our ass of

Not many Prince Dummies here

I don't really think any Prince album can be summed up in one line, it's like saying "Love Supreme - John Coltrane - Technically dazzling album, somewhat underdeveloped compositionally. Stylistically different from his previous work" You know, you just have to take each one for what it is. You can't compare 3121 to Purple Rain, they're nothing alike. I might like each one better on a different day. Sometimes I get a kick out of NPS, sometimes I just wanna hear Lady Cab Driver. I mean, for me there's so much good shit on Batman, it really does it a disservice to boil it down to a number 7. I mean, c'mon, Scandalous! Scandalous!! An album containing Cream, Gett Off, Daddy Pop and Insatiable is just "mixed results". I think capsule reviews are ultimately pointless. You'd need to go into a track-by-track analysis. And with P, that's a big job!

The problem with lists like this is that the "ratings" are only valid for the person who lists them... I don't much agree with any of it. LOL

So, the real dummies are the ones that don't explore and judge his music for themselves.
[Edited 7/1/07 23:07pm]

GoldiLocks said:

Wow i love your review better

GoldiLocks said:

thats a true dummies guide right there

btw goldilocks- im not calling u a dummie
clarifying post edit
[Edited 7/2/07 0:43am]

GoldiLocks said:

O.k this is makin me dumb bcuz I don't understand a damn thing that's going on here!

For You: 7/10

Prince: 7.3/10

Dirty Mind: 9/10

Controversy: 8/10

1999: 10/10

Purple Rain: 9/10

Around The World In A Day: 8.2/10

Parade: 9/10

Sign O' The Times: 9,5/10

The Black Album: 8.9/10

Lovesexy: 9.6/10

Batman Soundtrack: 7.9/10

Graffiti Bridge: Prince's songs: 8.8/10, everybody else's songs:

Diamonds and Pearls: 9.4/10

: 9.6/10

Come/The Gold Experience: 8/10

Chaos and Disorder: 6.8/10

Emancipation: 6/10

The Truth: 5/10

NewPowerSoul: 6/10

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale: 4/10

Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic: 7.1/10

The Rainbow Children: 9.5/10

Musicology: 7/10

3121: 8.7/10

GoldiLocks said:

Prince for Dummies- the version for emoticon inclined

fonkee said:

Ehm... no.

fonkee said:

uhm no .. Lady Cab Driver, La,La,La,He,He,He, Sexy Dancer, Let's Work.. etc (there's more).. all those are funky as hell.. none in the 90's.. .. oh and my sig..
[Edited 7/3/07 0:51am]