Planet Earth - AWESOME. One of my favorite Prince songs of all time, now. Epic, intense, rockin... creepy.. it's just an awesome, dark song. "So shall it be written, it shall be sung"

Guitar - A nice refresher after the title track, fun and happy, great guitar riff, good lyrics... classic Prince in the vein of Cream

Somewhere Here on Earth - Just terrible, really. Boring, lifeless, trumpet just doesn't sound cool in 2007.. I would play this at a cocktail party in the 20's. I will never listen to this song.

The One U Wanna C - AWESOME! This is straight from Dream Factory! What a great classic sounding song. Fun and happy, handclaps, cute chorus.. just a cute song in general.

Future Baby Mama - Love it! The vocals are killer, love the instrumentation (linn drum used tastefully), cool vocal layering, great lyrics, great jab at Manuela. Eye Hate U reminiscent.

Mr. Goodnight - The chorus could use some work, it seems kinda cheesy, and the synths sound weak and fake as hell, but I LOVE the rapping/spoken word. His vocals are amazing, the beat is great, the lyrics are cool and fun (and even mindblowing when he makes reference to "Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful" at the end... 'The energy in this field's been known 2 flicker lights, aight') and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the 3121 callout also. Prince ties everything together nicely with this song and brings the 3121 theme into Planet Earth. Too fucking cool, really, and if you can't pick up on why it's so cool then you're missing out on a lot of the reason that I'm a Prince fan.

All the Midnights in the World - Very bizarre. This is where the album gets strange in general, actually. This is a nice, cute song, but that's about it. I'm not really sure what he was trying to do with this, but I don't really mind it at all. It's kind of like a segue to the rest of the album's weirdness. I won't be skipping this one a lot... I don't think.

Chelsea Rodgers - WOW. This is different for sure. At first I was turned off by Shelby on vocals, but now I kinda like it. I like Prince's spoken parts and short rap parts, I love the beat, I love the breakdown, I love the synths, I love the horns, I love this song. And what the HELL happens near the end where it gets all weird and choppy? Too cool! It's like the song was gated to a Sheila E drum solo for a few seconds. Bizarre, cool song. Oh, and the horns kinda remind me of Housequake at one point.

Lion of Judah - Another cool, dark song. Awesome lyrics, I like the chorus, this is a neat song. I like Prince's vocals. One of my favorite songs on the album.

Resolution - Ehh, it's alright. Too obviously anti-war, blah blah whatever for me. The reggae part is cool, but that's really all. Oh, and the synth at the end is bizarre and reminds me of Lovesexy. Cool ending to a a cool album.


Love this album, contrary to what I thought at first. It's The Truth, One Night Alone, The Rainbow Children, Musicology, and 3121 all in one album. Works nicely, isn't what I was expecting, but I love it still - just for a different reason than I thought I would.
[Edited 7/10/07 12:50pm]
[Edited 7/10/07 12:51pm]

Some people here say anyone who disses this album doesn't know what they are talking about. Let me just say that I am one of the old schoolers here that's been a fan since before purple rain. I've been there for the release of every album and know every song. I've been excited about every album, even Rave and New Power Soul. Although they weren't his best they still had enough to get me going.
However, I can honestly say that this is THE WORST Prince album of all time and it's not because he's breaking new ground because i liked Mr. Goodnight way way better when it was called Underneath the Cream and I liked Planet Earth way better when it was called strays of the world and if i want a retro take on disco like Chelsea Rogers I'll go listen to You Can Do it off the Tragic Kingdom by Now doubt. The new version of Guitar even rips off Nicklecreek for heaven's sake. There is absolutely nothing groundbreaking or challenging about this album, no, it just doesn't sound like prince because the prince I knew always put music out of a far higher quality. New Power Soul or Rave was the worst to this point but I'd give those a 6 out of 10. I give Planet Earth a 2. It's down right depressing. Some of these songs sound like 70s sit com themes. I'm not one of the posters on this site with a lot of negative things to say. I try to stay positive, but this album is a galactic disappointment.

drclay said:

Well, I disagree with you and I am one of the most negative people here. I think you could go about not liking this album without ripping it to shreds.

What happened to Prince?

This album is SOOOOO, shitty.

No wonder it is free.

I am so disappointed.



I doubt I will ever listen to it again.

Jakeasaurus said:

How old are you?

Well, for what it’s worth I’ve now had a few good listens of the album. Overall I would rate it as above average compared to what he has produced in the last 20 years.
The title track Planet Earth is by far his best work in years. I can’t get enough of this song - but why oh why the cheesy interlude in the middle of the song? If this ever gets released as a single I suspect this bit will get cut along (sadly) with the magnificent ending.

Guys, I'm not trying to be a prick, but WTF?! I just got the leaked version of the album and all I feel is disappointment. This is nowhere as good as 3121, this is not close to TGE, this is not The Love Symbol, this is pretty much the worst album I've heard from him. Yeah this record became hyped up especially by us, the fans, however, its not the hype that killed the album , its the wack music. Honestly, the only songs I feel are Somewhere Here On Earth (due to the instrumentation and the sax that's used) and Chelsea Rodgers (because its funky and as close as to real Prince). Guitar was just an average first single. Even though it is better than the demo version it is nothing special. Future Baby Mama starts to sound better after a couple of listens but is also disappointment.

60% of this album is cheese pop rock that I can hear on shows like Full House played by Uncle Jessie. Aslo, wtf at that spoken word/rapping?

I'm gonna listen to this again, BUT i doubt i'm gonna change my mind.

roanmairin said:

Do you really think that it being given away with the newspaper (in the UK) had ANYTHING to do with its quality?

forkupine said:

Nope just because it is so friggin' bad.

komputerbleu said:

Whatever that was long ago, this is something that surely needs to get out of people's heads.

I get the feeling that some folks think that we all have to either collectively like the cd or collectively hate it. Some will like it and some won't. It can get any simplier than that.

Jakeasaurus said:

Listen again - maybe you just weren't in the right mood. I've only heard a few off the songs of the album so far, but this is certainly the best. Infact , imo it's one of his best for a long time

I can't help but laugh at the negative comments and thusly those trying to defend it. It's a typical Prince album. By typical, I mean it's pretty much along the same lines of quality he's been putting out for over a decade now. Some Prince Classics/gems...a few ok/popish tracks...and a few "klunkers". This is how it's been since Emancapation...i'd even say since D&P. His albums as of late have always been iffy affairs. Either you like it or you don't I suppose. This is not his worst nor his best. There are some great moments and some not so much. It's simply an album. Compared to what's out there, it's better than most. Someone said on here, if this had not been P...it'd be touted as trying to be like P and why can't P make an album like this....blah blah ginger.

Sometimes I think unless it's a full on rock affair (which has never ever happened) featuring the Revolution spanning over 2 discs and it's name is either Roadhouse Garden or Dream Factory, folks are simply going to be disappointed.

I am not going thru a song by song analysis, as there are plenty of accurate ones here. IMO, it's better than the last 2 (with musicology seeming to get duller and duller as it ages). I judge "better" by number of stand out songs it has...as opposed to number of songs I can tolerate. This one's strong points are Planet Earth, Guitar, Lion of Judah, Chelsea Rogers, Resolution and SOmewhere here on earth. I like those a lot! Chelsea Rogers is a classic, if I ever heard one.

This is old skool Prince filtered thru the new skool or something like that. Some of this we have heard before, but these are very fresh arrangements that do not sound forced. I am not sure how much they contributed, but the voices of Wendy and Lisa are very welcoming and help give this that old skool vibe. I simply love their vocal harmonization with the musical arrangements. Aside from Wendy's guitar playing and Lisa's piano noodling (both of which are pretty unmistakeable) their voices add layers to the music I think that has been missing.

NOW MY RANT: Why is it lately that Prince is giving AMAZING and energetic perfomances over the past 5 years on TV yet this hasn't translated into anything of the such on his albums? I also think now his prolific-ness has gotten the better of him. I feel he doesn't spend a lot of time finessing songs and taking them to newer levels. I am not sure if this is due to a recording process that pretty much he helms. I know he has in the past rushed projects, but as he gets older, I find the rushing now makes some of the recording half-assed. Like since he used to have no issue before with getting a song done in a day...back then when it was all new, he could. Now, because he is treading on familiar terratory and has been for about 6 years now for the most part, he should spend a little more time on the music. I wonder if he actually took 2-3 years between albums what they might sound like with a little more time and effort put into them. I know he's busy playing vegas, touring, perfumes and all, but I think it takes away from the music. DOn't get me wrong...but how much of the songs he has put out on the last few albums find new and wonderful arrangements in Concert...like he's had sometime to let the song breathe and take new life.

you hit it on the head bro (although I'd quibble with the standard "better than the rest of whats out there claim"). File this one under Rave, Musicology, 3121 (while Im not a fan, I see TRC as an earnest and complete piece of work) but perhaps a smidge more interesting because of W&L. I hope this isnt a one time deal and that the next album will be a more complete collaboration.

As your rant, I just think Prince is just not that interested in making albums anymore. I think TRC and before that Emancipation were the last of the "real" albums. (you can make a case that The Truth is a real album). But you never know, he may be inspired again someday and we'll get one final great collection or he'll sort of do a Brian Wilson Smile and go back an record some unreleased oldies.

superspaceboy said:

I agree with a lot of what you said too spaceboy, right on target


I gotta say, I'm liking this album more and more every time I listen to it.

Well, I'll be jiggered: It's a new Prince album, I actually *want* to listen to - That hasn't happened in a very long time. I'm evening coming around to the songs I didn't like before.

The only song I tend to skip now is 'Mr. Goodnight' and I can even find a little merit in that if I look hard enough (it kinda brings to mind early 90s R&B stuff), I just don't really look to Prince for this kind of thing since it sounds forced and I think it doesn't really fit with the rest of the album. - It sounds like this and Future Baby Mama were shoe-horned in to get some R&B radio airplay.

Chelsea Rodgers could've fit right on TRC in my opinion, it's got that same party vibe as 'The Everlasting Now', should work great live.

I've done a total 180 degrees on 'All The Midnights In The World' it's now one of my favourites, also like 'Resolution' now and I'm coming round to 'The One U Wanna C'.

Wow, a new Prince record that I love, it's a miracle!

NouveauDance said:

Unlike the last 2..playing the songs over and again until I liked them...this one, esp a few of the cuts (title track, Chelsea and Resolution), I want to listen to over and over. Chelsea I think I played 3 times in a row from the start. I think once I hear the actual CD, songs like the one u wanna c and FBM will grow on me.

Sly said:

This song is unbelievable!!!!

I haven't posted here in about a year, but I had to say that PE is one SHITTY SHIT SHIT of an album.

I THINK IT REALLY IS FAR TOO EARLY TO JUDGE AN ALBUM FAIRLY WHEN IT HASNT EVEN BEEN RELEASED YET....THE FANS WHO THINK THIS IS A POOR ALBUM ARE WRONG , I BELIEVE THE FANS WILL MOSTLY CHANGE THEIR VIEWS IN THE COURSE OF TIME.....MY EARLY VIEW IS THAT I THINK THIS IS A VERY GOOD PRINCE ALBUM...IT HAS MORE STRONG TRACKS THAN ANY ALBUM SINCE THE GOLD EXPERIENCE ...PLANET EARTH...SOMEWHERE HERE ON EARTH..FUTURE BABY MAMA AND CHELSEA RODGERS ARE ALL TOP QUALITY PRINCE SONGS IMO....THE ONLY TRACK I DONT LIKE IS MR GOODNIGHT ....I THINK THE ALBUM IS A GROWER SO GIVE IT TIME PEOPLE...
[Edited 7/10/07 15:53pm]

Wall said:

I SO disagree. I think just as with the 80's W&L add layers and other musical perspectives that Prince wouldn't have on his own. Not enough to call them co-writers necessarily, but I think they help him with arrangement, orchestration and fullness. In the 80's Prince was a better writer but Around The World In A Day and Parade would not have had the same layers and tones even if the same songs were all included. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, but those albums would not have been the same.

I think when a Prince song is bad it is just bad. I think a couple of those songs had no chance of being saved, but I can hear where W&L at least *helped* a bad situation. Prince on his own can be too linear these days.

as far as the musical content is conserned i totally like this album,
it's nice and diverse and not too farmiliar in prince terms.

my main gripe with his last few albums Musicology and 3121 especially
is the lyrics.

they've become so bland. he used to have some really cool subjects or
at least interesting twists in his lyrics.

planet earth is a bit of an improvement on musicology and 3121 but it
still lingers too much on his romantic interests.

not that it's a bad thing, but he's saying the same thing over n over
these days.

with different lyrics, a bit deeper, a bit more cryptic and perhaps a
song or two about something else i would be able to appreciate those
songs a lot more, even if i don't like the music per se.

i particularly like his 'science' and 'history' or 'alchemy' lyrics
of the past decade. even if his view is warped and weird on most of
these matters it still makes for more interesting lyrics than having
him sing again and again about winning someone over or having to do
the right thing in regard to god/relationships etc etc.

but hey, he's said so much already over the past 30 years that i can
see how it's hard to keep coming up with though provoking stuff all
the time.

oh and please please please let there be a few bsides
to this project. some online releases or a few extra,
internet tracks.

if i could just replace one or two track off this cd
with something that suits my own personal taste more
than it will be my fav prince album since TRC

PurpleCharm said:

What's this--logic and rationalness? Different opinions being okay? Nonsense! We must all like the same "Prince" or we are not true fans!







(And just in case it's unclear to anyone, I'm totally kidding!)

DevotedPuppy said:

loves it! and i dont even feel like i'm forcing myself this time!
[Edited 7/10/07 17:45pm]

superspaceboy said:

I haven't heard the new album, but I definitely agree with your rant.

Prince is back, ya'll. I just listened to this album for the first time today, and I'm already loving it!

Minister: Livewire, will you take Planet Earth to love, honor and cherish as long as you shall live?

Me: I will.

Minister: I now pronounce you man and new classic album. You may kiss Prince's ass.

Maybe they still don't measure up to Prince's live performances, but there are songs in this album that are pretty energetic actually without feeling contrived.

IstenSzek said:

I think I know where you're coming from, but what about "coma, pimp & circumstance"?

Well, at least 1 exception.