Even though i'm not religious
The Holy River is a great song !

Planet Earth...Packaging/Bonus tracks?

To those in the "know" (if any). There was talk about posible bonus tracks/hidden whatever. And a special 3-d like cover. Since it's close to actual release date was wondering if anyone could confirm or not.

The Holy River is great!

Thibaut said:

Great at being terrble. So corny....

after hearing a moajority of the trax...I gotta say, for me...this is just like most Prince releases as of late for me...I yawn at some, really like others and most are soso.

I love that everyone's favourites are completely all over the place on this one. That's the mark of a decent record - that opinions are flying all over the place (reminds me of TRC).

I already like the album way more than Musicology and 3121, for the same reason I liked TRC, because it veers away from that plastic hip-pop snooze-fest we've grown acustomed to since Emancipation, it was horrible then and I'd had my fill of it all by the time Rave came out. There's only a couple of tracks here where it rears it's ugly head.

Planet Earth is from the same Prince that gave us Musicology or 3121, but it's filtered through everything else he's done outside of these two mainstream pop records in the 2000's - Like ONA and TRC, and we even hear bits of The Truth too I think. So sure, it might not be a masterpiece for the ages, but at least it's not Musicology pt.3 and well, thank fuck for that!

I was just expecting "3121 part 2" but it really is a lot better than that. It's variable of course, as it always is with Prince, but there's some of his best work in years on there. Hardest one to listen to is probably "Lion of Judah", which is utter shit.

Planet Earth the title track starts off reminiscent of the silly melodrama of songs like Empty Room and When I Lay My Hands On U, but ends up going somewhere a bit more musically interesting about half-way through. Guitar is actually rather good now that there is some... guitar... in there. Somewhere Here on Earth and The One U Wanna C are both very strong. Future Baby Mama is probably "for the ladies" but personally I find it dull. Mr Goodnight isn't as bad as you might expect - silly, throwaway but infinitely more listenable than the likes of "Incense and Candles" from 3121. All the Midnights in the World is great, it feels like a Revolution-era sketch rather than a proper song, but it is nice to hear Prince stretching himself vocally. Chelsea Rodgers is a breezy disco number that's hard not to bob along to, and Resolution is an enjoyable enough ending in a cheery happy clappy Graffiti Bridge kind of way.

Overall, a fun summer album and I've been enjoying driving around with it playing! Providing of course, that I skip Lion of Judah every time.

Also on the subject of "All the Midnights", I would like to congratulate Prince for bringing back the word "scallywags". It's not often we get to use that in a sentence, but hopefully that will all soon change.

larksanders said:

It's pretty incredible that that is how he made and recorded so many of his most incredible songs! I'm totally digging the new album though. It would be cool if he forced himself to do a new album using only his old school equipment and methods like during the early albums. Wonder what the result would be? I'm guessing awesome.

Vanity45 said:

Ignore these saddos ! I love it too

IstenSzek said:

Why yes. Me too. To maximize the effect of familiarity I turnt the treble knob all the way down on my mixer while listening to it.

It's a decent album, far from a masterpiece and I might get bored of it pretty fast, but the Revolution-circa-1986-ping-pong -vibe is what I seriously love about it. Now, do you have anyone else doing music that would have anything similar going on?

Question to the moderators:

Why are we supposed to discuss this album only in one, single 'sticky' thread?

I mean there are so many different aspects that can be discussed: the album in general, the particular songs, the input of Wendy and Lisa, the way this album relates to his earlier albums, to name a few.

Dont you think this thread will become very long and almost unbearable to read, because so many different aspects should be discussed in it?

Can you explain to me why you did decide for this 'option'?

larksanders said:

That may well be the case, but on Chelsea Rodgers I read that it's Mavis Staples doing the singing.

I've listened to it a few times today, but I don't feel I am articulate enough to give any sort of review that would be any more useful than the others.

I will say, though, to those wondering about how it stands up to TRC and The Gold Experience, that it seems impossible to me to compare them.

The Gold Experience is one of Prince's angriest albums, filled with subtle (and not so subtle) references to his situation with Warner Bros at the time.

The Rainbow Children is inspired by the personal changes Prince had just made.

Both these albums figure highly in my favourites due to them being inspired by the recent personal events in Prince's life. In fact TGE is my all time favourite album ever.

I'd put Planet Earth in the category of those albums Prince releases due to the fact he pretty much feels he has to get the music out there. It's a good album, definitely, and like much of Prince's output it's popularity will grow with time.

A new observation on PE.

Anyone agrees that the album somehow sounds a bit fragmentated?

To me it sounds like he has mixed three types of songs:
- Songs he mostly written, played and recorded alone
- Songs he recorded with his Vegas-line up.
- Songs that sound co-written and recorded with Wendy and Lisa.

In some way they dont seem to mix very well on the album, in the sense that its resulting in a very cohesive record.

I know, Prince has done this in the past more often, sometimes with great results (I mean: look at Sign of the Times, that mixes songs recorded with the Revolution/Wendy and Lisa, Camille tracks, and almost demo-like solo tracks in a very good way).

But on this album he somehow not really succeeds to make a cohesive, generally concinvincing album with it.

DevotedPuppy said:

Could be, but I really think it's Shelby. Actually I am almost positive. Sounds exactly like her- damn she can blow!

Riverpoet31 said:

I answered this on the thread you created for this very subject. Check it out here:

http://www.prince.org/msg/3/233886

Hope that helps.

I don't live in the UK, but I have heard it and I LOVE it. It sounds like the peak of where he was going with the last two albums, but enhanced with the brilliance and influence of his music from the mid 90s through the early 2000s. I'm looking forward to buying it when it's released in the US...WOO HOO!!!

larksanders said:

She kinda sounds like JOSS STONE although I know it's not her.


M

NouveauDance said:

I'd have liked to have been here at the time TRC was released, that was the last great album.

Is there any way of reaching some prince org archives?

I did like Musicology and to a lesser extent 3121 but they are obviously lightweights.

Someone help me out. What song has the lyrics "I come like lighting." or something like that. Hmmmmm. I was kinda shocked to hear it.


M

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

It's the Lion!

emilio319 said:

this should be qouted in bold on the front page of the org

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

The One U Wanna C. Great song. I remember him just screaming that part at Target Center.

SirPsycho said:

I agree - consider it done! Well, not bold font, but italics!

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Mea culpa....I just read someone else say it is Shelby. Guess we'll have to wait for the liner notes (if there are any). But if it is Shelby she does a great Mavis impression.

DevotedPuppy said:

I'm a fan of the song and I have to confess that PE is growing on me.

M

I'm confused... is the album out yet? Everyone is talking like it's out already.