in the end its all so sex kitten meets billy ray cyrus. at least hes not doing videos strictly laying on beds anymore. which was like every prince video since 1995.

The vocals are not weak on this album.

PLANET EARTH IS SO-SO. PRINCE VOCALS ARE LITTLE OFF ON THIS ALBUM, ONCE AGAIN HE SHOULD LEAVE THE RAPPING ALONE.I DID NOT FEEL THIS ALBUM LIKE THAT I WOULDN'T EVEN RECOMMEND IT TO PEOPLE TO BUY IT. I NORMALLY RECOMMEND MY FRIENDS ON GOOD ALBUMS LIKE I DID WITH AMY WINEHOUSE AND MACY GRAY'S NEW ALBUM.THIS ALBUM IS GOING TO DISAPPEAR QUICKLY AND COLUMBIA HAS ALREADY FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS ALBUM.IT IS TIME FOR PRINCE TO STOP BEING STUBBORN AND LET SOME ONE ELSE PRODUCE HIM.

You are exaggerating what I said.

Me saying, "I am not sure how anyone who calls themself a Prince fan can hate this album..." is hardly the same as forcing someone to like something. I am just puzzled by those who hate, what I think is, a very likable Prince album. If you don't like it, that's fine with me.

For the record, I wouldn't go to dinner with you either. Cranky moderators aren't my idea of a good time.

NDRU said:

Points well taken. But I think it's bad either way. If it's stylistic, then it comes off as sounding half-baked. But if it's not, I'm worried.

skywalker said:

It's a very likeable album. I hear bits of Prince's "genius thing" and bits of recycling in it. Planet Earth, standing alone, will likely be remembered only as part of Prince's later catalogue. But it will be a part of the story of Prince's prestigous career.

Who ever said that?






Prince fans seem to really dig it when Prince is being self indulgent. What a lot of the harcore fanbase fails to realize is that Prince is and always has been primarily a creator of pop music. Sure, it was some the most creative pop music ever, but it was still pop music.

Yes, many Prince fans loved The Rainbow Children, however, many in the rest of the world though it was a mess. So there is this split between the masses and the fanbase. The masses seem to want Purple Rain 2, Little Red Corvette 2, etc. The fanbase seems to dig out the most on obscure, funktafied, futuristic, 20 minutes jams, bootlegs, etc.

I would argue that Prince has aged VERY well. He had his artistic "wilderness" years in the 90's. He tried everything then, including divorcing himself from everything "Prince". If you look at public/critical reaction, the consensus is that nowadays "Prince is back".

Now, some of the fanbase yearns for those days when we had Prince turning out obtuse, somewhat underground, albums/songs (The War) just for us--complete with weekend Paisley Park performances until 6AM. However, I say it again: Prince is 1st and foremost a pop musician. I don't mean that in a bad way--The Beatles were as well. It's just that Prince has never been exclusively about making "art rock/funk". Sometimes he does, often he doesn't.



I agree. It's a good Prince album.
[Edited 7/26/07 8:18am]

I'm still loving the album, except for the lame Mr. Goodnight. It's just incredibly boring. Can't believe it has as many fans as it does. My rankings for the last 3:

Planet Earth A-
Musicology A-
3121 B
[Edited 7/26/07 9:35am]

I think you can be a hardcore prince fan but still think that this album isn't that great. I see 2 or 3 potential "hits" with "planet earth", "Guitar" and the biggest, "the 1 u wanna see". It's not one of his best, but not one of his worst either. I think he has about 20 albums better than this out of his studio ones.

NDRU said:

2 me, it sounds intentionally delivered, stylistically. I love that he's using some his previous voices, and sounding very comfortable doing so. He's been focusing so much on the powerful Prince vocal style live so much lately, that it's good 2 hear that he can let that go in order 2 express a different emotion.

skywalker said:

Cosign on everything U just said, and especially the bolded sentence.

2the9s said:

Good point, and I am one of the few that love 'The Rainbow Children', 'N.E.W.S.', and most definitely 'Xpectation'... I really don't mind him going in the direction of 'Musicology' and '3121'... There R aspects of those I like, and 'Planet Earth' is VERY VERY welcome in my book, because there R other aspects (or styles) of Prince's music that I am happy 2 hear again, and in the exact way it was delivered. The song "Planet Earth" is as Prince as U can get, and just explodes at that 5:00 mark, with the guitar and the "Something in the Water..." screams. Then the perfect resolution at the end. The album was well recorded and mixed, and Prince seems very comfortable and free in his expressions.
[Edited 7/26/07 10:27am]

namepeace said:

Something he does which I find odd is he puts a song in a key that's right where his voice breaks. Too high for his middle register, too low for falsetto. So he goes back & forth, not sounding great on either. Lion of Judah would be the worst offender on this record.

Giovanni777 said:

I think so, too. It's an emotional thing. Lion of Judah expresses uncertainty in the verses, and the vocal reflects that. But as Namepeace said, it's not exactly the most pleasing vocal sound he's ever done. But it is stripped of the coolness or bravado that's in others, like The One You Wanna See or Future Baby Mama, and more in the vein of Holy River or even parts of The Cross.

In general I think his vocals sound great on PE, though I am not always crazy about the production. They sound so dry to me.

What I'm most struck by on this record is the devotion to melody. He hasn't given this much attention to it in a while. Perhaps that's the Wendy & Lisa influence? Even if they're not on every track their prescence is felt.

Planet Earth is Prince music!!!

for those who never understand Prince-music so far:"you`ll never understand Prince-music".....

Its a good album. I have had it since i bought it Friday afternoon and its just a really cool trip, i like the fact that the songs dont drag on, its not really a short record, its what records used to be 45 minutes. The vocal complaint im hearing from people Im not hearing from Prince, to me im hearing soulful singing, maybe more than on past records which seemed to be more layered vocally, which is an issue throughout music and mostly RB, take any of your new singers like a Ne-Yo, and then get them on the live stage and they cant come close to their studio sound, whereas Prince can always deliver. This is more bare bones, and if i had to guess the record was recording very quick, similar to the way he did Chaos and Disorder. As far as "hit singles" and "sales" lets get over this one quick, the world of radio/video/media is a different animal now, so dont expect charted singles and big sales or videos. Where do i rate this cd? well i dont like to do that because then thats comparing work with other work, and thats useless.

I dont get the critique on Prince vocals on this album.

I mean: when you listen to earlier material in this vein (the more 'poppy' songs on ATWIAD, a song like Under the Cherry Moon) you can hear almost exactly the same kind of vocal 'handling' by Prince.

On those albums, which are often praised nowadays on the org, he often uses that same kind of 'insecure', meandering sounding vocals, which sound off key at some places.

Ok, now I am stuck at work having to listen to the CD with head phones cause....co-works were giving me dirty looks....I love it even more with head phones on!!

NDRU said:

I AGREE. WHAT SONGS DID WENDY LISA AND SHEILA EVEN PERFORM ON??? WE WOULDNT KNOW THIS FROM THE CD ITSELF. NOT ONLY DOES IT NOT HAVE A TRACK LISTING, IT ALSO DOES NOT HAVE THE NAME "PLANET EARTH" ON THE OUTER CASING. TRULY DISSAPOINTING. NO WONDER HE GAVE IT AWAY FREE IN EUROPE.

When it comes to the overall quality off the album, i think its not a step back, or a real step forward, but a continuation.

As a whole (the frequencing of the tracks, a cohesive album-feel) i think Musicology and 3121 are a bit stronger, but the pleasant aspects of Planet Earth for me are:

- He is trying to produce melodic popsongs again (All the Midnights in the world, Resolution), a style he has done way too less in the last, lets say, 15 years. Its a style i think he can still develop himselve with.

- On at least half of the songs Prince sounds like he has put more effort in the production then on Musicology and 3121. Using more layers and instruments to keep things interesting.

- I detect a charming 'looseness' in the delivery of some of the songs that was often missing from the more forced sounding Musicology and 3121-songs.

Maybe the main 'flaw' of his last three albums is, that they are so 'decent', its good music, but not groundbreaking, pleasant to listen to, but becoming a bit boring after several listens.

Nonetheless, on a whole i see his last three albums as a big step forward from the lifeless, selfcopying dance/funk on the songs released on NPGmusicclub, and the selfindulgent, awfull lyrical mess on The Rainbow Children and the pointless jams on NEWS.

indeedso said:

I want my booklet also, I paid my 14 bucks for the cd, I want a booklet, damn it!

This album just grows and grows, there is not a single song I don't really like! Finally today my two previous "like the least" tracks clicked (Mr Goodnight & All the Midnights....)

I really believe this would have been heralded as a classic in the 80s, it is a happy, breezy, fun experience. Yes hes kept it pretty clean and simple sounding but those melodies, those prominent guitar solos and the cohesiveness are just marvelous. Most of it will ROCK live too!

RAther than seeing each new release as the time he will release your favourite type of album again whether it be PR or SOTT just view it as an opportunity to get some quality Prince music of some sort at least.....I personnally love this kind of Prince almost more than any other but even if I did not then the next album might scratch that itch.

Thank god its not another mess like Musicology or 3121 where he was trying far too hard and produced a collection of songs that did not fit toegether.

Maybe its the fact that its a week tomorrow when I will see him live for the first time in the 20 years I have loved his music but the future of his music seem so bright to me now

I am very, very happy!

yossarian said:

co-sign!

Giovanni777 said:

I love when the guitar kicks in also. I love to hear Prince solo on record. Its just too bad it was so short!!

Riverpoet31 said:

I like rainbow children but can definitely agree with the lyrical stuff on there as far as how its presented. I even myself tried to make a edited tape from the cd with as much of the overlord tone as possible cut out, as far as the music itself though meaning the musicianship there is some great playing on that cd.

NDRU said:

Same here. I'm still struck by it. It's very refreshing 2 hear, and I'm normally a rhythm freak. From what I understand, W&L didn't have anything 2 do with the songwriting though. Whatever parts they did were done in another location, using audio files that were e-mailed 2 them, then they simply e-mailed back what they had done, and Prince used what he wanted 2.

We still don't know 2 much about who's playing what on this album, and it drives me crazy. I hear Prince all over the album, and I even think he's playing the kit on "Chelsea Rodgers", because that sounds like his touch. Could be him on Bass Guitar 2. He's on the piano all over the album. As far as Mike and Sonny go, it's hard 2 tell... Maybe "Planet Earth" and/or "Guitar"... who knows.

I haven't been able 2 ask my guys that work with him if they know who played what. I'll post whatever I find out when I do. Prince records alone all the time, so even the assistant engineers might not know everything.

Whoever played the drums really got hooked on snare rolls.

Giovanni777 said:

Perhaps he asked W&L to join him because he was making his most melodic music since Parade. I could see some Prince fans being disappointed (not so much for the melodies but for the general lack of funk), but I like it. I've been waiting for it.

I wonder about the playing, too. Some of the piano in Somewhere Here On Earth reminds me of Condition of the Heart, but then it could be Renato? And the drums? Sounds like his style, but who knows? The guitar's about the only unmistakeably Prince credit!
[Edited 7/26/07 14:45pm]

NDRU said:

I think you're right on spot with that theory that he wanted them 2 be some part of it, because of what he came up with.

With the piano on "Somewhere Here On Earth", that's definitely Prince. The sparse, angular method of attack. The accents on the higher notes... sharp attack, forte, with no sustain. That's Prince on piano on that, and most definitely on "Planet Earth"... Also sounds like him on "All The Midnights In The World"...