I have just listened to all 3 back to back, and PE twice, as I have never really had the time to listen to it that often.

3121 just about wins it for me, as it is simply the most consistent of the 3.

However, seperating musicology and PE is alot harder. It has been pointed out that making either a double or single album of the 3 would have been better, without doubt a single album with the best of the 3 would have been a masterpiece.

2 single albums released seperately would have worked very nicely as well, but given that us P fans can never get enough, 1 masterpiece or 2 brilliant single albums over 5 yrs would have been too little. Not that I am trying to advocate quantity over quality, but there are veryfew artists if any that could release the volume of work that P does, and still maintain a standard. On top of that P´s hardcore fans are probably his most critical.


As for the comparisons with his 80´s output, that is natural and the reaction to F.U.N.K when it appeared, proves this point. basically one would have had to have lived in the 80´s when P was churning this stuff out, to have imagined what that was like, it was basically a mystical journey, which truly started with Dirty Mind and ended with Lovesexy, since then P has brought some incredible albums and music, but none of it has reached the heights of that 80´s era, and i stress the word era. As in album after album.

As a hardcore fan I have no complaints, I am always happy to hear what is next, as there is always going to be a gem or 3, all i can say is, I hope it continues

Whilst I love the old school classics, I find these last 3 albums have been great to listen to as records in their own right. They've provided a tantalising glimpse into some of the newer jams from the infamous vault and also personally given me many highlights to savour...

Musicology...a personal highlight of mine being Prince & Wendy's acoustic rendition of Reflection but also loving that we got to hear A Million Days and If I Was The Man In Your Life dusted off from the back catalogue and given a rightful home
3121...especially felt the Lovesexy vibe on The Word "get up, come on let's do something", the "hey, hey, hey, wake up it's a new day" bridge on Beautiful, Loved & Blessed, not to mention the classic funk break on Love of "bounce, aww, shake that thing, c'mon!" And who didn't love the Michael B./Sonny T. Days Of Wild style rumbling on the title track?!
Planet Earth...absolutely LOVING(!) the gorgeous melody on Future Baby Mama (reminds me of the plaintive longing on the Rebels era demo of If I Love You Tonight) as well as the sheer brilliance of Lion Of Judah (a true classic in my eyes).

Surely I can't be the only one who is truly diggin' all 3 of these albums.
Anyone else feeling these joints?

I think all three albums are good. None of them great.

I must say that I do

i've been listening 2 all 3 back 2 back and still i can get in2 musicology and 3121 my head bobs ..but when it comes 2 planet earth all the midnights in the world just ruins the whole album and even mr goodnight sounds like he was reading off a piece of paper trying 2 fit the words in2 the music bars.

L4OATheOriginal said:

You actually listened to Planet Earth again?! There must be glaciers forming in hell right now.

I agree with a lot that's been said here, but one thing.

Alexa de Paris?
I that song 2 death... its my 2nd favorite in fact... and its not even on the album, its a b-side.

Interesting enough... Prince has done a ballad on the third track in A LOT of his albums.
Do me Baby- Controversy
The Beautfiul Ones- Purple Rain
Condition of the Heart- ATWIAD
Diamonds & Pearls
Shh (if u take out the NPG operators)- TGE
Until ur in my arms again- NewPower Soul
The Greatest Romance- Rave Un2
A Million Days- Musicology
Te Amo Corazon- 3121
Somewhere here on Earth- PE

purplecam said:

i know isn' that surprising in itself? lol ..and it's still horrendous as the 1st day i listened 2 it

I liked all three.
What makes a hardcore fan by the way. Some of the people who have responded on here only own a few albums?!

L4OATheOriginal said:

If it makes you feel any better, I hardly listen to it myself. Don't hate it but it's a "whatever" kind of album.
[Edited 12/6/07 11:24am]

SquirrelMeat said:

Isn't Hardcore a fan that sticks by their man...,. No Matter What?

purplecam said:

how can u not since ur avatar is from so said "whatever" album lol ..i think the real problem 4 me is that after something so fucking funky as 3121 comes this half hazzard album ..

Hey all,

I thought I was hardcore, but from some of these top 5 lists with New Power Soul and 3121 listed I think maybe I am in the wrong forum.

Now taste is a matter of perspective, but I can honestly say that both have a decent song or 2, but overall they are weak period. Even weaker compared to his earlier work.
I was so twisted with the songs on 3121, then the production on Fury which could have been a smoking guitar track, that I refuse to buy another new Prince album consisting of all new music until he gets someone in the studio to tell him was is weak.

I have said this for yrs here, that he is now following when up until 88 he was leading with production, song structure, ideas, beats, etc.

In the nicest way possible I can not understand how someone can listen to a track like Guitar or 3121 and tell me that it is good music.

I have hundreds of albums and there was time I would buy anything he put out,and look I still come here daily for the non prince forum, but I find his new stuff corny and cliche.

L4OATheOriginal said:

im too lazy to change it.

purplecam said:

lol ..i'll give u a dollar 2 change it ..hell i'll buy u a metrocard lol