For the first time in quite awhile I broke out the Symbol album today essentially just to groove on "My Name is Prince."

But, then a funny thing happened, I was getting ready to "repeat" that track and "Sexy MF" came on and I couldn't stop. After that I zipped to "The Max" etc. etc.

If this album was just "tightened up" a bit: Get rid of Vanessa Bartholomew, get rid of the whole concept and songs like "Morning Papers," "3 Chains 'O Gold" etc. and you'd have a supertight bad-ass album, instead of a very good album with some great songs and too much filler.

What album could use some tightening?

Y'all?

, Diamonds & Pearls, and Emancipation are the obvious choices.


I'm probably alone in this, but I think 1999 could be cut down a little. Free just sucks. And Lady Cab Driver sounds more like a Time track, though I do love it. And I like International Lover, but it's unnecessary. Could have been a really tight single disc if those 3 were cut, though 2 of them I really like a lot.

and the 3 1985 albums (ATWIAD, Romance 1600, and the Family) should have been distilled down into one Prince album. each of them is fine on their own, but there's a really killer album there (even a double) spread across too many projects, IMO.

Graffiti Bridge.

I could have done without all the other musical groups, even though I liked Melody Cool.

not really editing but with a few song changes Chaos & Disorder
is still my ultimate "potential greatness" album. just take off
3 songs and replace them and you get something like this:


01. chaos and disorder
02. i like it there
03. dinner with delores
04. same december
05. calhoun square
06. zanalee
07. into the light
08. i will
09. da bang
10. empty room
11. had u

Musicology, definitely.
Get rid of "Life of the crap" and "Cinnamon crap", and this album is a must-have.

I think sometimes the concept of less is defintely more. For instance, Graffiti Bridge, it's an ok album, but as a single album rather than a double album when it was released, it would have been much MUCH better.

The same could go with Emancipation, as a two disc album it would have been better.

IstenSzek said:

That is one tight album right there.

Any Prince album with those stupid segues could use editing. Exodus is one kick ass album without all those segues (except mashpotato girl).

Also some of Symbol's songs just really suck, and Emancipation is just way too long. Also I edited Graffiti Bridge years ago taking out all the other artists on there. I added the 12" of Theives in the Temple and New Power Generation and also the live version of Still Would Stand All Time from the Small Club show.

AsianBomb777 said:

You must've read my mind. When i took off the other acts on GB, I enjoyed Graffti Bridge way more than I did before. I would've also taken out Tick Tick Bang. That song or should I say that version annoys me.

The following:

Planet Earth - not so much with the production
3121 - there is just something that I think is missing from this album. It doesn't seem to be anything like what the original album might have been.
Symbol - too much hip-hop influence from "fan-cisians" like Tony M.
Parade - side B loses focus somewhat

Rave--maybe not classic, but much much better.

Emancipation--no explanation necessary

Symbol--one of my favorite, but I have to admit some moments would be better if they had been absent!

3121--Edited in that perhaps some songs could have been omitted, and some added. That, to me, was the closest of the last 3 to classic.