L4OATheOriginal said:

Ah yeah... still remember it well... "That was what U wanted me 2 play... This is what I wanna play".

2 things:

First, the lyrics are B-A-D!

Second, the mix is awful. Muddy drums do not do it for me and there is over emphasise on the bass.... even on his vocal on the otherwise sublime "Somewhere Here On Earth".

Actually, 3 things!

A waste of Wendy & Lisa's talents!

Oh no!, number 4:

Chealsea Rogers?!?!? What was the point of that track even existing passed a B-Side?

Oh well, guess I didn't like it. But if you do that's cool. There is far worse music to admit to liking!

BlurredEye said:

Yeah, I agree about the mix. For me it ruins an otherwise great song like Somewhere Here On Earth. I've tried to play it on several different systems to see if it sounds better, but it just doesn't. When the trumpet comes in at the beginning it hurts my ears even with the volume down, and the overall "muddy" sound of the song just stinks.
The chorus of Planet Earth (the song) also seems too low in the mix, robbing it of the power that it should have.
The sound quality of this album, like most of Prince's recent output, leaves quite a bit to be desired. I really have no problem with his songwriting these days, but the production and mastering of his material seems to be subpar.

jacobpb said:

Obviously, you've never heard Rave. Surely you don't think that Planet Earth is worse than Rave.
What contemporary artists are doing songs like Lion Of Judah, Resolution, and The One U Wanna C?

2 each their own, and all that... and everything is subject 2 taste, yes, BUT...

Planet Earth is an incredible album, straight up. I have already gone into detail about what I dig about it.

I would have thought that this would have satisfied a lot of long-time fans, and have been stunned at how many couldn't dig this.

There is a lot of "care" in the instrumentation on this album. There are a diverse set of elements, which occur naturally.

I think Prince was likely disappointed with the reaction 2 this album.
[Edited 2/4/08 18:46pm]

Thanks for the thread! I was taken aback by the deluge of negative comments/reactions to PE as well. I know it's cool to dog out Prince albums on Prince fan sites, but I was still perplexed by the response to this one. I was also shocked by the lack of promo for it after the MOS giveaway. I guess based on the reaction, it was a done deal after that.

I REALLY enjoyed this album. I still play it often. I've heard complaints about the lyrics, the mix, lack of funk, lack of rock, too much rock, too much funk. It almost seems as though Prince can't win with some people. Of course, as you said it is all about personal taste so I will not fault people for what they do and don't like. However, I still think there are some wonderful, fun songs here. Everything doesn't have to be a masterpiece. This album just sounds like a musician having fun making music. It's diverse, upbeat, soulful and funky. The vocal performances are excellent and the instrumentation is fantastic.

My favorite songs:

PE - I love the dark, rock opera with a message.
Guitar - Fun guitar romp from one of the best to ever pick up the instrument.
Somewhere Here on Earth - This is a BEAUTIFUL ballad!! They lyrics, Prince's singing, the instrumentation - all superb.
The One U Wanna C - Another light, fun rock song. I love the rhythm section on this. It's just a fun song to sing along with.
Future Baby Mama - LOVE IT! This is a trademark, sexy Prince R&B ballad.
Mr. Goodnite - just a fun song all the way around, another nice one to dance and sing along with. I also dig Marva's vocals on this one.
All The Midnights - I LOVE the lyrics and the whimsical feel.
Chelsea Rodgers - This is so funky! The rhythm section and horns beckon me to dance everytime I hear it. I also like Shelby's Prince's voices together.

The last two songs are my least favorite, but they are not bad songs. I am just not as into them as I am the others. Still, all in all, I think PE was a strong album.

But sonically, in general, this album has a far more "lively" mix than the last 2 albums.

Giovanni777 said:

Thanks for the thread! I was taken aback by the deluge of negative comments/reactions to PE as well. I know it's cool to dog out Prince albums on Prince fan sites, but I was still perplexed by the response to this one. I was also shocked by the lack of promo for it after the MOS giveaway. I guess based on the reaction, it was a done deal after that.

I REALLY enjoyed this album. I still play it often. I've heard complaints about the lyrics, the mix, lack of funk, lack of rock, too much rock, too much funk. It almost seems as though Prince can't win with some people. Of course, as you said it is all about personal taste so I will not fault people for what they do and don't like. However, I still think there are some wonderful, fun songs here. Everything doesn't have to be a masterpiece. This album just sounds like a musician having fun making music. It's diverse, upbeat, soulful and funky. The vocal performances are excellent and the instrumentation is fantastic.

My favorite songs:

PE - I love the dark, rock opera with a message.
Guitar - Fun guitar romp from one of the best to ever pick up the instrument.
Somewhere Here on Earth - This is a BEAUTIFUL ballad!! The lyrics, Prince's singing, the instrumentation - all superb.
The One U Wanna C - Another fun rock song. I love the rhythm section on this, it really drives the song. It's just a fun song to sing along with.
Future Baby Mama - LOVE IT! This is a trademark, sexy Prince R&B ballad. I cannot hear this one enough!
Mr. Goodnite - Just a fun song all the way around, another nice one to dance and sing along with. I also dig Marva's vocals on this one.
All The Midnights - I LOVE the lyrics and the whimsical feel.
Chelsea Rodgers - This is so funky! The rhythm section and horns beckon me to dance everytime I hear it. I also like Shelby's Prince's voices together.

The last two songs are my least favorite, but they are not bad songs. I am just not as into them as I am the others. Still, all in all, I think PE was a strong album.

-Grammar edit-
[Edited 2/8/08 17:08pm]

jacobpb said:

Obviously, you've never heard Rave. Surely you don't think that Planet Earth is worse than Rave.
What contemporary artists are doing songs like Lion Of Judah, Resolution, and The One U Wanna C?

Hey Giovanni. Man your posts always get my attention. You give insight into Prince's music that makes me take notice of the little things I may not have noticed otherwise.
Keep on droppin' that knowledge 'cause we need more of you around here, and less of the haters.
Respect.

IMO the worst thing [b]I've heard from Prince..along with OLD FRIENDS 4 SALE..just not my cup of tea , lyrically mundane, musically sounding like other contemporary artists (Resolution, Lion of Judah, The One U Wanna See) and lacking eclectivity in some songs, in others a blatant repeat of things he done in the past breaking no new ground (Future Baby Mama, Mr. Goodnight) seemed to be an effort to please multiple fanbases for the genre's and ended up sounding thin for the overall production. F.U.N.K. or PFunk was a welcome return in for some originality and creativity. [/b]

Accujack said:

Yo thanks, man. It means a lot 2 me.

...and I will keep on droppin' it, no doubt.

Giovanni777 said:

I believe we should have expectations of Prince. I have to agree that PE was not as strong as 3121. As a matter of fact, it has been a long time since Prince has done something as strong as 3121, and it still wasn't as strong as it could have been. It was no Sign o the times. It was more in the category of Gold Experience, strong but not overwhelming. I think that Prince would do good to come back to planet earth, and put his feet on the ground, and write some lyrics that come from real life, and express real feelings, like he did way back in the day. Sometimes his lyrics seem like a man searching for words instead of a man writing from his heart.

That is what the entire art side of it is, expression. We have some problem with the quality of some of his work, because he isn't expressing like he used to when he was young, mad, and horny. Now he's somewhat conservative, and that is showing in his tunes. His music has always been an expression of his heart. I think maybe he is too comfortable in his art. He needs to be shook up.

Accujack said:

i will take rave over this hot mess

Planet Earth sucks.

purplesweat said:

FuNkeNsteiN said:

It may not be Prince's best work, but at least it's not as shitty as "Bootsy? Player of the Year".
Now that album sucks donkey balls!

I truly like the title-track, SHOE, The 1 U wanna C, Future baby mama, Chelsea Rodgers and Resolution; the other tracks are ok, but still much better than the bulk of Musicology; nevertheless, 3121 is a much better album than both PE and Musicology

I'm hoping on a new album for the year, and it is typical. I would like something as thought out as 3121. That would make a great summer for me. Prince, if you buzz through these threads..... Look BACK at 3121, you did that right. You put a lot of love and energy into that disc. I think the twins were a great inspiration to you. Go find a muse.
[Edited 2/9/08 8:07am]

Accujack said:

One of the worst attempts at trying to piss somebody off, ever

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Not really trying to piss anyone off. I was just voicing my honest opinion. Whether or not it pisses you or anyone else off is irrelevant to me.

Accujack said:

Ah indeed, you are entitled to your opinion, good sir.
It's completely irrelevant to me

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Getting opinions on black music from a white dude from Finland is like going to Harlem to get the lowdown on the latest Willie Nelson album.
It just don't jive.