the review was truly funny in it's attempt at serious critism. With that being said, i agree with the sentiment. I do NOT like PE at all. It is almost as bad as TRC, which to me is his worst work. But, it is only my opinion. I don't care for any of the songs on PE except for the title track. After that, it is all downhill from there. but that is what makes America great-we can agree to disagree.

darmstro said:

that's exactly how i feel. it's not like i don't care for his recent music
because i always find songs i like on any album. i like new power soul and
emancipation because they might be rather bland albums but they still have
some career highlights in individual fantastic songs.

even the one off single "f.u.n.k." captivates and thrills me more than the
entire planet earth album. in fact, i think f.u.n.k. is one of his best of
the 00s material. absolutely brilliant track.

i liked a big portion of 3121 and listen to those songs regularly even now
and although i thought musicology was a horrible album not worthy of prince
it still has at least 5 outstanding, superb tracks.

planet earth has some nice songs, sure, but it's like a pastiche of all the
things that are 'wrong' with his output lately.

before the album is even 3 minutes underway you're confronted with his sad
reworking of "could it be magic". a freaking mannilow song. o.m.g. that's a
moment of suck shocking horribleness that i cannot listen to that song at
all anymore. ever. and at least once a year i still listen to jughead. but
i know for certain that i cannot ever ever every listen to planet earth at
all anymore. i remember the guitarsolo at the end being a nice breeze but
that too felt manditory and dull.

and from there on the whole album makes you cringe whenever you let down
your guard for more than three seconds and think "oh, this sounds quite
nice actually".

"you don't have to shave your legs when it ain't me that's knocking on your door"

first track with wendy and lisa in ages. makes you think that he did this on
purpose just to say "see not everything they touch turns into gold now shut
up about them".

"none of them got what it takes to be a future baby mama"

o.m.g. i know some people like it and it's got a nice linn groove and all
but those lyrics where he keeps dissing his past lovers are so tired. he
does it everytime he gets a new wife. and when he's on to the next one he
disses her just as hard. saying that none of them got what it takes to be
a future baby mama after what happened with him and mayte, is shocking to
me. it might not be meant like that and most likely it isn't but it's one
of the most shocking lyrics to me i've ever heard from him. what does he
suffer from complete memory loss now? jeez.

"call me mister goodnight, i'll make u feel alright ... (etc)"

those lyrics. prince is 50. he doesn't have to be joni mitchell
style lyrically cool for me at this point. he's always been about fun and a
little bit of silly goofing. but this is nothing like the silly coolness of
songs like "Cool". this is just silly to the point of making you sigh and
push skip, yet again.

[i]"must be baptized according to the masterplan" "butt like a letter C"

the one sort of mysterious and weird lyric about the model chelsea who likes
to talk to jimmi's ghost and saves up her tears before pouring them out to
save her soul, is smudged by another jehova shout out. and what about that
butt like a letter C thing? it's like H.E. double hocky sticks. URGH!

"the main problem with people is they never do what they say"

oh the irony. not a bad lyric as such. but this song exemplifies what i find
to be a disturbing trend in his music the past decade. he makes copies of his
own songs from the last or next to last album.

she loves me 4 me -> pearls b4 the swine -> reflection -> resolution

on the couch -> satisfied -> beggin woman

call my name -> somwhere here on earth

jukebox with a heartbeat -> what do u want me 2 do? -> future baby mama

pretty man -> northside -> the work -> get on the boat

life of the party -> incence and candles -> mr goodnight


it's like "so now i just need another ballad with crackling vynil sound and
one slow jazz crooner, plus a linn drum mid tempo track oh and let's not
forget another james brown by numbers song. plus one more over reaching out
of touch i'm the hippest daddy on the block jam".

i just hope that with this new website and he will start releasing more of
the stuff he filed away over the past decade in favor of some of the trite
songs he chose to put on his albums. .

why file away things like "glass cutter" or "funk" in favor of songs like
"mr goodnight" or "life of the party" ???

Maybe your problem really isn't with Prince but with yourself. U may have simply outgrown Prince. If u want to be hyper-critical u can go back to any Prince album and rip something in a song. U can't keep going back to the musical well that is Prince and expect it to be ever fresh and unexpected for u. Since it doesn't hit u like that anymore u turn hypercritcal.

Many of the songs u dislike like the dance I consider a classic cut. Prettyman & Northside & The work are not in anyway the same song. They may exist in the same sub-genre but do u expect each and every prince song to exist completely devoid of any connection to any other piece of music? That is highly illogical and unrealistic.

I fail to see the connection between these songs other then they are all of the same genres:

she loves me 4 me -> pearls b4 the swine -> reflection -> resolution

on the couch -> satisfied -> beggin woman

call my name -> somwhere here on earth

jukebox with a heartbeat -> what do u want me 2 do? -> future baby mama

pretty man -> northside -> the work -> get on the boat

I mean really I guess Prince shouldn't do any more blues, jazz, rock, soul ballads, or funk tunes since he's done them all before. U seem to imply that only time u are satisfied with Prince is when u are compeltely dazzled by a song. Can't we just enjoy a sentimental ballad or a riff on 70's soul? Must Prince always give us the Moon? I bet most of the people who complain so much about his output wouldn't place the same expectations on other successful musicians.

I mean Springsteen for all his talents only covers a musical gamut from A to C. Is he expected not to repeat himself? If he was his career would have been over 25 years ago.

mELdOURADOsELVAGEM said:

Hope springs eternal with Prince albums, and when you first hear a new one, you're captivated just to get new music. You convince yourself that the genius still has it, and that you're listening to grace notes.

And then months pass, and you don't return to certain albums as much. Then at all. Then you try to remember a couple of decent songs from said album, and struggle mightily.

Such is the case with PLANET EARTH. The reviewer was harsh, sure, but he was also 100% dead-on. Prince is so grossly out of touch with this album that it's almost cringe-worthy. "Planet Earth" is momentarily captivating, and then you realize that it's nothing but a bunch of chord changes and cliches. "Guitar" is admittedly a fun, catchy, energizing slash track, and "Somewhere Here on Earth" is a welcome treat for fans of "Adore". And then it's downhill so fast that you need to catch your heart from leaping out of your throat, because you can't believe there isn't another single memorable song on the album. Sure, go ahead and defend "Chelsea Rodgers" or "The One U Wanna See" all you want, but tell me that Prince couldn't have churned that out in his sleep 20 years ago, and then left them as B-Sides, if that. And, yes, "Lion of Judah" and "Resolution" are some of the worst closing tracks in Prince's career, next to the ending of the Love Symbol album. It's enough to make "Reflection" sound like a classic; Prince couldn't even rip off his own mid-range, average song well.

Sorry if this sounds like being a hater. Actually, it's just being honest. When he's great - or even just 'okay' - he's better than anyone. But "Planet Earth" will rank in the bottom 2-4 albums of his career when all is said and done.

Tell us something we don't know, Mr. Reviewer.

I still don't get how some people put 3121 on a pedestal yet kick PE into the gutter. I think it really is all down to the sheen of promotion and hype.

tricky99 said:

i don't think i've outgrown prince because i like and even love all of his old
albums. no matter how often i go back to them, even with that "hypercritical"
mindset, i still love them. i find prince hardly placed a foot wrong imo from
for you up to batman. his output was a tiny bit patchy from batman - symbol and
became strong and energetic and alive again from come - crystal ball/the truth.

everything from NPS and RAVE including the whole npgmc era balances between his
best and his worst. simply because he released so much. but i don't care about
that. for instance, how can people rip on Emancipation when you could easily do
some editing and come up with a brilliant one disc album but instead you get two
more discs full of extra music.

anyways, The Rainbow Children, One Nite Alone, Xpectation, Cnote, N.E.W.S. are
all simply WOW to me. very very good albums. fun, playfull and driven.

he just started losing me with Musicology i guess. but then i found myself in a
deep state of appreciation with the songs i love from 3121 again. plus F.U.N.K.
and lots of bsides like musicology's "magnificent" are superb imo.

it's purely Planet Earth that i dislike. as i said before, it's his worst ever
album imo. whenever i listen to it i fail to take anything away from it at all
except for "all the midnights in the world" which i like altho i do believe the
general consencus seems to be that you have to hate it, lol. i like it tho.

lion of judah has good moments too but i dislike the "chorus". all in all i've
certainly not outgrown prince but i think that sometimes prince out-dumbs even
himself. the question remains why. why in the hell?

it's not like the man lost his touch because he still writes amazing material
and puts on incredible live shows eventho he makes weird choices. like playing
those same covers over and over and over and over and over in concert instead
of showcasing some more new or classic prince songs.

as i said before, it's a personal thing. i understand why people like or love
planet earth. but it offers nothing new for me, nothing at all anymore. this is
the first prince album that is an absolute mixtape of left over cuts. and that
baffles me since we all know that the man had about 32 other cuts to pick from
for this album but chose not to.

musicology and to a lesser extent 3121 also feel like mixtapes but at least the
songs on both those album feel specific enough to make it a somewhat cohesive
and purposefull project with an actual heart and soul. planet earth, however i
try to approach it feels like an empty shell, or to stay with the package and
cover design: a hologram.

anyway, i have high hopes for the new projects. i like everything i've heard so
far except perhaps chocolate box but we've only heard 30 seconds so who knows.

Well maybe if u do think of PE as a mix-tape and not some unfied concept u might enjoy it better. I don't think its his best work, but I enjoy the individual songs.

Who the fuck even makes music like this anymore?

i could not agree more if i tried planet earth was and still is the
single biggest disappointment in prince records to this date for me.

IstenSzek said:

I would have to disagree.It's one of the albums that got me into him.I got it free with the mail & it blew me away.Now i'm in the process of buying everything by Prince

aazzaabb said:

for real? omg, you are in for such a great great ride if you already
consider Planet Earth to be a good album!



everything from 1981 - 1988 is manditory

and if you love Planet Earth i guess you really need to get yourself
a copy of "The Gold Experience" since Planet Earth is basically just
a very very poor man's Gold Experience.



yay for new fans

IstenSzek said:

I'm actually a Michael Jackson fan but i've become bored with what MJ is doing,or rather what MJ is not doing.

But it's given me time to get propper into Prince which has been one of the best things i've done.All that 80's stuff (atleast what i've heard) is amazing!

I've been listening to Sign O The Times & a best of album but you gotta start somewhere i guess.I've always admired his genius but i kept him in the backround.

But i've decided to dive in now & begin building a propper Prince collection.well all his albums anyways.It's quite a few

Is The Gold Exp still available? I know one (if not more) of his albums are discontinued.

I've also noticed in alot of music shops that the Prince section is tatty & missing most of his stuff.I'll be buying online.I think it's the only way to get everything.

I picked up Indego Nights the other day.Good live album.£15 in HMV.nice price.

So if anyone wants to recommend their top Prince albums i would appreciate it.Although i'm pretty sure this a "Top 10" thread somehere

aazzaabb said:

I think if you like Prince, you would like the Gold experience, I dont know why, but I think there is a commercial and accessable feel to it common in most MJ music.

I listened to Planet Earth I don't know how many times, and I just can't understand what's so bad about it.

vinx98 said:

Thanks vinx98.Thats actually an album i've been wanting to hear for a long time.
I was checking out Prince on wikipedia & i think theres alot of innacuricies concerning his discography.I know he's worked on other projects & i'm looking for a definitive list.I'll have to actually start using this site now rather than being off topic in here:lol:

aazzaabb said:

i think the gold experience has been discontinued. but perhaps you can still
find it somewhere online?

his official albums are -in order of release:

for you
prince
dirty mind
controversy
1999
purple rain
around the world in a day
parade
sign o the times (2cd)
black album
lovesexy
batman
grafitty bridge
diamonds and pearls

come
the gold experience
chaos and disorder
emancipation (3cd)
the truth
crystal ball (3cd)
rave un2 the joy fantastic
rave in2 the joy fantastic [remix album]
the vault...old friends 4 sale
the rainbow children
n.e.w.s. [instrumental]
musicology
3121
planet earth
indigo nights [live + 21 nights book]


NPGMC releases (all official prince albums):

the chocolate invasion
the slaughterhouse
one nite alone [studio piano & vocal album]
one nite alone...live (3cd live + aftershow]
c-note [instrumental]
xpectation [instrumental]


HITS or COMPILATION:

the hits/the b-sides (3cd box)
the very best of
ultimate prince


SIDE PROJECTS (with huge prince input or almost entirely prince)

madhouse: 8 [instrumental]
madhouse: 16 [instrumental]
npg: goldnigga
npg: exodus
npg: new power soul

SATELLITE ACTS (albums written mostly by prince etc, vox by others)

the time: the time
the time: what time is it?
the time: ice cream castles
the family: the family
sheila e: sheila e
sheila e: romance 1600
sheila e: the glamorous life
vanity: vanity
appolonia 6: appolonia 6
jill jones: jill jones
mayte: children of the sun
tamar: milk and honey

the official prince albums is the complete list of everything. the
satellite artists list is just a pick of the most extensive albums
or best stuff. there's a huge amount of tracks he wrote and/or
recorded for others with varying amounts of his input on vocals or
instruments tho. there should be a lot more in the site Q&A. come
to think of it, i should have just redirected you there



wait, let me see if i can find a link

I honestly prefer PE overall over 3121

Hope springs eternal with Prince albums, and when you first hear a new one, you're captivated just to get new music. You convince yourself that the genius still has it, and that you're listening to grace notes.

And then months pass, and you don't return to certain albums as much. Then at all. Then you try to remember a couple of decent songs from said album, and struggle mightily.

Such is the case with PLANET EARTH. The reviewer was harsh, sure, but he was also 100% dead-on. Prince is so grossly out of touch with this album that it's almost cringe-worthy. "Planet Earth" is momentarily captivating, and then you realize that it's nothing but a bunch of chord changes and cliches. "Guitar" is admittedly a fun, catchy, energizing slash track, and "Somewhere Here on Earth" is a welcome treat for fans of "Adore". And then it's downhill so fast that you need to catch your heart from leaping out of your throat, because you can't believe there isn't another single memorable song on the album. Sure, go ahead and defend "Chelsea Rodgers" or "The One U Wanna See" all you want, but tell me that Prince couldn't have churned that out in his sleep 20 years ago, and then left them as B-Sides, if that. And, yes, "Lion of Judah" and "Resolution" are some of the worst closing tracks in Prince's career, next to the ending of the Love Symbol album. It's enough to make "Reflection" sound like a classic; Prince couldn't even rip off his own mid-range, average song well.

Sorry if this sounds like being a hater. Actually, it's just being honest. When he's great - or even just 'okay' - he's better than anyone. But "Planet Earth" will rank in the bottom 2-4 albums of his career when all is said and done.