Prince Has Lost The Art Of Final Cut
Lotusflower is the rock album we were expecting. But tracks 6,7,8 should have been included in MNPLSound.

Track groupings all wrong. MPLS should have been all bangin, instead you have a fake pulling of heartstrings.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Bingo.

Oh good grief

purplecam said:

CONTRIBUTE!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I disagree. The songs work where they are. If there were any songs from MPLS on Lotus, it would have messed the flow of the CD but that's ME and my view.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

He should hire someone for track groupings

purplecam said:

MPLS sound is supposed to evoke the Prince of old and it fails miserably if that's its point. Flow being a big part of that problem.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I agree. And for me, "Guitar" and "The 1 U Wanna C" and "Future baby Mama" and "S.H.O.E." are a few of the songs in recent years that evoke old Prince. "Guitar" is aggressive, fun, tongue-n-cheek, and I can see Prince doing this years ago. Same with "The 1...". The other two songs mentioned aren't as good as old ballads, but they are certainly more in the vein of old school ballads than something like "Until U're In My Arms Again" or "Te Amo Corazon", and the like.

The only other ballad, by the way, that Prince even comes close to evoking his younger self is "The Love We Make" or "Saviour", both which are epic.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Well that's your opinion. There were times when I got that "old" feeling listening to certain songs but I just simply liked what I liked. I wish that he didn't call it MPLSound because of stuff like this but it is what it is and I love MPLSound.

purplecam said:

There's room for everyone's opinions here, and elsewhere of course. No harm.

I think if Prince had just called the album "Here" or something else, the expectation of "old school Prince" would not have been there, because since it is NOT old school Prince.....therein lies the let down. Just let it be an album, name it and let others decide. But when you name or hype an album in a certain way, it's always going to let the fan down, because it's oh-so-rare that the album ever lives up to that specific type of hype.

purplecam said:

Loving the sound and loving the flow are 2 different issues. You can love the sound and agree the flow is messed up and still love the sound!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

We're on the same page, just examining different things on it, I think. Flow is important, totally. It makes me think of another album that is actually good on shuffle. I might start a new thread about that, just to see what folks think. Stay tuned. hehe

ernestsewell said:

so when the album xpectation came out, what were u xpecting?

and sometimes there lies in the problem, people xpect 2 hear "old" prince instead of just letting music b a journey un2 it's own. i don't go in listening 2 a new song by someone with a 20 year + career in music 2 hear the same thing they did back then.

L4OATheOriginal said:

Prince himself is the one lauding his music as old school Prince. You don't create an actual MPLS sound as a visionary and then claim you are putting out the MPLS sound that largely is nothing like the MPLS sound he created in the first place.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Exactly! I think L4OATheOriginal misquoted me and took my words out of context. "Xpectation" wasn't about "expecting" anything. It was not SPECIFIC to a genre, or a sound. It wasn't hyped or promoted as anything particular. I don't even remember it being promoted as an instrumental album, or that Vanessa Mae was on it. It just kind of was there and people listened to (then forgot about) it.

MPLSound was specifically hyped in many interviews and press releases as a return to his old sound. It's not.

Lotus was hyped as some Jimi Hendrix type boolsheet. It's not, at all. So when Prince feeds us an expectation, and we don't taste it the same, it's a let down. It's like feeding a kid spinach and telling him it's ice cream.

It's almost an unintentional bait and switch. Prince BELIEVES it's his old sound. We, however, do not. "Ol Skool Company" on Leno was so NOT old school Prince. And the biggest "old school" nod during "Feel Better Feel Good..." was some fans chanting "Freaks on This Side" from 11 years ago.

Every time I hear Prince hyping this as "old school" or something fabulous, I think about him telling people Cat Glover was going to be "big" with her album. Or how he responded to fans not liking "Graffiti Bridge" (movie), and that people didn't like The Wizard of Oz either in the beginning. Yeah, um...not so much. People didn't like Howard The Duck either.

"controversy part two"

where did that expectation come from?

ernestsewell said:

Funny you should say that because Te Amo Corazon is one of my all-time favorite Prince ballads.

L4OATheOriginal said:

I don't understand how you expect him to refresh your appreciation for his music when you simply don't give it an objective listen which is what I think a lot of you all did. But I don't care if you don't like it cause I love because it is music and it isn't suppose to solve the problems of the world. It is an escape from everyday struggles. I'm gonna jam my MPLSound from now until there is something new to digest in ears.
[Edited 4/15/09 16:44pm]

jimmyrogertodd said:

no one is reaching for your cds, dude.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

key word that ur missing tho is this is the NEW mplsound, if ur not digging it then fine but 2 xpect him always 2 bring the same sound as the 80's is really unfair 2 any artist that u may enjoy.

ernestsewell said:

i'll admit that i did take ur words and twist it some, but that was also asking u what it is ur xpect everytime u hear some new music from prince. and sometimes when ur xpecting something, it's sometimes never meets ur xpectation. whether something is hyped up as something from the past, still one should leave the xpectations at the door and who knows u might enjoy it more.

hell i wish some of my relationships were like some previous ones but its not until i leave those xpectations that i can find something new in that relationship.

just trying 2 put some perspective in y u might not like his current music at all.

jimmyrogertodd said:

i'm not sure ur speaking 2 me or 2 the person i was answering 2, because i love mplsound and lotus. i tried liking planet earth but that ain't happening in this lifetime or the next.

yeah, not much flow to either release.....gotta mix them up then delete the filler

these days prince music is more of a prince tribute act than anything else

but some Lotusflow3r tracks are great

why wasn't the title 'newmplsound'

I don't even listen to Lotusflow3r much.

ernestsewell said:

Who was hyping it as Jimi like? Was it Prince? I don't remember reading anything where he promised us a rock album. If you built your expectations based on reviews and the early leaked tracks, then you should really know better after all these years! There was no way that the entire album was going to be slamming guitar. It's a shame but not a surprise.

Am I the only one who thinks that Lotusflow3r has an outstanding flow to it. For one, Wall of Berlin sounds far better in the flow of the album than it did as a stand alone leaked track.

I listen to Lotus from start to finish without skipping a single track and wouldn't change a thing.

alandail said:

I agree completely. The way the songs are sequenced on this album is fantastic, and one of his best. They seem to transition from one to another seamlessly, and do in fact make songs that you wouldn't really care to listen to alone, seem right in place where they are on the album.
For example, if I'm in the mood to listen to the entire album, I don't feel compelled to skip 77 Beverly Park, whereas I probably would not want to listen to that song by itself.

This album may not contain any classic Prince tracks (too early to tell), but it is one of the rare few that doesn't contain one song that I feel the absolute urge to hit the skip button on.

Lotusflow3r flows the best out of the 3 for me. MPLSound flowed well until Better With Time hit but it didn't spoil the experience and it's my favorite of the 3. Elixer works well with the material on it. It flow well too but it's my least favorite. It all comes down to it being a matter of personal opinion.