At the moment I really don't like it!

But I bet in 10 years time I'll be eatting my words..

As usual Prince is probably way ahead of us!

At the moment I really don't like it!

But I bet in 10 years time I'll be eatting my words..

As usual Prince is probably way ahead of us!

Accujack said:

Ya'll must be too hip for the room then. And I don't mean this in a cool cat kinda way. Ya'll must be them three-minute hipsters that the radio is geared towards these days.

But those who get upse over the 'religious' references that aren't all that preachy are bigots. Sorry, but Prince as always talked about stuff like this, he is just more defined with the JW and the few songs on the album that really expessed it aren't all that obvious

OldFriends4Sale said:

It doesn't really make you a bigot if you're turned-off by stuff like this:

"Like a thief in the night, my lord come and strike
Leave nothing but ashes to the left, dust to the right
Holocaust aside, many lived and died
But when all truth is told, Would u rather be dead or be sold?"

"The Wise One who understood the law
that was handed down from God long ago
reflected the true meaning to his woman every day.
And she surrendered her discerning of it into his care and keeping
She trusted he would lead in the right way.
Her children in subjection to her, and she in subjection to the Wise One.
All is in subjection to God."


"See we're living in a system that the devil designed
And suffering from this devil's most heinous crime
He's tried to keep us from the reason we were born
That is to be the living truth in human form"

"Stay with me baby
But let me tell you how it's gonna be
There's a theocratic order.
There's a theocratic order now.
This is how it's gonna be
If u wanna be with me
Ain't no room for disagree
1+1+1 is 3"

I'll say that if Prince never professed a JW connection, I don't think people would have a problem with the album

Stuff like this isn't to far from what Prince has written before
And I'll give U this one song, what about Everywhere, Rainbow Children, Digital Garden, She Loves Me For Me, Mellow

Again I think people are being narrow minded and bigoted

vivid? comeon... "1999", "dirty mind", "sign o' the times", "purple Rain"... are heads above TRC

Rainbow Children is awesome and refreshing

so what the deep voice is irritating,
and people need to get over his JW association, he doesn't live 4 U, he may continue in it, he may leave later

But those who get upse over the 'religious' references that aren't all that preachy are bigots. Sorry, but Prince as always talked about stuff like this, he is just more defined with the JW and the few songs on the album that really expessed it aren't all that obvious

Rainbow Children as a song is sexy (forget that voice which is only at the beginning and a touch at the end) it's a hot song
Digital Garden as an instrumental
Everywhere musically is wonderful
The Sensual Everafter
Mellow
1+1+1 = 3
the Everlasting Now
She Loves Me 4 Me
Last December

What is so unlistenable about these songs... NOTHING

OldFriends4Sale said:

I didn't quote just one song. The lyrics I posted were from 4 different songs; one of which you claim isn't religious. Also, I said earlier that I feel some of his best music deals with spirituality, I just disagree with the beliefs he has. People can disagree with his beliefs without being narrow minded bigots. Maybe the narrow-mindedness & bigotry lies in advocating theocracy, vengeful divine wrath, and the subjection of women!

OldFriends4Sale said:

How far can you get your snoot up Prince's chocolate starfish anyway?

TBeatty716 said:

I didn't claim anything wasn't religious, I know this is his JW acceptance album

I said I don't see it as all that 'preachy' I'm mean Sexuality can be seen as preachy too so can God the Dance Electric, I had someone tell me the Cross was preachy,

I don't want you to take this as a direct challenge to you, I'm talking about over all opinions I've heard that had no real substance to it. Some people just get offended at the idea of religion, and they take that offense to this album not because it isn't good musically(because it's layered and diverse instrumentally and it's very good) but it's the religious association. And they say "nothing on this album is good" "this album spouts his JW beliefs"

Does Rainbow Children really do that? Especially since Prince has combined Egyptology Christian & Jehovah's Witness ideas

Digital Garden(instrumental) is superb, I love he guitar works especially
Everywhere just feels good: I Wish U Heaven
Mellow or She Loves Me 4 Me mix very well with Tangerine, Strollin, Ballad of Dorothy Parker
Last December for the most part I still don't get lyrically, but I also still don't get Glam Slam lyrically. But musically I can listen to both over and over
The Sensual Everafter(another instrumental) I can set in a playlist with Alexa de Paris, and God the Love them
I'm not a big fan of Family Name or Willing 2 Do the Work(because it sounds too much like James Brown)

I think people preconceived ideas about this album, taints how they hear it.
As an album I'm listening for the music 1st off, then how it's actually sung(not the actual lyrics)



"But those who get upse over the 'religious' references that aren't all that preachy are bigots. Sorry, but Prince as always talked about stuff like this, he is just more defined with the JW and the few songs on the album that really expessed it aren't all that obvious "

snip

OldFriends4Sale said:

I think in this instance offense of completely and totally warranted. You can't compare his approach on those old songs to this album. The preachiness is overt in places and veiled in others. For me I am willing to forgive and overlook all of that because musically it is so brilliant and for the fact that it's not total assholery. It just feels like the real deal and I can't hate it for that. The new stuff I despise for the simple fact you can tell his heart isn't truly in it.

OldFriends4Sale said:

Listen, you can like the album. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. The thread was started not in defense of TRC, but rather a big, hearty "WTF?" I remember downloading it from NPGMC and just thinking it was ridiculous. Musically, it's very different from what we've heard from Prince to that point. It was very organic, very smooth, jazzy, yes. I get that. Musically it is unique, and we hadn't heard anything as "off track" as that since ATWIAD or Lovesexy.

It's not JUST the deep voice. I can deal with the voice. He's used it before. It's not even the story telling. He's done that before. It's the racism, the "this is what you should believe and ignore everything you've ever heard in your life because I am Prince, and I said so" arrogance on every other track. He's sure of himself, as he should be, but there's an old saying about there's two things you don't mess with people on: Their money and their religion. When you're singing about flying on the wings of the New Translation (Bible) and talking about the Banished ones (who are those that don't believe like HE does)....it's offensive.

Yeah, I have the right to not listen, and that's what I do. When TRC was brought up a month or so ago, I thought...okay, let me try ONE MORE TIME to hear this record. I played it. I cranked it up in my headphones. I felt like I was having my teeth scrapped with a butter knife. The funkiness of "1+1+1=3" or "Everlasting Now" is just lost with his vapid lyrics on religion. "Family Name" is ridiculous to no end. Yeah, I get the slave name thing. I'm not black, but I get the idea of being violated in some way like that. I get it. He ditched his 'slave' name for years, and then took it back when he felt he was 'free', then still bitches about 'the system' holding him down (ie: SoundScan, etc).

I'm a born-again Christian. And a gay one at that. It's a very unique view to have, being raised Independent Baptist (which made Southern Baptists look like heathens), listening to Prince, growing up into my own, yet stripping the traditions of belief off, and keeping the core beliefs close. Then you have someone like PRince, who you've admired since 1979 come along and start talking about "you can cut that how you want, but it's THE TRUTH". Yes well, it's the truth to PRINCE, not the absolute truth of the world. Yet he's just arrogant enough to think so, and write a ridiculous album stating as much. It's not "I believe this, I want to share", it's hitting the fan/listener over the head with it. For someone who preached, PREACHED, about freedom, he did a 180 and tried to yoke everyone to his beliefs. Now he's a pale shadow of the person he once was.

THOSE is my issues with TRC. No doubt, you might disagree. So while there are those others who will say my mind isn't open to things: you're dead wrong. To those who simply disagree w/ liking or disliking it, that's fine. I'm not making it personal against those who like it. I just don't.I'm cool with that. This my two cents, and you have yours. Which means, in the end, we break even, and it's a draw. No harm, no foul.
[Edited 5/1/09 10:57am]

Now that's what I like, a 'reasonable reason'

But a lot of other people really haven't thought it out of why they do or don't

And I've heard that it's too pro black (no good example from the people I've heard that from) can you give me examples of the racism in this album?

OldFriends4Sale said:

"pro black" isn't what I meant. I don't care if something is pro black. James Brown was singing "I'm Black And I'm Proud" decades ago. Sly was singing "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" decades ago. I don't want black artists to be "more white" to suit me. I may look white, but it's a birth mark.

stanleylieber said:

I like the preaching cuz to me it ain't preaching its just telling it how he sees it. BTW I am not by any means a JW not even if he came to my front door.

The Rainbow Children was the first Prince CD that I was scared to buy. I had heard so many differing reports about the CD from the Celebration in June that year up until it came out and I had never heard so many different and opposing opinions about 1 CD, let alone a Prince CD. I didn't know what to expect. I just knew that I had to go into it with an open mind. After hearing it the 1st time that night, I thought, "Man this CD is weird but cool" and I hadn't felt that way about a Prince CD since Lovesexy, which took over 10 years for me to love. I kept on playing it and I realized that it was a great album. It's not my absolute favorite as there are other before and since that I love more but it's in my top 15 Prince CD's. I've always looked at TRC as a story not to be taken literally or personally. Funny thing for me is that it took 2 years after the CD came out for me to see the JW stuff in there but it still didn't take away from it being a "story" in my eyes, even if there were thing in there that I agreed & disagreed with. The Darth Vader/Bob George voice never bothered me either. I saw him as a Narrator of the story.

One thing I got to add is that I have to be in the mood to listen to this CD. There are only 1 or 2 songs I can listen to on there own but it's so much beter to hear it in one shot. I get the full effect with it. I always knew after hearing it that the CD was going to have a love/hate thing going on and boy oh boy did it ever. No other Prince CD has gotten the response of both extremes in such a big way before or since. That right there is a major accomplishment.