i always come back to this album. it has some great songs on it but the sound is ....processed. why does it sound like a backing track in a karaoke bar? is it ruined because of the production or was that his intention to have this 'closed-in' sound? to me its lacking in excitement and sounds sterile.

There is something very processed and plastic-y about a lot of it. Many blame Kirky J's role for this. I think it's more than that though.

The flipside of that is that there is some GREAT songs also, and filtered down to 1, or even 1.5 CD's worth there is a CLASSIC album there.

Though I do think a couple of songs are filler, most of the album is actually really good. I think it would have been more solid as a double album, and I am in love with the title track.

Emancipation has some cool tracks, but the 'plasticy' sound has always been my issue with it - A few of the songs are downright sunk by the production.

Oddly enough, I'm jamming to "Sex in the Summer" right now. Great song!

is it the drum sounds without reverb? the keyboard bass (midi) sounds or the cheesy filler keyboard sounds. how come i dont criticize 1999 for the same reason? because 1999 didnt have cheesy keyboards sounds. i dont know.

it is a question i'm puzzled by. i suppose you have to take each song on its own and start again with a more organic sound/arrangement. its very easy to load a sample disk and press C for bass drum and E for snare and think, well that's the drums sorted. i cant believe 3 albums worth of songs went through the quality control and passed, through the ears of a great musician.

spoida said:

I think it was just Prince's intention to make this album sound very clean. He had his message and he wanted to get it through. Do you really think it would have been that hard for him to hire some musicians and record track by track with real instruments only? He wanted it to sound exactly like it does.

As to the "better as a 1-2 cd album" - I created a poll to actually see which songs should have been on a "perfect" Emancipation and my point was proven so far, every song voted off got just a few more votes than the other ones, no song got "mass-hate"!

spoida said:

Kirk J's Production is the answer...to the question of the awful Emancipation sound !

I love this album and its sound.

Love this album.

saafiir said:

Kirky J.

There's also just too many songs on it. It can EASILY be whittled down to a full 80 minute CD of the strongest songs. I once did a 2 disk set that worked GREAT. But now thinking about it, if I chop a few tag endings on some songs, and ditch plenty of others, there's more than enough to make a good CD. Remember, each CD is only 60 minutes, so you have room to do things like this.

(Crystal Ball has the same problem and is easily one disk when you remove remixes and "Cloreen".)

I like the set, and I really dig the first CD. You can put that first CD on shuffle and every time it sounds good, no matter the song order. Disk 2 gets a bit fluffy and lame in the middle. Disk 3 is very disjointed in song styles. No flow. "I Am The DJ" would've worked better on that set, as would have "Slave 2 The System".

I think some people don't like the production of it but I also think the thing also most people don't like is a blessing as well as a curse and thats its length. Some think it is too long and could use editing, well thats nice and fine I suppose unless you're cutting tracks that others like. There are some tracks on there I like/love and some I hated when I first heard and am like WTF was he thinking and some I used to like or love but don't as much now but thats the point, its varied and expansive enough that you can feel different ways about different songs at different times.

I like all 3 discs. My fave is disc II

It was Prince in his happiest moments ...that's the last time aside from LOTUSFLOW3R we got 3 discs



and who doesn't love Somebody's Somebody the live studio version is even better !
quick question has he ever done DREAMIN ABOUT U live ?

Just listened to this album yesterday.The majority of it's cool but there's a few songs that could've stayed in the vault .Goodbye should've made the album. Emale and Courtin time seems out of place on their respective disc.

luv4u said:

Even with da awful Kirk production... I like all 3 discs too !

utopia7 said:

Crystal Ball - 3 Disks (+ up to 2 bonus disks, depending)
One Nite Alone Live - 3 Disks
[Edited 5/24/09 20:54pm]

luv4u said:

Co-sign

ernestsewell said:

Yes adding those too .... as far as connecting frame of mind to a project ONA is definitely there speaking of which IT would be nice to hear Prince back on piano
more

spoida said:

The 90's was all plastic .... but this album holds it own ...great body of work ..it's a dark CD really dark in places and cold ...its in your face alot it's not warm or fuzzy....that's why i like it...even the love songs have a edge...

Dave1992 said:

Another from me

nurseV said:

After the one you didn't actually send, but thought about doing so, on Tame's thread?

Dave1992 said:

huh?

Yes the term would be FILLER but i like a lot of the stuff on there. Then again there are some very useless songs

The problem some people seem to have with this fantastic album result from two major misunderstandings imo:

1) When Prince announced "Emancipation" as the record he was born to make, some people apparantly had something like a super-TGE in mind, i.e. a very band-oriented sound and heavy guitar work. However, Prince changed directions and gave them a pop album.

2) The filler problem: Everyone claims that cutting down the album to one or two discs would improve its quality. But: ask two people about their idea of a one-disc "Emancipation", and you'll get three opinions. The whole concept of the album was to get all of the music out so everyone may decide which tracks they love and which are the ones they skip. Wanna have a one-disc "Emancipation"? Simply warm up your CD burner!

EmancipationLover said:

Make a playlist in iTunes.

EmancipationLover said:

This is what I've been trying to tell people forever!

Anyone heard the boot called "Emancipation - Secret Chapter"?
Some interesting tracks and alternate versions on there in very very high quality.
Makes an interesting companion disc.

I really like the alt version of new world/slave & 2020.

01. Slave 2 the System
02. New World (Alt)
03. Slave (Alt)
04. 2020
05. Feel Good
06. Right Back Here
07. Journey to The Center of Your Heart
08. I Am The DJ
09. Goodbye
10. Emancipation (Alt)
[Edited 5/25/09 14:05pm]

It's odd how the production on Emancipation and Rave and I suppose New Power Soul really let the albums down, especially when you compare the production on Prince albums before and after this period.

As far as being a success, the album being whittled down to one CD of the best songs and a more organic (rather than plastic) production sound may have helped the album do so much better than it did.

Personally disc 3 is may favourite, The Love We Make being a really underrated tracks.

It's just that you're use to listening to the newer production methods that were not around back then so all the old stuff sounds crappy to me. but I understand why.