Continuing on the One Album a Day discussion of Prince's music, we arrive at the epic Emancipation. Initially I thought to do this as a one disc per day review - but to do so will rob the ability to compare and contrast and listen to this as Prince intended. So read on if you dare, lol.

EMANCIPATION

DISC I

The year was 1996 and word that a triple disc from was on it’s way. Press interviews at the time talked how he was calling this the album “I was born to make”. With his contract with Warners well and truly over (save from them pumping out repackaged greatest hits and old tunes like new) this was the first official released on NPG Records alone. He was an artist finally free to do what he wanted, release a disc how he wanted (3 sides, 12 songs per disc and one hour each), and do things his way.

I can remember rushing home to hear this cd and somewhere along the line seeing him on Oprah performing cuts from it (Sleep Around in particular) and being interviewed. It felt like he was ready to be the musician the last few years had perhaps stifled him from being.

So with much anticipation and optimism I put in each disc, and quickly listened to between 5 – 10 seconds of each song. A quick sampling of every track before popping disc one in and sitting back to truly listen.

With its teasing intro Jam of the Year had me guessing, what was it going to be like? Then with a wooooo the laid back groove hit with that accompanying horn and piano melody. Accustomed to hard-hitting openers, JOTY was cruisier. I always pictured this as the top down, volume up cruise the oceans winding roads car song that made me long for a convertible. The fluttering flute took me back to Gett Off and that can’t be a bad thing now can it. And the strong vocals of Rosie made me wonder if this had been a sleeper from an earlier album. With an obvious reference to Mayte and her pregnancy this song had an optimistic feel to it, a lightness that had been missing from some of the previous albums work. A great start, but what next….

With that infectious beat and sliding synth line, Right Back Here In My Arms had me from the get go. That bubbling bass synth that plods along in the verses (and let’s face it the song is really all verses) this song of longing was funky in a truly purple fashion.

When Somebody’s Somebody burst from my speakers I was thinking “man this is a string of solid openers” and once again he had me. With a sway with the music vibe SS was a pure delight to listen to. Everything that makes a great song was there, a beautiful melody, vocal hooks, an identifiable emotion, and those layered vocals. I love how Prince’s resolve increases with every passing chorus. How smooth is that guitar solo near the end? Just when you thought this was the quintessential version of this the LiveStudio version released as a b-side to Holy River took it to another level.

Stepping it up a notch, Get Your Groove on is more up-tempo than the preceding songs. Almost reinventing the 70s “shake your groove thang-esque” songs there is a definite party vibe at work here. Vocals delivered with joy, and a melody line in the higher register this song wants twinkling lights and flowing drinks and a few good friends.

With a throwback to Delirious, Courtin’ Time is a playful little ditty. Once again showing he can do any style of music, the song sticks out a little too much to the rest of the groove on this disc, and unfortunately feels a bit throwaway to me, perhaps why it’s the shortest track on the collection.

What can one say about Betcha By Golly Wow! when the man himself calls it “maybe the prettiest melody ever written” who am I to argue. And pretty is the word that sums it up best. There is a joy and innocence in this song that in lesser hands could have easily drifted into schmaltzy but here it all sounds cool. So serene.

Countering the prettiness of BBGW, We Gets Up brings the funk. The most up-tempo track on the first disc it’s the party in full swing tune of the set. Funny thing is, I listen to this and think that it might have been more a The Time song than a track.

My favourite song on disc 1, White Mansion is all dreams (realised). With its groove along vibe, effects and spiralling synth lines this was a song that was a focus point for me as I was starting to think about my future, leaving childhood behind and starting to build a career. And now several years later it still has the same appeal it held then. I would have loved to see how this one played live. And I loved the self referencing lines that drew attention to what this whole was about “sell my publishing rights? What a laugh. I don’t know Bo but I do know math”.

Damned if Eye Do with its classic rock structure feels a little undercooked and dare I say it simplistic. It’s the kind of song that reminded me of Terence Trent D’arby doing Prince.

When a song as beautifully crafted as Bonnie Raitt's I Can’t Make You Love Me plays you feel the emotion that is poured into it. And knowing a beautiful melody when he hears one doesn’t mess with the arrangement or try to reinvent it, he just pours out his heart and takes it on as his own. One of the most heartfelt songs every written. And one of the most amazing covers he has done.

To go from ICMYLM to Mr Happy was a weird choice. But once the initial shock to the system past I found myself drawn into this almost dark party jam – something about the delivery of “I will take care of you” always came across as menacing to me, and I loved that. Maybe it was the crazed almost twisted circus like synth line. Scrap D’s rap with reference to Eye Hate U and Ice Cube sample this song is on point.

In This Bed I Scream – dedicated to Wendy & Lisa and Susannah, there is a nostalgic feel to this song that is enticing. With lines like “how did we every lose communication?” you could almost feel the olive branch being offered. Here is a man facing up to his decisions of the past, and looking for a fresh start. This song is in the stratosphere of cool. A blend of old and new. Of past and future. This has White Mansion and Somebody’s Somebody tied for the song of disc 1.

DISC II

As I popped in disc 2 I wasn’t sure if this was a continuation, or a new start. The more I listen to the collection I feel the album was broken up into 3 distinct sets. And whilst I admire the brilliance of the collection, I wonder if there was just too much music to listen to. Would things have been different if instead of a 3 disc set, it was a 3 disc collection released one disc at a time every 4 months in year, giving people the chance to absorb the strength of each disc.

As it was, when Sex in the Summer hit I smiled. The vocal intro set the cool factor of the song, and the Bernie Warrol meets ultrasound heart beat inspired blipping bass just grounded it in the funk. I looped this song 3 times once and just lay on the floor feeling the sunshine. Roy Ayres would be proud.

One Kiss at a Time… hmmm listening to it now I feel like I haven’t even heard it before. Maybe it’s because of all the discs, the second one was the one that had the most ups and downs for me. I mean the feel of the song is rippling like water, but I remember not thinking too much of the more ballad like songs on the set. And would often fast forward them. Maybe it’s because I felt that the arrangements were familiar.

I once read in an interview that Spike Lee played Soul Sanctuary for 6 hours continuously. And whilst I’m not sure I could go 6 hours, (my limit would be 5:55) the song does have a certain hypnotic quality to it.

Emale – what an awesome song. With it’s sinister stylings, and playfully told story of online seduction, I loved the delivery of www.(rim shot). This is the song that sold disc 2 for me. It’s twisted. It’s brooding. It’s on it’s on it’s on.

Curios Child reminded me too much in its arrangement of Kiss From a Rose from Seal, and thus it never had a chance to recover.

Thankfully pressing >> delivered the sublime Dreamin’ about U a song that always sounds fresh. Reminding me slightly of the SOTT era, this song is the perfect blend of experimental and familiar, and for the record… a killer make out song.

And then Joint 2 Joint hit, and the make out was on! A flirty little song this one, it’s got that cool a$$ prince vocal delivery that just oozes seduction. When the breakdown hits at the 2 minute mark the song warps its way into a new phase. And with each passing progression we go from tap to a plucking bass that works over your speakers to the climax. And what about those last 50 seconds, lol.

The Holy River I know is a lot of people’s favourite song on this set, but I never really got into it that much. I can appreciate the arrangement, and the message, but I just never got into it. Now though, I hear it and hear new things my ears back then maybe weren’t ready for. The song seems joyous were I use to feel it was drab. And the guitar solo at the end now carries me off to that awesome hit quick crescendo.

A prelude to one night alone, Let’s Have A Baby is pure in the zone, vocal and piano working as one, and has that one take feel I just love.

Saviour straight away has that epic rock opera feel. And each time I just wait for it to take me away, and sure enough it does. I remember making a cd once of the epic tracks and this butted up against 3 chains of gold is just too powerful.

The Plan – a snippet from Kamasutra unfortunately didn’t make me long to hear the rest of it.

Friend Lover Sister Mother/Wife seemed a fitting way to end the second disc, as this one seemed the most in love, the most romantic. This is a purple gospel, joyful, passionate and uplifting. One of the most touching songs on the album.

DISC III

Slipping in disc 3, I was greeted with the thumping bass beat of Slave and the spooky low register intro vocals. And I was hooked, and then double hooked at “soooooul”. What I loved about this song was that the lower tones seemed to wallow in sadness and despair but as the song progressed with each verse the tone lifted and lifted to the middle register then to the higher, as if the weight dragging the tone down was being lifted. And with that enmass drum line counter to the chorus, the power just erupted from the speakers. And I loved how the argument of being a slave to a CONtract (ever notice how contracts restrict) is so eloquently put here. “I just want to play the part of someone truly free”. And the last few seconds that have counter the laughter in the left speaker and the sorrow in the right was well worth wearing headphones for.

Whereas in the past the techno dance attempts hadn’t really paid off and felt more like someone playing catch up than pioneering, Brave New World righted all those wrongs. With its bubbling bass line accentuated by bass stabs, its grounded in a funk fused groove. And the return of the classic synth line is here and long overdue. And with silky smooth “love 4 1another” vocals just icing this pound cake you know you wanted a bite. Still sounds as fresh to me today as it did back then.

Continuing the pumping dance feel with The Human Body I was taken back to Batdance and the mixing pot of sounds and melodies that was. The mix of isolation and celebration collide in such wonderful tones here. A true joy to have pounding in my brain. Especially the elongated final passage.

I was never a real fan of Face Down. But listening to it now it doesn’t seem as harsh and gangsta wannabe as I originally dismissed it to be. In fact the delivery of the track in that half spoken half rapped version reminds me of Beck’s Odelay album and the very Prince inspired stuff on Midnight Vultures. I’m gaining a new appreciation for this track now. Ah the joys of rediscovering,

Countering the in your face attack of Face Down is La La-La (Means I love you). It’s a pretty enough song, and what surprised me was that it highlighted how many covers are on here, something I wasn’t expecting, but something that adds a bit more colour to the various discs.

From the opening synth bass line and horns I loved Style. Befitting the subject matter it was a cruisey funk vibe that didn’t try too hard to be anything else but what it is. I loved the lyrically style manifesto being dished here with the little affirmation and inspirational quotes “style is loving yourself til everyone else does too”, “style don’t get drunk on Saturday night and try to dress up every Sunday morning bright”, “style is not biting style when you can’t find the funk” (puffy are you listening). I remember this was my suit up song when I was getting ready for a night out. It just had a self confidence feel that was contagious. Still makes me puff my chest a bit and say “yeah”.

Why wasn’t Sleep Around a single? I mean seriously how slamming is this song. At right in the pocket for that time and space. The subtle house feel and bounce bounce melody and vocal line. Just listening to it now I got my funk face on and grooving in my chair. This was THE $HIT and it should have been a single.

Da Da Da like Face Down were the skippers for me on this disc. And even now I’m not moved by it. Oh well, can’t please everyone all the time.

Now My Computer was a pleaser and still is. With it’s (a the time) techno savvy feel, and stripped back arrangement it seems to really personify the isolation and coldness that the internet offers an escape from. With obvious Kate Bush influence (the treaded vocals are very Cloudbusting) the alternating despair and hope of the verse and chorus arrangement made it immediately enjoyable. And with the plodding groove that transcends into that funky “better life” hook at then end makes it one of the stand outs of the whole set.

With a Love Thy Will Be Done rhythm backing it, One Of Us (the Joan Osborne hit from only a few years earlier) has a live feel to it that seems to fuel it with greater sense of hope and faith (listen to the low mix “we’re gonna play this song” intro at 0:12). I once did a compile that mixed Love Thy Will Be Done – One of Us – The Cross that I use to listen to and it had such a sense of reassurance to it.

The Love We Make is a song filled with lament and loss in the same mould of Purple Rain, and just soars. It’s a beautiful heartfelt song written for Wendy’s brother who unfortunately died from a drug overdose (put down the needle put down the spoon).

Refreshing the funk groove of The Sacrifice of Victor, Emancipation lets a free man rejoice. I remember I use to pump this song LOUD feeling the freedom wash over me. All of us have shackles we should be free of and here was a man who had broken his, and was finally “free to do what I want”. I had wanted more of a build or crescendo to the track – why did I expect a gospel choir? – but as it stands it a song befitting the freedom he had worked hard for.



So was emancipation the big success it should have been? No
Was it the album we had all hoped it would be? I think for the most part yes.
Was it to ambitious a product for most people to get into? Most definitely.
As I mentioned earlier, and I don’t think I am alone, I felt it was too much music obviously for one session. Which meant that for the most part, you skipped through songs, or listened to one disc or two at a time, which robbed you from the intended experience. I still think it might have been wiser to release the discs individually – one every 4 months – to allow people to fully digest the music and enjoy it. No to mention also allow for a constant build. But I’m not the creator of the music, so ultimately you have to leave that ultimate decision to Prince/. He wanted to make a statement. And with this he showed how when you are given complete artist freedom, some truly wonderful moments can arise.


And if you are reading this line – then thank you – I know it was a mammoth post, but to not give Emancipation the due discussion it deserved would be to rob it of its beauty.

So what do you think?

Swa

excellent review. a masterpiece in my view which truly deserves more praise. and sleep around i agree, really could have been a big club single, but alas. however, considering the length, lack of real publicity, the name change and everything...id class the album as a commercial success, didnt it place quite high in the charts?

yes, thanks for the review
this was a tough time for prince
I always loved this album, just too big

This is my favorite prince album...wait this is my favorite album ever.....
He broke the chain once again.....

I love "Emancipation." I listen to this Prince album frequently.

OK, now this album is right in my wheelhouse. I was still a new fan of Prince when Emancipation was released and for me it was love at first listen. I still remember rushing home from school and trying to get the whole collection listened to. It took me the better part of a week to fully digest it. Perhaps because I was a new fan I didn't have any problem ranking this as one of his very best albums. For me Emancipation, along with The Gold Experience, is easily one of his ten best albums. Is there a lot to digest? Absolutely. If you made it shorter would it be a stronger album? Perhaps. But there is a so much great material here. I never understand it when people complain that Emancipation, particularly the drums, sounds too dated. Does Emancipation sound any more dated than 1999? I could pick out highlights but really I love the whole album. It took me a while to get into the first half of disc two and the first four songs of disc three but now I love them all. When I finally heard Mayte's album many years later I found it funny that one of her songs (sorry, I can't recall which one) shared some of the same drum programming as "Slave." And speaking of "Slave" how great is it that this song is all percussion?

On the subject of the covers that is the one thing that bugged me a little bit about Emancipation. His version of "One Of Us" was outstanding but the other three covers did not really add anything to the songs. With as many great vault songs as he has I'm always a little disappointed when he elects to include cover material. For example, I always really loved the song "Goodbye" from the Crystal Ball collection and would have liked it to be included on Emancipation as it was originally intended.

I think it is really one of Prince's biggest mistakes that he didn't work the Emancipation album as hard as he planned to. Didn't he once say that it was a three year project with at least eighteen (or maybe twelve) singles on it? I don't think he could have worked it that long but surely he could have promoted it for at least a full year. I think it could have been similar to 1999 in that maybe it would never hit number one but it could have stayed in the top hundred, dipping in and out of the top forty, for a year or two. If the album had been a significant hit, which I think it easily could have been, who knows how the late '90s would have turned out for Prince? Instead of eroding his fanbase to it's absolute core he may have expanded his audience. I think he really delivered with Emancipation and it's a shame that the album was not a huge seller.
[Edited 7/5/09 17:59pm]
[Edited 7/5/09 18:00pm]

I think you put a lot of effort into that review and I agree that it was too much at once by TAFKAP. He was obviously trying 2 match Prince's output in one go. The music itself has plenty of standouts like One of Us, Eye can't make u love me (Having the George Michael version too helps me enjoy the textures this song can have. Prince and George both take this song and turn it into a superb piece of singing for both their genres, its great hearing them back 2 back). The Holy River I just loved and always will, its a superb song and I love the video with the waterfall scene. Then theres "In this bed I scream", Sex in the summer, one kiss at a time, soul sancutary, lalala means eye love u, betcha by golly wow, The love we make, we gets up, new world and emancipation, true sustained brilliance.

BUTTTT..... Theres the filler crap like Get Yo Groove on, Emale, The Plan and Style, just crappy add ons, and the abysmal rapping by Scrap D whose rapping is scrappy to say the least and face down. If Prince could have left this rubbish out, it would be sign o the times quality, but for what it is I give a B- which is still quite good, but unrealised potential, perhaps if he had released a 15 song 1cd or 22 song 2cd we would have had a bigger hit

Huggiebear said:

Well, the thing is who decides what is "filler crap?" If you talk to ten different Prince fans about which songs on Emancipation should be cut I'm guessing you would get wildly varying answers. For example, I really like both "Get Yo Groove On" and "Style." You seem to enjoy the covers on Emancipation but if I had my way they would not be on there. In the end I am very happy that he decided to release Emancipation as a three hour, three disc set. I wouldn't want him to do that with every album but I wouldn't mind seeing him try it again. (Lotusflow3r, arguably, does not count since one of the album's was a protege effort.) I think it would be great to see him release a four disc, four hour set of all new material.

It's great reading other people's take on this epic release.

I will always wonder what it could have been like if he had set out to release it as Emancipation I, II, III with each disc coming in 4 month intervals. It would have just built and built. The first disc could have supported 2 singles and built the anticipation for the second disc which would have built the anticipation for the 3rd. It would have made the music digestible and given the critics something to really listen to.

But then at the end of the day, it's not my name on the disc, lol so who is to say that didn't do it exactly how it wanted, all full of excitement and just wanting to share it all at once and get it out there.

Swa

rialb said:

A mistake? Wasn't this released about the time his baby died? That would put a spanner in my working plans too.

On the subject of the 3 disc set and filler, I've said it many times, I'd rather have the quantity and be able to enjoy my own quality.

TheEnglishGent said:

100% agreed the more the better....

Great review! It's nice to know others appreciate this album as much as I do. It's quite possibly my all time favorite album...such raw emotion in it. It stayed in my cd player for an entire year with a listen almost every single day!

Oh yeah, I think that was Chris Rock (not Spike Lee) who mentioned in a VH1 interview with that he kept Soul Santuary on repeat for so long : )
[Edited 7/6/09 8:34am]

PsychedelicMama said:

nahhh...i think it was spike....this is an absolute classic in prince history
imo

Emancipation - not my fave Prince album, we all know about the crappy plastic sound,

still I will give this collection 8/10...

it just gets better with many listenings and a lot of time.

I would love to hear the songs produced with heavy bass/ drums.

:dreaming:

thedance said:

Could you elaborate on "the crappy plastic sound?" Maybe give an example of one of the worst sounding songs? I've listened to this album a lot and I don't see what the problem is with the sound.

you want me to describe the sound...

well the drums made by Kirk Johnson are weak,

the production sounds sterile, saccharine.... dead..... compared to the dynamic sound of 1999 / Purple Rain.

I love the song writing, many great songs, but production wise it is one of Prince's worst.

LIVE, I really enjoy:

Jam Of The Year,
Somebody's Somebody,
Face Down,
One Of Us,
The Holy River.

on the album, the music sounds like stiff R 'n' B...

imo....

Very good album!

thedance said:

So basically all of the drums, aside from the live drums, sound bad? I respectfully disagree. I also strongly disagree about the sound of 1999. Yes, the drum arrangements are arguably much more adventuress than on Emancipation but I would argue that 1999 is his most dated sounding album. Prince was going for a contemporary sound (circa 1994-1996) so of course the album sounds somewhat dated but I think it would have sounded worse if he tried to use the same sounds he did back in 1982-1984.

I'm not trying to be argumentative here but could you give me a more specific example of the plastic sound you are referring to? Maybe cite a specific song? Or is it the entire collection that sounds plastic to you?

Would you compare the drum sounds on Emancipation to the drum sounds on Newpower Soul? To my ears that is an album with weak drums.
[Edited 7/6/09 10:07am]

^ let's just agree to disagree...

Imo. Emancipation was a huge disappointment when it was released, the first really bad album, this was what was "born to make"?

Hell where was the black edgy funk??

Too sweet, sugary pop - r'n'b,

I know I'm not alone with this view, actually some (most?) fans detest this album, I remember a discussion on Housequake and some quakers were actually using the discs as coasters when they are drinking beer, lol....

I won't get further into why I don't like the sound of Emancipation, basically it's a matter of tastes. What sounds great and funky to some, sounds stiff and sterile to others.

I like the Emancipation album now, after many listenings - I rate it 8/10 - it's okay - but it's far from Prince's great sound of the 1980s:

the legendary 80s sound will always be classic to me, 1980-1988... while 1996 was the first real disappointment, the last half 1990s was a decline, Emancipation - NPS - Rave,

well imo., but it seems we disagree.... ?
[Edited 7/6/09 10:32am]

thedance said:

I do agree that there is not much "black, edgy funk" on Emancipation but I gotta say I'm surprised to hear that you rank it below albums like Graffiti Bridge and Diamonds And Pearls. You called 1996 "the first real disappointment" so I am assuming that you prefer the entire 1989-1995 era over Emancipation?

I think there's about 3 or 4 tracks I can listen to on the whole thing!

On first listen I started noticing that nearly all the songs started with the name of the song, it annoyed me and it all sounded very formulaic. I've never got into the album at all.

rialb said:

haha, yeah that's true,

Joy In Repetition,
The Q Of U,
Thieves In The Temple,
Elephants & Flowers,
New Power Generation (song),
Jerk Out (Non GB, but from the GB era)

these are classics in my ears, and I love the "big singles" from D&P too.

In stead of telling more,

it's easier to show my ranking of "My top 37 Prince albums":

from best album to worst:

01. Purple Rain (10)
02. Sign "O" The Times (10)
03. 1999 (10)
04. Lovesexy (10)
05. Parade (10)
06. Around The World In A Day (10)
07. The Gold Experience (10)
08. Dirty Mind (10)
09. Controversy (9)
10. Diamonds & Pearls (9)
11. Love Symbol Album (9)
12. Come (9)
13. Black Album (9)
14. The Rainbow Children (9)
15. Graffiti Bridge (8)
16. Prince (8)
17. Crystal Ball (8)
18. Emancipation (8)
19. For You (8)
20. Batman (8)
21. LotusFlower / MPLSound (8)
22. Musicology (7)
23. Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic (7)
24. 3121 (6)
25. The Truth (6)
26. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic (6)
27. The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale (6)
28. Chaos & Disorder (6)
29. The Chocolate Invasion (6)
30. Slaughterhouse (6)
31. Planet Earth (5)
32. Newpower Soul (4)
33. ONA Piano (3)
34. N.E.W.S. (2)
35. ONA... Live (2)
36. Indigo Nights (2)
37. Kamasutra (0)

as you see Emancipation is "in the middle",

it is even ranked higher than both For You and Batman,

maybe I should re-think that lol...
[Edited 7/6/09 12:17pm]

I forgot to comment this...

Emancipation: "the first real disappointment",

true that's my words, but I have got used to the album over the years, after many listenings,

My first reaction in 1996 was a HUGE disappointment, now I like it even the production isn't my cup of tea, sorry to mention "the production" one more time.

it IS a bit of a cliché already, isn't it...?

I think Emancipation would be fairly near the bottom of my "top 37 Prince albums" list... If I could be bothered to make that list!

For You would certainly be nearer the top than GB, by the way!! What are you thinking there?

thedance said:

No need to apologise. I know that many fans fault Emancipation's production it's just not something that I get.

The great thing is that everyone has their own take on the music. Something another hears may help us rediscover / re-evaluate it.

Swa

I still think this is prince's last real solid effort. I agree that some of the production is plastic sounding but so many stand outs 2 this day.
In this bed i scream, right back in my arms, white mansion, email, holy river, joint 2 joint, the love we make,,, etc.
I would give it an8/10 myself.

it was a good album..i was pleasantly surprised to hear Poet99 and Savion Glover on "joint to joint"..he was actually making the same tracks i was with "the human body", he didnt forget to get the club moving (I wished he made more tracks like these)..sampling an ultrasound for the intro to "sex in the summer"?..the creativity was there...some of the songs on this album were hot...and then there were others that were just bad..too many songs?..no...just too many bad songs that i had no problem skipping over.

Is it just me or do you think that "The Love We Make" sounds too much like "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaack?

An excellent review, recap and dissection. Thanks for this. It's 2009 and I'm still listening to this album over TEN YEARS LATER! It just highlights the timeless quality of Prince's music and how there's so much out there that you can dig it years later or rediscover something.

The whole TGE and Emancipation period for me was amazing. The whole NPG being an exclusive club where the music led really became more a movement than anything else. I loved it. The internet wasn't in every home then and I used to follow the Gold Experience stuff at university with the alt.prince lists being fab for 'freeing' the album before it was released. Emancipation was the end of the struggle and a celebration after a lot of angry and 'wild' experiences.

Prince had settled down and was preparing for marital bliss. Things didn't work out but at that time publicly Prince and Mayte embodied perfect harmony and Emancipation celebrated that. I remember the interviews in GQ where he said he was planning a massive album which would be priced high and only be released after the WB struggle was over, then the promo stuff before the album and the countdown cards, then of course the album itself and Emancipation Day.

The album was all about Prince in the studio himself making this album and it showed. The bloodline of the album is the same throughout with processed rhythm accompaniments and the feel that he went into the studio and as he put it 'emptied the gun'.

It's a great listen and a real experience. I never appreciated Face Down until last year when the lyrics finally got me and I got how it was about the WB era and them wanting him to play ball, come up with 'an ace' not letting him do what he wanted and his response. The videos were again, not elaborate, but cool.
BBGW was a great lead single, potentially as powerful as TMBGITW. Two versions made it to the UK instantly, the one which only featured Prince and the lamp which would become the star in the final version and the other one which had the digital effects in it and cutaways.

Somebody's Somebody was a great representation of the JOTY tour, the Holy River had a fantastic video that was so true to the Prince experience (with Empty Room cuts to beat) and even when he performed this live (TOTP for example), it was uncompromising in its full version and left the casual fans baffled if this was Prince and the hardcore ones just basking in the guitar solo and the lyrics.

Face Down had a fun video that continued from the Get Wild/Exodus era videos. 4 videos from one album in one year is a lot for Prince and probably the last we've seen that happening.

I remember everyone online dissecting the booklet images too and discussing the 'smell of the CDs'!

When I listen to it now, I no longer associate it with what I felt back then but a new experience, each song is finding its own voice again and I love it. The suggestion of it being released with each disc 4 months apart would have been very interesting, like a trilogy that would have sustained and this intrigues me to no end. But then again given what happened to EMI and why Emancipation stopped being promoted/the production of it all we may never have seen the last 2 discs if it was an EMI deal.

I'm listening to this now and enjoying it. The Summer songs which weren't draws then are now appealing. The ones about life, love and loss had meaning at that juncture and at this one. Emancipation will always be one of my favourite periods and albums, the music was great, it's just a shame we never got the whole album live which is why I can't wait to hear Journey to the Centre of Your Heart live and was shocked he performed this recently in Monaco, along with the Love We Make.

Seems we aren't the only ones digging that era...