BATMAN

With the Batman hype machine in full swing, I grabbed my copy of the Batman CD and rushed home to listen to it. Reading the liner notes I loved that the songs were designed to be from the characters points of view. I heard the album before I saw the film and was hoping to see how the songs would fit (unfortunately only two songs made the cut).

And as I pressed play (oh how I missed placing the needle on a record), I sat back and prepared to run wild on the streets of Gotham.

Matching the darker feel of “The Dark Knight” comics this film was to based on a lot of the work on the album seems to come from the underground. Emerging from this comes THE FUTURE with its dark post apocalyptic vibe with a bass line that gets a work out. I would love to hear to hear this one live. It just has a sense of scale to it that I love. (the remix of this and electric chair are kicking too)

ELECTRIC CHAIR fusing rock and a strong funk groove just grabbed me from a first airing. - apart from a wicked line in the chorus this has always been a hidden away fave of mine. Just so rocky fused with a strong funk groove it's one of his finest from that period.

ARMS OF ORION just never moved me. It seemed too saccharine, and ok if this was the “love theme” for the movie maybe I can let it pass, but it just seems so twee. A competently delivered ballad that some artists would build careers on, but for Prince it leaves me a bit ~ yeah ok, what next.

PARTY MAN – at the time I thought this was an ok song, and was a little disappointed that it was chosen over some of the other stronger songs for a single – but considering it made it into the movie it seemed like a logical choice. While not his strongest party jam it does have some cool elements to it, like the zigzagging horn section and bass line.

VIKKI WAITING - I played that song over and over - it's just smooth with that shuffling beat and musical arrangement. The song just grooves along with such ease you just can't help but feel it. Prince’s sense of humour is so right on here, especially that joke. And his vocal delivery is on point - a mix of understanding that he is trying the patience of his lover and a feeling of somewhat being helpless to change.

TRUST - WXYZ, this is the party jam of the album (even more so than the predetermined Party Man) and at the time I use to love playing it over and over, but now it seems a little dated. And the gospel inspired break down towards the end is just so perfect for the message of the song.

LEMON CRUSH - a wonderfully charged song that just screams of passion and desire, all tinged with that trademark Prince humour. Showing once again the kind of intricate drum patterns prince is capable of dishing up when left to his own devices.

SCANDALOUS – the opening chimes always remind me of a doorbell, and it’s kind of like as soon as the bells toll the seduction begins. This is Prince in sensual smooth mode, with a splash of daring thrown in on the side. A precursor to Insatiable, this sets the tone for future Prince ballads with such a wonderful vocal performance set alight with passion.

BATDANCE - ideal first single as it gave you a feel for what the album was, I love the vibe of this 2 songs in 1 fit with the frenetic power dancebeats and the funky shuffling groove giving you the impression that Prince was really working that blender in the studio that night sampling no fewer than six songs ~ "200 Balloons", "Power and Soul", "House in Order" "Rave unto the Joy Fantastic", "The Future", and "Electric Chair". I loved how he mixed the dialogue from the film throughout the tracks and especially on Batdance. A more fitting ending for the album than the intended “Dance with the devil”.

Although many have since criticized the album, as I'm listening to it now it reaffirms my love for it at the time, this IS a cool album.

So for those out there who haven't heard it for a while - pull it out and stick it in the computer - ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.... hey we got the power ... ohh we got the soul.

Swa

Compared to his body of work as a whole, its a fairly good album, but after Lovesexy, the Black Album and the superior SOTT, it was crap and real slide downwards.
I really like The Future and Electric Chair, Partyman, Lemon Crush and Batdance, absolutely adore Scandalous, but the rest is just filler and bad filler. Listening to it, you could see he was starting to spread his talent thin, especially as by 1989 rap had burst on to the scene, so he wasn't as funky as he had been. Just dosen't do it for me like earlier albums, its an alright album but its like a cloudy 18 degree day after a week of clear 30 degree days if you get what I mean

Mark a C nothing special

I just keep coming back to Batman, I even made a compilation with the B-sides and remixes included and called it "Dark Knight of the Soul"! The video clips were wild, especially the extended Partyman one! And I have to say, Scandalous is my fav ballad, on a par with Adore! Even Arems of Orion, with all it's sugar-coat, has a sublime arrangement and is impeccably performed. So, yes, you have to take it for what it is, the pop love theme duet. On that level, it's a bullseye.

Batman was SO the perfect project for Prince at that time in his career. Tim Burton even admitted that he didn't feel like he adequately integrated the songs into the movie. It doesn't matter, cause Prince got to be the joker anyway, in the video clips! How cool! The whole Gemini/duality thing suited P perfectly!
I love Batman, it's a total win!

One funny moment happened when I first got it on cassette tape, I was playing it in the car and Mum was driving me somewhere, and in Trust when Prince says in that really low voice "that feels good", Mum asked me who said that. I told her it was Prince, and she didn't believe me cause she thought he always talked in falsetto! Hah! No, I didn't go play her Bob George after that...

Love it!

Batman did what it was suppose to do..complement the movie..its an ok album and it did give him a chance to do the whole "joker/batman-gemini" thing and get away with it without anyone thinking he was crazy..lol..Electric Chair has one of his more memorable choruses..his performance on SNL is what many remember from that album..The future was cool..Scandalous was hot!!..the extended version..instant babymaker..lol...and Batdance was perfect for hyping the movie..including excerpts from the film..it was OK..

Swa said:

Love it, about time someone stood up for this album. Scandalous is a a tune that moves me every time i listen to it

Batman is a tough album for me to rank. I kind of hold the view that it is not a "proper" Prince album as it is just a soundtrack. However, I like this album. In fact, I would rank Batman slightly above Lovesexy but well below the classic era of 1980-1987.

"Vicki Waiting" (a very creative pop song) and "Scandalous" (probably one of my top five favourite Prince ballads) are the two obvious highlights for me. "The Arms Of Orion" is the only really bad song. It took me a while to warm up to some of the tracks like "The Future" and "Lemon Crush" but now I really dig them. I do kind of wish that Prince had included "Dance With The Devil" as I think it would have added a more serious touch that the album would have benefited from.

rialb said:

Well considering that only 3 songs were used in the movie - and quite sparingly - I think it is safe to call it a "proper" Prince album although obviously inspired by the movie. I loved how he tried to lay out tracks from various character's points of view.

Swa

saafiir said:

Are you sure about that?
[Edited 7/21/09 6:12am]

I listened to the album this morning for the first time in years - and was surprised that it has aged quite well. I always loved "The Future", "Scandalous", "Electric Chair" and "Batdance". However, I nearly never listen to them as I listen to Prince albums as a whole and nearly never pick up the "Batman"-album when doing so.
Twenty years on, the production of the album still sounds fresh to me, the vocals are very very good (even on "Arms Of Orion", which I don´t hate as much as most of you seem to do).
Production-wise, I noticed that the album has strong connections to Lovesexy, a thing I never noticed before. For example: Listen to "Glam Slam" and "Electric Chair" back to back, the overall "sound" of both songs has a lot in common, I think.

Nightcrawler said:

Very cool observation.

Swa

It's Prince music but I look at and rank it differently because it was a non-Prince movie and he couldn't just do what he wanted on this one.

There are some good ones Scandelous & the Future are my favorites
I liked the videos

This is the album that reminded me that there was a big change in the Prince camp

I wonder if the Future was made during the Lovesexy era/band because it strongly has the same feel as the Line (Lovesexy era outtake)
[Edited 7/31/09 11:38am]

Batman is great - I have great memories of the time it was released, the movie was cool too:

Fave songs:

Partyman,
Vicky Waiting,
Scandalous,
Batdance

my least fave:

Trust,
Arms Of Orion

The music videos are brilliant....

THIS guy made the 1989 Batman movie special..

I think Batman is the 3rd album in the 1999/Purple Rain kinda vibe... Its a perfect mix of SOTT & 1999/PR.

Thank god Prince didnt sell out and do this album after Purple Rain! Thats why Prince is the best ATWIAD was the best move after his MTV Hype. Most would try to remake PR again, but Prince went in another direction - but came back to this style years later!

Great move, Great idea!

This is one of Prince's better albums.

I LOVE Scandalous, expecially the extended "The Crime, The Passion, The Rapture".

But a gem of this CD is Vicki Waiting. So underrated!!!

Dayclear said:

Me too

This was the first one I heard all the way through, and I was OBSESSED with the movie at the time. Didn't listen to it again for many years 'till this one and find myself going back to it almost as often as I do Parade and SOTT.

I can see what ElectricBlue is saying about the conceptual continuity between 1999, Purple Rain and Batman. Good call.

The Future, Electric Chair (taking Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' beats and making them his own), Vicki Waiting, Scandalous (darkest ballad since Strange Fruit) and Batdance (eternally fun) - great music!
[Edited 7/31/09 13:52pm]

exenn said:

Never understood why this album doesn't get more love and respect from listeners.

Swa

It would help if it's creator had been in a position to include it as part of his chronology instead of a mere soundtrack. But regardless of his opinion of it as a song cycle, even if it's slept on a bit by the fan base, I love it.

vivid said:

Wham's "Make It Big" came out in 84. There was no Wham or GM release in 89.
"Like A Prayer" came out in 90.
[Edited 8/10/09 9:02am]