I live in DC and went away for the weekend on a retreat in the Maryland mountains.

I blasted Lotusflower the whole way several times. It really is easily Princes strongest collection of songs is some time. Did not hit the skip button once. Was tempted with 77 Beverly Park but that was it

I found myself singing the songs... smiling while listening to them and just in general feeling really really good while listening

So much of Prince's work is uneven. As he has gotten older that hasn't always been a good thing. This is a very even and cohesive collection

MPLSound I still feel the same way. Dance 4 Me, Valentina, Ol Skool, and No More Candy I enjoy and honestly they easily could have fit on Lotus Flower although then the album would be more uneven... but uneven can be good... it just hasn't been for Prince in a long time

Couldn't agree with you more. I took LotusFlower with me on a ten day road trip around the Japanese island of Shikoku in August and it was perfect. My wife & I sang along, goofed, laughed, funked, sang the songs everywhere outside the car, and generally dug it as much as it was possible to dig. Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful even became the official theme and theme song of the whole trip. An incredibly strong album. A triumph, actually.

The funniest moment could've been when my wife (who's Japanese) tried to sing Crimson & Clover.

"Come over here and suck me one time," she sang.
"That's sock it to me," I told her.
"Oh, I thought it was suck me. I thought Prince was a bold guy," she said.

Mouse said:

Alexandernvrmind said:

I must say I dig MPLSound more. Lotusflower still has to grow on me.
MPLSound; track 1 (There'll never be ...) till 5 (Here) I can listen to uninterrupted, but at track 6 Valentina I start to skip (don't know why i don't like it). Dance 4 Me I can play a couple of times in a row on my way to work, walking.
Must say I do like some Elixer songs; even if it's a bit cheesy, almost campy. Prince is getting old and a bit sentimental, I guess.
But I do like Everytime.

I haven't bought it yet because, at one point I used to be a "must have" fan but over the years I've been more and more dissapointed by what I've heard that this is the first CD I've bypassed. On top of that I object to paying £30 ( what's that, $60/$70?) for an album where a3rd of it isn't even Prince).

However I've now found it for £10 so maybe I'll buy it but is it worth it?

It's no good asking that outright as people will just say "yes"....so the best way is to ask "which album us it mist like and why?" so....

which album us it most like and why?

purpledoveuk said:

It isn't. And because, love em or hate em, each album he's made is different.

iloveannie said:

Thanks, i won't bother then because I've progressively thought he's getting worse

purpledoveuk said:

I would really urge you to get it!

I find it hard to compare it with previous albums, but I think Lotusflow3r almost has a Rainbow Children feel to it (without all the bullshit lyrics) because I think it needs to be enjoyed from start to finish, rather than just for individual tracks. In terms of quality, he hasnt released an album this good since The Gold Experience.

If you like Sonny T and Michael B as a rhythym section, then you must get Lotusflow3r. From the Lotus, Colonised Mind, Wall of Berlin and Back to the Lotus are some of their best playing with Prince (imo). Actually, I think Colonised Mind is one of the best things he has recorded! Dreamer is an amazing rock song, with fantastic drums from Cora, and the whole album has brilliant guitar work from Prince. Its so good!

And thats just one disc - that disc alone is well worth spending £10, let alone the added bonus of MPLSound.....and some of Elixer.

Get it!
[Edited 9/29/09 5:30am]

Still loving it from start to finish. I think that most people hate Elixer without even giving it a real chance. I love it and enjoyed last night when I went over to my friends house to have a few drinks and watch a little football. Don't really understand the hate that some have for a man that we are supposed to like but seem to drag his music through the mud but I still love it. Especially MPLSound which is funky to my old ears. Valentina is my jam. I just think that people misinterpret it wrong but that is cool cause still gets my feet tapping.

MrMul said:

You my friend may have just got Prince a few more $.

TRC would be ace if it wasn't bullshit, Gold Experience is the last album I consider to be a quality album in so much as it's consistently good( not thoroughly excellent but listenable at every track) and I like the idea that Michael B and Sonny T were back on board.


And for £10 I think I might risk it



..
[Edited 9/29/09 5:37am]

purpledoveuk said:

For £10 it's a no-brainer, to be honest. Got mine from a seller on playtrade at playtrade.com for £10.48. Had it already because of joining lotusflow3r.com but still needed the physical media. Yes I'm a sucka.

TheEnglishGent said:

Yay.... That's where I've seen mine. New, £10 , from USA and here in 3 days.... Now just got to save up £10

purpledoveuk said:

Really, you need to move with the times, TRC is one of the best CD's prince a has ever done. But if you don't like that, i don't think you'll like any Prince stuff after the TGE CD.

LondonStyle said:

Why do you say "move with the times"? Do u mean that this is where Prince is at so deal with it?

For me TRC was everything that was wrong with Prince; hardcore religion, tacky songs ("everywhere","wedding Feast"), that distracting deep voice, the "slavery v holocaust debate.....don't get me wrong, it has 2 or 3 tracks that aren't ruined by one of the above but it's just not for me.

I do like stuff since The Gold Experience but it's certainly been wobbly since then - Mysicology and 3121 were more up my street but it wobbled again with Planet Earth.

I get the impression that Lotusflow3r is more n the Gold, 3121, Musicology vein than TRC, ONA etc

purpledoveuk said:

Not for me. I like loads of the post gold stuff, but can't listen to Lotus all the way through. Don't know why, there are good bits, but I find it all a bit boring I love the Gold experience, 3121 and TRC, but think Musicology is on the whole a little bit bland and skippable.

Some of MPLS is brilliant, but for the life of me I can't see how the same man can produce shite like 'never b another' and then produce something truly inspirational like Empty Room at Montreux. It just doesn't add up

jasontate said:

Oh and I love Planet Earth, I think it's brilliant - different strokes I suppose

jasontate said:

I was with u until u said PE was "brilliant". I think that the album has some good songs, but doesn't hold up as an album. It sounds so thrown together to me.

Now, I agree with u about the other albums, though.

As 4 Lotus, I think it is a good album overall. MPLS and Lotus are very strong pieces of work. MPLS has a lot of songs that could have been BIG hits. As much as I don't care for "Valentina", I sill think it would be a good single choice. Also, "Dance 4 Me" is still my song. I find myself bobbing my head and shaking my ass every time I hear it. I still don't get P's logic in releasing "Better With Time" to radio. Especially for an album that he hasn't promoted that much. He should have dropped "Dance 4 Me" with a quickness in the US and get another radio hit on the Urban AC chart. We haven't had an uptempo from P on Urban AC since "Musicology".

Here in the UK Planet Earth was given away free with a daily newspaper...maybe that's stuck in my brain but it always feels to me like it's freebie quality

purpledoveuk said:

Maybe that's why I feel it's a "throwaway" cd.

purpledoveuk said:

I like the idea of Prince lyrics that are so controversial that they challenge his traditional fans ("hardcore religion", slavery, hoocaust, etc..). That said, the music on TRC was a bit of a snore for me, but whatever.

Controversial and challenging I'd different to offensive and nonsence...I'm always offended by his balls to even compare himself with slavery experience.

On a side note... Some swine bought by £10 playtrade Lotusflower .....ENGLISHGENT!!!!!

purpledoveuk said:

MPLSound is more in the vein of what you might like, Lotus is very Rainbow Children in it's sound but without the heavy religious overtures. But to be honest, they're both very good. I prefer Lotus myself, but do still like MPLSound, there's some very good stuff on both.

purpledoveuk said:

Not me Keep an eye out, there's bound to be more.

purple dove

uk said:

Well I'm not sure its like any other album to be honest.

Let me start here... I would describe LotusFlower is mostly a rock record with some r&b and jazz leanings. MPLSound is more of an R&B club dance type record with a couple of sleepy ballads thrown in

I probably enjoy Lotus Flower more because I think the quality of the songs as a collection is significantly stronger.

Its might be his most cohesive album since Purple Rain... in that the songs fit perfectly together. Prince hasn't always gone for that route which anyone who is a true fan knows... but its clear he went for it here and it worked

For example that didn't work nearly as well (IMO) on 3121 or Musicology as it does here on LotusFlower. Of course 3121 and Musicology were more RB flavored with a splash of rock/funk thrown in. But again I'm just talking about the cohesion of the collection

Your a Prince fan... go get it and listen. As most P fans... I don't think you will be disappointed
[Edited 9/29/09 15:53pm]

purpledoveuk said:

Who's to say art shouldn't be offensive or nonsensical?

ElCapitan said:

Indeed, it should alway be thought provoking....but you can't just saying anything over a beat and then hide behind "art", think where that could lead. If Hitler could play a mean lead guitar the wold would be a different place

purpledoveuk said:

Art shouldn't "always" be thought-provoking. There's a place in this world for music that just makes you want to shake your ass and leave your brain at the door.

That said, "Think where that could lead?" To people with "dangerous" thoughts, maybe ? So...fuck it, let the marketplace of ideas sort it out. If Prince wants to espouse his religion or his beliefs (however "wacky" they may seem) through his music I can't think of a good reason why he shouldn't. None of us have to listen.

And Hitler didn't have much of a problem getting a loyal fanbase sans lead-guitar abilities, I doubt a career in 1930's death-metal would have made him more dangerous.

.
[Edited 9/29/09 23:21pm]

ElCapitan said:

. I sort of meant it's a good job hitler didn't lay a mean Axe otherwise the world would have sat by and just said " that Adolf rocks...but his lyrics are a bit racy...ah well, that's art"

Having said that the muddyfunster did paint!!

purpledoveuk said:

Yep, he sure did like his art. Most of it he stole from the Jews mind you, but, hey, spoils of war and all that...

And surely you meant "that Adolf 'reichs'..."

Coat again please!
[Edited 9/30/09 3:46am]

iloveannie said:

. Very good. Better stop now before it goes too far, nothing funny or enjoyable about Hitler.....or The Rainbow Children