PurpleDiamond2009 said:

I've got a Canadian friend on the job to get the DVD up there at HMV.

ernestsewell said:

I think if Dream Factory was released it would mean a whole different feel/sound of maturing of Purple Music, plus it would mean a lot of different things:Another Revolution album, another Sheila E. album, Jill Jones more connected with what was happening, Prince probably wouldn't have gone in the direction he did after SOTT, Cat probably would have still be a part of the picture...

1986 will be a year that will always stand out for many of us in Prince's career. The Dream Factory sessions, the anticipation and disappointment of UTCM, the fantastic new look and style, and the break-up of The Revolution. SOTT was birthed during all this transission. When you think about it, this is the year that changed Prince's career forever. SOTT shows the endless musical possibilities of what could've came from Prince in the late 80's.
Aaron6ix

ernestsewell said:

p.s,Lovesexy rocks

For me this is why:

Sign O The Times

As a 15 year old change was all around me, as life began to get a little more complicated with friends, girlfriends, and family relationships. It was a time of questioning things and trying to discover who I was, what life was about and who I could count on. Thankfully, one thing I could count on was that a Prince double album, was bound to make my world a little more fun. And Sign O’ The Times did that.

Rushing out of the record store, I walked home just looking at the front cover of the album almost mesmerised by the photo and wondering what tunes lay within. And with a huge buzz of energy I placed the needle on the record and waited….

Starting with that stripped back bass drum lead pattern, the counter beat cabassa shaker and that intriguing wooden bell like percussive “da doo do dadoo do” I was immediately hooked by Sign O The Times. Then as if to say, you are right to be excited Prince let’s loose with that “oh yeah” and the Fairlight tweaked bass begins. Feeling like Bootsy Collins had dropped by to say hello, the bass line expands and contracts in such a delicious way. Lyrically Prince is given us a state of the world address, outlining the ills that plagued us, AIDS, gangs, Crack, space shuttle disasters, racism, despair, hurricanes, drug addiction and so on. (18 years later not much has changed has it?) But even as he outlines what’s going on, there is still a sense of hope. Especially in the chorus where he outlines the unstoppable desire for progress and the confusion of priorities “is it silly no when a rocket ship explodes and everybody still wants to fly?”. Musically, it’s a sparse arrangement that lets the message shine through. Predominately sample tweaked via the Fairlight (love those orchestral stabs) save for the glorious guitaring that punctuates the song throughout. Epic, poignant and funky. This is Prince, the one man band at his best.

As if to make sure the sombre reflective mood of SOTT doesn’t get the listener down, Prince slams us with one of the party jams. I remember hearing Play in the Sunshine and tapping my foot along to the bass drum, and smiling when I realised the second beat was an off beat. Right away I knew I would love drumming this song. And as soon as the album was over I taped this song, hopped on my drum kit and spent an hour learning it. Still to this day, I’ll sit on the skins with my ipod and pull it up. If Prince’s songs can be classified by colour, this is a yellow song obviously, with the sunshine reference and the “one day every day will be a yellow day line” but it has a sense of fun and a leave your troubles behind mentality. That screaming guitar solo in the middle of the song isn’t overly fancy but just seems to fit so perfectly. Listening to the song, it reminded me of happier times, and still does. Like a romanticised notion of childhood memories it never fails to make me smile.

Bring on the funk with Housequake. Littered with mixed up samples, that whirling organ foundation, and that incessant drum beat, you can’t help but want to get up and dance and “put your foot down on the two and jump up on the one.” Here, Prince is back playing with bag of tricks, detuning things, slowing down backing vocals, and ofcourse speeding up vocals in the guise of Camille. (at that point I was unaware of the Camille project, and crystal ball, and the dream factory, so was intrigued by what he was trying to achieve with this alter-ego). One thing that doesn’t often get talked about in this song is the great bass playing. Next time you put it on, listen to the bass, and you’ll hear all these glorious little runs throughout the song. And of course those horns are the icing on the cake.

I remember thinking after 3 monster songs, Prince had to have an off day, but then I heard The Ballad of Dorothy Parker. Oh. My. God. This had everything in it I loved about Prince. The Princely drum pattern complete with tom fills, and rim shot accents (the only thing missing was his trademark hand clap pop). Then that underwaterdetunedorgan chords hit and I was like… “what is he doing?”. When the swirling bass hit he had me, just listen to that playing. Magnificent. Even the vocal delivery was unlike anything I had heard him do, half sung, half spoken this recounting of a the aftermath of fight with a lover seemed to be one of his most confessional kind of songs. If you haven’t heard this song on headphones do so now, and listen for the wonderful backing vocals especially on the introduction of “Dorothy laughed”. Once again Prince uses backing vocals to almost comment on the main story, punctuating and even predicting what the confessional storyteller is about to let us in on. Not that I have done it, but I have to say this song has tempted me to do two things – 1. order a fruit cocktail and say “I ain’t too hungry” and 2. have a bubble bath with my pants on. A true hidden gem in the brilliance of this album.

Hard hitting and lustfilled It sounds to me like a man getting increasingly obsessed and deranged by his desires accentuated by the mixed up frenetic orchestral stabs. There is something eerie and dark about It that excited me when I first heard it, especially the whispered “come on” that pops up here and there. Being 15, this song seemed to sum up my hormonal state, lol, and even today I get my “it” moments.

As if waking you up for a sweaty wet dream, the alarm clock at the start of Starfish and Coffee jolts us back into innocence. One of prince’s “experiments” this song was an instant favourite of mine. I remember lifting the needle and playing it again the first time it ended. With a sense of innocence and wonder this song builds with a singsong like appeal. The simple chord progression that underpins the track, the reversed drum loop, and the dreamlike extra instrumentation just adds to its charm and appeal. Who isn’t singing along with a smile on their face when the chorus hits? I’m always delighted when I find other people who love this song as much as me, and extra pleased when I hear it performed. Many have called it raw, but I like to call in unblemished, innocent, and pure. La la la la la.

Ok, so here it was. I was waiting unfortunately for this moment. I just knew Prince couldn’t back up great song with another great song, so I cut him a little slack when by track 7 he rolled out Slow Love. I humoured him and listened to this run of the mill ballad and knew something good had to be on the other side. Now many years later, I love it. The over romantic arrangement and swirling strings, and the way Prince teeters on the edge of being too soppy but keeps his foot this side of sopsville with witty observations including my personal fave “who can see through race car drivers”.

My face lit up when I heard the drum pattern of Hot Thang. As if the whole song is on heat, the gongs, the swirling synths, and the vocals just seems to growl. There is an undeniable sense of sexuality in this song. It prowls with the sole intent of seducing. And that it did.

Forever in My Life is just one of those moments of serendipity captured on record that forever sounds special and fresh, for when Prince went to record the backing vocals for the track, he miss timed his in point and ended up singing ahead of the main vocal. But rather than erase it and do it over, Prince has the coolness to recognise that something special had happened and let it stay that away. When listening with a friend I will always say – lead or backing, meaning who is up for the challenge of singing the forward backing vocals. Once again a sparse arrangement of treated drum machine, vocals, and minimal acoustic guitar at the end, this song somehow remains to sound rich and full. And how beautiful are those lyrics. I love how Prince always brings a different point of view or expression that is unlike anyone else. Once again a song that is just truly beautiful.

Ok so as I pulled out the second record, I was caught with a mix of dread. The first two sides (save for Slow Love for me at the time) had been truly magical. And here I was dreading sides 3 and 4 wouldn’t live up to what the first two had built.

Kicking off with the designated hitter of U Got the Look, this song felt a little more natural and organic. Maybe a tad simple (in comparison to the other arrangements on the album) this pure pop song was destined to be a hit. I loved Sheila filling little percussive hooks throughout the song. And whilst I felt it was a hit by the numbers song, I still found myself grooving along to it and getting more into it as each chorus passed. I played this song to a friend of mine recently (who amazingly had never heard it) and she said – wow that had an interesting feel to it, and quirky ending to it. Hearing it through her ears helped me rediscover a sense of newness to it.

How much do you love If I was your girlfriend?. With the treated toms, that clap, and seductive melody I fell in love with this song first time I heard it, although the title raised an eyebrow til the vocals hit. Still to this day a friend of mine and I have a debate if this is written from someone in a relationship or someone lamenting the lack of closeness post relationship. Everything about this song is smoooooth. The underplayed bass groove, the high speed vocals and slowed down backing vocals juxtaposing a sense of pleasing and a matter of fact delivery. This is a make out song if ever I had heard one, and one put to very good use.

How does one follow up a true masterpiece like IIWYG? With Strange Relationship obviously. A deceptively happy melody counters the lyrical content, and is carried along by that whooping bass line. A can’t live with em can’t live without em song, It just has a catchy edge to it that is intoxicating, much like the love/hate relationship detailed in the vocals.

I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, always had a motown meets rock feel for me. One of the more uptempo tracks, ICNTTPOYM showcases many of Prince’s talents, his knack for writing a catchy groove, his often underrated guitar skills, and his sense of wry humour and. I love to just put this song on and float away with the soaring guitar solo, that takes the song from a joyous place to a darker, more primal one, then return us to that joyous place once more. Brilliant.

When I listen to The Cross, I like to close my eyes and just get drawn into it. Such a beautiful spiritual song, there is a sense of true hope in here. Obviously moving and inspiring this song sounds so simple and pure that you can’t help feel renewed when listening to it. (U2 IMHO borrowed a lot from the intro for All I Want is You)

If one song on SOTT sounded like a Parade song it has to be It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night. It just has that energy that Parade had. That party jam complete with Wizard of Oz inspired chant. Just hooked in a funk groove the song carries you along the best parts of a Prince live show – the band just grooving out and Prince commanding the hits, and punches.

Adore. Yes I do. Prince in full seduction make out mode. So smooth. Sooooo cool. And so inspiring. Still to this day, it makes me want that kind of passion and desire. Prince lays it all on the line vocally, and delivers one of his best vocal performances ever.

And with that it was over. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. How could one album be sooooo full of great songs. How could one album be so perfect. Instantly it became my favourite Prince album, and to this day is my “if you could only listen to one prince album” choice. It’s eclectic mix of funk, pop, rock, quirks, ballads made it the quintessential Prince album. And it’s no surprise that all these years later it still evokes the same sense of wonder, discovery and joy it held for me back in 1987.

Swa

I've never understood why it's considered his best album either. But, I've never understood why folks feel the same way about Dirty Mind or 1999. Purple Rain, I think doesn't get ranked in the 'best album' category because it's his massive ginormous hit record, but it deserves just as much recognition as 'fan favorites'.


If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's because SOTT was a slight return to commercial pop, after the Beetle-esch ATWIAD, and the poorly performing PARADE album/movie (possibly my favorite Prince album). SOTT is DENSELY PACKED with great songs, had alot to say (albeit in Prince's usual unfocused manner), showed artistic maturity but wasn't boring about it, and finally....was radio friendly all the same. This is very hard to do, and few artists have ever pulled this off. Prince did, quietly and confidently, all the things attributed to Janet Jackson and her crappy, hideous, over bloated and overrated 'Control' album, all by himself without the help of other producers.
SOTT was different from all the albums before it, and it cast a long shadow over several of the albums after it (including LoveSexy).

And there are only 2 songs I don't like on the album. But when I really think about it, I can't figure out honestly why it's "THE PRINCE ALBUM"... The most essential one. I just can't figure that out. I didn't 'get' SOTT until the third listen.

I 'got' The Gold Experience right away. I 'got' the Symbol Album, despite it's many flaws, right away. I 'got' 3121 right away. And yes, I think those albums are just as enjoyable as SOTT (at least to me).



...and I haven't even touched on Emancipation, and underrated album filled with understated songs, all of which would have blown our minds if they were released before SOTT. (I've said this a million times but Emancipation suffers from time and context--not from quality, even if you factor in the bad songs).

is it silly no when a rocket blows and everybody still wants 2 fly
some say man aint truly happy till a man truly dies

TrevorAyer said:

I really like that song on your website.

ButterscotchThighs said:

Not his best album and not his best song.

th3ocratic0rder said:

Wholeheartedly agree on 'Beautiful' . . .

ernestsewell said:

What's his best?

ernestsewell said:

I think Lovesexy did alienate people-Batman still sold because the whole Batman enterprise was just too big for even Prince to be rejected. If Prince had gone on to release a solo album that was not Batman related it would have suffered badly. People also go on about how big Prince was in Europe at this time and jow well Lovesexy did but I feel this was on the crest of the critical raving of SOT's- a lot of the buying public did not return after Lovesexy

Imago said:

thanks muchly

Exactly. Batman was too big for P to screw up. I like most on here, own all the real prince CDs. Lovesexy had a great sound, but come on who really, kicked eyeno or when 2 r in love, or hell, any of it besides alphabet st, anastesia, or maybe dance on.???

The bridge movie was bad, well, because the movie sucked, and the soundtrack had better Time songs than new Prince material. Sure, E&F, we can funk, ? of u, but the rest was well.....

jcurley said:

Sign of The Times is not my favorite Prince album.

You had to be "there" to understand why it was his best.

People thought Prince was washed up in 1987 then SOTT hits like a Nuclear bomb.

People will always have their "favorite" but SOTT was the BEST.

Prince's "best" albums
are Purple Rain and SOTT.

SOTT is, as far as I'm concerned, better.

muleFunk said:

None of that makes any sense.

ernestsewell said:

I caught my second Prince wind w/ Lovesexy. I can remember riding in my brothers car with all my friends and hearing Alphabet St. on the radio for the first time. Man. the radio couldn't play that song loud enough! lol I was musically taken aback, stunned if you will...that beat was out of this world insane. Everything about that song was like effortless perfection, he laid a guitar riff over the beat as though it was the most obvious thing to do since putting grape jelly on your peanut buttered bread. And then the style of the lyrics...it was Prince telling me that he was cooler than Elvis and if it wasn't for pictures and videos, everyone else would think that too. LOL

Thx for the trip.

Swa said:

Wow! Great read!!!

There is something about Prince and his music, when it's right...it feels as right as rain. Musical Nirvana.

For some reason, I just can't connect with it. I can tell it's an excellent piece of work, but I'm just not into it.

it just is

Splanknasty said:

Yep.

SUPRMAN said:

you are wrong SUPRMAN, SOTT.. it is the best Prince album - or - second best to a lot of fans,

with your reply: I would like to see/ know your best Prince album, probably something post 1988,

could it be Musicology or 3121?

What Mulefunk said makes sense to me: You had to be there to know how big this album actually was. It really made people realize what a incredible genius Prince was in the 1980s.

Imo.
[Edited 12/21/09 7:32am]

muleFunk said:

Yes!