I recently ordered this 3 disc set for about 10$ from Amazon.com and its NEW and not used. I know I'm gonna enjoy it. I should have it by the weekend. I remember getting the 3 cassette version for my 7th birthday and Prince was all over tv,i actually remember recording the Oprah appearance on vhs. But,i was a bit too young to understand the songs on the album. So,whats your opinion of the album as a whole? favorite songs? worst songs? please tell me,thanks.

I've listenned to Emancipation more times than most of Prince's albums.

I think it'a a great album. It doesn't have the same fire as The Gold Experience or the same hipster chic artistry of SOTT or LoveSexy, and it's been called too slick and overproduced, but I love it.

I've said this before, but there are about 6 songs on the album that I really don't like. But 6 out of 36 leaves 30 songs in one single album release that I like--those are some really good odds for an artist who was already 15 years into his career.

Pretty much all terrible except for The Love We Make.

TheVoid said:

I think the production of the album is what holds it back from potentially being in my top 10 Prince albums. Anyone who thinks the album is produced perfectly only needs to listen to the live in studio mix of Somebody's Somebody to tell that this album would have definitely benefitted from a more varied production approach. (IMO)

That being said, I'd probably put the number more at like 50-50. Half the of the 36 songs are great/brilliant. The other half - not so much.

Given that the albums were each 60 minutes long, that makes for about 90 minutes of excellent music on my vote. Most definitely worth buying.
[Edited 5/16/10 10:52am]

Jam of the Year
Get Yo Groove On
Face Down
In This Bed I Scream
Slave

... and that's all...

Somebody somebodys..... & love the video

I like it. There are some great songs on there. I agree with some about it being a bit bloated, even having it trimmed down to a double disc would have been better (in my opinion).
But lets be honest, whatever ones opinion on tracklisting/production or whatever, it was a bold, if not entirely original move (by Prince standards) and one hell of an artistic statement to make.
There are not many artists who would have had the material or the balls to pull off something like this.
[Edited 5/16/10 12:51pm]

I have mixed feelings about it. I don't like any of the fast-tempo songs on Disc 1. I don't want to dance to anything on the album until Disc 3. I loathe most of the ballads on Disc 2, just despise them. But I love the casual brilliance of songs like "Right Back Here in My Arms," "Somebody's Somebody," and "The Love We Make."

I remain exceedingly disappointed by "Jam of the Year." A track that brazenly titled should really live up to its name, which it so does not. And "We Gets Up" is Jughead-bad. But then he hits you with something as awesome as "Dreamin' About U" and almost all is forgiven.

Dollar sign before the number silly.

I see Emancipation in shops all the time for $4.99 or so. Sometimes I've found it for $9.99, but it's usually around five bucks. I've actually seen it a couple of bucks less than that, on rare occasion. New, not used.

I just ordered mine off amazon 2 and I was very impressed. It really depends on what ur into. It's a very 90s sounding album and I find that alotta the songs get stuck in my head.

Some good ones are:
Somebody's somebody
Right bac here in my arms
His rendition of I can't make u love me and One of us
In this bd I scream

His whole 2nd album is good with the exception of emale and curious child
Style is probably one of my favs. Sleep Around and Face Down are cool.
His remake of La la la means I Love U is total cheese but has good vocals
Beware of Da da da, Courtin Time, New World, and We gets up.
Enjoy!!!
[Edited 5/16/10 16:01pm]

ernestsewell said:

I think I get it. OCD, right? you're compelled....

errant said:

I was about to ask you the same thing.

dance4me3121 said:

• Jam Of The Year
  
• Right Back Here In My Arms
  
• Somebody's Somebody
  
• I Can't Make U Love Me
  
• In This Bed I Scream
  
  
• Soul Sanctuary
  
• Emale
  
• Joint 2 Joint
  
  
• Human Body
  
• Style
  
• Da, Da, Da
  
  

I was thinking about this album the other day. It certainly was a bit much I think most fans can agree. It could have been wielded down to one and if you want to be really generous, two discs. It's likely the height of his Narcissism that be believes this is all worth releasing while keeping so much of his greatness in the vaults (well, on bootlegs but meant to be in the vaults). I would say it was generous, but it wasn't exactly cheap was it (I forgot exactly when I bought it was but it was at Media Play years later and it was a cut out). It's not bad but it's not certainly great. I would say that he did chose strong singles ("Somebody's Somebody" and while "Jam Of the Year" wasn't a single, it was performed live once or twice on TV).

Likes:

Right Back Here In My Aarms
Somebody's Somebody
Courtin' Time
White Mansion
I Can't Make U Love Me
In This Bed I Scream
Sex In The Summer
One Kiss At A Time
Soul Sancuary
Joint 2 Joint
Holy River
Let's Have Baby
Saviour
Friend, Lover, Ssister, Mother, Wife
Slave
New World
The Human Body
Face Down
Style
Sleep Around
One of Us

Disapointments:

Emancipation, much better live
Jam of The Year, much better live
Email
My Computer
Curious Child
Dream'n About U
Get Your Groove on
We Get's Up
Right Back Here In My Arms
Damned if I Do
Mr. Happy
Da da da

Indifferent:

The Plan
La-La(Means I Love U)
Betcha By Golly Wow


I can find parts I like in the songs I don't like but this is my take what I favor on the album after listening to it since its release.
The one song I'm still torn on. I like it but I don't
[Edited 5/16/10 21:39pm]

VinnyM27 said:

If, and/or whenever, he should release music from his vault, critics will slice IT all to shreds as well. One of the reasons I applaud Prince for recording and releasing what he feels, when he feels like recording or releasing it.

VinnyM27 said:

The price was a lower price. Prince set it lower. I bought mine for only $24 I think, which was pretty cheap even then for a 3 disk set of any sort.

I agree about the length of it. It's epic in that it's 3 hours of music, but if you look at it, two disks can hold 160 minutes of music. His was 180, so cut 20 minutes overall, and it would have been a strong 2 CD set.

I'll say this without expounding, but my Emancipation set, which has 35 songs, runs 2:32:52.

Don't get too excited.. Worst Prince album of all time. Followed closely by Rave, 3121 & Planet Earth. Thank god for the Rainbow children. A rose between a few thorns

aiden said:

Maybe Rave is worse now I think about it.. Would be interested to know what you think from a fresh perspective?? It sounds the most dated of all his work to me..
[Edited 5/16/10 23:15pm]

aiden said:

For me Rave/Emancipation are his worst mainstream albums,

...but 3121 is great, dude! wtf

JoeTyler said:

It's always so funny how varied all of our tastes are post 88.

To me, New Power Soul is easily his worst, followed up by Planet Earth, Rave, and 3121. I love the album packaging of 3121 and want to like the album more. There's just not one original song on the whole record to me.

Whereas on Emancipation there are a number of innovative original tunes, it's just most are produced like shite.

nosajd said:

Hey my friend

You go and split the album into a 50-50 for likes and dislikes, and you have almost all of my favorite tracks in your dislike pile.

And here I was begining to like you and stuff!!!!

It seems that no one likes My Computer with Kate Bush. That song for me is quite possibly one of his top 10 post 1988 releases. But I know I'm in the vast minority on that one...

Fenwick said:

"My Computer" is probs my favorite off this album. Maybe I shall give 3121 one last try Joe

Fenwick said:

My Computer is one of his best songs....period! A "career highlight", as was said in a review by the NME at the time.

Mindflux said:

The NME talk shit, people in the know stopped caring what NME said years ago, when it became the 'Hello' of music mags.
[Edited 5/17/10 7:19am]

MikeyB71 said:

Perhaps - I stopped buying the NME right around this period (remember we are going back 14 years here for this quote!). I still agree with at particular quote though (and I quoted the NME moreover because that wasn't my own words, it was theirs, it wasn't to lend any further credence to the statement).

Mindflux said:[quote]

Fenwick said:

Aiden said:[

"My Computer" is probs my favorite off this album.


and

Mindflux said:

Wow, when you put it like that 14 years IS a long time...haha.
I did not mean it to sound like i was berating you in particular.

MikeyB71 said:

Its all good

Fenwick said:

Ahhh, but notice I called it a disappointment & not a dislike. That's b/c some times I still sorta like'm sometimes. My Computer is catchy, even my wife likes that one even though we both think it's silly.