1. LOTUSFLOW3R (9/10)

2. 3121 (8/10)

3. The Rainbow Children (7/10)

4. Musicology (6.5/10)

5. 20TEN (6/10)

6. Rave unto the Joy Fantastic (5/10)

7. Planet Earth (4.5/10)

8. MPLSOUND (4/10)

This is really tough. Most of these albums have different strengths and weaknesses. I'm also not as familiar with 20ten so it is difficult to compare it to the others.

This is tentative and could change depending on my state of mind on any particular day. Lotusflow3r is definitely number one and Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic is definitely at the bottom but there's probably some fluidity with the middle six.

Lotusflow3r (for me this is easily his best since Emancipation. great from start to finish)

Planet Earth (a lot of folks hate this one but I dig it, short and sweet)

20ten (very solid album. no real standouts but no stinkers either)

Musicology ("Life O' The Party" is terrible but I really dig the rest)

3121 (first four songs are fantastic but it goes downhill quickly after that)

Rainbow Children (I love the last four songs, the rest of it? not so much)

MPLSoUND (the ballads on this are very weak)

Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic (this one loses a lot of points just for that awful cover!)

[Edited 7/26/10 4:47am]

[Edited 7/26/10 4:56am]

Same as thedance here. As a non-native English speaker, I absolutely don't care about Prince's lyrics. He can sing about Cap'n Crunch or Jehovah. I'm an atheist, but I just don't care. I'm a fan because of his music, not because of his lyrics. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. Anyway, here's my best-to-worst list:

1. The Rainbow Children. Highlights: Muse 2 The Pharaoh; Digital Garden; 1+1+1=3; Family Name; Last December.
2. Lotusflow3r. Highlights: Boom; Crimson & Clover; Colonized Mind; Feel Good, Feel Better, Feel Wonderful; Wall Of Berlin; Dreamer.
3. 3121. Highlights: 3121; Te Amo Corazon; Black Sweat; Love; The Word.
4. Planet Earth. Highlights: Planet Earth; Guitar; The One U Wanna C; Chelsea Rodgers; Lion Of Judah.
5. 20ten. Highlights: Beginning Endessly; Act Of God; Lavaux; Laydown.
6. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic. Highlights: Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic; Baby Knows; Strange But True.
7. MPLSound. Highlights: Chocolate Box; Dance 4 Me; Here; Ol' Skool Company.
8. Musicology. Highlights: Cinnamon Girl.

1. LotusFlower...GREAT album. Dreamer is one kick ass track. Also love Boom, $, Colonized Mind, Wall of Berlin.

2. 20Ten...don't know if it was because of low expectations or what...but I really dig this. Its the first album in ages where I don't skip tracks. Has a retro feel but also original. Sticky Like Glue is the best track of the decade imo.

3. 3121...Love it for the most part...but NOT a fan of Black Sweat...that high pitch tone that plays throughout the song gets on my last nerve.

4. Musicology....Really good album. Nothing spectacular, but entertaining and solid.

5. Planet Earth...The One U Wanna C, Somewhere Here on Earth, and esp Chelsea Rogers are Prince classics imo. The rest is simply ok.

6. TRC...Music is awesome, lyrics are terrible.

7. Rave...Title track is one of my faves. Strange But True and I Love U But I Don't Trust U are great too. The rest is patchy.

8. MPLS Sound...not a fan.

T.R.C

N.E.W.S

O.N.A (Piano)

Lotusflow3r

3121

20Ten

Musicology

Planet Earth

Mplsound

Rave

TrueFunkSoldier2 said:

best to worst?

[Edited 7/18/10 20:42pm]

3121

Lotus Flow3r

Rainbow Children

20Ten

Mplsound

Musicology

Planet Earth

Rave

I didnt really get in2 Musicology as much as I wanted to like it..waaaay too diverse in sounds...it kept jumping from genere to genere.

Planet Earth was just about destroyed by the same concept and a bad opener..but saved by really good songs on it.

Rave..was coo...but I dont really pull it out unless I wanna hear Rave, So Far So Pleased or Prettyman

Welcome2daRevolution said:

1. Musicology

1a. Lotusflower

1b. Mplsound

1c. 20ten

2. 3121

3. Rave

4. TRC

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500. Planet Earth

[Edited 7/18/10 21:45pm]

I love your Avitar go Niners.

1- trc = masterpiece 9/10 neverf mind the jw bla bla the music is waaaauw

2- lotusflow3r = almost a masterpiece 8/10 = trc light

3- 20ten = its not great but its so fun & funky not 1 bad song on it 7/10

4-3121 7/10

5-musicology 7/10

6- planet earth = 50% is brilliant 50% is just ok 6/10

7- mplsounds = same here love ,dance 4 me ,old skool company & no more candy 4 u 6/10

8-rave = not so bad but sounds dated now 6/10

• 20ten- Equally enjoy listening this album as much as Prince's older output
• Lotusflow3r - Prince answered peoples wishes with a guitar orientated album ($ = )
• 3121 - First album I got on release as a fan....certain tracks just nail this album live (Fury, 3121, The word)....and loooove black sweat
• Rainbow children - Really want to get on with this album and it is very very unique but just can't get on with it
• Musicology - Appreciate as a sunday afternoon album
• Planet Earth - Makes me think of London '07 (Future baby mama, SHOE, PE I absolutely love)
• Mplsound - Like a few tracks but find most tacky
• Rave... - meh I can probably listen t more tracks on here than rainbow children but is just generally weak

Lotusflow3r

Planet Earth

Rave

Musicology

Rainbow Children

MPLS

20ten

Tough one. Here's my try:

Rainbow Children

Musicology

3121

Indigo Nights

Lotusflow3r

Rave

Planet Earth

Mplsound

20ten

Sticking strictly with the albums listed in the thread title;

1. 3121 - I enjoy every track except the title track. 'Lolita' I could do without but overall - very good.

2. MPLSound - Despite 'Chocolate Box,' and the upturned noses. It's quality fun.

3. Musicology - Burdened by 'A Million Days' and 'Reflection.'

4. Rave - 'Man O' War,' 'The Sun, The Moon and Stars,' Prettyman' and 'I Love You But I Don't Trust You Anymore' anchor a pretty underrated album

5. Lotusflow3r - 'The Morning After' and '4Ever' were highlights here. I like 'Dreamer' and 'Colonized Mind' too but I already know he plays guitar.

6. Rainbow Children - Beautiful work ruined with all that voiceover work that renders it unlistenable unless it's live.

7. 20ten - Exceeded expectations. 'Laydown,' 'Beginning Endlessly,' 'Future Soul Song' and 'Sticky Like Glue' are the early standout faves.

8. Planet Earth- 'Planet Earth' should have been a single with 'Guitar' as a B-side. Why he bothered to release the rest . . . who knows?

1. Musicology

2. 20Ten

3. Rainbow Children

4. 3121

5. Planet Earth

6. Lotusflow3r/MPLSound

8. Rave

Easy

1.3121

...

2.20Ten

3.Musicology

4.Planet Earth

...

5.Lotus Flower

6.MPLS

...

7.TRC

....

8.Rave

[Edited 7/27/10 8:36am]

I think it's interesting how little consensus there is. Sure, this is a very small sampling of opinions but I think if you got more opinions the result would be the same. Every list seems to be very different than the one that preceeded it. It seems like The Rainbow Children and Lotusflow3r are the frontrunners and Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic and The Rainbow Children are the least favorites. It's funny that The Rainbow Children is both the favourite and least favourite album of this era. Still, almost all of the albums got lots of votes as the favourite or least favourite. A lot of folks seem to like 3121 and dislike Planet Earth but nearly just as many hold the opposite view. It's funny that there is generally a consensus about what is his best work of the '80s yet the '90s and '00s seem to have listeners sharply divided.

My favotites best to worst. Based solely on how inclined I am to want to hear them:

3121

20Ten

Musicology

Lotusflow3r

Rave un2 The Joy Fantastic

Planet Earth

MPLSound

Rainbow Children

Planet Earth

and I would throw "One Night Alone" piano album after between lotus and rave since it falls in that period.

Rainbow Children--to me this is the only proper Prince album of this decade, warts & all

3121--a near miss of classic prince, maybe the best collection of prince songs this decade

MPLSound--stong, if a bit short, could have been great with one less slow/one more fast song

Lotusflow3r--TRC lite, but omitting the narration of TRC does not make up for weak tracks like 4Ever. Still I love how this album ends stronger than it begins.

20Ten--still digesting this, it sure sounds like classic prince, it just doesn't sound incredibly interesting or wild

Musicology--a safe if strong pop lp that sounds fairly unspired for the most part.

Rave--not as bad as people say, not nearly as strong as we might have hoped for.

Planet Earth--can hardly be called an album. There is no cohesion, and Prince sounds fairly miserable & desperate by the time Lion of Judah rolls around. All the Midnights of the World rips off Here Comes Santa Clause. The best track is called Future Baby Mama. A call to action for our fragile planet devolves into instructions for some piece of meat in preparation for Prince reading you bible verses instead of fucking you on his gas guzzling private jet. This made MPLSound seem like a revelation in comparison

swissbeats2k said:

Welcome2daRevolution said:

1. Musicology

1a. Lotusflower

1b. Mplsound

1c. 20ten

2. 3121

3. Rave

4. TRC

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500. Planet Earth

[Edited 7/18/10 21:45pm]

I love your Avitar go Niners.

Classics to my ears...

Lotusflow3r

The Rainbow Children

Solid pop album...

3121

Average effort...

20Ten

Subpar as a whole, but some standout songs still make them essential...

Planet Earth

Rave

Like the production, but the songs bore the shit out of me...

Musicology

Awful production, cringeworthy songs with the exception of a couple that are passable...

MPLSound