IMO, The Black Album was not as "dark" or "sinister" as he made it out to be. The only song that

was remotely disturbing on the whole CD that comes to mind was "Bob George" when his alter ego killed that girl. Other than that, I found the whole album to be more comical, yet sardonic in nature not the work of a deranged psychopath. His later work, The Come album with the whole Edgar Allen

Poe persona and Gothic undertones was some truly frightening shit to me! Though it's a cool song I

can't get into that "Papa" song about an ornery father beating little Tobey blind in the closet because he was throwing rocks in the yard, not to say a shooting a woman to death is any less pernicious.

All I have to say is I am glad Prince found Jehovah and say no to drugs kids!

Until he gets bored!

x

[Edited 7/20/10 16:52pm]

I don't think it was "too dark", certainly not in comparison to 1999 and some of the overtones in the Parade/Dream Factory era("Others Here With Us", "Crystal Ball", etc etc).

But it had a new element that wasn't apparent, or at least pronounced in Prince' previous releases - despair. In that sense, its no wonder why Prince burnt the master tapes for "Empty Room".

Hell, I even consider "Come" WAY darker than "The Black Album". So yeah, he was abit dramatic.

[Edited 7/20/10 16:52pm]

He was just trying to build up his own mystique, like how we're "not ready" for "The Divine" yet.

I will say though, it did sound freaky when I first heard it on a fuzzy 8th-generation tape in 90 or 91! I think the murkier the copy, the more dastardly it sounded. When it finally got released, it was so sanitary sounding, it lost all of its edge.

Of course, it could've just been Prince's bizarre sense of humor - Get it? Black Album? Too Dark?

"It's like... how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black."

[Edited 7/20/10 17:24pm]

hes always a drama queen but thats what i love about him!

Harlepolis said:

).

But it had a new element that wasn't apparent, or at least pronounced in Prince' previous releases - despair. In that sense, its no wonder why Prince burnt the master tapes for "Empty Room".

[Edited 7/20/10 16:52pm]

omg what?! he did? :O

Harlepolis said:

I don't think it was "too dark", certainly not in comparison to 1999 and some of the overtones in the Parade/Dream Factory era("Others Here With Us", "Crystal Ball", etc etc).

But it had a new element that wasn't apparent, or at least pronounced in Prince' previous releases - despair. In that sense, its no wonder why Prince burnt the master tapes for "Empty Room".

Hell, I even consider "Come" WAY darker than "The Black Album". So yeah, he was abit dramatic.

[Edited 7/20/10 16:52pm]

For real? Empty Room? Maybe you´re thinking of how he told Susan Rogers to erase the first take of "Wally"?

Because as far as I know, they used the original 1985 version of Empty Room for the 1994 version. Even Michael Bland said so here on the org, back in the days when he used to answer questions here.

When I got The Black Album, I expected something real dark. It wasn't.

Prince has never said anything purposefully dramatic in his entire life.

..................

This is the only album that didn't have a title track, and I wish he kept the original "Funk Bible" on. But considering how he was under severe pressure from Chrisitan organizations, changing it to "Black Album" was propably the smart thing to do.

Maybe...but compares to " Come" cd with tracks like...(so)Dark,Pheromone & Papa, if u ask me...

Harlepolis said:

This is the only album that didn't have a title track, and I wish he kept the original "Funk Bible" on. But considering how he was under severe pressure from Chrisitan organizations, changing it to "Black Album" was propably the smart thing to do.

U might add 20Ten too....

smoothcriminal12 said:

When I got The Black Album, I expected something real dark. It wasn't.

the Black Album is excellent,

to me it's basically Sign O' The Times - part II,

Songs like

Le Grind,

Cindy C,

Superfunkycalifragisexy

Rock Hard In A Funky Place,

sounds imo very much like the excellent funky stuff on SOTT......

Harlepolis said:

This is the only album that didn't have a title track, and I wish he kept the original "Funk Bible" on. But considering how he was under severe pressure from Chrisitan organizations, changing it to "Black Album" was propably the smart thing to do.

Prince was pressured to change the name of an album that was a virtual secret until just before it the release was cancelled? Ok then. What's your source for that claim?

At the time it was "Too Dark"the world was a diffent place.We were in the 80's a great time in History.Everyone was happy and kid were still acting like kids.

Then Crack and Rap came and MESS up the WHOLE THING!

DMSRCMC12 said:

At the time it was "Too Dark"the world was a diffent place.We were in the 80's a great time in History.Everyone was happy and kid were still acting like kids.

Then Crack and Rap came and MESS up the WHOLE THING!

Bit of a rose-coloured view of the past there (and how are you going to blame rap for messing up anything?), but Crack was a problem long before the Black Album was recorded.

TwiliteKid said:

Harlepolis said:

This is the only album that didn't have a title track, and I wish he kept the original "Funk Bible" on. But considering how he was under severe pressure from Chrisitan organizations, changing it to "Black Album" was propably the smart thing to do.

Prince was pressured to change the name of an album that was a virtual secret until just before it the release was cancelled? Ok then. What's your source for that claim?

He was still under pressure from his lyrics in the "Purple Rain" album(I should've typed that) and being that he wanted to dodge a long feature headache, he changed the title.

And the source is in the "DMSR" book.

Harlepolis said:

TwiliteKid said:

Prince was pressured to change the name of an album that was a virtual secret until just before it the release was cancelled? Ok then. What's your source for that claim?

He was still under pressure from his lyrics in the "Purple Rain" album(I should've typed that) and being that he wanted to dodge a long feature headache, he changed the title.

And the source is in the "DMSR" book.

That was the PMRC, not a Christian group, but Purple Rain has nothing to do with The Black Album. You're seriously stretching to make that connection.

Also, I've read DMSR, and I don't think any such thing is mentioned. I'll confirm tonight.

Believe me back in 1988 when I first heard a copy of this, it sounded incredibly dark and deranged and weird (all of which I loved!) compared to what was on the radio and to what he eventually released. The monsterous rhythm noise on "Le Grind" to the off key spatic opening noise of "Cindy C" to the dense relentless networked funk of "2 Nigs United for West Compton" to the midnight voodoo sound of "Rockhard in a Funky Place"... the album spoke of a hostile, sex crazed, MACHO, nocturnal, secretive, and potentially monstrous and insane vibe.

No just high.

At the time yeah it was kind of dark..maybe not by todays standards

It came from an angry place. Feel the light.

billymeade said:

He was just trying to build up his own mystique, like how we're "not ready" for "The Divine" yet.

exactly, and it worked, it's one of the biggest bootleg legends in rock

I think he was embarrassed that it was fueled by drug use...

"the reason why my voice is so clear, is because there's no smack in my brain"

Yeah there isn't much there that is offensive. Could also be that he was making forays into rap tracks and he decided that he didn't want to do that yet.

222 said:

I think he was embarrassed that it was fueled by drug use...

"the reason why my voice is so clear, is because there's no smack in my brain"

Yeah there isn't much there that is offensive. Could also be that he was making forays into rap tracks and he decided that he didn't want to do that yet.

smack is heroin, I figured what he really meant was the same kind of smack on the brain as in "talking smack" as the black album was talking big in an effort to prove he was still cool.

Like sayiong his thinking was polluted

[Edited 7/21/10 17:25pm]

Who knows, I never really thought of it as too dark besides the title. Hated this album @ 1st & it eventually grew on me where now I love it. I think couldn't appreciate, maybe I was too young, too ignorant, whatever the case... I certainly appreciate it now.

222 said:

I think he was embarrassed that it was fueled by drug use...

"the reason why my voice is so clear, is because there's no smack in my brain"

Yeah there isn't much there that is offensive. Could also be that he was making forays into rap tracks and he decided that he didn't want to do that yet.

Fueled by drug use? The story goes that his decision to cancel the release followed a night on ecstasy, but I've never heard anything about him using drugs while recording the album. What are you basing that on?

Harlepolis said:

TwiliteKid said:

Prince was pressured to change the name of an album that was a virtual secret until just before it the release was cancelled? Ok then. What's your source for that claim?

He was still under pressure from his lyrics in the "Purple Rain" album(I should've typed that) and being that he wanted to dodge a long feature headache, he changed the title.

And the source is in the "DMSR" book.

I've just had a look at my copy of DMSR, and I suspected, the one and only reference to The Funk Bible is simply to say that it was the original title. Nothing at all about why Prince changed him mind. So you made it up, another in a long line of Prince fans trying pass off their own theories and supposition as fact. It's getting pretty tiring!