badujunkie said:

MajesticOne89 said:

You're not alone. It's the one 80's album I just can't get into. I don't know why either.

what are your faves?

im sure ppl on here seen this 390913903903 times but seeing that I dig Dirty Mind and SOTT the most, it seems from this article below i'll like Grafitti Bridge the best.

Music Article

Purple Products

A decade of Prince albums -- We grade the pop singer's best and worst releases, from ''For You'' to ''Graffiti Bridge''

By David Browne | Sep 21, 1990

David Browne

David Browne is EW's music critic and author of ''Dream Brother: The Lives & Music of Jeff & Tim Buckley'' (HarperCollins)

A decade of Prince albums

For You (Warner Bros., 1978)
A professional, if derivative, one-man-band debut, most notable for ''Soft and Wet'' and Prince's Afro on the cover. B-

Prince (Warner Bros., 1979)
He still hadn't found his voice, but ''I Wanna Be Your Lover,'' his first pop hit, was a slither in the right direction. B-

Dirty Mind (Warner Bros., 1980)
The punchiest production and writing of his early career (''When You Were Mine,'' ''Dirty Mind''), complete with over-the-top lyrics (''Sister,'' ''Head'')-a masterwork of lewdness and desire. A

Controversy (Warner Bros., 1981)
Basically Dirtier Mind, with longer jams, one of his best pillow-talk ballads (''Do Me, Baby''), and, naturally, assorted odes to assorted bods (''Sexuality''). B+

1999 (Warner Bros., 1982)
Prince's take-no-prisoners pop breakthrough — his first album to crack the top 10 — still sounds bold and brassy, especially on ''Little Red Corvette,'' ''Let's Pretend We're Married,'' and the title cut. Excessive at times, but not even Prince could avoid the traps inherent in a two-record set. A-

Purple Rain (Warner Bros., 1984)
The album and soundtrack that made him a media sensation (No. 1 album, Oscar for Best Original Score) is one of his murkiest. Soggy ''rock'' arrangements and the overblown title track bog it down, although a few gems, namely ''When Doves Cry'' and the ballad ''Take Me With U,'' sparkle. B

Around the World in a Day (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1985)
Yes, he could update the sunniest feel-good aura of the '60s (''Raspberry Beret,'' the James Brown/Sly Stone vamping of ''Temptation''). But too many of these songs sound like bad acid trips. C

Parade (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1986)
Wallowing even deeper in self- indulgence, Prince pairs his weakest movie (Under the Cherry Moon) with his most wildly uneven album. Florid ballads and ersatz cabaret dominate, yet he salvages the record with two slinky workouts (''Girls & Boys,'' ''Anotherloverholen-yohead'') and one of his punchiest singles, ''Kiss.'' C-

Sign 'O' the Times (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1987)
Back in form, Prince finally delivers the goods he'd been promising in the wake of Purple Rain. From topical funk (the title track) to unabashed pop (''U Got the Look'' with Sheena Easton, ''I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man'') to glorious guitar squalor (''The Cross'') to simmering R&B (''Slow Love''), this double album was a sign that proved worth heeding. A

The Black Album (unreleased, 1987)
Pulled from release under mysterious circumstances (did Prince back down? did Warner?), the heavily bootlegged Black Album lives up to its legend with dark funk and a disturbing pimp fantasy (''Bob George''). Worth hunting down. B+

Lovesexy (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1988)
A somewhat reserved Prince hits 30 and confronts God, sex, and What It All Means on a confused and sometimes confusing album. More than its share of dippiness, but also some of his densest funk (''Alphabet St.,'' ''Eye No'') and ballads that ooze lust (''I Wish U Heaven,'' ''When 2 R in Love''). B

Batman (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1989)
Prince's first No. 1 album since Around the World in a Day is not your standard hackneyed '80s movie soundtrack. But with such piffle as ''Scandalous,'' ''Partyman,'' and the clunky hit single ''Batdance,'' it's not your standard thrilling Prince album, either. B-

Graffiti Bridge (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1990)
Back on track, Prince delivers his most consistent, playful, and profound music yet, in a double album (from the soundtrack of his new film) that moves in a radiant arc from distress to redemption. A+ — Greg Sandow

Originally posted Sep 21, 1990 Published in issue #32 Sep 21, 1990 Order article reprints

Graffiti Bridge gets an A+. Around The World In A Day and Parade get a respective C and C-. Remind me to shove a size-12 Skecher up David Browne's shit pincher the next time I see him.

Swa said:

thedance said:

^ Hi Swa, thanks but the link is not working, it is inactive....

Try this

Parade

Thank U... Swa !!

MikeyB71 said:

badujunkie said:

it's been my mission to get into prince albums i don't know as well from the dirty mind through gold experience-ish eras (his commercial and critical peak imo) but i just can't do parade!

what is the hype over this mess!

i love the songs i already knew plus mountains and anotherloverhole. everything else...eh...

venus de milo, i wonder u, anyone? really? why?!

im hoping to tackle ATWIAD and the Black Album next.

[img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/43ccf26d_6559_2b71.gif[/img:$uid]

I need to steal that gif.

OP, I know what you mean. Been a fan of Prince's music since 2006, and used to only dig the same cuts as you. Over time, it really grew on me. In fact, I spun it twice today at work!

I think each person finds different Prince albums appealing on first listen. Some tracks you might not dig for years, but when you do, you'll be glad you did.

Trust me on this one.

Mindbells9 said:

Parade is currently my favorite Prince album, tho I go back and forth between it and SOTT. I recently did an expanded version of the album and I've been playing it 2 death! Heres my vision of Parade:

Christopher Tracys Parade

New Position

I Wonder U

Alexa De Paris (7" edit)

Under The Cherry Moon

It's A Wonderful Day

Girls and Boys

Sexual Suicide

Life Can Be So Nice

Venus De Milo

Power Fantastic

Mountains (extended version, but faded out at 6:33)

Do U Lie?

In A Large Room With No Light

Love or Money (edit)

Kiss (extended version,faded out at 5:05)

Anotherloverholenyohead

4 The Tears In Your Eyes (Live Aid video version)

Sometimes It Snows In April

All My Dreams

This version 4 me is killer! Songs like Sexual Suicide and It's A Wonderful Day were thrown in cuz I know Sexual Suicide was in an early draft of "Under The Cherry Moon" and "...Wonderfu Day" is in the movie. In A Large Room With No Light just fits the album perfectly in my opinion.The Live Aid video version of 4 The Tears In Your Eyes is so beautiful and the way Prince, Wendy, and Lisa harmonize and the overall atmosphere of the song is a perfect way 2 go in2 Sometimes It Snows In April. This is the way I feel Parade should have been

Wow! I like your choices. I think I will try my own but maybe with some different edits and fades.

I probably will use the full Love or Money. Great Idea! Can't wait to do my own, but will base it on what you have here.

badujunkie said:

it's been my mission to get into prince albums i don't know as well from the dirty mind through gold experience-ish eras (his commercial and critical peak imo) but i just can't do parade!

what is the hype over this mess!

i love the songs i already knew plus mountains and anotherloverhole. everything else...eh...

venus de milo, i wonder u, anyone? really? why?!

im hoping to tackle ATWIAD and the Black Album next.

Venus De Milo and I Wonder U are TINY pieces of Parade. I think I look at Parade like this:

The obvious gems: Kiss, Mountains, Anotherloverholenyohead, girls & boys, Sometimes It Snows In April

The second tier classics: CT's Parade, New Position, Under The Cherry Moon, Do U Lie?

The "will grow on you and kick your ass": Life Can Be So Nice(Took me 10 years to like it, and now it is in my top 5 on the album.)

The "so short they are really interludes...not full songs": Venus De Milo, I Wonder U.

Look there are some people programmed not to like certain music. I always feel lucky when I read the posts of the poor souls who think SOTT is average, but think Diamonds And Pearls is the masterwork!

I simply don't get this critique....

the Parade extended 12 inch versions roockks!!

Kiss (7:16),

Mountains (10:03),

Anotherloverholenyohead (7:52)

Girls & Boys is amazing.....

Sometimes It Snows In April is one of the finest Prince ballads.

New Position, brilliant - a classic, only if there was a longer version.

Under The Cherry Moon, another excellent ballad.

Life Can Be So Nice... excellent hard funk....

The original poster may be deaf.

kewlschool said:

Yeah, I'm thinking maybe you need a new identity. Perhaps the witness protection program.

'dre

To the OP:

Watch Under the Cherry Moon...it helps.

But be warned: after watching the movie, you'll be pissed that every little snippet of music isnt on the album!

StonedImmaculate said:

To the OP:

Watch Under the Cherry Moon...it helps.

But be warned: after watching the movie, you'll be pissed that every little snippet of music isnt on the album!

Hmmm - it didn't help me. I love the album - can't sit through the film.

PANDURITO said:

And that was your 3000th post

(BIG facepalm...).

This is an obvious baiting post...I aint biting. and no I didnt just bite...I have no comment on this..its shear baiting.

squirrelgrease said:

[img:$uid]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n276/squirrelgrease/AnimatedGifs-5/CryingIndian.gif[/img:$uid]

SERIOUSLY!

badujunkie said:

it's been my mission to get into prince albums i don't know as well from the dirty mind through gold experience-ish eras (his commercial and critical peak imo) but i just can't do parade!

what is the hype over this mess!

i love the songs i already knew plus mountains and anotherloverhole. everything else...eh...

venus de milo, i wonder u, anyone? really? why?!

im hoping to tackle ATWIAD and the Black Album next.

I agree. Parade is not one of my favorite Prince albums; it's very overrated, IMO. There's plenty on it I like, but some of it is just . I made my own configuration, and prefer it to the released version:

Girls & Boys

New Position

Love or Money (12" version)

Alexia de Paris (12" version)

Under the Cherry Moon

Mountains (12" version)

Kiss

Anotherloverholenyohead (12" version)

An Honest Man

Old Friends 4 Sale (original version)

Sometimes it Snows in April

thedance said:

Blasphemy.....

Parade is a 10/10 masterpiece.....

IMO: this thread tells more about a weird Prince fan, than something about the 10/10 album that is Parade.

Parade is a Prince classic....

.

[Edited 10/26/10 19:33pm]

I like 'Parade' but I'm not in love with it There are some interesting moments but I don't think this album is a masterpiece.

I find it to be strange and uneven.The first few songs are so brief,it sounds like Prince wasn't completley finished with these tunes."New Position" comes to an abrupt end just when it starts to get interesting."I Wonder U" sounds like an eerie interlude."Life Can Be So Nice" is a noisy,chaotic song that goes nowhere.

But when it's good,it's very good."Girls And Boys","Kiss" and "Anotherloverholenyohead" are the obvious highlights.

In retrospect,even Prince isn't too fond of this album.He admitted that he recorded it too soon after ATWIAD and didn't have enough strong songs ready.

badujunkie said:

it's been my mission to get into prince albums i don't know as well from the dirty mind through gold experience-ish eras (his commercial and critical peak imo) but i just can't do parade!

what is the hype over this mess!

i love the songs i already knew plus mountains and anotherloverhole. everything else...eh...

venus de milo, i wonder u, anyone? really? why?!

im hoping to tackle ATWIAD and the Black Album next.

... from my first listen to Parade I loved it. A.T.W.I.A.D. not so much

Cerebus said:

squirrelgrease said:

[img:$uid]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n276/squirrelgrease/AnimatedGifs-5/CryingIndian.gif[/img:$uid]

Seriously, though. And I agree with IstenSzek - I go back and forth between Parade and SOTT being my favorite Prince album pretty regularly.

Parade is genius, particularly with all the extended versions and b-sides included. Even better, imo, with outtakes from the era and incidental UTCM tracks.

I very don't like Sign O The Times.

What's wrong with me ?

What can I do ?

Prince's most complete album

I remember listening to Parade for the first time and thinking it seemed a bit flimsy with Chris's Parade and Do You Lie? Life Can Be So Nice, and even the studio version of Sometimes it Snows... with high points being (for me personally), Under the Cherry Moon, Kiss, Girls and Boys, Mountains, New Position.

But that's how all Prince albums are... right?

I can understand people not liking a musical style, but to try and shackle Prince with the chains of playing the same style all the time is not fair to him. You don't like something, there is this thing called freedom of not purchasing or listening to it.

PurpleLove7 said:

badujunkie said:

it's been my mission to get into prince albums i don't know as well from the dirty mind through gold experience-ish eras (his commercial and critical peak imo) but i just can't do parade!

what is the hype over this mess!

i love the songs i already knew plus mountains and anotherloverhole. everything else...eh...

venus de milo, i wonder u, anyone? really? why?!

im hoping to tackle ATWIAD and the Black Album next.

... from my first listen to Parade I loved it. A.T.W.I.A.D. not so much

im feelin the exact opposite:lol:

ATWIAD kicked my ASS the other night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

myalouise said:

something's wrong with you

Parade is just simply perfect.

From it open sleeve picture, through to the last lyric on Sometimes it Snows in April.

The number of styles it not only blends but invents, totally different from any thing else in 86 or even the 80's full stop.

A prince solo project in some ways but The Revolution's footprints are all over this and to hear Eric Leeds put his distinct flavour on it as well and not to mention Clare Fisher and his Orchestra in other words there are layers and layers.

The Intro where one track bleeds (not blends) into the next throughly show this to be a well thought out album.

While SOTT is a great series of songs this in my opinion is the better album.

Listen to the music, hear the humour and free yourself and dance, dance all sort of weird dances but enjoy

[Edited 10/29/10 14:11pm]

MajesticOne89 said:

you guys just had to be there. Sorry you missed out.

Parade and ATWIAD are the two albums I can listen to all the way through...

I don't get the hype over SOTT... it's one of my least favorite 80s prince albums...

i have loved it since i was 11 years old

[Edited 10/29/10 22:52pm]

As with every Prince album, there are going to be songs you like and songs you don't. On Parade, there are some cool songs, then some that make you ask wtf?

On 20Ten, the music and voice is perfect... but even still, the Every Loves Me is not my favorite.

Whether Prince's albums like Parade with it's French influence or the Symbol album with it's Arabic feel, there is always something you can't honestly say is great!