Sign ☮ 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 on 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 of course 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 soooooo 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.

SOTT is a 10 / 10 timeless classic masterpiece.....

His best album cover ever.

Love this ablum, it was a masterpiece! A great statement in Prince's history and legacy!

I loved it, still do. When it was released, i loved the whole mysterious peach and black thing going on. I was very impressionable back then.

I remember going to see the Sign O The Times movie at a cinema that usually played b-rated horror and porn films (it was not played in the big cinema's in Scotland).

Great album, great songs.

^^ There was a whole new vibe to this album I think that Prince hadn't captured on an album prior to nor since.

It was very special time to live through.

emesem said:

His best album cover ever.

There is something to be said for this album cover - the way he is blurred out as if to shift the focus off him to the music and the musicianship contained within.

The most talented record ever.

Not only are all the tracks unbelievable, but look how different each one is! All performed masterfully, mostly alone.....that baffles me. Absolutely baffles me.

He truly is unrivalled.

I am in the minority because SOTT isn't a favorite of mine. I guess I'm just not hearing what everyone else is hearing, I don't know. Maybe I need to give it another listen.

Of course stellar tracks are SOTT and Adore, which are two of Prince's all time hands down absolute best songs EVER, but even those don't save this album for me.

I know quite a few tracks are from The Dream Factory project, and which as a whole I like better than SOTT. I think it might have something to do with the flow of SOTT versus the flow of Dream Factory. I know I'm in the minority on that one too since most people seem to think DF was quite jumbled, but I think thats what made it so great.

Anyhoo, this isn't about DF, it's about SOTT. I can see why this album gets much love, Prince made a concerted effort to go back to his roots and created a good portion of the songs on SOTT by himself, the way he used to, which was what made him so successful. New band, new sounds, new experiments with the music, he was stepping away from The Revolution. I love that everyone loves SOTT, but for some reason it just is missing something, for me anyway.

WetDream said:

The most talented record ever.

Not only are all the tracks unbelievable, but look how different each one is! All performed masterfully, mostly alone.....that baffles me. Absolutely baffles me.

He truly is unrivalled.

Again the thing that was tricky is that we didn't know about the very intensly creative & collabrative period that was building since PR up till that point with Prince the Revolution Sheila E Eric Leeds & Susannah Melvoin that became SOTT via all the unreleased music that we call the Dream Factory years:Camille music, Black album music, the Flesh sessions, music that came out of the Family album that developed into Madhouse etc etc

I wouldn't say mostly alone. But it sure was how it was put out as being.

OldFriends4Sale said:

WetDream said:

The most talented record ever.

Not only are all the tracks unbelievable, but look how different each one is! All performed masterfully, mostly alone.....that baffles me. Absolutely baffles me.

He truly is unrivalled.

Again the thing that was tricky is that we didn't know about the very intensly creative & collabrative period that was building since PR up till that point with Prince the Revolution Sheila E Eric Leeds & Susannah Melvoin that became SOTT via all the unreleased music that we call the Dream Factory years:Camille music, Black album music, the Flesh sessions, music that came out of the Family album that developed into Madhouse etc etc

I wouldn't say mostly alone. But it sure was how it was put out as being.

Without a doubt there were several collaborations and band efforts on SOTT, but also a few of the stand out gems (Dorothy Parker, SOTT, Starfish & Coffee) all show Prince still had a few tricks up his sleeve when left to his own devices.

What makes this such a great album is the balance between the solo efforts and the band ones.

Swa said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Again the thing that was tricky is that we didn't know about the very intensly creative & collabrative period that was building since PR up till that point with Prince the Revolution Sheila E Eric Leeds & Susannah Melvoin that became SOTT via all the unreleased music that we call the Dream Factory years:Camille music, Black album music, the Flesh sessions, music that came out of the Family album that developed into Madhouse etc etc

I wouldn't say mostly alone. But it sure was how it was put out as being.

Without a doubt there were several collaborations and band efforts on SOTT, but also a few of the stand out gems (Dorothy Parker, SOTT, Starfish & Coffee) all show Prince still had a few tricks up his sleeve when left to his own devices.

What makes this such a great album is the balance between the solo efforts and the band ones.

the Ballad of Dorothy Parker is still my all time favorite from this album

Sign o the Times is a very simple work, the stripped feel: drum machine, synth and guitar really work to make this song shadowy, just a bit of a mislead for the rest of the album though,

Starfish & Coffee (co written by Susannah)

U know what I should make a cd with all the songs Susannah Cowrote/cosang with Prince

... call me crazy but, I prefer 'Dream Factory' to S.O.T.T.

Still all in all it's a 5 star album [img:$uid]http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/9.gif[/img:$uid]

Again I am alone in not liking Slow Love I always skip that one. I have the single version of I could never take the place... on the zune. This is still an AWESOME album though my number 4

DecaturStone said:

Again I am alone in not liking Slow Love I always skip that one. I have the single version of I could never take the place... on the zune. This is still an AWESOME album though my number 4

Slow love took me a long while to appreciate - but it has its moments now for me.

And this will always be the top album for me from his cannon.

I freaking love this cd!! Almost song for song, I just adore it...

Adore, IIWYG, Hot Thang, SOTT, 4Ever in My Life, I could never take the place of your man, Strange Relatioship...just love all these songs to death!

It still surprises me when recent fans don't have this in their collection - its the quintessential Prince album.

I love every song on the album.

although i love this album, "It" is one track i dont care about. I wish it had been replaced by joy in repitition or crucial or last heart. He had so much good stuff back then, he could have easily replaced this track.

Love this.

This album has been a classic from day one, and will never cease being one.

Swa said:

Sign ☮ 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 on 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 of course 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 soooooo 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.

und wenn Sie das alles gesehen haben ,

muss es mindestens einen Weg geben der dorthin führt

from a DISTANCE wird immer weniger funktionieren