wasitgood4u said:

Fenwick said:

3121 - you have 7/10 - I have 1.5 out of ten - I can take the title track (especially live), and that's it. Loathe this album.

Really?

Did you miss the SNL performance of Fury? Admittedly the album version doesn't hold a shade to it, but it still gives me warm fuzzies by association every time I hear it. I think Black Sweat is a great Prince song (even with the annoying whistle). Love is a brilliant composition, in my view, different from most anything he's done. The Dance is also a strong track and i love Satisfied (I prefer it to On the Couch, but you should at least give them even steven, no?)

I used to like the Word, but it's preachiness gets on my nerves now and I detest Incense and candles and BLAB (best acronym ever!). But Lolita's cute and what Get on the Boat laccks in songwriting prowess it makes up for in jammability.

And then there's the title-track of course.

i WAY prefe this to Musicology (which I think is boring), mainly coz it has edge, for the most part. How can you rate it so low?

Yeah this is probably the one album in the entire cannon I should like more, but just don't.

Random strange note: I don't know why I love the cover, but I do. I only mention that because I'm a take out the booklet and read along to the words etc type of guy. And sometimes the cover of an album puts me in the mood to listen to it. And every time I see the CD cover to 3121 I say, "I have to give this CD another shot". And every time I do, I wind up skipping every track after 3121. The songs just seem so sterile to me.

I 100% agree Lolita is catchy and cute, but it holds no staying power. And I find the melody line on Fury to be so obvious, it's absolutely unlistenable, live or otherwise.

Get On the Boat is 100% cringe.

Black Sweat is probably the closest to the tolerable category. There are times I can listen to it, and perhaps if the tunes around it were stronger I could get into it more. But as much as I have tried, (and it's probably a good 20/30 times over the past 5 years), I just can't get into the album.

Sorry .......

Fenwick said:

squirrelgrease said:

Those 80s outtakes and the Black Album really helped put a spit-shine on the 1990s.

Oh and by the way, regarding your individual ratings, I largely agree with your assesments.

A point or two here or there aside, there are only four I strongly disagree with, two higher and two lower

New Power Soul - you have 6/10 - I have 1.5/10 - Loathe that album. Only Kamasutra, 3121 and Planet Earth rate lower.

ONA Live - you have 4/10 - I have 8/10 - It doesn't bother me that the tracks come from different performances. I think they breathe a ton of life into the TRC tracks. I enjoy this album more and more over the years. (Although I have to concede that the aftershow disc is an f*ing mess).

Musicology - you have 3/10 - I have 6.5/10 - What Do You Want Me To Do, Musicology and Call My Name are monster tunes.

3121 - you have 7/10 - I have 1.5 out of ten - I can take the title track (especially live), and that's it. Loathe this album.

I guess I've always felt the same way about NPS. It didn't have to grow on me and in that regards, it hasn't really ever moved up in the ratings, nor down. It's just a collection of mindless ear candy with a decent pacing. Come On, The One and Wasted Kisses are well worth struggling through tracks like Shoo-Bed-Ooh.

ONA Live would probably place better if I hadn't been to the Xenophobia Celebration and saw what would have made many killer live albums. Continental Drift is my go-to ONA set.

Funny that you mention What Do U Want Me 2 Do as a great song. I totally agree - I thought I was the only one who dug this tune. But unfortunately it and the title track are the only saving graces of what I consider a digital bowel movement in cash-grab clothing.

Fenwick said:

Get On the Boat is 100% cringe.

Agreed. But I really like 3121(love this one), Lolita, Black Sweat and The Word.

Fenwick said:

wasitgood4u said:

Really?

Did you miss the SNL performance of Fury? Admittedly the album version doesn't hold a shade to it, but it still gives me warm fuzzies by association every time I hear it. I think Black Sweat is a great Prince song (even with the annoying whistle). Love is a brilliant composition, in my view, different from most anything he's done. The Dance is also a strong track and i love Satisfied (I prefer it to On the Couch, but you should at least give them even steven, no?)

I used to like the Word, but it's preachiness gets on my nerves now and I detest Incense and candles and BLAB (best acronym ever!). But Lolita's cute and what Get on the Boat laccks in songwriting prowess it makes up for in jammability.

And then there's the title-track of course.

i WAY prefe this to Musicology (which I think is boring), mainly coz it has edge, for the most part. How can you rate it so low?

Yeah this is probably the one album in the entire cannon I should like more, but just don't.

Random strange note: I don't know why I love the cover, but I do. I only mention that because I'm a take out the booklet and read along to the words etc type of guy. And sometimes the cover of an album puts me in the mood to listen to it. And every time I see the CD cover to 3121 I say, "I have to give this CD another shot". And every time I do, I wind up skipping every track after 3121. The songs just seem so sterile to me.

I 100% agree Lolita is catchy and cute, but it holds no staying power. And I find the melody line on Fury to be so obvious, it's absolutely unlistenable, live or otherwise.

Get On the Boat is 100% cringe.

Black Sweat is probably the closest to the tolerable category. There are times I can listen to it, and perhaps if the tunes around it were stronger I could get into it more. But as much as I have tried, (and it's probably a good 20/30 times over the past 5 years), I just can't get into the album.

Sorry .......

Don't wanna jack your post into a 3121 discussion, but....

I do get all your criticisms but I don't know if you were following Prince at the time, for me it was the only time in the last decade where there was a twinge of that eighties excitement (maybe the release of the title-track of Musicology and the Tavis performance of Reflections with wendy too). I was excited by the TV appearances and pre-release exposure of the songs (TAC excluded): Fury on SNL blew my mind, the clip to BS released over the web was the best vid in years and a super-cool track, the live versions of 3121 and Satisfaction.
Sure, the album was an anti-climax after all that but it still has a shine from the hype which no album possibly since Gold really maintains (Emancipation was over-hyped and couldn't live up to it...)

So, yeah, I skip I&C and BLAB, tolerate Te Amo Corazon (it flows in the structure of the album, even though it's weak) and let Love and the Dance grow on me...

Oh, and, yeah, I had always agreed about the cringe-factor in Get on the Boat, but I was listening to it loud a couple of days ago and there are parts of that jam that totally go off

[Edited 1/3/11 13:33pm]

squirrelgrease said:

1978 For You - 7/10
1979 Prince - 3/10
1980 Dirty Mind - 4/10
1981 Controversy - 10/10
1982 1999 - 10/10
1984 Purple Rain - 10/10
1985 Around The World In A Day - 0/10

1986 Parade - 7/10
1987 Sign O' The Times - 7/10

1988 Lovesexy -6 /10
1989 Batman - 7/10

11 releases = 6.4545

1990 Graffiti Bridge - 7/10

1991 Diamonds And Pearls - 10/10

1992 Symbol - 2/10
1993 Gold Nigga - ??/10
1993 The Hits / The B-Sides - 10/10

1994 1-800-New-Funk - ??/10
1994 Come - 3/10

1994 Black Album - 10/10
1995 Exodus - ??/10
1995 The Gold Experience - 10/10
1996 Girl 6 - ??/10
1996 Chaos And Disorder - 0/10
1996 Emancipation - 10/10
1997 Crystal Ball - 3/10
1997 The Truth - ??/10*

1997 Kamasutra - 1/10*
1998 Newpower Soul - ??/10
1999 The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale - 0/10
1999 Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic - 7/10

12 (*or 14) releases = 6.08333333

2000 Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic - 7/10

2001 The Very Best Of Prince - 10/10
2001 The Rainbow Children - 9/10
2002 One Nite Alone(Piano Demos) - 10/10
2002 One Nite Alone... Live!/It Aint Over Box-Set - 8/10

2003 Xpectation - ??/10
2003 N.E.W.S - 7/10

2004 The Chocolate Invasion - ??/10

2004 The Slaughterhouse - ??/10

2004 C-NOTE - ????????/10
2004 Musicology - 0/10
2005 Ultimate - ???/10
2006 3121 - 10/10
2007 Planet Earth - 7/10
2008 Indigo Nights - 10???/10 (sounds interesting though )

2009 Lotusflow3r - 10/10

2009 MPLSoUND - 4/10*

2010 20TEN - 0/10

15 (*or 16) releases = 6.13333333333

[Edited 1/3/11 10:48am]

guess ill rate 2

too be honest, i like 90s Prince more than anything though

For me the mid '90s (1993-1996) alone makes the '90s a better era than 2000-2010. I rate Come, The Gold Experience, Chaos and Disorder and, especially, Emancipation much higher than anything released from 2000-2010. Plus there's another great album's worth of 1993-1996 era songs on Crystal Ball. I think an argument could be made that 2004-2010 was a very consistent era but the highs, for me, were not as high as the mid '90s. I quite like the 2004-2010 era (even Planet Earth which seems fairly unpopular) and I do think it is underrated but he really seems to be playing it safe since 2004. I would love to hear him try something much more ambitious and adventurous again.

Fenwick said:

TheDigitalGardener said:

Fenwick, I know this thread is a decade rating, and i'm not going to get into individual albums, but i seem to recall you rate the ONA Piano album quite highly?

Squirrel gave the album 10/10, i would give it 9/10, how would you rate that particular album?

I think it is highly original, beautifully recorded/produced and virtually perfect. It is hands down the single reason why I rate the 2000s over the 90s. The 90s have nothing that reaches me like this album does. (And I don't count the Black Album or Crystal Ball as 90s).

Really? That seems strange. There are thirty songs on Crystal Ball and only ten of them date from the '80s. Even if you discard the remixes there are still more '90s songs than '80s songs on it. At the very least it seems like there is at least one albums worth of '90s material on Crystal Ball.

rialb said:

Fenwick said:

I think it is highly original, beautifully recorded/produced and virtually perfect. It is hands down the single reason why I rate the 2000s over the 90s. The 90s have nothing that reaches me like this album does. (And I don't count the Black Album or Crystal Ball as 90s).

Really? That seems strange. There are thirty songs on Crystal Ball and only ten of them date from the '80s. Even if you discard the remixes there are still more '90s songs than '80s songs on it. At the very least it seems like there is at least one albums worth of '90s material on Crystal Ball.

I hear what you are saying and obviously have to agree that there are more 90s tracks. I just think the best stuff on there is from the 80s. The 90s remixes and alternate versions are more of a hodge podge of material vs. the stellar tracks like Crystal Ball, Make Your Mama Happy, Sexual Suicide, Good Love, Dream Factory, Movie Star etc....

Although I do loves me some Interactive and Calhoun Square....

rialb said:

For me the mid '90s (1993-1996) alone makes the '90s a better era than 2000-2010. I rate Come, The Gold Experience, Chaos and Disorder and, especially, Emancipation much higher than anything released from 2000-2010. Plus there's another great album's worth of 1993-1996 era songs on Crystal Ball. I think an argument could be made that 2004-2010 was a very consistent era but the highs, for me, were not as high as the mid '90s. I quite like the 2004-2010 era (even Planet Earth which seems fairly unpopular) and I do think it is underrated but he really seems to be playing it safe since 2004. I would love to hear him try something much more ambitious and adventurous again.

I love much of Emancipation too and think it is an overlooked album song-wise. Come/Gold/Chaos definitely have their moments, but also have quite a few filler tracks for me as well.

Wait, why am I even talking to you. You actually LIKE Planet Earth......?

squirrelgrease said:

Fenwick said:

Get On the Boat is 100% cringe.

Agreed. But I really like 3121(love this one), Lolita, Black Sweat and The Word.

Agreed. Other than The Word, those are the three songs I can stomach the most. Just wouldn't actually say I like any of them except 3121.

Prince - 1999 = 10/10

Purple Rain - SOTT = 10/10

Lovesexy - Symbol = 2/10 (Im being 2 generous giving it 2...hate that period eeeeee)

Come - Crystal Ball = 11/10 (my fave period)

Rave - 20ten - 8/10 (I Like Alot Of The Recent Stuff Dont Care If Others Dont......Im Not A Sheep)

[Edited 1/3/11 14:36pm]

squirrelgrease said:

I guess I've always felt the same way about NPS. It didn't have to grow on me and in that regards, it hasn't really ever moved up in the ratings, nor down. It's just a collection of mindless ear candy with a decent pacing. Come On, The One and Wasted Kisses are well worth struggling through tracks like Shoo-Bed-Ooh.

ONA Live would probably place better if I hadn't been to the Xenophobia Celebration and saw what would have made many killer live albums. Continental Drift is my go-to ONA set.

Funny that you mention What Do U Want Me 2 Do as a great song. I totally agree - I thought I was the only one who dug this tune. But unfortunately it and the title track are the only saving graces of what I consider a digital bowel movement in cash-grab clothing.

Regarding the ONA live stuff. I guess I can see that from the perspective of an opportunity missed. In the booklet that comes along with the box set there are people referring to songs like Power Fantastic and i'm saying to myself, so where are they on here? Instead we get that hodge podge of after shows.... Grrrr....

But overall I still thoroughly enjoy the content of the proper live set.

Regarding the part in bold, X 4 billion

wasitgood4u said:

Don't wanna jack your post into a 3121 discussion, but....

I do get all your criticisms but I don't know if you were following Prince at the time, for me it was the only time in the last decade where there was a twinge of that eighties excitement (maybe the release of the title-track of Musicology and the Tavis performance of Reflections with wendy too). I was excited by the TV appearances and pre-release exposure of the songs (TAC excluded): Fury on SNL blew my mind, the clip to BS released over the web was the best vid in years and a super-cool track, the live versions of 3121 and Satisfaction.
Sure, the album was an anti-climax after all that but it still has a shine from the hype which no album possibly since Gold really maintains (Emancipation was over-hyped and couldn't live up to it...)

So, yeah, I skip I&C and BLAB, tolerate Te Amo Corazon (it flows in the structure of the album, even though it's weak) and let Love and the Dance grow on me...

Oh, and, yeah, I had always agreed about the cringe-factor in Get on the Boat, but I was listening to it loud a couple of days ago and there are parts of that jam that totally go off

[Edited 1/3/11 13:33pm]

Please - jack away....... errr..... I mean......

No seriously, I believe I am in the vast minority of folks who don't dig 3121. It just doesn't resonate with me on any level. As I said in the reply to Squirrelgrease as well, there are a few songs I can tolerate, but most of it is flat out uninspiring to me.

On the flip side, while I defend Musicology, at least 3121 doesn't have a song as embarrassingly bad as Life of the Party........