SoulAlive said:

ufoclub said:

parts of it are.

You can hear a little bit of it at the beginning of the movie,when Prince is getting dressed and arguing with Jill.

A complete performance of this song was filmed,but edited out.It shows Prince wearing a white outfit,dancing up a storm and even sliding down a staircase at one point.I've seen this footage and it definitely should have been included in the movie.

I have only seen it once and I don't really remember that lol.

That song is dope though and staircase sliding is something that sparks my interest.

I love some of the incidental music in the film, wish this got a release..

I threw my copy of Graffiti Bridge against the wall after my second listen through...

Sure there are a few good tracks on there, but this might be his worst album as a whole.

I remember that Rolling Stone gave this album 4.5 stars out of 5 and I damn near fell out my seat on the bus laughing.

I listen to it a lot lately.

And Joy in repetition is at the moment my fave song

I'm going to say this everytime this subject comes up...

On one hand, Prince fans like to say Graffiti Bridge would be better without the associated artists tracks.

On the other hand, Prince fans like to imagine Purple Rain including all the associated artists tracks, even to the point where there are several fan versions of the albums with them added into the soundtrack.

How 'bout this: Just make your own playlist, the way YOU want it. Problem solved.

DaveG said:

I threw my copy of Graffiti Bridge against the wall after my second listen through...

Sure there are a few good tracks on there, but this might be his worst album as a whole.

I don't WANT to start shit, but I'm GOING to...

This is the most ridiculous post on this thread.

The album (worst or not) (and, oh, it's NOT) is by presumably one of your favorite artists. (I presume this, because you're here and you're posting.) Even though in your opinion it is his worst album you state "there are a few good tracks on there". So, an album by one of your favorite artists only has a few good tracks and you throw it against the wall?!?

Either you're an idiot or a troll.

Graffiti Bridge is as under rated as Diamonds And Pearls is over rated.

djThunderfunk said:

Graffiti Bridge is as under rated as Diamonds And Pearls is over rated.

So it's not underrated at all. Because the opinion of Diamonds and Pearls is pretty average in this forum.

hhhhdmt said:

this is what the album should have been:

1. Can't Stop the feeling I Got

2. Girl O My Dreams

3. We Can Funk

4. The Ball

5. Joy In Repitition

6. The Question of U

7. Thieves in the Temple

8. Pink Cashmere

9. Monnbeam Levels

IMO the above album would be comparable to any of his 80's work except sign. How gems like Pink Cashmere were left off, yet those time songs made it, i will never know

I would SO SO SOO agree (particularly regarding Pink Cashmere), but, ELEPHANTS AND FLOWERS man! I absolutely LOVE elephants and flowers!

mynameisnotsusan said:

djThunderfunk said:

Graffiti Bridge is as under rated as Diamonds And Pearls is over rated.

So it's not underrated at all. Because the opinion of Diamonds and Pearls is pretty average in this forum.

My statement is not limited to those on this forum.

Diamonds And Pearls was a huge hit for Prince. And no, I'm not defending it, I think it is over rated.

I feel this album works better over time-It is really fresh and diverse. I think where some may have a problem is that I think for many a Prince fan there were traces of current sounds coming in-Like New Power Generation. I love GB the song-you feel it is exactly as it was intended to be

It does work better without the film

And however much I love UTCM this album also works better without the film-the film kinda undermines its sheer level of sophistication

lovecomequick said:

hhhhdmt said:

this is what the album should have been:

1. Can't Stop the feeling I Got

2. Girl O My Dreams

3. We Can Funk

4. The Ball

5. Joy In Repitition

6. The Question of U

7. Thieves in the Temple

8. Pink Cashmere

9. Monnbeam Levels

IMO the above album would be comparable to any of his 80's work except sign. How gems like Pink Cashmere were left off, yet those time songs made it, i will never know

I would SO SO SOO agree (particularly regarding Pink Cashmere), but, ELEPHANTS AND FLOWERS man! I absolutely LOVE elephants and flowers!

Girl O My Dreams? Really? one of the weakest outtakes, there are so much songs on GB that are better than Girl O My Dreams IMO...

Freekclaassen said:

lovecomequick said:

I would SO SO SOO agree (particularly regarding Pink Cashmere), but, ELEPHANTS AND FLOWERS man! I absolutely LOVE elephants and flowers!

Girl O My Dreams? Really? one of the weakest outtakes, there are so much songs on GB that are better than Girl O My Dreams IMO...

girl o my dreams is hillarious and works really well in that trio. I love it, yes its a lightweight kinda song, but its alot of fun. It works well with cant stop the felling in got and we can funk

The Ball goes flawlessly into Joy In repitition, and this way the album would have been terrefic.

Graffiti Bridge is an album only a fan can love. Simple as that. Look at the music of 90/91

She Ain't Worth It - Glenn Medeiros featuring Bobby Brown
Vision of Love - Mariah Carey
If Wishes Came True - Sweet Sensation
Blaze of Glory - Jon Bon Jovi
Release Me - Wilson Phillips
(I Can't Live Without Your) Love & Affection - Nelson
Close to You - Maxi Priest
Praying for Time - George Michael
I Don't Have the Heart - James Ingram
Black Cat - Janet Jackson
Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
Love Takes Time - Mariah Carey
I'm Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B

Justify My Love - Madonna
Love Will Never Do (Without You) - Janet Jackson
The First Time - Surface
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C&C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
All the Man That I Need - Whitney Houston
Someday - Mariah Carey
One More Try - Timmy T.
Coming out of the Dark - Gloria Estefan
I've Been Thinking About You - Londonbeat
You're in Love - Wilson Phillips
Baby Baby - Amy Grant
Joyride - Roxette
I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) - Hi-Five
I Don't Wanna Cry - Mariah Carey
More Than Words - Extreme
Rush, Rush - Paula Abdul
Unbelievable - EMF
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You - Bryan Adams
The Promise of a New Day - Paula Abdul
I Adore Mi Amor - Color Me Badd
Good Vibrations - Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch featuring Loleatta Holloway
Emotions - Mariah Carey
Romantic - Karyn White
Cream - Prince & the New Power Generation
When a Man Loves a Woman - Michael Bolton
Set Adrift on Memory Bliss - PM Dawn
Black Or White - Michael Jackson

The only Prince songs that show up are Nothing Compares 2 U and Cream. Only one track on GB comes close to that level of accessability: Theives in the Temple.

Really. It only sounds good because we are FANS and it holds a special place in our heart. But the movie was crap, the album was not as good as the Top 40 music of the era, and he was spending a lot of time touring in Europe. Batman was his big comeback from Sign O the Times and Lovesexy. This album further derailed him until he showed up with Ass Out Chaps on MTV with his Gett Off performance.

Please accept that nothinig you could do would fix the album. I love Elephants and Flowers and Theives in the Temple a lot. But much of the rest of the album I had on bootlegs for a long time. We Can Fuck ended up being SWEET, but I actually prefer the other songs (Tick Tick Bang, Can't Stop, Joy in Repetition, etc) as boots for the same sentimental reasons why many people love GB.

Has anyone here recorded or ripped the incidental music to the film that wasn't on the album? I love that, i'll have to try and get hold of it sometime!

Dauphin said:

Graffiti Bridge is an album only a fan can love. Simple as that. Look at the music of 90/91

Another Day In Paradise - Phil Collins
How Am I Supposed To Live Without You - Michael Bolton
Opposites Attract - Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair
Escapade - Janet Jackson
Black Velvet - Alannah Myles
Love Will Lead You Back - Taylor Dayne
I'll Be Your Everything - Tommy Page
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor
Vogue - Madonna
Hold On - Wilson Phillips
It Must Have Been Love - Roxette
Step by Step - New Kids on the Block

She Ain't Worth It - Glenn Medeiros featuring Bobby Brown
Vision of Love - Mariah Carey
If Wishes Came True - Sweet Sensation
Blaze of Glory - Jon Bon Jovi
Release Me - Wilson Phillips
(I Can't Live Without Your) Love & Affection - Nelson
Close to You - Maxi Priest
Praying for Time - George Michael
I Don't Have the Heart - James Ingram
Black Cat - Janet Jackson
Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
Love Takes Time - Mariah Carey
I'm Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B

Justify My Love - Madonna
Love Will Never Do (Without You) - Janet Jackson
The First Time - Surface
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C&C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
All the Man That I Need - Whitney Houston
Someday - Mariah Carey
One More Try - Timmy T.
Coming out of the Dark - Gloria Estefan
I've Been Thinking About You - Londonbeat
You're in Love - Wilson Phillips
Baby Baby - Amy Grant
Joyride - Roxette
I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) - Hi-Five
I Don't Wanna Cry - Mariah Carey
More Than Words - Extreme
Rush, Rush - Paula Abdul
Unbelievable - EMF
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You - Bryan Adams
The Promise of a New Day - Paula Abdul
I Adore Mi Amor - Color Me Badd
Good Vibrations - Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch featuring Loleatta Holloway
Emotions - Mariah Carey
Romantic - Karyn White
Cream - Prince & the New Power Generation
When a Man Loves a Woman - Michael Bolton
Set Adrift on Memory Bliss - PM Dawn
Black Or White - Michael Jackson

The only Prince songs that show up are Nothing Compares 2 U and Cream. Only one track on GB comes close to that level of accessability: Theives in the Temple.

Really. It only sounds good because we are FANS and it holds a special place in our heart. But the movie was crap, the album was not as good as the Top 40 music of the era, and he was spending a lot of time touring in Europe. Batman was his big comeback from Sign O the Times and Lovesexy. This album further derailed him until he showed up with Ass Out Chaps on MTV with his Gett Off performance.

Please accept that nothinig you could do would fix the album. I love Elephants and Flowers and Theives in the Temple a lot. But much of the rest of the album I had on bootlegs for a long time. We Can Fuck ended up being SWEET, but I actually prefer the other songs (Tick Tick Bang, Can't Stop, Joy in Repetition, etc) as boots for the same sentimental reasons why many people love GB.

i was talking in terms or critical acclaim. If the time songs were removed and some of the stronger outtakes from the era were included (pink cashmere for example), it would be a bigger critical success.

I also dont agree that it wasnt as good as the top 40 music, maybe from a commercial viewpoint it wasnt that accessible. Yet how many of those "pop stars" on the radio could play a guitar solo like Joy In Repititon? How many would be able to write such a musicially adventerous song like JIP? The truth is songs like JIP were better than pretty much anything on the pop radio those days, because of it being musically adventerous and experimental.

Yes the album would be much better with the associated artists songs removed, and some of the stronger outtakes in there. Who cares about sales? Sales do not determine the quality of an album

djThunderfunk said:

Graffiti Bridge is as under rated as Diamonds And Pearls is over rated.

Not 2 me, i feel GB recieves proper treatment for its work, which in MY opinion is very average. The album jus doesnt feel complete , and the songs r either terrible r okay.

But im not dissing ur view on the album , im jus stating mines(no 2 P fans r alike). & i'll agree i'd never throw away the cd(Prince in the trash? psh plz never), although i sold it with movie included @ a garage sell 2 yrs ago.

sosgemini said:

So, I finally bit the bullett and bought this CD (used for a buck) and it got me to thinking, why didn't Prince follow the same release pattern ala Purple Rain? If you strip the associated artist songs from the album you actually end up with a solid Prince release (well, as solid an album can get with New Power Generation and Graffiti Bridge songs on it) yet picture this:

Graffiti Bridge Album

Can't Stop This Feeling I Got

New Power Generation

Question of You

Elephants & Flowers

Joy In Repetition

Tick TickBang

Theives In The Temple

Still Would Stand All Time

Graffit Bridge (maybe added as a hidden track and played entirety in reverse)

That's a much more digestable album then what was released. Then you give The Time their songs and you have a much proper album than Pandemonium.

Does anyone know if this was the original intent? Did the label have a role in this after hearing how, umm, uninspiring the resulting work was for this album? And, seriously, who the f*ck greenlit the actual film? I hope that exec has been locked away and had their Hollywood pass revoked.

[Edited 3/21/11 11:37am]

I agree with you, but it's funny that, in the 80's, I've heard criticism about the Purple Rain album not featuring The Time and App 6 songs. The thought was that the album would have sold more copies if all the songs from the movie were combined. I believe Prince was hoping to have increased record sales when he combined the tracks for the Graffiti Bridge album. And btw, Prince's strategy may have worked since Tevin Campbell had a hit on 'Round and Round".

The title track is one of my favourite Prince tunes....

I love the guitar lead parts. God knows why people dislike it?

NPG is a great song too, id also hate it if the album didnt have The Latest Fashion... i love that song and prefer it to the other version found on The Times album.

This thread inspired me to dust off a custom-made disc I acquired a while back. The configuration isn't mine, but it seems to flow well:

Heaven Is Keeping Score

Can't Stop This Feeling I Got

New Power Generation (combination of "Funky Weapon Remix" and "T.C.'s Rap")

Elephants and Flowers

Tick, Tick, Bang (contains

Joy In Repetition

Loveleft, Loveright

We Can Funk (1986 version)

Good Man

Thieves in the Temple (Remix)

Get Off

The Question of U

God Is Alive

Graffiti Bridge

Still Would Stand All Time

Seven Corners

[Edited 5/8/11 1:45am]

Prince had decided early on that the movie and the album would have a stronger input on it by The Time than the Purple Rain project had. Apparently, it's what got Morris Day and the rest interested in it enough to get involved. They felt that they had gotten burned with Purple Rain to a degree.

I think Prince also wanted to release a record that would have lead vocals by other artists as well. It's possible that he did Batman and Graffiti Bridge, so that he could take a break from the pressure of being expected to produce one artistical statement and a masterpiece of a pop album after another.

sosgemini said:

So, I finally bit the bullett and bought this CD (used for a buck) and it got me to thinking, why didn't Prince follow the same release pattern ala Purple Rain? If you strip the associated artist songs from the album you actually end up with a solid Prince release (well, as solid an album can get with New Power Generation and Graffiti Bridge songs on it) yet picture this:

Graffiti Bridge Album

Can't Stop This Feeling I Got

New Power Generation

Question of You

Elephants & Flowers

Joy In Repetition

Tick TickBang

Theives In The Temple

Still Would Stand All Time

Graffit Bridge (maybe added as a hidden track and played entirety in reverse)

That's a much more digestable album then what was released. Then you give The Time their songs and you have a much proper album than Pandemonium.

Does anyone know if this was the original intent? Did the label have a role in this after hearing how, umm, uninspiring the resulting work was for this album? And, seriously, who the f*ck greenlit the actual film? I hope that exec has been locked away and had their Hollywood pass revoked.

[Edited 3/21/11 11:37am]

Actually, it was.

I can remember back in the day when the first tracklisting leaks about his then forthcoming new album happened, they pretty much only listed the Prince-sung tracks. This was also confirmed years later when work in progress tapes leaked which arranged the album into 2 halves, with the first half/disc being a 'Prince' album and the second being the other artists.

I'm sure that the reason this didn't happen was the swith from Vinyl to CD as the primary format as this meant that pretty much all the tracks could fit onto one disc and therefore there was no point in separating them out. If vinyl had still been the dominant format at the time of release then I'm sure we would have got 2 separate albums; a 'Prince' album and a 'Soundtrack' album.

What the album should have been, a real Prince album. Forget about the movie:

1. Can't Stop This Feeling I Got

2. NPG

3. The Question Of U

4. Elephants And Flowers

5. Work That Fat

6. We Can Funk

7. Joy In Repetition

8. Thieves In The Temple

9. Pink Cashmere

10. All My Dreams (re-recorded NPG version)