why is "Free" so disliked? I think it's a wonderful song with a nice message.

^^

a) Cold War message dated as hell NOW. Pure Reagan years

b) Cheesy chorus

c) Cheesy intro

d) Should have been replaced by Moonbeam Levels...

e) A WTF ballad placed between two electronic/funk monsters (Something in the Water / Lady Cab Driver)

sorry, it doesn't work, lol

I don't skip it, but it's certainly the turkey of 1999...

other tracks that nearly made the top10

Good Love

The Ladder

Venus de Milo

Sexuality

for me, those 14 songs are the flawed "official" Prince songs of the 80's... if I had included the albums Crystal Ball / Dream Factory and other unreleased tracks like Vibrator or Neon Telephone it could have been a top25, easily...

I used to hate Condition of the Heart / Temptation, but now I think they are FANTASTIC songs...

[Edited 7/8/11 15:16pm]

SoulAlive said:

why is "Free" so disliked? I think it's a wonderful song with a nice message.

I think it's a good song too. But I agree with JoeTyler, it's definitely the worst of 1999, but still a great song.

paniuroczy said:

SoulAlive said:

why is "Free" so disliked? I think it's a wonderful song with a nice message.

I think it's a good song too. But I agree with JoeTyler, it's definitely the worst of 1999, but still a great song.

I just think he does it with so much better of an arrangement and drama these days then back then. Even on that purple rain era boot soundboard it's not as interesting as when he did it on the One Night Alone Tour. Well, to my ears.

JoeTyler said:

other tracks that nearly made the top10

Good Love

The Ladder

Venus de Milo

Sexuality

for me, those 14 songs are the flawed "official" Prince songs of the 80's... if I had included the albums Crystal Ball / Dream Factory and other unreleased tracks like Vibrator or Neon Telephone it could have been a top25, easily...

I used to hate Condition of the Heart / Temptation, but now I think they are FANTASTIC songs...

[Edited 7/8/11 15:16pm]

I think "The Ladder" is a great song but the way he does it on the album isn't the best arrangement. The Lovesexy tour rehearsal version that was featured in the BBC Omnibus tv special is much better but unfortunately truncated. Maybe someday Prince will release the full version?

"Temptation" is awesome if for no other reason than the scream at about 4:21. It took me years to realise he was screaming the chorus, I thought it was unintelligible gibberish. Surely that is one of his very best screams.

"Condition of the Heart" is indeed awesome.

SoulAlive said:

uuhson said:

am i the only one that loves glam slam?

The lyrics on this song are atrocious

heavy feather flicka nipple,baby scram water ripple

i guess i have wacky tastes, that part of the song is my favorite. the "i dont understand. it means i love you" part is so good

1989 takes the honor. I like the Batman album ok. But "200 Balloons", "Lemon Crush", and "Arms of Orion" easily take the Prize.

Tamborine,

Do U lie and Free are great songs.

Give me "Free" over "International Lover" any ol' time.

Harlepolis said:

Give me "Free" over "International Lover" any ol' time.

Somebody don't like floatation devices.

Harlepolis said:

Give me "Free" over "International Lover" any ol' time.

The scream in "International Lover" alone is greater than "Free."

rialb said:

JoeTyler said:

other tracks that nearly made the top10

Good Love

The Ladder

Venus de Milo

Sexuality

for me, those 14 songs are the flawed "official" Prince songs of the 80's... if I had included the albums Crystal Ball / Dream Factory and other unreleased tracks like Vibrator or Neon Telephone it could have been a top25, easily...

I used to hate Condition of the Heart / Temptation, but now I think they are FANTASTIC songs...

[Edited 7/8/11 15:16pm]

"Temptation" is awesome if for no other reason than the scream at about 4:21. It took me years to realise he was screaming the chorus, I thought it was unintelligible gibberish. Surely that is one of his very best screams.

and the

-"Oh, silly man, that's not how it works
You have 2 want her 4 the right reasons"

-I Do!

-..."You Don't...Now Die"

- nooooooooo!

segue is worth the price of admission!

Meh! Ya'll can keep it with a bag of chips, I'm good.

Its a bunch of animated fluff, it didn't do nothing to me then when I didn't know what the hell he was trying to say and it sure as stone hell don't mean nothing to me now as a grown woman. He should've been better off keeping "Baby, You're A Trip" instead and throwing that mess back in the B-sideville or Morris Day.

Now, Free? Gorgeous piano playing, gorgeous melody, personal lyrics(depending on how it resonates with folks) and soulful singing. For a long time I thought "Moonbeam Level" should've been kept instead of "Free", now I SMH at the thought occurring to my head in the first place.

[Edited 7/8/11 17:13pm]

ItsGonnaBLonely said:

My 10 Worst:

1.)America

2.)Ronnie talk to russia

3.)Horny toad

4.)Hot Thing

5.)Jack U off

6.)200 Balloons

7.)Partyman

8.)La, La, La he he hee

9.)Head

10.)Batdance

I actually love Lemon Crush, it gets played alot around my house never knew it was so hated

"Lemon Crush" suffers from bad songwriting....

If I'm workin',at my jobba

I'm the victim, and U the robba

it's just silly and feels out of place on the Batman soundtrack.

SoulAlive said:

"Lemon Crush" suffers from bad songwriting....

If I'm workin',at my jobba

I'm the victim, and U the robba

it's just silly and feels out of place on the Batman soundtrack.

I don't know why so many people dislike that song... I think it's great I know it sounds a bit outdated but I still think it's a really good track.

The1592 said:

JoeTyler said:

including the B-Sides and the Black Album, but NOT the unreleased/demo material...

chronological order

-Ronnie Talk to Russia

-Free

-Tambourine

-Do U Lie?

-Dead On It

-Eye No

-Escape

-The Arms of Orion

-Lemon Crush

-200 Ballons

uggh...

Love the ones I bolded.

Anyway, there's probably some awful B-Sides I'm forgetting, but in no order...

1. International Lover
2. 4 The Tears In Your Eyes
3. Lemon Crush
4. 200 Balloons
5. Anotherloverholenyohead
6. Hot Thing
7. Eye No
8. Dead On It
9. Scarlet Pussy
10. Hello

This is going to get ugly...

I understand everyone has different tastes

paniuroczy said:

SoulAlive said:

why is "Free" so disliked? I think it's a wonderful song with a nice message.

I think it's a good song too. But I agree with JoeTyler, it's definitely the worst of 1999, but still a great song.

Yeah I always liked it ok but have to agree that it is weak for the 1999 album.

I don't get the hate for Dead On It. I always enjoyed that song. It's just a tongue in cheek critique of rap which Prince seemed to hold in some disdain back then (before he met his muse, Tony M).

When u were mine and I could never take the place of your man made this list. R U kidding? With all of the turds that r liked. WOW!!!!!!!!!

[Edited 7/8/11 19:54pm]

This is too hard, as he has so many GREAT and CLASSIC songs of this period, Le Grind is on in the background as I type (It is certainly not going to be on this list, in fact the Black Album has none of these stinkers). Neither does Dirty Mind, Purple Rain, Parade, Sign, The Black Album or Lovesexy, these albums have no filler at all. All the songs I have chosen are filler, and bad filler at that.

In Chronological order

1. Ronnie talk 2 Russia 2/10

2. All the Critics Love u in New York (Best of the Worst) 4/10

3. God (The absolute worst) 0/10

4. Girl 2/10

5. The Ladder 3/10

6. Temptation 3/10

7. Trust 2/10

8. Lemon Crush 3/10

9. Vicki Waiting 1/10

10. The Arms of Orion (Honestly WTF!!!) 0/10

4 of them are from Batman, if you had said 1978 -1988 songs, I would have truly been up shit creek.

And people saying that Good Love and Head are come on, one is his best ever unreleased track from the 86/87 period and the other is a true funk and raunch classic, an Iconic early Prince song.

[Edited 7/8/11 20:13pm]

I have to get in:

Alphabet Street

Glam Slam

When 2 R in Love

Jack U Off

Arms of Orion

Partyman

Trust

Mountains

Take Me with U

Baby I'm a star'

I don't dislike many songs from the "Golden Era" more than these

can I have 11?

Darlin Fucking Nikki

[Edited 7/8/11 20:38pm]

what???

Head

Darling Nikki

Alphabet Street

When 2 R In Love

Mountains

Partyman

Baby I'm A Star

you guys are either dumb or deaf

[Edited 7/9/11 1:24am]

This thread =

uuhson said:

am i the only one that loves glam slam?

God no, this is one of my favourites

JoeTyler said:

including the B-Sides and the Black Album, but NOT the unreleased/demo material...

chronological order

-Ronnie Talk to Russia

-Free

-Tambourine

-Do U Lie?

-Dead On It

-Eye No

-Escape

-The Arms of Orion

-Lemon Crush

-200 Ballons

uggh...

Uggh...

Are you sure you're a Prince fan??!!

I'd have to go through the albums one at a time and put some real effort into it to make a list of what I consider his ten worst of that decade. I can tell you for sure that at least two, maybe three of them would be on Batman, and that Free could also end up on the list depending on my mood at the time. Choosing now, just because its so dated, Ronnie Talk To Russia would also probably be on the list.

I can also say without pause that Arms Of Orion would be number one. That song is an absolute pile. Just terrible, terrible, terrible.

But some of these choices - Tambourine, Escape/Glam Slam, Temptation, The Ladder, Girl, Mountains, Anotherloverholenyohead, Scarlet Pussy, Hot Thing, La, La, La he he hee (get the fuck outta here!), Computer Blue, America, Do U Lie, I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man, Delirious - I mean, shit! I understand its a "Your" Top 10 worst from the 80s. I get that's its all subjective and in hindsight and all that. But damn! There is a list of artists/bands 75 miles long that has never, and won't ever, release 14 (ONE albums worth of) songs that good.

InternationalLover82 said:

This thread =

All The Critics Love U In New York? I Love U In Me? I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man? When You Were Mine? International Lover? Mountains? What the fuck is wrong with you people...

Well, at least nobody mentioned songs like 1999, Dirty Mind, Controversy, When Doves Cry, Kiss or SOTT

I'd say that during the 80's, Prince released some weak/weird songs, but ALWAYS listenable / worth talking about. That's the magic of 80's Prince...