I've noticed it's been aproximately 3 months since the last The Rainbow Children thread, and this cannot be tolerated.

After thinking about it for quite a long time, I've finally decided to include it in my Top 10. It was hard, since it has implied placing it ahead of albums I've loved for more than 20 years.

Prince had a lot of courage releasing this album, which is braver and more adventurous than everything he had released since... maybe Lovesexy. And it is his more cohesive album since... well, Lovesexy.

This is my list:

1. Sign O' The Times

2. 1999

3. Parade

4. Lovesexy

5. Diamonds And Pearls

6. Around The World In A Day

7. Purple Rain

8. Graffiti Bridge

9. The Rainbow Children

10. Dirty Mind

I know many orgers hate this album, whether for its lyrics or even for its music, but there are also many that love it. Do you consider it is among Prince's masterpieces, side by side with his 80's stuff? I do.

[Edited 8/22/11 7:52am]

[Edited 8/22/11 9:34am]

The Rainbow Children has the juxtaposing distinction (to me) of being both

brilliant and tedius.

me

TRC is in my top 5. I just LOVE this album. So rich, so dense, so well produced and arranged. Very impressive work.

Me.

1.For U

2.Prince

3.Dirty Mind

4.Controversy

5.1999

6.Purple Rain

7.Around the World in a Day

8.Parade

9Sign o the Times

9.5.Black album

10.Lovesexy

10.5.Rainbow Children

Me.

Not in TOP5 but in TOP10, deffo.

It's his most interesting and impressive album since the 80s but I fucking hate it. I can't see it ever making my Top 20, nevermind Top 10.

Loved it since the very first listen.

4 sho.

Can you really compare them to his other works?

Personally, I think TRC stands apart.

I've loved TRC since day one, but I will say this, I am not a fan of some of the lyrics. The music is amazing, but many of the lyrics are not my cup of tea.

Empress said:

I've loved TRC since day one, but I will say this, I am not a fan of some of the lyrics. The music is amazing, but many of the lyrics are not my cup of tea.

The main problem I have with the lyrics is that they're sort of dark.

The album appears to be somekind of jazzy psychodelic concept album with a spiritual theme. But this is a far cry from LoveSexy which actually was an uplifting affair (flawd, but uplifting). TRC, rather, doesn't feel so much uplifting (minus "everywhere") as it does paranoid and divisive.

imago said:

Empress said:

I've loved TRC since day one, but I will say this, I am not a fan of some of the lyrics. The music is amazing, but many of the lyrics are not my cup of tea.

The main problem I have with the lyrics is that they're sort of dark.

The album appears to be somekind of jazzy psychodelic concept album with a spiritual theme. But this is a far cry from LoveSexy which actually was an uplifting affair (flawd, but uplifting). TRC, rather, doesn't feel so much uplifting (minus "everywhere") as it does paranoid and divisive.

Javi said:

imago said:

The main problem I have with the lyrics is that they're sort of dark.

The album appears to be somekind of jazzy psychodelic concept album with a spiritual theme. But this is a far cry from LoveSexy which actually was an uplifting affair (flawd, but uplifting). TRC, rather, doesn't feel so much uplifting (minus "everywhere") as it does paranoid and divisive.

The main tone is dark, I agree, but there are more uplifting songs than Everywhere: Last December and The Sensual Everafter are uplifting indeed.

Actually, this is true. But for such a longass album, a smattering of uplifting songs makes it quite tedius for me to toil through.

I really hate Last December--the chorus, the tone, the backup singers. Everything about that track irks me. It's like an update to Graffiti Bridge (the title song) but even more dreadful. The only thing remotely tolerable about it (to me) is the instrumentation is really good.

That's one redeemiing quality of TRC---it's really good instrumentally, and it has a nice organic feel--a relief because the plastic garbage coming of the NPGMC monthly releases at that time were driving me crazy.

Overall, like I said, TRC is both brilliant and tedius to me. I find it impressive and unlistenable.

imago said:

Javi said:

The main tone is dark, I agree, but there are more uplifting songs than Everywhere: Last December and The Sensual Everafter are uplifting indeed.

Actually, this is true. But for such a longass album, a smattering of uplifting songs makes it quite tedius for me to toil through.

I really hate Last December--the chorus, the tone, the backup singers. Everything about that track irks me. It's like an update to Graffiti Bridge (the title song) but even more dreadful. The only thing remotely tolerable about it (to me) is the instrumentation is really good.

That's one redeemiing quality of TRC---it's really good instrumentally, and it has a nice organic feel--a relief because the plastic garbage coming of the NPGMC monthly releases at that time were driving me crazy.

Overall, like I said, TRC is both brilliant and tedius to me. I find it impressive and unlistenable.

Nicely said. I agree completely.

imago said:

Javi said:

The main tone is dark, I agree, but there are more uplifting songs than Everywhere: Last December and The Sensual Everafter are uplifting indeed.

Actually, this is true. But for such a longass album, a smattering of uplifting songs makes it quite tedius for me to toil through.

I really hate Last December--the chorus, the tone, the backup singers. Everything about that track irks me. It's like an update to Graffiti Bridge (the title song) but even more dreadful. The only thing remotely tolerable about it (to me) is the instrumentation is really good.

That's one redeemiing quality of TRC---it's really good instrumentally, and it has a nice organic feel--a relief because the plastic garbage coming of the NPGMC monthly releases at that time were driving me crazy.

Overall, like I said, TRC is both brilliant and tedius to me. I find it impressive and unlistenable.

Well, I love Last December, but I have a bigger problem than that: I like Graffiti Bridge (the song)! I may be the only orger sick enough to enjoy that song. No cure has been found for me.

OldFriends4Sale said:

1.For U

2.Prince

3.Dirty Mind

4.Controversy

5.1999

6.Purple Rain

7.Around the World in a Day

8.Parade

9Sign o the Times

9.5.Black album

10.Lovesexy

10.5.Rainbow Children

[Edited 8/22/11 9:56am]

imago said:

Actually, this is true. But for such a longass album, a smattering of uplifting songs makes it quite tedius for me to toil through.

I really hate Last December--the chorus, the tone, the backup singers. Everything about that track irks me. It's like an update to Graffiti Bridge (the title song) but even more dreadful. The only thing remotely tolerable about it (to me) is the instrumentation is really good.

That's one redeemiing quality of TRC---it's really good instrumentally, and it has a nice organic feel--a relief because the plastic garbage coming of the NPGMC monthly releases at that time were driving me crazy.

Overall, like I said, TRC is both brilliant and tedius to me. I find it impressive and unlistenable.

Yep, that one word sums it up for me.

OldFriends4Sale said:

1.For U

2.Prince

3.Dirty Mind

4.Controversy

5.1999

6.Purple Rain

7.Around the World in a Day

8.Parade

9Sign o the Times

9.5.Black album

10.Lovesexy

10.5.Rainbow Children

Wow, that's new: Chronological top 10

irreverence said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

1.For U

2.Prince

3.Dirty Mind

4.Controversy

5.1999

6.Purple Rain

7.Around the World in a Day

8.Parade

9Sign o the Times

9.5.Black album

10.Lovesexy

10.5.Rainbow Children

Wow, that's new: Chronological top 10

Sure is...............I likes.

Top 15 for sure...

It might break into my top 10 periodically... But, I just can't rank it above anything he released from '79 to '88.

DaveG said:

Top 15 for sure...

It might break into my top 10 periodically... But, I just can't rank it above anything he released from '79 to '88.

That has been my problem for some time. I loved the album, but couldn't place it above his 80's works. Apart from Controversy, which is a great album but not one of my faves, there was a fight in my head between Dirty Mind, The Black Album and The Rainbow Children. Some might say I'm a blasphemer, but I've decided I prefer The Rainbow children to the other two, and this has given the album a place in my top ten.

In my opinion, many of us have a high respect for Prince's "canon" (his 80's works) and therefore find difficult to put side by side the albums from the canon with other records. I myself have this respect, but I'm trying to lose it.

top 5 for me

Javi said:

DaveG said:

Top 15 for sure...

It might break into my top 10 periodically... But, I just can't rank it above anything he released from '79 to '88.

That has been my problem for some time. I loved the album, but couldn't place it above his 80's works. Apart from Controversy, which is a great album but not one of my faves, there was a fight in my head between Dirty Mind, The Black Album and The Rainbow Children. Some might say I'm a blasphemer, but I've decided I prefer The Rainbow children to the other two, and this has given the album a place in my top ten.

In my opinion, many of us have a high respect for Prince's "canon" (his 80's works) and therefore find difficult to put side by side the albums from the canon with other records. I myself have this respect, but I'm trying to lose it.

Don't get me wrong, I really like TRC. Probably his best work of the last decade. However, I rate it closer to Musicology, Come & 3121 than I do Dirty Mind, Controversy & 1999.