How many times do you listen to the entire album before you rate it? (or make a judgement?)

> I always give it a couple spin as soon as I get the album. And then I try to go back to it a few days later and give it another spin. And by then I can usually tell whether I like the album as one continuous thing (to me it's an important quality; song order, theme of the album, etc.) or not, and How many strong, interesting, favorable tracks it has.

How do you judge whether the album is good or poor?

>more specifically, If you say "Planet Earth is not a good album", do u make that judgement based on comparing the album to his other albums (his 80's albums)? Or do u actually compare it to albums by other artists from 2007 and make a judgement?

Or do you just make a judgement based on your personal taste & preference, which is heavily based on albums you love to listen to??

I saw the nme.com review and it got me curious..

edit)I think I asked too many questions at once..I'll try to narrow it down

[Edited 10/24/11 20:42pm]

I'm new at all this Prince stuff. Just got into his music as of the last 3/4 months and after making my way through the most popular stuff, e.g. Purple Rain, Sing o the times, I am now trying to form my own opinions on his extensive back catologue, old and new.

Personally I normally put an album on repeat while I am doing boring tasks. Then a few days later, if a few tunes from it are tinkling around in my head, I go back for more listens. Only then, if I continue to go back to it or can't get certain songs out of my head, do I rate it as an album that I like.

Condorcetly?

bobbyperu said:

So I listen with an open mind and try to judge a new album on its own merits.

Well said.

Also, a lot of new music has come out since 2000 in many genres so don't think you have a limited taste if that's all you currently know. Music is out there.

edit.

[Edited 10/24/11 16:58pm]

To be accurate, it takes years.

It took me 15 to appreciate Parade.

When I listen to Prince albums I'd never compare them to previous albums because of the differing contexts which they represent, and also because I prefer to see them as their own separate entity. I think that, and nostalgia plays a big part in this, the older fans tend to hold the older albums in higher regard while approaching newer ones with some sense of sceptism. I've only been a Prince fan since 2008 and from what I've seen newer fans are more likely to enjoy the newer material than older fans. Upon first listening to Planet Earth I found that I actually liked most of the songs. Then when I went on the org I noticed that there were a lot of people who didn't like this album much. Then I had to listen to the album a few more times, and I started even questioning my taste in music, because how could I like something that so many people seem to find mediocre? (This has happened with a few Prince songs.) But now I try not to think too much about how other people perceive the music

Planet Earth has actually grown on me. Being an oldtimer, whenever P releases a new cd, I just know it's not going to be as exciting as it used to be. The glory days of the 1980s, when Prince had everybody spellbound, waiting for his new release and was blown away every time, thinking it's impossible for someone to come up with what he did, no one could do what he could, those days are over. So it's not fair to compare new albums to Sign o the Times when you've already made up your mind that nothing can beat Sign o 'the Times anyway.
So I listen with an open mind and try to judge a new album on its own merits.
Furthermore, I don't believe you have a limited taste in music. U may not know a lot of music from before the 90s, but that can change! Genres can grow on you just like records do. I used to think I hated country music, but when you start getting into Bob Dylan, there's almost no getting around it because he loves it and it shows in his music. So I learned to like it a bit anyway.
Wow, pretty long post by my standards...

thanks for this, hard to find an open minded old-timer...even though I highly agree SOTT album is an amazing album, I'm tired of some fans&critics claiming that's as good as Prince will ever get. As if that album is the standard.

But one of the most interesting reviews I read on the org was this one guy giving 9/10 on SOTT, Parade and 1999, saying that Prince never made a "perfect album" in his standard. (I think it was "rate 80's albums" thread), so SOTT doesn't get 10/10 even though it's one of Prince's best albums...

rdhull said:

To be accurate, it takes years.

It took me 15 to appreciate Parade.

What do u mean by that? In order to call an album "great", it has to stand the test of time?

what changed your mind about parade after 15 long years? Many people calling it a great album? (Im not trying to be rude..) Or did it just finally grow on you? Or did you happen to find albums after Parade so disappointing that you decided to appreciate Parade? If these are not the case, will albums like Musicoolgy, the Chocolate Invasion be more appreciated after 10 or more years from now?

Vict0r said:

When I listen to Prince albums I'd never compare them to previous albums because of the differing contexts which they represent, and also because I prefer to see them as their own separate entity. I think that, and nostalgia plays a big part in this, the older fans tend to hold the older albums in higher regard while approaching newer ones with some sense of sceptism. I've only been a Prince fan since 2008 and from what I've seen newer fans are more likely to enjoy the newer material than older fans. Upon first listening to Planet Earth I found that I actually liked most of the songs. Then when I went on the org I noticed that there were a lot of people who didn't like this album much. Then I had to listen to the album a few more times, and I started even questioning my taste in music, because how could I like something that so many people seem to find mediocre? (This has happened with a few Prince songs.) But now I try not to think too much about how other people perceive the music

Wow I agree. I guess at the end of the day I really shouldn't worry about how other people rate the albums either...just curious.

I listen to all the tracks on the album then I determine if I like it or not. I like all of his albums. However, I like several of them better than the others. I like his R & B and Jazz sound the best.

Vict0r said:

When I listen to Prince albums I'd never compare them to previous albums because of the differing contexts which they represent, and also because I prefer to see them as their own separate entity. I think that, and nostalgia plays a big part in this, the older fans tend to hold the older albums in higher regard while approaching newer ones with some sense of sceptism. I've only been a Prince fan since 2008 and from what I've seen newer fans are more likely to enjoy the newer material than older fans. Upon first listening to Planet Earth I found that I actually liked most of the songs. Then when I went on the org I noticed that there were a lot of people who didn't like this album much. Then I had to listen to the album a few more times, and I started even questioning my taste in music, because how could I like something that so many people seem to find mediocre? (This has happened with a few Prince songs.) But now I try not to think too much about how other people perceive the music

i agree.

i honestly find most of his 90s music just as awesome as his 80s music

Emancipation89 said:

rdhull said:

To be accurate, it takes years.

It took me 15 to appreciate Parade.

What do u mean by that? In order to call an album "great", it has to stand the test of time?

what changed your mind about parade after 15 long years? Many people calling it a great album? (Im not trying to be rude..) Or did it just finally grow on you? Or did you happen to find albums after Parade so disappointing that you decided to appreciate Parade? If these are not the case, will albums like Musicoolgy, the Chocolate Invasion be more appreciated after 10 or more years from now?

It needed time to marinate I guess. I never considered it in those years . I was "on to the next one" be it a release from him or getting into other artists and genres. I finally purchased it on cd like in 2000 just to have a complete set. I finally listened one day instead of doing something i was supposed to be doing and the shit just hit me..as a solid piece of work. Like DSOTM in a way in it's concept.

edit: I was also disapointed in it as I was still hoping for a return to the synth fried rock of 1999 and didn't get it.

.

[Edited 11/5/11 12:56pm]

I judge albums based on how much I want to listen to them. If I only get through the whole thing once, & the next time I listen to it, I'm only going to certain tracks, that's a bad sign. Now, If I listen to a whole album, & after it's done, I keep wanting to listen to it again & even if I'm not listening to it, I'm either humming or thinking about it, that's a good sign. The funny thing is, some of my all time favorite albums had to grow me just because I couldn't comprehend them initially.....