and he invited fans for a preview listening session for this too

The Rainbow Children is a musical treasure from beginning to end.

The accompanying tour also provided me with the opportunity to witness some of the best Prince shows that I have ever attended.

Great album, great band and shows.

I very rarely am in the mood the listen to TRC. I love the album on a purely musical basis, but I can't get over the lyrics. Still wish I could have seen the ONA tour though.

rdhull said:

and he invited fans for a preview listening session for this too

Indeed.

He also held (at least) two listening parties for the One Nite Alone....Live box set too. One at a club in New York and one in London.

The listening sessions for The Rainbow Children were held (if I remember correctly) at the 2001 Celebration event at Paisley? Is that correct?

StevenAnthony said:

Still wish I could have seen the ONA tour though.

I'm not sure about video, but thankfully we have plentiful amounts of live audio recordings of a high quality from that tour.

TheBigSky said:

StevenAnthony said:

Still wish I could have seen the ONA tour though.

I'm not sure about video, but thankfully we have plentiful amounts of live audio recordings of a high quality from that tour.

Oh I know, but still not the same as being there in person.

StevenAnthony said:

TheBigSky said:

I'm not sure about video, but thankfully we have plentiful amounts of live audio recordings of a high quality from that tour.

Oh I know, but still not the same as being there in person.

Indeed.

StevenAnthony said:

I very rarely am in the mood the listen to TRC. I love the album on a purely musical basis, but I can't get over the lyrics. Still wish I could have seen the ONA tour though.

I understand what you mean about being in a mood to listen to it because I liken it to something like a concept album along the lines of DSOTM. When I listen to it, I have to hear it from beginning to end in one entire listening session. I cant just put it on willy nilly while studying or whatnot. A long drive is okay to do so as you said, and like DSOTM, I have to be in the 'mood' for a 'listening session" to do so.

Sorry you hatoot miss the tour. He was really inspired. But it was also sad because though it was semi intimate in theaters, club members got to go to the sound check, a box set came out of it, ...it was a sad time as a Prince fan because he WAS playing theaters instead of playing on a grander scale. It almost started a purple midlife crisis because it meant that we were offically old and irrelevant.

.

[Edited 11/13/11 13:58pm]

2elijah said:

EyeJester7 said:

I really dig 'The Rainbow Children'!

It was the first album I listened to all the way through from Prince! (I remember I bought it, and listened to it while I went to work out) AND afterwards, I was in utter shock! I did not expect that from Prince! I was surprised to know this was the same man that released songs like 'Condition Of The Heart'. It was on a whole another level, it felt spiritual but mixed in with organized views. After learning it was a declaration to the Jehovah Witness faith, I learned it was meant to divide fans, especially since Prince seemed to be more Spiritually free than organized. I myself rather the "I wish U heaven" notion to spirituality, as it seems to allow one to still obtain what they wish to hold on to, without condemnation. Examples of this is the lyric: "If I say it's 7, U can see 11..still I wish U heaven". 'The Rainbow Children' was sort of threatening in a way. Haha. "This is how it's going to be, if you want to be with me, ain't no room for disagree, cause 1+1+1 IS 3". That made me feel like there was no choice, and while I did not have to stay through the ride, the mere declaration of that, seemed inconsiderate above all things. Haha I was use to a "Pop Life" form of Prince, but this took it to another level. Mind you, I did not agree with the whole "Jehovah Witness" translation and input, but ignoring that, it really is a fantastic album and all of the songs flow together pretty well. I love the fact that all of the songs are in unity much like how Lovesexy was. This was Prince becoming ORGANIZED, something I did not expect. I think in history it will continue to stand as a remarkable album that brought many new sounds out. The way 'Family Name, The Rainbow Children, The Sensual Ever After & 'The Everlasting Now' are arranged is impeccable. It really birth out creativity I have not seen in a long time from him. During 2000-2003 he really embellished his Jazz sound to perfection IMO. It's one of his best concept albums of the last decade, and it wins above anything else he did during the decade for me..WITH THE EXCEPTION of Lotusflow3r. If only he released Lotusflow3r ALONE, without 'Elixer or MPLSound' it would stand as one of his best. However it was separate from the rest of them...nonetheless..I think it has stood the test of time, and in a few more years I think it will be praised as a remarkable album!

Nice post, especially the part you state about Prince beoming 'organized' when you compare it to his earlier days of his introduction to the world. He was like a rebel on the loose, bold, defiant, shocking, taking his audience by surprise, and he displayed this in the lyrics in his music, combined with the mysterious and questionable image he presented to his audience. With the Rainbow Children era he presented himself in a more 'organized' fashion--music and imagewise, as though he had an awakening, was less rebellious, becoming mature and finding personal 'peace' in his life;it was almost like he was telling his story by comparing the pre-JW Prince to the JW Prince.

I also agree with you about the part where you stated that some of the songs in relation to the JW religion, may have made one feel 'threatened' as you sorted stated in your post that some of the songs came off as 'This is how it's going to be'' if you don't get on the same ride. I think if I was in my younger days and heard that type of message, I probably would have rebelled, as I feel most people are in a totally, different state of mind about religion or life in general, when they're younger.

The only thing I couldn't figure out in the Rainbow Children is where "Family Name' fits in with the religious aspect of the album, especially since it seems that song focused more on an actual, racially historic situation or maybe I need to go back and listen to the lyrics, to figure out the connection between the two. Also, I can see, where some fans may have felt divided, because of the religious context of the album, but musically the album can be appreciated by many. 'Wedding Feast' sounded like an opera piece, and sort of threw me off guard, as I was amazed at the time listening to that piece, that it was music from Prince, as I was used to his 80s type music, and had no idea of his 'jazz' music skills.

In my interpretation, I find that the 'Rainbow Children' cd, reminds me of the Lovesexy album, as at the time it was made, it seems to focus on someone struggling/searching for a spiritual/religious connection with God and questioning their religious beliefs and life experiences;and TRC presents itself as the sequel to Lovesexy, pretty much sending the message, that the individual found that spiritual peace within themself and their connection with God. Anyway, that's my two cents.

[Edited 11/13/11 10:43am]

Thank you so much for your reply! This was a beautiful post, and I agree with everything you have said. Maybe 'Threatened' is a bit over the top, but the lyrics did seem SURE about what the truth is and while that is fine, it did not seem to pacify those who won't see it the same way. It basically said, LEAVE because there is no way to disagree, if you want to be with me, it is going to be THIS WAY. Haha, although I am sure Prince did not mean it in a forceful context. (Who Knows..)

As far as Family Name, I don't think it does fit with the theme of the message. It is kind of like an appetizer of what he had prepared next in a few years in the song Avalanche. "Abraham Lincoln was a racist! O YES SIR!!" Haha. Family name is more of a political ode, and I agree with lyrics, and love how he broke it down concerning slaves, etc..When I first heard it I had no idea what it meant. Now it seems to be saying...those who were slaves really had their family name taken away given other names like Johnson, Lynch, etc, etc.... I think it was necessary and BOLD for him to bring that to the masses attention.

Above all, I definitely say the same as you! It is like a more matured Lovesexy album! Lovesexy just happens to be my favorite album by Prince! TRC is up there in terms of concept albums! I love when he does spiritual music, and connections that bring forth a deeper understanding of what we look for in life. All points considered..All I am saying is AMEN! Haha

I always appreciate your two cents Elijah! Your posts are very strong and are always wisely guided!

I've heard people call the low voice "God" and it sounded scary to me.

TBH, religion and fixed beliefs of others scare me though I can't help but wonder what he has to say now after reading some of those lyrics. And did he realize some acknowledge 7 AND 11?

Was the listening party at a church?

alphastreet said:

Was the listening party at a church?

Depends how much of a fam you are

TRC is the album that restored my faith in Prince´s ability to deliver a great album. It came at the right time. There were some really difficult years before that for me as a Prince fan. "Rave un2", "New Power Soul", "Emancipation" all had some decent tracks but - at least for me - none of them was a great album from start to finish. When I bought TRC (having read some days before the release that it is a "religious" album), my expectations were very low. Boy was I wrong! Never before a Prince album has suprised me positively as much as this one. I loved loved loved it and still do. There is not a single minute I don´t love on that record (as a german I don´t pay attention to the lyrics that much). The tour that followed it was one of my favourite Prince tours ever and those tunes were great live, too. That´s why I love the 'ONA...Live!' album too and still listend to it very often.

10 years later it's still equally as bad as it was the day it was released.

EyeJester7 said:

2elijah said:

Nice post, especially the part you state about Prince beoming 'organized' when you compare it to his earlier days of his introduction to the world. He was like a rebel on the loose, bold, defiant, shocking, taking his audience by surprise, and he displayed this in the lyrics in his music, combined with the mysterious and questionable image he presented to his audience. With the Rainbow Children era he presented himself in a more 'organized' fashion--music and imagewise, as though he had an awakening, was less rebellious, becoming mature and finding personal 'peace' in his life;it was almost like he was telling his story by comparing the pre-JW Prince to the JW Prince.

I also agree with you about the part where you stated that some of the songs in relation to the JW religion, may have made one feel 'threatened' as you sorted stated in your post that some of the songs came off as 'This is how it's going to be'' if you don't get on the same ride. I think if I was in my younger days and heard that type of message, I probably would have rebelled, as I feel most people are in a totally, different state of mind about religion or life in general, when they're younger.

The only thing I couldn't figure out in the Rainbow Children is where "Family Name' fits in with the religious aspect of the album, especially since it seems that song focused more on an actual, racially historic situation or maybe I need to go back and listen to the lyrics, to figure out the connection between the two. Also, I can see, where some fans may have felt divided, because of the religious context of the album, but musically the album can be appreciated by many. 'Wedding Feast' sounded like an opera piece, and sort of threw me off guard, as I was amazed at the time listening to that piece, that it was music from Prince, as I was used to his 80s type music, and had no idea of his 'jazz' music skills.

In my interpretation, I find that the 'Rainbow Children' cd, reminds me of the Lovesexy album, as at the time it was made, it seems to focus on someone struggling/searching for a spiritual/religious connection with God and questioning their religious beliefs and life experiences;and TRC presents itself as the sequel to Lovesexy, pretty much sending the message, that the individual found that spiritual peace within themself and their connection with God. Anyway, that's my two cents.

[Edited 11/13/11 10:43am]

Thank you so much for your reply! This was a beautiful post, and I agree with everything you have said. Maybe 'Threatened' is a bit over the top, but the lyrics did seem SURE about what the truth is and while that is fine, it did not seem to pacify those who won't see it the same way. It basically said, LEAVE because there is no way to disagree, if you want to be with me, it is going to be THIS WAY. Haha, although I am sure Prince did not mean it in a forceful context. (Who Knows..)

As far as Family Name, I don't think it does fit with the theme of the message. It is kind of like an appetizer of what he had prepared next in a few years in the song Avalanche. "Abraham Lincoln was a racist! O YES SIR!!" Haha. Family name is more of a political ode, and I agree with lyrics, and love how he broke it down concerning slaves, etc..When I first heard it I had no idea what it meant. Now it seems to be saying...those who were slaves really had their family name taken away given other names like Johnson, Lynch, etc, etc.... I think it was necessary and BOLD for him to bring that to the masses attention.

Above all, I definitely say the same as you! It is like a more matured Lovesexy album! Lovesexy just happens to be my favorite album by Prince! TRC is up there in terms of concept albums! I love when he does spiritual music, and connections that bring forth a deeper understanding of what we look for in life. All points considered..All I am saying is AMEN! Haha

I always appreciate your two cents Elijah! Your posts are very strong and are always wisely guided!

Thanks as always. But imagine if 'Family Name' was in the same album as "Avalanche'. I think that would have caused more of a storm among fans, with a large dose of questionable , historical events being thrown in one package at the same time. The boldness of what was stated in the lyrics, causing some fans to still question why would he dare to write about such a topic in his songs, especially coming from an artist who is known to have brought many (and still does) racial groups together through his music, yet it’s like he’s saying okay for years, I’ve brought you all under one roof together, standing next to each other, and you all come from many racial, social, political, economic, religious and non-religious backgrounds, so why when you leave, many of you still can’t respect or embrace one another’s differences on a human level, whether it’s spiritually/socially/racially/politically? The boldness and unpredictability of Prince was always part of his image, lyrically and physically, so writing about such societal ills should not be a surprise.

I also think that ‘Dreamer’ and ‘Colonized’ mind are like followup singles to TRC and Lovesexy, as those songs are topics that focus on societal ills, i.e., racism, religious conflicts, socio-political differences and economic disparities, and lack of morals/values/human disrespect that continues to be problems within our society, etc., often raising the question of “How much have we really grown, learned or changed as a society or are we still repeating, practicing and promoting doses of the same ugly beliefs/behaviors of the past?' In ‘Dreamer’ he declares he’s not giving up on the hope of a ‘changing’ society, regardless of the existing, societal ills that continue to infect our society as a whole.

So I've wondered why some Prince fans took/take personal offense, question why or are surprised about those specific topics Prince has dared to sing about, when in fact, many of those ills he has sung/sing about have or still exist(ed)? Could it be because it touches on uncomfortable, (existing) truths many are not prepared or don't know how to accept/embrace? Thing is, whatever their reason(s), many musicians/artists over the years have used their music to raise awareness regarding the same topics. Again, just my two cents and some change.

*Last paragraph - edit*

[Edited 11/14/11 10:15am]

alphastreet said:

I've heard people call the low voice "God" and it sounded scary to me.

TBH, religion and fixed beliefs of others scare me though I can't help but wonder what he has to say now after reading some of those lyrics. And did he realize some acknowledge 7 AND 11?

The "low voice" isn't God!

Why fear someone else's beliefs? Are you directly affected by other people's religious leanings?

2elijah said:

EyeJester7 said:

Thank you so much for your reply! This was a beautiful post, and I agree with everything you have said. Maybe 'Threatened' is a bit over the top, but the lyrics did seem SURE about what the truth is and while that is fine, it did not seem to pacify those who won't see it the same way. It basically said, LEAVE because there is no way to disagree, if you want to be with me, it is going to be THIS WAY. Haha, although I am sure Prince did not mean it in a forceful context. (Who Knows..)

As far as Family Name, I don't think it does fit with the theme of the message. It is kind of like an appetizer of what he had prepared next in a few years in the song Avalanche. "Abraham Lincoln was a racist! O YES SIR!!" Haha. Family name is more of a political ode, and I agree with lyrics, and love how he broke it down concerning slaves, etc..When I first heard it I had no idea what it meant. Now it seems to be saying...those who were slaves really had their family name taken away given other names like Johnson, Lynch, etc, etc.... I think it was necessary and BOLD for him to bring that to the masses attention.

Above all, I definitely say the same as you! It is like a more matured Lovesexy album! Lovesexy just happens to be my favorite album by Prince! TRC is up there in terms of concept albums! I love when he does spiritual music, and connections that bring forth a deeper understanding of what we look for in life. All points considered..All I am saying is AMEN! Haha

I always appreciate your two cents Elijah! Your posts are very strong and are always wisely guided!

Thanks as always. But imagine if 'Family Name' was in the same album as "Avalanche'. I think that would have caused more of a storm among fans, with a large dose of questionable , historical events being thrown in one package at the same time. The boldness of what was stated in the lyrics, causing some fans to still question why would he dare to write about such a topic in his songs, especially coming from an artist who is known to have brought many (and still does) racial groups together through his music, yet it’s like he’s saying okay for years, I’ve brought you all under one roof together, standing next to each other, and you all come from many racial, social, political, economic, religious and non-religious backgrounds, so why when you leave, many of you still can’t respect or embrace one another’s differences on a human level, whether it’s spiritually/socially/racially/politically? The boldness and unpredictability of Prince was always part of his image, lyrically and physically, so writing about such societal ills should not be a surprise.

I also think that ‘Dreamer’ and ‘Colonized’ mind are like followup singles to TRC and Lovesexy, as those songs are topics that focus on societal ills, i.e., racism, religious conflicts, socio-political differences and economic disparities, and lack of morals/values/human disrespect that continues to be problems within our society, etc., often raising the question of “How much have we really grown, learned or changed as a society or are we still repeating, practicing and promoting doses of the same ugly beliefs/behaviors of the past?' In ‘Dreamer’ he declares he’s not giving up on the hope of a ‘changing’ society, regardless of the existing, societal ills that continue to infect our society as a whole.

So I've wondered why some Prince fans took/take personal offense, question why or are surprised about those specific topics Prince has dared to sing about, when in fact, many of those ills he has sung/sing about have or still exist(ed)? Could it be because it touches on uncomfortable, (existing) truths many are not prepared or don't know how to accept/embrace? Thing is, whatever their reason(s), many musicians/artists over the years have used their music to raise awareness regarding the same topics. Again, just my two cents and some change.

*Last paragraph - edit*

[Edited 11/14/11 10:15am]

Excellent post and I quite agree.

loves it all xcept for wedding feast interval

rdhull said:

Sorry you hatoot miss the tour. He was really inspired. But it was also sad because though it was semi intimate in theaters, club members got to go to the sound check, a box set came out of it, ...it was a sad time as a Prince fan because he WAS playing theaters instead of playing on a grander scale. It almost started a purple midlife crisis because it meant that we were offically old and irrelevant.

.

[Edited 11/13/11 13:58pm]

2002 was the best year to be a Prince fan in my opinion. The One Nite Alone tour featured some of his most inspired performances, plus the fan access was unmatched before or after--premium seats, soundchecks, and aftershows. That was the year of Prince the artist, who followed his own vision, his own voice, and challenged his audience like he hadn't in a long while. And that was the year of the final Celebration at Paisley Park, with some of the most amazing shows--7 of them! An all acoustic set (!!!), piano one night, rock one night, blues one night. The week he started playing Empty Room, and stopped winking at us "y'all dont know this." It was really the best time for fans of the artist.

(Fans of the pop star would be rewarded in 2004--the last time Prince would plan in advance a long-term promotional campaign and follow through with it. We can question his business decisions at other times, but he certainly smartly maximized his returns around the Hall of Fame induction.)

As for the album, The Rainbow Children... it really stands out as one of his best, organic albums. It was his response to the neosoul movement, to the challenge written by Saul Williams in D'Angelo's liner notes. Play Badu's Mama's Gun & D's Voodoo and you hear the kick in the asspants that pushed Prince into the musical direction of The Rainbow Children. Go back and listen to the "High" ("Chocolate Invasion") tracks, and that was the sound he was moving towards--mimicking Timbalandstyle beats and arrangements on the Korg Triton synth... Thank God he dialed back and went organic for us. And he had a great band. Probably the best NPG since the Thompson/Bland combo... Blackwell, Rhonda, Renato--just amazing players. He'd often say that his band has learned over 200 songs... well in 2002 we believed him, because they demonstrated such amazing versatility.

Are there still copies around???!

I thought I'd burnt all of them!!

This album sucks big time. I have never liked and never will. I assume you all must be Jehovahs Witnesses if you like this. It has weak musical construction compared to his other ones and the lyrics are offensive in the extreme and then theres the Darth Vader Voice. I would give a 5/10 to Last December (Melody and feel only), 1 + 1 +1 =3 gets a 3/10 and She loves me for me and The Everlasting now get 2/10. The rest is 0/10.

PURE GENIUS then so pure genius now. No one on the planet then and no one on the planet now could have given us this musical orgasm but Prince.

my overall feeling about the album as far as fan-reception goes, it's gained momentum over time. What I pretty much got the impression of was that a lot didn't get at first, thought it was weird, etc, etc.

But over time, it became more and more appreciated.

I dunno... musically, it's pretty sharp in a lot of places. "The Digital Garden" was far & beyond my favorite for so many reasons.

When one of my friends here, who I've really gotten close with, spent me LoveSexy, he convenientally slipped in TRC. I didn't request it, but he thought the two went hand in hand. Both very religiously/spiritually based albums.

Now, I LOVED LoveSexy, in fact I still am pretty crazy about it (though not to his point where he'd rank it in his top 3 of all time next to Purple Rain & SoTT)

TRC... I think I'd only had the album for a couple years and listened to it maybe... I dunno... 4 or 5 times in those couple of years.

The first two times... the only time I can sometimes really hear Prince's albums is at night before bed... and I'm kinda ashamed to admit I fell asleep halfway through both times... like the 2nd time, "Last December" came on and I was pretty mad with myself

I wouldn't go as far to say the album is boring... but you know, it's weird. The overall vibe is unique among albums in general, not just Prince's work.

The only time I really understood/got it was shortly after watching a little something on YouTube that probably isn't there anymore, Prince got to it or whatever. It was a 2-part press conference with Kevin Smith and he was talking about how Prince wanted to film a documentary to go along with this album. One of many projects that is currently taking up space in one of Prince's many vaults

Just the way it was explained helped not only enjoy the album, but heck, I probably wrote one of my best album review blog posts (which I'm probably gonna have to find now, lol).

I made sense out of the storyline as in what the album is about and such. But I'm not necessarily willing to read the Wikipedia article on the Jehovah's Witness religion. That's just one step too far to really understand Prince from that perspective

anyway, here's the line to my blog entry giving my best review of the album.

http://dreamypoproyalty.x...mith--trc/

At the end of the day, my belief is this:
TRC has gotten a lot of credit for being the best album Prince has released in the past 10 years mainly on the fact that it's widely accepted that everything else he did in that time frame... well, sucked...

I haven't listened to ONA Piano yet, but I know Musicology, 3121 and Planet Earth pretty well... Lotusflow3r, MPLSound and 20TEN not so much so I really can't comment.

But any day, I'd prefer 3121 and Planet Earth to The Rainbow Children...

I don't mind the artsy stuff every now and then, but that album... I dunno, it's just kinda weird

rdhull said:

Back in 2002 I wrote that TRC would be a classic in 5-10 years and be seen as a classic and adored as Parade is:

It is............

Fuck me. 10 years. I can still remember downloading it from the NPG Music Club back then (took forever), burning to CD and then putting it on.

10 years.

I had hair back then.

rdhull said:

Back in 2002 I wrote that TRC would be a classic in 5-10 years and be seen as a classic and adored as Parade is:

http://prince.org/msg/7/23659

I guess I was wrong. Though it is seen by some as his last great musical statement, it is still derided as a dogmatic mess. And for such a statement to be made, he never really chooses any songs from it to play. For such a strong statement to stand by, touring behind it, I would expect to hear him play at least She Loves Me For Me. TRC brought prince.org and Prince fans ot it's knees and caused purple cival war 2.0 and we are still feeling the effects of that in some aspects (but thats another post).

TRC music had me feening for his next step and release. OI expected it to be something akin to Lotusflower but we got Musicology, 3121, and PE first. I mean 2004 was his 25 year anny and he had bigger fish to fry, it's understandable.

But songs like the title track, She Loves Me, Last December, Everlasting Now, Sensual Everafter, was thought to match up to songs from Parade in that other 2002 post. In some ways I believe they do but now we have The Fdeluxe reforming fomr the Parade era, Sheila had the Family Jam with musicians fomr that 1986 purple circle era, and now a resurgence of that era's musicians again and TRC is seen as an oddity (not a space one though). Hell it even garnered a box set, Prince's first and only, from the tour and its still the bastard child in the purple fmaily.

It's amazing how fast a decade has went though.

.

[Edited 11/12/11 19:22pm]

lol OKAY???????? I remember seeing TRC on the shelf at Best Buy like it was last month, looking at the cover and thinking this would be like SOTT given the way he hid himself on the cover. But alas, like you, TRC leave me feeling like I need more of that. I listened to it three times back to back on a flight from NY back to Oakland, and I was like, damn. DAMN. Musically, it speak to me more than anything he's done since. This was the Prince I know and feen for. Music that defies categorization, sounds like Prince just having an idea and just rolling with it, no thoughts of commercial success, radio play, etc. I think it would have been a definite classic if not for the heavy, in-your-face dogma. Be that as it may, I tend to respect all religious beliefs, and although I can have nothing to do with the Trinity, JW, etc., if that's what he beleives, then that is what he believes. I can listen to it with an open mind and not be sucked in to the point that it interferes with my ability to just enjoy the Prince vibe throughout.

Sure, Musicology, 3121, and PE were aiight, but just on the first listen the first think that I thought of was commercial. He was trying to appeal to a wider audience and I think the music suffers for it, especially when you compre any of them to TRC.

alxndrstff said:

I was 9 years old when I heard my first Prince album - the Batman album. As much of a pounding as that takes on here, and even in the full knowledge that it's not his best, it still has a special place in my heart.

If I'm honest, I prefer stuff like The Gold Experience over albums like Parade, or ATWIAD. I came to those late, and missed out on that expectation, that hype, that excitement that always heightens the enjoyment of an album and makes the memories of it that bit sweeter.

The Rainbow Children invoked all of that in me, though. The music is simply breathtaking at times, the energy and passion magnificent, the philosophy behind the lyrics interesting even if (like myself) you're not in full agreement with it. It simply blew me away, and I imagine it's how it would have felt to listen to Purple Rain for the first time, along with many others, as an adult when it first dropped.

I often look back at the '80s output and have a real sense of jealousy at what I missed out on. The Rainbow Children is probably the closest I've come to experiencing some of that as an adult. As much as I love albums like Musicology, 3121, Planet Earth and others, there's no doubt in my mind that TRC is a better album than all of them, and came at a time when Prince was as inspired as he's ever been.

Excellent point that I'm sure many of us older fans share; if you weren't there it's tough to convey the curiosity and excitement around the albums coming out between 1978 and 1990. I feel the same way about my mom getting to see Elvis, The Beatles and James Brown in the 50s & '60s, and you will enjoy the newer Prince stuff in a way many of us old folks can't.

Don't be jealous -- after you get up there in years there will be kids jealous of your hearing TRC when it first dropped

[Edited 1/6/12 13:16pm]

rdhull said:

Back in 2002 I wrote that TRC would be a classic in 5-10 years and be seen as a classic and adored as Parade is:

http://prince.org/msg/7/23659

I guess I was wrong. Though it is seen by some as his last great musical statement, it is still derided as a dogmatic mess. And for such a statement to be made, he never really chooses any songs from it to play. For such a strong statement to stand by, touring behind it, I would expect to hear him play at least She Loves Me For Me. TRC brought prince.org and Prince fans ot it's knees and caused purple cival war 2.0 and we are still feeling the effects of that in some aspects (but thats another post).

TRC music had me feening for his next step and release. OI expected it to be something akin to Lotusflower but we got Musicology, 3121, and PE first. I mean 2004 was his 25 year anny and he had bigger fish to fry, it's understandable.

But songs like the title track, She Loves Me, Last December, Everlasting Now, Sensual Everafter, was thought to match up to songs from Parade in that other 2002 post. In some ways I believe they do but now we have The Fdeluxe reforming fomr the Parade era, Sheila had the Family Jam with musicians fomr that 1986 purple circle era, and now a resurgence of that era's musicians again and TRC is seen as an oddity (not a space one though). Hell it even garnered a box set, Prince's first and only, from the tour and its still the bastard child in the purple fmaily.

It's amazing how fast a decade has went though.

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[Edited 11/12/11 19:22pm

for me the rainbow children was a reminder that the genius could be in the zone for an entire album. prince was in the zone repeatedly in the 80s(dirty mind/1999/purple rain/parade/sign of the times) only the symbol album qualified in the 90s. never losing faith that he could do it again, the rainbow children was my reward. prince had something 2 prove & the rainbow children was the concise masterpiece i hoped emancipation would be. lotusflow3r sans mplsound & elixer would have qualified.

Brilliant CD....Love it!

As was mentioned on another thread...with the intricacy of the music, it's easy to forget that Prince put that together almost singlehandedly.