whenever p comes out with his next album,if it contains a bunch of JW crap i will not buy it. i am a long time fan of p's but i can't deal with all the JW bull.

Do you feel TRC is a bunch of JW crap?

Why does the philosphical lyrics bother people so much? Isnt the music good anyway? How low does a person's IQ have to be to not be able to enjoy good music and not be disabled by lyrics?

Miamivice said:


Lyrics are a big part of the music though. If you're going to write a song, and put words to it, people are going to interpret what you say and like it or not like it. I find it very hard to separate the two because sometimes lyrics can get in the way and put me off. Even if the music is good, I might not agree with the lyrics, so therefore it brings down the quality of the song for me.

I'm not saying always, but sometimes this happens. I don't see what IQ quotient has to do with it. If anything, I think paying attention to what is being said in lyrics, and having an opinion about it one way or another, shows that a person is intelligent enough to have thought it out, and made a decision to agree with it or not. (sorry, run-on sentences)

I can't listen to music and just ignore the lyrics. To me, they are an essential part of the whole.

thedoorkeeper said:

Good question I was worried about TRC, thought he might be straight up preaching on it (as is the maker of this thread, obviously & understandably). But TRC turned out to be a GREAT example of being heavily influenced by your faith & NOT letting it trample your musical expression. He's still funky!

Only time will tell if he'll ever go overboard w/ the religious tones in his lyrics but I'm not worried yet. TRC was great, I'm ready for more...

I'd buy it! I agree all the JW stuff can get too much, but I'd buy it anyway, coz I can't imagine Prince would put out an album if there wasn't at least some good songs on it!!.. TRC isn't a bunch of JW talk (my opinion).. I do miss the old Prince but I still enjoy his music!

I will listen to anything that tries to uncover the truth. If I don't agree with the outcome, that's cool. As a follower of Christ, Prince has the responsibility to discuss our saviour. It's cool to not agree, but it's not cool to dismiss what is being said simply because you don't agree with it. If anything, it can strengthen what you already believe.

MIAMIVICE said:

I cannot bop my head to "there's a new theocratic order now" when I am not into it. It would be like putting on the Ketchup Song and pretending thinking it is funky.

I do not mind listening to gospel. I do not mind people sharing their ideas.

Prince's ideas just have moved onto a new level where I am not willing to go/follow/explore.

But I must admit; I keep buying his stuff cuz he's got the most incredible voice out there.

gooeythehamster said:

Hey! The Ketchup Song rocks!
kidding.

i don't own a copy of trc in the first place--i didn't want it 2 begin with, cuz it'd throw off my collection (i have chronological gaps in my p collection)...

"jw crap"? guess u mean the preachiness and stuff...besides, i'd have 2 borrow an album from a friend or sumfin before i even consider buyin it 4 myself. it's pretty iffy.

p.s. wtf's "the ketchup song"?



vitamin c edit.
[This message was edited Wed Feb 19 9:55:20 PST 2003 by Handclapsfingasnapz]

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

The "Ketchup Song" is this awful song by this group of girls from Spain that call themselves Las Ketchup. The song is this horrible sing-along, dance-along type of crap that reminds me of a "Macarena" sort of thing. It was really popular this past summer in Europe. Really cheesy.

Yeah, I'd buy it, if only to ensure my collection were complete. I'd rarely listen to it though.

By the way, does anyone believe that 1+1+1=3 is a repudiation of the belief in the Trinity? I.e., Father, Son and Holy Ghost are not one, therefore the belief in a Trinity is false.

something tells me a gospel album is on the way..

((the terlet is making dat gurgling sound again))

I have never though Prince was a great singer. It has always been the words to his songs that have gotten me, then the funky beats. Through my studies with JWs, I do believe TRC has a lot of JW overtones. I did not mind a song or two on every album with a religious theme cuz I could skip past them when I didn't want to hear it, but this whole album...Anyway, I respect P's right to say how he stands on such issues, but if the next album is like this one, I won't buy it.

Savannah said:

u gonna jinx a brotha...



2-ply edit.
[This message was edited Wed Feb 19 10:44:41 PST 2003 by Handclapsfingasnapz]

the JW overtones on rainbow children drive me insane and I hate that otherwise interesting record

so no, I won't buy any more of his overly pushy religious records. I'll leave all the songs of faith to Lenny, who doesn't cram it down your throat with bullshit like "stauros"

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Hey, I'd love to see him do a gospel album!!! I may not personally agree with the philosophical or theological basis behind gospel music in general, but I love the music itself... So passionate and gorgeous and full of life. I think if he did a gospel album with the Steeles backing him, maybe some Rosie Gaines and Mavis Staples' assistance, it'd be a beautiful thing.

MIAMIVICE said:

It is not a matter of IQ is is a matter of personal taste. For instance I am smart enough to know that Janet Jackson voice couldn't hold a candle to Whitney Houston. Heck most of the lead singers in my local church have better voices that Janet. So why do I some of Janet's songs and almost none of Whitney's? It just a perference for a particular style. Great background music with crap lyrics still is an incomplete song in my opinion. If Prince had wanted the listener to focus on the background music instead of the message contained in his lyrics he would have recorded an instrustmental album. RBC isn't an instrustmental album. Conversely Macy Gray has some great lyrics but her voice is annoying as chalk scratching a blackboard. I judge the songs completely as the artist recorded them. If Prince had recorded a instrustmental masterpiece and chose to have J Lo do the vocals the complete work would still be crap. Now do you understand?

namepeace said:

ok, maybe i'm slow, but that is a great observation about 1+1+1=3. I just assumed it had to do with P's relationships in respet to women and God (or something aloong those lines). Wow, guess i have to go take another listen with this in mind. cool.

it's not the JW message that's throwin me off. it's the fact that he is starting to sound like little richard did during his preaching years. i'll buy it. won't listen to it like i don't listen to TRC. but i'll buy it.

TRC was just right. If it's like that I'll buy it. I don't follow what he says, but the music is funky and the faith gives his voice emotional depth. How can u not notice the feeling on this record and the sheer sense of fun exuded by the performances?

Prince sounds like he's having so much fun on TRC. That's what I love to hear.

7IS4ME said:

I agree. If it got to that point then it would be apostate according to my faith, and I'm not going there!

sawatdiikhrap said:

You get that from this album? I thought it was kind of dark and depressing. Please tell me more.

All throughout Princes career he has included spiritual themes in his music, and I love and adore that. Where my problem started is when he started including the ideals of one "organized" religion. Organized religion has inherent problems because it is "organized" by humans, who are by naturem flawed. No matter how much an orginazitation tries, segregationism and exclusionism get wrapped up in whatever they do because as humans, it is what we need to do to survive in the world. I myself am doing this by "excluding" myself from organized religion, however, I feel it is the lesser of two evils.

In shor, spirituality we need, it keeps every nice. Organized religion, we don't need, it seperates everyone. I see Prince going the organized route, and it bothers me.

stymie said:

Dark and depressing?

Um, Rainbow Children is a jazzy/gospel track, and sounds celebratory and joyous.

The Work Pt.1 is pretty jubilant.

Everywhere is definitely full of the joys of spring.

Mellow is sexy and smug.

1+1+1=3 is quirky and fun.

She Loves Me For Me is loved-up and revelling.

Family Name is bitter but triumphant and incessant.

Everlasting Now is funky and proclamatory.

Last December is a commercial lighter-waver, with a fantastic funk-filled centre.



So, really, I can see that most of the tracks are pretty upbeat and exuberant, and even where there is a dark side to the album, I think Prince sounds enthusiastic and committed to what he's feeling. I think he's having fun putting his all into the music.

sawatdiikhrap said:

Thanks for your response.

IAM said:

I am done buying Prince music for the sake of buying it. I have four or five Prince albums that collect dust because I didn't like a single song on the album(Chaos & Disorder, Rave, Old Friends). Now with his brush with organized religion, I can't continue to support it.

7IS4ME said:

Yeah, I'll buy any old crap with Prince's name on it. I'm a bit stupid like that really.

Seriously though... Prince has had crazy pseudo-religious mumbo jumbo on his albums since 1983. Haven't you noticed!? For fans to suddenly get so irked by TRC is just peculiar.

I've got an in-built filter in my brain that filters all the bullshit out of Prince's lyrics but still allows me to dig his music. It works very well, give it a try