Take all the shitty songs by other artists out and you have a great Prince album. I highly recommend doing this. It's much better.

I just got actual shivery feelings from listening to "Still Would Stand All Time" really loud. Kinda like Calhoun's thing with that other song...except not sexual...just really deep "woah" feelings. This is the first time I've truly appreciated this song I believe.

"We Can Funk" also got to me in a really good way...the coda chord progression at the end with Prince's buried wailing/screaming outlining the progression made me laugh out of joy, it was so good to hear it that loud.

I'm so glad I don't need drugs to get high off music anymore...I remember it was this way when I was younger, too...something about the teen years and needing drugs to listen to depressing music I think...I'm glad I got over that. There is so much brilliant shit out there to get high off of with out stimulants...

...anyway, I'm rambling.

Try the edit. It's the best way to appreciate this album I think (from someone who didn't care too much for it before).



.
[This message was edited Fri Feb 21 21:46:46 PST 2003 by mrdespues]

i agree. I listen to an edited GB album, but I included the long version of Thieves in the Temple, cause I think it's great. I originally included Get Off and Loveleft,Loveright, but re-burned it without them, cause they're just so week.

I agree, I don't know what prince was thinking-putting all those other songs on there.
But I did like the songs by The Time

Speaking of great codas...


...that coda on 'U Got the Look'...





-SWANGputtingsomegraffitiupinhere

Graffiti Bridge for some reason always strikes me as an album of sorta old tracks that had been hanging around, that finally got assembled into an album. I know Prince frequently includes older material onto an album, but it seems like GB was made up of mostly older material.

Everyone used to complained that the Purple Rain album only included the Revolution songs, and you had to buy Ice Cream Castle & Apollonia 6 to get the full soundtrack - Now everyone complains that Graffiti Bridge should have been done the same way... go figure!

I listened to GB last night and it's probably his last "classic 80s Prince" album. Not that his new stuff is bad, I quite like it, but GB is somewhat of an end of a great creative period from Dirty Mind to Graffiti Bridge.
[This message was edited Fri Feb 21 22:10:41 PST 2003 by toejam]
[This message was edited Fri Feb 21 22:11:11 PST 2003 by toejam]

toejam said:

Yeah, I must admit, I was one of those people

Graffiti Bridge works well split into 2 albums, sequenced like vinyl lp's.
A Prince album: New Power Generation (music from Graffiti Bridge)
and the other artists tracks an a Graffiti Bridge soundtrack.

New Power Generation
side one:
1. New Power Generation
2. Can't Stop This Feeling I Got
3. The Question Of U
4. Elephants & Flowers
5. Joy In Repetition
side two:
6. Tick Tick Bang
7. Thieves In The Temple (extended version)
8. Still Would Stand All Time
9. New Power Generation (part 2)

Graffiti Bridge
side one:
1. Seven Corners (Ingrid Chavez)
2. Release It (The Time)
3. Round And Round (Tevin Campbell)
4. We Can Funk (George Clinton & Prince)
5. Love Machine (The Time & Elisa Fiorillo)
side two:
6. Shake! (The Time)
7. Number One (Robin Power)
8. The Latest Fashion (The Time & Prince)
9. Melody Cool (Mavis Staples)
10. Graffiti Bridge (Prince, Mavis Staples & Tevin Campbell)
[This message was edited Sat Feb 22 1:47:02 PST 2003 by BorisFishpaw]

toejam said:

Lovesexy was the last great 'classic 80s album'. GB does NOT fit in there.

I always though Graffiti Bridge was one of Prince's strangest album. The reason is that while there are some real Prince classics on it ("Question of U", "Joy In Repetition" etc) there are, at the same time, some of his worst songs.

And now that you mention it - it is actually just Prince's songs vs. the other artists' songs. With one notable exception: Tick Tick Bang. Get rid of that, and you'll have one hell of a Prince album. Needless to say, "We Can Funk" would be included...

1. New Power Generation
2. Can't Stop This Feeling I Got
3. The Question Of U
4. Elephants & Flowers
5. We Can Funk
6. Joy In Repetition
7. Thieves In The Temple
8. Still Would Stand All Time
9. New Power Generation Pt.2

These are all great Prince songs. And aah, no "Latest Fashion", no "Shake"... "Release It" is actually damn funky, but whatever.

I only feel there are two great songs on GB, 'the Question of U' and 'Joy in repetition' (and even that's ruined slightly with the intro) The rest is very average Prince IMO.

Marrk said:

Hmmm, I thought the same as you for a long time, but I guess after hearing the small club version of Still Would Stand All Time, it gave me a new appreciation and I wanted to hear the original. Also, after hearing various versions of We Can Funk I decided that no matter what anyone says, the GB version is actually the best. Play it loud and omit all the other artists and you have at least a 3 1/2 star album.

To everyone else:

I agree that the Time songs are kind of cool, but the edited version with just Prince seriously does wonders. All that other shit has to go!

Oh, and I used to think Tick Tick Bang sucked too...now I think it's not so bad, in fact I think it's great to hear Jimi and Prince playing together on a track!

"quote"Also, after hearing various versions of We Can Funk I decided that no matter what anyone says, the GB version is actually the best. )[/quote]

i`m with you on that.the way the song builds towards the end...great song.

bababooey said:

i`m with you on that.the way the song builds towards the end...great song.[/quote]

yes! I have a follower!

well, I'm glad someone agrees with me on that, anyway!

Just made myself a new version of a
'Prince only' Graffiti Bridge, and
it totally rocks!

1. Can't Stop This Feeling I Got (4:27)
2. We Can Funk (6:40)
3. The Question Of U (3:59)
4. Elephants & Flowers (3:53)
5. Joy In Repetition (with intro) (5:17)
6. Thieves In The Temple (extended version) (8:09)
7. Tick Tick Bang (3:30)
8. Still Would Stand All Time (5:23)
9. New Power Generation (parts 1 & 2) (6:25)

total running time 47:43

BorisFishpaw said:

That's basically what I have, except I kept the original sequence.

i've been saying that for years. even my friends who gave up on Prince ages ago feel the same way too. cool thread

Its really weird how many people actually like "New Power Generation Parts 1 & 2". I can't listen to it. I'd rather listen to "Tick, Tick Bang". I really would.

I can't stand the song because he's dissing people for playing "old-fashioned music" and the track sounds like it has the production values of a New Kids On The Block B-side from 1987. I mean, it was 1990... The "Madchester" scene had been and gone by that time, Trip-Hop was around the corner. After "Lovesexy", his musical progression seemed to go backwards.

I remember reading the Rolling Stone interview when he made the cover that year. He made a joke about artists always being able to renegotiate their contracts... The punchline was: "record a Country & Western album". I remember thinking instantly, "I wish he had!"

I agree. The New Power Generation 1 & 2 are incredibly dated...I'd take Tick Tick Bang over that anyday.

JonSnow said:

Yes,I agree.I guess Prince was too busy writing and directing the movie,he clearly didn't have the time to create a stunning collection of NEW songs.So,he just went into his vaults and dug up a bunch of previously recorded tracks.There are some cool moments on the album,but overall, the album has a "scattered" feel to it and it doesn't really come together as a cohesive album.

What's funny is,by the time this album was released in August 1990,I had been enjoying most of these songs for years.These songs had been circulating on bootlegs since the mid-80s.

(The Joys of) Editing every single Prince album post Graffiti Bridge.

Not one of his albums since has had the consistency of any of his eighties work. Im glad of Mini discs because i can now make up pretty much exactly how i would have put the album out had i been Prince. Including b-sides / outtakes that i thought were better than some of the shit he left on.

I respect all the albums prince put out, because it is how he wanted it, but sometimes i wish the man would have a little better quality control.

I was thinking the same for years now, glad to hear I'm not the only one

PEOPLE! You're ALL MAD! MAD I TELL YOU!



If I did that, taking all the songs out that I thought were shitty, and then take out all the songs that were by other people, that'd leave, "Joy In Repetition" and that's it.

I'm sorry - yeah, I got the ext versions of NPG and Thieves in the Temple - they were just sooo weak.

But hey - that's just my opinion. I can't listen to Tick Tick Bang without seeing him trying to lipsync to a sample in the movie.

But that's just my opinion.