Most certainly, most magnificently BEING. It's a glorious dump of a bass line and a crunching, yearning, love-fueled crusty, punch of a song. It stinks of so many others but has enough essence of P to make it chokeful and enjoyable. It's one of the few songs on that god-awful album to merit listening to twice... if you don't believe me, well, you don't.

BoySimon said:

BoySimon said:

It's a glorious dump

Yup!

Freaks On This Side is abso-fucking-lutely...

Shite.

I love the album, and therefore I like this song, too. But it's not a favorite from the album. Among other things, I don't like the crowd singing the chorus, which was also used on 'Push It Up' and 'Funky Music'.

There are plenty of great songs on Newpower Soul: Mad Sex, When U Love Somebody, Come On, The One, Wasted Kisses . But 'Freaks' is just good.

[Edited 1/22/12 16:50pm]

CrabalockerFishwife said:

I love the album, and therefore I like this song, too. But it's not a favorite from the album. Among other things, I don't like the crowd singing the chorus, which was also used on 'Push It Up' and 'Funky Music'.

There are plenty of great songs on Newpower Soul: Mad Sex, When U Love Somebody, Come On, The One, Wasted Kisses . But 'Freaks' is just good.

[Edited 1/22/12 16:50pm]

not crazy about the crowd stuff either, but on 'Funky Music', I was in the crowd that he sampled so it's pretty cool to hear that on the cd

nursev said:

The song is total garbage.

Exactly. A shitty shit hop mess.

kenkamken said:

When he sang about New Power Soul on Lovesexy, the music I imagined in my mind was nothing like the album that eventually took that name. The album came out with no announcement, I just happened upon it at Fred Meyer's. I could never quite get into it, except for Wasted Kisses. I kind of like Shoo Be Doh, Until You're In My Arms Again, but there seems to be this depressive undertone, even to the more upbeat numbers.

I actually love 'Shoo-Bed-Ooh', too, but I didn't want to say it because I figured it was probably universally hated.

And there is definitely a depressing aspect to all of his music from Come/Gold - Newpower Soul, but personally, that's why it's my favorite period. It was cool to me for Prince to sing about things other than sex and partying.

like funky music is total Camille. Love the guitar and vocal. Would have liked it more without Doug E. Fresh even though I'm cool with him- the song also would have fared better with different drums/programming. I always thought this song could have been a barn burner, but minus Doug E. and "Sign "O" The Times" those drums up! I always liked "Freaks" too. There is some great writing on this album- I think the programming and production on it is what hurt it. A lot of the drum tracks were too light for the arrangements. I still like this album though.

I wonder how much the production has to do with people's hate for Prince's post-80s music? 'Cause that seems to be the main complaint with his albums from about Gold Experience or Emancipation onward.

That beat and melody are handled by the part of my brain that goes: "Oh yeah! I love it."

[Edited 1/22/12 21:00pm]

probably the top contender for worst Prince song ever.

I love this song, killer horn arrangement

These responses are..bizarre to me.

I love the music. Killer hornz especially. Lyrics are a little creepy

the horn arrangement is crazy on it

Freaks on This Side and I Like Funky Music both suffer from the same problem: incredibly weak drum backing tracks. These songs could have KILLED if they'd had a killer, deep drum sound pounding in the back.

Add me to the list of people who love this song, and think the whole album is underappreciated.

CrabalockerFishwife said:

And there is definitely a depressing aspect to all of his music from Come/Gold - Newpower Soul, but personally, that's why it's my favorite period. It was cool to me for Prince to sing about things other than sex and partying.

Newpowersoul - partying

Mad Sex - sex

Until U're In My Arms Again - sex

When U Love Somebody - sex

Shoo Bed Ooh - sex

Push It Up - partying

Freaks On This Side - partying

Come On - sex/partying

The One - sex

I Like Funky Music - partying

Wasted Kisses - sex

I'm not sure we have the same album.

billymeade said:

CrabalockerFishwife said:

And there is definitely a depressing aspect to all of his music from Come/Gold - Newpower Soul, but personally, that's why it's my favorite period. It was cool to me for Prince to sing about things other than sex and partying.

Newpowersoul - partying

Mad Sex - sex

Until U're In My Arms Again - sex

When U Love Somebody - sex

Shoo Bed Ooh - sex

Push It Up - partying

Freaks On This Side - partying

Come On - sex/partying

The One - sex

I Like Funky Music - partying

Wasted Kisses - sex

I'm not sure we have the same album.

That comment wasn't specifically about this album, but the whole period from 1994 - 1999.

But "Until U're In My Arms Again" has nothing to do with sex, and there's more being said in the lyrics to "Shoo-Bed-Ooh", "Push It Up" and "Freaks On This Side" than just sex and partying.

I was also referring to much of Chaos and Disorder and a good bit of songs on Emancipation that were about depression, overcoming it, spirituality, the state of the world, the music industry, etc..

kenkamken said:

When he sang about New Power Soul on Lovesexy, the music I imagined in my mind was nothing like the album that eventually took that name. The album came out with no announcement, I just happened upon it at Fred Meyer's. I could never quite get into it, except for Wasted Kisses. I kind of like Shoo Be Doh, Until You're In My Arms Again, but there seems to be this depressive undertone, even to the more upbeat numbers.

Well didn't U know baby Gregory was put to death right b 4 this was released?

rdhull said:

These responses are..bizarre to me.

And where have you been for the last ten years? Don't you know everybody hates everything here at the org?

NewPowerSoul is one of Prince's better 90s albums. I don't get why a lot of people don't enjoy it. It is fun and funky with a lot of good songs.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

kenkamken said:

When he sang about New Power Soul on Lovesexy, the music I imagined in my mind was nothing like the album that eventually took that name. The album came out with no announcement, I just happened upon it at Fred Meyer's. I could never quite get into it, except for Wasted Kisses. I kind of like Shoo Be Doh, Until You're In My Arms Again, but there seems to be this depressive undertone, even to the more upbeat numbers.

Well didn't U know baby Gregory was put to death right b 4 this was released?

Baby Gregory wasn't "put to death". He was taken off of life support because he was terminal. This also happened right before the release of Emancipation in 1996, almost two years before NPS was released. "Until U're In My Arms Again" is the only song on the album that directly references the situation with Gregory ("Comeback" on The Truth is also about this)

JediMaster said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Well didn't U know baby Gregory was put to death right b 4 this was released?

Baby Gregory wasn't "put to death". He was taken off of life support because he was terminal. This also happened right before the release of Emancipation in 1996, almost two years before NPS was released. "Until U're In My Arms Again" is the only song on the album that directly references the situation with Gregory ("Comeback" on The Truth is also about this)

Maybe I used the wrong words to describe the situation. But it still doen't mean when the songs was created or recorded.

FunkiestOne said:

NewPowerSoul is one of Prince's better 90s albums. I don't get why a lot of people don't enjoy it. It is fun and funky with a lot of good songs.

The main complaints seem to be bad production/drum programming and embarrasing lingo ("get freaky, let yo head pop", "Push it up!", "Freaks on this side", "shoo-bed-ooh") - I agree with both points, but I'm able to overlook them and still enjoy the album.

Also, there's a ridiculous hatred on this site for music legends Larry Graham and Doug E Fresh, both of whom sing/rap on this album.

Cerebus said:

rdhull said:

These responses are..bizarre to me.

And where have you been for the last ten years? Don't you know everybody hates everything here at the org?

Im shocked at the praise it is getting. Not the hate (it deserves?).

rdhull said:

Cerebus said:

And where have you been for the last ten years? Don't you know everybody hates everything here at the org?

Im shocked at the praise it is getting. Not the hate (it deserves?).

Ooooooh. I stopped reading after the first few comments.