The fact that is was 25 years ago today makes me feel old!

What is your first memory of listening to the album?

Fifteen years old and rushing home from the shops to put it on the turntable (I was actually wearing peach and black). Trying to listen to it all before I had to go and have tea!

What track blew you away on first listen?

Never Take the Place of Your Man - wow, that on first listen was and still is amazing.

What in your opinion is the quintessential track now?

Housequake or Ballad of DP

What about the whole SOTT imagery, cool or old school?

Cool, fringing should be used more today imo.

Did you go to the tour, what did you think?

Nope - sadly no.

Do you think the turmoil in P’s life spurred a stronger album?

Probably but I was blissfully unware of that at the time.

Did Prince get the single choices right?

Yep, I think so.

How about them B-sides?

Crumbs - I can't remember what they are. If memory serves - no. I loved them but possibly a bit rambling if you weren't a fan (I'm talking about the 12") I think ICNTTPOYM with Hot thing was a genius pairing.

If you were too young back in the day, do you think it’s as good as they say?

Has your opinion of the album changed over the years, does it hold up?

Now, looking back this is THE album. I loved it then but I don't think I understood how good it was until, as the years go by I realised that it stood up to the test of time. I still love it now. I can't say that for many other albums I bought 25 years ago.

Sum up the album in one word.

Genius

What is your first memory of listening to the album?

I had to work 2nd shift that day, so I made sure I got up in time to pick it up and be able to listen and tape (so I could play it in the car) it before going to work

What track blew you away on first listen?

Housequake

What in your opinion is the quintessential track now?

There are a few - Sign O' the Times, Housequake, I Could Never Take Place of Yo Man

What about the whole SOTT imagery, cool or old school?

Definately cool... timless

Did you go to the tour, what did you think?

I would've if I could've, but the tour never made it to the states

Do you think the turmoil in P’s life spurred a stronger album?

Yes, although I was unaware of it at the time (no internet back in 1987)

Did Prince get the single choices right?

Not so much... he did with U Got The Look and ICNTTPOYM

How about them B-sides?

I loved them, still do. I wish he still did them now!

If you were too young back in the day, do you think it’s as good as they say?

I was 18 when it came out, so I would be one of them who says it's that good!

Has your opinion of the album changed over the years, does it hold up?

Still remians my favorite album of all time - and own over 1,000 CD's

Sum up the album in one word.

Amazing

Did you guys hear about the SOTT remaster??!! It turns out that it is fake....a silly April Fool's joke

SoulAlive said:

Did you guys hear about the SOTT remaster??!! It turns out that it is fake....a silly April Fool's joke

I had a small heart attack.

Got a second one when a clicked on the source link: http://www.itaintover.org...index.html

SoulAlive said:

Did you guys hear about the SOTT remaster??!! It turns out that it is fake....a silly April Fool's joke

That looks halfway decent, but to get me to buy it, they'd have to include some little marbles like the ones in the Pink Floyd boxes.

electricberet said:

SoulAlive said:

Did you guys hear about the SOTT remaster??!! It turns out that it is fake....a silly April Fool's joke

That looks halfway decent, but to get me to buy it, they'd have to include some little marbles like the ones in the Pink Floyd boxes.

like little mini crystal balls?

What is your first memory of listening to the album?

Loved it on the first listen. I was a casual fan since 1999, but this was the album that cemented Prince as my all time favourite artist. I was looking for a return to the 1999/Purple rain sound, but was blown away by the diversity of SOTT.

What track blew you away on first listen?

Must have been either I Can Never Take The Place Of Your Man, or The Cross.

What in your opinion is the quintessential track now?

The title track, or If I Was Your Girlfriend

What about the whole SOTT imagery, cool or old school?

Cool... still cool to this day!

Did you go to the tour, what did you think?

No, the tour never came to, or near where i lived.

Do you think the turmoil in P’s life spurred a stronger album?

Possibly. He seems to find inspriration during such times.

Did Prince get the single choices right?

I used to think no. But now, I think they were daring choices to make... but with so many awesome tracks on the album.. a LOT of songs on it could have been great singles.

How about them B-sides?

Shockadelica is one of the best B-sides ever.

If you were too young back in the day, do you think it’s as good as they say?

I was 15.

Has your opinion of the album changed over the years, does it hold up?

No, it has not changed. It is my favourite album in music history. ICNTTPOYM is probably the most hummed song in my life... I'm pretty sure.

Sum up the album in one word.

Masterpiece.

unique said:

electricberet said:

That looks halfway decent, but to get me to buy it, they'd have to include some little marbles like the ones in the Pink Floyd boxes.

like little mini crystal balls?

Exactly. In a little felt pouch. I want coasters too. Otherwise, I'm not interested.

electricberet said:

unique said:

like little mini crystal balls?

Exactly. In a little felt pouch. I want coasters too. Otherwise, I'm not interested.

what about a (gerald) scarf with a crystall ball effect? and a price tag of £100?

i have prince coasters from years ago. two different types in fact, maybe even 3. not including the 14 thousand copies of planet earth and 12 thousand copies of 20ten

What is your first memory of listening to the album?

I first heard the single on the radio. After four years of listening to Prince daily, I thought to myself - "Wow, that's a cool song. Gotta wait to find out who it is." I was shocked to learn it was Prince!

Then I bought the 12" single with Cat on the cover. I remember debating with my girlfriend at the time, Christine Atallah, if that was him. By the time the actual album came out I didn't own a record player or live with anybody who did. I would take the bus and metro and go to friend's places with the album tucked under my arm. I remember I'd left it at my friend Jacquie Bassett's apartment, and I was annoyed when I got there one afternoon to finally listen to it straight through, and another friend of hers there snobbily dismissed the entire first record as sub-par, but admitted loftily, "Sides 3 and 4, that's the real Prince."

Odd to realize this now, but Sign 'O' The Times was the first and only album I experienced almost solely in public, at a dance bar that was the hippest thing in Montreal at the time, "Business". Housequake, Sign, Dorothy Parker, Forever in My Life, Starfish and Coffee, I danced to all of these at Business. I danced to Forever in My Life alone on the dance floor at Business, which is up there with buying a used copy of "Microwave Cooking for One" at a garage sale in terms of demented patheticness. I didn't care. To this day the sound of this vinyl record takes me back to those days, the smell of the smoke effects they'd fizz into the air, "Shut - sh - sh - shut u - sh sh-- Da-- D-" the same few seconds from "Housequake" sliced and diced by a DJ who'd tease us with it all night, not playing the track until 5 minutes to 3 or something; and somebody had the job, or maybe they were volunteering, that consisted in slowly moving a little lever over a little venetian blind in front of a spotlight to split up the dancefloor in spreading layers of light and shadow. I remember a new club opened up the street from Business (to my knowledge these were the first two clubs in Montreal, period), called Poodles, which was really the ultimate freaky place, really unhinged fun, and that's where I danced to Hot Thing in a a kind of audition for a girl who only agreed to go out with me if I passed her dancing test. She observed me coolly from the sidelines. I passed, but we never followed up: we were both so busy!

What track blew you away on first listen?

A review I read somewhere - Black Beat magazie? Rolling Stone? about Never Take the Place of Your Man nailed it - something about "put it on the back-burner to see if it cooks - it does - then bring it back on the front-burner" nailed it for me. The solo guitar line exhilarated me. It seemed to embody happiness and love of life.

Adore was the one that stops all arguments. "The sea... the shore." All those voices, Prince self-harmonizing, no funk, no rock, no outrageousness, no poses, just pure music, a song that lasts long after the last note has stopped ringing in your ears.

What in your opinion is the quintessential track now?

Quintessential of the album and the time in his (our, my) life at the time - It. Dark, machine-made yet organic to the core, human, messy, passionate.

What about the whole SOTT imagery, cool or old school?

The quintessential cool of this period is captured in the performance of The Cross in the SOTT film. The stage is flooded with light, and after the carnival ride of the previous hour and a half, after all the smirking and sexy set-pieces and the stunts and the can-you-top-this? Prince just clears some space ahead and lets his whole machinery hum along at maximum power. It hums along like the finest entertainment machine ever built.

Did you go to the tour, what did you think?

No.

Do you think the turmoil in P’s life spurred a stronger album?

The turmoil in my life spurred a stronger listening and living (dancing) experience.

Did Prince get the single choices right?

The singles for me were always bizarre, and seemed made strictly for "outsiders." The insiders lived for those B-sides.

How about them B-sides?

Apart from the first one, La la la, He He Hee, which really showed you your speakers' limits (those two thrthrthrthrthrrrum synth-lines about two thirds of the way in; so Prince-like in the dirtiness of that particular sound, and so Prince-like in the restraint with which they're deployed) sort of meld into one another as to which album they come from. The ATWIAD vinyl singles were to be had in those days. The very first Prince song that really blew me away was the B-side to 1999, HCUDCMA, which I bought in the summer of 1984 about a month before Purple Rain came out.

If you were too young back in the day, do you think it’s as good as they say?

Yes. The existence of weak tracks "Slow Love" and the supposedly exciting but really boring and interminal It's Going to be Beautiful whatever, redeemed only by Sheila E's rap, actually make this album better in a weird way. Any album which is wall-to-wall "masterpieces" would soon get turned into a Frisbee for its pretentions.

Has your opinion of the album changed over the years, does it hold up?

1986-1987-1988 were the three crowning years, with the middle year and album the best.

Sum up the album in one word.

Lifeloving

SquirrelMeat said:

Can you believe it?

The opus double album Sign O the Times is 25 this month, being originally released on 31st March 1987.

As most polls suggest, this album is arguably Prince’s best.

Let’s have some fun remembering it!

What is your first memory of listening to the album?

Euphoria. Smoking a bowl and putting on some head phones. I was blown away.

What track blew you away on first listen?

The title track, but I'd already heard it on the radio. Housequake for sure.

What in your opinion is the quintessential track now?

Housequake. Maybe 4Ever in My Life. There's soething so elegant and simplistic about that song that underlies it's genuine complexity.

What about the whole SOTT imagery, cool or old school?

Awesome.

Did you go to the tour, what did you think?

Went to the movie. Loved it.

Do you think the turmoil in P’s life spurred a stronger album?

I have no idea.

Did Prince get the single choices right?

No.

How about them B-sides?

Meh. I was a little let down. Scarlet Pussy and LaLaLa, HeeHeeHee sure aint no 17 Days or Erotic City. Shockidelica was cool.

If you were too young back in the day, do you think it’s as good as they say?

Oh yes. And no I wasn't too young. It's a great record.

Has your opinion of the album changed over the years, does it hold up?

No, it's great. It holds up. I don't play it that much because I've beaten it to death over the last 25 years.

Sum up the album in one word.

Eclectic.

SoulAlive said:

Did you guys hear about the SOTT remaster??!! It turns out that it is fake....a silly April Fool's joke

& how many of us WISH this were true ... LoL

What is your first memory of listening to the album?

The video clip. Very cheap and simple, yet very memorable and effective.

What track blew you away on first listen?

Adore.

What in your opinion is the quintessential track now?

If I Was Your Girlfriend.

What about the whole SOTT imagery, cool or old school?

Timeless. Unlike Lovesexy.

Did you go to the tour, what did you think?

No.

Do you think the turmoil in P’s life spurred a stronger album?

No, most songs were written before the relationship problems with Susannah and the problems with the band happened. I doubt that those things were a factor.

Did Prince get the single choices right?

In my opionion, yes. But I guess I´m wrong in hindsight.

How about them B-sides?

Should´ve made more remixes. Ballad of Dorothy Parker should´ve been released.

If you were too young back in the day, do you think it’s as good as they say?

Has your opinion of the album changed over the years, does it hold up?

Yes, I like it even more. Still can´t stand the album version of "It" and still don´t like "Slow Love"

Sum up the album in one word.

Unique.

PurpleLove7 said:

SoulAlive said:

Did you guys hear about the SOTT remaster??!! It turns out that it is fake....a silly April Fool's joke

& how many of us WISH this were true ... LoL

This would be the bare minimum, IMHO. I'd need a Blu-ray that would allow you to play the various DF/Camille/CB/SOTT configurations to really be impressed.

http://imgur.com/a/TStCB

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/M4lje.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/87MPT.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/M75yE.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/YtsOi.jpg[/img:$uid]

SquirrelMeat said:

Can you believe it?

barely

What is your first memory of listening to the album?

I was listening to the radio on my headphones (min-sterio-radio)

one night and the local DJ (a big Prince fan) played the video version

of U Got The Look ( I knew right away witht he funky instrumental

start of the song that it was Prince).

A few weeks later, I was given a taped 'copy' of the album, and

was blown away.

What track blew you away on first listen?

U Got the Look

Hot Thing

IT

What in your opinion is the quintessential track now?

If I was Ur Girlfriend

What about the whole SOTT imagery, cool or old school?

Cool

Did you go to the tour, what did you think?

No

Do you think the turmoil in P’s life spurred a stronger album?

No. He was young and eager to prove himself.

Plus Warners was there to tell him if it sucked or not (to a very

weak extent--i mean, they made him pair it down).

Did Prince get the single choices right?

No, of course not. He never does.

How about them B-sides?

Sure, liked them too.

If you were too young back in the day, do you think it’s as good as they say?

Has your opinion of the album changed over the years, does it hold up?

Yes. I still love the album, but think Purple Rain is his definitive album.

Sum up the album in one word.

Throwing everything at the wall, but somehow most of it stuck this time.

Now go and stick it on your turntable, pod or player....and shut up already, damn!

Mr. Bossy!

I'm a little late to this.

What is your first memory of listening to the album?

Listening to this at my cousins house. I already knew the song Sign O The Times and thought it was great. The video got alot of play.

What track blew you away on first listen?

Ballad of Dorothy Parker. Thought it was so interesting.

What in your opinion is the quintessential track now?

Housequake.

What about the whole SOTT imagery, cool or old school?

I love his look around this time. I think Kat was a great foil for him too.

Did you go to the tour, what did you think?

I wish. Lucky people who did.

Do you think the turmoil in P’s life spurred a stronger album?

Did Prince get the single choices right?

They are great singles and IIWYG coulda worked if he had done a great video, but you release a song that radio won't play, and tv can't play how do you expect it's going to do anything but tank?

How about them B-sides?

They're pretty cool.

Has your opinion of the album changed over the years, does it hold up?

It gets more amazing with each passing meh release.

Sum up the album in one word.

Adore.

Now go and stick it on your turntable, pod or player....and shut up already, damn!

Currently playing on repeat on a beautiful sunny day. Life is good!

What is your first memory of listening to the album?

"Is this the Black album?"

What track blew you away on first listen?

Housequake

What in your opinion is the quintessential track now?

If I Was Your Girlfriend... it's conceptually ambitious - even by today's 'standards'...

What about the whole SOTT imagery, cool or old school?

It is/was what it is/was

Did you go to the tour, what did you think?

Too young

Do you think the turmoil in P’s life spurred a stronger album?

I give that prize to the Black Album although that entire period was vehemently prolific

Did Prince get the single choices right?

Sign Of The Times and personally, IIWYG - It was my first 12".

How about them B-sides?

I played "Lalala HeeHeehee" more than Sign O The Times itself!

If you were too young back in the day, do you think it’s as good as they say?

Indeed

Has your opinion of the album changed over the years, does it hold up?

When P. decided to disband The Revolution, I was in shock and wondered what next. Evolution occured with this album...

Sum up the album in one word.

Curveball

This is a nice thread. I'm enjoying the personal album reviews, the articles/pics, and the one word summations!

herb4 said:

SquirrelMeat said:

How about them B-sides?

Meh. I was a little let down. Scarlet Pussy and LaLaLa, HeeHeeHee sure aint no 17 Days or Erotic City. Shockidelica was cool.

Not too be a pedantic asshole (screw it, I'll be one anyway), but wasn't Scarlet Pussy the B-side to "I Wish U Heaven" from LoveSexy?

'dre