These two albums are two of Prince's most 'electronic' sounding extended albums yet 1999 seems so fresh and alive whereas Emancipation lacks life, in my opinion. Does anyone agree and if so, why does Emancipation feel so plastic (for the most part - I really like 'The Love We Make')?

my guess is that the synthesized/sampled sounds on Emancipation fall into the uncanny valley. They're too close to real instruments without actually being real, so they sound VERY fake. On 1999, synths might be used like a horn section, but the tones are so far from real horns that it just ends up sounding like something else and it's fine.

It's interesting to think about why an artist like Prince can get something so right sonically and then get it so wrong later in his career. My suspicion is that he wrote 1999 thinking, 'these synths are great because now I don't need real horns' (and not, 'these synths sound amazing'). So when he goes to write Emancipation, he does it all using these horrible synth patches, and he's still thinking, 'cool, I can just get the keyboard to play the bassline. I know it doesn't sound like a real bass, but half of 1999 doesn't sound like real instruments either and people seemed to love that...'

really I have no idea. It's not like Prince couldn't play a real bass and record something that sounded better, so I can only guess at what he was thinking...

I dig "Emancipation" but some of it (to me) sounded rushed. I think the drum loops, synth basses and other effects made it sound plastic. P also said working with Kirky J kept things fast and moving. I really wasn't crazy about the drum sounds on "Emancipation" either.

Now "1999" is a different story. The Linn/live drums combo on "Lady Cab Driver"? That's one for

the books. Where "Emancipation" is a matured man ready to turn a new chapter in his life (marriage, baby, no cursing), "1999" was a young freak ready to take on and swallow/conquer

the world.

I think it is this:

1980's productions sounds are very in vogue and hip right now. 90's productions sounds are not.

Emancipation is very 90's sounding and 1999 is very 80's sounding.

Believe me, in the 90's, the sound of 1999 was very thin and tinny compared to the bombastic bass and phat crunching sounds that dominated studios/radios.

[Edited 4/9/12 16:59pm]

I've never been a big fan of emancipation. The chief reason is because of the production. The sounds were really plastic and uninspired. There are a couple of moments on that album that could have benefited from him just going the live route. 1999 was Prince creating something totally original. His fusion of linn drum and live hybrids, rock and funk guitars, and stellar synth work was breath talking. Prince was just doing what he did best, following his own beat. On the other hand, emancipation was him continuing his 90's trend of chasing current flavors (production wise).

skywalker said:

1999 is going to make it through every decade with me. This one is my fave from P. It's the sound of Purple Music to me. It never grows old to my ears. If I had to pick only one, 1999 would be it.

sorry, but I dig more Emancipation.

skywalker said:

I think it is this:

1980's productions sounds are very in vogue and hip right now. 90's productions sounds are not.

Emancipation is very 90's sounding and 1999 is very 80's sounding.

Believe me, in the 90's, the sound of 1999 was very thin and tinny compared to the bombastic bass and phat crunching sounds that dominated studios/radios.

[Edited 4/9/12 16:59pm]

I kind of agree. When I first bought 1999 and Purple Rain in the late 90s, my first impression was that they were really "thin and tinny" sounding...

toejam said:

skywalker said:

I think it is this:

1980's productions sounds are very in vogue and hip right now. 90's productions sounds are not.

Emancipation is very 90's sounding and 1999 is very 80's sounding.

Believe me, in the 90's, the sound of 1999 was very thin and tinny compared to the bombastic bass and phat crunching sounds that dominated studios/radios.

[Edited 4/9/12 16:59pm]

I kind of agree. When I first bought 1999 and Purple Rain in the late 90s, my first impression was that they were really "thin and tinny" sounding...

wow, think in compared to what?

Purple Rain I especially remember listening to on a 'walkman' with headphones and it just filled my head, it never sounded thin to me. It did and does even moreso now feel and sound like waves and layers of sound.

skywalker said:

Believe me, in the 90's, the sound of 1999 was very thin and tinny compared to the bombastic bass and phat crunching sounds that dominated studios/radios.

I think Fusk and Skywalker got it spot on as a combination.

The album Mplsound also struggles due to it's plastic production thanks to the synth doing all the work, tying into what Fusk was talking about, so the decade is only half the reason considering Mplsound was 2009.

20ten seemed to had found the right balance again, like it or not, but i think that particular sound is dated now, so it's not going to resonate well today regardless (unless that's what you want, an 80's sound)....then again, Black Sweat was an attempt to update the sound and achieved a simultaneous retro and future esq sound that, to me, sounds AHEAD of time. It still sounds uniquely fresh today. So i guess it can be done correctly by the man still.

OldFriends4Sale said:

toejam said:

I kind of agree. When I first bought 1999 and Purple Rain in the late 90s, my first impression was that they were really "thin and tinny" sounding...

wow, think in compared to what?

Purple Rain I especially remember listening to on a 'walkman' with headphones and it just filled my head, it never sounded thin to me. It did and does even moreso now feel and sound like waves and layers of sound.

I agree. Perhaps its time to update your equipment.

mzsadii said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

wow, think in compared to what?

Purple Rain I especially remember listening to on a 'walkman' with headphones and it just filled my head, it never sounded thin to me. It did and does even moreso now feel and sound like waves and layers of sound.

I agree. Perhaps its time to update your equipment.

lol are you playing?

I was talking about listening 2 it the first time in 1984

1999 is classic Prince.. the album has a nerve, is so energetic.

Emancipation is not classic Prince.. it's too much plastic, so sacharine.

thedance said:

1999 is classic Prince.. the album has a nerve, is so energetic.

Emancipation is not classic Prince.. it's too much plastic, so sacharine.

1999 took us somewhere, you felt like you were in rooms and back halls and dressing rooms, out in the city at night or in the busy daytime

serious involved music