i used to play that album in the car a few years ago, and it was just fantastic. in terms of creativity it is up there. superb album. don't know if i would listen to it today, because i'd rather discover prince songs i don't know yet, however i have so many memories. yes, indeed a remarkable album.

Batman is unloved because it’s the soundtrack of a film everybody saw, and that, in retrospect, is pretty awful.

It's one of my favorite albums.. I prefer it over at least half of his other 80s albums. I wish he'd included the b-sides on the album, though. I would have loved "Feel U Up" and "I Love U In Me" on the album, perhaps in place of "Lemon Crush" and "Partyman".

I like this period a lot, always have. Great album and most of the b-sides and remixes are top notch too.

I also enjoyed the look of this era, everything from the artwork used on releases to the music videos.

I could not say that "Batman" has ever blown me away, but it's up there somewhere.

It took me years to appreciate the music and the era connected with that album. At the time, I was just fed up with all the Batman hoopla...bat this, bat that, Batman coffeemugs, underwear, t-shirts, black and yellow everywhere, and in my opinion a very weak movie ( I know folks just LOVE Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne but, as a longtime Batman fan and a fan of Neal Adam´s Batman in particular, I prefer Chris Nolan´s vision of Batman anytime).

Anyway....in hindsight, I like the album. But at the time I didn´t like its atmosphere, the samples, the hair , the clothes, and I couldn´t even stand his girlfriend (Kim Basinger).

It´s an ok album I guess. I like The Future a lot, I think he should revisit that, and I really loved the Mark Moore remix. The album had a very polished and thick sound and had almost no fillers. I even liked Arms of Orion and I Love U In Me. The only song I still don´t care about is Batdance ( and that awful 200 Balloons). The tour wasn´t that great either. I prefer Prince pure, without a dominant Rosie Gaines or Tony M. and the Game Boys. But the renditions of Nothing Compares 2U, Bambi and Purple Rain and the Question of U are still among the best ever to this day.

I forgot to mention that I didn´t like his beard either....made him look like my junior high maths teacher.

A very weak album, released in the shaddow of much better material.

This was a HUGE movie event, and Prince released a very lazy set.

THere's not a single track on the album that I love. I do 'like' The Future, Electric Chair, and Vickie waiting...and sometimes, I can stomach Batdance...but the rest of it is so bloody awful.

great album, i listen to it front to back all the time

Omg just yesterday I decided to listen to that album plus all the singles back to back. I havn't done it in ages and I was inspired by the Prince in the studio book.

It's awesome just awesome, How it is seen by some as the start of the decline I will never know

Another under appreciated works by Prince.

Electric Chair is one of my favorites.....probably top three. I really like everything about that song. Two of my favorite parts are the guitar and the knock or click he does with his tongue. The lyrics are also good. Whenever I hear it it takes me to a club and dancing.

The performance on SNL of this song is awesome. I like all the choreography of him with the band. His hair blowing in the wind. I think you can find it on YouTube.

Shoot......I'm going to go play that album now! Thanks for the reminder.

Agreed. Batman was my first Prince album, and it made me a fan. I don't care much for Arms of Orion, because it is slightly too sickly sweet for me, but it's still a good track for what it is.

I think there is always a stigma with 'soundtrack' albums. Die hard fans never really accept them as proper albums, which is a shame because Batman is (imho) a very strong album.

Prince fans seem to dislike 'Batdance', which for me is a brilliantly dark experimental track (I guess the backing singers singing 'baaatmaaaan' throughout, does make it slightly cheesy, but it is a Batman soundtrack). No other artist could have put out such a brilliant experimental track as a lead off single.. Especially one that changes tempo part way through, into a brilliantly funky mid tempo 'kiss' style funk.

You've also got the amazing Electric Chair, the funky Partyman, Vikki Waiting.. and one of Prince's best ballads: Scandalous... all of it.. it's so good... especially considering it was recorded in 6 weeks.

SUCH a great album. I'm going to go out on a limb and say I like Batman better then Lovesexy or Dirty Mind. The whole Batman/Rave era is underrated. I almost feel like Batman has more of a conection with the Black Album then it does anything else. It's Prince in such a dark, funky, Camille esque mood. That being said, I think where this album falls a bit short is that some of the tracks are a bit cheesy and out of place.

I'm defintely not the only one who thinks that BatDance is a bit of a mess. And 'Arms of Orion' is Prince missing his mark. But the B-side of 'Arms'....I Love U in Me has to be one of the WORST Prince songs ever. The lyrics are gross and awkward (and keep in mind 'Come' is one of my favorite tracks) and the music is whatever. And, Lemon Crush is....just not a good song.

That being said the strong tracks like Partyman, and Feel U Up (one of Princes top 10) are epic, and showcase the 80's Prince creating music that is both artistic, yet palatable for the masses.

I think the reason that Batman is so polarizing is that the strong tracks are so strong, but the weak tracks are CRAZY bad.

In my head I sort of clump the black album together with batman (Lovesexy is like, a whole other thing in my mind)

Classics:

The Future

If I had a Harem

Electric Chair

Cindy C

Le Grind

200 Ballons

Trust

Partyman

Feel U Up

Pink Cashmere

Rave Un2 the Joy

When 2 R in Love

Sex

Scandalous

When you start thinking that the same man wrote most of these tracks within a 24 month span, it's mind boggling

I LOVE the batman album! all songs! the album is securely in my Top 5 albums list.

and that list has precious few secure spots.

Shorty said:

I LOVE the batman album! all songs! the album is securely in my Top 5 albums list.

and that list has precious few secure spots.

Step off,Shorty.

Balladium said:

I think its underrating is due to the fact that hardly any if any at all of the tracks are on any of the compilation or best of albums. Prince could do a concert on this album alone imo... maybe Prince doesn't consider this as an important part of his work? Maybe it is too far in the WB contract side of things. I'm mystified by why this album is so unloved. Thoughts?

I think it had some kind of issue with contract work

But he does perform Partyman

this album like Lovesexy doesn't get performed live outside of Alphabet St and sometimes AnneStesia

mask said:

Shorty said:

I LOVE the batman album! all songs! the album is securely in my Top 5 albums list.

and that list has precious few secure spots.

Step off,Shorty.

This was the first album I ever played in my first car on cassette. What would car driving be without music! Prince's hair in the video is so cool and lovely outfit. I never reviewed it on SWA's threads but I wonder where she is? I hope she got to see some Oz shows. OFFS why isn't Batman on the 4eras thread? Ta for the pics btw.

The Future

Nice opener and lyrics. 7.5

Electric Chair

Love the deep bass and intro to knock you off your seat. Listened to loud is best. I like how the heavy guitar is stopped abruptly to add beat in certain parts. Lovely to dance to, good lyrics. Well mixed variety of elements. And yeah love that scream! Great for releasing emotion 8.5

Arms of Orion

Beautiful! 10

Partyman

Just can't dig this one. I find the beat and lyrics too predictable. 6

Vicky waiting

Smooth track. Interesting lyrics & nice changes of audio tone 7

Trust

Nice track, beat, lyrics and mix of it all together. 8

Lemon crush

Not feeling this one 5

Scandalous

I'm a bit ashamed to say I don't really know this one even though I've seen it in concerts on 'everybody loves me tube'. The lyrics are great, the music is also beautiful but somehow I don't feel the connection between the vocals and the music. Prince has many beautiful ballads so I'm going to stick to the ones that move me.

Batdance

Supertrack, work of art. Captures the movie and Batman idea well. I dig the Future & other samples too, groovy. 9

I'm not sure why they printed lyrics in the cd booklet coz they're so small you can't read them. I'm glad I have the internet for that nowdays. Sure a nice album, I probably enjoyed it more at the time but now I think I'm gonna put on Lotusflower. I find that and TRC far richer musically. I read in an interview last year that he's not gonna make any album anytime soon though he's got the tracks. (?)

God, please talk to Prince.

[Edited 5/21/12 12:32pm]

Batman is HOT! One of Prince's better albums.

Balladium,

It's a strange twist in Prince's discography. Batman, in swoop, lost Prince, again, many of his ardent fans at the time (already waning as a result of Lovesexy), yet also inspired a new generation of fans, primarily adolescent boys and girls i.e. Batman followers, who would still be enraptured in the years to come by the new jack swing/hip-hop/R n B/neo-soul influenced Prince & the NPG eras (Graffiti Bridge, Diamonds & Pearls, Love Symbol, Gold Experience etc).

Personally speaking, I absolutely ADORE the entire Batman era, especially the dark, hypnotic, electronic beats of the The Future, Lemon Crush and Batdance, the soulful mid-tempo grooves of Vicky Waiting and Trust, as well as the mind-blowing guitar heavy funk of Electric Chair and Partyman, not to mention the exquisite ballads of The Arms of Orion and Scandalous (finally, an apt follow-up to Do Me, Baby). Indeed, The Scandalous Sex Suite is pure unadulterated bliss, especially as it marked one of the last points that inspired Prince to produce an extended B-Side remix. When he brought back to life "I Love U In Me" during The Gold Experience shows, the palpable look of disbelief amongst the hardcore fans, was something to behold. Of course, Feel U Up is a stone cold Camille-esque nod to yester year, albeit with a commercial twist in comparison to the ridiculously funky session that created the blueprint to the original session of Feel U Up/Irresistible Bitch.

Unfortunately, Prince's evolution past 1988 saw more to do with commercial kudos and gain, than an artist truly following his muse. It happens when major industry forces require more bang for their buck, but alas, it led Prince to entangle himself in the proverbial commerical handcuffs when he was literally making music to create hits. Admittedly, he was very successful on one level, however, it would appear his soul felt otherwise, after the demise of the Love Symbol era and the eventual decaying of his relationship with Warner Brothers.

Freedom would never have tasted so sweet, except for the reality of his own family being shocked to its core during the Emancipation era and beyond.

love,

Spirit

trust and lemon crush let this album down

filler tunes

dance with the devil would have been good on there as would of 200 balloons

jonylawson said:

trust and lemon crush let this album down

filler tunes

dance with the devil would have been good on there as would of 200 balloons

While I definitely agree about Lemon Crush, and the addition of 200 balloons, Trust is awesome! No filler for my ears

It's alright.

jonylawson said:

trust and lemon crush let this album down

filler tunes

dance with the devil would have been good on there as would of 200 balloons

log off

weak tinny production. a few interesting tracks (The Future, Batdance, Electric Chair) but otherwise a throwaway collections of songs intended to be backround music for a comicbook movie.

Wildboy said:

jonylawson said:

trust and lemon crush let this album down

filler tunes

dance with the devil would have been good on there as would of 200 balloons

While I definitely agree about Lemon Crush, and the addition of 200 balloons, Trust is awesome! No filler for my ears

I agree with both of you, 200 balloons would have been great

Is Scandalous in the Guinness book of records for being the mostly subtly harmonically dissonant seduction ballad on record? Those string clusters are dark! And the rest a tad psychedelic.

mrsquirrel said:

Is Scandalous in the Guinness book of records for being the mostly subtly harmonically dissonant seduction ballad on record? Those string clusters are dark! And the rest a tad psychedelic.

Great point!

My favorite album.... i can listen to it over and over and over and over again.