JoeTyler said:

O

Planet Earth basically killed the 3121/Superbowl momentum,

It damn shol did.

A lot of wasted talk about what could have been for something that clearly was not.

JoeTyler said:

Only if he had released it during the summer of 2007 (or early 2008), and promoted by a big label, and maybe a remix single/video of Dance4Me with Timbaland (still fresh at that time) or the Neptunes;

Planet Earth basically killed the 3121/Superbowl momentum, MPLS arrived two years too late and was poorly promoted and poorly distributed, the triple-album thing didn't help either...

that said, do we really want Prince as a mainstream pop star all over again??

[Edited 7/15/12 12:22pm]

True, but in 2009, you also have to look what was hitting at the time. Alot of people were jocking that 80s electro-funk, new-wave pop sound that Prince helped pioneer. Hell one of the biggest groups that year was The Black Eyed Peas....I think P would've given them a run for their money. Radio would've been on some of those cuts from that album, but then again, I'm a little off-centered because P has been there and done that. Just a thought.

Dance4Me is a classic

Another Like Me may be silly, but it's better than My Name is Prince

No More Candy 4 U is nice

Old Skool Company sounds like a highlight but Prince ruins it with a very annoying vocal performance...

the rest was so bad that I don't even want to talk about it

JoeTyler said:

Dance4Me is a classic

Another Like Me may be silly, but it's better than My Name is Prince

No More Candy 4 U is nice

Old Skool Company sounds like a highlight but Prince ruins it with a very annoying vocal performance...

the rest was so bad that I don't even want to talk about it

I dug Dance 4 Me too.

Timmy84 said:

I still love No More Candy 4 U.

funkaholic1972 said:

thedance said:

^ "deluded"?

just because we have a different opinion?

Dance 4 Me

Ol' Skool Company

these are fantastic songs, imo.

Even these are not like "17 Days" or "Erotic City" if that is what you mean..?

The MPLSound album is really not that shitty like you say,

but ok that is your opinion..

imo the album deserves 8/10,

it's 1 of the best since the Gold Exp.

I like Ol'Skool Company and Dance 4 Me as well, and have been cautiously enjoying VAlentina at times. These tracks I will give a 7 out of 10. The rest is extremely poor IMO, certainly no "megahit album" material. So I stand by my "deluded", sorry...

Oh, I liked No More Candy too....

Are we listening to the same album here? I don't hear anything on it that could've even been close to a hit in 2009.

Tracks 1 and 2 are skipworthy, and at certain moments a little embarrassing. They sound very forced and I swear I can hear a muse being strangled when I listen to them with headphones.

"Dance 4 Me" was kind of fun on first listen but ended up sounding like Camille does a Time outtake. While it sounds great on paper, the end result was lacking.

"U're Gonna C Me" is better than the piano demo from ONA but it wasn't top tier in the first place, so I'm not sure why he resurrected hit. The "give me a page on my 2-way" line was pretty dated in 2002 and sounded CRAZY dated in 2009.

"Here" has some great elements. I think the melody and changes are gorgeous, and I really love the production in general, especially the acoustic rhythm guitar. I think lyrics are pretty bad, though, and kind of ruin the song.

"Valentina" has some great moments and some very misguided ones. I love how the song builds and I think the chorus is nice. I also like the guitar solo. But the Lil Wayne vocal effect ruins it, and the lyrics are pretty atrocious. Also, the gangsta rap synth line during the chorus sounds like the wrong choice, as well as the other synth sounds, which sound rather cheap.

By "Better With Time," I'm starting to really think this whole project is very forced and soulless. This song just meanders pointlessly until that bombastic Disney ending, which makes it sound like he didn't know how to finish the song.

"Ol' Skool Company," kind of makes my ears perk up. The Camille voice is always charming and the classic P. rhythm playing is always a pleasure. The guitar solo is also very nice. I think the lyrics and synth sounds hamper what could've been a better song, but that said, it's really the only one on the album that I come back to.

"No More Candy 4 U," sounds like a tryhard "Controversy" era tribute, and it doesn't really leave you all that upset that you won't be getting any more "candy" when it sounds like this.

I guess I'm more of a LOtUSFLOW3R fan.

[Edited 7/16/12 8:22am]

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Are we listening to the same album here? I don't hear anything on it that could've even been close to a hit in 2009.

Tracks 1 and 2 are skipworthy, and at certain moments a little embarrassing. They sound very forced and I swear I can hear a muse being strangled when I listen to them with headphones.

"Dance 4 Me" was kind of fun on first listen but ended up sounding like Camille does a Time outtake, which sounds great on paper. However, the end result was lacking.

"U're Gonna C Me" is better than the piano demo from ONA but it wasn't top tier in the first place, so I'm not sure why he resurrected hit. The "give me a page on my 2-way" line was pretty dated in 2002 and sounded CRAZY dated in 2009.

"Here" has some great elements. I think the melody and changes are gorgeous, and I really love the production in general, especially the acoustic rhythm guitar. I think lyrics are pretty bad, though, and kind of ruin the song.

"Valentina" has some great moments and some very misguided ones. I love how the song builds and I think the chorus is nice. I also like the guitar solo. But the Lil Wayne vocal effect ruins it, and the lyrics are pretty atrocious. Also the gangsta rap synth line during the chorus sounds like the wrong choice, as well as the other synth sounds, which sound rather cheap.

By "Better With Time," I'm starting to really think this whole project is very forced and soulless. This song just meanders pointlessly until that bombastic Disney ending, which makes it sound like he didn't know how to finish the song.

"Ol' Skool Company," kind of makes my ears perk up. The Camille voice is always charming and the classic P. rhythm playing is always a pleasure. The guitar solo is also very nice. I think the lyrics and synth sounds hamper what could've been a better song, but that said, it's really the only one on the album that I come back to.

"No More Candy 4 U," sounds like a tryhard "Controversy" era tribute, and it doesn't really leave you all that upset that you won't getting any more "candy" when it sounds like this.

I guess I'm more of a LOtUSFLOW3R fan.

Schlo you see all the actual positives you stated? Thats enough for a hit album today.

Shlomo,

A tough critique but nonetheless understandable and I would agree to a large extent, except that No More Candy 4 U is Controversy-esque but actually far better. It's positively the finest moment of music by Prince in a while except, of course, for Lotus Flower (which is a knockout by anyone's standards, including Prince's).

love,

Spirit

Possibly, but only if he'd left "No More Candy 4 U" on it but replaced all the other songs with the soundtrack from "Purple Rain".

RodeoSchro said:

Possibly, but only if he'd left "No More Candy 4 U" on it but replaced all the other songs with the soundtrack from "Purple Rain".

I'm not sure that "When Doves Cry," "Let's Go Crazy," "Purple Rain" and "I Would Die 4 U" would climb the charts in 2009-2010 like they did in 1984-1985.

rialb said:

RodeoSchro said:

Possibly, but only if he'd left "No More Candy 4 U" on it but replaced all the other songs with the soundtrack from "Purple Rain".

I'm not sure that "When Doves Cry," "Let's Go Crazy," "Purple Rain" and "I Would Die 4 U" would climb the charts in 2009-2010 like they did in 1984-1985.

Prince 80's sound is still fresh/influential

I'm pretty sure WDC would be a Number 1 right here right now

NDRU said:

I like it, but I think it needs one more uptempo song and one less ballad.

I messed with placing Feel Better, Feel Good in there. It needs something like that with that basic funky rock beat.

I actually prefer the truncated demo version that was on his website a year or two before.

JoeTyler said:

Dance4Me is a classic

Another Like Me may be silly, but it's better than My Name is Prince

No More Candy 4 U is nice

Old Skool Company sounds like a highlight but Prince ruins it with a very annoying vocal performance...

the rest was so bad that I don't even want to talk about it

yeah people were calling this a GEM on this forum when it came out and slowly changed their tune, honestly this is the least played Prince album for me, i almost never play a track from it, i dont hate it, its just there, kind of like a Mariah carey, u buy it, listen to it and then retire it to the rack. Prince slapped the linn drum on their and everyone got a hard-on and was like "prince is back" whatever the fuck that means. No track on this album really hits me at all, it makes me long for JUGHEAD

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Are we listening to the same album here? I don't hear anything on it that could've even been close to a hit in 2009.

Tracks 1 and 2 are skipworthy, and at certain moments a little embarrassing. They sound very forced and I swear I can hear a muse being strangled when I listen to them with headphones.

"Dance 4 Me" was kind of fun on first listen but ended up sounding like Camille does a Time outtake. While it sounds great on paper, the end result was lacking.

"U're Gonna C Me" is better than the piano demo from ONA but it wasn't top tier in the first place, so I'm not sure why he resurrected hit. The "give me a page on my 2-way" line was pretty dated in 2002 and sounded CRAZY dated in 2009.

"Here" has some great elements. I think the melody and changes are gorgeous, and I really love the production in general, especially the acoustic rhythm guitar. I think lyrics are pretty bad, though, and kind of ruin the song.

"Valentina" has some great moments and some very misguided ones. I love how the song builds and I think the chorus is nice. I also like the guitar solo. But the Lil Wayne vocal effect ruins it, and the lyrics are pretty atrocious. Also, the gangsta rap synth line during the chorus sounds like the wrong choice, as well as the other synth sounds, which sound rather cheap.

By "Better With Time," I'm starting to really think this whole project is very forced and soulless. This song just meanders pointlessly until that bombastic Disney ending, which makes it sound like he didn't know how to finish the song.

"Ol' Skool Company," kind of makes my ears perk up. The Camille voice is always charming and the classic P. rhythm playing is always a pleasure. The guitar solo is also very nice. I think the lyrics and synth sounds hamper what could've been a better song, but that said, it's really the only one on the album that I come back to.

"No More Candy 4 U," sounds like a tryhard "Controversy" era tribute, and it doesn't really leave you all that upset that you won't be getting any more "candy" when it sounds like this.

I guess I'm more of a LOtUSFLOW3R fan.

[Edited 7/16/12 8:22am]

You're all judging this shit the wrong way. Don't compare this to what was a "hit" in 2009. For lawd's sake the biggest hit of that year was "I Gotta Feelin'" by Black Eyed Peas and can you really say if that came on right now you be like "Wow, that is such a great song! Classic!" Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn't. Now let's go back to 1980. Prince was known but not huge. The biggest hit that year was a tie between "Call Me" by Blondie and "Lady" by Kenny Rodgers. Did Dirty Mind stack up to those two gems in terms of "hits"? No. Because Dirty Mind as a song and an album weren't gunning for what was a hit in 1980. (Uptown did go all the way to #101 on the pop charts--yay!) Does that mean he shouldn't have released it? Hell no! It was Prince doing HIS thing. Lotus Flow3r and MPLS were not Prince chasing 2009 trends. They were Prince doing Prince. And as a fan I love that. That's why I have been following him all these years. Because when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter if he has a hit. "I Gotta Feelin" was the biggest hit of 2009 and I change the channel when it comes on because it sounds lame in 2012 and it's only been 3 years since that was ruling the air waves. So that should put the word "hit" into perspective.

NOW. Yesterday I read this thread and today I listened to both albums straight through (sorry Bria, I skipped your disc) and I was shocked. They held up. Not only did they hold up, these two albums are great, funky, original records with heart. It made another thought pop up into my head. We as American fans are very jaded. First of all we have been spoiled most of our lives with great music year after year from His Royal Badness. My thought is this: Maybe there has been no "official" US release since Lotus/MPLS because Prince wants us (his hardcore fanbase) to sit back and appreciate what great music he is still making. We have sat idle for the last 3 years (if you count 2010 then it's been 2 years), and now we are all without a new record so we are going "Back to the Lotus" so to speak. I for one have a new appreciation for the album-it is surprising and strong throughout and I thank Prince for giving us a little extra time to get past our immediate reaction that seemingly comes with all of his new releases "Yeah, it's pretty good but it's no 'Fill-in-the-Prince-album-from-the-80's'".

Listen again. Maybe this was his last American album and "No More Candy 4U" was his kiss off. But whether it is or isn't, or whether 'Dance 4 Me' could have displaced 'I Gotta Feelin' from the #1 spot, a "hit" is relative. A hit, especially now, can be bought. Rhianna (don't care if I spelled that wrong) has some of the most pop radio airplay today, and her shows have trouble selling. Why would someone who dominates the airwaves not be able to sell tickets to her concerts? Maybe because the audience (ie. you and me) no longer dictate what is being played. If it was, and we wanted to hear another club anthem from Rhianna, we'd probably be buying tickets to her shows. "Promotional" flunkies and their expense accounts decide what gets played (Payola still exists, people. Don't believe for a second that it doesn't.) and the audience either listens or puts on our iPods. I usually choose the latter. And when I do, it's usually Prince blasting in my earbuds. Today, he took me back to the Lotus and I had a FUCKING FUNKY TIME. BOOM!

Spanky said:

JoeTyler said:

Another Like Me may be silly, but it's better than My Name is Prince

I'm not saying MNIP is a masterpiece by any stretch, it's just the thought of Another Like Me being compared favourably to any song, by anyone, ever makes me do a double-take

Spanky said:

You're all judging this shit the wrong way. Don't compare this to what was a "hit" in 2009. For lawd's sake the biggest hit of that year was "I Gotta Feelin'" by Black Eyed Peas and can you really say if that came on right now you be like "Wow, that is such a great song! Classic!" Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn't. Now let's go back to 1980. Prince was known but not huge. The biggest hit that year was a tie between "Call Me" by Blondie and "Lady" by Kenny Rodgers. Did Dirty Mind stack up to those two gems in terms of "hits"? No. Because Dirty Mind as a song and an album weren't gunning for what was a hit in 1980. (Uptown did go all the way to #101 on the pop charts--yay!) Does that mean he shouldn't have released it? Hell no! It was Prince doing HIS thing. Lotus Flow3r and MPLS were not Prince chasing 2009 trends. They were Prince doing Prince. And as a fan I love that. That's why I have been following him all these years. Because when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter if he has a hit. "I Gotta Feelin" was the biggest hit of 2009 and I change the channel when it comes on because it sounds lame in 2012 and it's only been 3 years since that was ruling the air waves. So that should put the word "hit" into perspective.

NOW. Yesterday I read this thread and today I listened to both albums straight through (sorry Bria, I skipped your disc) and I was shocked. They held up. Not only did they hold up, these two albums are great, funky, original records with heart. It made another thought pop up into my head. We as American fans are very jaded. First of all we have been spoiled most of our lives with great music year after year from His Royal Badness. My thought is this: Maybe there has been no "official" US release since Lotus/MPLS because Prince wants us (his hardcore fanbase) to sit back and appreciate what great music he is still making. We have sat idle for the last 3 years (if you count 2010 then it's been 2 years), and now we are all without a new record so we are going "Back to the Lotus" so to speak. I for one have a new appreciation for the album-it is surprising and strong throughout and I thank Prince for giving us a little extra time to get past our immediate reaction that seemingly comes with all of his new releases "Yeah, it's pretty good but it's no 'Fill-in-the-Prince-album-from-the-80's'".

Listen again. Maybe this was his last American album and "No More Candy 4U" was his kiss off. But whether it is or isn't, or whether 'Dance 4 Me' could have displaced 'I Gotta Feelin' from the #1 spot, a "hit" is relative. A hit, especially now, can be bought. Rhianna (don't care if I spelled that wrong) has some of the most pop radio airplay today, and her shows have trouble selling. Why would someone who dominates the airwaves not be able to sell tickets to her concerts? Maybe because the audience (ie. you and me) no longer dictate what is being played. If it was, and we wanted to hear another club anthem from Rhianna, we'd probably be buying tickets to her shows. "Promotional" flunkies and their expense accounts decide what gets played (Payola still exists, people. Don't believe for a second that it doesn't.) and the audience either listens or puts on our iPods. I usually choose the latter. And when I do, it's usually Prince blasting in my earbuds. Today, he took me back to the Lotus and I had a FUCKING FUNKY TIME. BOOM!

I Think the album is soulless, rushed, and beneath him. I also think 20Ten, which seemed to be going for the same old school P. vibe, was better in every way, mainly because it has better songs that sound like he put more than a passing thought into.

In regards to Rihanna, I'd rather hear "Where Have You Been" than anything on MPLSound tbh. I just feel like it's a bad record, whether you're comparing it to what was a hit in 2009 or not. It's especially weak when you compare it to it's companion piece, which actually does sound like he put some thought into.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Spanky said:

You're all judging this shit the wrong way. Don't compare this to what was a "hit" in 2009. For lawd's sake the biggest hit of that year was "I Gotta Feelin'" by Black Eyed Peas and can you really say if that came on right now you be like "Wow, that is such a great song! Classic!" Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn't. Now let's go back to 1980. Prince was known but not huge. The biggest hit that year was a tie between "Call Me" by Blondie and "Lady" by Kenny Rodgers. Did Dirty Mind stack up to those two gems in terms of "hits"? No. Because Dirty Mind as a song and an album weren't gunning for what was a hit in 1980. (Uptown did go all the way to #101 on the pop charts--yay!) Does that mean he shouldn't have released it? Hell no! It was Prince doing HIS thing. Lotus Flow3r and MPLS were not Prince chasing 2009 trends. They were Prince doing Prince. And as a fan I love that. That's why I have been following him all these years. Because when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter if he has a hit. "I Gotta Feelin" was the biggest hit of 2009 and I change the channel when it comes on because it sounds lame in 2012 and it's only been 3 years since that was ruling the air waves. So that should put the word "hit" into perspective.

NOW. Yesterday I read this thread and today I listened to both albums straight through (sorry Bria, I skipped your disc) and I was shocked. They held up. Not only did they hold up, these two albums are great, funky, original records with heart. It made another thought pop up into my head. We as American fans are very jaded. First of all we have been spoiled most of our lives with great music year after year from His Royal Badness. My thought is this: Maybe there has been no "official" US release since Lotus/MPLS because Prince wants us (his hardcore fanbase) to sit back and appreciate what great music he is still making. We have sat idle for the last 3 years (if you count 2010 then it's been 2 years), and now we are all without a new record so we are going "Back to the Lotus" so to speak. I for one have a new appreciation for the album-it is surprising and strong throughout and I thank Prince for giving us a little extra time to get past our immediate reaction that seemingly comes with all of his new releases "Yeah, it's pretty good but it's no 'Fill-in-the-Prince-album-from-the-80's'".

Listen again. Maybe this was his last American album and "No More Candy 4U" was his kiss off. But whether it is or isn't, or whether 'Dance 4 Me' could have displaced 'I Gotta Feelin' from the #1 spot, a "hit" is relative. A hit, especially now, can be bought. Rhianna (don't care if I spelled that wrong) has some of the most pop radio airplay today, and her shows have trouble selling. Why would someone who dominates the airwaves not be able to sell tickets to her concerts? Maybe because the audience (ie. you and me) no longer dictate what is being played. If it was, and we wanted to hear another club anthem from Rhianna, we'd probably be buying tickets to her shows. "Promotional" flunkies and their expense accounts decide what gets played (Payola still exists, people. Don't believe for a second that it doesn't.) and the audience either listens or puts on our iPods. I usually choose the latter. And when I do, it's usually Prince blasting in my earbuds. Today, he took me back to the Lotus and I had a FUCKING FUNKY TIME. BOOM!

I Think the album is soulless, rushed, and beneath him. I also think 20Ten, which seemed to be going for the same old school P. vibe, was better in every way, mainly because it has better songs that sound like he put more than a passing thought into.

In regards to Rihanna, I'd rather hear "Where Have You Been" than anything on MPLSound tbh. I just feel like it's a bad record, whether you're comparing it to what was a hit in 2009 or not. It's especially weak when you compare it to it's companion piece, which actually does sound like he put some thought into.

Now this I agree with. 20Ten is retro Prince in more ways than one.

If there was a video for "Dance 4 Me" it stood a chance, but again, promote for 2 weeks, and then let it drop.

Did 3 Leno appearances performing songs from the project. Then goes back on Leno 2 months later and does a song off of "Planet Earth" the CD before instead. If he loses interest so quickly, why should we care?

It is obvious he has lost interest in Andy Allo as well. He will most likely hire someone from Sony to be her PR, won't know jack about her, get her the wrong promotion and that cd won't even chart and then she can work as the cashier at the same car wash that Tony M. works at.

NouveauDance said:

JoeTyler said:

Another Like Me may be silly, but it's better than My Name is Prince

I'm not saying MNIP is a masterpiece by any stretch, it's just the thought of Another Like Me being compared favourably to any song, by anyone, ever makes me do a double-take

I still think Another Like Me is BETTER than any of his other "look how f cool/great I am" songs that he recorded during the 90's and beyond...

The right advertising and promotion can sell dead cats so yes it could have been a hit album (not sure what megahit is, top ten I imagine). To think otherwise is to ignore the power of fantastic promotion.

I work for one of the largest breweries in the world, selling vast quantities of lager, beer and cider. Are they the best products out there? No. Are they aimed perfectly at their respective target audiences? Yes. That is how you sell something. Brand awareness and product placement. Lots of investment. Of course it helps if you are selling something agreeable.

The question is with such massive investment can you guarantee a massive return. It takes work and commitment. Something that unfortunately our now-indie hero is no-longer forced to do. Freedom is wasted without ambition.

And as for the album? Well it had it's moments but to be honest most of the songs were fucked up in one way or another. He needs a producer. A real one, not a chocolate one.

KingSausage said:

Spanky said:

You're all judging this shit the wrong way. Don't compare this to what was a "hit" in 2009. For lawd's sake the biggest hit of that year was "I Gotta Feelin'" by Black Eyed Peas and can you really say if that came on right now you be like "Wow, that is such a great song! Classic!" Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn't. Now let's go back to 1980. Prince was known but not huge. The biggest hit that year was a tie between "Call Me" by Blondie and "Lady" by Kenny Rodgers. Did Dirty Mind stack up to those two gems in terms of "hits"? No. Because Dirty Mind as a song and an album weren't gunning for what was a hit in 1980. (Uptown did go all the way to #101 on the pop charts--yay!) Does that mean he shouldn't have released it? Hell no! It was Prince doing HIS thing. Lotus Flow3r and MPLS were not Prince chasing 2009 trends. They were Prince doing Prince. And as a fan I love that. That's why I have been following him all these years. Because when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter if he has a hit. "I Gotta Feelin" was the biggest hit of 2009 and I change the channel when it comes on because it sounds lame in 2012 and it's only been 3 years since that was ruling the air waves. So that should put the word "hit" into perspective.

NOW. Yesterday I read this thread and today I listened to both albums straight through (sorry Bria, I skipped your disc) and I was shocked. They held up. Not only did they hold up, these two albums are great, funky, original records with heart. It made another thought pop up into my head. We as American fans are very jaded. First of all we have been spoiled most of our lives with great music year after year from His Royal Badness. My thought is this: Maybe there has been no "official" US release since Lotus/MPLS because Prince wants us (his hardcore fanbase) to sit back and appreciate what great music he is still making. We have sat idle for the last 3 years (if you count 2010 then it's been 2 years), and now we are all without a new record so we are going "Back to the Lotus" so to speak. I for one have a new appreciation for the album-it is surprising and strong throughout and I thank Prince for giving us a little extra time to get past our immediate reaction that seemingly comes with all of his new releases "Yeah, it's pretty good but it's no 'Fill-in-the-Prince-album-from-the-80's'".

Listen again. Maybe this was his last American album and "No More Candy 4U" was his kiss off. But whether it is or isn't, or whether 'Dance 4 Me' could have displaced 'I Gotta Feelin' from the #1 spot, a "hit" is relative. A hit, especially now, can be bought. Rhianna (don't care if I spelled that wrong) has some of the most pop radio airplay today, and her shows have trouble selling. Why would someone who dominates the airwaves not be able to sell tickets to her concerts? Maybe because the audience (ie. you and me) no longer dictate what is being played. If it was, and we wanted to hear another club anthem from Rhianna, we'd probably be buying tickets to her shows. "Promotional" flunkies and their expense accounts decide what gets played (Payola still exists, people. Don't believe for a second that it doesn't.) and the audience either listens or puts on our iPods. I usually choose the latter. And when I do, it's usually Prince blasting in my earbuds. Today, he took me back to the Lotus and I had a FUCKING FUNKY TIME. BOOM!

Exactly.

[Edited 7/17/12 7:21am]

Spanky said:

You're all judging this shit the wrong way. Don't compare this to what was a "hit" in 2009. For lawd's sake the biggest hit of that year was "I Gotta Feelin'" by Black Eyed Peas and can you really say if that came on right now you be like "Wow, that is such a great song! Classic!" Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn't. Now let's go back to 1980. Prince was known but not huge. The biggest hit that year was a tie between "Call Me" by Blondie and "Lady" by Kenny Rodgers. Did Dirty Mind stack up to those two gems in terms of "hits"? No. Because Dirty Mind as a song and an album weren't gunning for what was a hit in 1980. (Uptown did go all the way to #101 on the pop charts--yay!) Does that mean he shouldn't have released it? Hell no! It was Prince doing HIS thing. Lotus Flow3r and MPLS were not Prince chasing 2009 trends. They were Prince doing Prince. And as a fan I love that. That's why I have been following him all these years. Because when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter if he has a hit. "I Gotta Feelin" was the biggest hit of 2009 and I change the channel when it comes on because it sounds lame in 2012 and it's only been 3 years since that was ruling the air waves. So that should put the word "hit" into perspective.

NOW. Yesterday I read this thread and today I listened to both albums straight through (sorry Bria, I skipped your disc) and I was shocked. They held up. Not only did they hold up, these two albums are great, funky, original records with heart. It made another thought pop up into my head. We as American fans are very jaded. First of all we have been spoiled most of our lives with great music year after year from His Royal Badness. My thought is this: Maybe there has been no "official" US release since Lotus/MPLS because Prince wants us (his hardcore fanbase) to sit back and appreciate what great music he is still making. We have sat idle for the last 3 years (if you count 2010 then it's been 2 years), and now we are all without a new record so we are going "Back to the Lotus" so to speak. I for one have a new appreciation for the album-it is surprising and strong throughout and I thank Prince for giving us a little extra time to get past our immediate reaction that seemingly comes with all of his new releases "Yeah, it's pretty good but it's no 'Fill-in-the-Prince-album-from-the-80's'".

Listen again. Maybe this was his last American album and "No More Candy 4U" was his kiss off. But whether it is or isn't, or whether 'Dance 4 Me' could have displaced 'I Gotta Feelin' from the #1 spot, a "hit" is relative. A hit, especially now, can be bought. Rhianna (don't care if I spelled that wrong) has some of the most pop radio airplay today, and her shows have trouble selling. Why would someone who dominates the airwaves not be able to sell tickets to her concerts? Maybe because the audience (ie. you and me) no longer dictate what is being played. If it was, and we wanted to hear another club anthem from Rhianna, we'd probably be buying tickets to her shows. "Promotional" flunkies and their expense accounts decide what gets played (Payola still exists, people. Don't believe for a second that it doesn't.) and the audience either listens or puts on our iPods. I usually choose the latter. And when I do, it's usually Prince blasting in my earbuds. Today, he took me back to the Lotus and I had a FUCKING FUNKY TIME. BOOM!

Interesting post.

Spanky said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Are we listening to the same album here? I don't hear anything on it that could've even been close to a hit in 2009.

Tracks 1 and 2 are skipworthy, and at certain moments a little embarrassing. They sound very forced and I swear I can hear a muse being strangled when I listen to them with headphones.

"Dance 4 Me" was kind of fun on first listen but ended up sounding like Camille does a Time outtake. While it sounds great on paper, the end result was lacking.

"U're Gonna C Me" is better than the piano demo from ONA but it wasn't top tier in the first place, so I'm not sure why he resurrected hit. The "give me a page on my 2-way" line was pretty dated in 2002 and sounded CRAZY dated in 2009.

"Here" has some great elements. I think the melody and changes are gorgeous, and I really love the production in general, especially the acoustic rhythm guitar. I think lyrics are pretty bad, though, and kind of ruin the song.

"Valentina" has some great moments and some very misguided ones. I love how the song builds and I think the chorus is nice. I also like the guitar solo. But the Lil Wayne vocal effect ruins it, and the lyrics are pretty atrocious. Also, the gangsta rap synth line during the chorus sounds like the wrong choice, as well as the other synth sounds, which sound rather cheap.

By "Better With Time," I'm starting to really think this whole project is very forced and soulless. This song just meanders pointlessly until that bombastic Disney ending, which makes it sound like he didn't know how to finish the song.

"Ol' Skool Company," kind of makes my ears perk up. The Camille voice is always charming and the classic P. rhythm playing is always a pleasure. The guitar solo is also very nice. I think the lyrics and synth sounds hamper what could've been a better song, but that said, it's really the only one on the album that I come back to.

"No More Candy 4 U," sounds like a tryhard "Controversy" era tribute, and it doesn't really leave you all that upset that you won't be getting any more "candy" when it sounds like this.

I guess I'm more of a LOtUSFLOW3R fan.

[Edited 7/16/12 8:22am]

You're all judging this shit the wrong way. Don't compare this to what was a "hit" in 2009. For lawd's sake the biggest hit of that year was "I Gotta Feelin'" by Black Eyed Peas and can you really say if that came on right now you be like "Wow, that is such a great song! Classic!" Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn't. Now let's go back to 1980. Prince was known but not huge. The biggest hit that year was a tie between "Call Me" by Blondie and "Lady" by Kenny Rodgers. Did Dirty Mind stack up to those two gems in terms of "hits"? No. Because Dirty Mind as a song and an album weren't gunning for what was a hit in 1980. (Uptown did go all the way to #101 on the pop charts--yay!) Does that mean he shouldn't have released it? Hell no! It was Prince doing HIS thing. Lotus Flow3r and MPLS were not Prince chasing 2009 trends. They were Prince doing Prince. And as a fan I love that. That's why I have been following him all these years. Because when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter if he has a hit. "I Gotta Feelin" was the biggest hit of 2009 and I change the channel when it comes on because it sounds lame in 2012 and it's only been 3 years since that was ruling the air waves. So that should put the word "hit" into perspective.

NOW. Yesterday I read this thread and today I listened to both albums straight through (sorry Bria, I skipped your disc) and I was shocked. They held up. Not only did they hold up, these two albums are great, funky, original records with heart. It made another thought pop up into my head. We as American fans are very jaded. First of all we have been spoiled most of our lives with great music year after year from His Royal Badness. My thought is this: Maybe there has been no "official" US release since Lotus/MPLS because Prince wants us (his hardcore fanbase) to sit back and appreciate what great music he is still making. We have sat idle for the last 3 years (if you count 2010 then it's been 2 years), and now we are all without a new record so we are going "Back to the Lotus" so to speak. I for one have a new appreciation for the album-it is surprising and strong throughout and I thank Prince for giving us a little extra time to get past our immediate reaction that seemingly comes with all of his new releases "Yeah, it's pretty good but it's no 'Fill-in-the-Prince-album-from-the-80's'".

Listen again. Maybe this was his last American album and "No More Candy 4U" was his kiss off. But whether it is or isn't, or whether 'Dance 4 Me' could have displaced 'I Gotta Feelin' from the #1 spot, a "hit" is relative. A hit, especially now, can be bought. Rhianna (don't care if I spelled that wrong) has some of the most pop radio airplay today, and her shows have trouble selling. Why would someone who dominates the airwaves not be able to sell tickets to her concerts? Maybe because the audience (ie. you and me) no longer dictate what is being played. If it was, and we wanted to hear another club anthem from Rhianna, we'd probably be buying tickets to her shows. "Promotional" flunkies and their expense accounts decide what gets played (Payola still exists, people. Don't believe for a second that it doesn't.) and the audience either listens or puts on our iPods. I usually choose the latter. And when I do, it's usually Prince blasting in my earbuds. Today, he took me back to the Lotus and I had a FUCKING FUNKY TIME. BOOM!

Great post, but again all opinions with PRINCE's work, we all differ on his albums pretty much, like i said i dont compare at all, i hate when people do that and expect his albums to sell or be like they were in the 80's when he was in his 20's well hes in his 50's and regardless he will act and perform like that. I also agree on the fact that I DONT think Prince is gonna have an album for a few more years, maybe something here or there downloadable, but he plainly said it on the LOPEZ TONIGHT show, he said "hes gonna sit back and let the industry figure itself out" well, its 2 years since 2010 which wasnt even an american album release 3+ years since LOTUS, nothing even in the cards for this year, though with Prince he could have an album ready tomorrow, i truly at this point dont think he even wants to have something out there.

As for Dance4Me being a HIT lets understand this, Prince is never going to have that hit again, so we all need to LETITGO so to speak, the albums will do well for his following and then fall off the charts, the singles will do nothing cause there is no industry thinking, no playing field anymore, i mean he's 54, do we honestly think at 54 hes going to have a RADIO HIT??? without really doing something nuts like a duet with Rhianna, he hasnt had a hit single since 1995.