In their intial review, Uptown magazine said this album had no "classic" songs on it. I count at least 2, maybe more. What are your thoughts/memories/things you like from this album?

I dig more than it's (seemingly more beloved) predecessor. I still remember Arsenio Hall showing clips from the Sexy M.F. video and thinking "Uh oh, what is Prince doing now?" Anyways, I still have much love for the era and the whole over the top gangster glam look/feel of it all. From Mayte, to they pyramids, to the typhoon and the chain mask... all of it was crazy and fun to me. Also, I liked that Prince rapped more than Tony M on the album. It sounded like a better fit to me.

[Edited 10/30/12 8:35am]

I remember that Uptown review and how I disliked it...

Anyway I remeber also having a "wtf?" reaction to Sexy M.F.: it wasn't censored in France but everyone commented the title nonetheless. I had an even bigger "WTF" when I first saw the video for My Name Is Prince. Loved the ego-trip but that song was so unusual, particularly for a single. Then I bought the album the day it as released, loved it instantly from the first note to the last, and listened to it in a loop for weeks. I was 14, Prince was a true and major revolution in my life back then.

It's a "classic" in my life, at least. I haven't listened to it a a while now but when I do, it's like chatting with an old friend.

It's a great album, chock full of bombastic 90's Prince madness. Tony M was and still is a distraction, but even that plonker can't spoil this album for me. It was head and shoulders above D&P both in terms of songs and music imo.

@ databank. Do you have the original version with all the segues intact? It still makes no fucking sense to me, but it's good to have.

I was never as in love with this entire album as a lot of long-time diehard fans are. There are some fun songs on it ("7", "The Morning Papers", "Sexy M.F.", "The Continental"), but most of it sounds like filler. Like he was throwing too many ideas at the wall, and not enough of them stuck.

And I know this will seem like heresy, but to me, "3 Chains O' Gold" is just too over-the-top and theatrical and bombastic. It comes across more as camp than rock. I always skip this track. It's the kind of track that non-Prince fans would laugh at.

It's in my collection, and I would never call it a clunker, but I think "" has too much bloat to make it truly memorable.

Still... 20 YEARS? Yikes. I remember listening to this at my for-a-short-time girlfriend's apartment, jealously eyeing the kick-ass new stereo system her parents had given her for her birthday. 1992 was a good year.

I can't believe it's been 20 years.

I remember going to a midnite sale to pick it up. I bought 2 copies, the regular CD and the "Limited Edition" CD in the Gold Box with a purple embossed on the cover.

I think I still have 1 or 2 of the in-store promo posters too...

20 years... I'm feelin' OLD!

TheDigitalGardener said:

It's a great album, chock full of bombastic 90's Prince madness. Tony M was and still is a distraction, but even that plonker can't spoil this album for me. It was head and shoulders above D&P both in terms of songs and music imo.

@ databank. Do you have the original version with all the segues intact? It still makes no fucking sense to me, but it's good to have.

I think I have all the segues reunited in a single file, which makes no sense save for the sheer sake of having them (I'd have to check if it's one or several files but it's what's on Work It 2.0 anyway). I think I had a tape back then with a reconstruction of the album with segues in sequence, it goes back to so long ago, I ain't sure... Didn't make any more sense to me either anyway, nor does the video album (3 Chains O'Gold). Is there a boot out there with that album's configuration in sequence? That story made little if any sense anyway but yeah, what a wonderful album musically and lyrically

databank said:

TheDigitalGardener said:

It's a great album, chock full of bombastic 90's Prince madness. Tony M was and still is a distraction, but even that plonker can't spoil this album for me. It was head and shoulders above D&P both in terms of songs and music imo.

@ databank. Do you have the original version with all the segues intact? It still makes no fucking sense to me, but it's good to have.

I think I have all the segues reunited in a single file, which makes no sense save for the sheer sake of having them (I'd have to check if it's one or several files but it's what's on Work It 2.0 anyway). I think I had a tape back then with a reconstruction of the album with segues in sequence, it goes back to so long ago, I ain't sure... Didn't make any more sense to me either anyway, nor does the video album (3 Chains O'Gold). Is there a boot out there with that album's configuration in sequence? That story made little if any sense anyway but yeah, what a wonderful album musically and lyrically

Yes, PureFunk released it.

Just remembering hearing that the album "made more sense" with the original segues... it doesn't.

Then heard the same thing about the 3 Chains O' Gold VHS, it "makes more sense" when you see the "film"... it didn't.

djThunderfunk said:

I can't believe it's been 20 years.

I remember going to a midnite sale to pick it up. I bought 2 copies, the regular CD and the "Limited Edition" CD in the Gold Box with a purple embossed on the cover.

I think I still have 1 or 2 of the in-store promo posters too...

20 years... I'm feelin' OLD!

Aye the gold box is a nice wee thing to have, not sure how limited it is though, not very i'm guessing.

Not sure about the rest of the world, but early standard copies of the UK cd also had an embossed gold symbol right on the front of the cd box too.

TheDigitalGardener said:

djThunderfunk said:

I can't believe it's been 20 years.

I remember going to a midnite sale to pick it up. I bought 2 copies, the regular CD and the "Limited Edition" CD in the Gold Box with a purple embossed on the cover.

I think I still have 1 or 2 of the in-store promo posters too...

20 years... I'm feelin' OLD!

Aye the gold box is a nice wee thing to have, not sure how limited it is though, not very i'm guessing.

Not sure about the rest of the world, but early standard copies of the UK cd also had an embossed gold symbol right on the front of the cd box too.

Yes. My CD (US Version) has the title, a gold , embossed right on the jewel box.

You're right about the box too, ultimately it turned out to be not very limited at all, much like the Batcan, which is why I put Limited Edition in quotes. That was how it was hyped, though. And, evidently the hype worked on me...

My younger sister had yet another version. It was the standard release, but censored. It didn't have the PMRC warning label on the cover and it was edited for language. I never see used copies of that one anymore.

Great Prince album.. I love most of the album except from Blue Light,

memories,

I was in spain, october 1992 when this album came out.

I bought the cd and also the tape for my Sony Walkman..

Long before MP3's were invented..

the spanish salesman thought I was weird for buying the album both on cd and tape.

djThunderfunk said:

TheDigitalGardener said:

Aye the gold box is a nice wee thing to have, not sure how limited it is though, not very i'm guessing.

Not sure about the rest of the world, but early standard copies of the UK cd also had an embossed gold symbol right on the front of the cd box too.

Yes. My CD (US Version) has the title, a gold , embossed right on the jewel box.

You're right about the box too, ultimately it turned out to be not very limited at all, much like the Batcan, which is why I put Limited Edition in quotes. That was how it was hyped, though. And, evidently the hype worked on me...

My younger sister had yet another version. It was the standard release, but censored. It didn't have the PMRC warning label on the cover and it was edited for language. I never see used copies of that one anymore.

Ahh yes, I don't have that version, but I can imagine..

I personally love the album (lots of Prince memories). I moved to Minnesota in Oct 91 when Diamonds and Pearls was just released. My first memories of the album was at the D&P warm up show at Glam Slam in Jan 92 and he did Sexy MF and a portion of My Name Is Prince. Later that same night at Paisley Park a dj played the CD versions of Sexy MF, My Name Is Prince, and the Continental. I was still getting used to the new songs on D&P, but always had heard that Prince was always on to the next one by the time one was released.

I picked the perfect time to move when I did. Prince was doing all kinds of stuff for this album. I was able to go to the video shoots for Sexy MF (Mar 92), My Name Is Prince (Summer 92), I Wanna Melt With U (Oct 92), the Ryde Divine (Dec 92), warm up show at Glam Slam (Jan 93), and the Act I tour I went back to Chicago (Apr 93). Prince would also frequent Glam Slam on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with after parties at Paisley Park. Songs from Come started to surface around Spring of 93. The weird thing about hearing new songs was that no one really knew the "official" names of the songs until they were released. , Come, and The Gold Experience are definitely my favorites from the 90s.

I enjoy the album even today. I have it on vinyl, Cd and "Special Edition" CD.

I think casual fans enjoy the song 7, my name is Prince, perhaps SexyMF, and the morning papers. The rest they may not pay attention too. If I play the entire album I tend to skip 3 chains O' gold. But, if I'm doing something and it comes on, I'm not compelled to skip it (unlike jughead).

The funky new album entitled `zapf-boink`.

I recall that video.

TheDigitalGardener said:

djThunderfunk said:

Yes. My CD (US Version) has the title, a gold , embossed right on the jewel box.

You're right about the box too, ultimately it turned out to be not very limited at all, much like the Batcan, which is why I put Limited Edition in quotes. That was how it was hyped, though. And, evidently the hype worked on me...

My younger sister had yet another version. It was the standard release, but censored. It didn't have the PMRC warning label on the cover and it was edited for language. I never see used copies of that one anymore.

Ahh yes, I don't have that version, but I can imagine..

I actually have that version of the CD - it's the one they used to play 'in-store'

A GLORIOUS MESSTERPIECE

omg I love that fecking album

While we at it, I never understood the fight scenes in the My Name Is Prince video. Prince usually doesn't endorse violence but there it looked as if he did (I remember non-fans being shocked by it back then). WTF was that supposed to mean, for real?

20 years! How did that happen? Still have love for the album. Enjoy all tracks except "Sweet Baby". Despite the negative feedback relating to "3 Chains of Gold", I'd like to hear it as one of his next live revamp efforts as a guitar heavy rendition.

motherfunka said:

I personally love the album (lots of Prince memories). I moved to Minnesota in Oct 91 when Diamonds and Pearls was just released. My first memories of the album was at the D&P warm up show at Glam Slam in Jan 92 and he did Sexy MF and a portion of My Name Is Prince. Later that same night at Paisley Park a dj played the CD versions of Sexy MF, My Name Is Prince, and the Continental. I was still getting used to the new songs on D&P, but always had heard that Prince was always on to the next one by the time one was released.

I picked the perfect time to move when I did. Prince was doing all kinds of stuff for this album. I was able to go to the video shoots for Sexy MF (Mar 92), My Name Is Prince (Summer 92), I Wanna Melt With U (Oct 92), the Ryde Divine (Dec 92), warm up show at Glam Slam (Jan 93), and the Act I tour I went back to Chicago (Apr 93). Prince would also frequent Glam Slam on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with after parties at Paisley Park. Songs from Come started to surface around Spring of 93. The weird thing about hearing new songs was that no one really knew the "official" names of the songs until they were released. , Come, and The Gold Experience are definitely my favorites from the 90s.

Sounds cool, so what was it like on the video shoots? was you in the car park playing cards with the band in Sexy MF? What about the My Name Is Prince video - that must have been good to have seen that getting filmed.

This is also when I first got into Prince when I was 16 - after seeing the Gett Off video (the song and half naked girls done the job) I got given a cassette copy of D&P which led to getting the D&P video collection then the Gett Off video special. Not long after The Symbol album and Sexy MF video cassette (I loved the Carmen trailer...scariest female on the planet) were out and I was hooked. Cant believe its 20 years but majority of Symbol has aged well in my opinion (God Created Woman, Love 2 the 9's, Sacrifice of Victor, Damn U, The Max, Sexy MF - still like them now)

A lot of great memories from the time, it is a good LP.

If there was nothing else on there of note, and there sure is, then Love 2 The 9's alone would be worth the ride.

Did you know the Zapf-Boink sound of the promo clip is a reversed sample?

I've been looking for the censored version for years. Much to my chagrin.

[Edited 10/31/12 10:30am]

PATSHEART said:

My younger sister had yet another version. It was the standard release, but censored. It didn't have the PMRC warning label on the cover and it was edited for language. I never see used copies of that one anymore.

I've been looking for the censored version for years. Much to my chagrin.

I run into that censored one all the time!!

It normally costs 2 dollars-Gonna make you holler!

udo said:

Did you know the Zapf-Boink sound of the promo clip is a reversed sample?

So that's what it's called!

udo said:

Did you know the Zapf-Boink sound of the promo clip is a reversed sample?

No, I did not. A reversed sample of what?