So I found a copy of Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic on vinyl this week, which prompted me to give it a listen for the first time in years. On the whole, it's much better than I remembered, but the three song sequence of "Everyday Is A Winding Road" - "Man O' War" - "Baby Knows" is DREADFUL. Like, unbelievably bad, enough to arguably ruin the album (and may be the reason I haven't listened in close to a decade).

It got me thinking though, if not this, what's the worst sequence of tracks on a Prince album? What 3 or 4 track run can you not stand to hear?

[Edited 3/1/13 18:17pm]

[Edited 3/1/13 19:26pm]

yeah,Rave has a horrible sequence of tracks as a result,the album doesn't 'flow' as well as it could have.

the marrying kind/if i was the man in ur life/on the couch

i know a lot of people have lots of love for the first 2 tracks there, but personally,

i never really liked them. and on the couch is just boring as hell and never really

goes anywhere start to finish (it was better second time around when he called it

"satisfied")

but the sequence the op mentioned is a pretty bad one too. although i do like the

song "man o war" and although i never listen to it, i don't hate "baby knows" that

much either. but "every day is a winding road" is just insanely horrible

and to think that i really like the sheryll crow's original version.

but beyond those 2 sequences i can't really think of another one right now. most

of his albums are pretty well put together in that respect.

even "new power soul" has 2 horrible tracks back 2 back with "push it up" and

"freaks on this side".

IstenSzek said:

Pick any three songs off of Batman.

any sequence that contained Everyday Is A Winding Road was going to be bad. I really like the 2 songs that follow it. And The Sun, The Moon and Stars is good too.

Everyday Is A Winding Road is enough to make you hate the whole thing. Even the songs you like. Everyday Is A Winding Road is enough to make you hate life.

TwiliteKid said:

So I found a copy of Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic on vinyl this week, which prompted me to give it a listen for the first time in years. On the whole, it's much better than I remembered, but the three song sequence of "Everyday Is A Winding Road" - "Man O' War" - "Baby Knows" is DREADFUL. Like, unbelievably bad, enough to arguably ruin the album (and may be the reason I haven't listened in close to a decade).

It got me thinking though, if not this, what's the worst sequence of tracks on a Prince album? What 3 or 4 track run can you not stand to hear?

[Edited 3/1/13 18:17pm]

[Edited 3/1/13 19:26pm]

I like Man O' War.

anything involving the words "wedding", "feast" or "jughead"

That is so strange that you mention this, I too played this album for the first time in years on Friday and like you, was pleasantly surprised with my enjoyment of it, up until "Everyday is a Winding Road", the inclusion of that one song totally ruined the experience for me!

Well, on Purple Rain there's a........ JUST KIDDING LOL

Though what I'm about to say is sort of a moment. On 1999 I've never felt like 'Free' fit between "Something in the Water" and "Lady Cab Driver" and I felt like the often talked about "Moonbeam Levels" was the obvious choice both track quality wise and album flow wise.

I also think that had Prince kept "Baby, U'r a Trip" for himself if would have fit perfectly in 'Free's' spot. But a small gripe, and the man in the stands can always sit there and point where things could have been done better.

I love the pleading restraint of On The Couch

I always thought All the Midnights in the World and Chelsea Rodgers on Planet Earth should have been switched.

SuperSoulFighter said:

Last Heart-Days of Wild on the Crystal Ball.

the entire Crystal Ball set really. not so much a sequence, really. rather, it's the sound schizophrenia captured on CD.

The Rainbow Children, Muse 2 the Pharoah, Digital Garden, is the all time pits.

Many albums have 2 dreadful songs followed by a stunner though examples. Arrognace, The Flow and then 7

Dance On, Lovesexy and then the excellent When 2 R in Love

When were dancing close and slow and with you are pre and pro ceded by the excellent Sexy Dancer and Bambi

Walk dont walk and Jughead are preceded and proceeded by the much better Gett Off and Money don't matter 2 nite. Its that sequencing that makes even the worst Prince albums listenable, only the Rainbow children is an album where each song is better than the last, the first few songs are apalling, The Work and Everywhere are the first listenable songs and the last 2 are the very best Everlasting now and Last December.

There are no bad sequences on any albums from Dirty Mind through to the Black Album, or Come, TGE and 3121, Lotusflow3r and MPLsOUND.

The middle of Planet Earth

Emancipation--Damned if Eye Do, Eye Can't Make U, Mr. Happy

imago said:

20Ten: "Compassion" preceding "Beginning Endlessly". Should have been the other way around.

Adorecream said:

When were dancing close and slow and with you are pre and pro ceded by the excellent Sexy Dancer and Bambi

I like both of those songs, but I remember not liking how Side One ends with a ballad and Side Two begins with... another ballad. You need a gear change there, or it's too easy to tune out...

Wildboy said:

Well, on Purple Rain there's a........ JUST KIDDING LOL

Though what I'm about to say is sort of a moment. On 1999 I've never felt like 'Free' fit between "Something in the Water" and "Lady Cab Driver" and I felt like the often talked about "Moonbeam Levels" was the obvious choice both track quality wise and album flow wise.

I also think that had Prince kept "Baby, U'r a Trip" for himself if would have fit perfectly in 'Free's' spot. But a small gripe, and the man in the stands can always sit there and point where things could have been done better.

I dont feel so bad about Free. I actually enjoy it. Sounds to me like an anthem in a All You Need Is Love or You Cant Always Get What You Want way for that 80s generation. Both these 60s songs by the Beatles and Rolling Stones, were not very good songs either, but good songs.

But - yes, Free its very weaker than the rest of the kick-ass songs on 1999, and I think the two choices, Baby Ur a Trip and Moonbean Levels, you mentioned may have been better choices.

[Edited 3/4/13 17:51pm]

Adorecream said:

Dance On, Lovesexy and then the excellent When 2 R in Love

It took me a while to fully enjoy the Lovesexy album, especially these funk-pop crazy jams (Dance On, Eye No, LoveSexy, Glam Slam). I could dig Alphabet Street, Positivity, Eye Wish U Heaven and its addictive b-side Scarlet Pussy instantly, but always been puzzled about the rest. But now I fully enjoy them. I think they kind of need more listens to dig.

[Edited 3/4/13 18:17pm]

skywalker said:

20Ten: "Compassion" preceding "Beginning Endlessly". Should have been the other way around.

Compassion is not a bad song meloc-wise, but it's lirics are too poor. "Whetever skin ure in, we all need to be friends" and then screaming something so uninportant like "so much better than nothing/start a brand new something". Seems to have been written by a child for homework.

Wildboy said:

On 1999 I've never felt like 'Free' fit between "Something in the Water" and "Lady Cab Driver"

It's funny... I grew up with the cassette of 1999, and this may be sacrilege, but I like its track sequencing better: Free comes right after DMSR (the sound effect at the beginning of Free is enough of a palate-cleanser that going into a ballad doesn't seem jarring), and after the song climaxes, Side One is over.

Flip over the tape, and you've got Automatic, Something in the Water, Lady Cab Driver, All the Critics Love U in New York, and International Lover, which is just an unbelievably kick-ass sequence of songs.

Hell, I'm gonna go make this playlist right now and be thirteen again...

eyewishuheaven said:

It's funny... I grew up with the cassette of 1999, and this may be sacrilege, but I like its track sequencing better: Free comes right after DMSR (the sound effect at the beginning of Free is enough of a palate-cleanser that going into a ballad doesn't seem jarring), and after the song climaxes, Side One is over.

Flip over the tape, and you've got Automatic, Something in the Water, Lady Cab Driver, All the Critics Love U in New York, and International Lover, which is just an unbelievably kick-ass sequence of songs.

Hell, I'm gonna go make this playlist right now and be thirteen again...

Great recollection! I only listened to 1999 in 2006, when I was 19. But would love it right away. Must be so great to have spend the childhoold listening to it in a walkman and playing around!

Wildboy said:

Well, on Purple Rain there's a........ JUST KIDDING LOL

Though what I'm about to say is sort of a moment. On 1999 I've never felt like 'Free' fit between "Something in the Water" and "Lady Cab Driver" and I felt like the often talked about "Moonbeam Levels" was the obvious choice both track quality wise and album flow wise.

I also think that had Prince kept "Baby, U'r a Trip" for himself if would have fit perfectly in 'Free's' spot. But a small gripe, and the man in the stands can always sit there and point where things could have been done better.

To be fair, that sequence was designed for the vinyl listener....not necessarilly the cd or mp3 listener.

"Free" is the end of side 3. "Lady Cab Driver" starts off side 4.

The sequencing on 3121 kinda sux to me. Especially the transition from "Fury" to "The Word" and from "Love" to "Satisfied."