Whilst there are clearly differences in sound and vibe between Purple Rain and Around The World In A Day, I don't really see these albums as that radical a departure from each other. If anything, I grew accustomed to expecting such differences when listening to Prince's 80s work but Purple Rain and ATWIAD seem much more connected than Sign O The Times and Lovesexy, for example, or 1999 and Purple Rain.

I also don't visualise Around The World In A Day as necessarily having any less commercial appeal than Purple Rain. Raspberry Beret and Pop Life are just as catchy as I Would Die 4 U and Take Me With You. America packs as much punch as Let's Go Crazy. Paisley Park is just as complex and classic as When Doves Cry. Even The Ladder could have been sold as 1985's Purple Rain.

So why do people still suggest Around The World In A Day is Prince particularly following his own heart as opposed to making a Purple Rain pt II? I disagree, it sounds like it is. Perhaps you just had to be there at the time.

i neither agree, nor disagree.

or.

i both agree, and disagree.

AaronFantastic said:

I used to think of ATWIAD as strictly the twin to Parade and didn't see many similarities with Purple Rain. Now I see it as an exact midpoint. This has actually inspired me to start a related thread. Watch for it soon.

ATWIAD does not have the sonic power that PR has. Even with all the tricks up their sleeves and input form the whole damn neighborhood it is not as bombastic or grand as PR's 9 songs are.

Anji said:

Who knows what "actually" follwoing his own heart would have made? ATWIAD is contrived as D&P and Prince self titled becasue eh deliberately did something off-center and different from expectations to what the next release would have been. Nobody said he had to make PR-2 but he sure as hell did not show a natural progression to a different level. Instead it semed like a bvreakdown of elements to basics basics as well as trying to cop th e Beatle s ( it cant be denied). I guies there wasn't anything to do but go backwards and go from there. He had done Jimi, Little Richard, stadium rock, punk funk, new wave, John Lennon and Dylan so there was nobpody left to cop off of I guess but them at that point in time.

Prince deliberately intended Around The World In A Day
to make 'Purple Rain' fans go 'WTF?'. Even though it's
still very rooted in 'pop' music, the albums running
order accentuates it's sideways jump away from Purple
Rain.

rdhull said:

So, you really love ATWIAD then, huh?

BorisFishpaw said:

which means he wasn't being true to himself but trying to consciously change the script

TRON said:

I love that album actually. Im not sure if its just because its classic and at the time I lived it etc.But there's always a "hmm..what could have been"

AaronFantastic said:

Could you be a little more specific, Aaron? Please.

TRON said:

This should be interesting, Tron. Is it to do with holy trinities?

rdhull said:

I agree. Purple Rain sounds larger than life compared to Around The World In A Day. I still think Around The World In A Day could have fared better had it not followed in the shadows of Purple Rain. The music is just as marketable but I guess it suffered from people expecting one thing and getting another. Classic Prince!

rdhull said:

Diamonds & Pearls was contrived but not off centre or a particular artistic statement. It was as simple as Prince creating a stunning, classic pop record. You can argue Around The World In A Day was contrived but clearly it was designed to make people trip out as opposed to get on the bandwagon. There's a difference.

rdhull said:

He was being true to himself by consciously trying to change the script.

BorisFishpaw said:

Good point, Boris.

Hmmm...I never connected the two...never saw a similarity...plus I got hooked by ATWIAD, not Purple Rain, so it was THE Prince album for me, while 1999 and Purple Rain were the "old" stuff...hmmm...dunno...don't think so...

I just don't understand what you are saying. ATWIAD sounds like Prince, but NOT Purple Rain Pt.2!!!

ATWIAD is a much more complex, record than PR. Where Purple Rain is 80% stripped down raw rock. Around the World In A Day is psychadelic, mystical pop/funk/rock.


There are so many layers to ATWIAD.

Purple Rain is what it is: a good movie soundtrack.

SHOW ME THE LOVE!!!

RIAA
'nuff said.

I think of Around the world in a day as a second cousin to Purple Rain.
I love them both, but really don't see any similarities between the two.

rdhull said:

Prince described Aroud the world in a day as a "fuck you"-sounds like Prince being true to himself to me.

Anji said:

very true

Anji said:

no he wasn't because if he were true to himself he wouldn't have cared and he wold have made what he wanted to do instead of doing something "unexpected" becauze it wasn't expected of him. His non contrived sensibility of ATWIAD was contrived. BUT he did say and it is reported that a lot of the material for ATWIAD was created right after PR was in the can months even before its release.

chookalana said:

I was trying to say that Prince followed his heart after Purple Rain and actually ended up making a Purple Rain pt II although he didn't intend to, and people still think he didn't. I disagree, the two albums seem very connected to me. A natural progression and one that is nowhere near as big a leap as Purple Rain following 1999, for example. This is going to be a difficult one to argue but it's just a viewpoint to allow me to understand other people's perspectives and hopefully, get closer to the music of that time.

lovebizzare said:

Being true to himself doesn't mean having his same attitude but creating something that isn't authentic..not saying ATWIAD isn't authentic..after just realizing maybe ATWIAD is not as contrived as I thought. Hmmm.

In fact, I think of Purple Rain as "1999 pt.2"---if that makes any sense

Anji said:

Ok I think Im realizing he was still true to himself "sort of" because I think if it was just him he would have come up with something other than ATWIAD but there is no way in hell that ATWIAD is a natural progression from PR. Computer Blue is what should have been the next song to be progressed not pop like Take Me With U-Raspberry Beret. Now Tambourine takes off from 1999 All The Critics though..oh wait..I think a lot of ATWIAD is a progression from 1999 but broken down to organic elements instead of all comouterized,...as well as some of PR..Im trippin'


.
[This message was edited Sat Mar 8 18:40:09 PST 2003 by rdhull]

rdhull said:

Damn you, RD!!! Now you got me thinkn'!!!

rdhull said:

Wait a minute, Rd. Prince has almost always cared about the music he puts out, and I expect was very concerned about making an artistic statement at that time, especially.

Because he was thinking about how the world was going to perceive him with the release of his follow up to Purple Rain, and that dictated his change in musical direction and therefore can be viewed as contrived, I don't think it makes Around The World any less true to himself. He did exactly as he saw fit, surely.

And of note, he managed to successfully capture his psychedelic spirit and translate it to record. Around The World is a stunning record from that perspective but I still see it as a natural progression from Purple Rain. It is the second chapter and it makes sense to me. Again, perhaps this is because I wasn't there at the time.

rdhull said:

I'm getting lost in Paisley Park, Rd.

Anji said:

While I wont disagree with what yous said because it makes sense, it also makes sense that Prince had shot his wad with PR and he had no choice BUT to come up with some off the wall stuff like ATWIAD. I mean he didnt really have any expectations at the time because he could have waited another year before his next release etc..but after the bombast of Purple Rain anything else would seem less and he knew that..so why not come up with soemthing less bombastic anyways..but dont get me wrong--ATWIAD is inspired somewhat.

Also its always said and repeated such as in this thread that he made ATWIAD as a fuck you and as a present for his fans..well his longtime fans wasn't expecting or never heard ATWIAD kind of material from him so I always wondered why he didn't give his longtime fans something ala DM, or Controversy etc.If anything ATWIAD sounds like something one would give to his "new" fans with his track record of recordings.

Anji said:

You're not getting lost..it's that Im finally seing the light maybe.
Little by little