I think Crystal Ball, if released as intended, would have been Prince's crowning achievement. What an album! And to think that he wrote and recorded almost all of it by himself is absolutely mindblowing. Anyone agree?

http://www.princevault.co..._Ball_1986

paulludvig said:

I think Crystal Ball, if released as intended, would have been Prince's crowning achievement. What an album! And to think that he wrote and recorded almost all of it by himself is absolutely mindblowing. Anyone agree?

http://www.princevault.co..._Ball_1986

Absolutely. The tittle track is a monstrosity of an awesome track. Like Prince channeling Picasso. It's incredible on so many levels.

Ok, yes..

But I really Sign "O" The Times, the album, as it is....

I think a lot of reviews would've said there was a bit of pomp about the title track and that the album could've been cut back a bit because it was too ambitious or sprawling.

So basically what WB asked for and what Prince did to it.

NouveauDance said:

I think a lot of reviews would've said there was a bit of pomp about the title track and that the album could've been cut back a bit because it was too ambitious or sprawling.

So basically what WB asked for and what Prince did to it.

True. But the critics called the Parade album pretentious, so they're clearly not always right

I think Prince should have stuck to his guns on this one, and history would have proven him right.

Was this the start of his battle with WB?

crystal ball

I still think they should release the remaining songs as a bonus disc for a remastered / deluxe edition of SOTT.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There are no real plans to release any Prince albums as remastered deluxe editions.

[Edited 7/23/13 4:43am]

paulludvig said:

robertgeorgeakabob said:

paulludvig said:

True. But the critics called the Parade album pretentious, so they're clearly not always right

I think Prince should have stuck to his guns on this one, and history would have proven him right.

Was this the start of his battle with WB?

Parade scooped NME's album of the year when it was released in UK.

That must have neen after they wrote this

New Musical Express
April 12, 1986

Sometimes it pisses down in April

I TOOK 'Kiss' as a signal that we were being ushered back into the compressed, airtight funkworld of 'Dirty Mind'. Didn't flip over the song itself - slick metronome sexgospel - but what a relief to hear that funky, flecked, flicking guitar again.

It turns out we're not going back to that springy, spunky sound after all - 'Kiss' is on its own as a throwback to 'Head' and 'Party Up' and 'Do It All Night'. Not that Prince doesn't still have a filthy little mind, of course, just that these days he doesn't speak it quite so economically. It's all mixed he doesn't really know how to express, and that's become a drag.

A few things have changed since 'Around The World In A Day', it's true. For starters, there are no printed lyrics, so i don't have to pretend to have given his twee and icky poems my most careful consideration. Then for seconds there's no purple or paisley stuff on the sleeve - just plain ol' black and white narcissim (another throwback to 'Dirty Mind'). Most important, Prince isn't being such a sourpuss primadonna anymore. There I was thinking the little mulatto Amadeus was on the edge of a breakdown and suddenly he's all happy and relaxed and flirty in the 'Kiss' video.

Trouble is, i actually think 'Around The World In A Day' was the better record. For all its neo-psychedelic silliness it had three great songs, which is about three more than 'Parade' has - nothing here as witty as 'Pop Life', as mournful as 'America', or as anguished as 'Condition Of The Heart'. The worst thing about Prince's "maturity', if we can call it that, is that he has given up writing great songs - songs like 'When You Were Mine' - as a matter of course. I mean, if he can find time to bestow a morsel like 'Manic Monday' on four desperate California chicks who will probably never have another hit record in their lives, surely he could craft the odd decent tune for himself.

Prince, instead of writing simple, succinct, sexy songs, is always trying to save the world, which means that he is never content with anything but grandiose 'Sgt Pepper' albums where all the songs run into each onther and vast orchestras make a lot of superfluous noise. He is a master architect of sound but he will show off and spoil it all. His Rundgren-esque technosoup of Sly and Stevie Wonder is beginning to get very predictable.

The LP opens with 'Christopher Tracy's Parade', a typical fanfare for his highness 'Disneyland soundscape and pretty much a follow-through from the ambience of 'Paisley Park'. Who this tracy fellow is I don't know, though going by the closing elegy of 'Sometimes It Snows In April', I would guess that he is a deceased pal of the Minneapolitan midget's.

'New Position' follows with steel drums, a hard pop-funk beat, and yer basic lewd double entendre. Guitarist Wendy picks up for the strange, brief interlude of 'I Wonder U' (performances seem more democratically delegated this time around: P. isn't being such a spoilt-brat autocrat in his studio playpen) which slides swiftly into 'Under The Cherry Moon', title track of the unpromising-sounding flick for which this LP purports to be a soundtrack. I have seen many moons in my time, but never a cherry moon - how about you ? The song is a kind of kurt Weill lullaby co-authored by (Prince Sr ?) John L. Nelson.

Next up, 'Girls And Boys' is an adolescent 'Lady Marmalade' replete with "sauce" French bits and set to the beat of 'Take Me With U'. 'Life Can Be So Nice' bypasses me completely - a highspirited mess - before 'Venus De Milo' trails away at Side One's end as a slight sliver of mood-muzak, grand piano plus sweeping strings and reeds.

Flip the disc and we're straight back into Prince's booming sytnh beat on 'Mountains', which is a pounding Stevie Wonder/ Earth Wind And Fire epic. The Jazzy, smoochy 'Do U Lie ?' is a pleasant and slinky respite from such pomp.

'Kiss' then takes its isolated place in the remorseless parade of overdone semi-ideas, followed by the melodically beguiling 'Anotherloverholenyohead' (yes, it is a stupid title, isn't it). Finally, the showpiece ballad, 'Sometimes It Snows In April' (an even worse title) ends the record on a folksy acoustic noteand mourns the aforesaid departed Tracy. I feel that Prince is, on the whole, best at this most sentimental and foppishly despolate, but this is appalling kitsch and doesn't work at all.

I dunno. Is it possible, or even advisable, to take Prince seriously ? Do I have to watch Dynasty to have an attitude ? I find this record laboured and trite and self-satisfied and won't be listening to it again.

-- Barney Hoskyns

Of course the reviews like this just make Nouveau's scenario more likely. Some critics would have considered Crystal Ball pompous as well. But so what? Prince was fearless in the late 80's and most probably would have taken the chance had he been allowed to.

[Edited 7/23/13 5:17am]

[Edited 7/23/13 5:17am]

SuperSoulFighter said:

^So folks have been saying "Prince is finished" since 1985/86 then.

It probably started even before that

It's interesting that this review is almost a bluepint for what orgers are saying about Prince today:

He writes bad lyrics "twee and icky poems"

[Edited 7/23/13 5:52am]

Barney Hoskyns sounds far more pompous than the person he accuses Prince of becoming on Parade. I guess it goes to show why Prince just doesn't attract the masses (to which Barney might actually belong), but rather a minority crowd...

SuperSoulFighter said:

Minority? Kiss was a # 1 hit!

Regarding Kiss, yes. But the masses, to which the journalist might belong, did not respond favourably overall to Prince's artistic journey on Parade.

SpiritOtter said:

SuperSoulFighter said:

Minority? Kiss was a # 1 hit!

Regarding Kiss, yes. But the masses, to which the journalist might belong, did not respond favourably overall to Prince's artistic journey on Parade.

I don't think a journalist in NME could be considered "of the masses" when it comes to music and pop culture.

Anyway. Crystal Ball - what a statement!

[Edited 7/23/13 5:55am]

paulludvig said:

NouveauDance said:

I think a lot of reviews would've said there was a bit of pomp about the title track and that the album could've been cut back a bit because it was too ambitious or sprawling.

So basically what WB asked for and what Prince did to it.

True. But the critics called the Parade album pretentious, so they're clearly not always right

I think Prince should have stuck to his guns on this one, and history would have proven him right.

Was this the start of his battle with WB?

Yeah, I didn't say they were right - just that that's what they probably would've said

I think I've read before that Warners also wouldn't allow Prince to release 'Let's Rock' as a stand alone single, which eventually came 'Let's Work', so I guess you could say it goes back to that - but certainly the 87/88 period might be the beginning. I think when Prince started firing managers and stuff like that during the Lovesexy era, it was a sign of troubles to come.

SpiritOtter said:

As far as critics go..time always settles the score.

lol yeah

I LOVE Crystal Ball and it has become MY personal fave as I made my own homemade version years ago. I have worn those CD-R's OUT. The song itself is epic and the whole album is the pinnacle of his abilities in the 80s imo.

However I am still not sure how it would've done if he did get his way back in 87. That mention above how people were saying he was done even back then...that started with ATWIAD and got worse with Parade. Kiss was an exception, but generally they were saying he was losing his edge. I totally don't agree but "critics" were saying this back then. I remember when Sign came out initial reviews were mixed at best. Commecially, there was momentum with the title track and the initial release, but then it started to fade with If I Was Your Girlfriend as the 2nd single. It started to have legs later with U Got The Look, and if he toured the states I think it could've helped, but as we know by that time Prince was done with it. If he had released the 3 album Crystal Ball I think critics would've focused on the length and his ego more-so than the actual contents. It wouldn't have been recognized as the epic until years later (like Sign was).

BTW, that review of Parade by Barney Snottyass? Pure shite.

[Edited 7/23/13 12:19pm]

Poplife88 said:

I LOVE Crystal Ball and it has become MY personal fave as I made my own homemade version years ago. I have worn those CD-R's OUT. The song itself is epic and the whole album is the pinnacle of his abilities in the 80s imo.

However I am still not sure how it would've done if he did get his way back in 87. That mention above how people were saying he was done even back then...that started with ATWIAD and got worse with Parade. Kiss was an exception, but generally they were saying he was losing his edge. I totally don't agree but "critics" were saying this back then. I remember when Sign came out initial reviews were mixed at best. Commecially, there was momentum with the title track and the initial release, but then it started to fade with If I Was Your Girlfriend as the 2nd single. It started to have legs later with U Got The Look, and if he toured the states I think it could've helped, as well as btter but as we know by that time Prince was done with it. If he had released the 3 album Crystal Ball I think critics would've focused on the length and his ego more-so than the actual contents. It wouldn't have been recognized as the epic until years later (like Sign was).

BTW, that review of Parade by Barney Snottyass? Pure shite.

I absolutely believe it would have done better than SOTT. The missing tracks are the rawer ones that would have appealed to a broader younger audience. As it stood, SOTT was more artier are prissier. I can imagine the effect Rebirth Of The Flesh opening the album would have had with the younger crowds. Or anyone..

And I have no doubt that the sheer force of the 3 disk Crystal Ball would have denied U2 their Grammy.

And let's be clear, Warner Brothers decision was solely based on $'s and nothing else. It had nothing to do with artistic merit. In a way I don't blame them, but the penny pinching financially hurt them in the end.

[Edited 7/23/13 11:39am]

Quality all over! Like I said many many times: this one should have been released as it was intended. Fuck Prince for not fighting the fight till the very end!

SuperSoulFighter said:

He did. But you can't always win.

He did not. Till the very end means: Release it or we have to go separate ways!

[Edited 7/23/13 13:01pm]

funkomatic said:

SuperSoulFighter said:

He did. But you can't always win.

He did not. Till the very end means: Release it or we have to go separate ways!

[Edited 7/23/13 13:01pm]

He did, didn't he. It just took him a few years.