Outside of "I hate it" or "I love it" whether it is sounds/instrumentation, a line or a song,

can U elaborate on how (good or bad) it reflects Prince 2 U?

Prince of the turtlenecks

Reproduction of the New Breed

Menda City, we R the Banished Ones we have come 2 dance, the Digital Garden,

the Rainbow Children, the Wise One, the Muse,

does the message connect to example:the One(NPS) <- pre/post P songs ->Get On the Boat, electronica organic, finger cymbals, electric guitar, harmony, deep bass,

the Truth?, curious story line, play on words, swirl of color, kaleidoscope reactions,

Controversy, Egyptology, Gnostic references, Jehovahs Witnesses,

indecipherable twists and turns, religion, lust,

Did U bring yourself 2 joy?

http://peachandblack.podb...ew-part-1/

Minneapolis Star Tribune

CD reviews

Published Nov 23 2001

LOCAL: POP/ROCK

Prince, ''The Rainbow Children'' (NPG/Redline)

He's finally changed his tune. Prince has given up on making booty funk for horny 14-year-olds. Sonically, this 14-track disc is his most sophisticated and jazziest -- yet it's still typically experimental. For instance, the opening title track sounds like Steely Dan with a more soulful, contemporary vibe, punctuated by warm and eventually wacked out guitar and bent by a bit of narration by a robotic voice (reminiscent of Bob George from Prince's infamous ''Black Album''). Overall, the tempos here are mellow, the sound often mesmerizing and uplifting without being over-the-top. Throughout this P-Funk-goes-jazzy disc, Prince sparkles on guitar and keyboards.

While the music intrigues, the lyrics challenge. ''Rainbow Children'' is a concept album about God, spirituality and a world in which people of all colors get along. The vision and philosophizing are pure Prince -- cosmic, complex, confusing and, of course, coital (in polite, almost poetic euphemisms). It is not particularly controversial, despite what the sticker on the cover says. This is more cult-like.

-- Jon Bream, Star Tribune

"The Rainbow Children" deserves to get the 33 1/3 treatment, meaning a a book should be written about this album. The album was recorded and released in the midst of the Neo-Soul genre movement and a year and half after D'Angelo experienced his greatest critical and commericial acclaim with the "Voodoo" album and tour. D'Angelo was able to translate the rhythm and blues of yesteryear and hip hop musical aesthetic and combine it to win over young people who weren't born for Sly Stone, James Brown and George Clinton's heyday. D'Angelo's "Voodoo Tour" was creative continuation of the "Parade Tour", the progenitor for D'Angelo as a singer and songwriter.

"2045 Radical Man", "Daisy Chain" and "When Will We Be Paid" are songwriting warms ups for Prince's best musical take on race relations: "Family Name". What fascinated me about this album and the aforementioned song is Prince's determination to write music and lyrics that confront racism in practical terms and how race, religion and love affect everyone. I always felt the Jehovah Witness tenets throughout the album was him expressing his new leash on life after embracing the religiion. I never felt he was preaching as much he was extoling how much his faith brought him out of a rut.

The Kevin Smith video, "An Evening With Kevin Smith" is hilarious and even though I know some aprts were exaggerated, it is totally plausible. The Celebrations at Paisley Park, the album listening parties and Q&A with fans represented his way of informal witnessing. The exchanges between Prince and fans were controversial based on ideas, but the sense of community he established was atypical of his usual modus operandi. I LOVE THIS ERA!

Love this album and the 150 gram vinyl that I listen to it on (artwork is cool as hell). John Blackwell on drums almost upstaged the man himself on the tour.

A true masterpiece. One of Prince's five best albums. The music is brilliant from beginning to end, with Prince combining with skill funk, neo-soul, jazz and gospel. Regarding the controversial lyrics, I find most of them interesting, and I particularly enjoy the simpler ones: "Everywhere" must be one of his best spiritual lyrics, and "She Loves Me 4 Me" one of his best love songs. This is the Prince I love: edgy, confident and experimental.

Javi said:

A true masterpiece. One of Prince's five best albums. The music is brilliant from beginning to end, with Prince combining with skill funk, neo-soul, jazz and gospel. Regarding the controversial lyrics, I find most of them interesting, and I particularly enjoy the simpler ones: "Everywhere" must be one of his best spiritual lyrics, and "She Loves Me 4 Me" one of his best love songs. This is the Prince I love: edgy, confident and experimental.

I couldn't agree with you more, great Prince album!

1. Rainbow Children
2. Muse 2 The Pharoah
3. Digital Garden
4. The Work Part1
5. Everywhere
6. The Sensual Everafter
7. Mellow
8. 1+1+1 Is 3
9. Deconstruction
10. Wedding Feast
11. She Loves Me 4 Me
12. Family Name
13. The Everlasting Now
14. Last December

RECORDINGS

THE RAINBOW CHILDREN
Prince
Redline Entertainment

It isn't expedience, it isn't desperation, it isn't eccentricity of vision per se: Whatever compels Prince to continue expounding on his idea of a spirito-sexual musical revolution remains a mystery all these records away from his greatest, most populist work. He's digging in his high heels harder than ever on the busy, portentous The Rainbow Children. It cops jazz forms without swinging, gets James Brownishly funky minus the urgency, and offers church interludes that are too mystical to carry earthly convention. Laid out as a series of "chapters," the tracks provide a text for the everywhereness of God and find him mostly in the bedroom. Heavily processed vocal intros provide a biblical weight to each number, as do Gnostic references to the Banished Ones, ambiguous numerology, ambiguous vegetarianism and his talk of "displaced bloodlines." But this is Prince, and if the laid-back jazz funk doesn't interest him, he can always get rowdy with the ladies. His admonishing tone and dubious history take a back seat to the fine, sexy stuff - the simple ballad "She Loves Me 4 Me," the grooving "Mellow" and "1+1+1=3." But it's a long trudge across the desert to this heady water, especially with Freak-in-the-Pulpit leading the way, waving his synthesizer of holy justice.

ARION BERGER
RS 887 - January 17, 2002

It is my favorite Prince album; up until then it had been "Sign O' the Times".
When it first came out, I had a hard time getting into it. I called it "Prince's lame attempt at gospel" and a few other things.

bashraka said:

What fascinated me about this album and the aforementioned song is Prince's determination to write music and lyrics that confront racism in practical terms and how race, religion and love affect everyone. I always felt the Jehovah Witness tenets throughout the album was him expressing his new leash on life after embracing the religiion. I never felt he was preaching as much he was extoling how much his faith brought him out of a rut.

I agree.

I attended the One Nite Alone concert in NYC, and I was floored. The band brought that album to life for me in a way that made me go home and re-examine it. I listened to the words and gained a whole new appreciation for TRC.

I have read many "org reviews" where people dismiss it for various reasons, but I have grown to love it.

chocolate1 said:

It is my favorite Prince album; up until then it had been "Sign O' the Times".
When it first came out, I had a hard time getting into it. I called it "Prince's lame attempt at gospel" and a few other things.

bashraka said:

What fascinated me about this album and the aforementioned song is Prince's determination to write music and lyrics that confront racism in practical terms and how race, religion and love affect everyone. I always felt the Jehovah Witness tenets throughout the album was him expressing his new leash on life after embracing the religiion. I never felt he was preaching as much he was extoling how much his faith brought him out of a rut.

I agree.

I attended the One Nite Alone concert in NYC, and I was floored. The band brought that album to life for me in a way that made me go home and re-examine it. I listened to the words and gained a whole new appreciation for TRC.

I have read many "org reviews" where people dismiss it for various reasons, but I have grown to love it.

ok-off topic, Ur purple rose is making me hungry for birthday cake with frosting. There is a bakery that has small slices 4 sale with purple roses(frosting)

.

I love this album when I first heard it. I never saw Prince perform it live, I did see the Aladdin show on a music channel. But I always felt like this album (musically) felt like Purple Music, very cohesive(which goes a long way for me) I hear pieces of his albums from 1979-1989 in the Rainbow Children.

.

I wish he devoted full promotion to this album. Much to colorful

millwall said:

I LOVE the Rainbow Children!!! I'd stopped foolin' with dude for a few years and this was my re-entry. I saw a commercial advertising it and that was a enough, I copped it the next day w/o any further info. I was FLOORED on first listen, the musicality was undeniable! i did HATE the Darth Vader voice at first, it was like someone standing in front of your new 60inch HDTV! I love spiritual Prince too unlike many but I'm not a fan of the JWs. So there were some cringeworthy moments for me and others that made wish I could have a conversation with him about doctrine, apologetics and Orthodox Christianity and where IMO, the JWs get it wrong. (1+1+1 being a obvious jab at the Trinity)

I KNEW folks would have an issue with Family Name, but hey, that's like ppl not wanting to receive the truth of a movie like 12 Years a Slave. DEAL with it! To me, TRC is actually better than Lovesexy; not by a lot but gasp, yup I said it! (And i saw that tour but not the ONA shows). There's no killer "single" like Anna Stesia or Alphabet St. and it IS his homage to a cult (unlike Lovesexy's more "general spiritual quest") But i think its more fully realized musically.

Lyrically attrocious for the most part... and the odd voiceovers make much of the rest unlistenable.

I'll tell you, I immediately LOVED: The Work, Everywhere, & She Loves Me 4 Me.

But beyond that, I was put off by the whole album, and couldn't stand the Slowed Down Voice narration. Over the course of maybe 6 months of playing it in the background, then listening to it closely with head phones, I came to appreciate it more and more.

In the last 4-5 years, I've grown to LOVE the whole album. It's probably Top 5 Prince albums of all time for me. Individually, most of this albums tracks are GREAT, as a WHOLE.... MASTERPIECE. 10/10, 5 Stars.

"Wedding Feast" is a lame little segue. "Mellow" & "1+1+1=3" are good, but not in my Top 100 Prince songs. As a song "Family Name" is all over the place. If it was condensed into a real "song" without all the narration and jumps, it would be very good.

I liked this album straight away. Doesn't happen with every album or song by Prince. Many take a while for me to like or get into. I only found this album a couple of years ago so have missed the whole drama around it.

The music is the most amazing and enjoyable part for me. The sound of this album is so full, so unique, melodious and jazzy funky (I can hear Santana, James Brown in some), it blows me away every time. The arrangements with horns, flute. And the drums takes it to another level.

I also love the singing, the background vocals, it is so atmospheric. I think the distorted voices (Mickey mouse, darth vader voice) work well.

Overall it makes me really happy to listen to this album. It feels very uplifting. And I guess that was it's point.

Last December is a great way to finish the album. It sums up the spirit of the album, literally.

Some of the lyrics are problematic for me, the preachiness of Christ and father/son but the music is so good, so powerful that I am able to ignore these lyrics in the sense that I accept them as where Prince was/is at but I don't have to share that belief while enjoying the music that came from him having found meaning in life.

Favorite tracks are: The Work Pt1, 1+1+1=3, The Everlasting Now, Family Name, She loves me for me, Last December.

I had no hard time getting into TRC on the first listen. I had been listening to Prince and jazz-funk stuff for years by that point. Actually, I think it might be a strong contender for the best jazz-funk album of the past 30 years (yeah, there has not been that much competition, I know). A little while ago I was listening to "Family Name" and "The Everlasting Now" on headphones and still went when listening to all the intricacies in the arrangements and performances.

As an answer to the question on how well it reflects Prince:

Lyrically, I think it reflects Prince only during a certain period of his life (I'm an atheist myself but I understand the importance of religious themes in African-American music and can appreciate them when they are handled in an interesting way).

Musically, he just got a lot of things right after the disastrous NPS and Rave - the arrangements, choice of instrumentation, mixing, pretty much everything. The only track that ends up sounding like he's still a bit "lost" production-wise is "The Last December", but it's enjoyable nevertheless. The album just sounded like what he should have sounded at that point of his career (and at his age). While I'm not a huge fan of Musicology, at least on that album he continued to utilize what was good about the approach on TRC and ditched the NPS / Rave / NPGMC era sound altogether.

Yes I too absolutely LOVED this cd!! I always wished he would do another album in this style. Definately one of his best albums and I really don't understand how Prince fans don't like this. I have played this cd for many people who never really gave Prince a chance and many of them really dug this cd. This cd was very marketable and Prince should have really promoted this full scale.

I cut n pasted the Voice pieces, I'm surprised the story did not end with a conclusion from the Voice

.

narration from a computer-distorted Prince

As prophesied, the Wise One and his woman were tempted by the Resistor. He,
knowing full well the Wise One's love 4 God, assimilated the woman first and
only. Quite naturally, chaos ensued and she and 5 others were banished from
the rainbow.4ever.
.
The Wise One who understood the law that was handed down from God long ago,
held fast in his belief that the Lord would bring him another one who loved him so.

.

The Banished Ones approaching the palace shouted obscenities. They tried 2
confuse the Rainbow Children and dethron their king. Using the lies promoted
by the whosepapers, hellavisions, and scagazines- The Banished Ones
constructed a Digital Garden around the palace that extended throughout the
world. Furthermore they demanded compensation 4 their time spent in the
palace b4 the exile. This was noise! "So be it," said the Wise One, and
gladly obliged with an INVISIBLE DEED. The Banished Ones accepted and
returned to their place of birth in MendaCity. As 4 the Rainbow Children,
they began deconstructing the Digital Garden. Door to door they went in
search of those willing to do The Work

.

From all over, the people came 2 do The Work. And with every phase of the
deconstruction the Everlasting Now became evermore reality. Everywhere the
people were witnessing a change, but the alchemy occurred most in the Muse.

.

.
As she fell in2 the Sensual Everafter, out of bodyout of mind,
she stroked her hair a hundred times.
And as she fell deeper in2 the hypnotic unwind, he counted his way in2 the suggestive mind.
Planting a seed that bears fruit on the tree,
he said, repeat after me.repeat after me.repeat after me.1+1+1 is 3

.

Cbabi Bayoc

(pronounced Kuh-bob-bi) Bayoc

Cbabi stands for Creative Black Artist Battling Ignorance and Bayoc stands for Blessed African Youth of Creativity.

Light Touch by Cbabi Bayoc

A graduate of Grambling University, C’Babi Bayoc has stayed true to himself by creating works of art that reveals a sense of cultural pride, community, and family. Whether Cbabi’s message is; African American men who love their families, or have pride in self and culture. Viewing his work, I always receive the message and I feel the pride, the love, and the power.

http://hollydaybeauty.com...-bi-bayoc/

UPTOWN ISSUE 52. ). The Rainbow Children review and analysis. Interview with Cbabi Bayoc by Lela Jefferson. Bayoc is the artist who did the cover of The Rainbow Children. Bayoc talks about his background and how Prince came to choose his painting as the cover artwork. YOU'RE READY 4 ONE NITE ALONE WITH PRINCE is part one of a comprehensive One Nite Alone tour report. The tour kicked off on 1 March 2002 and report covers the concerts that were played up to and including New York, 9 April (Inc.a set list matrix and detailed info

The mid-tempo love song "Muse 2 the Pharaoh" is both generous and incomprehensible:

In live shows, he changes the lyric to the opposite of NATO is monotheism

Come on y'all, uh!
Ooh, ooh darling, oh
If she could be muse 2 the Pharaoh
Then one day she might be queen
If like Sheba, she then could bring presents and wine
The helix - he might get between them
In other words - intertwine
With the ebony milk of her thighs, yeah
She could be muse and let him decide
Perhaps she'll let him decide
She could be muse, yeah

There is nothing he wouldn't give her, see?
4 the future of the nation rests in belly
And if the Proverb of the 31 and verse 10

[Proverbs 31¹⁰ Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.]

Becomes the song she sings again and again
She might be queen

Keep clappin', y'all

If she could be muse 2 the Pharaoh
One day she might be queen

Take a load off sweetie darling
Let me run agenda through your hair
There's so much information 4 the next generation
Who gonna drop it if U're not there?
And whether the enemy makes a run on the palace
Or whether the enemy does not
The children will be laced with the protection of the word of God
The opposite of NATO is OTAN

And if the number 13 is such a bad luck number
When there's no such thing as luck
The berries, talons, arrows and stars
Are all superstitions, what the ....
Get busy, big baby cuz when dem devil come
They come dressed as light
Maybe they gon' fool the untrained mind
But nobody I know gon' bite
Like a thief in the night, my Lord come and strike
Leave nothing but ashes 2 the left, dust 2 the right
Holocaust aside, many lived and died
When all truth is told, would U rather be dead or be sold?
Sold 2 the one who can now mate
The displaced bloodline with the white jail bait
Thinkin' like the keys on 'Nato's piano just fine

So there it is - 4 U 2 see
What's beyond U and me
Depends my friends primarily
On how U view your role in eternity

If she could be muse 2 the Pharaoh
Then one day she might be queen

according 2 Org member: theDance there are secret messages in the One video

(1) Mayte was Nefertiti and was Akhenaten so you are my slave

I love it because for me it sounds like Prince. I immediately heard sounds that felt like those foundational albums and songs from the 80s yet it sounded up to date. I'm someone who hears the music 1st how the song is sung/presented/harmonies etc 2nd and the lyrics 3rd

I love it because for me it was cohesive, it flowed, the songs were interconnected in ways I don't think the 1990s albums (minus the Truth/and possibly Emancipation) did not. the 1980s albums had a thematic flow/connection. This album is risky, it is colorful, it gave my sounds I longed for since 1989 as far as Prince is concerned. I wish he would have continued in that frame of mind. And I definately wished he promoted it as a an album.

The last album he released that I liked. Even though the Rave album was awful I gave him another chance. The lyrics are rhetorical and preachy but the music was on point. After 2001 I never liked another Prince CD. Being a lifetime Prince listener I bought Musicology though. Wow was that a mistake. I think I let somebody borrow it and never asked for it back

bashraka said:

"The Rainbow Children" deserves to get the 33 1/3 treatment, meaning a a book should be written about this album. The album was recorded and released in the midst of the Neo-Soul genre movement and a year and half after D'Angelo experienced his greatest critical and commericial acclaim with the "Voodoo" album and tour. D'Angelo was able to translate the rhythm and blues of yesteryear and hip hop musical aesthetic and combine it to win over young people who weren't born for Sly Stone, James Brown and George Clinton's heyday. D'Angelo's "Voodoo Tour" was creative continuation of the "Parade Tour", the progenitor for D'Angelo as a singer and songwriter.

"2045 Radical Man", "Daisy Chain" and "When Will We Be Paid" are songwriting warms ups for Prince's best musical take on race relations: "Family Name". What fascinated me about this album and the aforementioned song is Prince's determination to write music and lyrics that confront racism in practical terms and how race, religion and love affect everyone. I always felt the Jehovah Witness tenets throughout the album was him expressing his new leash on life after embracing the religiion. I never felt he was preaching as much he was extoling how much his faith brought him out of a rut.

The Kevin Smith video, "An Evening With Kevin Smith" is hilarious and even though I know some aprts were exaggerated, it is totally plausible. The Celebrations at Paisley Park, the album listening parties and Q&A with fans represented his way of informal witnessing. The exchanges between Prince and fans were controversial based on ideas, but the sense of community he established was atypical of his usual modus operandi. I LOVE THIS ERA!

AWESOME! While I do disagree about writing a 33 1/3 book on it (most of those books are hit and miss but when theyre good, theyre GREAT! Check out the ones for Nas' Illmatic and Slayer's Reign In Blood), I couldnt have dreamed of saying what you said any better! Props.

ThomasBjj said:

I'll tell you, I immediately LOVED: The Work, Everywhere, & She Loves Me 4 Me.

But beyond that, I was put off by the whole album, and couldn't stand the Slowed Down Voice narration. Over the course of maybe 6 months of playing it in the background, then listening to it closely with head phones, I came to appreciate it more and more.

In the last 4-5 years, I've grown to LOVE the whole album. It's probably Top 5 Prince albums of all time for me. Individually, most of this albums tracks are GREAT, as a WHOLE.... MASTERPIECE. 10/10, 5 Stars.

"Wedding Feast" is a lame little segue. "Mellow" & "1+1+1=3" are good, but not in my Top 100 Prince songs. As a song "Family Name" is all over the place. If it was condensed into a real "song" without all the narration and jumps, it would be very good.

I hate this cd, but I agree 100% on the songs you like , plus "LAST DECEMBER".