Why isn't this album considered a classic? " Love every song expect for "Arms of Orion"

[Edited 4/27/14 1:39am]

need to clarify that i don't hate "arms of orion" but it's probably my least favorite on the album.

[Edited 4/27/14 22:29pm]

FunkyD said:

Why isn't this album considered a classic? " Love every song expect for "Arms of Orion"

[Edited 4/27/14 1:34am]

THAT is why it isn't a "classic" but it is (for 8 tracks) a very good album. The Arms of Orion is in the same folder (ie never play this for damaging my ears and Prince's reputation) as the songs Grafitti Bridge and that Fallinlove... crap he released last month!

jaypotton said:

FunkyD said:

Why isn't this album considered a classic? " Love every song expect for "Arms of Orion"

[Edited 4/27/14 1:34am]

THAT is why it isn't a "classic" but it is (for 8 tracks) a very good album. The Arms of Orion is in the same folder (ie never play this for damaging my ears and Prince's reputation) as the songs Grafitti Bridge and that Fallinlove... crap he released last month!

"Temptation" dosen't stop "Around the world" in a day to be a classic to fans though. Most fans seem to hate on this song.

I think its because coming off the back of parade, sign and lovesexy it felt lightweight and slightly filler....lacking depth,cohesion and quality in comparison. It also suffers from the view that prince's great period was from 79' to 88' with batman signalling the downward spiral.

However, i dont think its bad at all. I dip in every now and then.... ive always loved the line 'i would rather drink 6 razorblades from a paper cup'.....Plus 'Vicki waiting' is as lush as anything he did from the mid eighties and a great lyric too....for that song alone its worth it.

Thats just my tuppance.

For the most part it misses (a) soul, I think. As opposed to its follow-up, Graffiti Bridge.

And you might not like Arms of Orion, but the singing (of both) is superb. It's a real duet, unlike Diamonds And Pearls, and a far better song.

FunkyD said:

littlejim said:

I think its because coming off the back of parade, sign and lovesexy it felt lightweight and slightly filler....lacking depth,cohesion and quality in comparison. It also suffers from the view that prince's great period was from 79' to 88' with batman signalling the downward spiral.

However, i dont think its bad at all. I dip in every now and then.... ive always loved the line 'i would rather drink 6 razorblades from a paper cup'.....Plus 'Vicki waiting' is as lush as anything he did from the mid eighties and a great lyric too....for that song alone its worth it.

Thats just my tuppance.

Imo It's cohesive in terms of sound. He managed to create a batman funk sound which seperates itself from the previous albums. That's why i don't compare it to previous releases. His approach for this album was different and it worked

[Edited 4/27/14 2:38am]

FunkyD said:

funkomatic said:

FunkyD said:

"Temptation" dosen't stop "Around the world" in a day to be a classic to fans though. Most fans seem to hate on this song.

Lol, Temptation is one of the reason why ATWIAD is considered a classic.

Well i was wrong about most fans hating it . remember reading a thread with negative comments about it so i assumed it was hated on.

I like this album, especially "electric chair" and "batdance". And the remix of "the future" is awesome. The live performance of "electric chair" on snl is breathtaking.

I think for most people it's viewed as a soundtrack, not a "Prince album". In the same vein as Queen with their Flash Gordon soundtrack.

.

Personally, I love the album (I do consider it an album) but it was a very commercial statement at a time when Prince was coming off of 2-3 artistic statements. Following the Lovesexy album and tour, I would've preferred that Prince continue down that direction.

Se7en said:

I think for most people it's viewed as a soundtrack, not a "Prince album". In the same vein as Queen with their Flash Gordon soundtrack.

.

Personally, I love the album (I do consider it an album) but it was a very commercial statement at a time when Prince was coming off of 2-3 artistic statements. Following the Lovesexy album and tour, I would've preferred that Prince continue down that direction.

The first single "Batdance" isn't commercial at all. Without the movie hype and a different name it wouldn't have been a hit. It's too weird and unusal, very artistic.

Pentacle said:

For the most part it misses (a) soul, I think. As opposed to its follow-up, Graffiti Bridge.

And you might not like Arms of Orion, but the singing (of both) is superb. It's a real duet, unlike Diamonds And Pearls, and a far better song.

I agree, even though many of the songs were created during the Lovesexy period, they have a very rushed feel to them. Well actually they were rushed. I believe most a Prince album no Sheila E no Dr Fink, no anyone,

.

If you look at the majority of cuts from the Graffiti Bridge album even some of the Times music, they were already created ie the Purple Rain period:Chocolate (Prince Wendy & Lisa and whoever else) Tick Tick Bang(will always prefer the 1981 version) and many of the other cuts were created during the 1985/86 period. So I alway wonder what a straight out album of songs made in 1989/90 for the GB soundtrack would sound like

i like batman a lot but judging from the tracks around that period...rave'89 would have been a better record!!

...heck i think that if he releases good man right now, it would work.

Bring on the 25th Anniversary Limited Deluxe Edition Remaster of the Batman soundtrack! WB is celebrating Batman's 75th Anniversary with a ton of releases this year, including the long awaited Batman TV show from '66. Since they also just got Prince back, why not sneak a Batman SE in alongside the PR SE?

ludwig said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Pentacle said:

For the most part it misses (a) soul, I think. As opposed to its follow-up, Graffiti Bridge.

And you might not like Arms of Orion, but the singing (of both) is superb. It's a real duet, unlike Diamonds And Pearls, and a far better song.

I agree, even though many of the songs were created during the Lovesexy period, they have a very rushed feel to them. Well actually they were rushed. I believe most a Prince album no Sheila E no Dr Fink, no anyone,

.

If you look at the majority of cuts from the Graffiti Bridge album even some of the Times music, they were already created ie the Purple Rain period:Chocolate (Prince Wendy & Lisa and whoever else) Tick Tick Bang(will always prefer the 1981 version) and many of the other cuts were created during the 1985/86 period. So I alway wonder what a straight out album of songs made in 1989/90 for the GB soundtrack would sound like

Yes, they were rushed. And songs like Partyman, Lemon Crush, Trust - they are throwaways.

Like the Vault book says: Graffiti Bridge is really a compilation album, going back to '81 with Tick, Tick Bang. I prefer the remake, I have to say; same with the remade You/U (with Prince vocals, not Paula Abdul's), I think the update is perfect. Shake! may be a throwaway too, but at least it makes me smile. GB is still my favorite album.

errant said:

I like it more than Lovesexy

Pentacle said:

GB is still my favorite album.

Well, what to say!?

[Edited 4/27/14 8:43am]

errant said:

ludwig said:

The first single "Batdance" isn't commercial at all. Without the movie hype and a different name it wouldn't have been a hit. It's too weird and unusal, very artistic.

"Batdance" is the very definition of commercial. It is, by and large, an actual commercial.

Nothing in the charts from that era sounds like this. It's totally different from anything else that was popular back then.

ludwig said:

errant said:

ludwig said: "Batdance" is the very definition of commercial. It is, by and large, an actual commercial.

Nothing in the charts from that era sounds like this. It's totally different from anything else that was popular back then.

There was a decent amount of house music making its way into the mainstream. He added movie clips.

it is a great track. it is experimental. but it is, for all intents and purposes, a commercial for the film.

Pentacle said:

Stymie said:

GB is my favorite album too.

Hmmm for me - remove all the non Prince tracks, drop Grafitti Bridge the song (awful), replace We Can Funk with the version that had Miko's guitar solo and add Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic as the opening track (and maybe also God Is Alive) and you have an excellent Prince album indeed!

jaypotton said:

Stymie said:

GB is my favorite album too.

Hmmm for me - remove all the non Prince tracks, drop Grafitti Bridge the song (awful), replace We Can Funk with the version that had Miko's guitar solo and add Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic as the opening track (and maybe also God Is Alive) and you have an excellent Prince album indeed!

Don't forget to replace Still Would Stand All Time with the Small Club version! I guess that might ruin the flow of the album a bit, but it's so much better than the cheesy overproduced one on the record.

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

jaypotton said:

Hmmm for me - remove all the non Prince tracks, drop Grafitti Bridge the song (awful), replace We Can Funk with the version that had Miko's guitar solo and add Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic as the opening track (and maybe also God Is Alive) and you have an excellent Prince album indeed!

Don't forget to replace Still Would Stand All Time with the Small Club version! I guess that might ruin the flow of the album a bit, but it's so much better than the cheesy overproduced one on the record.

Damn never heard that!

ludwig said:

errant said:

ludwig said: "Batdance" is the very definition of commercial. It is, by and large, an actual commercial.

Nothing in the charts from that era sounds like this. It's totally different from anything else that was popular back then.

Nothing sounded like that exactly but conceptually it was derivative of major house hits such as M/A/R/S' Pump Up The Volume and S'Express' Theme From S'Express, which were more experimental cut-up tracks made of samples and sound collages than songs in the traditional sense of the term. Prince surfed on the phenomenon but of course he came up with a very personal interpretation of it. Batdance was, by all means, not an easy track to sell to the masses, but its success precisely proves that the suckers will buy anything as long as it's highly promoted.

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

jaypotton said:

Hmmm for me - remove all the non Prince tracks, drop Grafitti Bridge the song (awful), replace We Can Funk with the version that had Miko's guitar solo and add Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic as the opening track (and maybe also God Is Alive) and you have an excellent Prince album indeed!

Don't forget to replace Still Would Stand All Time with the Small Club version! I guess that might ruin the flow of the album a bit, but it's so much better than the cheesy overproduced one on the record.

Damn never heard that! urgh double post

[Edited 4/27/14 10:54am]

databank said:

Batdance was, by all means, not an easy track to sell to the masses, but its success precisely proves that the suckers will buy anything as long as it's highly promoted.

Yeah, I was one of those "suckers". Batdance was my first Prince record, and Batman was the first album I ever bought. I started off as a Batman fan and ended up a Prince fan.

funkomatic said:

funkomatic said: