"when i see people hating on Chaos & Disorder, evidently that's a display of personal opinion. but their person is completely wrong. i think y'all should RightTheWRONG!" - me.

i saw on a facebook thread of peoples least favorite prince album, many people said Chaos & Disorder.

personally, i love C&D and can listen to all songs except song 8, 9 and 11. and ive recently got into Right The Wrong.

but why is everybody hating on the album? i think its one of TAFKAP's best. and surely if it was that bad, 3EG wouldn't have brought back Chaos and Disorder and I Like It There.

am i missing something? or are THEY missing something?

Maybe it's only a matter of personal opinion?

Somehow it was kind of a great album and somehow it was kind of a failed one, I really can't decide, never could. I mean I really love it, mostly I just think Zannalee, Right The Wrong and The Same December would have been much more efficient without keys and horns, à la The Undertaker. Somehow this album captures many things that were typical of what pop music was in 1996 and somehow it fails to do it right. I think with high promotion Dinner With Dolores could have been a HUGE hit: it had everything to appeal those people who usually didn't listen to at all, brit-pop fans of Blur, Suede and co.

IDK. I mean it's an album I really like overall, there are some tracks on it that I totally worship even (C&D and I Like It There at least), but while I'm totally puzzled by why some other albums, such as Newpower Soul, are unpopular among fans, I can perfectly understand why some won't like C&D, it has a very particular mood of its own, it's cohesive but its cohesiveness doesn't jump to one's face, it takes a close listen, it's an odd little album.

Takes me back to the summer of '96. I'll always stick up for this record because it still brings a smile to my face, even Right The Wrong. It was also a great time to be a fan because in just a year's time span we had TGE, Chaos, and the 3-CD Emancipation. 5 cd's of material in a year?! Stop it. I guess it doesn't top the 6 cd's in '98, but I felt the quality started to suffer more that year.

I call it lack of listening, and only hearing. If you can still find a used cd store with Prince cds, I say give it the eye test. Most Prince cds will have visible marks and light or heavy scratches. I've looked at used Chaos And Disorder cds and most of them look like they just came out of the factory. These people were "told" that the album sucks, and believe it without listening to it at all, or just play it once or twice without really listening...just hearing the music. Huge difference.

In my opinion, several of the tracks are A Grade material...I'd break it down like this:

A: 6 awesome songs...if these were on The Gold Experience with Shh, Gold, Eye Hate U, and TMBGITW, nobody would be talking about how awful the album was

Chaos And Disorder

I Like It There

Dinner With Delores

Zannalee

Into The Light

I Will

B: Almost A grade material...both of these are more of a B plus

The Same December

Dig U Better Dead

C: Right The Wrong has some good points, but just doesn't compare to the other material. Had U is too short, and makes no real point...regardless of what other people say it is...some F U to Warners...who cares? That thing was so old by 96.

Right The Wrong

Had U

F: The song is pretty good, but the singing and horrible rapping ruin it.

I Rock, Therefore I Am

too many good ones to ignore

I did not like it the first time I listened to it. But, that bugga grew on me a lot. It is definitely not on my bottom list.

This is actually a good time to look back on Prince/album eras that you found unappealing. I think there are periods that this 2014 period you may find a new appreciation for.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Takes me back to the summer of '96. I'll always stick up for this record because it still brings a smile to my face, even Right The Wrong. It was also a great time to be a fan because in just a year's time span we had TGE, Chaos, and the 3-CD Emancipation. 5 cd's of material in a year?! Stop it. I guess it doesn't top the 6 cd's in '98, but I felt the quality started to suffer more that year.

The 5 cds in the "Hockey Puck" version of Crystal Ball easily could have fit on 3 cds. New Power Soul is among my least favorite Prince cds, but it's not really that bad. Since most of Crystal Ball was 90's outtakes, So that's 4 cds worth of material.

I would have to say that Gold, Chaos, and Emancipation were a little better overall...and if you took the time to add up all the times, it's probably a little more music...now if CB had more 80's outtakes on it...it wouldn't be close...but I'm not gonna take Poom Poom or 18 & Over instead of stronger material..

I think it's an 'OK' album.There's nothing really outstanding on it.To me,this album has several really great moments,but as a complete album,it falls flat.

here's one of those 'great moments' that I am referring to....

damn Delores,pick another subject,please

introduce the carpet to something other than your knees

I like that lyric

"when i see people hating on Chaos & Disorder, evidently that's a display of personal opinion. but their person is completely wrong. i think y'all should RightTheWRONG!" - me.

i saw on a facebook thread of peoples least favorite prince album, many people said Chaos & Disorder.

personally, i love C&D and can listen to all songs except song 8, 9 and 11. and ive recently got into Right The Wrong.

but why is everybody hating on the album? i think its one of TAFKAP's best.
[Edited 8/24/14 10:17am]

Chaos and Disorder is a BRILLIANT album!

Its a great album imo. I bought it at the same time as Emancipation and thought it was so much better than the 3 cd bore-fest. The only downside to C&D is Had U, DUBD, IRTIA. Those 3 songs just dont fit on what is an otherwise great guitar-based album. Its as if they were thrown on there to fill it up. Theyre ok songs, they just should have been on another album and replaced with some better guitar-type songs to go with the rest of the album.

If you're listening to his releases in order the rawness of Chaos & Disorder comes as a blessed relief after years of immaculately recorded music in the 90's.

I also think it's a great album and underrated in P's catalog. It's funny how it got written off as "contract-filler", but actually, he did some decent promotion for it, like doing "Dinner with Delores" and "Zannalee" on The Today Show.

I didn't like the album when I first heard it... It took a while for it to grow on me (years).

But it does bring back fond memories. I was out there at the Today Show when he performed and had a great time... That morning led to other positive things in my life.

I just found the promo cassette single of Dinner With Delores that was sent out to the Family Newsletter subscribers back before anyone even knew the album was coming. Such a cool little gift. I remember taking it and dubbing it several times onto a blank cassette so I could listen to it on "repeat."

.

I miss that newsletter. It was very informative and complete it its compilation of news articles, and they didn't shy away from criticizing him like some fan clubs would.

too short,

I really love the first half (the album title > The Same December),

+ "Zannalee" and "Had U".

Maybe the C&D album could have included:

Calhoun Square
Poom Poom
Whats My Name
Da Bang

Empty Room



Good, but not great:

Right The Wrong
I Rock...
Into The Light
I Will
Dig U Better Dead

Btw the artwork is terrible, with "Prince's heart" -symbolic- thrown in a toilet..

And the "1999" vinyl album smashed by a boot on the front cover, -symbolic- being Warner smashing their record deal?

One of the ugliest CD-album- covers ever, imho...... it was almost screaming "don't buy this album"..

thedance said:

And the "1999" vinyl album smashed by a boot on the front cover, -symbolic- being Warner smashing their record deal?

One of the ugliest CD-album- covers ever, imho...... it was almost screaming "don't buy this album"..

Here's a pic...


[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/ecnirp2004/Prince/Prince1999vinyl-ChaosAndDisorderCD_zpsfd71b9aa.jpg[/img:$uid]

SchlomoThaHomo said:

I just found the promo cassette single of Dinner With Delores that was sent out to the Family Newsletter subscribers back before anyone even knew the album was coming. Such a cool little gift. I remember taking it and dubbing it several times onto a blank cassette so I could listen to it on "repeat."

.

I miss that newsletter. It was very informative and complete it its compilation of news articles, and they didn't shy away from criticizing him like some fan clubs would.

According to Princevault it wasn't sent before the single was announced and if it was sent on the day it was put online it means people didn't get it until a few more days after the song premiered. They may be wrong, too, I'd be interested to know when u remember having this promo cassette exactly ^^

thedance said:

thedance said:

And the "1999" vinyl album smashed by a boot on the front cover, -symbolic- being Warner smashing their record deal?

One of the ugliest CD-album- covers ever, imho...... it was almost screaming "don't buy this album"..

I actually think it's 's best album covers, by far

databank said:

thedance said:

I actually think it's 's best album covers, by far

Ok... different opinions...

databank said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

I just found the promo cassette single of Dinner With Delores that was sent out to the Family Newsletter subscribers back before anyone even knew the album was coming. Such a cool little gift. I remember taking it and dubbing it several times onto a blank cassette so I could listen to it on "repeat."

.

I miss that newsletter. It was very informative and complete it its compilation of news articles, and they didn't shy away from criticizing him like some fan clubs would.

According to Princevault it wasn't sent before the single was announced and if it was sent on the day it was put online it means people didn't get it until a few more days after the song premiered. They may be wrong, too, I'd be interested to know when u remember having this promo cassette exactly ^^

I didn't have internet access back then, so I didn't know about it being online, or that it was even on the horizon. It just showed up with a newsletter one day.

thedance said:

databank said:

I actually think it's 's best album covers, by far

Ok... different opinions...

Typo: I wanted to write one of 's best, not his absolute best, there are a few others that I really like but obviously album covers isn't his greatest strenght

.

But yeah diffrerent folks different strokes

SchlomoThaHomo said:

databank said:

According to Princevault it wasn't sent before the single was announced and if it was sent on the day it was put online it means people didn't get it until a few more days after the song premiered. They may be wrong, too, I'd be interested to know when u remember having this promo cassette exactly ^^

I didn't have internet access back then, so I didn't know about it being online, or that it was even on the horizon. It just showed up with a newsletter one day.

Thx for clarifying

thedance said:

thedance said:

And the "1999" vinyl album smashed by a boot on the front cover, -symbolic- being Warner smashing their record deal?

One of the ugliest CD-album- covers ever, imho...... it was almost screaming "don't buy this album"..

Here's a pic...


[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/ecnirp2004/Prince/Prince1999vinyl-ChaosAndDisorderCD_zpsfd71b9aa.jpg[/img:$uid]

I'm "reaching", here. I know. But to me that album cover signified how his music audience switched from listening to Prince to listening to hip-hop, signified by the Timbaland boot that smashes the 1999 album. Maybe...

williamb610 said:

thedance said:

Here's a pic...


[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/ecnirp2004/Prince/Prince1999vinyl-ChaosAndDisorderCD_zpsfd71b9aa.jpg[/img:$uid]

I'm "reaching", here. I know. But to me that album cover signified how his music audience switched from listening to Prince to listening to hip-hop, signified by the Timbaland boot that smashes the 1999 album. Maybe...

A little more than "reaching" I would say!

There is nothing on the album to support that theory, yet there are plenty of lyrics aimed at WB and the music industry in general.

There is no branding on the boot imprint, so it's not necessarily a Timberland boot (and, really, it would have to have that mark on there if that is the point he wanted to make). A comment about losing his audience to hip-hop at this stage in his career is almost a decade late (even Prince made his feelings known about rap as early as 87). And I'm not even sure the statement itself is true - did Prince's fans really abandon him in favour of another genre? Is it not possible that people started listening to hip-hop but still listened to Prince? In all my years of listening to music, I can't say I have ever stopped listening to someone simply because another genre of music came along - in fact, I would get extremely bored focusing solely on one type of music!

I am a lover of this album.

can't explain it. I just do......

"Dinner with Delores" is a charming little tune, and the segue from "Into the Light" into "I Will" is absolutely gorgeous. He could have kept the rest.

[Edited 8/24/14 20:48pm]