Second listen. The original isn't one of my fave recent songs but it had a cohesiveness and energy of its own. I maintain this one is a mess. Sounds like a confused maxi-single remix that totally missed the point of the original composition. We've had plenty of such remixes, Prince or otherwise, they're part of the biz, maxi single remixes have almost become an art of "hit or miss" for the last 25 years or so. Now having this on an album????

murph said:

I don't know where we're supposed to talk about this song, because there's multiple threads... but I just want to say... I LOVE THIS! It feels like the kind of thing that would fit on an album like SOTT, where none of the tracks sound like each other. Yes, it's weird, but it's that special kind of Prince weird that just works.

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

duggalolly said:

I'm glad Camille is back.

Don't know nor care what that's supposed to be but Camille it ain't!

Except, it totally is. The first part of this song could be on the Camille album and not sound out of place.

V10LETBLUES said:

Aerogram said:

I am pretty sure Taylor herself would tell you you're talking crazy.

I'm pretty sure not.

I agree somewhat.

.

Gotta be said those fake grins and affection Prince gets from his contempories these days at awards shows and the like are purely just for being still around. The people behind those fake grins don't like his new music, probably don't even own it or even heard it once. I've noticed this with other older artists too.

.

Still i'd imagine it's better to be a Prince or a Stevie Wonder though.

murph said:

My take.....

I knew this "FunknRoll" remix would divide the hardcore fans...lol....Hell, I was pretty much WTF when I first heard an early preview of that song back in Feb ...Didn't know what to think about Prince meets The Trap meets Hyphy...Still don't...But that last minute or so grabbed me by the fucking neck...Me and my boy looked at each other like, "WEIRDO PRINCE is alive and kickin'....

But a few things in this posts need to be addressed....

--First, the actual musical nods that Prince is giving has nothing to do with the '90s.......This is more of a mix of the Bay Area post '00 sound of maybe 3-4 years ago mixed with a little of the Trap-ish club music you would hear today...Some of the Orgers comparing this to '90s R&B/hip-hop production seem a little out-of-touch...There's nothing '90s about this....At all....

--In terms of style this is contemporary as Prince has ever gotten...much in the same way as he did with "Get Off" it still retains that curveball, weirdo Prince vibe....Still, I can see how the "FunkNRoll" remix would turn off longtime fans...

--I don't know about us old heads, but I'm quite surprised by the reaction to this song by the youngins....Twitter is the true barometer of these things. When you see teens and 20somethings post stuff like "I like this new Prince song" or "this is a club banger" it shows once again that the world is way bigger than the Org bubble....

--And I'm kinda perplexed with some folks bringing up Taylor Swift in the context of what Prince should be doing. I spit out my orange juice when I read that shit...lol...There's some major Trolling going on....

[Edited 9/21/14 10:26am]

Bolded for emphasis

Aerogram said:

Meanwhile, love it or hate it, the FUNKNROLL audio video is just over of 65,000 views after three days (from 42,000 early yesterday).

This is not impressive at all.

murph said:

Marrk said:

V10LETBLUES said:

V10LETBLUES said:

murph said:

Turn that troll down, homie....It's really loud....

And I wasn't directing my post to one person...It was about some of the comments I've been reading about the actual production values of the track on the Org....I even read how "FunkNRoll" was Prince doing Timbaland (not from u...but from others...)

Listen. I get it. U don't like me and I don't very much care for yo trolling ass either. But u have to have thicker skin than this; especially when I didn't even make it a point to respond to any of your posts in this thread or attack u in any way.

Let's keep it clean Violet. Trust. If I call u out I def. understand u going HAM. But my post up top wasn't the case....

[Edited 9/21/14 10:40am]

man take a long look in the mirror, you go calling people trolls and what not who don't agree with your opinions. You like it, cool, just chill out. I made fun if WB for releasing this and you got all bent out of shape trolling me. Trolling is what you are doing. Relax dude, you sound like you have and stake in this or something

No..the song is not for me beyond the ending of the track. Not much of a fan as I stated in previous threads....But that doesn't mean that other folks are bonkers for liking...Different strokes and all that...

But a few things....

I made fun of you because u were talking out of your ass about things u know nothing about. I will continue to point out when u r trolling on a Prince site about bullshit that is above your pay grade....That includes getting inside of the pockets of the suits at Warner Bros when said deals go beyond what two new albums from a veteran music act means for the bottom line of a multi billion dollar corporation whose music holdings are but a mere drop in a bucket to their overall business structure...

And who do I sound like? Like a guy who covers such things for a living...I sound like a guy who is trying to be as measured as possible..... I'm trying to be as respectful to u as possible, which is why I made it a point to not respond to your previous posts in this thread because your angle is very clear...

So now that I can see that u lash out at the thought of any criticism (even when I'm not engaging u) then I will certainly try to be more careful about your fragile self worth...

[Edited 9/21/14 20:56pm]

Gohi said:

Aerogram said:

Meanwhile, love it or hate it, the FUNKNROLL audio video is just over of 65,000 views after three days (from 42,000 early yesterday).

This is not impressive at all.

It's more than alright for someone who has not charted in ages or been promoted properly.

Cerebus said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

Don't know nor care what that's supposed to be but Camille it ain't!

Except, it totally is. The first part of this song could be on the Camille album and not sound out of place.

I agree, it is very "Camillish". Camille isn't just sped up vocals, it's a mood/atmosphere, and this song does have a similar vibe.

Aerogram said:

murph said:

My take.....

I knew this "FunknRoll" remix would divide the hardcore fans...lol....Hell, I was pretty much WTF when I first heard an early preview of that song back in Feb ...Didn't know what to think about Prince meets The Trap meets Hyphy...Still don't...But that last minute or so grabbed me by the fucking neck...Me and my boy looked at each other like, "WEIRDO PRINCE is alive and kickin'....

But a few things in this posts need to be addressed....

--First, the actual musical nods that Prince is giving has nothing to do with the '90s.......This is more of a mix of the Bay Area post '00 sound of maybe 3-4 years ago mixed with a little of the Trap-ish club music you would hear today...Some of the Orgers comparing this to '90s R&B/hip-hop production seem a little out-of-touch...There's nothing '90s about this....At all....

--In terms of style this is contemporary as Prince has ever gotten...much in the same way as he did with "Get Off" it still retains that curveball, weirdo Prince vibe....Still, I can see how the "FunkNRoll" remix would turn off longtime fans...

--I don't know about us old heads, but I'm quite surprised by the reaction to this song by the youngins....Twitter is the true barometer of these things. When you see teens and 20somethings post stuff like "I like this new Prince song" or "this is a club banger" it shows once again that the world is way bigger than the Org bubble....

--And I'm kinda perplexed with some folks bringing up Taylor Swift in the context of what Prince should be doing. I spit out my orange juice when I read that shit...lol...There's some major Trolling going on....

[Edited 9/21/14 10:26am]

Thank you for a very informative post, you clearly know your hip hop and I think many of us don't so that's a welcomed perspective.

Thanks....I do what I can.....

Just wanted to clear up a misconception I've seen on several threads here. Warner Music (the Warner Bros., Elektra, Atlantic and affiliated labels) are no longer owned by Time Warner (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Comics, HBO, etc.). When the bottom fell out of the music industry most of the big conglamorates sold off their music holdings. For instance NBC/Universal/Comcast doesn't own Universal Music, a French company Vivendi does. The only big conglamorate to keep their music division is Sony.

Warner Music currently has nothing to do with Time Warner other than a royalty-free license to use the Warner Bros. name and logo. They are presently owned by Access Industries.

http://www.accessindustri...h_wmg.html

Warner Bros. YouTube PURPLE RAIN REMASTER

WHEN?????????????????????????????????

murph said:

V10LETBLUES said:

murph said: man take a long look in the mirror, you go calling people trolls and what not who don't agree with your opinions. You like it, cool, just chill out. I made fun if WB for releasing this and you got all bent out of shape trolling me. Trolling is what you are doing. Relax dude, you sound like you have and stake in this or something

No..the song is not for me beyond the ending of the track. Not much of a fan as I stated in previous threads....But that doesn't mean that other folks are bonkers for liking...Different strokes and all that...

But a few things....

I made fun of you because u were talking out of your ass about things u know nothing about. I will continue to point out when u r trolling on a Prince site about bullshit that is above your pay grade....That includes getting inside of the pockets of the suits at Warner Bros when said deals go beyond what two new albums from a veteran music act means for the bottom line of a multi billion dollar corporation whose music holdings are but a mere drop in a bucket to their overall business structure...

And who do I sound like? Like a guy who covers such things for a living...I sound like a guy who is trying to be as measured as possible..... I'm trying to be as respectful to u as possible, which is why I made it a point to not respond to your previous posts in this thread because your angle is very clear...

So now that I can see that u lash out at the thought of any criticism (even when I'm not engaging u) then I will certainly try to be more careful about your fragile self worth...

[Edited 9/21/14 20:56pm]

Cerebus said:

I don't know where we're supposed to talk about this song, because there's multiple threads... but I just want to say... I LOVE THIS! It feels like the kind of thing that would fit on an album like SOTT, where none of the tracks sound like each other. Yes, it's weird, but it's that special kind of Prince weird that just works.

Okay - who are you and what have you done with my friend Cerebus?

novabrkr said:

Noodled24 said:

Messy in what way? It's fairly stripped down for a dance track. Even managing to sound drum&bass like in parts. The guitars are crisp and sharp. The drums sound big. His vocals are clear.

Granted if dance music isn't your thing then fair play. It's unlikely you'd get much from it. But messy implies cluttered, too much going on - and that isn't the case at all.

For the first time in a long time I'd love to hear an extended version of this song where he gets REALLY messy.

"Messy" also implies that the different elements do not interact with each other in a musical way, which is the case with this track.

That resonant "bottle" sound just doesn't work rhythmically with the melody of the song, no matter how "cool" people may think such things sound. There's no real continuity between the different sections either. I'm particularly irked myself by how out of the place the break from the original sounds when it appears here. Live drums are used on the break, but the rest of the drums on this version have electronic, synthesized ones. There's also grimey distortion from the band instruments present during the break, but none of that's present during the end section. The synths at the end are supposed to sound aggressive, but they sound very bland, in a software-generated way. As far as the selection of different sounds go, the track is a complete mess.

If people think it sounds "cool" then it works. By that logic "kiss" is messy and doesn't work. Nor does "when doves cry"... or "dorothy parker"

I'm not sure whats ment by continuity. "A song needs to sound the same at the beginning, middle and end? why?... The continuity I think - comes from the intro which is used throughout the song. I disagree that ANY of FnR is supposed to sound aggressive. It's not trying to be underground drum and bass. Synths by their nature sound software generated because they are. Bland? no way.

The last part is also "messy in a cluttered way" as it's just sounds getting stacked on top of each other without a proper arrangement being present. What's played on the synths do not complement Prince's vocals at all (at many points they drift away from the implied harmonies, which makes it obvious that this is just a remix). I think many people here that have done music themselves are able to recognize many elements present on this track as the type of stuff you may yourself try out when you're younger and don't really know what the fuck you are doing.

Nonsense. For all the criticisms I've heard nobody has been able to put together anything like a musical critique of anything wrong with the song. "Messy" "amateurish".

Have you put on some headphones and listened to the song? if you're talking about the synths in part2 of the song (where it goes all dancy) - there aren't really any vocals. Just samples from the first half of the song. If you're talking about the synths in part1 of the song, there aren't really any not prominantly anyway.

The entire track is messy and amateurish. I've borrowed the latter expression from violetblues and with this track I'm in agreement with that description. I think the amateurish quality is mostly due to Josh Welton being involved. Prince is a veteran musician himself. I don't think he would be even able to come up with this type of novice-level stuff anymore. "FunkNRoll" as such, the original version, I think is good stuff.

I disagree. There are key Prince chords and sounds right the way through this. I don't believe for a second that Prince handed Josh the original version and said "do something with this so I can put it on my album too". I think this is prince giving a nod to Daft Punk if anything.

Noodled24 said:

If people think it sounds "cool" then it works. By that logic "kiss" is messy and doesn't work. Nor does "when doves cry"... or "dorothy parker"

I have not stated anywhere that something sounding cool would automatically mean it is also messy. There's nothing logical in your "counter-argument". In fact, it's an obvious logical fallacy.

Noodled24 said:

Synths by their nature sound software generated because they are.

Based on this comment I have to conclude that you don't even know what an analog synthesizer is or how common it is to use them in electronic music. I really should have stopped reading your comments by this point, because it's obvious you don't have the type of knowledge on these matters that you are pretending to have.

Noodled24 said:

Have you put on some headphones and listened to the song?

Sure. I also happen to have studio level monitors right here next to me if I need more reliable reference than what headphones can offer.

Noodled24 said:

if you're talking about the synths in part2 of the song (where it goes all dancy) - there aren't really any vocals. Just samples from the first half of the song.

The entire chorus is repeated during the end section.

Noodled24 said:

I don't believe for a second that Prince handed Josh the original version and said "do something with this so I can put it on my album too". I think this is prince giving a nod to Daft Punk if anything.

Well, we might have to wait for the album liner notes in order to get a confirmation on who did this remix. It is a remix, regardless. The sounds used on it are similar to what Josh Welton used for "FallInLove2Nite" and it's hardly unreasonable to assume he's done the remix.

I can't claim to know every track Daft Punk have done, but this one certainly doesn't sound like any Daft Punk track that I know of.

murph said:

My take.....

I knew this "FunknRoll" remix would divide the hardcore fans...lol....Hell, I was pretty much WTF when I first heard an early preview of that song back in Feb ...Didn't know what to think about Prince meets The Trap meets Hyphy...Still don't...But that last minute or so grabbed me by the fucking neck...Me and my boy looked at each other like, "WEIRDO PRINCE is alive and kickin'....

But a few things in this posts need to be addressed....

--First, the actual musical nods that Prince is giving has nothing to do with the '90s.......This is more of a mix of the Bay Area post '00 sound of maybe 3-4 years ago mixed with a little of the Trap-ish club music you would hear today...Some of the Orgers comparing this to '90s R&B/hip-hop production seem a little out-of-touch...There's nothing '90s about this....At all....

--In terms of style this is contemporary as Prince has ever gotten...much in the same way as he did with "Get Off" it still retains that curveball, weirdo Prince vibe....Still, I can see how the "FunkNRoll" remix would turn off longtime fans...

--I don't know about us old heads, but I'm quite surprised by the reaction to this song by the youngins....Twitter is the true barometer of these things. When you see teens and 20somethings post stuff like "I like this new Prince song" or "this is a club banger" it shows once again that the world is way bigger than the Org bubble....

--And I'm kinda perplexed with some folks bringing up Taylor Swift in the context of what Prince should be doing. I spit out my orange juice when I read that shit...lol...There's some major Trolling going on....

[Edited 9/21/14 10:26am]

Dude, this is absolutely one of the best posts I've ever read. Not only are you giving your opinion, but you are doing so while at the same time respecting others for doing the same. But most importantly, you are educating...which is truly refreshing around here. Not to ball wash at all, but I really wanted to thank you, and let you know it's appreciated. And makes perfect sense.

Oh, and I love the track myself...even as a long time fan. Not sure I would (after hearing it the first few times), but I do. Oh, and that part about 'WEIRDO PRINCE is alive and kickin'"...F'ing BRILLIANT btw!

electric said:

^ the yeezus comparison crossed my mind too... best album of the last 10 yrs by far. he should be listening, i doubt he is though because of the subject matter.

i'm sure this will create all sorts of tears on this forum but kanye is the only artist in the music biz right now that's making music at least 5 yrs ahead of it's time (the entire sound of radio right now is 808's & heartbreak, and that album confused the shit out of people when it came out, now they're all chasing that sound)

he's a futurist in the way prince was back in the day, when he would release an album and have everyone scratching their heads and a year later everyone would be trying to emulate it.

i don't understand all the hatred this tune is getting, it's the most exciting and freshest thing i've heard from p in ages. he sounds inspired!

in fact i'm really liking everything i've heard from art official age. stoked for the release!

Totally agree about Yeezus. I think Kanye is a jerk, as are many geniuses apparently, but he is way ahead of the curve and I love that album. The minimalist production makes the lyrics really stand out, too. And completely unrelated: his wife has a cute butt. I wanna be friends with it.

novabrkr said:

Noodled24 said:

If people think it sounds "cool" then it works. By that logic "kiss" is messy and doesn't work. Nor does "when doves cry"... or "dorothy parker"

I have not stated anywhere that something sounding cool would automatically mean it is also messy. There's nothing logical in your "counter-argument". In fact, it's an obvious logical fallacy.

Never said you did. They're two different statements (above) But it doesn't matter. "Messy" is an ambiguous term that conveys nothing.

The entire chorus is repeated during the end section.

You're right. it is. But I don't hear any synths that sound out of place.

Noodled24 said:

I don't believe for a second that Prince handed Josh the original version and said "do something with this so I can put it on my album too". I think this is prince giving a nod to Daft Punk if anything.

Well, we might have to wait for the album liner notes in order to get a confirmation on who did this remix. It is a remix, regardless. The sounds used on it are similar to what Josh Welton used for "FallInLove2Nite" and it's hardly unreasonable to assume he's done the remix.

I can't claim to know every track Daft Punk have done, but this one certainly doesn't sound like any Daft Punk track that I know of.

The liner notes will likely reveal nothing. Princevault doesn't mention Josh in relation to FIL2N. It's not like Prince hasn't made dance music before. So why you attribute it to Josh I don't know.

I never said it sounded like daft punk. I said it could easily be a nod to them.

I sense some sexual tension between you two bickering birds.

LOL

SchlomoThaHomo said:

That fucking outro tho!

The best part of the song kicks in after "I don't know what y'all be doin..." That's some good ish right there. And I'm willingly suffering the first half just to get to that.

after reading many members responses... i'll probably get some slack for saying this...

but many of prince's fans are... outdated.

yes, outdated.

this song obviously is a song to fit prince in the "market" again, that "woodpecker" noise is a general EDM beat most recently used for the mega international smash song called "ANIMALS".

so he is without a doubt trying to sound "relevant"

the song is not bad at all. not great, but not bad. but sounds how it should be for 2014.

the thing that is funny at times is to see many members always comparing his songs, to kiss, to this song to that song... you have to evolve, we can't keep comparing prince to the 1980's anymore. many of the members that don't like the NEW sounding material, happen to be the ones still stuck in that time where they think Prince will release another sign o the times. sorry that won't happen anymore.

funknroll is by no means a masterpiece and never will be. will people talk about this song 20 years from now, probably not. but this song is a time fitting song for 2014. prince can be whatever he wants to be, and his evolution and de-evolution at times causes many different opinions from his fans. but we need to appreciate that he is still making ALBUMS over 35 years later being in the business.

feeluupp said:

feeluupp said:

after reading many members responses... i'll probably get some slack for saying this...

but many of prince's fans are... outdated.

yes, outdated.

this song obviously is a song to fit prince in the "market" again, that "woodpecker" noise is a general EDM beat most recently used for the mega international smash song called "ANIMALS".

so he is without a doubt trying to sound "relevant"

the song is not bad at all. not great, but not bad. but sounds how it should be for 2014.

the thing that is funny at times is to see many members always comparing his songs, to kiss, to this song to that song... you have to evolve, we can't keep comparing prince to the 1980's anymore. many of the members that don't like the NEW sounding material, happen to be the ones still stuck in that time where they think Prince will release another sign o the times. sorry that won't happen anymore.

funknroll is by no means a masterpiece and never will be. will people talk about this song 20 years from now, probably not. but this song is a time fitting song for 2014. prince can be whatever he wants to be, and his evolution and de-evolution at times causes many different opinions from his fans. but we need to appreciate that he is still making ALBUMS over 35 years later being in the business.

I don't know about that. There are a LOT of people here who don't care for modern music, R&B and especially hip hop, but I think the people who have issues with this song tend to be saying that there's NO SONG. It's just a collection of AutoTune effects. There's no hook or underlying structure to it. I can't find the melody, the hook or the chord progressions. Having said that, I don't HATE it, but even effects heavy songs like "Kiss", "If I Was Your Girlfriend", "Breakfast Can Wait" and even "Judas Smile", "Silicon" or "Something in the Water" have an underlying structure to them that I can lock into and hum the next day or rattle out by clicking my molars.

.

This one, I can't even remember what it sounds like when I wake up in the morning.

.

It reminds me of "Love Left/Love Right", "Black Sweat" and the "Most Beautiful Girl" remixes. Say what you want about "Gett Off" and "Face Down" or whatever, but at least they had a thick, heavy bottom end and some banging percussion. This one doesn't stick in your head because there's nothing sticky in it.