I have found that AOC, Gold Standard, and FunknRoll need a good set of speakers, then they are great.

Ear buds do not do them justice.

Well, if you'd asked me 3 weeks ago which album was going to be the better of the two, i'd have put my house on PE. However, AOA is really bloody good.

As a body of work it all just flows so well compared to PE.

I haven't stopped listening to AOA all week.

The Gold Standard is my kind of music. I'm absolutely playing it to death.

Thank God one of them is a goodun after such a long wait.

The Gold Standard is definitely red meat for fans like us, using some of the best elements from some of his best classics. Thank you, Prince.

Well, after having a week to let it settle in I am still in no doubt its a great album. However, as hard as I have tried, I just cannot get the Breakdown to sink in so I have just obliterated it from the playlist. BCW was also a bit troublesome so I have replaced it with the Espresso mix which I like much better and it lifts the pace a bit.

With those changes I feel ive almost got the best listening experience but I do have one more issue with it.... The Gold Standard! [Dodges incoming flying objects...]

I think it is a fantastic song but I just think it feels out of place on the album. It is more old school which disrupts the soundscape somewhat of the rest of the album.

So with that all said, it is obviously not a flawless album as I have had to jig it around a bit. But I will maintain that the 2nd half is sublime and should not be messed with!

KingSausage said:

I can't stop listening to AOA. It's just too fucking good!

Dude, I've been making up reasons to go to the store just so I can listen to it in my car with the sunroof open. Now I've got 10 gallons of milk and enough soup to feed an army!

dodger said:

JoeTyler said:

NONE of the songs of AOA can even dream of touching The Dance or The Word from 3121...

Don't you honestly think Way Back Home, Gold Standard or Time are equally as good? I like The Dance and The Word but I'd say those 3 and maybe one or two others from AOA are better

Time is ruined by the unnecessary female voice

Gold Standard is an okish jam, nowhere as good as Chelsea Rodgers, for example

Way Back Home is a good song (probably the only GOOD song in AOA), but nowhere as good as The Dance or The Word

[Edited 10/2/14 7:28am]

Rebeljuice said:

Well, after having a week to let it settle in I am still in no doubt its a great album. However, as hard as I have tried, I just cannot get the Breakdown to sink in so I have just obliterated it from the playlist. BCW was also a bit troublesome so I have replaced it with the Espresso mix which I like much better and it lifts the pace a bit.

With those changes I feel ive almost got the best listening experience but I do have one more issue with it.... The Gold Standard! [Dodges incoming flying objects...]

I think it is a fantastic song but I just think it feels out of place on the album. It is more old school which disrupts the soundscape somewhat of the rest of the album.

So with that all said, it is obviously not a flawless album as I have had to jig it around a bit. But I will maintain that the 2nd half is sublime and should not be messed with!

TOTALLY agree with this statement. The Gold Standard is out of place for AOA, even though I love how it so smoothly goes into U Know. It should have been saved for the NPG album. Groovy Potential should have taken it's place.

We need an extended remix Gold Standard because I love that Bob George ending and when the thick bass kicks in but then it just....quits. My wife finally sat down and spun it ast night with some phones on was like "yeah. I can see how you were moved" listening to Way Back Home and the outro.

JoeTyler said:

dodger said:

Don't you honestly think Way Back Home, Gold Standard or Time are equally as good? I like The Dance and The Word but I'd say those 3 and maybe one or two others from AOA are better

Time is ruined by the unnecessary female voice

Gold Standard is an okish jam, nowhere as good as Chelsea Rodgers, for example

Way Back Home is a good song (probably the only GOOD song in AOA), but nowhere as good as The Dance or The Word

[Edited 10/2/14 7:28am]

Its all about opinions but I'm surprised you'd rate Chelsea Rodgers above Gold Standard.

But I've just noticed your signature line and you seem to be anti AOA for some reason

fairmoan said:

I'm not as ecstatic about the album as most seem to be. There's plenty of good music there, to be sure. But I'm not sure that AOA is appreciably better than the rest of his post-TRC output. Outside of some more interesting and adventurous production I'd say it falls squarely in the Musicology-Planet Earth-3121-MPLSound-20Ten tradition. I find it hard to accept that it's some kind of momentous comeback.

Cage - one of his worst ever opening tracks. There's a lot going on here but not much of it works. It's more successful as a statement of attitude and purpose than as a song.

Clouds - his most assured pop/R&B material at least since the early 1990s. I'm not sure whether he fully harnesses the potential of the chorus, but overall it's an intoxicating and catchy song.

Breakdown - this one strikes me as a little out of place on the album and disrupts the momentum created from Clouds. As a song it leaves me a little cold, as much as I want to like it.

The Gold Standard - a far more convincing recreation of late-80s party anthem Prince than anything he's done in recent years (think Dance 4 Me). Very reminiscent of The Black Album, I wouldn't be surprised if this is a reworking of a vault track. I find the production/mastering on this a bit loud/harsh but that's a minor complaint. 4:27 onwards is particularly good and I get shivers of pleasure when he sings "it's really amazing" at 5:05.

U Know - first-class song and the least dated he has sounded for years, but is that just because he copied much of the song from another (young) artist?

Breakfast Can Wait - for some reason I like this a lot more in the context of the album. Extremely catchy and great vocal arrangement in the chorus (at least until the chipmunks arrive).

This Could Be Us - Emancipation-era production with the characteristic layered vocals. Can't quite pin down why I like this, but I do. Great falsetto.

This Is What It Feels Like - reminds me of the High-era songs but there's so much more going on in the duelling vocals and the production. PlectrumElectrum could have used Andy Allo. Not the most substantial song but it's the kind of throwaway track that good albums are made of.

Way Back Home - impressive in so many ways. Reminds me of Wasted Kisses and Everywhere from TRC in its emotional directness and honesty - not something I usually associate with Prince. I think it should have closed out the album and transitioned directly into Affirmation III.

FunkNRoll - Another one I want to like (as a long-time Camille devotee), but there's not enough nuance and it's just so LOUD. Also have to question the sequencing here - the most rowdy song of the album sandwiched between the two most reflective.

Time - I liked this a lot on first listen but boy it's repetitive. Not the classic that it aspires to be.

I think this is pretty accurate, fair, and thoughtful, except I like Time and FunkNRoll more.

thanks2joniandu said:

Rebeljuice said:

Well, after having a week to let it settle in I am still in no doubt its a great album. However, as hard as I have tried, I just cannot get the Breakdown to sink in so I have just obliterated it from the playlist. BCW was also a bit troublesome so I have replaced it with the Espresso mix which I like much better and it lifts the pace a bit.

With those changes I feel ive almost got the best listening experience but I do have one more issue with it.... The Gold Standard! [Dodges incoming flying objects...]

I think it is a fantastic song but I just think it feels out of place on the album. It is more old school which disrupts the soundscape somewhat of the rest of the album.

So with that all said, it is obviously not a flawless album as I have had to jig it around a bit. But I will maintain that the 2nd half is sublime and should not be messed with!

TOTALLY agree with this statement. The Gold Standard is out of place for AOA, even though I love how it so smoothly goes into U Know. It should have been saved for the NPG album. Groovy Potential should have taken it's place.

Yep, I noticed the instrumentation on The Gold Standard sounds like it came from the wayback machine. That's fine with me because I'm shameless. lol I do wonder how much input Joshua had on this track, though.

dadeepop said:

thanks2joniandu said:

TOTALLY agree with this statement. The Gold Standard is out of place for AOA, even though I love how it so smoothly goes into U Know. It should have been saved for the NPG album. Groovy Potential should have taken it's place.

Yep, I noticed the instrumentation on The Gold Standard sounds like it came from the wayback machine. That's fine with me because I'm shameless. lol I do wonder how much input Joshua had on this track, though.

I think the album needs it (also Funk N Roll) just to change up the tempo and shift gears a tad. Without a couple of "bangers" the record would be too soft and ethereal. AOC, FnR and TGS give a touch of contrast that actually make the softer numbers stand out.

herb4 said:

dadeepop said:

KingSausage said:

I can't stop listening to AOA. It's just too fucking good!

Dude, I've been making up reasons to go to the store just so I can listen to it in my car with the sunroof open. Now I've got 10 gallons of milk and enough soup to feed an army!

Yep....good times,

KingSausage said:

JoeTyler said:

NONE of the songs of AOA can even dream of touching The Dance or The Word from 3121...

Oh, they touch those songs. Touch them and knock them right down.

I've never understood the need to waste so much time making so many comparisons. I take each work on it's own merit and either I like it or I don't. A little bit of comparing is inevitable and understandable, but too much adds nothing to the experience and takes the fun out of discovering something new.

herb4 said:

dadeepop said:

Yep, I noticed the instrumentation on The Gold Standard sounds like it came from the wayback machine. That's fine with me because I'm shameless. lol I do wonder how much input Joshua had on this track, though.

I think the album needs it (also Funk N Roll) just to change up the tempo and shift gears a tad. Without a couple of "bangers" the record would be too soft and ethereal. AOC, FnR and TGS give a touch of contrast that actually make the softer numbers stand out.

Absolutely.

herb4 said:

herb4 said:

dadeepop said:

Yep, I noticed the instrumentation on The Gold Standard sounds like it came from the wayback machine. That's fine with me because I'm shameless. lol I do wonder how much input Joshua had on this track, though.

I think the album needs it (also Funk N Roll) just to change up the tempo and shift gears a tad. Without a couple of "bangers" the record would be too soft and ethereal. AOC, FnR and TGS give a touch of contrast that actually make the softer numbers stand out.

Totally agree.

Looks like the debate on Prince's album release party thread http://prince.org/msg/7/410931 got too intense. It totally disappeared.

AOA is one of the few Prince albums that I don't want/need to listen to ever again (the whole album in a row, I mean, since there is one good song-Way Back Home-and a couple of tolerable ones, but just not enough to sit through from the first song to the last one...quite the contrary

the other albums are:

Emancipation

Kamasutra

The Truth

New Power Soul

ONA

NEWS

Xpectation

C-Note

Chocolate Invasion-Slaughterhourse

Planet Earth

Indigo Nights

MPLSound

Art Official Age

[Edited 10/2/14 13:14pm]

purplethunder3121 said:

Looks like the debate on Prince's album release party thread http://prince.org/msg/7/410931 got too intense. It totally disappeared.

LOL, I noticed...what happened?

JoeTyler said:

AOA is one of the few Prince albums that I don't want/need to listen to ever again (the whole album in a row, I mean, since there is one good song-Way Back Home-and a couple of tolerable ones, but just not enough to sit through from the first song to the last one...quite the contrary

the other albums are:

Emancipation

Kamasutra

The Truth

New Power Soul

ONA

NEWS

Xpectation

C-Note

Chocolate Invasion-Slaughterhourse

Planet Earth

Indigo Nights

MPLSound

Art Official Age

[Edited 10/2/14 13:14pm]

I don't know how many times you think you have to keep saying it but you haven't won anybody over to your side,

babynoz said:

JoeTyler said:

AOA is one of the few Prince albums that I don't want/need to listen to ever again (the whole album in a row, I mean, since there is one good song-Way Back Home-and a couple of tolerable ones, but just not enough to sit through from the first song to the last one...quite the contrary

the other albums are:

Emancipation

Kamasutra

The Truth

New Power Soul

ONA

NEWS

Xpectation

C-Note

Chocolate Invasion-Slaughterhourse

Planet Earth

Indigo Nights

MPLSound

Art Official Age

[Edited 10/2/14 13:14pm]

I don't know how many times you think you have to keep saying it but you haven't won anybody over to your side,

never my intention

JoeTyler said:

babynoz said:

I don't know how many times you think you have to keep saying it but you haven't won anybody over to your side,

never my intention

Good 'cuz I got it the first hundred times you wrote it.

babynoz said:

JoeTyler said:

never my intention

Good 'cuz I got it the first hundred times you wrote it.

AOA is one of Prince's worst albums ever, it must be said several times...

JoeTyler said:

babynoz said:

Good 'cuz I got it the first hundred times you wrote it.

AOA is one of Prince's worst albums ever, it must be said several times...

Ummm...riiiight. Have fun.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

fairmoan said:

I'm not as ecstatic about the album as most seem to be. There's plenty of good music there, to be sure. But I'm not sure that AOA is appreciably better than the rest of his post-TRC output. Outside of some more interesting and adventurous production I'd say it falls squarely in the Musicology-Planet Earth-3121-MPLSound-20Ten tradition. I find it hard to accept that it's some kind of momentous comeback.

Cage - one of his worst ever opening tracks. There's a lot going on here but not much of it works. It's more successful as a statement of attitude and purpose than as a song.

Clouds - his most assured pop/R&B material at least since the early 1990s. I'm not sure whether he fully harnesses the potential of the chorus, but overall it's an intoxicating and catchy song.

Breakdown - this one strikes me as a little out of place on the album and disrupts the momentum created from Clouds. As a song it leaves me a little cold, as much as I want to like it.

The Gold Standard - a far more convincing recreation of late-80s party anthem Prince than anything he's done in recent years (think Dance 4 Me). Very reminiscent of The Black Album, I wouldn't be surprised if this is a reworking of a vault track. I find the production/mastering on this a bit loud/harsh but that's a minor complaint. 4:27 onwards is particularly good and I get shivers of pleasure when he sings "it's really amazing" at 5:05.

U Know - first-class song and the least dated he has sounded for years, but is that just because he copied much of the song from another (young) artist?

Breakfast Can Wait - for some reason I like this a lot more in the context of the album. Extremely catchy and great vocal arrangement in the chorus (at least until the chipmunks arrive).

This Could Be Us - Emancipation-era production with the characteristic layered vocals. Can't quite pin down why I like this, but I do. Great falsetto.

This Is What It Feels Like - reminds me of the High-era songs but there's so much more going on in the duelling vocals and the production. PlectrumElectrum could have used Andy Allo. Not the most substantial song but it's the kind of throwaway track that good albums are made of.

Way Back Home - impressive in so many ways. Reminds me of Wasted Kisses and Everywhere from TRC in its emotional directness and honesty - not something I usually associate with Prince. I think it should have closed out the album and transitioned directly into Affirmation III.

FunkNRoll - Another one I want to like (as a long-time Camille devotee), but there's not enough nuance and it's just so LOUD. Also have to question the sequencing here - the most rowdy song of the album sandwiched between the two most reflective.

Time - I liked this a lot on first listen but boy it's repetitive. Not the classic that it aspires to be.

I think this is pretty accurate, fair, and thoughtful, except I like Time and FunkNRoll more.

I was going to share my two cents but now I don't need to - this post completely expresses my viewpoint on every single track.

This AOA is one of Prince's best albums in a long time. Bad den a muthafucka for real tho! I played a few tracks for a friend in the presence of his son. You know Prince is onto something when a 15 year old, in a suprised voice is asking " who's that?" "where did you get it?" " can you make me a CD?". I only played the AOA version of Funknroll, Clouds and U Know. I was kinda puzzled that the dad loved Funknroll. Not my favorite. But hey there's something for everybody. I'm getting into PE now. Man, I'm lovin' this shit!!