We all know by now that AOA deserves at least 320Ko, but that we are better off buying the CD.
What are your most impressive moments, the ones where sonic boldness meets bare soul?


Art Official Cage

@3'10 — Prince takes a piss on the Ice Bucket Challenge. But what does he yell? Anyone?

Clouds
@2'48 — The "Oooh" background voice.
@4'02 — The wink at the "ta-ta-da" from "Music and Lights" by Imagination : https://www.youtube.com/w...pIbgBChVgY


The Breakdown
@1'02 — Obviously, people playing videogames depress Prince.
@2'43 — The "Abandon your sins" recurring theme, where Prince expresses it better in 5 seconds than in the entire song "7".

@3'25 — The crescendo "Baby Baby", and the following door/wall voice doubling.

@3'38 — His falsetto on the left speaker, "Catch me when I fall".


The Gold Standard
@5'39 — The sponge-bass starts to rub double time (apparently, he's now "in there").


U Know

@0'33 — Prince doing a fake delay effect. The progressive cut of the autotune effect during the song.
@0'47 — "Oh no he didn't" makes echo to the "Oh no you didn't" of FunknRoll.

@1'02 — The "Uh, uh" makes echo to Bob George's "Uh, uh" in What It Feels Like @2'13.
@1'31 — The delivery of the vocals is just impeccable. You get the impression that Prince's voices flow over the beat. Or that he's singing on a waterbed. Or as if the tape was reversed.
@2'08 to 2'12 — Astounding. I love the raw "Hah" on 2'12.
@2'38 — The "Come On" of the background vocals that respond to the shrieking "Baby".
@3'30 — The groan.


This Could Be Us

@2'36 — Burping bass kicks in.
@4'00 — "Honey, Honey, Honey" finds Prince singing like he hasn't in years. Actually, I think it's the first time I hear this voice from all the number of voices he invented over the years. It's Nina-Simone-ish, hard to describe. Sent me shivers down the spine the first time I heard it.
@4'15 — Prince reminds us of how many octaves he can handle (the lowest voice).
@4'54 — Let's go even lower. This one sounds like God at the very beginning of 1999, which suggests that the burping bass is in fact him on the voice filtered through some effects.


This Is What It Feels Like
@0'00 — Who dares to mix a bass like this?
@0'47 — "Your name's not David, and it sure ain't Saul". Prince finally showing some healthy self-deprecation on record, been a long time.
@1'51 to 2'13 — The falsetto ad lib sounds like a muted trumpet solo.
@2'14 to 2'21 — "Oooooh-You. and me."
@3'06 — Finally! A synth pad that sounds like some work's been put to it. It reminds me of If I Was Your Girlfriend, which is a compliment.


Way Back Home
— Who dares to take an echography heartbeat as a rythm basis for a whole song?
— Who dares to use just the kick drum, nothing else, for the whole drum track? Okay, there's a snare drum roll @1'26, but still.
And if you are not moved by the voice intertwining from 1'11 to 1'15, what can we do for you? His voice is on such a dangerous verge of breaking, but it holds.
@1'34 — The synth strings pad is reminiscent of Art Official Cage, and the coda of FunknRoll. The way he turns it off on "born alive!" is impressive. Like When Doves Cry, effect is caused by absence of sound. I am so grateful to Prince for not letting himself go like he does on "Anotherlove" (which is right on spot). It would have ruin the song, the beauty of it lies in the tension: you wait for the song to start gaining tracks and overdubs, but it instead it remains in suspension, and somewhat unresolved (we're not "home" yet).


FunknRoll
@0'00 — Does anybody else get a Beatles atmosphere from this instrumental break?

@2'17 — Camille is somehow back from 1987. This just can't be Prince at 56.

@2'23 — No, can't be.
@2'36 — This last "Roll" is rolling, man!


Time
@1'53 — It's just the synth that modulates, but how appropriate. He has not pushed his synth vibrato this way since 1985. Actually, the whole thing sounds like "Heaven", the '86 version.
Prince could be singing all the song on a real phone, like he did for Sheila E.'s "transmississippirap" on It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night.
And of course, the callbacks to "This is What it Feels Like" and "The Breakdown" underline the concept-album (or at least the "journey") ambition of AOA.
@4'17 — This is What It Feels Like
@5'27 and @5'40 — The Breakdown

[Edited 10/11/14 18:52pm]

[Edited 10/12/14 14:26pm]

bonatoc said:

This Is What It Feels Like
@0'47 — "Your name's not David, and it sure ain't Saul". Prince finally showing some healthy self-deprecation on record, been a long time.

I'm not reading this in context of the other lyrics of the song, and unfamiliar with the Bible character specifics... but can you explain the self deprecation aspect?

Damn man, you've really listened to this record!

ufoclub said:

bonatoc said:

This Is What It Feels Like
@0'47 — "Your name's not David, and it sure ain't Saul". Prince finally showing some healthy self-deprecation on record, been a long time.

I'm not reading this in context of the other lyrics of the song, and unfamiliar with the Bible character specifics... but can you explain the self deprecation aspect?

I was not refering to the Bible characters. It's Andy saying to Prince "Hold on, you're not so great, you're below the idea you have of yourself". It's part of the duel they have (who's missing who the most?) but still, I think it's Prince saying "I know I have a head as big as a balloon sometimes".

[Edited 10/11/14 17:52pm]

Dude, kudos to your homework. I hope to put my ADD aside and actually try to look up every reference you listed. I'm already impressed (and agreeable) with:

.

"Way Back Home
— Who dares to take an echography heartbeat as a rythm basis for a whole song?
— Who dares to use just the kick drum, nothing else, for the whole drum track?"

.

Prince blazing trails as usual. I guess that's why we're all here, ultimately.

Impressed with your homework; not sure if I will agree on all your opinions but I am going to check them out for myself.

bonatoc said:

Art Official Cage

@3'10 — Prince's takes a piss on the Ice Bucket Challenge. But what does he yell? Anyone?

it sounds like someone being waterboarded, what with the "we need u to tell us what you know"

bit right before it and then the sputtering of water and someone saying "let me go". it's rather a

sinister, uncomfortable moment imo.

By the way, this topic is sponsored by the "I'll Make You Listen To Art Official Age Whether You Like It Or Not" commitee.

bonatoc said:

Thanks. This line gets even more interesting with the bible references.

IstenSzek said:

IstenSzek said:

bonatoc said:

Art Official Cage

@3'10 — Prince's takes a piss on the Ice Bucket Challenge. But what does he yell? Anyone?

it sounds like someone being waterboarded, what with the "we need u to tell us what you know"

bit right before it and then the sputtering of water and someone saying "let me go". it's rather a

sinister, uncomfortable moment imo.

It sounds like "It's so cold" or "That's so cold" to me.

Revolution said:

IstenSzek said:

it sounds like someone being waterboarded, what with the "we need u to tell us what you know"

bit right before it and then the sputtering of water and someone saying "let me go". it's rather a

sinister, uncomfortable moment imo.

It sounds like "It's so cold" or "That's so cold" to me.

This must be it. "Alone in a world that's so cold", the funny way.

This is a great post!

bonatoc said:

Time
@1'53 — It's just the synth that modulates, but how appropriate. He has not pushed his synth vibrato this way since 1985. Actually, the whole thing sounds like "Heaven", the '86 version.
Prince could be singing all the song on a real phone, like he did for Sheila E.'s "transmississippirap" on It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night.
And of course, the callbacks to "This is What it Feels Like" and "The Breakdown" underline the concept-album ambition of AOA.

[Edited 10/11/14 18:52pm]

There's so much in TIME that I keep listening to it over and over again.

That modulating synth echoes his early 80s synth work just enough to call it back, but very subtly.

I love how that first verse, Andy pauses when singing, "I think I'm running out of.... lies"

How for the first 3 minutes there is no bass line, and when it does kick in, boy does it kick

How at 6:05 Prince's moans... were they having phone sex?

Prince knows how to build and release tension in his music, which is partly how he is so skilled at capturing the rhythm of sex... so he moans, and it all blows with the horns.

IstenSzek said:

bonatoc said:

Art Official Cage

@3'10 — Prince's takes a piss on the Ice Bucket Challenge. But what does he yell? Anyone?

it sounds like someone being waterboarded, what with the "we need u to tell us what you know"

bit right before it and then the sputtering of water and someone saying "let me go". it's rather a

sinister, uncomfortable moment imo.

I also took it as a waterboarding reference. Perhaps to find out about the threat to Lady Liberty, i.e. going up her dress and blow(ing her up)?

wow, so much respect to you for that. Lets however give HUUUUGE props to Josh as he produced a lot of this...'Way Back Home' is HIS baby & his touches are all over it.

NuPwrSoul said:

bonatoc said:

funkyhead said:

wow, so much respect to you for that. Lets however give HUUUUGE props to Josh as he produced a lot of this...'Way Back Home' is HIS baby & his touches are all over it.

How do you know that?

It is very interesting (and ) to read someone else's "aha" moments! Have you made notes like these on any other Prince albums?

[Edited 10/12/14 13:46pm]

Sure there's enough substance to make several episodes.

We could even save some meh albums by pinpoint the 5-10 seconds of bliss that saves a song from the chimney. I'm afraid the classics are just going to be hard to be concise with. Like, there's something interesting happening every 10 seconds...

But I get no credit for this, it's just me playing "Captain", member of the infamous Peach & Black podcast, which always comes up with accurate and very precise timings about Prince's brilliant vocals/playing.

Aethelherring said:

IstenSzek said:

it sounds like someone being waterboarded, what with the "we need u to tell us what you know"

bit right before it and then the sputtering of water and someone saying "let me go". it's rather a

sinister, uncomfortable moment imo.

I also took it as a waterboarding reference. Perhaps to find out about the threat to Lady Liberty, i.e. going up her dress and blow(ing her up)?

Yeah I definitely agree that it's about waterboarding, that's why he "needs to tell them what he knows"

bonatoc said:

And of course, the callbacks to "This is What it Feels Like" and "The Breakdown" underline the concept-album (or at least the "journey") ambition of AOA.
@4'17 — This is What It Feels Like
@5'27 and @5'40 — The Breakdown

[Edited 10/11/14 18:52pm]

[Edited 10/12/14 14:26pm]

Those callbacks, specifically to those two songs, definitely speak of a cohesiveness if not of the album then of those three--most likely from Andy Allo sessions... which speaks to the ways that his time with Andy inspired him in terms of songwriting. I think he did some of his best while working with her.

AoA os a good album but brave? is it any more brave then

The Rainbow Children?

You asked who makes a song without snare drum.George Michael did

it with Father Figure in 1987 long before Prince

funkyhead said:

wow, so much respect to you for that. Lets however give HUUUUGE props to Josh as he produced a lot of this...'Way Back Home' is HIS baby & his touches are all over it.

While I'm sure Josh no doubt assisted in production, I don't see him on the cover.

NuPwrSoul said:

bonatoc said:

Time
@1'53 — It's just the synth that modulates, but how appropriate. He has not pushed his synth vibrato this way since 1985. Actually, the whole thing sounds like "Heaven", the '86 version.
Prince could be singing all the song on a real phone, like he did for Sheila E.'s "transmississippirap" on It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night.
And of course, the callbacks to "This is What it Feels Like" and "The Breakdown" underline the concept-album ambition of AOA.

[Edited 10/11/14 18:52pm]

There's so much in TIME that I keep listening to it over and over again.

That modulating synth echoes his early 80s synth work just enough to call it back, but very subtly.

I love how that first verse, Andy pauses when singing, "I think I'm running out of.... lies"

How for the first 3 minutes there is no bass line, and when it does kick in, boy does it kick

How at 6:05 Prince's moans... were they having phone sex?

Prince knows how to build and release tension in his music, which is partly how he is so skilled at capturing the rhythm of sex... so he moans, and it all blows with the horns.

Moans? Phone sex? I didn't even hear all of this when I was listening to it....maybe I should take another listen with fresh ears!

thebanishedone said:

AoA os a good album but brave? is it any more brave then

The Rainbow Children?

You asked who makes a song without snare drum.George Michael did

it with Father Figure in 1987 long before Prince

More brave than TRC ? Absolutely not.

Father Figure is full of handclaps pounding on the 2 and 4 during the chorus...

...and there is actually some snare rolls and even some pounding on 2 and 4 as well, here and there, on Way Back Home. What I meant is that Way Back Home could have take off like Anotherlove, or The Cross, except it does not, because someone went for less instead of more.