I wouldnt say overrated as it has several songs that are on my Prince "All Time" rotation playlist, but I am enjoying

Shhh (one of my all time fvs)

BJB
Shy

319
EHU

Dolphin

The rest all good tracks but not standouts for me. Pussy Control is like nails on a chalkboard which hurts the albums placing in my overall list.

AOA on the other hand, gets listened to from start to finish and seems to be more mture without the cheese.

I agree with some of the previous posters - along with Come and Exodus this was an unbelievably prolific and quality phase of Prince's career. Whilst not as innovative as the 82-87 era, the standard of songwriting is still consistently superb.

The fact that the NPG at the time (Sonny, Michael B, Tommy, Mr Hayes) was probaby the best, and definitely the tightest band, he's ever had probably helped to create a distinct and consistent 'sound'.

Yes, all the segues/interludes are stupid and annoying. And some tracks have aged better than others. But my opinion of each song hasn't changed since I first heard them back in '94. I hated We March, I loved Billy Jack Bitch. I was blown away by Endorphinmachine even though the bootleg version with less synths is superior. Gold is still the closest he's come to recreating the anthemic status of Purple Rain (with The Holy River as a very distant third). 319 still sounds as raw, dirty, sleazy and funky as it did 20 years ago. Etc...

Along with Come, TGE feels like a 'proper' album with a consistent and cohesive sound, decent running order, and a natural flow through the record. Irrespective of the process of how it was put together, it never feels disjointed. Contrast that to other subsequent albums wich feel more like a loose collection of songs (e.g Emancipation, RITJ, Musicology...).

[Edited 10/22/14 10:01am]

TGE has some very memorable songs to me: Pussy Control is fun and no one besides Prince could write it.

Billy Jack Bitch and I Hate U are also favs.

-Shhh is my least favorite song from the album with the lyrics "I wanna do you after school like some homework..." He released it 20 years too late (Thank you, Mr. Collins!).

=

I agree with other opinions that Come is the stronger album.

If only 'Orgasm' was replaced with a stronger closer it would have been better.

Agree with alot of what was posted here. His hyping of this album created high expectations which were difficult to meet. This is no SOTT in terms of creativity but generally a solid pop album. The sound suffers from too much compression and is a bit to "bright".

.

The keyboards on Endorphinmachine kind of ruin it but not quite and along with Gold, Dolphin and Shh are Prince classics from this set.

.

Pussy Control is a wierd ass song to open with and should have been a B-side. We March, Shy, BJB, 319 are pure filler and I Hate You and TMBGITW are a bit sacchrine but at least one was a huge hit.

.

So yes very overrated since more than half the album is suspect but contains a few Prince gems.

[Edited 10/22/14 10:25am]

NouveauDance said:

My 1st & prob favorite prince album. I didn't really know about the hype as I wasn't into prince at the time. I kept hearing the TMBGITW on the radio & thought it was a girl singing until someone informed me he was performing both voices. Shortly after that I heard 7 on the radio, then a few days later I went into the music store & there was an advertisement stand full of TGE which I purchased & was immediately hooked.

.

The only really corny song for me was TMBGITW, but it was one of the 1st songs I'd heard so I knew that going in & still liked it. Just because a song is a little corny doesn't make it bad, a lot of times it does, but not neccessarily. Depends on the song & the context.

.

I love the guitar & rock sound of this album. I was really into rap music before I started listening to prince so I didn't really consider it rapping as much as I did singing in a type of spoken singing (if that's possible?). Prince doesn't often nail rapping, but on TGE I felt he did pretty good considering he's not a rapper.

.

P Control is totally cheesy, but I totally love it. It's a crazy ass song. I also love that whenever I go to a strip club I'm sure to hear it there!

Look at this album as an entire work instead of smashing his creations into little pieces, over analyzing them.

Enjoy the music,absorb a little purple kool Aid and smile.

I've always felt that TGE was overrated as an album. It's good, but it didn't live up to the hype that Prince was pushing. Come is an overall stronger album to me and that my opinion. The only thing that TGE impressed me with was the sound quality over previous albums.

when i think of the 90s .... and Prince .. i do think of this album ...

that being said - i also agree with almost everything you write .

I dont think the album has held up well ... and I never listen to it ... the songs that I wouldnt mind hearing - i kinda wore them out ...

Not overrated in the slightest. A real productive period, with this the best album of the bunch. Its dated as good or bad as 1999.

Sure, it suffered with track changes, but thats what happens when P sits on something too long.

If I were to change it, out would go We March, in would come Interactive and Days Of Wild. In fact, a bigger album with an amalgamation of the best of Come would have been perfect.

I think the biggest complement for the album is visible in this thread, where the mix of track choices is so varied.

As for people leaving the concerts, they were my favourite shows (alone with 2014) and I've been to every tour in the last 30 years.

SuperSoulFighter said:

BartVanHemelen said:

.

Ferchrissakes who walks out of a show where Prince was playing album tracks and B-sides etc.? Saw him perform Pink Cashmere and I love U In Me, just to name two. And you complain about that?

Hold on. You just said something NICE about Prince?

[Edited 10/22/14 11:44am]

I had been a Super diehard fan since Purple rain..

I was tired of buying new albums that i didnt enjoy *Yet paid full price for...

(all the name change/ contractual filler albums).. things like 'old friends for sale'

I wasnt into the samples or watching Mayte dance around all night..

I didnt enjoy a chorus of 25 Princes when nobody was actually singing background vocals on stage..

Nor did i care for Prince rapping and talking about this and that being 'PHAT'...

Not my scene at all..

This was also a time when he would be playing mostly new songs that to me just sounded

like some kind of fake hip hop/Prince style.. + He was often trying to MIX the sound himself!!!

running back in his little cave onstage to adjust levels..

After seeing the P.R. & Parade tour Live! The mid 90's were a huge comedown for me.

..

BartVanHemelen said:

Ego101 said:

I kinda have no feelings about it.. That was a period where i was starting to get tired of Prince..

I saw a few gigs around that time that i really didnt enjoy at all! actually i walked out of a concert in London @Wembley Arena because i just thought the entire show Sucked!

.

Ferchrissakes who walks out of a show where Prince was playing album tracks and B-sides etc.? Saw him perform Pink Cashmere and I love U In Me, just to name two. And you complain about that?

[Edited 10/22/14 11:58am]

Ego101 said:

I had been a Super diehard fan since Purple rain..

I was tired of buying new albums that i didnt enjoy *Yet paid full price for...

(all the name change/ contractual filler albums).. things like 'old friends for sale'

I wasnt into the samples or watching Mayte dance around all night..

I didnt enjoy a chorus of 25 Princes when nobody was actually singing background on stage..

Nor did i care for Prince rapping and talking about this and that being 'PHAT'...

Not my scene at all..

The Vault came out 5 years later. And though it is the only real 'contractual filler' album still has a lot to enjoy. And it's got Levi. Levi, Levi!

Mixing in pre-recorded background vocals worked a treat, because it was really used as part of the overal arrangement.

It just wasnt for me..

@ that time i was deeply into into 70's Jazz & Funk.

Youre also correct about the vault coming out years later..

I group that entire time together as the years i wasnt too into Prince..

I still bought everything in the 90s.. was in the npg music club..and went to MANY live shows.. Celebrations at Paisley Park the whole thing..

But i wasnt too into the music at that time. nor now actually.

I like Prince.. I dont need to be into what he makes in the studio anymore.

Pentacle said:

Ego101 said:

I had been a Super diehard fan since Purple rain..

I was tired of buying new albums that i didnt enjoy *Yet paid full price for...

(all the name change/ contractual filler albums).. things like 'old friends for sale'

I wasnt into the samples or watching Mayte dance around all night..

I didnt enjoy a chorus of 25 Princes when nobody was actually singing background on stage..

Nor did i care for Prince rapping and talking about this and that being 'PHAT'...

Not my scene at all..

The Vault came out 5 years later. And though it is the only real 'contractual filler' album still has a lot to enjoy. And it's got Levi. Levi, Levi!

Mixing in pre-recorded background vocals worked a treat, because it was really used as part of the overal arrangement.

[Edited 10/22/14 12:07pm]

Love the album, the tour. evreything about this period pretty much rocks

TGE is a brilliant album.....probably his strongest,most consistent album of the 90s.

I think "P Control" is ridiculous but otherwise,this is a superb album.

I agree with those who've said it hasn't aged super well, and it seems bloated. That said, the songs that were kick-ass then, are kick-ass now. I'm not crazy about some of the production (like the segues in the middle of some of the songs (before them is annoying but much easier to skip over), or the clock sounds in TMBGITW, the sampled screaming in P Control and We March), but I still like the majority of TGE. "Gold" is a beautiful song, and back in the day when Prince read the lyrics, you could tell how proud he was of it. (I kind of like "We March." But I do not care for "319.") I used to think TGE was so angry (I Hate U, BJB, Shy, etc.), but now, it doesn't seem that way to me.

Although I rank TGE in my top 10 of favorite Prince albums, I admit that it has some great songs mixed with the very ordinary. This is far too common with Prince, even in the 80's. He will place an amazing song right next to a song that's just ordinary or downright atrocious. Practically all of his albums could be better. Perhaps only Purple Rain is wall to wall genius.

That's why albums such as TGE are rated so highly even with arguably bad songs on them. The great material outweighs the bland.

I think when considering the segues on the album - you have to bare in mind when it was released. Most people still didn't own a computer let alone have access to the internet, those who did have home access were likely using dialup, listening to a 30 second *.Wav file was a 5/10 minute affair. IIRC The Gold Experience had it's own website of sorts.

The album was released Sept '95 but the NPG Operator segues were likely recorded 1994. Microsoft added MP3 support in 1997 and it was 1998 before we really saw MP3 players on the market. The iPod was not released until 2001. He was lightyears (or more acurately 4 years) ahead in terms of his vision of the music industry, and it was a further 4 years until Apple helped the music industry catch up.

Between The Gold Experience and Exodus - Prince made his thoughts on where the music industry was headed very clear. His concept was oblique, songs were "filed" under feelings as opposed to genres - which is aguably what we do when we make our own playlists these days.

I think the segues, at the time were futuristic (literally) and in retrospect add some charm. (In stark contrast to those on Exodus which are just silly - although the mashed potato girl is quite funny). The album works equally well with or without the segues. The songs hold up on their own even without the concept.

BWWWWWAAAAAACHHHH That was just an example of the many awsome things about this album.

It's bogged down only by TMBGITW. Apart from that, I think it's one of the finest rock/r&b records of all time.

thedance said:

^ Hey TrevorA:

always so critical, I wonder what kind of Prince music DO you like (besides Chaos, Come and Exodus mentioned)?

wha? me critical? ... first of all I never said I liked chaos come or exodus .. lets get that strait .. I just said they are much better than gold experience ...

.

furthermore, if u really wanna know .. prince peaked with parade dream factory for me ... anything with that erotic city, crystal ball, sexual suicide, sped up guitar tight crisp drums with a jazzy overtone perfect mix of live and electronic elements .. those beautiful harmonies and poetic lyrics .. that is prince to me

.

gold barely hangs on with even its best songs .. tmbgitw is a great song and chorus but the lyrics are super lazy .. anything post name change i really have to block out a lot of lyrics to enjoy .. sometimes the production is so bad that I cant even listen at all .. like emancipation .. the point is that if prince basically comes up with some lyrics that don't inspire deletion from my archives i can put up with it with some element of joy .. but for example .. most of the lyrics on gold are just horrid .. like jughead on repeat or something .. just the dumbest shit ever .. so i can sit thru dolphin .. but i cant sit thru pcontrol or now or most of the record really .. i can sit thru ole school company but i cant stand never be another like me or box o chocolate .. dig?

.

the fact is that prince lyrics have been utter shit since the name change and no matter how good the music is .. bad lyrics ruin songs ..

.

i know the real issue is that prince is desparate for a hit .. so he keeps rewriting the same stale ballads, rnb and funk with worse and worse lyrics .. clouds was better when it was do me baby .. gold was better when it was purple rain .. funk n roll was better when it was 1999 and so on ...

.

prince still shines a little when he isn't reaching .. musicology the song .. SUCKS .. but the marrying kind cracks me the fuck up .. call my name makes me wanna puke .. reflection is kind of nice .. get it .. his big hits are just horrible .. his songs he thinks are great should be deleted but he pushes them as the single .. when he is not trying and not filling his songs with stupid raps and sound effects and extra shit .. he does squeak out a couple nice tunes ...

.

break down is good .. funk n roll is listenable .. clouds has been deleted from my computer .. preztelbody makes me wanna punch prince in the face it is so fucking awful on so many levels

.

way back home is really quite good .. there are only about 2 songs per disk that should even see the light of day .. 1 of ever 10 of those 2 good songs per disk maybe approaches batman quality music .. nothing post name change touches the parade dream factory and prior eras ... NOTHING EVEN COMES CLOSE .. and that is due to lyrics mostly .. incense and candles has a great keyboard riff .. doesn't it .. but personally .. again .. punch prince in the face for that stupid "you can say uh uh" line .. he just ruins music .. just kills it dead with this sort of crap

Have not really been super excited about his music since TGE. When this came out I was like "Holy shit Prince has done it again". It was almost like he was a new guy. Still great but in a different way. Sure it may sound different now but that was just about 20 years ago. Maybe you just had to be there. I still think the songs hold up, especially live versions.

Earlier this year in Vegas when I saw Endorphinmachine live for the first time I just about lost my shit. 20 years from now, I bet people are not going to be talking about AOA - that is for sure. But they will still be talking about TGE though.

SuperSoulFighter said:

I don't think you can "overrate" a record. You either like it or you don't! I can only give you my own opinion, and me too I'm a little surprised at how popular it is. First of all, this period was when he started losing himself in sound effects and segues. Compare the original version of Beautiful Girl to the album version- the song really doesn't improve with all the added effects. But mostly this album was a wasted opportunity. No Days of Wild, no Interactive... And it came out way too late when we already knew most of the songs through bootlegs. This could have been a great album, but fell victim to the WB Wars. [Edited 10/22/14 1:46am]

I agree with most of what you said...especially the sound effects part. Prince gets carried away and can ruin a great song with too much glossy production and way too many sound effects...I do think the album is overrated to a point in the Prince community...due to all the over-production, but there are still some awesome songs...so you're part right...lol

Despite my critical review of Gold down below...it's an awesome album with some horrible butcher jobs in the production...but it's a fine album.

And taking the OP's format, my opinions:

1. P Control: Great song, some of the synth lines are cheezy, almost sound like circus music, but not as bad as the actual circus music in New Power Generation....I consider it a classic track

2. Endorphinmachine: The original version was much better without all the ridiculous keyboards

layered in. Maybe a combination of both would have been better...taking all of the keyboards out of the mix, and using the guitar parts from most of the released version, with some from the original and better "demo."

3. Shhh: Probably the best song on the album, like the original poster said. One of the few songs he made better live, as the 2004 Musicolgoy tour was special to me, and this performance was lights out each night. Since then, it's still a great performance, but it seems to have lost a little over the years.

4. We March: Not a bad song, but it replaced Interactive, which is a crime...bad decision Mr Nelson!

5. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World: Another wonderful song, but I prefer the original version again. Prince just can't control himself with sound effects and extra production. It's like he's a kid with a new toy, and doesn't know when to stop...(Siren effect on The Dance Electric rehearsal...or was it Days of Wild?...can't remember lol)

6. Dolphin: It may be a little corny, but it's still a great song, as Prince shows his signature emotional guitar playing that I really like.

7. Now: An ok song, but since other than P Control, and Days of Wild...(which should be on this album), I don't like Prince rapping...but this is a funky song...would have been a classic B-Side...it's just a good album track

8. 319: I used to jam this driving from Tallahassee to Atlanta, while driving on HWY 319 on the way to I-75...yeah, that's kinda corny to do, but I admit my guilt...really great layered vocal, similar to what he ended up using on "The Gold Standard" on AOA.

9. Shy: I've grown tired of this one over the years...and it's become a skip. At the time, it still was a little silly to have a 37 year old millionaire singing about gang violence, but it's a good song, so no real complaints.

10. Billy Jack Bitch: One of my favorites, and even the butcher job at the end doesn't make me stop jamming it....since I absolutely hate talking over music, and hate interludes...the end of this one is bittersweet.... I can see the conversation Prince had with his alter ego:

Prince: Hay alter ego, I have this great song, what do you think?

Alter Ego: Ya know, it's a good song, but if you put some annoying lady talking over the great horn breakdown at the end, it would make the song TONS better...

Prince: Yeah...that's almost as good an idea as Tony M...Thanks alter ego!

11. Eye Hate U: I remember hearing it for the first time on a trip to Orlando...as Tallahassee radio did not play it...and I was impressed. Great song, yeah, the lyrics are a little silly, but so what, great song, nice first single choice...sad that it was his last original Top 40 hit

12. Gold: Another great song, but he's been down this path before...the emotional ballad with the searing guitar solo at the end...with subjects of salvation, etc...See Purple Rain, The Holy River etc... The end of the song is the inspiration for my signature. I love Prince, and love him like a brother. And I make fun of him like a brother...the end talk is so super cheesy it makes Sting's post Police career look like that of an 18 year old metal head....I really keep waiting for the NPG operator to offer the NPG Lunchbox and NPG bumper stickers. I get that glowing feeling inside knowing that me, as a Prince fan...am actually an OFFICIAL member of the New Power Generation. Or the Power Generations if you ask that Maya chick from the AOA/PE party

You must be British. The british critics hated it.

It is among his best albums. He remakes hip hop and makes it rock. The whole album is a head nodder. Gold is pure genius. The fadeout is beyond heavenly.

It's his best attempt at rap. Now and 319 are head bobbers.

You do have to like hipity hop to admire the album.

Christgau sure liked it:

"

The Gold Experience [Warner Bros./NPG, 1995]
After two or three plays, convinced that "P Control" and "Endorphinmachine" slam harder than any hip hop I've heard in years, I shrugged and recalled that, after all, I already knew he was the most gifted recording artist of the era. But this album documents more than professional genius rampant--all of them do that. This album is a renewal. It's as sex-obsessed as ever, only with more juice--"Shhh" and "319" especially pack the kind of porno jolt sexy music rarely gets near and hard music never does. And you'd best believe "Shhh" and 319" are hard--not for years has the auteur (as opposed to some hired gat) sounded so black, and not for years has the guitarist sounded so rock. As for the ballads, they suffer only by their failure to dominate. One of them has already stormed the radio--and another, good for him, takes too many risks to follow. A"

Yea, good for him.

I hated Now and We March and usually skipped over TMBGITW but otherwise its a great album.. although I always resonated more with Come. Over the years I've probably played Come 10x more than TGE.

littlejim said:

I never thought it was great...actually it really is fairly average and forgettable albeit with some good moments scattered here and there. Songs like 319, we march, pussy control....i mean who really cares for these.

Line those tracks up against one of prince's most criticized albums - ''around the world.... '' and they dont come close to the quality of songs like condition of the heart, pop life, paisley park and tambourine.

You got to have standards....im not saying 'kick it to the curb' but i think its only an album for the completists.

We March is admittedly not my favorite song ever (although it's not awful, and the live version released through NPGMC is pretty awesome).

Pussy Control is absolutely a silly song, but maaaaaaan do I love it. The rap, the "Aaaaaaaaaaah, Pussy Controlllll, ow-ah!", the message, all of it. Love, love, love it.

As for 319: man, that song kicks ass.

So, yes, I love those tracks.

Lezama, I will pray 4 yo soul.

SuperSoulFighter said:

BartVanHemelen said:

.

Ferchrissakes who walks out of a show where Prince was playing album tracks and B-sides etc.? Saw him perform Pink Cashmere and I love U In Me, just to name two. And you complain about that?

Hold on. You just said something NICE about Prince?

Bart says lots of nice things about Prince - he's a huge fan, and has provided me with a huge amount of helpful information over the years.