I think The Gold Standard is an instant classic for many fans (not me but many seem to like it). I think U Know is in the territory of TGRES in that it's almost great - something that could have been a hit for another artist. Way Back Home has touched a nerve for many. This Could Be Us is true to his 80's style but with the well publicized story about it's internet meme origin could make it another fan favorite live. Time is the instant classic for me personally. What it Feels Like is lyrically superb. The Breakdown is understated but effective. FnR remix takes too long to get going and ends too soon, AOC is a complete throwaway as far as I'm concerned but from track one onwards the writing is a fairly high standard and constant throughout. The segues/Affirmations aren't really important other than to remind us that Prince still listens to George Clinton.

AOA is a great album period

m33kn3ss said:

AOA is a great album period

NO...more bounce to the ounce IS

NO

'Art Official Age' is a great album.

"The Breakdown" is my least favorite song on it, though.

Opinions, opinions...

meh. I like 2 songs but they wore off quick

what r the latest sales figures for both lps?

luvsexy4all said:

what r the latest sales figures for both lps?

Estimated...

AOA - Over 175,000 World wide

PE- Under 76,000 World wide

Àrt Official Age definitely is a great album because I like it period.

MoBettaBliss said:

i don't like the album... at all

not so fast, there. your opinion differs from mine, therefore you are wrong, as anyone can plainly see. i like the album, it's great. period

XxAxX said:

MoBettaBliss said:

i don't like the album... at all

not so fast, there. your opinion differs from mine, therefore you are wrong, as anyone can plainly see. i like the album, it's great. period

there's only one way to settle this

let's thumb wrestle

[img:$uid]http://www.findexamples.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/thumb-wrestle-ring.jpg[/img:$uid]

It's not even a good album. I can barely get through it. And I love 3121 and NewPowerSoul so not like I only like the 80s albums (which of course are in a class by themselves).

But you are correct..it sucks.

The greatest album by Prince since '95.... AOA:


Greatest since The Gold Experience. Prince is back. A pitty it won't sell....

I rate it about 8/10. Maybe even a 9/10.

FunkiestOne said:

Prince had a cool idea for AOA. It's like he tried to give a chill pill to the tech generation. All the tatted-up, anything goes knuckleheads, faux-flossing on Facebook. He's the funky time traveler. Clouds is such an excellent Prince song, in the vein of 1999, SOTT and LoveSign. It kind of gets lost in the editing, but you hear the real Prince at work: the synth-programming, newspaper reading CONVSERVATIVE, expressing his fear of the future, through a funky beat. It's nice and kind of reassuring that Prince still has it within him to make a great album, and there is NO REASON AT ALL, that he can't top Purple Rain, SOTT or anything else he did in the past, if he puts together the right creative team, and drops the judgemental load of crap that LG and Co. fed him. He needs to dial the message back to LOVE, and nothing else.

funksterr said:

its ok for the background imo.
It also shows me he could go a great record if he would allow a great producer to help him with perspective as he creates. A lot of great musicians who have been around for a long time find their voice again with someone who appreciated them and helps cut throught the clutter. Imagine havingoutput so much work, it must be hard to make choices in the moment.

Freinds who will tell you what is what would be the best, but I dont see him with many of those folks in the picture (my observation from afar ) - so then hire someone.

McCartney did it and pounded put a couple of great records. If you are an ex Beatle I'd think you could simplly have enough ego to say screw everyone and doit your own way. But he didn't.
The late Johnny Cash records were briliant even if not totally my cup of tea. Rick Rubin helped make those amazing.

Just becasue you are an "A" student when kit comes to palying doesnt mean you can't use help. Look at how many "C" students can make great work with help from freinds and other artists. It's not a bad thing to collaborate when you really do it.

'm not holding out for it of course. We know that is not in Prince's nature.
But who knows.

I stopped listening to it weeks ago. However, unlike his other post-2000 albums, I was able to play this one back-to-back for the first two weeks I owned it. This was mostly due to strong sequencing of the tracks--it felt like a record, not a collection of songs. The problem was that the songs being sequenced were standard, and often boring R&B tracks; basically, stuff Prince can do in his sleep. Minus the paint-by-numbers "The Breakdown", and the vaguely yearning "Way Back Home", the album doesn't manage to hit very many emotional buttons for me.

It's an o.k. album made up of boring songs.

maybe if it came with 3rd eye glasses it would be betta....

NouveauDance said:

elf9933 said:

No classic tracks. Feels disjointed and the only track that will last is This could be us.

I think Clouds and The Breakdown are bonefide post-Warners (you know what I mean) classics up there with the usual acknowledged post-1996 tracks. Why Clouds wasn't promoted more widely as the lead single is a mystery to me, it's instantly catchy, and recognisable as Prince, sounds weird and odd but also modern and it's relaxed and confident not cloying or desperate. What more do you want?

Gold Standard, U Know, This Could Be Us are also top notch, with a couple of other tracks being decent too. But opinions and all that, one man's Last December is another man's Life O' The Party.

"Nailed It"

Blixical said:

I stopped listening to it weeks ago. However, unlike his other post-2000 albums, I was able to play this one back-to-back for the first two weeks I owned it. This was mostly due to strong sequencing of the tracks--it felt like a record, not a collection of songs. The problem was that the songs being sequenced were standard, and often boring R&B tracks; basically, stuff Prince can do in his sleep. Minus the paint-by-numbers "The Breakdown", and the vaguely yearning "Way Back Home", the album doesn't manage to hit very many emotional buttons for me.

It's an o.k. album made up of boring songs.

There are plenty of other groups for you to listen to if you don't like boring R&B, as you call it.

And what is R&B, basically Black music, music with rhythm, soul music. So I'm glad he made a album with a bunch of R&B tracks! I guess Prince decided to come back to his Black side for awhile!

[Edited 12/28/14 12:48pm]

elf9933 said:

Of course many opinions on albums depend on the fans struggles at the time that it is released thats why albums like Lovesexy and Rainbow children have such an extreme love hate relationship. But stop drinking the Koolaid people AoA is not a terrific album. It's decent at best. No classic tracks. Feels disjointed and the only track that will last is This could be us.This constant protest that it's his best work in years is not understandable by me. If he had released this a year after a previous album it would have been met with a lot less fanfare.

Thank you. It's nice to know that not evryone is a yes fan. AOA and PE suck asshole.

[Edited 12/28/14 14:39pm]

skywalker said:

Astasheiks said:

Blixical said:

I stopped listening to it weeks ago. However, unlike his other post-2000 albums, I was able to play this one back-to-back for the first two weeks I owned it. This was mostly due to strong sequencing of the tracks--it felt like a record, not a collection of songs. The problem was that the songs being sequenced were standard, and often boring R&B tracks; basically, stuff Prince can do in his sleep. Minus the paint-by-numbers "The Breakdown", and the vaguely yearning "Way Back Home", the album doesn't manage to hit very many emotional buttons for me.

It's an o.k. album made up of boring songs.

There are plenty of other groups for you to listen to if you don't like boring R&B, as you call it.

And what is R&B, basically Black music, music with rhythm, soul music. So I'm glad he made a album with a bunch of R&B tracks! I guess Prince decided to come back to his Black side for awhile!

[Edited 12/28/14 12:48pm]

Yes, there are plenty of other groups, & the poster may or may not be discussing them on another message board. Here, they're discussing Prince's boring R&B.

MoBettaBliss said:

warning2all said:

FunkiestOne said:

It's not even a good album. I can barely get through it. And I love 3121 and NewPowerSoul so not like I only like the 80s albums (which of course are in a class by themselves).

But you are correct..it sucks.

I don't get the love AOA is getting AT ALL. The woman talking throughout ruins the songs; who doesn't skip the affirmations?; the second half of the album is so musically limp. "Art Official Cage" is a terrible opener. I can't believe this is the CD he put out after 4 years. Agreed! "3121" is so much stronger. Musically, so is "Rainbow Children".

from the looks of the reviews on this site and in general on the web, there is not much love for AOA going around...............time to kiss 2014 and AOA/PlectrumElectrum/Christian garbage goodbye!!

4 things that made the album worse imo

1- Joshua Welton production on too many songs. "U KNow", and "Funknroll" remix should have been left off

2- the album having 2 songs with Andy Allo . 1 song ("Time') with her on this album would've been more than enough.

3- Lianne La havas' character in the story. I like her but why would i want to hear her talk throughout the album.

4- The concept.. I'm not really sure what It's about and most fans probably don't

[Edited 12/30/14 19:26pm]

Astasheiks said:

Blixical said:

I stopped listening to it weeks ago. However, unlike his other post-2000 albums, I was able to play this one back-to-back for the first two weeks I owned it. This was mostly due to strong sequencing of the tracks--it felt like a record, not a collection of songs. The problem was that the songs being sequenced were standard, and often boring R&B tracks; basically, stuff Prince can do in his sleep. Minus the paint-by-numbers "The Breakdown", and the vaguely yearning "Way Back Home", the album doesn't manage to hit very many emotional buttons for me.

It's an o.k. album made up of boring songs.

There are plenty of other groups for you to listen to if you don't like boring R&B, as you call it.

And what is R&B, basically Black music, music with rhythm, soul music. So I'm glad he made a album with a bunch of R&B tracks! I guess Prince decided to come back to his Black side for awhile!

[Edited 12/28/14 12:48pm]

Is there a point to your boring obviousness?

There certainly are plenty of other groups to listen to, and I do.

THere aren't, however, plenty of other albums being discussed on this thread. Please read the topic of thread, use some deductive reasoning, and focus.

[Edited 12/30/14 19:20pm]

LittlePurpleYoda said:

Astasheiks said:

There are plenty of other groups for you to listen to if you don't like boring R&B, as you call it.

And what is R&B, basically Black music, music with rhythm, soul music. So I'm glad he made a album with a bunch of R&B tracks! I guess Prince decided to come back to his Black side for awhile!

[Edited 12/28/14 12:48pm]

Yes, there are plenty of other groups, & the poster may or may not be discussing them on another message board. Here, they're discussing Prince's boring R&B.

Thanks.


It's not that R&B is boring. Prince has made some stellar R&B songs.

It's that these specific songs on this specific album are boring. Astasheiks obviously has a comprehension problem or is grasping at strings to despreately make a point. I hate straw man arguments.

elf9933 said:

Of course many opinions on albums depend on the fans struggles at the time that it is released thats why albums like Lovesexy and Rainbow children have such an extreme love hate relationship. But stop drinking the Koolaid people AoA is not a terrific album. It's decent at best. No classic tracks. Feels disjointed and the only track that will last is This could be us.This constant protest that it's his best work in years is not understandable by me. If he had released this a year after a previous album it would have been met with a lot less fanfare.

AOA is a Excellent effort. The thing about Prince is that some people like Funk and don't like any Rock he does and some like Rock and none of the Funk he does. People who like rock Love the Gold Album while people who like Funk think the Gold Album is his worst effort. BOTTOM LINE YOU CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE. What was last artist that any of you malcontents like the WHOLE ALBUM. Please tell methe last full album you liked