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Thread started 06/09/15 1:41pm

KingSausage

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The Truth -- Prince's Most Ignored Album?

I think The Truth is the most ignored Prince album. I understand why the general public doesn't know about it, given that maybe .000003% of them bought Crystal Ball. But even on the Org, The Truth comes up for discussion far less often than other Prince albums. This sucks, because it's a masterpiece!

Runner-up for most ignored Prince album: One Nite Alone (the piano album).

Discuss or something.
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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Reply #1 posted 06/09/15 1:49pm

murph

KingSausage said:

I think The Truth is the most ignored Prince album. I understand why the general public doesn't know about it, given that maybe .000000003% of them bought Crystal Ball. But even on the Org, The Truth comes up for discussion far less often than other Prince albums. This sucks, because it's a masterpiece! Runner-up for most ignored Prince album: One Nite Alone (the piano album). Discuss or something.

I agree.....A criminally underrated, at times deeply haunting album.....I fucks with it, heavy....

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Reply #2 posted 06/09/15 1:51pm

KingSausage

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murph said:



KingSausage said:


I think The Truth is the most ignored Prince album. I understand why the general public doesn't know about it, given that maybe .000003% of them bought Crystal Ball. But even on the Org, The Truth comes up for discussion far less often than other Prince albums. This sucks, because it's a masterpiece! Runner-up for most ignored Prince album: One Nite Alone (the piano album). Discuss or something.




I agree.....A criminally underrated, at times deeply haunting album.....I fucks with it, heavy....




Yes!
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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Reply #3 posted 06/09/15 2:26pm

SoulAlive

Haven't listened to this album in awhile.I really like the song "Dionne",that's my favorite music

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Reply #4 posted 06/09/15 2:29pm

Averett

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You got it King. I listen to this album often and wonder why it does not get the love it deserves.

A robin sings a masterpiece that lives and dies unheard...
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Reply #5 posted 06/09/15 2:32pm

KingSausage

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I love the whole album. Even Animal Kingdom, which at one point I thought was the sweaty taint of Prince's catalog, but now sounds grand compared to shit like MPLSound. Dionne, Circle of Amour, Comeback, One of Your Tears, The Truth, Other Side of the Pillow, Don't Play Me...fuck it, THE WHOLE ALBUM. It's all fantastic. Overproduced at times, but there are no lasers or chimp noises.
[Edited 6/9/15 14:32pm]
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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Reply #6 posted 06/09/15 2:33pm

dodger

Great album, shame it didn't get its own release. Agree with murph that it is quite haunting and also bit personal for Prince (most notably Comeback).
.
I still listen to it quite regularly, minus Animak Kingdom of course.
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Reply #7 posted 06/09/15 2:37pm

Taurus

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I've stated before that "The Truth" should have been released commerically, not as a throw in with the Crystal Ball set. Great album from beginning to end. Very underated piece of work.

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Reply #8 posted 06/09/15 3:02pm

iZsaZsa

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dodger said:

Great album, shame it didn't get its own release. Agree with murph that it is quite haunting and also bit personal for Prince (most notably Comeback).
.
I still listen to it quite regularly, minus Animak Kingdom of course.

#meatasaurus
What?
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Reply #9 posted 06/09/15 3:03pm

iZsaZsa

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Love it start to finish. nod
What?
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Reply #10 posted 06/09/15 3:06pm

purplepolitici
an

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iZsaZsa said:

Love it start to finish. nod

yeahthat Even Animal Kindgom. Whole thing is classic. touched

For all time I am with you, you are with me.
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Reply #11 posted 06/09/15 7:22pm

7souls

KingSausage said:

I think The Truth is the most ignored Prince album. I understand why the general public doesn't know about it, given that maybe .000003% of them bought Crystal Ball. But even on the Org, The Truth comes up for discussion far less often than other Prince albums. This sucks, because it's a masterpiece!

Runner-up for most ignored Prince album: One Nite Alone (the piano album).

Discuss or something.


I see your The Truth, and raise you NEWS.
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Reply #12 posted 06/09/15 7:24pm

Doozer

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I gave The Truth my vote for Prince's best album of the 1990s in another thread and stand by it. Many people don't give it due consideration because of the perception of it being "part" of Crystal Ball, which I disagree with. Yeah, it went in one of the five slots in that hockey puck, but it had as much to do with Crystal Ball as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
.
Is there a more unique album in his catalog? I mean, his glory streak from 81 to 88 was full of masterpieces, but they had plenty in common. As much of a departure as Parade was from Purple Rain, The Truth is as much of a departure from anything else he produced in the 90s. And it wasn't just different - it was heartfelt in parts, funny, some nice storytelling songs, solid songwriting. I don't know that Prince has ever sounded more "solo" on a record. And he found a way to not screw it up or overthink it.
.
Prince has crafted plenty of songs and albums better than The Truth. But none sound any more one of a kind than this little gem. It deserves more spins.
Check out The Mountains and the Sea, a Prince podcast by yours truly and my wife. More info at https://www.facebook.com/TMATSPodcast/
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Reply #13 posted 06/09/15 8:13pm

KingSausage

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Doozer said:

I gave The Truth my vote for Prince's best album of the 1990s in another thread and stand by it. Many people don't give it due consideration because of the perception of it being "part" of Crystal Ball, which I disagree with. Yeah, it went in one of the five slots in that hockey puck, but it had as much to do with Crystal Ball as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
.
Is there a more unique album in his catalog? I mean, his glory streak from 81 to 88 was full of masterpieces, but they had plenty in common. As much of a departure as Parade was from Purple Rain, The Truth is as much of a departure from anything else he produced in the 90s. And it wasn't just different - it was heartfelt in parts, funny, some nice storytelling songs, solid songwriting. I don't know that Prince has ever sounded more "solo" on a record. And he found a way to not screw it up or overthink it.
.
Prince has crafted plenty of songs and albums better than The Truth. But none sound any more one of a kind than this little gem. It deserves more spins.



Awesome post. I'm going to listen to The Truth tomorrow with those things in mind.
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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Reply #14 posted 06/09/15 8:16pm

KingSausage

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7souls said:

KingSausage said:

I think The Truth is the most ignored Prince album. I understand why the general public doesn't know about it, given that maybe .000003% of them bought Crystal Ball. But even on the Org, The Truth comes up for discussion far less often than other Prince albums. This sucks, because it's a masterpiece!

Runner-up for most ignored Prince album: One Nite Alone (the piano album).

Discuss or something.


I see your The Truth, and raise you NEWS.



I think part of the reason why NEWS gets ignore is because people roll it up into the Xenophobia-CNOTE-NEWS cycle, where it tends to get a bit obscured. I think NEWS is the strongest of those three albums. It would've stood out better if it hadn't been released around the same time. Also, fuck that packaging. I hate trying to open up that CD. I was stoked when I finally got into iTunes and never had to touch that fucking beast again.
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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Reply #15 posted 06/09/15 9:30pm

williamb610

"No member of the Animal Kingdom...ever did a thing to me...no member of the Animal Kingdom, makes it past maturity...that's why I don't eat red meat or white fish...funky, funky bleu cheese..."

Animal Kingdom is pretty intense, musically. Dionne is the other killer track off that album. I don't like falsetto anymore but I don't mind it when I hear Dionne.

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Reply #16 posted 06/09/15 10:19pm

SoulAlive

Prince should have released this album as a "real" album and not part of the Crystal Ball set.Then he should have done an acoustic tour based on it.

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Reply #17 posted 06/09/15 11:48pm

thedance

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the 2 first tracks are f*cking amazing.. heart

(the title track + Don't Play Me)

Prince 4Ever. heart
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Reply #18 posted 06/10/15 1:20am

NorthC

The way it was released, as an afterthought to CB, of course makes it easy to overlook. Even The War, which is even more obscure, gets more love from fans. And I've got to admire an artist who can do both an expiremental spacefunkjam and an acoustic singersongwriter album. And there we have it: he is much better at the first than at the latter. The War is as good as any P-Funk ever recorded, but is The Truth as good as the work of Joni Mitchell? Not really. The Truth has some nice songs on it, some weak ones and holds the record for having the worst, most embarrassing lyric he ever wrote and I'm not even talking about Animal Kingdom. I mean that line about the used condom. C'mon man, you gotta be able to write something better than that!
Having said all of that, The Truth is a nice album and the focus on acoustic instruments was a nice change. And we have the first mention of the 3rd eye! I notice I keep using the word nice. Because that's what it is. Only Welcome 2 the Dawn is really great.
[Edited 6/10/15 1:28am]
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Reply #19 posted 06/10/15 1:25am

NorthC

7souls said:

KingSausage said:

I think The Truth is the most ignored Prince album. I understand why the general public doesn't know about it, given that maybe .000003% of them bought Crystal Ball. But even on the Org, The Truth comes up for discussion far less often than other Prince albums. This sucks, because it's a masterpiece!

Runner-up for most ignored Prince album: One Nite Alone (the piano album).

Discuss or something.


I see your The Truth, and raise you NEWS.

At least NEWS got an official release as an album.
[Edited 6/10/15 1:26am]
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Reply #20 posted 06/10/15 4:29am

Mindflux

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NorthC said:

The way it was released, as an afterthought to CB, of course makes it easy to overlook. Even The War, which is even more obscure, gets more love from fans. And I've got to admire an artist who can do both an expiremental spacefunkjam and an acoustic singersongwriter album. And there we have it: he is much better at the first than at the latter. The War is as good as any P-Funk ever recorded, but is The Truth as good as the work of Joni Mitchell? Not really. The Truth has some nice songs on it, some weak ones and holds the record for having the worst, most embarrassing lyric he ever wrote and I'm not even talking about Animal Kingdom. I mean that line about the used condom. C'mon man, you gotta be able to write something better than that!
Having said all of that, The Truth is a nice album and the focus on acoustic instruments was a nice change. And we have the first mention of the 3rd eye! I notice I keep using the word nice. Because that's what it is. Only Welcome 2 the Dawn is really great.
[Edited 6/10/15 1:28am]


It's way better than "nice" - it's outstanding, but each to their own. It's pointless comparing to Joni - they're in entirely different spheres. Joni couldn't make an album like Truth and vice versa.

Also, the line about the "used condom" - how would he write that any differently? If the story is to be believed, that was based on a real experience (Carmen Electra purportedly left him a used condom to tell him they were over - nice!
[Edited 6/10/15 4:29am]
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Reply #21 posted 06/10/15 5:06am

KingSausage

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I would love a version of The Truth with all the sound effects edited out.
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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Reply #22 posted 06/10/15 6:36am

peedub

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williamb610 said:

"No member of the Animal Kingdom...ever did a thing to me...no member of the Animal Kingdom NURSES past maturity...that's why I don't eat red meat or white fish...funky, funky bleu cheese..."



lyric correction...this sentiment is echoed in the lyric 'you probably don't even know what kind of cereal i like....wrong. captain crunch, with soy milk. cuz cows are for calves...' i.e. why are mature humans sucking down mammary produce, let alone the produce of another species. i gotta say, that is pretty gross...

[Edited 6/10/15 6:37am]

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Reply #23 posted 06/10/15 6:57am

Doozer

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KingSausage said:

Doozer said:

I gave The Truth my vote for Prince's best album of the 1990s in another thread and stand by it. Many people don't give it due consideration because of the perception of it being "part" of Crystal Ball, which I disagree with. Yeah, it went in one of the five slots in that hockey puck, but it had as much to do with Crystal Ball as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
.
Is there a more unique album in his catalog? I mean, his glory streak from 81 to 88 was full of masterpieces, but they had plenty in common. As much of a departure as Parade was from Purple Rain, The Truth is as much of a departure from anything else he produced in the 90s. And it wasn't just different - it was heartfelt in parts, funny, some nice storytelling songs, solid songwriting. I don't know that Prince has ever sounded more "solo" on a record. And he found a way to not screw it up or overthink it.
.
Prince has crafted plenty of songs and albums better than The Truth. But none sound any more one of a kind than this little gem. It deserves more spins.



Awesome post. I'm going to listen to The Truth tomorrow with those things in mind.


The 90s album discussion thread got me listening to The Truth at work on repeat nonstop yesterday. It was great to spend some somewhat focused time revisiting the whole album.
Check out The Mountains and the Sea, a Prince podcast by yours truly and my wife. More info at https://www.facebook.com/TMATSPodcast/
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Reply #24 posted 06/10/15 7:09am

getfunked

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A recurring gripe I have with nearly all of Prince's works are the (what seem to me) unpolished, cringeworthy, or weirdly positioned lyrics. The Truth is no exception to this. Sometimes I wish I could just shut off the part of my brain that understands english and only process the musical aspect.

Other than that, I enjoy it.

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Reply #25 posted 06/10/15 7:14am

KingSausage

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I listened to most of the album on the way to work today. Dionne is so great. But those fucking sound effects. Aaagh! Leave it alone, Prince. I wanted to compile a list of all the sound effects on that album. It might have the most of any Prince album. Clocks, dolphins, Mancini, glasses clanking (?), so much bullshit.
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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Reply #26 posted 06/10/15 7:20am

Giovanni777

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Man, that album is so great and timeless, and yes, like 'N.E.W.S.', 'Xpectation', and the piano driven 'One Night Alone', is criminally underrated.

"He's a musician's musician..."
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Reply #27 posted 06/10/15 7:33am

jcurley

Pure genius.
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Reply #28 posted 06/10/15 8:48am

SchlomoThaHomo

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I haven't really listened to this in eons. I have to agree it is pretty ignored, though some of the instrumental albums might take the crown for most ignored. Would this album really have been able to stand alone? I'm not sure. It feels uneven.

  1. The Truth - Cool song with a great vocal, but pretty basic. Just a standard blues song.
  2. Don't Play Me - A good album track, but nothing really special to these ears.
  3. Circle Of Amour - The first great song. Memorable melody, and great storytelling. I wish he would do more storytelling like this. Although, the creep factor is high considering he's writing about teen lezzie sessions.
  4. 3rd Eye - One of my personal favorites. Very dark and interesting lyrics. I wonder what it's really about? "On the dotted line 4 which I did sign" makes me think it could be directed toward WB.
  5. Dionne - I never really played this much. The weird guitar lines always sort of got under my skin. "Well..." seems like a Dorothy Parker homage. An old flame of mine used to love the shit out of this song, and I never really understood why.
  6. Man In A Uniform - I love the vocals and the verses, but the refrain sounds lazy. "Man in a uniform. That's what I am." And "swallow my stench" might be the most vile thing he's ever sung.
  7. Animal Kingdom - No.
  8. The Other Side Of The Pillow - The windy intro was super necessary. lol Actually, I find this one very charming. I gained more respect for it after the version from ONA Live.
  9. Fascination - Probably my favorite. This is just a perfect song from start to finish. Great changes, great lyrics, great playing, great singing. Perfect and effortless.
  10. One Of Your Tears - I'm convinced this song was solely written to include the "used condom" line, because it's otherwise so boring and unmemorable. The vocal affectation tells me that Prince knew it, too. He had to do something else to make it interesting.
  11. Comeback - Sweet but depressing. I don't listen to it much for that reason.
  12. Welcome 2 The Dawn - I really hope we get to hear the full band version of this someday. Such a wonderful melody.

[Edited 6/10/15 8:49am]

"That's when stars collide. When there's space for what u want, and ur heart is open wide."
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Reply #29 posted 06/10/15 9:30am

KingSausage

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Comeback is mega depressing.

When I first got the album I thought Circle of Amour was about Mary, Claire, Denise, and BILL. I was like damn, I don't know who this Bill is, but he's got a good thing going!
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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