...there are times when this album is right on time. I am so feelin this album this week. Prince's full vox range is on display and the grooves are mellow but deeply funky.

"1+1+1 is 3...."

I think its surely a good album, but not one of his best.

She Loves Me For Me is the best song imo.

appleseed said:

Bohemian67 said:

It's an album that demands you put away your prejudices.

Or find some new ones...

BrazilianOnRaspberryBeret said:

I think its surely a good album, but not one of his best.

She Loves Me For Me is the best song imo.

I love that song and The Everlasting Now for the music, no idea about lyrics.

I like the album except for the darth vader voice.............. yeah I know I've said it a zillion times


I like all of the tracks.

bluegangsta said:

Bohemian67 said:

bluegangsta said:

Or find some new ones...

Being unbiased is about emptying your head and being able to hear, wholly and objectively both sides of the story solely from each angle, without interference of prior societal or mental conditioning. What you do afterwards is always subjective personal choice. But you cannot truly listen with half an ear.

Strangely enough, I intend to tune out when I hear anti-semitism and anti-female lyrics.

Pentacle said:

Bohemian67 said:

bluegangsta said: Being unbiased is about emptying your head and being able to hear, wholly and objectively both sides of the story solely from each angle, without interference of prior societal or mental conditioning. What you do afterwards is always subjective personal choice. But you cannot truly listen with half an ear.

Strangely enough, I intend to tune out when I hear anti-semitism and anti-female lyrics.

Post the lyrics and lets have a look at them to see what associations they bring up in you or me. Can't do anything with such broad generalisations as 'anti-semitism and anti-female'.

I love it except the lyrics which are at best, uh, interesting.

Musically, it's one of his best. So lush. Great mix of songwriting and jamming. But lyrically I can't bring myself to listen to it too often anymore.

For me "The Rainbow Children" still stand today as the only "Classic" P album of the 00, the only one to show someone when to demonstrate that he didn't lost the touch.

I was hyped for the release, I remember waiting up late for the download to become available in the UK. Excitedly waiting for the download and then putting on the headphones and giving it a play and...

Loved it!

Loved that it was something new from Prince, a new sound, not like any of his other albums. Really didn't object to the slowed down voice. Plenty of great music and musicianship and I loved all the songs. Wedding Feast gave me a WTF face and then I just laughed. Fantastic album really and couldn't wait to hear it the following day through the big speakers. And that second time I loved it more. Took many listens to really hear everything.

It is, dare I say it, a masterpiece.


*Edit* Should probably mention that I rarely pay too much attention to any of Prince's lyrics, so aren't bothered by any of the supposed problematic lyrics.

[Edited 3/31/16 7:26am]

The Rainbow Children is an amazing album that has held up over the years, it's aged very well.

Really came around to loving the album. Mellow is so smooth and the Rainbow children track is so fun ! Rise Rise Rise

toejam said:

Musically it's fantastic. Everything feels so live and organic. Excellent keyboard and guitar playing all over it. Lyrically? Total horseshit.

unknowncheese said:

Musically it's fantastic. Everything feels so live and organic. Excellent keyboard and guitar playing all over it. Lyrically? Total horseshit.

Yes.

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Phenomenal album musically, but lyrically I’m not too keen on it. I’m far too science oriented and been that way since as long as I can remember. However, most of the time I don’t pay too much attention to the content of the lyrics and just sort of go with the flow.....so I can filter out the religious theme and enjoy his singing from a “voice as instrument” perspective. And likewise I can listen to songs like “Head” and “Erotic City” without having to immerse my mind in filthy thoughts.....just enjoy them for the groove, hooks, solos, etc.

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[Edited 4/8/16 16:09pm]

The most cohesive album of the 2000s and most of the 90s
This sounds like Prince music. I can hear this album without needing to know what he is talking about. I tend to like the music 1st and 2nd how the lyrics are presented.
So under his 80s albums Rainbow Children is right there 4 me.

I love it musically and lyrically. It's in my top five favorite Prince albums, and I've been a fan since 1980.

berlinas2k said:

The beauty of the album for me is the live material that spawned from this project. To me, the ONA shows and after shows are among the best of his long career. I also like his "look" during this period, not that it had anything to do with the music.

I kinda left Prince for a while around Emancipation to Rave...and this album/tour & subsequent boots reeled me right back in!

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Right up there as a classic Prince era....

While musically and production wise, it's a very different record for Prince, sonically and otherwise - the message seemed to put some people off. Some fans (not all of course) saw it as a tad mysoginistic, & brow-thumping with JW beliefs.

The "theocratic order" chant in songs like "1+1+1=3" (especially on that live EP that was sent out to radio stations) probably seemed a close alignment to the bible verse in I Corinthians that says "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak". While he might not have meant that, I can see how some might construe his message that way.

It was a very odd time for Prince's music, in my view. It was one that was as new and interesting, as it was damaging. His music has never been the same since and, in this poster's opinion, never as good as any other era in Princetory.

Yet, without it, we'd be missing part of the journey of Prince music.

Some of the music is okay, but the dogmatic bullshit on it makes my ears burn. It offends my Jewish homosexuality.