In the beginning we all said the first half of Phase 1 was a confused mismash of edm music that went wrong...

However a year later, I personally feel PHASE 1 is a better album than PHASE 2.

Why...

Phase 1 has more energy, which all the great PRINCE albums always had. PHASE 2 is bland, has a few good moments like REVELATION, LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT U, GROOVY POTENTIAL... But that whole album is just boring, non adventerous, hotel elevator music...

PHASE 1 contains this raw energy from start to finish. I'm not saying every track is great, however HARDROCKLOVER, 1000 X'S & 0'S, JUNE eclipse anything on PHASE 2 IMO.

I'm really digging PHASE 1, even gonna buy the bootleg vinyl on eBAY.

interesting, i hated Phase 1 for the same resons when it came out but now it works for me...

with "fall in love tonight" i thougt prince lost his mind completely and i was thinking about left the prince world

and today - even this song works on the album for me...

No.

Well maybe, Phase 1 may have higher highs, but the best of both is still groovy potential, enjoy the ones you mentioned, but also got add extralovable as highlight.

Guess Phase 1 is the stronger grower, but Phase 2 still ahead by a nose, best later album by a wide margin to my ears is 3121, sounds so fresh if you have not given a listen in awhile

I went from Phase 2 to Phase 1 than back to 3121. I forgot how good that album was.

Phase 2

feeluupp said:

In the beginning we all said the first half of Phase 1 was a confused mismash of edm music that went wrong...

Why do people make these stupid statements like, 'we all said'?

No, we all certainly did not say that. There may have been a large number of people expressing their dislike but some of us loved it from the start.

dodger said:

I agree Hardrocklover, 1000 Hugs & Kisses and June are great tracks but as an album I still prefer Phase 2 by a long way. And murph's Vibe article makes me appreciate it even more. . The only negative for Phase 2 is the fact we'd had half the tracks for a long time in some cases.

that was my problem with it, too... it was never new.. made it feel like a compilation lp or a mixtape

I prefer Phase 2 although it doesn't matter that much to me. Both albums are great.

I'm not smart enough nor authoritative enough on such matters to say that it is better, but I can say that I enjoy it more than Phase II. I've played phase I several times without skipping tracks, while I only plaed Phase II all the way through once, and that was as background music while I was working.

No I prefer Phase II and I listen to it more than Phase I.

I still hate Phase 1 with a passion. There are only 4 tracks on it that I can listen to, and the best track is a rework from the early nineties.

Phase 2 is a much better album.

I love Phase 1. I think Prince did such a good job promoting "real music" to the extent that maybe some of his later-era "computer" albums like Phase 1 don't get the love they should, when actually his drum machine / keyboard-based stuff was really what took him to the next level at the start of his career.

i've started to appreciate Phase 1 a bit more now that i've got used to it.

still can't listen to "million $ show". for me the album starts with "shut this down"

the rest is cool enough. i just had a problem with the remixes at first but now i've
got used to the album being what it is and can enjoy it without my own hang ups.

as such, it's a nice album which i play a lot, especially in the car.

Phase 2 i've liked from day 1. but i've stopped listening to it for a bit since i want
to have some 'new' tunes in the months to come, instead of overplaying it now.

as an album i think i like Phase 2 better. but the best back 2 back sequence for me
is still X'S FACE/HARDROCKLOVER.

WhisperingDandelions said:

I love Phase 1. I think Prince did such a good job promoting "real music" to the extent that maybe some of his later-era "computer" albums like Phase 1 don't get the love they should, when actually his drum machine / keyboard-based stuff was really what took him to the next level at the start of his career.

It's not his production, Mr. Welton totally ruined the songs with "his" sound.

Phase 1 > Phase 2


Phase 1: great album, great songs.... I love it all..

Phase 2: ZzZZzzzzZZzZZZZzzzz BORING

Still don't understand why they have to be compared.... I love them both, for different reasons. One is looking at the music of the present and near future, one is a celebration of 70s funk and soul music...

They're supposed to be two very different records, two very different sides to Prince's musical character.... the whole point is that they're supposed to complement each other. Each song is on the album it's on because it works on that album better than it would on the other...

Two very different, hugely enjoyable albums.... why keep comparing?

Neither of them are boring, both contain some incredible material and performances, as well as some perhaps less successful moments... but what I love is that until the end, Prince was still trying things out, pushing himself, staying fresh, looking forward and back... that is what makes me happiest of all... on these records, he sounds fresher and looser than he had in years... even though I love Art Official Age, on that record he still sounds a little stiff at times... on the Hit N Runs he's just having a ball, and that comes through palpably, I feel.

Rimshottbob said:

i still believe 'Phase 1' rocks the hizzy from start to finish and is a stronger, more coherent album than it's follow up. My Fave P album since 'Lotus.'

CAL3 said:

i still believe 'Phase 1' rocks the hizzy from start to finish and is a stronger, more coherent album than it's follow up. My Fave P album since 'Lotus.'

Phase 1 fizzles the nizzle.

I prefer Phase 1. I was excited for what would come next . (And I don't mean Phase 2 which ostensibly predates Phase 1.)

Rimshottbob said:

Still don't understand why they have to be compared.... I love them both, for different reasons. One is looking at the music of the present and near future, one is a celebration of 70s funk and soul music...

They're supposed to be two very different records, two very different sides to Prince's musical character.... the whole point is that they're supposed to complement each other. Each song is on the album it's on because it works on that album better than it would on the other...

Two very different, hugely enjoyable albums.... why keep comparing?

Neither of them are boring, both contain some incredible material and performances, as well as some perhaps less successful moments... but what I love is that until the end, Prince was still trying things out, pushing himself, staying fresh, looking forward and back... that is what makes me happiest of all... on these records, he sounds fresher and looser than he had in years... even though I love Art Official Age, on that record he still sounds a little stiff at times... on the Hit N Runs he's just having a ball, and that comes through palpably, I feel.

Yes. I have this same perspective, and think they're very, very fitting final releases (philosophically) as a result.

You get kind of both ends of the Prince dichotomy. One looking toward the future and the other looking toward the past, and together you get Prince's "musical character" as you put it.

[Edited 7/12/16 13:38pm]

Nope. Not in my opinion. There are 2 songs I like on Phase 1. Phase 2, I skip screwdriver, and can enjoy the rest. There are some songs on Phase 2 that i really love and I liked the direction he was going in.

I like 'em both.