It´s interesting how Prince fans have such different opinions about his music. I dont know if it happens in other artists´ fan forums, but with Prince, it´s very interesting. You go from ´masterpiece´ to ´garbage´ in the same page

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About AOA, never liked it much. The songs didnt grab me and the production didnt compensate (yes, I am the kind of guy who doesnt care much about composition if the arrangements are great, or if there are killer guitar solos)

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But I will listen to it again. Never listened to it after his passing

[Edited 11/24/16 6:45am]

we feel the same.. except i only listened to it once!

TheDigitalGardener said:

Listened to it twice upon it's release and polluted my ears with it again recently. Can't say I'll ever listen to it again.

anangellooksdown said:

This album is superb in every way. It's like any other Prince album of latter days: one has to go into it with a very open mind, not expecting anything based on past music - and with absolutely NO expectations of what I think I might hear. I have to keep my ears - and my mind - WIDE open. It's also like his other later music in the sense that it takes more than a few listens to appreciate the full gravity of it. Only THEN will I start hearing. And oh, what there is to hear. Once I have broken through my own closed mind by doing the above, I benefit. With each new listen over many many months it grows on me. I hear new things almost each time I listen. There is so much going on here musically, almost like an Italian restaurant that's been so decorated by its owner that not an inch has been left bare (except for where it should be). There are places on this album that his vocals are so incredible (IF you're listening for that and can appreciate it) that after listening to it for 6 months, just yesterday I found myself shaking my head in disbelief at his singing in a few different places, hitting rewind to catch that effortless switch of octaves within the same note or other stunning feats. It's so crisp. It's the music within the music that gets me [Edited 11/23/16 4:09am]

Thank you for expressing that, almost my thoughts & reactions exactly. I love AOA!

GustavoRibas said:

NorthC said:

Then what do you think of PlectrumElectrum?

- I have mixed feelings about it. I always dreamed of a ´rock guitar´ album by Prince, and I really love lots of moments there. On the other hand, other parts sound too pop for me.

.

To be honest, I am not a big fan of 3rd Eye Girl and Joshua era (and I think Joshua was better on Phase 1, production-wise). IMO, Prince deserved a better band. Dont get me wrong, they are very good musicians (specially Ida), but I dont think they are as great as Musicology band or 90s NPG.

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Did you like Plectrum?

[Edited 11/25/16 4:58am]

NorthC said:

To me, it's the opposite... I liked it when it came out, but giving it another listen lately... It's just another average Prince album with a few great moments (Breakdown, Way Back Home) on it... The main problem is that there are just too many slow songs on it. Only Art Official Cage, The Gold Standard and FunknRoll can be considered "funky"... And none of them stand up to, say, Housequake or Days of Wild...

Agreed, too many slow songs. And Prince set such high standards with amazing ballads like Power Fantastic, Sometimes Snows in April or Question of U, that makes it impossible to call AOA masterpiece.

While I was listening to it, I kept thinking 'now is coming a killer song, now is coming a killer song' as always, when it comes to Prince... But just didn´t happened.

Someone reviewed it saying it was todays Dream Factory

NorthC said:

Then what do you think of PlectrumElectrum?

- I have mixed feelings about it. I always dreamed of a ´rock guitar´ album by Prince, and I really love lots of moments there. On the other hand, other parts sound too pop for me.

.

To be honest, I am not a big fan of 3rd Eye Girl and Joshua era (and I think Joshua was better on Phase 1, production-wise). IMO, Prince deserved a better band. Dont get me wrong, they are very good musicians (specially Ida), but I dont think they are as great as Musicology band or 90s NPG.

.

Did you like Plectrum?

[Edited 11/25/16 4:58am]

GustavoRibas said:

NorthC said:

Then what do you think of PlectrumElectrum?

- I have mixed feelings about it. I always dreamed of a ´rock guitar´ album by Prince, and I really love lots of moments there. On the other hand, other parts sound too pop for me.

.

To be honest, I am not a big fan of 3rd Eye Girl and Joshua era (and I think Joshua was better on Phase 1, production-wise). IMO, Prince deserved a better band. Dont get me wrong, they are very good musicians (specially Ida), but I dont think they are as great as Musicology band or 90s NPG.

co-sign. not a fan of this era. more and more i believe good/great rock requires a great drummer as much as a great guitarist. 3EG didn't have one. overall the pocket was weak when it could/should have been heavier or even thunderous. jmo.

wavesofbliss said:

GustavoRibas said:

- I have mixed feelings about it. I always dreamed of a ´rock guitar´ album by Prince, and I really love lots of moments there. On the other hand, other parts sound too pop for me.

.

To be honest, I am not a big fan of 3rd Eye Girl and Joshua era (and I think Joshua was better on Phase 1, production-wise). IMO, Prince deserved a better band. Dont get me wrong, they are very good musicians (specially Ida), but I dont think they are as great as Musicology band or 90s NPG.

co-sign. not a fan of this era. more and more i believe good/great rock requires a great drummer as much as a great guitarist. 3EG didn't have one. overall the pocket was weak when it could/should have been heavier or even thunderous. jmo.

Hannah is a great drummer. That's why Prince hired her. She doesn't have the power of Bland or Blackwell but can you point to a specific example of her pocket being weak?

The same thing goes for Josh. At it's core AOA has the same sound as PE or 20TEN but AOA sounded all together more coherent and fresh as a Prince album. Despite the fact there were songs on there Prince didn't touch (other than the vocals).

[Edited 11/26/16 9:49am]

wavesofbliss said:

co-sign. not a fan of this era. more and more i believe good/great rock requires a great drummer as much as a great guitarist. 3EG didn't have one. overall the pocket was weak when it could/should have been heavier or even thunderous. jmo.

.

- Agree. Hannah was technically better than Kirky J, but not as good as Sheila, MIchael B or Blackwell.

I am sure that the timing of my purchase impacts my reception. I bought in on Vinyl a short while after he passed. I love it. LOVE I had bailed around the Diamond and Pearls era and embraced other musicians and genre. I enjoy the contrast of who Prince had become to who he was when I was first a fan.

Prince managed to be honestly biographic while kicking all of his so-called "heirs" (Mars, Timberlake, the usual supects) in da nutz.
What's not to like?

http://prince.org/msg/7/410767?&pg=25

[Edited 11/26/16 10:25am]

foreverfan1984 said:

Noodled24 said:

wavesofbliss said:

co-sign. not a fan of this era. more and more i believe good/great rock requires a great drummer as much as a great guitarist. 3EG didn't have one. overall the pocket was weak when it could/should have been heavier or even thunderous. jmo.

Hannah is a great drummer. That's why Prince hired her. She doesn't have the power of Bland or Blackwell but can you point to a specific example of her pocket being weak?

i believe hannah is a good drummer, just feel that her style didn't suit prince. had prince had a "power drummer" more in the vein of bland the songs on PE would have really come alive. blackwell can be powerful but usually over plays,imo. sometimes he's all over his kit when it just isn't necessary. kinda of like some of those drummers in hair metal bands in the 80s. still, i wish him a complete recovery.

It is junk. We have to admit.

wavesofbliss said:

Noodled24 said:

Hannah is a great drummer. That's why Prince hired her. She doesn't have the power of Bland or Blackwell but can you point to a specific example of her pocket being weak?

i believe hannah is a good drummer, just feel that her style didn't suit prince. had prince had a "power drummer" more in the vein of bland the songs on PE would have really come alive. blackwell can be powerful but usually over plays,imo. sometimes he's all over his kit when it just isn't necessary. kinda of like some of those drummers in hair metal bands in the 80s. still, i wish him a complete recovery.

I don't think the problem with PE is the drummer. Listen to the live stuff, she can handle it. The problem with PE is that it's an R'n'B album, disguised as a rock album. The build up with 3EG was Liveoutloud & Fixyourlifeup, Octopus Heart, LGC Reloaded, The Sweeter She Is... that's what 3EG sounds like. The album is weak sauce when compared.

Noodled24 said:

wavesofbliss said:

i believe hannah is a good drummer, just feel that her style didn't suit prince. had prince had a "power drummer" more in the vein of bland the songs on PE would have really come alive. blackwell can be powerful but usually over plays,imo. sometimes he's all over his kit when it just isn't necessary. kinda of like some of those drummers in hair metal bands in the 80s. still, i wish him a complete recovery.

I don't think the problem with PE is the drummer. Listen to the live stuff, she can handle it. The problem with PE is that it's an R'n'B album, disguised as a rock album. The build up with 3EG was Liveoutloud & Fixyourlifeup, Octopus Heart, LGC Reloaded, The Sweeter She Is... that's what 3EG sounds like. The album is weak sauce when compared.

yes ultimately this is the issue. too funky to rock properly, but that was prince's problem as a guitarist(he was masterful-don't misunderstand me )but he played too pretty/melodically to play blues convincingly and too funky/percussive to rock effectively. jmo.

wavesofbliss said:

Noodled24 said:

I don't think the problem with PE is the drummer. Listen to the live stuff, she can handle it. The problem with PE is that it's an R'n'B album, disguised as a rock album. The build up with 3EG was Liveoutloud & Fixyourlifeup, Octopus Heart, LGC Reloaded, The Sweeter She Is... that's what 3EG sounds like. The album is weak sauce when compared.

yes ultimately this is the issue. too funky to rock properly, but that was prince's problem as a guitarist(he was masterful-don't misunderstand me )but he played too pretty/melodically to play blues convincingly and too funky/percussive to rock effectively. jmo.

Yeah right. You take your time.

As for "rocking effectively", I suggest "Witness 4 The Prosecution",
and/or the whole "Chaos and Disorder" album.
The "Let's Go Crazy" riff is probably reggae.

As you said, just your opinion.

"Prince's problem"!
Geez...

OH LAWD..

such nastyness..

NorthC said:

Yeah, there is this old saying that a good band with a bad drummers is a bad band...

wavesofbliss said:

Noodled24 said:

I don't think the problem with PE is the drummer. Listen to the live stuff, she can handle it. The problem with PE is that it's an R'n'B album, disguised as a rock album. The build up with 3EG was Liveoutloud & Fixyourlifeup, Octopus Heart, LGC Reloaded, The Sweeter She Is... that's what 3EG sounds like. The album is weak sauce when compared.

yes ultimately this is the issue. too funky to rock properly, but that was prince's problem as a guitarist(he was masterful-don't misunderstand me )but he played too pretty/melodically to play blues convincingly and too funky/percussive to rock effectively. jmo.

Well, it's the issue with that particular album. Live he played blues all the time. But lacks a real blues album.

AOA is a great album. Some fans are missing when they compare his recent releases to his classic masterpieces.

Maybe it's because i became a fan a few years ago and i love everything he released.

Noodled24 said:

wavesofbliss said:

yes ultimately this is the issue. too funky to rock properly, but that was prince's problem as a guitarist(he was masterful-don't misunderstand me )but he played too pretty/melodically to play blues convincingly and too funky/percussive to rock effectively. jmo.

Well, it's the issue with that particular album. Live he played blues all the time. But lacks a real blues album.

i agree.

I've said it before and I'll stick with it: AOA is the best album Prince released since the 1980s. It baffles me that there are Prince fans who hate it so much. But then, I hate some of the albums others praise as masterpieces, too (particularly the Love Symbol album and The Rainbow Children). To each their own, I suppose.

scratchtasia said:

I've said it before and I'll stick with it: AOA is the best album Prince released since the 1980s. It baffles me that there are Prince fans who hate it so much. But then, I hate some of the albums others praise as masterpieces, too (particularly the Love Symbol album and The Rainbow Children). To each their own, I suppose.

Along with 3121.

But you can't deny the 90's, it's a whole other career of it own.
Some serious stuff in there.

But if we're speaking "album" as "cohesive set of songs and thematics",
yep, indisputably, AOA sits next to Lovesexy.

Thematically I don't see what tracks 3-8 and 11 have to do with tracks 1-2 and 9-10-12, which are more obviously connected. Lyrically they feel like a different album to me.

I mean, they're connected in that they're Prince songs and he has a style of his own and he even had a late period style of his own, but I don't see the sci-fi theme he opens and closes with carrying through the entire album in any kind of coherent or consistent way.

[Edited 11/29/16 19:51pm]