http://www.laweekly.com/m...ms-2412180

This article from 2012 kind of exemplifies what I feel about P's later work and the high expectations of his fans. Now, I am not saying I agree that his old fans are old close-minded farts like this guy at times implies. But I will say I agree that Prince was a victim of incredibly high expectations from his old fans and no expectations whatsoever from people who thought he was a has-been by 1985 or younguns who know nothing about him..

[Edited 2/28/17 19:35pm]

I didn't know these albums were considered awful maybe except Musicology by some fans. But TGE and 3121 are pretty much fan favorites. I'd expect Emancipation, The Vault Old Friends For Sale, or Rave to be on this kind of list.

3121 is anything but an awful album.

I would suggest that most fans would include Newpower Soul on this list, whether it has an NPG credit or not.

3121 is sound, as is Musicology - I do like Illusion Coma Pimp and Circumstance, too. The Vault has some wonderful tunes on it - I wouldn't call it amongst his worst...not by a long shot.

NEWS?

I like this but some don't.

beautyunaffected said:

3121 is anything but an awful album.

3121 is one of his worst imo. I would rank it last out of his non-instrumental post-00s output.

Anyone who calls 3121 an awful album, is awful themselves. This is a superb album, with so many great tracks like Black Sweat, Love, The Word, Lolita, 3121, Fury and TAC.

For me 3121, Newpower Soul, Emancipation, Rave Un2 & In2 are some of my favourite.

I also love Chaos & Disorder (that quite a few don't like)

For me it's NEWS, Kamasutra both albums I've listened all the way through but don't like. Maybe its' the Instrumental albums I don't like.

I have to admit though there are a few standard albums that I haven't listened straight the way through or even some of the songs as that kind of music doesn't appeal to me. I am referring to the very early career stuff. I have not listened to most of the songs for For You, Prince, Dirty Mind etc. But I won't put them in my worst list as I haven't given them a fair chance.

I've been a fan direct (and not through my brother) since 1994.

Adorecream said:

Anyone who calls 3121 an awful album, is awful themselves. This is a superb album, with so many great tracks like Black Sweat, Love, The Word, Lolita, 3121, Fury and TAC.

i second that

Adorecream said:

Anyone who calls 3121 an awful album, is awful themselves. This is a superb album, with so many great tracks like Black Sweat, Love, The Word, Lolita, 3121, Fury and TAC.

I didn't call it awful, but musically, it does very little for me.

The best songs from Musicology, Rave, Planet Earth, 20Ten, Lotus/MPLSound, AOA and HNR1 and 2, piss all over most of 3121 imo.

There's nothing on 3121 as good as the following tracks: The One U Wanna C, Future Soul Song, Ol Skool Company, Man O War, Colonized Mind, FunkNRoll, 1000 Xs and Os, All The Midnites In The World, A Million Days, Here, I Love U But I Don't Trust U Anymore, What Do U Want Me 2 Do, Dance 4 Me, Hardrocklover, Better With Time, The Greatest Romance.

3121 also has some of his weakest fillers, dross like Incense & Candles, Satisfied and Get On The Boat. And the song Beautiful Loved & Blessed sounds like muzak you hear in high street clothes chains.

Dross like Incense and Candles and Satisfied?...God, we have different tastes in some respects. To me, those are sexy and mellow (Satisfied live in 2013 was amazing) and most pleasing to the ear. I hate however the cheesiness of All the midnites in the world, Better than Time, ol Skool Company, and the one I wanna c and the conservative politics of Colonized Mind.

I agree about Future SOul SOng, The Greatest Romance, FunkNRoll, 1000 X's and O's, What do you want me to do, Hardrocklover, A Million Days, I love u but I don't trust u anymore...they are all better than Incense and candles and Satisfied but not by much...

MattyJam said:

Adorecream said:

Anyone who calls 3121 an awful album, is awful themselves. This is a superb album, with so many great tracks like Black Sweat, Love, The Word, Lolita, 3121, Fury and TAC.

I didn't call it awful, but musically, it does very little for me.

The best songs from Musicology, Rave, Planet Earth, 20Ten, Lotus/MPLSound, AOA and HNR1 and 2, piss all over most of 3121 imo.

There's nothing on 3121 as good as the following tracks: The One U Wanna C, Future Soul Song, Ol Skool Company, Man O War, Colonized Mind, FunkNRoll, 1000 Xs and Os, All The Midnites In The World, A Million Days, Here, I Love U But I Don't Trust U Anymore, What Do U Want Me 2 Do, Dance 4 Me, Hardrocklover, Better With Time, The Greatest Romance.

3121 also has some of his weakest fillers, dross like Incense & Candles, Satisfied and Get On The Boat. And the song Beautiful Loved & Blessed sounds like muzak you hear in high street clothes chains.

purplerabbithole said:

Kind of a stupid title for the article tbh given the run down.

MattyJam said:

beautyunaffected said:

3121 is anything but an awful album.

3121 is one of his worst imo. I would rank it last out of his non-instrumental post-00s output.

.

Here, here!

.

Lord almighty, '3121' is BLANDSVILLE!

.

Competant (what Prince record isn't at least that), but utterly forgettable.

The title of the article is irritating.

Fans who dislike virtually all of Princes post Lovesexy albums irritate me.

Anyone that dislikes 3121, TGE and/or albums absolutely hate great music.

That is all.

Because "competent" albums are so easy to do???

Its not your thing..I get it. But even the funky odd ball guitar playing in the title song is enough to say that the entirety of the album is not bland.

My kids like the album.

CAL3 said:

MattyJam said:

3121 is one of his worst imo. I would rank it last out of his non-instrumental post-00s output.

.

Here, here!

.

Lord almighty, '3121' is BLANDSVILLE!

.

Competant (what Prince record isn't at least that), but utterly forgettable.

Here's the thing from my point of view. I grew up in the 80's but only vaguely took to Prince. Then I saw him live performing at the Superbowl in 2007 (I attended the game in Miami in the rain and was impressed). After he died, I got nostalgic and looked him up o line. I couldn't stop listening to him after that. My discovery of his music was random, not in chronological order and I find that a blessing because I was able to sort and file his work into play lists that worked for me. I have heard 95% of his released music now. I break it down like this...the 80's was consistently innovative and mostly great (but a tad overrated at times--I think he used falsetto a bit too much in his earliest albums), the 90's was wildly inconsistent but had several brilliant moments that are underrated and underappreciated and overshadowed by very obvious missteps, the 2000's was a bit more consistent, still had brilliant moments but didn't have the major highs of the previous two decades. But in a way, I love the 2000's in a more profound way, because he almost seemed more humble and nuanced as a musican.

Now, I too do not like the Emancipation album that much (some gems melodically speaking but the it feels badly produced and some of the songs seem uninventive). But I believe it was probably because he took on too much and spread himself too thin. When Bono stated that Prince needed an editor, this album exemplied this notion for me. But I didn't put Prince on a pedestal in the 80's only to watch him stumble off of it and reveal his falliability as an artist. However, I must say I love the Truth album, I love Gold Experience, I like about half of the love symbol album, like about half of Diamonds and Pearls, love or like almost all the songs on Musicology, HIt and Run Phase II, Art Official Age, and 3121. There are gems in Emancipation, Come, Lotusflower, HitandRun Phase I, and New Power Soul (but there are some real duds as well). Planet Earth I have mixed feeling about. Rainbrow CHildren I avoid with the exception of a few songs I heard on the ONe Nite alone live album. 20Ten is a bit more consistent and fun than people give it credit for but it's only real high is Future Soul Song.

My favorite prince albums are from teh 80's...no shame in saying that. 1999, Purple Rain, Sign of the Times, Lovesexy--these are the gold standards. But I can't listen to the same four albums over and over again. I guess I tend to root for underdogs so I find myself obsessing over his lesser acclaimed songs but buying his best 80's work on vinyl and feeling really good whenever I listen to those albums.

blacksignparade said:

purplerabbithole said:

http://www.laweekly.com/m...ms-2412180

This article from 2012 kind of exemplifies what I feel about P's later work and the high expectations of his fans. Now, I am not saying I agree that his old fans are old close-minded farts like this guy at times implies. But I will say I agree that Prince was a victim of incredibly high expectations from his old fans and no expectations whatsoever from people who thought he was a has-been by 1985 or younguns who know nothing about him..

[Edited 2/28/17 19:35pm]

. . Here's the thing. The older fans got to enjoy all his fabulous 80s albums as he released them. And each time he wowed us with the quality of said albums. . Then something happened to his sound. It didn't sound new anymore and rather bland. The batman album,graffiti bridge, diamonds and pearls (vomit). Terrible. . He hit back with the love symbol album, come, gold, chaos and disorder (sensational album). Then disaster struck. . The emancipation album. After all his talk for all those years about he was holding his best songs as protest to wb he built up the anticipation level to the max for this album. And it was the blandest album i have ever heard. Horrible. My music relation with prince never recovered. . Sure the crystal ball album was great but that was older material. Rave was blander than emancipation if that's possible. The rainbow children was superb but then i don't know what the hell happened. Nothing i heard made me want to buy his latest albums. Black sweat made me buy the 3121 album and it was ok but didn't make me feel like buying another album. Didn't hear anything after that that caught my attention. . Of course his 80s music can't be matched but that didn't make me sour on his later music. His sound started to sound bland and by the numbers. Not interested at all to hear it. . .

To me this article is insane, these albums are not awful. I personally like every single album on this list and I am one of those fans that does prefer his 80's work. The albums on this list contain solid, funky work. I am gonna play all these albums on rotation and give them some love the rest of this week - thanks LA Weekly!

The article's title is ironic. He has awful in quotes and is referring to over-picky supposed fans who only think his 80's work is of value. There are true fans like yourself and then there are music snobs and 80's nostalgists (SIC).

AnnaStesia10 said:

To me this article is insane, these albums are not awful. I personally like every single album on this list and I am one of those fans that does prefer his 80's work. The albums on this list contain solid, funky work. I am gonna play all these albums on rotation and give them some love the rest of this week - thanks LA Weekly!

i agree...none of his albums are "awful"... so i listed 5 of the best of the albums that arent among his "classics"

MattyJam said:

beautyunaffected said:

3121 is anything but an awful album.

3121 is one of his worst imo. I would rank it last out of his non-instrumental post-00s output.

I disagree. In fact 3121 is probably my favorite album from his 00's output. Love that album from start to finish.

beautyunaffected said:

MattyJam said:

3121 is one of his worst imo. I would rank it last out of his non-instrumental post-00s output.

I disagree. In fact 3121 is probably my favorite album from his 00's output. Love that album from start to finish.

.

DarkKnight1 said:

The title of the article is irritating.

Fans who dislike virtually all of Princes post Lovesexy albums irritate me.

Anyone that dislikes 3121, TGE and/or albums absolutely hate great music.

That is all.

I was just talking with a buddy about the Gold Experience,

I don't hate it, I think I Hate You, set me up, being the best song on there.

beautyunaffected said:

3121 is anything but an awful album.

Damn right. I skip Incense and Candles and Beautiful Loved and Blessed (just too contrived and monotone) but they are not bad songs whatsoever

MattyJam said:

beautyunaffected said:

3121 is anything but an awful album.

3121 is one of his worst imo. I would rank it last out of his non-instrumental post-00s output.

Very bad (awful) album... 3121, I agree mattyjam.....

I agree with some of these. Musicology is totally flaccid, Chaos and Disorder is devoid of defining characteristics and The Gold Experience, especially the tracks with rapping, is some 100% pure grade cringe. I wish Prince just released a couple Best Of albums for the 90's and the 2000's for the convenience of having all of the good stuff from those eras in one place.

But 3121 and Batman are still pretty good. 3121 only has two or three skippable tracks. Love, Black Sweat, Fury, Get on the Boat and Satisfied are great. Batman is the weakest 80's album but only I'm never compelled to skip any tracks.

^ I disagree with u about The Gold Experience.

Imho TGE is the Prince SOTT-album of the 90s, so many favorites, so many strong songs - so many genres, too bad the Most Beautiful Girl In The World is not the Original version, otherwise this album is top, excellent....

One of Prince's best, a top 10 Prince-album for sure.

I grew up with Musicology and 3121 (i'm a 90's baby) so those two albums are close to my heart, along with Planet Earth.