Artistically it's one of his best. Commercially, not so much.

Not a fun pop album by a long shot, but daring as hell. Pheramone, Solo, Come, Let it Go, are all amazing artistic pieces.

Space is nice airy dark pop, as is the rest of the album. Not a perfect album by a long shot, but among his best given how awful his 90's work was.

Yeah that is what kills me most - is Prince's willingness to underrate it. I just can't tell what he really thought about it musically and you'd think that he'd be more kind to his work - especially an album of that caliber.

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I can totally GET why he'd downplay PR and the 80's ect but damn his hate for WB seemed to make him hate a bunch of his best work. I just don't understand it.

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imo his best album in the 1st part of the 90's overall which is saying a hell of a lot.

I don't believe it is underrated at all. if anything, given how much it is liked and lauded by fans, I believe it is actually overated. In my opinion it is mediocre material with only Space being good enough to be considered in his Top 30 songs - at a push!

I find the album to be a rushed, unfocused piece of work. Even the production is sloppy, if you really listen close you can hear microphone hisses as if he couldn't be bothered to perfect the album.

As on any Prince album there are flashes of genius - the horns on Come as an example but these are few and far between. Compared to other 90s releases I don't believe it comes close to D&P, Love Symbol, Emancipation or The Gold Experience. Hell, to be honest I even prefer Chaos and Disorder.

Just my humble opinion - what I love about Prince's music is that it divides even his most hardcore fans

[Edited 10/30/17 0:14am]

[Edited 10/30/17 0:15am]

The most underrated P album is definitely "N.E.W.S.".

LaurenceNoonan said:

NorthC said:

LaurenceNoonan said:

I love this album soooooool much. If I had to pick any Prince Album from the 90’s it would have to be “Come” But I honestly don’t get why it wasn’t as popular as “Diamonds and Pearls”, “[Love Symbol]” or the “Gold Experience” Is it because of the 1958 - 1993 or how dark the album was... I honestly don’t understand why ? [Edited 10/29/17 19:38pm]

By mid-1994 Prince was in the news more because of his name change than because of his music. He had one of his biggest hits ever with The Most Beautiful Girl In the World, but by the time Come came out (August 94), the momentum was gone. And the song wasn't even on the album. There's nothing on the album that would've been a hit. Letitgo didn't do much in the charts. It was a throwaway album only made to get one album closer to getting out of that damn contract. That's why!

I don't think there is anything throwaway on "Come", artistically talkin'.

The commercial failure doesn't imply automatically any album to be artistically lesser than others more succesfull on charts.

The original idea of P was to have "Come" and TGE released only 2/3 months away so he created and conceived the two albums as part of a same project.

But WB simply didn't wanted the thing.

To me the pair "Come"/"TGE" remains the best and most rewarding releases of P in the 90's.
Better than D&P and "Symbol", better than all came after them until "The Rainbow Children".

NorthC said:

LaurenceNoonan said:

I love this album soooooool much. If I had to pick any Prince Album from the 90’s it would have to be “Come” But I honestly don’t get why it wasn’t as popular as “Diamonds and Pearls”, “[Love Symbol]” or the “Gold Experience” Is it because of the 1958 - 1993 or how dark the album was... I honestly don’t understand why ? [Edited 10/29/17 19:38pm]

By mid-1994 Prince was in the news more because of his name change than because of his music. He had one of his biggest hits ever with The Most Beautiful Girl In the World, but by the time Come came out (August 94), the momentum was gone. And the song wasn't even on the album. There's nothing on the album that would've been a hit. Letitgo didn't do much in the charts. It was a throwaway album only made to get one album closer to getting out of that damn contract. That's why!

Of course it could have been better if he'd have included a couple of stronger tracks but I don't think he viewed it as 'throwaway' as he made videos/performed half the album on The Beautiful Experience. And played a lot of it at shows/aftershows around the time.

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Even though it was 'contract filler' that doesn't make it a bad album. It seems to have aged well within the fan community

I posted a thread awhile back about Come.

It's one of my favorite Prince albums. It's a slow burner, the atmosphere is very dark and murky and it's not immediately accessible to the average listener, but man does it grow on you with each listen. In my opinion, it's kind of like what The Black Album was supposed to be - a dark, edgy R&B album.

I'm not sure what my favorite song on the album is, but I can say absolutely love "Loose" (that count-in just kicks my ass every time, it's a great exercise song too), "Papa," "Solo," (one of his best vocals and a chilling mood piece), and "Letitgo" (a great groove, surprisingly personal lyrics, and his best song to get high too if you're into that). It's not quite a masterpiece, but it hangs together brilliantly and is consistent in quality.

I'm not sure if I rank it ahead of The Gold Experience or Love Symbol, but those three are my picks for his best albums of the 1990s'.

Harps said:

I don't believe it is underrated at all. if anything, given how much it is liked and lauded by fans, I believe it is actually overated. In my opinion it is mediocre material with only Space being good enough to be considered in his Top 30 songs - at a push!

I find the album to be a rushed, unfocused piece of work. Even the production is sloppy, if you really listen close you can hear microphone hisses as if he couldn't be bothered to perfect the album.

As on any Prince album there are flashes of genius - the horns on Come as an example but these are few and far between. Compared to other 90s releases I don't believe it comes close to D&P, Love Symbol, Emancipation or The Gold Experience. Hell, to be honest I even prefer Chaos and Disorder.

Just my humble opinion - what I love about Prince's music is that it divides even his most hardcore fans

[Edited 10/30/17 0:14am]

[Edited 10/30/17 0:15am]

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SPEAK ON IT!

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Well said, Harps. Thank you for bringing a dose of perspective to the table on this one.

Which sequence do U guys prefer? The released LP, the Original Test Pressing or the Limited 2 LP Vinyl pressing?

Musze said:

Which sequence do U guys prefer? The released LP, the Original Test Pressing or the Limited 2 LP Vinyl pressing?

Don't have the 2LP pressing so I can't judge how the switch between "Loose" and "Pheromone" works.

In my opinion the released version is the best musically talkin' (I would never switch "Come" and "Letitgo" for "Interactive"-"Endorphinemachine"-"Strays Of The World").

The only thing I prefer on the test pressing is to have "Poem" as a single track and not spiced all over the album. According to the fact that it is one of the less interested tracks ever released by P. it is more easy to skip it.

Love the album. What a time period.

CAL3 said:

Harps said:

I don't believe it is underrated at all. if anything, given how much it is liked and lauded by fans, I believe it is actually overated. In my opinion it is mediocre material with only Space being good enough to be considered in his Top 30 songs - at a push!

I find the album to be a rushed, unfocused piece of work. Even the production is sloppy, if you really listen close you can hear microphone hisses as if he couldn't be bothered to perfect the album.

As on any Prince album there are flashes of genius - the horns on Come as an example but these are few and far between. Compared to other 90s releases I don't believe it comes close to D&P, Love Symbol, Emancipation or The Gold Experience. Hell, to be honest I even prefer Chaos and Disorder.

Just my humble opinion - what I love about Prince's music is that it divides even his most hardcore fans

[Edited 10/30/17 0:14am]

[Edited 10/30/17 0:15am]

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SPEAK ON IT!

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Well said, Harps. Thank you for bringing a dose of perspective to the table on this one.

Thanks CAL3 - just my view. I certainly don't hate the album but I don't put it up there with the best! From the whole Come project my favourite release is the Space Maxi Single EP - The Universal Love Remix - love it!

BoraBora said:

The most underrated P album is definitely "N.E.W.S.".

Considering how much it's panned... yup.

Deleted unnecessary personal comment referencing other members - l'ange bleu - moderator

I feel like the sum of the parts -- the title track, "Dark," "Letitgo" -- are better than the whole. Just not crazy about the album in its entirety but I can understand how it's unappreciated.

In hindsight, was that the result of Prince treating it like a throwaway album? It seemed to me he used it as a vehicle to get out from under WB, and his heart was really in The Gold Experience.

That Prince thought of it as a throwaway is just lazy regurgitation of what someone said at the time. But Prince was an artist who cared about his art. He put his heart into everything he did. Besides, WB had input as to what songs THEY WANTED. It's been documented what songs they wanted on the album.

So people have to get over that "throwaway" bullshit.

I like the vibe and sound of the album, but it could have been a much better album it had included Interactive, Endorphine, What's My Name and There Is Lonely.

It wasn't that big cause i remember at that time there was pretty much unsyncronized Prince stuff going on.
There was Letitgo, and there was that other single 'Love sign' going on, which even had a bit of similarities here and there, there was Dolphin and The most beautiful.... all happening in short time-span. Actually it was pretty confusing back than, pre-internet times.

fortuneandserendipity said:

It's one of my favorite albums too. So underrated.

BoraBora said:

The most underrated P album is definitely "N.E.W.S.".

that would be his most underated 2000's album

206Michelle said:

Dark is an amazing song, and in my opinion, the best song on Come.

Most likely, Papa is up there as well.

Ugot2shakesumthin said:

That Prince thought of it as a throwaway is just lazy regurgitation of what someone said at the time. But Prince was an artist who cared about his art. He put his heart into everything he did. Besides, WB had input as to what songs THEY WANTED. It's been documented what songs they wanted on the album.

So people have to get over that "throwaway" bullshit.

Sure.

Prince himself referred to the album as "old material" while was supposed to be promoting an album that featured a photo of him sprawled out dead in the liner notes.

And at the end of 1994 he was on national TV promoting The Gold Experience, which was going to be released late the next year.

And he promoted 1-800-NEW-FUNK at the same time Warners was trying to promote Come.

Yeah, I don't see where anyone would get the idea his heart wasn't in the album.

[Edited 10/31/17 19:09pm]

namepeace said:

Ugot2shakesumthin said:

That Prince thought of it as a throwaway is just lazy regurgitation of what someone said at the time. But Prince was an artist who cared about his art. He put his heart into everything he did. Besides, WB had input as to what songs THEY WANTED. It's been documented what songs they wanted on the album.

So people have to get over that "throwaway" bullshit.

Sure.

Prince himself referred to the album as "old material" while was supposed to be promoting an album that featured a photo of him sprawled out dead in the liner notes.

And at the end of 1994 he was on national TV promoting The Gold Experience, which was going to be released late the next year.

And he promoted 1-800-NEW-FUNK at the same time Warners was trying to promote Come.

Yeah, I don't see where anyone would get the idea his heart wasn't in the album.

[Edited 10/31/17 19:09pm]

Couple of things:

When the album was released in the UK I seem to remember Radio One promoting the launch heavily. Tracks from the album were played throughout the launch period/launch day. I also remember this being one of the last times I recall seeing billboard advertising for a Prince album - WB bought bus stop poster space.

I was always under the impression that the songs for Come and The Gold Experience were recorded simultaneously. The "letter" Mayte wrote to Controversy at the time suggested as much - all those songs with one word titles.

I can't remember too much promotion for 1-800-NEW-FUNK. In fact I remember being surprised that this album existed when I visited the Prince Store in Camden as they were taking it out of the delivery boxes.

All fun times to be a Prince fan.

*

With regards the album being underrated? I don't know about that. It does get a lot of love from Prince fans and contains some gems: Pheromone, Race, Dark, Solo, Papa - I even have a weakness for Loose. Anyhoo. I enjoy Come...although, I think I would have liked the other, heavier mix of the title track on the album...still, it takes all sorts.

SimonCharles said:

namepeace said:

Sure.

Prince himself referred to the album as "old material" while was supposed to be promoting an album that featured a photo of him sprawled out dead in the liner notes.

And at the end of 1994 he was on national TV promoting The Gold Experience, which was going to be released late the next year.

And he promoted 1-800-NEW-FUNK at the same time Warners was trying to promote Come.

Yeah, I don't see where anyone would get the idea his heart wasn't in the album.

[Edited 10/31/17 19:09pm]

Couple of things:

When the album was released in the UK I seem to remember Radio One promoting the launch heavily. Tracks from the album were played throughout the launch period/launch day. I also remember this being one of the last times I recall seeing billboard advertising for a Prince album - WB bought bus stop poster space.

I was always under the impression that the songs for Come and The Gold Experience were recorded simultaneously. The "letter" Mayte wrote to Controversy at the time suggested as much - all those songs with one word titles.

I can't remember too much promotion for 1-800-NEW-FUNK. In fact I remember being surprised that this album existed when I visited the Prince Store in Camden as they were taking it out of the delivery boxes.

All fun times to be a Prince fan.

*

With regards the album being underrated? I don't know about that. It does get a lot of love from Prince fans and contains some gems: Pheromone, Race, Dark, Solo, Papa - I even have a weakness for Loose. Anyhoo. I enjoy Come...although, I think I would have liked the other, heavier mix of the title track on the album...still, it takes all sorts.

Agree with Simon.

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Even though P himself said Come was 'old' material and TGE was 'new/better' that was not entirely true. He was playing songs from both albums live at the time and The Beautiful Experience movie featured more tracks from Come than TGE.

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He also reportledly wanted Come to be released by 'Prince' and TGE to be released by around the same time, which may have been a good bit of marketing.

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Of course he could have given WB a couple more stronger tracks for Come (similarly with TGE if he used Days Of Wild and Acknowledge Me) but it's still a solid album IMO and it's not a clear case of 'contractual obligation,' like The Vault..Old Friends 4 Sale for example, like some say.

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Was a great time to be a fan. He could have made an awesome double or tripe album from the batch of songs he had around this time.