TheEnglishGent said:

pricetag said:

TheEnglishGent said:

We're here to discuss whatever people want, who are you to tell someone they can't say what they like or don't like?

Unless you own the org, in which case I bow down to your mighty presence and will accept whatever ban you hand out.

Loved your GB point, thanks.

It was more constructive than yours.

I've always enjoyed GB (the album). I think it's fun. Not the best, but quite good.

TheEnglishGent said:

pricetag said:

TheEnglishGent said: Loved your GB point, thanks.

It was more constructive than yours.

RIP, indeed.

williamb610 said:

Barring the title song, some of Prince's best songs come from this era...Can't Stop, Question of U, Joy In Repetition, We Can Funk...Thieves in the Temple extended version.

Thoughts? Any fans out there who haven't heard it?!

What are the bootleg songs from this era? 1990-ish...

.

Love the album, even the title track (love the Clare Fisher strings). The album plays like a movie for the mind - cinematic in scope - so much so that the movie is rendered irrelevant.

.

Personal opinion: I prefer most of the older songs in their commercially-released versions to the earlier booted versions, especially "Can't Stop" (one of my fave P tracks ever) and my only real exception is preferring the earlier 'Tick Tick Bang' (I like the GB version but don't care for that Hendrix drum loop). With "We Can Funk" - it IS admittedly overproduced on GB - but I think the problem is that as a song it simply is kind of weak. IMO!

.

Album cover: work of art, love it.

.

I understand the empathize with anyone of the opinion that there's too much non-Prince vocals - but let's face it, it's all still Prince songwriting, musicianship, and production - just with him graciously stepping aside to let others take the vocal spotlight. I love the boot version of P on lead for "Love Machine" and "Melody Cool" for instance, but I agree with those who point out that it's testament to the strength of Prince's musical vision that it all sounds "of a piece" regardless of who is singing lead.

.

To anyone saying the contemporaneous reviews weren't widely and wildly enthusiastic, databank already posted the irrefutable evidence to the contrary. Neither the public nor critical perception was that Prince was "on the wane" or whatever - in fact, the perception was that Prince was a musical titan returning from the Batman side-trip. A year later, with the introduction of the ultra-commercial sound of Diamonds & Pearls, yes the perception began to change. But in 1990 - if we ignore the savaging the movie took - musically Prince was still largely viewed as indomitable.

.

So to williamb610, I say HELL YEAH 'GB' is one the best albums he ever did! One freaking awesome cut after another.

.

"The New Power Generation has just taken control" - INDEED

Had it included only the "Prince songs", it could have been his best pop album. It's just that he never really did straightforward pop albums that could have been easily marketed as such (The Batman OST probably being an exception to that rule, and maybe 3212). GB is very poppy, but he seems to have felt the need to screw up the minds of the listeners with the mystical concepts and the sheer volume of the material included. It's almost like he didn't want that thing to sell.

novabrkr said:

Had it included only the "Prince songs", it could have been his best pop album. It's just that he never really did straightforward pop albums that could have been easily marketed as such (The Batman OST probably being an exception to that rule, and maybe 3212). GB is very poppy, but he seems to have felt the need to screw up the minds of the listeners with the mystical concepts and the sheer volume of the material included. It's almost like he didn't want that thing to sell.

i remember he said he shouldve released the album with a lyric sheet

Silvertongue7 said:

I didn’t really knew who Prince was back then: I knew Batman, the song Purple Rain and that he had written Tom Jones’s Kiss (sorry!) and Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U. Oh, and that he was naked on the cover of Lovesexy. But Thieves In The Temple and The Question of U fascinated me, and the very good reviews I remember in the Spanish press convinced me to buy the album. So GB will always be special for me, as it was my first Prince album. I don’t often listen to it in full anymore, but there is a lot to love in that album. And it always surprises me that Still Would Stand All Time doesn’t get as much respect as some of his other ballads - it’s always been up there with Sometimes It Snows In April for me...

.

Big time agreement on this point! What a classic song, such an impassioned vocal. And I like the Steeles backing a lot too.

Silvertongue7 said:

And it always surprises me that "Still Would Stand All Time" doesn’t get as much respect as some of his other ballads - it’s always been up there with "Sometimes It Snows In April" for me...

It took me a while to warm up to this song back in the day. I'm not sure why. I think I was trying to disconnect from the movie's miserable existence. Over time though, I grew to love the song as much as any other. It does harken back to "Sometimes It Snows In April", "Free", and "Moonbeam Levels". "Free" is churchy as is "Still Would Stand All Time", whereas "Moonbeam Levels" or "SISIA" are just great slow churners.

It's not as anthemic as something like "Purple Rain" or "Gold", but it has its feet firmly planted in a Prince feel good song.

When it came out, I played GB more than any CD since Parade. I loved the Prince songs and didn't mind the others. I didn't see the movie to protect my love of the soundtrack. Today, a few songs sound dated but as mentioned previously it has some songs that are bonafide Prince classics, which to me include Joy of Repetition, Question of U, Still Would Stand All Time, and We Can Funk (I really like this version though I am aware that many don't agree). Special Kudos also to Elephants and Flowers, as it really endears me to Prince (who else would have a song with this title). Can't Stop This Feeling I Got has such a positive and infectious energy to it, even though it is hardly a classic. So, thanks to the OP for sharing your appreciation of this album.

pricetag said:

databank said:

^ It's up to anyone to decide whether all those contemporary reviews were "bad", "good" or "great", but at least we now have solid ground to discuss how the album was received by professional critics at the time.

.

It's better than impressions based on a very few, memory-selected, reviews that one has read 27 ago. I've often had the feeling a record or movie had been received in a certain way because of a mere 2 or 3 reviews I had read back then, or because of what the word was in certain hip circles I was hanging out in, only to realize years later that reception had been much more contrasted as a whole than what I thought I "remembered".

.

Let us also remember that the way a Prince album was received by:

- The hardcore fans

- Professional music critics

- Hipsters in general

- The general public

... could be quite different.

Regardless of how the album was received, there was certainly a perception that Prince’s musical status was on the wane at this point, precipitated by this album. This you don’t even try to contest...but, of course, I can totally understand why this might touch a nerve with you. Don’t worry, though. I’m not about you.

Yeah, except that I have not, at any given point, given my opinion/perception about any of it.

So, well...

CAL3 said:

williamb610 said:

Barring the title song, some of Prince's best songs come from this era...Can't Stop, Question of U, Joy In Repetition, We Can Funk...Thieves in the Temple extended version.

Thoughts? Any fans out there who haven't heard it?!

What are the bootleg songs from this era? 1990-ish...

.

Love the album, even the title track (love the Clare Fisher strings). The album plays like a movie for the mind - cinematic in scope - so much so that the movie is rendered irrelevant.

.

Personal opinion: I prefer most of the older songs in their commercially-released versions to the earlier booted versions, especially "Can't Stop" (one of my fave P tracks ever) and my only real exception is preferring the earlier 'Tick Tick Bang' (I like the GB version but don't care for that Hendrix drum loop). With "We Can Funk" - it IS admittedly overproduced on GB - but I think the problem is that as a song it simply is kind of weak. IMO!

.

Album cover: work of art, love it.

.

I understand the empathize with anyone of the opinion that there's too much non-Prince vocals - but let's face it, it's all still Prince songwriting, musicianship, and production - just with him graciously stepping aside to let others take the vocal spotlight. I love the boot version of P on lead for "Love Machine" and "Melody Cool" for instance, but I agree with those who point out that it's testament to the strength of Prince's musical vision that it all sounds "of a piece" regardless of who is singing lead.

.

To anyone saying the contemporaneous reviews weren't widely and wildly enthusiastic, databank already posted the irrefutable evidence to the contrary. Neither the public nor critical perception was that Prince was "on the wane" or whatever - in fact, the perception was that Prince was a musical titan returning from the Batman side-trip. A year later, with the introduction of the ultra-commercial sound of Diamonds & Pearls, yes the perception began to change. But in 1990 - if we ignore the savaging the movie took - musically Prince was still largely viewed as indomitable.

.

So to williamb610, I say HELL YEAH 'GB' is one the best albums he ever did! One freaking awesome cut after another.

.

"The New Power Generation has just taken control" - INDEED

"Tanks"friend. You see things like I see it!

databank said:

pricetag said:

databank said:

Yeah, except that I have not, at any given point, given my opinion/perception about any of it.

So, well...

...and you still haven’t tried. What’s directing you to come on and say absolutely nothing about the subject? It’s so odd.

I don't think I have anything particularly interesting or enlightening to add on the topic at the moment, and I don't think it's of any use to merely write nonsense such as "Song X is good" or "Album Z sucks" if one has nothing more to say than that.

.

I simply noticed that people had different memories about how the album had been reviewed at the time, and/or perceived by its contemporaries, so I thought I could contribute by posting those reviews I could find, so people would be arguing over something solid.

Graffiti Bridge is one of the best albums he ever did!

I'm still in the warming-up-to Still Would Stand All Time stage. It just makes me wish he had inserted the (vastly) superior Pink Cashmere. Without the other songs, Thieves In The Temple and Pink Cashmere would be right next to each other and omg. Would have been one of his best one-two punches.

TKO said:

Graffiti Bridge is one of the best albums he ever did!

I concur.

GraffitiBridge is a good album, the movie should be a warning about doing drugs while writting a script.

The first scense is of the audience walking out while Prince performs Elephants and Flowers. Walking out on music you are trying to sell. Someone, anyone should have told Prince that doesn't make sense,

Re-write; the Kid lets a local band have a set and starts to bomb, then the Kid jumps in with Elephants and Flowers, and saves the night.

[Edited 3/21/18 13:51pm]

Poplife88 said:

With modifications it's very good. I made my own Prince only version years ago, adding the original Tick Tick Bang, 86 version of We Can Funk and Can't Stop, Grand Progession, extended Theives, and the "Are there really angels..." version of New Power Generation is the lead track. Of course I took out the dreadful title track. I still play this version regularly. But it's the modification part that disqualifies it from being one of his best.

.

You lost me at "Grand Progression" - one of the single worst (IMO!) tunes he ever recorded.

.

For me, the "dreadful" title track is pretty much another "Purple Rain" compared to "Grand Progression."

.

Peace!

thedoorkeeper said:

All this talk about GB makes me want 2 take it out & give it a fresh listen. Wanna c if I can find some redeeming qualities in the songs I've skipped over in the past. Specifically Graffiti Bridge, Still Would Stand All Time, Melody Cool & Elephants & Flowers.

I try to be more spiritual than religious. Unless it's Mahalia Jackson or someone like that, I'm not really into gospel type music which is what Still Would Stand All Time is to me. Elephants & Flowers is about God which is cool but it's a little on the preachy side which doesn't thrill me; I do love the way P sings the song, raspy voice and all and the first verse about "looking for a savior in a city full of fools, maybe he just needs a good talker to give him a good talking to. Can we talk babe?"

God is awesome. If you love Him enough to make songs about Him, more power to you. I'd probably prefer more testimony about how faith got a person through something tough with some cooler music than the slow tempo, trying to be soulful music; that genre really grates on my nerves. Religious people mean well, though.

thedoorkeeper said:

As a manipulated single album of Prince tracks, it would make my top 10. In its released form, it slips down the list. It was well recieved at the time and I prefer it to the overly commercial D&P and Batman either side of it.

I think Prince did well dipping into the back catalogue at this point. His quanity writing quality in the Mid 88 to 91 era was a weak point for me, although his production was improving sonically. I actually prefer the GB versions of I Can't Stop and Tick Tick.

I Remeber Andrew Lloyd-Webber waxing lyrical about the album at the time, praising Prince's compsition and structure, saying he was the only contemporary artist at the time would could actually give sound colour. When he listened to I Can't Stop, he said the layers and instrumentation were almost visual. I get what he means.

My personalised version is:

I Can't Stop The Feelin' I Got

New Power Generation (Part I & II mix)

The Question Of U

Elephants & Flowers

We Can Funk

Joy In Repetition

Tick Tick Bang

Thieves In The Temple (Extended Edit)

The Latest Fashion (Remix)

Love Left, Love Right

Still Would Stand All Time

Milty2 said:

pricetag said:

In truth, the GB era was a pretty bad time to be a Prince fan...and the first time it felt a little uncool to like him. He went from SOTT to LOVESEXY, onto BATMAN and then this. The reviews for this album were bad (not as bad as the movie but still depressing, especially for a Prince album). The changing musical climate didn't help either...there was a wide variety of interesting music being made at the time...and Prince kicks this whole thing off with CAN'T STOP...it felt dated at the time. Sorry.

[Edited 3/19/18 13:03pm]

I actually remember a review in People magazine and the reviewer actually asked "How does he actually do this?" I think they gave it a good review. Also, BET trashed the film but loved the album.

You should look up the original Rolling Stone 4.5 out of 5 star review of this album.

TheBigBang said:

pricetag said:

In truth, the GB era was a pretty bad time to be a Prince fan...and the first time it felt a little uncool to like him. He went from SOTT to LOVESEXY, onto BATMAN and then this. The reviews for this album were bad (not as bad as the movie but still depressing, especially for a Prince album). The changing musical climate didn't help either...there was a wide variety of interesting music being made at the time...and Prince kicks this whole thing off with CAN'T STOP...it felt dated at the time. Sorry.

[Edited 3/19/18 13:03pm]

Actually, the reviews for the Graffiti Bridge soundtrack were great. Rolling Stone gave it four stars. Lovesexy got worse reviews than Graffiti Bridge.

No revisionist history needed here, people. The movie was bad, but that soundtrack, at the time, was stellar. Those of us that were there, at that time, loved it. I loved it.

I was actually just trying to look up the Rolling Stone review, because I thought I remembered it being very positive. At the time, I was very reliant on Rolling Stone for reviews of new music.

Oh, and look--if I'd just looked a couple of posts down I would have seen that databank did all the work (and more) already.

[Edited 3/21/18 20:18pm]

littlemissG said:

GraffitiBridge is a good album, the movie should be a warning about doing drugs while writting a script.

The first scense is of the audience walking out while Prince performs Elephants and Flowers. Walking out on music you are trying to sell. Someone, anyone should have told Prince that doesn't make sense,

Re-write; the Kid lets a local band have a set and starts to bomb, then the Kid jumps in with Elephants and Flowers, and saves the night.

[Edited 3/21/18 13:51pm]

Yeah good point.... except a very similar thing is done in Purple Rain. We don't get people walking out, but we get people discussing how nobody gets his music and his gig at First Avenue is in danger because he's apparently not holding his own against the Time (well, possibly justifiably so) and the Modernaires (what? Seriously--we're supposed to think that Dez is pulling more folks in with that stuff?), so that he's got to really pull out the stops in order to hold off the challenge being made by Apollonia 6? It's the same ridiculous set up, just a bit more cartoony. Tick Tick Bang in the street versus grinding out Darling Nikki on stage, but it's all the same.

databank said:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLYMusic
PRINCE GRAFFITI BRIDGE (WARNER/PAISLEY PARK; 2 LPS, 1 CD OR T)
Review by Greg Sandow

The fourth cut, "359," is a probing ballad, in which a snaky melody uncoils over low, implacable drums. But the song won't take any common shape. It poses questions -- the lyrics ask "What shall I do? Which way do I turn?" -- and then ebbs into purely instrumental explorations, which themselves soon fade away. The opening queries are left unanswered. "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got" is unusual, too. Midway through it interrupts its own easy flow and, after a few darting surprises, simply dissolves; like "359," it's shaped more like a question than a statement.

.

I remember reading this review upon publication... and wondering just WHY THE HELL they kept calling it "359" instead of "question of U"...

.

For 28 years I've been wondering this...

.

Maybe they were predicting he would write a song "319" a few years later, and were off by just one digit????