For what it's worth, the 19 college students in my Prince class unanimously believe the Batman soundtrack is better than Lovesexy. They also think Purple Rain is "a trip," 1999 sounds "too eighties," and Parade is "weirdly great." They loved Sign O' the Times and hated the Black Album.

About time their P education was updated!

Those all sound like very valid opinions to me.

AhPook said:

Interesting that they considered Batman to be better than Lovesexy.

AhPook said:

For what it's worth, the 19 college students in my Prince class unanimously believe the Batman soundtrack is better than Lovesexy. They also think Purple Rain is "a trip," 1999 sounds "too eighties," and Parade is "weirdly great." They loved Sign O' the Times and hated the Black Album.

Prince class? What kind of Prince college class?

AhPook said:

For what it's worth, the 19 college students in my Prince class unanimously believe the Batman soundtrack is better than Lovesexy. They also think Purple Rain is "a trip," 1999 sounds "too eighties," and Parade is "weirdly great." They loved Sign O' the Times and hated the Black Album.

Not worth much. Thanks...I think.

First impressions and all that....

I'd give them nothing better than a C-

AhPook said:

For what it's worth, the 19 college students in my Prince class unanimously believe the Batman soundtrack is better than Lovesexy. They also think Purple Rain is "a trip," 1999 sounds "too eighties," and Parade is "weirdly great." They loved Sign O' the Times and hated the Black Album.

I hated th Black Album until Last year....

Cant say I love it..

but you know...

This beat is on time, refined design
2 make u do the do

LovePaisley said:

Huh. Interesting test. I've been thinking of doing the same sort of thing by having my 19-year-old listen to a bunch of my Prince albums. There's another thread wondering if Dirty Mind is still shocking and I was wondering what my son would think of it. I was about his age when I first heard Dirty Mind, in fact. So I wondered, can kids today who listen to rap, hip hop, etc, still be shocked by graphic sexuality? Because a lot of my son's music is graphic without being... intimate. Know what I mean? I'm curious. But I'd also like him to skip thru snippets of many albums for a general impression of each. Hm... rainy day experiment? True story: when I first got Emancipation (post 4/21), I was blasting CD 3 and my son walked in. He said, "That's Prince? I might have to get some of that." I don't particularly like some of CD 3, but he seems to like exactly those songs (Da Da Da, etc.) Wouldn't it be crazy if someday Prince's rappish stuff is what carries him into the next generation?

I was 19 in 1996 so Prince's rappish stuff was fine for my generation

AhPook said:

For what it's worth, the 19 college students in my Prince class unanimously believe the Batman soundtrack is better than Lovesexy. They also think Purple Rain is "a trip," 1999 sounds "too eighties," and Parade is "weirdly great." They loved Sign O' the Times and hated the Black Album.

I'd like to know more about that. How exactly do you organize a "Prince class" with 19 college students?

Curious about the method of listening to these albums. Do you listen to them together once in class or what? I definitely don't think Lovesexy would be a standout album to a newbie after one listens to the more accessilbe 80s albums. While I prefer it to Batman, all the pleasures of Batman are evident on first listen while Lovesexy is a grower.

[Edited 3/1/18 5:08am]

LovePaisley said:

Huh. Interesting test. I've been thinking of doing the same sort of thing by having my 19-year-old listen to a bunch of my Prince albums. There's another thread wondering if Dirty Mind is still shocking and I was wondering what my son would think of it. I was about his age when I first heard Dirty Mind, in fact. So I wondered, can kids today who listen to rap, hip hop, etc, still be shocked by graphic sexuality? Because a lot of my son's music is graphic without being... intimate. Know what I mean? I'm curious. But I'd also like him to skip thru snippets of many albums for a general impression of each. Hm... rainy day experiment? True story: when I first got Emancipation (post 4/21), I was blasting CD 3 and my son walked in. He said, "That's Prince? I might have to get some of that." I don't particularly like some of CD 3, but he seems to like exactly those songs (Da Da Da, etc.) Wouldn't it be crazy if someday Prince's rappish stuff is what carries him into the next generation?

I don't think they cared for Dirty Mind at all. I know it wasn't shocking to them. Sister was a problem though: one student called it childish and another said it was unnecessary.

AhPook said:

LovePaisley said:

Huh. Interesting test. I've been thinking of doing the same sort of thing by having my 19-year-old listen to a bunch of my Prince albums. There's another thread wondering if Dirty Mind is still shocking and I was wondering what my son would think of it. I was about his age when I first heard Dirty Mind, in fact. So I wondered, can kids today who listen to rap, hip hop, etc, still be shocked by graphic sexuality? Because a lot of my son's music is graphic without being... intimate. Know what I mean? I'm curious. But I'd also like him to skip thru snippets of many albums for a general impression of each. Hm... rainy day experiment? True story: when I first got Emancipation (post 4/21), I was blasting CD 3 and my son walked in. He said, "That's Prince? I might have to get some of that." I don't particularly like some of CD 3, but he seems to like exactly those songs (Da Da Da, etc.) Wouldn't it be crazy if someday Prince's rappish stuff is what carries him into the next generation?

I don't think they cared for Dirty Mind at all. I know it wasn't shocking to them. Sister was a problem though: one student called it childish and another said it was unnecessary.

Yet, it was very necessary

databank said:

AhPook said:

For what it's worth, the 19 college students in my Prince class unanimously believe the Batman soundtrack is better than Lovesexy. They also think Purple Rain is "a trip," 1999 sounds "too eighties," and Parade is "weirdly great." They loved Sign O' the Times and hated the Black Album.

I'd like to know more about that. How exactly do you organize a "Prince class" with 19 college students?

I use Prince as a lens. We use his music as an entry point for discussions of race, gender, religion, sexuality, politics, etc. It's more of a class about culture than a music class. Prince is just the textbook.

gandorb said:

Curious about the method of listening to these albums. Do you listen to them together once in class or what? I definitely don't think Lovesexy would be a standout album to a newbie after one listen to the more accessilbe onecompared to the more accessilbe 80s albums. While I prefer it to Batman, all the pleasures of Batman are evident on first listen while Lovesexy is a grower.

They can listen however they want. I suggest tidal.com because it has the most Prince, but still some aren't there. We had to listen to a chunk of Black Album in class.

AhPook said:

databank said:

I'd like to know more about that. How exactly do you organize a "Prince class" with 19 college students?

I use Prince as a lens. We use his music as an entry point for discussions of race, gender, religion, sexuality, politics, etc. It's more of a class about culture than a music class. Prince is just the textbook.

Interesting to do it using a single artist as an entry point.

But is it like a real university class or like some kind of extracurricular club?

LovePaisley said:

Huh. Interesting test. I've been thinking of doing the same sort of thing by having my 19-year-old listen to a bunch of my Prince albums. There's another thread wondering if Dirty Mind is still shocking and I was wondering what my son would think of it. I was about his age when I first heard Dirty Mind, in fact. So I wondered, can kids today who listen to rap, hip hop, etc, still be shocked by graphic sexuality? Because a lot of my son's music is graphic without being... intimate. Know what I mean? I'm curious. But I'd also like him to skip thru snippets of many albums for a general impression of each. Hm... rainy day experiment? True story: when I first got Emancipation (post 4/21), I was blasting CD 3 and my son walked in. He said, "That's Prince? I might have to get some of that." I don't particularly like some of CD 3, but he seems to like exactly those songs (Da Da Da, etc.) Wouldn't it be crazy if someday Prince's rappish stuff is what carries him into the next generation?

How has your kid got to be 19 without having heard a bunch of your Prince albums? My kids hear Prince all the time in the car. The 6 year old can do without them but the 13 year old has an iPhone full of Prince music.

pinkcashmere23 said:

Interesting that they considered Batman to be better than Lovesexy.

Sorry Batman sold more copies and is a very commercial album for the masses.

laurarichardson said:

pinkcashmere23 said:

Interesting that they considered Batman to be better than Lovesexy.

Sorry Batman sold more copies and is a very commercial album for the masses.

True, but Lovesexy grabbed my attention on first listen,even as a newbie.Different tastes I guess.

pinkcashmere23 said:

laurarichardson said:

Sorry Batman sold more copies and is a very commercial album for the masses.

True, but Lovesexy grabbed my attention on first listen,even as a newbie.Different tastes I guess.

Lovesexy is the greater album as for as Princeology is concerned

OldFriends4Sale said:

pinkcashmere23 said:

True, but Lovesexy grabbed my attention on first listen,even as a newbie.Different tastes I guess.

Lovesexy is the greater album as for as Princeology is concerned

Absolutely!

I probably listen to Batman more than I listen to Lovesexy. Dunno if i'd say it's better though.

Lovesexy feels like the culmination of everything he was doing from 1978, an end of something. I think I just prefer the journey to the conclusion

jaawwnn said:

I probably listen to Batman more than I listen to Lovesexy. Dunno if i'd say it's better though.

Lovesexy feels like the culmination of everything he was doing from 1978, an end of something. I think I just prefer the journey to the conclusion

I listened to Batman a good bit too but I found Lovesexy to be musically and lyrically more interesting.It's more of a concept album though I guess.Prince sharing that he found the light after the darkness and being torn between the two.It is quirky and a bit all over the place but that's one of the things I love about it.

AhPook said:

databank said:

I'd like to know more about that. How exactly do you organize a "Prince class" with 19 college students?

I use Prince as a lens. We use his music as an entry point for discussions of race, gender, religion, sexuality, politics, etc. It's more of a class about culture than a music class. Prince is just the textbook.

What college is this?