feeluupp said:

It's funny, even though personally She's Always In My Hair is stronger than anything from the ATWIAD album and period... Even though Prince's artistry was always carefully calculated stressing more importance musically than commercially, ATIWAD is a concept album, it flows perfect together, even though there are some songs that we find to be weaker than others... Yes She's Always In My Hair is probably one of the pinnacle songs from that era but seeing members saying they'd ad Go or Girl or She's Always In My Hair to a "configuration" of ATWIAD... It throws the whole concept and sound off, it wouldn't have fit at all. Can you imagine how unbalanced ATIWAD would've been if She's Always In My Hair was an actual track on the album, would've made no sense.

I'm in 99.9% agreement with U...

however I always make an ATWIAD playlist that includes She's Always In My Hair after Raspberry Beret, Girl and Hello ... along with all extended versions replacing album edit cuts.

And it all fits/works

OldFriends4Sale said:

feeluupp said:

People just adding songs recorded in the same era to an ALBUM that makes no sense to be on lol... Album is a body of work, a conceptual body of work... Read someone wanted to add HELLO to ATIWAD... What does HELLO have to do with ATWIAD

yeah it is a perfect B side response to an event. But it is to do with ATWIAD which is why it was a B side right?

I'm talking about the concept of the album, yes it is a b-side but it has nothing to do with the ATWIAD sound of the album...

Can say Another Lonely Christmas is a b-side too, but does it have any place on the Purple Rain album in terms of concept or sound?

feeluupp said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

yeah it is a perfect B side response to an event. But it is to do with ATWIAD which is why it was a B side right?

I'm talking about the concept of the album, yes it is a b-side but it has nothing to do with the ATWIAD sound of the album...

Can say Another Lonely Christmas is a b-side too, but does it have any place on the Purple Rain album in terms of concept or sound?

I think Hello sound just like the ATWIAD sound, moreso than Another Lonely Christmas to Purple Rain(even though it does) Very interesting musical tones. Sounds from 1999 2 Purple Rain 2 ATWIAD are so blended at times.

'Do you read most of what’s written about you?
A little, not much. Sometimes someone will pass along a funny one. I just wrote a song called “Hello,” which is going to be on the flip side of “Pop Life.” It says at the end, “Life is cruel enough without cruel words.” I get a lot of cruel words. A lot of people do.' https://www.rollingstone....ken-58812/

OldFriends4Sale said:

I think Hello sound just like the ATWIAD sound

really? To me,"Hello" sounds more like the 1999 era....that cold,synth-heavy Minneapolis sound that I love so much and wanted more of

SoulAlive said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I think Hello sound just like the ATWIAD sound

really? To me,"Hello" sounds more like the 1999 era....that cold,synth-heavy Minneapolis sound that I love so much and wanted more of

(D.M.S.R. + Christopher Tracy's Parade) x The Future = Hello

OldFriends4Sale said:

feeluupp said:

I'm talking about the concept of the album, yes it is a b-side but it has nothing to do with the ATWIAD sound of the album...

Can say Another Lonely Christmas is a b-side too, but does it have any place on the Purple Rain album in terms of concept or sound?

I think Hello sound just like the ATWIAD sound, moreso than Another Lonely Christmas to Purple Rain(even though it does) Very interesting musical tones. Sounds from 1999 2 Purple Rain 2 ATWIAD are so blended at times.

It's not just the "sound"... Alot of his songs recorded in the same era "sound" the same, doesn't mean it fits the CONCEPT of the album... ATWIAD is an album of psychodelic lust if you wan't to call it that... I doubt a song about why he missed the We Are The World recordings fits for that concept, hence why it was a b-side...

again why is the estate focusing lately on those 2000 releases when this album with full 12" ext would sell like a mother

SoulAlive said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I think Hello sound just like the ATWIAD sound

really? To me,"Hello" sounds more like the 1999 era....that cold,synth-heavy Minneapolis sound that I love so much and wanted more of

yes the organic drums that sound very similar to Pop Life (so not the electronic 1999 drums and linn) the 'English' piano sounds, I don't hear cold heavy synth, where are you hearing it?

The guitar playing is very much similar to sounds on the title track Paisley Park and America(I'm listening the the extended version while I type this)

.

I mean ATWIAD is not removed from Prince's previous musical cannon. I still hear Purple Rain in ATWIAD music. Tick Tick Bang, Sexuality, Darling Nikki, Tamborine, different but carry the same sexual frustation out in the wildness of each track especially expressed in the drumming.

feeluupp said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I think Hello sound just like the ATWIAD sound, moreso than Another Lonely Christmas to Purple Rain(even though it does) Very interesting musical tones. Sounds from 1999 2 Purple Rain 2 ATWIAD are so blended at times.

It's not just the "sound"... Alot of his songs recorded in the same era "sound" the same, doesn't mean it fits the CONCEPT of the album... ATWIAD is an album of psychodelic lust if you wan't to call it that... I doubt a song about why he missed the We Are The World recordings fits for that concept, hence why it was a b-side...

What is the concecpt of the album Around the World in a Day?

.

And how does Hello not hold hands with the message of Pop Life ATWIAD America along with the quirky sounds throught the album? The lyrics are easily in line with Prince's messages from Controversy - ATWIAD and easily fit within the album direction.

sounds like a continuation of poetry from 1999, Purple Rain, (ATWIAD), Parade/Dream Factory music.

I haven't lost my desire
I wouldn't beg U
Instead of playin' deduction of what 2 do
They called me rude often
When I called their hand
They judged me and told me that we're through
"Why can't U be like the others?"
I cried out over and again
"Why can't U learn 2 play by the rules?"
But maybe at last it's the end
Because I am not like others
I'm unique in the respect I'm not U
I know in my heart I would try 2 love U
I wouldn't try 2 hurt U despite all the ways U try 2 hurt me
U call me a fraud, an uncaring wretch
But I'm an artist and my only aim is 2 please
Between U and yours, myself and mine
Isn't life cruel enough without cruel words, cruel words?
U see, words are like shoes
They're just something 2 stand on
I wish U could be in my shoes
But they're probably so high, U'd fall off and die
4 U words are definitely not shoes
They're weapons and tools of destruction
And your time is boring unless U're putting something down
What would life be if we believed what we read
And a smile is just hiding a frown?
Come now, isn't life a little better with a pair of good shoes?

CherryMoon57 said:

SoulAlive said:

really? To me,"Hello" sounds more like the 1999 era....that cold,synth-heavy Minneapolis sound that I love so much and wanted more of

(D.M.S.R. + Christopher Tracy's Parade) x The Future = Hello

"(D.M.S.R. + Christopher Tracy's Parade) x The Future = Hello"

G E N I U S!!!!! Totally!

A government of love and music boundless in its unifying power
A nation of alms, the production, sharing ideas, a shower of flowers

does it have anything to do with the movie----- around...in 80 days?

imtbone said:

CherryMoon57 said:

(D.M.S.R. + Christopher Tracy's Parade) x The Future = Hello

"(D.M.S.R. + Christopher Tracy's Parade) x The Future = Hello"

G E N I U S!!!!! Totally!

It's an endless loop since The Future was released in the future!

TheFman said:

imtbone said:

"(D.M.S.R. + Christopher Tracy's Parade) x The Future = Hello"

G E N I U S!!!!! Totally!

It's an endless loop since The Future was released in the future!

Did you say l∞p?

I just adore this album.

Critically speaking, it's not as good as Purple Rain or Sign o' the Times, but I think it's his third-best long player.

I don't think it really misses "She's Always in my Hair" (which, after all, was mostly recorded at the end of '83 and could have been on Purple Rain). There are enough really strong tunes to carry it off perfectly.

My only gripe is that I can't stand "Temptation", which I don't listen to and thus that drops the record to about 34 minutes (still longer than Dirty Mind, however).

But, sometimes less is more. This is an incredible record. Most of all, I love the style of it, which is, I suppose, my favorite Prince sound. The best track is "Paisley Park", which knocks me out.

ThePanther said:

I just adore this album.

Critically speaking, it's not as good as Purple Rain or Sign o' the Times, but I think it's his third-best long player.

I don't think it really misses "She's Always in my Hair" (which, after all, was mostly recorded at the end of '83 and could have been on Purple Rain). There are enough really strong tunes to carry it off perfectly.

My only gripe is that I can't stand "Temptation", which I don't listen to and thus that drops the record to about 34 minutes (still longer than Dirty Mind, however).

But, sometimes less is more. This is an incredible record. Most of all, I love the style of it, which is, I suppose, my favorite Prince sound. The best track is "Paisley Park", which knocks me out.

I know, like to listen to PP in the dark & listen to the finger symbals on it. You think he played those on the record too?? I wonder.

ThePanther said:

I just adore this album.

Critically speaking, it's not as good as Purple Rain or Sign o' the Times, but I think it's his third-best long player.

I don't think it really misses "She's Always in my Hair" (which, after all, was mostly recorded at the end of '83 and could have been on Purple Rain). There are enough really strong tunes to carry it off perfectly.

My only gripe is that I can't stand "Temptation", which I don't listen to and thus that drops the record to about 34 minutes (still longer than Dirty Mind, however).

But, sometimes less is more. This is an incredible record. Most of all, I love the style of it, which is, I suppose, my favorite Prince sound. The best track is "Paisley Park", which knocks me out.

I actually love Temptation. There is an undeniable groove to the guitar and bass parts that are equal parts funk and blues. Like I said in my earlier post, musicians starting out would do well to listen to it.

Not sure I get the notion of this album as a "concept album" beyond stylistic choices.

There's no narrative to it or storytelling like "Tommy" or "The Wall" (or, for that matter, "The Rainbow Children") that one usually associates with "concept albums". The only thing that ties it together as a "concept', really, is a consistent tone so, in that sense, I think "Girl" and "SAIMH" are not only better tracks but fit in perfectly fine. SAIMH would have been a stunning single and a knockout followup to the Purple Rain material as well as drastically improving the album. It's one of his top ten all time songs IMO, b-side or otherwise.

herb4 said:

Not sure I get the notion of this album as a "concept album" beyond stylistic choices.

There's no narrative to it or storytelling like "Tommy" or "The Wall" (or, for that matter, "The Rainbow Children") that one usually associates with "concept albums". The only thing that ties it together as a "concept', really, is a consistent tone so, in that sense, I think "Girl" and "SAIMH" are not only better tracks but fit in perfectly fine. SAIMH would have been a stunning single and a knockout followup to the Purple Rain material as well as drastically improving the album. It's one of his top ten all time songs IMO, b-side or otherwise.

I think it's a looser concept, but it's there. The whole album is very political and socially conscious. The whole idea of a better place, which is inside you, is driven throughout the album. It's love vs. lust (both sides end with him having a fit of pent-up sexual aggression, the 2nd of which tag ends with God judging him for delving into lust instead of love), love and loss, politics, etc. I think, for such a different album from Prince after a pretty solid run, the production ideology along almost makes it a concept album. Use an oud, cut the bass, thinner keyboard layering... every song as a commonality. Even the b-sides reflect that greatly. There's an organic rubbery grit to songs like "Hello", "America", and "She's Always In My Hair", and a hypnotic feel to things like "Tamborine", "Girl", psychedelic bops like "ATWIAD", "Pop Life", and "Raspberry Beret".

But let's face it, the bigger concept is that, in reality, as hard as he tried to not make Purple Rain II, he made Purple Rain II.

TrivialPursuit said:

herb4 said:

Not sure I get the notion of this album as a "concept album" beyond stylistic choices.

There's no narrative to it or storytelling like "Tommy" or "The Wall" (or, for that matter, "The Rainbow Children") that one usually associates with "concept albums". The only thing that ties it together as a "concept', really, is a consistent tone so, in that sense, I think "Girl" and "SAIMH" are not only better tracks but fit in perfectly fine. SAIMH would have been a stunning single and a knockout followup to the Purple Rain material as well as drastically improving the album. It's one of his top ten all time songs IMO, b-side or otherwise.

But let's face it, the bigger concept is that, in reality, as hard as he tried to not make Purple Rain II, he made Purple Rain II.

Whoa. You had me until the end there.

Sorry but I just don't see it - and I don't think the record buying public did either. I remember when it came out and roughly half of all the folks who hopped on board the Purple Rain Train didn't like this album at all. I'd say he lost fans he never really got back, TBH, most of whom didn't really fall on the spectrum of "music lovers", if you know what I mean. Reaction was noticeably split between people who bought ALBUMS and listened MUSIC and those that just played the radio in thier cars.

I don't thnk he ever really DID do a "Purple Rain 2"; a wall to wall album without a skipper in the bunch, where every song save "Darling Nikki" could have been a hit. And, frankly, given the hype and how much of a fan favorite "Nikki" became, even that bitch might have scored if he'd released it near the end of 1984. There's nothing, NOTHING on ATWIAD that's as contemporary, cross over or as accessible any song on Purple Rain (minus Nikki I guess). SAIMH is close and has the same "holy shit" factor that "When Doves Cry", "17 Days" or "Erotic City" do. That certain undefineable element that makes you remember where you were the first time you heard it and instilled in the listener that desire to immediately listen to it again. Or, even better, go buy that bitch.

I remember my day one experience with ATWIAD and my "smoke a bowl and bust out the headphones" ritual and, while I was intrigued and knew it was good, nothing floored me right away. Rather, I wanted to go back and peel more layers off of it to find and absorb what I'd missed. Parts of it even felt too "look at me and what a serious unique artist I am. Aren't I WILD?" rather than "god damn, this is fucking amazing" and some of it honestly felt forced, as if Prince were consciously trying to be seen in the same light and taken as seriously as The Beatles, the Stones, Zeppelin, Hendrix and all the legends who came before him and whose alters he would one day stand along side.

As a truly challenging, uniquely owned and personal artistic statement, Parade, SoTT and, to a lesser extent Lovesexy and even AoA or TRC (shit, "1999" for that matter) feel more like Prince simply being Prince, channeling his vision and not nearly as...I dunno...manufactured or as "try hard" I guess. Don't get me wrong, I LIKE the album but I don't go to it much and I consider "Raspberry Beret" and "Pop Life" amongst his weakest "hits", as perfectly fine and wonderful as those songs are.

"Around" feels..."intentional" I guess; again as I search for the right words. "Deliberate" maybe? "calculated?". Whatever he was doing, it showed and the whole record practically SCREAMED "fuck off and leave me alone unless you like MUSIC and ART."

Large parts of it are even derivitive along the lines of something like the Stones' "Satanic Majesty's Request". Or like KISS or Rod Stewart doing disco songs only with reverse motivation. Maybe more along the lines of when comedic actors go out of their way to take on dramatic roles, which might be a better example of what I'm struggling to articulate, where even when someone like Jim Carey, Michael Keaton or Bill Murray is GOOD in an atypical role, but no one honestly remembers any of them most fondly for movies like "The Razor's Edge", "Eternal Sunshine" or "Clean and Sober". Almost every review of "World" name dropped Sgt. Peppers and Satanic Majesty, and completley fairly and with good reason.

To some extent, I think Prince's intent here was to not only wriggle out of a Purple Rain dove cage but also to be taken as seriously as those artists who routinely graced the cover of Rolling Stone before him, in addition to rather deliberately dim that blinding and all consuming spotlight that might very well have destroyed him if he'd let it and that we know was making him increasingly uncomfortable as the PR tour soldiered on.

I don't think he ever really did a Purple Rain 2 so I found your provactive conclusion very interesting and unique.

In what sense do you mean and how so exactly? It's an interesting take, along with your assertion that World is a "concept album", if not in the traditional sense. I've outlined my take on how it CAN be seen that way but ultimately it's not and I disagree that swapping out tracks or even changing the order of them would really effect the record in any discernable way beyond what I said about some b-sides and outtakes being better songs that would have improved it a lot.

Can you elaborate some? Thanks.

herb4 said:

Not sure I get the notion of this album as a "concept album" beyond stylistic choices.

There's no narrative to it or storytelling like "Tommy" or "The Wall" (or, for that matter, "The Rainbow Children") that one usually associates with "concept albums". The only thing that ties it together as a "concept', really, is a consistent tone so, in that sense, I think "Girl" and "SAIMH" are not only better tracks but fit in perfectly fine. SAIMH would have been a stunning single and a knockout followup to the Purple Rain material as well as drastically improving the album. It's one of his top ten all time songs IMO, b-side or otherwise.

I always thought the album was a musical journey of a life from birth to death (and at the end, God in the afterlife). The album starts with a scream which reminds me of the birth of a newborn, then the first words are: "Open your heart, open your mind"... This is like a re-birth or seeing life with new eyes. Paisley Park sounds like kindergarten or a sort of utopian primary school, Condition of the Heart describes the first broken heart experience, Raspberry Beret is the first work (and sexual) experience, etc. All the ages of life are represented on the album cover too.

[Edited 12/15/18 15:10pm]

herb4 said:

TrivialPursuit said:

But let's face it, the bigger concept is that, in reality, as hard as he tried to not make Purple Rain II, he made Purple Rain II.

Whoa. You had me until the end there.

Can you elaborate some? Thanks.

It's been covered extensively here. http://prince.org/msg/7/4...9&pg=3

Here's a cut and paste:

TrivialPursuit said:

namepeace said:

In Prince: A Pop Life, still the best Prince book I've read to date, Dave Hill discusses the parallels between ATWIAD and PR. Aesthetically, the album and era felt like a whole new chapter for Prince, and in many ways, it was musically. But I'd recommend finding Hill's book because he makes an interesting case that the album was built on groundwork PR laid.

I do agree though . . . Prince's willingness to stake out new ground during the ATWIAD era is what made me a fan of his (and the Revolution's) for life.

There really is a pattern there that can even be construed down to the most minor of details.

Some that stick out are:

The anthemic uplifting gospel-tinged song: Purple Rain - the Ladder

The dirty bluesy track: Darling Nikki - Temptation

The mid first side ballad: The Beautiful Ones - Condition of the Heart

The sound-alike: Take Me With U - Raspberry Beret (the song even references him and Apollonia)

The other sound alike: Baby I'm A Star - America (uses the same Linn drum pattern)

A heavier track: Computer Blue (or Let's Go Crazy) - Tamborine

The Spartan track with layered vocals: When Doves Cry - Paisley Park


Even "Let's Go Crazy" stars with a simple chord or note, then eventually a drum starts. "Around The World In A Day" starts with one note, then the drums start.

To add to that, 5 songs on side 1, 4 songs on side 2. Both end with a longer track. Simplistic, but still the same.

OldFriends4Sale said:

feeluupp said:

It's not just the "sound"... Alot of his songs recorded in the same era "sound" the same, doesn't mean it fits the CONCEPT of the album... ATWIAD is an album of psychodelic lust if you wan't to call it that... I doubt a song about why he missed the We Are The World recordings fits for that concept, hence why it was a b-side...

What is the concecpt of the album Around the World in a Day?

.

And how does Hello not hold hands with the message of Pop Life ATWIAD America along with the quirky sounds throught the album? The lyrics are easily in line with Prince's messages from Controversy - ATWIAD and easily fit within the album direction.

Hello, hello, hello, hello
Hello, hello, hello, hello

I tried to tell them that I didn't want to sing
But I'd gladly write a song instead
They said okay and everything was cool
Till a camera tried to get in my bed

Hello, my bed, hello, hello

I was sittin' pretty with a beautiful friend ("oh, darling")
When this man tries to get in the car ("'ey Prince, c'mon, give us a smile, eh?")
No introduction, "how you been?"
Just "up yours, smile, that's right, you're a star!" (star)

You call 'em bodyguards but I call 'em my friends
I guess I'm used to havin' 'em around
And cameras, by nature, like rewards
That's the trouble I get when I'm uptown

I'm not afraid to die (don't be afraid)
('Cause there's a better place to go) oh no, there's a better place
I eat what I want (you can eat what you want)
Whole-wheat toast (anything is cool in moderation)
And I'm happy, and that's for sure

We're against hungry children
Our record stands tall
But there's just as much hunger here at home

We'll do what we can
If y'all try and understand
A flower that has water will grow
And the child misunderstood will go

Hello
Hello
Hello
Hello

Everybody we're against hungry children
Our record stands tall
There's just as much hunger here at home

We'll do what we can
Y'all try to understand
A flower that has water will grow
And the child misunderstood will go

Our record stands tall, you know
Give us time and love will show

Hello
Hello
Hello

This was Prince's response to the media and public criticism he received for not participating in the We Are The World production/video. I think it definitely still ties in with the overall message or theme of the album, which speaks to some of Prince's political and religious views, as well as, his continued frustrations with lust vs love.

TrivialPursuit said:

herb4 said:

There really is a pattern there that can even be construed down to the most minor of details.

Some that stick out are:

The anthemic uplifting gospel-tinged song: Purple Rain - the Ladder

The dirty bluesy track: Darling Nikki - Temptation

The mid first side ballad: The Beautiful Ones - Condition of the Heart

The sound-alike: Take Me With U - Raspberry Beret (the song even references him and Apollonia)

The other sound alike: Baby I'm A Star - America (uses the same Linn drum pattern)

A heavier track: Computer Blue (or Let's Go Crazy) - Tamborine

The Spartan track with layered vocals: When Doves Cry - Paisley Park


Even "Let's Go Crazy" stars with a simple chord or note, then eventually a drum starts. "Around The World In A Day" starts with one note, then the drums start.

To add to that, 5 songs on side 1, 4 songs on side 2. Both end with a longer track. Simplistic, but still the same.

I think the music of PR sounds vastly different than ATWIAD. Inevitably, some of the same patterns may have been used, but the addition of the middle eastern instruments alone created a unique sound to many of the songs. While Purple Rain and The Ladder may be "anthemic" style songs - their sound is very different. Take Me With U and Raspberry Beret also sound vastly different to me, even though they incorporate similar instruments. ATWIAD and Let's Go Crazy don't connect with me at all even though he may have used a similar pattern to begin the songs.

*

I imagine we could make these pattern and sound connections with each decade, as it would make sense that he favored certain styles during particular stretches of time. I think probably the biggest sound/style change he made from one album to the next was Prince to Dirty Mind - when he was planning his "cross-over".

CherryMoon57 said:

Prince Talks: The Silence Is Broken

The Purple Pleasure Palace houses the genius behind ‘Around the World in a Day’

By

NEAL KARLEN

SEPTEMBER 12, 1985 4:15PM ET

'What picture were you painting with Around the World in a Day?
[Laughs] I’ve heard some people say I’m not talking about anything on this record. And what a lot of other people get wrong about the record is that I’m not trying to be this great visionary wizard. Paisley Park is in everybody’s heart. It’s not just something that I have the keys to. I was trying to say something about looking inside oneself to find perfection. Perfection is in everyone. Nobody’s perfect, but they can be. We may never reach that, but it’s better to strive than not.'

(To read the full article, click on the photo or link below)



https://www.rollingstone....ken-58812/

[Edited 12/11/18 6:58am]

This is one of my favorite interviews - maybe the best one he did. He was still riding high off of Purple Rain, in a major creative mode, and happier. He was very open with the journalist.

*

He stated quite matter-of-factly the message he was trying to convey with the music. I think the sound and inspiration began with David Coleman and Jonathan Melvoin's recording of the song ATWIAD, and he wrote his own lyrics to create his message and theme for the rest of the album.

TrivialPursuit said:

herb4 said:

There really is a pattern there that can even be construed down to the most minor of details.

Some that stick out are:

The anthemic uplifting gospel-tinged song: Purple Rain - the Ladder

The dirty bluesy track: Darling Nikki - Temptation

The mid first side ballad: The Beautiful Ones - Condition of the Heart

The sound-alike: Take Me With U - Raspberry Beret (the song even references him and Apollonia)

The other sound alike: Baby I'm A Star - America (uses the same Linn drum pattern)

A heavier track: Computer Blue (or Let's Go Crazy) - Tamborine

The Spartan track with layered vocals: When Doves Cry - Paisley Park


Even "Let's Go Crazy" stars with a simple chord or note, then eventually a drum starts. "Around The World In A Day" starts with one note, then the drums start.

To add to that, 5 songs on side 1, 4 songs on side 2. Both end with a longer track. Simplistic, but still the same.

Huh. OK. Still disagree.

All of that analysis seems like a huge stretch.

herb4 said:

TrivialPursuit said:

To add to that, 5 songs on side 1, 4 songs on side 2. Both end with a longer track. Simplistic, but still the same.

Huh. OK. Still disagree.

All of that analysis seems like a huge stretch.

Yes, I think quite a stretch. Here are Prince's words about the music of the ATWIAD album...also from that 1985 RS article:

*

Does you fame affect your work?
*

"A lot of people think it does, but it doesn’t at all. I think the smartest thing I ever did was record Around the World in a Day right after I finished Purple Rain. I didn’t wait to see what would happen with Purple Rain. That’s why the two albums sound completely different. People think, “Oh, the new album isn’t half as powerful as Purple Rain or 1999.” You know how easy it would have been to open Around the World in a Day with the guitar solo that’s on the end of “Let’s Go Crazy"? You know how easy it would have been to just put it in a different key? That would have shut everybody up who said an album wasn’t half as powerful. I don’t want to make an album like the earlier ones. Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to put your albums back to back and not get bored, you dig? I don’t know how many people can play all their albums back to back with each one going to different cities."