For a long time, my interest in this album began and ended with Future Soul Song, which I consider to be one of the finest ballads he ever wrote.

But lately I've been enjoying other cuts like Sticky Like Glue, Laydown and Act of God as well.

What are everyones thoughts on Walk In Sand and Sea of Everything? They feel a little Prince-by-numbers and not really amongst his most inspired ballads, but are nice enough if you're in the mood.

MattyJam said:

For a long time, my interest in this album began and ended with Future Soul Song, which I consider to be one of the finest ballads he ever wrote.

But lately I've been enjoying other cuts like Sticky Like Glue, Laydown and Act of God as well.

What are everyones thoughts on Walk In Sand and Sea of Everything? They feel a little Prince-by-numbers and not really amongst his most inspired ballads, but are nice enough if you're in the mood.

For me one of his best albums! What do you say about "Beginnig Endlessly"?

yello1 said:

MattyJam said:

yello1 said:

For me one of his best albums! What do you say about "Beginnig Endlessly"?

Yeah, I forgot to mention that one. Really good track, although the production feels a bit stale to me and I can't put my finger on why. Great rhythm guitar playing though and overall a decent tune.

WHOA...It´s a classic 4 me!!

It's a sound that evokes something utopian ... all of Prince's albums have some of that obviously ... but this one especially ... it seems to me. At least for me!

Most probably the physical album i have that i played less, not just Prince even. Two spins it got. Which is more than MLP sound which i never played after hearing uber-cringworthy Chocolate Box, but at least i ddint buy it physically

I love it. It's a church if you walk in and Prince is in the pulpit. You don't talk, you don't nap, you don't slip out early.

EmmaMcG said:

kookooman73 said:

No love for Lavaux?

I love this record and always have. I genuinely don't get why the fans didn't like it. I get why MPLSound gets shitted on, but not this one. He was trying to go for a retro Prince sound, much like MPLSound, but came with much better songs. It was almost like an apology for the way that record turned out, with a note attached that said, "This is what it should have been." Heck, maybe that's why it was free. Or maybe I'm projecting. I did often wonder how many of these songs, besides Future Soul Song (W. 1999), were actually new compositions.

Compassion - A nice album opener, with a positive energy and message. A bit like a Let's Go Crazy-lite, missing the guitars. Prince admitting there are things that piss him off, too, like turning on the radio and only hearing, "electro-magnetic pop," or the lack of rightousness on "the right," and no sanctity on "the left." Compassion shoud be a "new international anthem," damn it, especially right now. These lyrics have proven to be prophetic,

"When ego, fear, and judgment
Become the rule of law
Watch the polar ice caps
Heat up, melt down, and thaw
When the greedy one forgets
That he's the reason for it all."

Beginning Endlessly - Such a great musical build on this song, with a fabulous payoff (the rhythm guitar breakdown). The lyrics referencing the beginning of humanity, and connecting with someone on that kind of basic, molecular level (Space) are interesting, and deep, if you let yourself go there with him. I love the live version he opened that one LA show with back around this time.

Future Soul Song - A definite highlight. Wonderful melody, with a thoughtful concept, and lyrics. My thought is that a "future soul song" is a song about a time when our bodies are gone, and only our souls are left. A place where I like to think he is now that he's gone. Verse 2 always spoke to me,"

"And when my voice rose, so did the sun
When the trees sang the harmony as one
Every living soul sang the most beautiful
Melody ever sung."

And I like when he references the eyerolls he got for being a man of faith. "I hear sighs. I hear whispers. But I don't care. This is between me and my Lord. U can go right on ahead and stare." He didn't apologize for who he was when he was nasty, why should he apologize for who he is now? I like that.

Sticky Like Glue - So tight and funky it almost hurts. There are musical moments in this song that sound straight out of 1982. I love that about it. And lyrics you can "see," which I always appreciate. I love the line, "Out of town - I had 2 go, but now I need a cup of something black and strong." He needed a strong black woman back in his life, and it sounds like he found her. Yes, the rap is one of his worst, but what comes after is so good, it's easily forgiven. The 10 minute rehearsal version is still one my most treasured Prince items.

Act Of God - The groove always reminded me of Computer Blue, but with with a juke joint feel. Mavis could have done some major justice to this. More thoughtful lyrics - "I got news 4 ya. Freedom ain't free. They lock U in a cell if U try 2 be." I could actually quote whole thing, I love it so much.

Lavaux - More classic early 80s musicality. I love the line, "A paradox's box's key. I am the Y in MYSTERY. U can unlock the secrets if U please." The "assembly in New York," sounds like a JW rally, of which I'll pass, but he does make it sound funky. Now where's that 10 minute version???

Walk In Sand - A lovely melody, with a sweet vocal from Prince. Could he write a song like this in his sleep? Yes. But that doesn't mean it isn't earnest.

Sea Of Everything - Cut from the cloth of Scandalous, but with the vulnerability and insecurities of a man who is no longer young. "Will U still feel the same when the spotlight fades?" "U wander the wilderness, searching 4 a king. Will U settle 4 a Prince, and a sea of everything?" Ironic, cocky. So Prince.

Everybody Loves Me - This song always made me chuckle. That he would even have the balls to record it, let alone release it. But that's always been one of the things I love about him - his sheer audacity. The song is clearly a novelty number, sounding like a childrens television show theme song, but with a Dirty Mind sort of synth groove to it. You can almost see Muppets singing the chorus.

Laydown - "From the heart of Minnesota, here come the purple Yoda." I mean...that's just classic. Corny? Definitely. But he could get away with it, because he was a purple Yoda, damn it. An absolute musical Jedi Master. So where's the lie?

God, I miss him.

[Edited 12/30/18 9:14am]

TKO said:

There is a subtle exuberance on the album that is sort of refreshing. He's sorta playing around with hooks and word plays or whatever, and just letting it happen. I guess there is a casualness to it that perhaps things like 3121 or Planet Earth didn't quite achieve (nor were they supposed to). It also didn't quite have that flat, compressed, acrylic production that stuff like NewPowerSoul or Emancipation started to display. Although there are times when the drums sound super compressed or lack any reverb or natural echo.

The whole thing almost feels like one of those albums he completed but never intended to release, then decided "Boop - psyche! Here ya go." Opposed to a proper album release. This is all backed up by the fact it was slid into a slipcase and glued to the front of a newspaper.

I change up the tracklist just a bit, and start with "Cause and Effect" before "Compassion", and insert "Hot Summer" just before "Laydown". C&E is more of a banger opener, and HS is just fun.

It's not a top 10 album for me, but it's not at the bottom of the barrel either.

I loved the album when it first came out,even Everybody Loves Me. I thought he was just having a bit of fun and it made me laugh. When listening to the album now,I usually skip it along with Compassion. I start the album with Beginning Endlessly and go from there. I did and still do love Walk In Sand and Sea Of Everything and I think his vocals are beautiful on them. Favorite songs are Future Soul Song,Sticky Like Glue and Lavaux. I thought the latter two were classic Prince and reminded me why I fell in love with his music and I love the ethereal beauty of Future Soul.

EmmaMcG said:

kookooman73 said:

He was without a record deal & yet again exploring the best way (for him) to get the product to the consumer. Was Planet Earth any less of an album because it was also included in a newspaper? Was the Undertaker album any less because he intended to include it with a guitar magazine? Was The Truth album any less because he bundled it with the Crystal Ball compilation? Was Musicolgy inferior because he gave it away with concert tix? I greatly admired these unconventional methods where he got his music out there & got the lion share of the profit. IIRC he got an advance of $400,000 for the album plus tons of publicity. Personally also I love the album. My brother runs a newsagents & gave me about 30 copies. I posted them out for free to fans all over the world. 💜

Planet Earth seemed like an album of outtakes from the 3121 sessions. He even references 3121 on one of the songs. There's some good songs on Planet Earth but it's far from being a strong album. I think the price of a newspaper was just about the right price point for it. The Undertaker wasn't really a complete album either. Six and a half songs, three of which were recycled from other projects and one was a cover. He'd have had some nerve releasing that and charging full price for it. The Truth was a mainly acoustic album recorded during a time when his popularity was at an all time low. Releasing that seperately from The Crystal Ball wouldn't have done him, or the album, any favours at all. It would have been an even harder sell than it already was. Musicology was him "comeback" album and in order for him to regain a fraction of the popularity he once had, giving the album away with concert tickets was a shrewd move. It also helped that by doing that, he fiddled the charts so it appeared that his album was a bigger seller than it actually was. Again, great promotional move for the tour, but that's all it was. No artist, not even Prince, is going to give away something for free if they feel it's good enough to charge for it. Unless, as was the case with Musicology, it helped to promote another venture.

There are also 3121s behind him on the cover.

It was leaked a day or two before it was shipped out and I did have a chance to buy an actual copy... and Prince did tell the Peach and Black Podcast people that it would see a US release.

When it came out I liked it very much... I thought (as I do now) that its weak points were "Act of God" and "Sticky Like Glue" as well as what seemed like forced falsetto (which is weird but yeah it seemed like he was overdoing it and it did not work--same goes for the Studio "One Night Alone."

Highlights: "Compassion" Begining Endlessly, Everybody Loves Me. and Laydown... (with"Future Soul Song" and "Lavaux" being close)


But after a few days and several plays, it did not really grab me... So I did not pay it much attention...but since... I have come to like it more and more.



EDIT: and YES for some time my Sig was something like "20Ten? more like R0Ten" (which was partly just a joke, partly annoyed it was not released in the US and partly I was still being hassled by Prince via the web sheriff...

[Edited 12/30/18 10:01am]

I love the 20Ten album, almost start to finish. It sounds like he was re-energized during Lotusflow3r, and it carried over to 20Ten.

Listening to it as I type this....Not his 'greatest' effort but I still love it.

kingricefan said:

Listening to it as I type this....Not his 'greatest' effort but I still love it.

Like me and a friend will say "it's not Sign O the times... but it is good" The best come back he gave was "Hell Purple Rain is no SOTT"

SchlomoThaHomo said:

I love this record and always have. I genuinely don't get why the fans didn't like it. I get why MPLSound gets shitted on, but not this one. He was trying to go for a retro Prince sound, much like MPLSound, but came with much better songs. It was almost like an apology for the way that record turned out, with a note attached that said, "This is what it should have been." Heck, maybe that's why it was free. Or maybe I'm projecting. I did often wonder how many of these songs, besides Future Soul Song (W. 1999), were actually new compositions.

Compassion - A nice album opener, with a positive energy and message. A bit like a Let's Go Crazy-lite, missing the guitars. Prince admitting there are things that piss him off, too, like turning on the radio and only hearing, "electro-magnetic pop," or the lack of rightousness on "the right," and no sanctity on "the left." Compassion shoud be a "new international anthem," damn it, especially right now. These lyrics have proven to be prophetic,

"When ego, fear, and judgment
Become the rule of law
Watch the polar ice caps
Heat up, melt down, and thaw
When the greedy one forgets
That he's the reason for it all."

Beginning Endlessly - Such a great musical build on this song, with a fabulous payoff (the rhythm guitar breakdown). The lyrics referencing the beginning of humanity, and connecting with someone on that kind of basic, molecular level (Space) are interesting, and deep, if you let yourself go there with him. I love the live version he opened that one LA show with back around this time.

Future Soul Song - A definite highlight. Wonderful melody, with a thoughtful concept, and lyrics. My thought is that a "future soul song" is a song about a time when our bodies are gone, and only our souls are left. A place where I like to think he is now that he's gone. Verse 2 always spoke to me,"

"And when my voice rose, so did the sun
When the trees sang the harmony as one
Every living soul sang the most beautiful
Melody ever sung."

And I like when he references the eyerolls he got for being a man of faith. "I hear sighs. I hear whispers. But I don't care. This is between me and my Lord. U can go right on ahead and stare." He didn't apologize for who he was when he was nasty, why should he apologize for who he is now? I like that.

Sticky Like Glue - So tight and funky it almost hurts. There are musical moments in this song that sound straight out of 1982. I love that about it. And lyrics you can "see," which I always appreciate. I love the line, "Out of town - I had 2 go, but now I need a cup of something black and strong." He needed a strong black woman back in his life, and it sounds like he found her. Yes, the rap is one of his worst, but what comes after is so good, it's easily forgiven. The 10 minute rehearsal version is still one my most treasured Prince items.

Act Of God - The groove always reminded me of Computer Blue, but with with a juke joint feel. Mavis could have done some major justice to this. More thoughtful lyrics - "I got news 4 ya. Freedom ain't free. They lock U in a cell if U try 2 be." I could actually quote whole thing, I love it so much.

Lavaux - More classic early 80s musicality. I love the line, "A paradox's box's key. I am the Y in MYSTERY. U can unlock the secrets if U please." The "assembly in New York," sounds like a JW rally, of which I'll pass, but he does make it sound funky. Now where's that 10 minute version???

Walk In Sand - A lovely melody, with a sweet vocal from Prince. Could he write a song like this in his sleep? Yes. But that doesn't mean it isn't earnest.

Sea Of Everything - Cut from the cloth of Scandalous, but with the vulnerability and insecurities of a man who is no longer young. "Will U still feel the same when the spotlight fades?" "U wander the wilderness, searching 4 a king. Will U settle 4 a Prince, and a sea of everything?" Ironic, cocky. So Prince.

Everybody Loves Me - This song always made me chuckle. That he would even have the balls to record it, let alone release it. But that's always been one of the things I love about him - his sheer audacity. The song is clearly a novelty number, sounding like a childrens television show theme song, but with a Dirty Mind sort of synth groove to it. You can almost see Muppets singing the chorus.

Laydown - "From the heart of Minnesota, here come the purple Yoda." I mean...that's just classic. Corny? Definitely. But he could get away with it, because he was a purple Yoda, damn it. An absolute musical Jedi Master. So where's the lie?

God, I miss him.

[Edited 12/30/18 9:14am]

SchlomoThaHomo said:

dodger said:

It's interesting that people speak so highly of "Future Soul Song", since it actually was written back in the 90s, as confirmed in my interview with Hans-Martin Buff.

Militant said:

It's interesting that people speak so highly of "Future Soul Song", since it actually was written back in the 90s, as confirmed in my interview with Hans-Martin Buff.

But the main question is... When was Sticky Like Glue written... It has that 80's vibe to it...

Militant said:

It's interesting that people speak so highly of "Future Soul Song", since it actually was written back in the 90s, as confirmed in my interview with Hans-Martin Buff.

That's right. I had forgotten about that. I thought at the time of the album's release that it might have been written more recently with the lyrics at the end seemingly referencing his conversion to the JW faith.

SchlomoThaHomo said: