OK, so I think my taste when it comes to Prince is a bit unusual, but we'll see.

SoTT is a classic for a reason, but honestly around half of it just drags the thing down, IMO.
If the tracklist were as below (though not necessarily in that order), the album would be fine from front to back:

SoTT
Play in the Sunshine
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
It
Starfish and Coffee
U Got the Look
The Cross


It's not that some of the other songs are really bad, they are just kind of dull and/or go on too long, especially "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night". But "Adore" and "If I Was Your Girlfriend" are among the worst of Prince! They are pretty darn popular from what I gather though.

What do you think? And what would you cut?

GET OUT!

VaultCurator said:

Just kidding. I respect your opinion, but personally I love tracks like 'It's gonna be a beautiful night', 'Strange Relationship', 'I could never take the place of your man', 'Forever in my life' and 'U got the look'. That's the soul of the album.

Personally I'd argue that it's not long enough. So much fantastic music was cut in the making of that record. 'Crucial' didn't make the cut in favour of Adore, 'Rebirth of the flesh' never saw the light of day (please don't bring up that censord rehersal, it doesn't come close), and all Dream Factory material that got discarded. It's such a shame.

FunkJam said:

OK, so I think my taste when it comes to Prince is a bit unusual, but we'll see.

SoTT is a classic for a reason, but honestly around half of it just drags the thing down, IMO.
If the tracklist were as below (though not necessarily in that order), the album would be fine from front to back:

SoTT
Play in the Sunshine
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
It
Starfish and Coffee
U Got the Look
The Cross


It's not that some of the other songs are really bad, they are just kind of dull and/or go on too long, especially "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night". But "Adore" and "If I Was Your Girlfriend" are among the worst of Prince! They are pretty darn popular from what I gather though.

What do you think? And what would you cut?

Dude, why would you say those two songs are among the worst of Prince?

You're asking for it so look out...

.

Well SOTT is a mix of the Prince & the Revolution aborted album the Dream Factory and the Camille project. With some other songs added to bridge and end. I look at it as a collage of sorts. But prefer the June 1986 configuration of the Dream Factory, and the Camille playlist.

I appreciate IGBABN. Something he might have included with a Flesh set compilation. I really enjoy the Parade tour live renditions, even the ones where it is just them playing the music and Prince getting the crowd happy.

SOTT has songs that feel stripped and quiet and introspective and others that feel loud flashy and extroverted

SOTT, the Ballad of Dorothy Parker, It, Starfish & Coffee, Forever In My Life, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Strange Relationship, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, the Cross

.

Play in the Sunshine, Housequake, Hot Thang, U Got the Look, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Strange Relationship, Adore

VaultCurator said:

Just kidding. I respect your opinion, but personally I love tracks like 'It's gonna be a beautiful night', 'Strange Relationship', 'I could never take the place of your man', 'Forever in my life' and 'U got the look'. That's the soul of the album.

Personally I'd argue that it's not long enough. So much fantastic music was cut in the making of that record. 'Crucial' didn't make the cut in favour of Adore, 'Rebirth of the flesh' never saw the light of day (please don't bring up that censord rehersal, it doesn't come close), and all Dream Factory material that got discarded. It's such a shame.

Yeah, I definitely think "IGBABN" and "Forever in My Life" have a little something going for them. Just find them a bit too tepid. But I guess "IGBABN" wouldn't really get in the way if it were added to my selection as the final track.


It's funny when hearing discarded material for a project, because that stuff often blows some of the final selections out of the water (Michael Jackson's Thriller being a fine non-Prince example), but a SoTT deluxe rerelease can't be too far away now!

purplethunder3121 said:

"SoTT is a sucky album!"


^ That's trolling. I was pretty harsh on the album, sure, but the difference is the details.

OldFriends4Sale said:

Dude, why would you say those two songs are among the worst of Prince?

You're asking for it so look out...

.

Well SOTT is a mix of the Prince & the Revolution aborted album the Dream Factory and the Camille project. With some other songs added to bridge and end. I look at it as a collage of sorts. But prefer the June 1986 configuration of the Dream Factory, and the Camille playlist.

I appreciate IGBABN. Something he might have included with a Flesh set compilation. I really enjoy the Parade tour live renditions, even the ones where it is just them playing the music and Prince getting the crowd happy.

SOTT has songs that feel stripped and quiet and introspective and others that feel loud flashy and extroverted

SOTT, the Ballad of Dorothy Parker, It, Starfish & Coffee, Forever In My Life, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Strange Relationship, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, the Cross

.

Play in the Sunshine, Housequake, Hot Thang, U Got the Look, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Strange Relationship, Adore

Well, yeah, I know it will be unpopular, but it's all subjective in the end, so what the hell?

I guess "Adore" is just so soppy, in both music and lyrics. Always hard to get into stuff like that. And "IIWYGF," it's just that voice. Can't really explain it. But the music paired with it is perhaps what really does it in, especially the slap bass. If it were set to some orchestral backing with rich strings or something (as odd as that may sound on paper), I imagine it wouldn't grate nearly so much.

TBF, "IGBABN" has some merit and wouldn't really get in the way as a closing track, so why not throw it in there too?!

VaultCurator said:

Cleaved in twain?!!?!

Twere best to warn the nobles, lest the serfs protest.

FunkJam said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Dude, why would you say those two songs are among the worst of Prince?

You're asking for it so look out...

.

Well SOTT is a mix of the Prince & the Revolution aborted album the Dream Factory and the Camille project. With some other songs added to bridge and end. I look at it as a collage of sorts. But prefer the June 1986 configuration of the Dream Factory, and the Camille playlist.

I appreciate IGBABN. Something he might have included with a Flesh set compilation. I really enjoy the Parade tour live renditions, even the ones where it is just them playing the music and Prince getting the crowd happy.

SOTT has songs that feel stripped and quiet and introspective and others that feel loud flashy and extroverted

SOTT, the Ballad of Dorothy Parker, It, Starfish & Coffee, Forever In My Life, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Strange Relationship, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, the Cross

.

Play in the Sunshine, Housequake, Hot Thang, U Got the Look, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Strange Relationship, Adore

Well, yeah, I know it will be unpopular, but it's all subjective in the end, so what the hell?

I guess "Adore" is just so soppy, in both music and lyrics. Always hard to get into stuff like that. And "IIWYGF," it's just that voice. Can't really explain it. But the music paired with it is perhaps what really does it in, especially the slap bass. If it were set to some orchestral backing with rich strings or something (as odd as that may sound on paper), I imagine it wouldn't grate nearly so much.

TBF, "IGBABN" has some merit and wouldn't really get in the way as a closing track, so why not throw it in there too?!

So do you like the Camille voice? Would U like IIWYGF if it was in a regular Prince voice?

I mean, like what you like. That's what opinions and personal tastes are for.

But who the HELL visits Prince.org to say IIWYG and Adore are among the "worst of Prince"?

You ain't heard much of Prince. That's my opinion.

"It "couldve been left off....but the rest no...

Fun topic! I definitely don't agree to the cutting of IIWGF but here's my reduced one-disc SoTT tracklist:

• Sign O the Times
• Housequake
• Hot Thing
• Forever in My Life
• U Got the Look
• If I Was Your Girlfriend
• Strange Relationship
• I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
• Adore

So I'd be cutting:

- Play in the Sunshine. Was always a bit cacophonous and unmusical to my ears.

- Ballad of Dorothy Parker. It's a bit limp and lifeles, and the title always irritated me.

- It. I love the song, but it drags on a bit. Sad to lose it.

- Starfish and Coffee. Never did anything much for me.

- Slow Love - smoochy filler. Lose it.

- The Cross. Sorry, not into the happy clappy christian stuff.

- It's Gonna be a Beautiful Night. Way too long, messy jam.

I actually love SoTT just the way it came out, but part of me yearns to see Camille and Dream Factory get proper releases some day

FunkJam said:

OK, so I think my taste when it comes to Prince is a bit unusual, but we'll see.

SoTT is a classic for a reason, but honestly around half of it just drags the thing down, IMO.
If the tracklist were as below (though not necessarily in that order), the album would be fine from front to back:

SoTT
Play in the Sunshine
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
It
Starfish and Coffee
U Got the Look
The Cross


It's not that some of the other songs are really bad, they are just kind of dull and/or go on too long, especially "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night". But "Adore" and "If I Was Your Girlfriend" are among the worst of Prince! They are pretty darn popular from what I gather though.

What do you think? And what would you cut?

Hey man, that's the beauty of digital music and iPods. Just transfer the songs you like to your device and the relevant playlists, and you have exactly what you want. But always remember:

What you put on your playlist isn't going to be what others put on theirs. They aren't wrong, and neither are you.

oh Please! One of the worst posts for a while

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namepeace said:

Cleaved in twain?!!?!

Twere best to warn the nobles, lest the serfs protest.

Right, we don't want another French Revolution!

OldFriends4Sale said:

So do you like the Camille voice? Would U like IIWYGF if it was in a regular Prince voice?

Well, I don't mind that voice at all on cuts like "Shockadelica," but yeah I think it is a good part of the reason IIWYGF grates so much!

FunkJam said:

OK, so I think my taste when it comes to Prince is a bit unusual, but we'll see.

SoTT is a classic for a reason, but honestly around half of it just drags the thing down, IMO....


....What do you think? And what would you cut?....

Kill yourself before it's too late.

Just kidding. Seriously though, get help.

There are a ton of double albums that could have fat trimmed from them.

"Sign 'O The Times" isn't one of them.

In fact, he could have released the 3LP version of "Crystal Ball" and kept every track on the set. He was really on fire back then.

namepeace said:

Cleaved in twain?!!?!

Twere best to warn the nobles, lest the serfs protest.

Doozer said:

I mean, like what you like. That's what opinions and personal tastes are for.

But who the HELL visits Prince.org to say IIWYG and Adore are among the "worst of Prince"?

You ain't heard much of Prince. That's my opinion.

Hey, I know Prince music more than anyone: I've listened to Purple Rain, twice!

ian said:

Fun topic! I definitely don't agree to the cutting of IIWGF but here's my reduced one-disc SoTT tracklist:

• Sign O the Times
• Housequake
• Hot Thing
• Forever in My Life
• U Got the Look
• If I Was Your Girlfriend
• Strange Relationship
• I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
• Adore

So I'd be cutting:

- Play in the Sunshine. Was always a bit cacophonous and unmusical to my ears.

- Ballad of Dorothy Parker. It's a bit limp and lifeles, and the title always irritated me.

- It. I love the song, but it drags on a bit. Sad to lose it.

- Starfish and Coffee. Never did anything much for me.

- Slow Love - smoochy filler. Lose it.

- The Cross. Sorry, not into the happy clappy christian stuff.

- It's Gonna be a Beautiful Night. Way too long, messy jam.

I actually love SoTT just the way it came out, but part of me yearns to see Camille and Dream Factory get proper releases some day

Interesting that you cut most of my best tracks and include my worst. Lol. But I get what you mean about Play in the Sunshine: it just has too much going on at once in places!
Also not generally much of a fan of religious stuff either, but The Cross is pretty inoffensive, especially compared to the Rainbow Children's ramblings. That album is magnificent instrumentally though.

Darshy said:

Adore is one of the greatest songs of all time, and if u don't dig it, then u just don't get Prince. Just sayin'.

I think that's a tad unfair, TBH. I mean, it's not like we're talking about Wedding Feast or something. That is truly the track that defines him as an artist. So much depth and many hidden layers!