imago said:

The black album isn't an album. It's a collection of tracks compiled together, really.
Susan Rogers in several interviews stated the songs weren't meant to be placed on an album. They were written for going out and for parties.


I like the black album, sometimes more than LoveSexy, because some of the songs are just more fun. But, LoveSexy has more weight to it. Both pale in the long shaddow cast by SOTT though.

I think it works as an album but I would have left W2RIL off of it. Stops it in its tracks and doesn't fit. I don't care for the song but it works was better on Lovesexy as a change of pace. On TBA, it just stands out too much and slams the brakes.

Whether it was intended to work as a whole or not, I think TBA succeded as a cohesive whole - more so than many of his albums in fact. You can play it end to end and, from a style standpoint, everything fits well.

Again, I think it works as a great double album paired with Lovesexy.

yeah,it doesn't seem like a full,complete "album".Prince used these songs for a Birthday party for Sheila E.

imago said:

The black album isn't an album. It's a collection of tracks compiled together, really.
Susan Rogers in several interviews stated the songs weren't meant to be placed on an album. They were written for going out and for parties.

On both albums,there is a reference to some guy named "Frankie".Did we ever figure out what that's all about?

SoulAlive said:

On both albums,there is a reference to some guy named "Frankie".Did we ever figure out what that's all about?

He also mentions Frankie in Coco Boys from the SOTT? era - I guess just name he liked to play with!

Bit like Alfred on Cloreen Baconskin and Junior (which was Levi I think?)

TBA is better, not strong enough but better than Lovesexy, Ihave never understood the appeal for that album, I only like Anna, Wish U and Alphabet.

Dandroppedadime said:

RJOrion said:

Dandroppedadime said:

He also mentions Frankie in Coco Boys from the SOTT? era - I guess just name he liked to play with!

Bit like Alfred on Cloreen Baconskin and Junior (which was Levi I think?)

Alfred Jackson was his older brother

Yeah but it is unlikely he was referring to that Alfred on Cloreen, lol.

LoveGalore said:

RJOrion said:

Dandroppedadime said: Alfred Jackson was his older brother

Yeah but it is unlikely he was referring to that Alfred on Cloreen, lol.

He actually is referring to his older half-brother in that song.

LoveGalore said:

RJOrion said:

LoveGalore said:

RJOrion said:

LoveGalore said:

LoveGalore said:

RJOrion said:

because Morris Day and Prince's 1st cousin Chazz Smith have both said so.

Chazz Smith???? Lmao, k. Also, Morris said Prince used Grand Central demos to secure a record deal. So I mean...

Do we need to show you some type of paper everytime for proof?
Someone gave you enough proof as to why it's Prince's half-brother that's referenced in the song. And yet, you still ask for more or you're personally not convinced for whatever reason.

SoulAlive said:

TheSilentMikey said:

Aren't all albums "a collection of tracks thrown together"? Maybe not as deep of a concept album or whatever Lovesexy is, but, it's an album. He put it out as an album. It's an album.

WhisperingDandelions said:

Aren't all albums "a collection of tracks thrown together"? Maybe not as deep of a concept album or whatever Lovesexy is, but, it's an album. He put it out as an album. It's an album.

Yep, I was thinking the same exact thing. But not only that, The Black Albun was a collection of songs specifically put together with a theme involved, which was Sheila's party. That's the very definition of an Album in the purest sense of the media.

v10letblues said:

LoveGalore said:

v10letblues said:

Yep, I was thinking the same exact thing. But not only that, The Black Albun was a collection of songs specifically put together with a theme involved, which was Sheila's party. That's the very definition of an Album in the purest sense of the media.

This idea gets tossed around a lot but that isn't necessarily accurate. Look at the timeline of recordings. Perhaps 3-4 of these songs were for a party. The rest were just odds and ends he slapped onto a configuration. Of all the albums Prince ever made, this one is the most slapdash. The extreme majority of his albums went through multiple phases of creation. This one, not so much.

Works perfectly to me.
Besides most of his albums have been with random songs culled together from different sessions. Lovesexy for example. We've listened to those in previous bettter versions. SOTT was a slapdash collection of songs throughout his then career. Grafitti Bridge. Etc. Etc.

It's an album when Prince says it's an album.

He called it The Black Album for cryng out loud. And orignally The Funk Bible on top that. Pretty sure he took it seriously - on several levels, including shelving it, up to and including the cryptic messages in the Alphabet Street video saying "don't buy the black ALBUM. I'm sorry"

Yes, it's an album. And a good one.

What on odd argument.

herb4 said:

It's an album when Prince says it's an album.

He called it The Black Album for cryng out loud. And orignally The Funk Bible on top that. Pretty sure he took it seriously - on several levels, including shelving it, up to and including the cryptic messages in the Alphabet Street video saying "don't buy the black ALBUM. I'm sorry"

Yes, it's an album. And a good one.

What on odd argument.

People get so heavily into the mire with their 43 configurations for every record the one time there isn't logs or recordof 55 different discarded rough drafts they're now castigating the validity of a Prince album being a Prince album. Meanwhile Graffiti Bridge was basically throwing darts in The Vault thus far and putting the tracks on shuffle. But Exodus, we count that as a real Prince album, right? Give me a friggin' break. Respect the man's discography.

between white and black,night and day

I took a chance

does this lyric express Prince's opinion of The Black Album?

herb4 said:

LoveGalore said:

herb4 said:

It's an album when Prince says it's an album.

He called it The Black Album for cryng out loud. And orignally The Funk Bible on top that. Pretty sure he took it seriously - on several levels, including shelving it, up to and including the cryptic messages in the Alphabet Street video saying "don't buy the black ALBUM. I'm sorry"

Yes, it's an album. And a good one.

What on odd argument.

It's an argument you're having with yourself. I never said it wasn't an album. I said it wasn't entirely created for the party.

Did I quote you?

herb4 said:

It's an album when Prince says it's an album.

He called it The Black Album for cryng out loud. And orignally The Funk Bible on top that. Pretty sure he took it seriously - on several levels, including shelving it, up to and including the cryptic messages in the Alphabet Street video saying "don't buy the black ALBUM. I'm sorry"

Yes, it's an album. And a good one.

What on odd argument.

Thank you

SoulAlive said:

between white and black,night and day

black night seemed like the only way

So I danced

Music late,nothing great,no way to differentiate

I took a chance

does this lyric express Prince's opinion of The Black Album?

his dabbling with the black arts

SoulAlive said:

between white and black,night and day

black night seemed like the only way

So I danced

Music late,nothing great,no way to differentiate

I took a chance

does this lyric express Prince's opinion of The Black Album?

That's what I always understood those lyrics to mean. And I think it's a fair assessment. There are some good songs, some average songs, but no truly great songs on TBA if you ask me. From what I recall of fan surveys, there's never a song from TBA in the top twenty or possibly even top thirty. Le Grind, Bob George, and Rock Hard are all solidly good.

Anna Stesia and Alphabet St. are often ranked highly among fans and critics. I think Anna Stesia is great, but Alphabet St. was disappointing to me as an A-side single. For me, Eye Know, Anna Stesia, Lovesexy, and Positivity are all fantastic songs. The rest are good to average. Overall, LS is the One!

controversy99 said:

SoulAlive said:

between white and black,night and day

black night seemed like the only way

So I danced

Music late,nothing great,no way to differentiate

I took a chance

does this lyric express Prince's opinion of The Black Album?

That's what I always understood those lyrics to mean. And I think it's a fair assessment. There are some good songs, some average songs, but no truly great songs on TBA if you ask me. From what I recall of fan surveys, there's never a song from TBA in the top twenty or possibly even top thirty. Le Grind, Bob George, and Rock Hard are all solidly good.

Anna Stesia and Alphabet St. are often ranked highly among fans and critics. I think Anna Stesia is great, but Alphabet St. was disappointing to me as an A-side single. For me, Eye Know, Anna Stesia, Lovesexy, and Positivity are all fantastic songs. The rest are good to average. Overall, LS is the One!

Same. It's a good song but I never liked the drum sound on it and I think that's what bugs me about it. One of my least favorites among his singles. I like your assesment.

Rock Hard and Le Grind could have been singles. Agree with your assesment of singles Prince used from Lovesexy but that was an ongoing problem after PR. But I don't really see a path forward for making Lovesey a commercial hit; from the cove to the single CD tracking to the vibe and all the way down. It's a headphone album; a challenging one at that and, truth be told, a lot of the homoerotic overtones and the style of the whole thing were another issue/obstacle, especially from a black artist.

Didn't bother me but I know for a fact it bothered a lot of people who hopped on board with PR and 1999 but checked out with the album cover and the rather aggresive fashion and things. We still weren't there in 1988 despite the success of acts like Elton John, David Bowie and even the Stones.

The more I think about, I truly believe TBA would have moved a lot more units (at least in the U.S.) and helped the tour sell tickets. LS did oddly well overseas.

...

The double album that could have been. I think that was his intention all along TBH.