dodger said:

RJOrion said:

im such a fan of AOA that i childishly made personal attacks against the OP (and others) instead of expressing my disagreement appropriately...i apologize to anyone involved, that was disrespected or offended.

This, you don’t often see. Credit where it’s due

I would like to double down on this sentiment as well. Thanks for reaching out RJ.


You don't see this much on here, and I think it's a pretty damn fine full circle for what started out pretty poorly.


Thank you again for coming back and re-contributing. This has been a very fun thread for me. (I still need to re-listen to AOA).....

Fenwick said:

dodger said:

RJOrion said: This, you don’t often see. Credit where it’s due

I would like to double down on this sentiment as well. Thanks for reaching out RJ.
You don't see this much on here, and I think it's a pretty damn fine full circle for what started out pretty poorly.
Thank you again for coming back and re-contributing. This has been a very fun thread for me. (I still need to re-listen to AOA).....

I replied to the Org note, btw.

AOA laser beams was artistic commentary on the artificiality of current POP music. That's my take on it. (It's annoying, but I get it.)

kewlschool said:

AOA laser beams was artistic commentary on the artificiality of current POP music. That's my take on it. (It's annoying, but I get it.)

I'd've taken a comment to that effect in an interview...and no lasers in the song.

SimonCharles said:

kewlschool said:

AOA laser beams was artistic commentary on the artificiality of current POP music. That's my take on it. (It's annoying, but I get it.)

I'd've taken a comment to that effect in an interview...and no lasers in the song.

They are the lasers erasing his image on the music video more and more each time as he gets broken down.

Take away the guest vocal track on "Boy Trouble" and you have one of the most classic Prince tracks that sounds like an arrangement and groove from the 80's.

ufoclub said:

SimonCharles said:

I'd've taken a comment to that effect in an interview...and no lasers in the song.

They are the lasers erasing his image on the music video more and more each time as he gets broken down.

Fun analysis. For me, AOA has gone down on my ratings list while PE and HNR1 have risen. HNR2 has mostly stayed the same, I find it enjoyable but not groundbreaking.

I would give HNR1 a 8+ out of 10. It was unlike anything he'd done to that point and it largely worked. I wanted more.

That said, I don't think Prince gave all his effort or care to these two "albums" (HNR). As the names suggest, they dropped shortly before his departing, I don't believe that was coincidental. I think he was clearing some of the vault before 4/21. HNR1 just works for me, I find it brilliant. HNR2 also good, but a lot of older material.

[Edited 8/24/20 12:25pm]

jasopig said:

That said, I don't think Prince gave all his effort or care to these two "albums" (HNR). As the names suggest, they dropped shortly before his departing, I don't believe that was coincidental. I think he was clearing some of the vault before 4/21. HNR2 also good, but a lot of older material.

[Edited 8/24/20 12:25pm]

Agree with these parts and still think he knew something was wrong. Whether he knew his days were actually limited or not is tough to say but..just...

AoA is so immensely personal, introspective and vulnerable in ways I'd never heard him be. Same with the whole P&M shows. Combine this with him ceding production responsibilities and the overall course of his releases around that time to the idea that "music belongs to the young", it's hard to see these records as anything other than a coda or at least a nod aimed in the direction of his immortality.

He was even SLOWING DOWN some of his hits when he played them (ICNTTPOYM, Let's Go Crazy, SAIMH), almost as if to say "yep...I'm slowing down". Interesting in retrospect.

So he also released that deeply personal AoA album in conjunction with PE, which was a more playful, young, rock oriented album that many of his fans had been clamoring for over decades and, even then, he ceded so much of the playing, vocals and song writing on it to the younger Third Eye Girl. As if to say "here's THIS" looking back and "here's this" meaning NOW. The old and the new.

AoA is absolutely chilling to listen to in spots, especially now, regardless of what one thinks of the quality of the songs. And then, for some reason, during this same time and out of fucking nowhere, he decides to write a memoir? My man KNEW something was up and adjusted his thinking and approach accodingly.

H&R 1 and 2 seemed hastily composed and centered between stuff he had laying around combined with the new things that Josh and the band was bringing. But even then, on H&R2, he's dusting off vault tracks and adding a fresh coat of paint all of a sudden, almost as if he were picking the fruit still hanging there that hadn't rotted and still interested him.


Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

You're right, AOA and Plectrum were average Prince. No comment on Phase 1. Ah, but Phase 2! What a way to end. If that was a sign of things to come...damn!

I love the AOA album, including the (almost) title track. It's a fun and energetic opening track, no idea why it's being so disliked by so many. This Could Be Us & What It Feels Like aren't that great songs but they don't do harm in there.

Plectrumelectrum - could and should have been so much better. not terrible, but very little standout songs. The two best rock tracks from this period aren't even here!! Fixurlifeup and Screwdriver would have made this a better album.

H'n'R 1 - I've made my own album of this because the opening 4 tracks form a nice ep, but certainly not album material for me. Mr Nelson is awful. This Could Be Us - again?

I love X's Face a lot, plus Hardrocklover, 100 X's & O's and of course June. Together with excellent stuff from the internet releases and streams they are my H'n'R phase 1, a great 10-track album. Boyfriend, Same Page, Ain't Gonna Miss U, Da Bourgeoisie, If I Could Get Your Attention, Free Urself.

H'n'R phase 2 - Fantastic album. Again I don't get the lack of love Baltimore gets, it's my favorite song on here. I love Screwdriver but it doesn't fit for me. If Fallinlove2nite would have been rerecorded in this lp's style, it wuld have fitted better. Or Free Urself.

[Edited 9/1/20 17:00pm]

HNR Phase 2 is as good as his 80s albums. Is the album i expected from a 50 YO legend.

I give it a solid 9, near perfect to me.

AOA i give it an 8. Is great and better than most 00s albums.

PE i give it a 6. Could be so much better.

HNR Phase 1 is the kind of 'so bad that its good' album. In a kinda ironic way. I would say a 7.