as next year will be the 25th anniversary of this album, i think this album deserves reinvestigation.

this is probably still the best 90s, most focused prince album after D&P but it is too long, has too many long songs that would otherwise be good, and also suffers from a lot of slightly too smooth 90s production. but he obv made a lot of effort making this, so even if it can seem a little too pre determined in terms of its mood of optimism, a new start, etc, i still like it. even songs im not including in my playlist for it, i think are good, like sleep around (its just too, too long, and id like to hear george michael do it). betcha by golly wow has some of his loveliest singing, but its really just trying to hit that TMBGITW market again. tracks like human world - i dont need to hear prince doing dance music. jam of the year is also just a bit leaden. this is def an album where i wish someone told him that there can be too much of a good thing. but overall its an album i think that works best when it reflects the fact hes not a young man anymore. and it is also best when its just prince, more or less alone, without the npg.

my version would be:

slave

in this bed eye scream

courtin time

damned if i do

white mansion

i cant make you love me

one kiss at a time

soul sanctuary

curious child

dreamin about u

the holy river

lets have a baby

the plan

my computer

one of us

the love we make

emancipation

[Edited 8/17/20 3:26am]

[Edited 8/17/20 4:36am]

No one can make Emancipation a better album, a worthy attempt though.

You left out Face Down, you telling me the Chris Rock show performance of that song isn't incredible??

i never saw that performance (im in the uk), but many of princes 90s songs were better live (thinking of the gold era in particular). im not sure the song is that good in itself though, tbh. i file it as one of prince's not so great sub-rapped songs.

when you say no one can make it better, do you mean, you think it sucked? or because its perfect?

[Edited 8/17/20 4:10am]

I mean that even though this thread has been done a thousand times, no-one has ever agreed upon a tracklist - possibly The Love We Make is the only song that appears on everyone's tracklist - so i've come to the conclusion that Prince knew what he was doing.

maybe in 96 prince saw streaming coming, and knew that playlisting would take over, and no one would care about albums anymore.

A lot of people are going to say this has been talked about numerous times. I personally dont mind the discussion bc Emancipation is one of my favs.

.

.

.

my double album playlist looks like this, sticking with the 12 songs per disc sequencing.

.

.

.

JAM OF THE YEAR

RIGHT BACK HERE IN MY ARMS

SOMEBODYS SOMEBODY

DAMNED IF I DO

SLEEP AROUND

I CANT MAKE U LOVE ME

MY COMPUTER

SOUL SANCTUARY

STYLE

COURTIN TIME

WHITE MANSION

IN THIS BED I SCREAM

.

.

SLAVE

NEW WORLD

FACE DOWN

ONE KISS AT A TIME

CURIOUS CHILD

DREAMIN ABOUT U

JOINT TO JOINT

THE HOLY RIVER

LETS HAVE A BABY

SAVIOUR

THE LOVE WE MAKE

EMANCIPATION

[Edited 8/17/20 8:42am]

jaawwnn said:

No one can make Emancipation a better album, a worthy attempt though.

You left out Face Down, you telling me the Chris Rock show performance of that song isn't incredible??

And that 'performance' was lipsynced from the January 11, 1997 show at Roseland Ballroom in NYC. It is a good live version, though.

I did this a long time ago and can't for the life of me find the tracklist. But I did whittle it down to two disks. It's just over that if you filled up two disks anyway (instead of that 60 minute gimmick). So to nix a few songs isn't a terrible idea.

In short order, here's what I wouldn't include:

Curious Child

Joint 2 Joint

Let's Have A Baby

The Plan

Slave

New World

The Human Body

Emancipation

Mr. Happy

I'd also swap out the live studio mix of "Somebody's Somebody." I wish the album had more of that open full band sound instead of the flatter one-man-band sorta approach.

By the way, I did edit that shittastic rap out of "Da Da Da" on my computer, and I shortened "Jam of the Year," " Can't Make U Love Me," "Get Yo Groove On," "Sleep Around." Some of that shit is extended for the sake of the 60 minute gimmick, not because it adds anything great to the song.

TrivialPursuit said:

I did this a long time ago and can't for the life of me find the tracklist. But I did whittle it down to two disks. It's just over that if you filled up two disks anyway (instead of that 60 minute gimmick). So to nix a few songs isn't a terrible idea.

In short order, here's what I wouldn't include:

Curious Child

Joint 2 Joint

Let's Have A Baby

The Plan

Slave

New World

The Human Body

Emancipation

Mr. Happy

I'd also swap out the live studio mix of "Somebody's Somebody." I wish the album had more of that open full band sound instead of the flatter one-man-band sorta approach.

By the way, I did edit that shittastic rap out of "Da Da Da" on my computer, and I shortened "Jam of the Year," " Can't Make U Love Me," "Get Yo Groove On," "Sleep Around." Some of that shit is extended for the sake of the 60 minute gimmick, not because it adds anything great to the song.

wow you took out literally all the best songs

TrivialPursuit said:

jaawwnn said:

No one can make Emancipation a better album, a worthy attempt though.

You left out Face Down, you telling me the Chris Rock show performance of that song isn't incredible??

And that 'performance' was lipsynced from the January 11, 1997 show at Roseland Ballroom in NYC. It is a good live version, though.

Ha, is it? A great performance either way. Certainly sells the song to me.

FragileUndertow said:

Make it a 4 disc set

FragileUndertow said:

Make it a 4 disc set

When I read that Goodbye from Crystal Ball was a track that didn't make the cut, it confirmed what I suspected - the album could have been longer. Subsequent tracks that didn't make the cut have only strengthened this feeling.

leecaldon said:

i want this record to be LONGER, but instead of cutting entire songs, i want the boring sections that only exist to make the disc length 60 minutes to be taken out.

replace that nonsense with some stone cold classics such as 2020, feel good, and that one song about the dj.

Everyone's list is different, that's the beauty of the album, everyone can pick their own list for a single disc. Leave it as it is and we have the choice. If Prince released one disc it could have been full of my least favourite tracks. It's perfect because of it's size.

TheEnglishGent said:

Everyone's list is different, that's the beauty of the album, everyone can pick their own list for a single disc. Leave it as it is and we have the choice. If Prince released one disc it could have been full of my least favourite tracks. It's perfect because of it's size.

it's sort of like an album and that album's special edition and that album's outtakes all in one.

it's like an SDE, released instead of going through the 'album', 'remaster', 'deluxe' circus first.

lustmealways said:

TrivialPursuit said:

Curious Child

Joint 2 Joint

Let's Have A Baby

The Plan

Slave

New World

The Human Body

Emancipation

Mr. Happy

wow you took out literally all the best songs

Not for me. His falsetto is just too high and misplaced in those disk 3 songs. The title track ain't that strong...maybe it's the falsetto.

Some of these could've been on The Holy River double-CD EP or something, or the "Somebody's Somebody" maxi.

TrivialPursuit said:

IstenSzek said:

TheEnglishGent said:

Everyone's list is different, that's the beauty of the album, everyone can pick their own list for a single disc. Leave it as it is and we have the choice. If Prince released one disc it could have been full of my least favourite tracks. It's perfect because of it's size.

it's sort of like an album and that album's special edition and that album's outtakes all in one.

it's like an SDE, released instead of going through the 'album', 'remaster', 'deluxe' circus first.

That about sums it up perfectly!

'Emancipation' is the entire package!

All killer, All filler

I hate to be That Guy on these forums since we have a Resident Curmudgeon here that takes great joy in doing it, but this must be the most posted thread topic on this board and we probably have at least 3 or 4 active threads on this very subject.

I have my issues with the album but have always loved it since that's the real beauty of it. Just Prince unleashing everything in his chamber. Everyone seems to build something different out of it, boils it down to one CD, and it offers so much to so many different tastes and styles that no two ever really match and there's never consensus.

I was really happy to get 3 full discs of new music that I could pick and choose from like a buffet.

herb4 said:

I hate to be That Guy on these forums since we have a Resident Curmudgeon here that takes great joy in doing it, but this must be the most posted thread topic on this board and we probably have at least 3 or 4 active threads on this very subject.

I have my issues with the album but have always loved it since that's the real beauty of it. Just Prince unleashing everything in his chamber. Everyone seems to build something different out of it, boils it down to one CD, and it offers so much to so many different tastes and styles that no two ever really match and there's never consensus.

I was really happy to get 3 full discs of new music that I could pick and choose from like a buffet.

didn't i just say that, Herb?

IstenSzek said:

nayroo2002 said:

IstenSzek said:

it's sort of like an album and that album's special edition and that album's outtakes all in one.

it's like an SDE, released instead of going through the 'album', 'remaster', 'deluxe' circus first.

That about sums it up perfectly!

'Emancipation' is the entire package!

All killer, All filler

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

IstenSzek said:

it's sort of like an album and that album's special edition and that album's outtakes all in one.

it's like an SDE, released instead of going through the 'album', 'remaster', 'deluxe' circus first.

This is actually very true. Since creating this post (and sorry if its been done before,I only recently got back into the site after a long period of not paying attention so I missed them all) I decided to edit it further. Theres plenty of songs I like a lot, but I dont think it quite deserves or needs to be so long. It's all very well crafted yet also very laboured at times, so many songs sound a bit devoid of that inspirational feeling you get in a lot of the best prince songs. Anyways my edit now, in the mode of the classic 80s albums, would ne like this. It's slow mainly and disc 2 heavy,but that's cos I think that's where princes heart was with this album. It's a love album.really. he deserves to have more albums that focus on one mood or style as well as the usual eclecticism. Slave and emancipation fit thematically with the title but both seem.kinda flat so I left them off. Holy river Soul sanctuary Curious child Dreaming about u Let's have a baby The plan I cant make you love me My computer One of us The love we make [Edited 8/17/20 15:37pm] [Edited 8/17/20 15:39pm]

That's a little too short.

IstenSzek said:

TheEnglishGent said:

Everyone's list is different, that's the beauty of the album, everyone can pick their own list for a single disc. Leave it as it is and we have the choice. If Prince released one disc it could have been full of my least favourite tracks. It's perfect because of it's size.

it's sort of like an album and that album's special edition and that album's outtakes all in one.

it's like an SDE, released instead of going through the 'album', 'remaster', 'deluxe' circus first.

So perfectly true, Prince was ahead of the game again

If the album does receive the Super Deluxe reissue treatment (ala PR, 1999 and SOTT), would there actually be any unreleased material from the vault from this album? Surely he released everything that he had recorded in that year or two for the album?

dodger said:

I’m with you on those, especially the title track, except "Joint 2 Joint." Surprised to see that on your bad list.

I've gone thru it with this song. Sometimes I love the weirdness of it, other times it's so fucking annoying. The sampled rapping, the tap dancing by Glover. It's nutz. I don't know that I'll ever resolve how I feel about it. In fairness, I don't always skip past it on the CD.