In a hooked-kind-of-way.

Sure I was digging on this when it first came out but I didn't like every track.

Then after Prince passed away I don't think I listened to it much, if at all.

But about 2 weeks ago I put it on and I'm hooked!

I actually dig each and every track now.

Need to put it on more and more.

It's so fun and bouncy for the most part.

Can't get enough of it.

Y'all?

-----------

Now for the naysayers I made it real easy to say how much you hate it: "It's contagious like (insert sickness!)

It´s the only Prince album I haven´t bought yet, and there´s a reason for that.

I find it unlistenable, just like I find some of the Josh Welton productions on AOA unlistenable, but at least AOA contains a couple of songs I can get into.

There are couple of songs on Phase 1 that I like, such as June or 1000 Hugs and Kisses (even though I much prefer the old version) but there are really only two or three songs on it that I like, and I never had that with any other Prince album.

I like Phase 2 though, it´s not really a cohesive album per se but contains a lot of good songs, and one of his last masterpieces (Revelation).

My 1 big problem with this album is that it starts with a song that doesn't have Prince on lead vocals. That feels weird as an opening track. Part of the album is a slightly cringy, but not too much and the good songs are really very cool and even the mediocre or silly ones are indeed contagious. I think of it as a kind of really nice 'different sound' EP release, with the outtakes and bsides thrown in directly at release, instead of waiting to release them 20 years down the line with the SDE same feeling for PLECTRUM ELECTRUM. Amazing EP, comes with half a dozen slightly botched bsides/session tracks.

LILpoundCAKE said:

My 1 big problem with this album is that it starts with a song that doesn't have Prince on lead vocals. That feels weird as an opening track.

I felt this way at first also.

But now I just dig it to begin the party!

sro100 said:

LILpoundCAKE said:

My 1 big problem with this album is that it starts with a song that doesn't have Prince on lead vocals. That feels weird as an opening track.

I felt this way at first also.

But now I just dig it to begin the party!

This is a true thing for many a little problem I had with Prince releases over the years. There are certain things that I don't like to start with but after some time all of a sudden I like those things a lot.

Agreed. Though, I do miss Zooey on "Fallinlove2nite". That episode of New Girl warms my heart.

skywalker said:

Agreed. Though, I do miss Zooey on "Fallinlove2nite". That episode of New Girl warms my heart.

Yes. That is the "hit" version, or at least the version most people are familiar with.

But in the context of this album, her voice is kind of "earthy;" not as polished as the rest of the album.

[Edited 1/12/21 14:21pm]

For transfer to an mp3 device, i had to split the record from "Million $ Show" to the end of "Fallinlove2nite" and then the beginning of "The Xs Face" to "June".

Fantastic results in the continuing -Prince Shuffle-.

It's a virus I don't want to catch. I can't remember one song on it, other than the one from New Girl.

HnR2 is a bit better with things like "Big City," "Groovy Potential," "Screwdriver," "Rocknroll Love Affair," and more.

But both feel like a mish-mosh of random tracks.

Let someone else catch it.

purplethunder3121 said:

Thank God for being able to hear it on the internet first because I would have been furious if I had spent my hard earned money on that foolishness.

I've tried to listen to both of the HNR albums and I can't get into either of them. The same with "Art Official Age" and "Plectrumelectrum".

I'll spin them again in five years and see if my opinion has changed.

What's the difference between Contagious and Infectious!

its another of his turn your brain off projects

as he got older there seemed to be more and more of these

but yeah it is enjoyable

it has a lot of catchy stuff

it shows he could still do mainstream pop, but i mean, idk if i want to hear that from him at that stage in his life/career, but more than that, it was a shame he was doing it in a way that always sounded a bit like an imitation of mainstream pop at the time, rather than anything that special

at least madonna works with better collaborators when shes trying to sound current

but i dont hate josh welton, he did a good job on AOA

HNR Phase 1 . . . I do enjoy the album, but in Prince's canon it's definitely among the bottom-most albums (it's down there with Newpower Soul and Planet Earth).

Even though I enjoy it, I don't think it was an album that a man in his 50s should've been releasing. And, I enjoy it because it's Prince. I would not enjoy that same exact album sung by someone else.

I love this entire era. Screw the haters.

I feel like almost every album post 2010 has at least 4 really good songs on it

MendesCity said:

I feel like almost every album post 2010 has at least 4 really good songs on it

For me, Art Official Age is so close to the definition of masterpiece.

The best album since The Rainbow Children.

Although I like both HNR albums, and 2 have some of the best tracks, I acutally prefer 1. Its more adventurous.

HNR Phase 2 is probably the warmest sounding album P ever did, late Dylan or Van Morrison sat by the fire warm. The Rainbow Children may be close to it but the God on barbiturates narrative and overly loud bottom end? perhaps sounds more boomy than warm.

Phase 1 sounds very modern R&B, has fine production well-suited to the genre, easily up there with the NPGmc material and his early stuff for sound quality, if somewhat louder.