Its still alot of fun to listen too, soo yes it has aged well. There is something for everyone on the album.

I think the very things that were meant to make The Gold Experience futuristic and ahead of its time are the same things that make it sound very dated today, namely the NPG operator segues and the whole concept of the album as an interactive listening experience. I get the idea, and it was cool that he could foresee things like Spotify or music downloads straight from the artist, but it all sounds a bit cheesy today.

.

As far as the songs are concerned, I still like them all but this album is proof that sometimes the live versions of songs sound much better than their studio version (see Now, Days Of Wild, Shhh..), or vice versa (When Doves Cry and other songs that sound better as a studio or album song).

.

• P Control: Never liked it, and still don´t. I get the empowering, feminist idea behind it but that wordplay with the oh-so-risqué title is just silly, and the lyrics and music do nothing for me. Sure, he got rid of Tony M. but for what? Emulating Snoop Dogg´s cadence? Come on.
• Endorphinmachine: I liked it during the tour but the studio version, especially this one, is not really a song that I often go back and listen to.
• Shhh: Great intro and song but doesn´t come close to its countless (and all different) live incarnations. Plus I find the lyrics a tad too creepy for a then 39-year old man. With more of a live band sound and slightly rewritten lyrics this one could´ve become a huge hit, and it has become a concert staple over the years, so I think it deserved more attention back then.
• We March: I like the lyrics but the beat and melody are not my cup of tea. Much like the song Race, the lyrics are interesting but the music and vocal delivery don´t do much for me.
• TMBGITW: Never liked it and can´t even tell the differences between the album and the single version since I don´t listen much to either version. Never understood why this became such a huge hit.
• Dolphin: I liked it back then and still do but it sounds a bit juvenile today. Still a good song though even if it´s not very relatable to the casual listener due to its WB heavy lyrics.
• Now: OK song but sounds terribly dated today.
• 319: Never really understood why this became such a fan favorite.
• Shy: Good song, I like his storytelling songs and the music here. Don´t understand why it´s so disliked among fans but I really like this one.
• Billy Jack Bitch: I liked it back then as part of the "angry" attitude that Prince displayed back then but in hindsight it hasn´t aged well as far as the lyrics go. Much like Dolphin and other songs about his conflict with WB and the press, this one is not exactly a song that I go back to these days. It´s part of a certain era and a certain situation that is no longer part of today´s reality, if that makes sense.
• I Hate U: I prefer the remix version and think it should´ve been preferred over this version for the video. This song, no matter which version, could´ve been his last great hit other than TMBGITW if he had supported and promoted it properly. Many non-fans went bonkers when they heard this back in the day, and it almost made it into the Billboards top ten and could´ve been a huge hit. Wasted opportunity.
• Gold: A cheesy attempt to duplicate Purple Rain. Still like it even though it doesn´t come close to Purple Rain but I find the production a bit cheesy and sterile. I prefer the rawer sounding unreleased version but even that still sounds too polished for me. Not a bad song per se but sounds a bit too thin for me.

So, all in all, this one is a weird album to me. I loved it before it was released , enjoyed all the live versions of the songs and couldn´t wait for it to be released and was a bit disappointed when it finally came out. It´s still an album I like, which is strange considering the number of songs that I find rather mediocre or just meh.

It was a fascinating era and my fondness for that era and the live shows makes this album well remembered but not necessarily often replayed.

KoolEaze said:

I think the very things that were meant to make The Gold Experience futuristic and ahead of its time are the same things that make it sound very dated today, namely the NPG operator segues and the whole concept of the album as an interactive listening experience. I get the idea, and it was cool that he could foresee things like Spotify or music downloads straight from the artist, but it all sounds a bit cheesy today.

.

As far as the songs are concerned, I still like them all but this album is proof that sometimes the live versions of songs sound much better than their studio version (see Now, Days Of Wild, Shhh..), or vice versa (When Doves Cry and other songs that sound better as a studio or album song).

.

• P Control: Never liked it, and still don´t. I get the empowering, feminist idea behind it but that wordplay with the oh-so-risqué title is just silly, and the lyrics and music do nothing for me. Sure, he got rid of Tony M. but for what? Emulating Snoop Dogg´s cadence? Come on.
• Endorphinmachine: I liked it during the tour but the studio version, especially this one, is not really a song that I often go back and listen to.
• Shhh: Great intro and song but doesn´t come close to its countless (and all different) live incarnations. Plus I find the lyrics a tad too creepy for a then 39-year old man. With more of a live band sound and slightly rewritten lyrics this one could´ve become a huge hit, and it has become a concert staple over the years, so I think it deserved more attention back then.
• We March: I like the lyrics but the beat and melody are not my cup of tea. Much like the song Race, the lyrics are interesting but the music and vocal delivery don´t do much for me.
• TMBGITW: Never liked it and can´t even tell the differences between the album and the single version since I don´t listen much to either version. Never understood why this became such a huge hit.
• Dolphin: I liked it back then and still do but it sounds a bit juvenile today. Still a good song though even if it´s not very relatable to the casual listener due to its WB heavy lyrics.
• Now: OK song but sounds terribly dated today.
• 319: Never really understood why this became such a fan favorite.
• Shy: Good song, I like his storytelling songs and the music here. Don´t understand why it´s so disliked among fans but I really like this one.
• Billy Jack Bitch: I liked it back then as part of the "angry" attitude that Prince displayed back then but in hindsight it hasn´t aged well as far as the lyrics go. Much like Dolphin and other songs about his conflict with WB and the press, this one is not exactly a song that I go back to these days. It´s part of a certain era and a certain situation that is no longer part of today´s reality, if that makes sense.
• I Hate U: I prefer the remix version and think it should´ve been preferred over this version for the video. This song, no matter which version, could´ve been his last great hit other than TMBGITW if he had supported and promoted it properly. Many non-fans went bonkers when they heard this back in the day, and it almost made it into the Billboards top ten and could´ve been a huge hit. Wasted opportunity.
• Gold: A cheesy attempt to duplicate Purple Rain. Still like it even though it doesn´t come close to Purple Rain but I find the production a bit cheesy and sterile. I prefer the rawer sounding unreleased version but even that still sounds too polished for me. Not a bad song per se but sounds a bit too thin for me.

So, all in all, this one is a weird album to me. I loved it before it was released , enjoyed all the live versions of the songs and couldn´t wait for it to be released and was a bit disappointed when it finally came out. It´s still an album I like, which is strange considering the number of songs that I find rather mediocre or just meh.

It was a fascinating era and my fondness for that era and the live shows makes this album well remembered but not necessarily often replayed.

I generally agree with the sentiment of your opinion on TGE. The album doesn't have many tracks that are genuinely good or interesting. It is a very flashy album, but not much substance in the end. All IMHO of course. I only really like Shy and I sometimes enjoy listening to P Control and Gold. The rest of it is indeed mediocre or meh. Not an album with huge staying power. I like it less now than when it was released.

Love every song on TGE except Endorphinmachine- just never got into it at all. The rest are great songs with a lot of energy and atmosphere. P Control is one of my karaoke songs!

I love the album, it's easily in my top 10 Prince albums. For me, I think a big charm of the album is the angry/in-your face vibe. I also can understand some of the criticisms regarding how the album has aged...Several tracks have that 90's Sonic the Hedgehog feel (P Control/Billy Jack Bitch), but it kinda works

Love P Control and Endorphinemachine.

I think the lyrics on P Control are clever and just enough street.

funkaholic1972 said:

KoolEaze said:

I think the very things that were meant to make The Gold Experience futuristic and ahead of its time are the same things that make it sound very dated today, namely the NPG operator segues and the whole concept of the album as an interactive listening experience. I get the idea, and it was cool that he could foresee things like Spotify or music downloads straight from the artist, but it all sounds a bit cheesy today.

.

As far as the songs are concerned, I still like them all but this album is proof that sometimes the live versions of songs sound much better than their studio version (see Now, Days Of Wild, Shhh..), or vice versa (When Doves Cry and other songs that sound better as a studio or album song).

.

• P Control: Never liked it, and still don´t. I get the empowering, feminist idea behind it but that wordplay with the oh-so-risqué title is just silly, and the lyrics and music do nothing for me. Sure, he got rid of Tony M. but for what? Emulating Snoop Dogg´s cadence? Come on.
• Endorphinmachine: I liked it during the tour but the studio version, especially this one, is not really a song that I often go back and listen to.
• Shhh: Great intro and song but doesn´t come close to its countless (and all different) live incarnations. Plus I find the lyrics a tad too creepy for a then 39-year old man. With more of a live band sound and slightly rewritten lyrics this one could´ve become a huge hit, and it has become a concert staple over the years, so I think it deserved more attention back then.
• We March: I like the lyrics but the beat and melody are not my cup of tea. Much like the song Race, the lyrics are interesting but the music and vocal delivery don´t do much for me.
• TMBGITW: Never liked it and can´t even tell the differences between the album and the single version since I don´t listen much to either version. Never understood why this became such a huge hit.
• Dolphin: I liked it back then and still do but it sounds a bit juvenile today. Still a good song though even if it´s not very relatable to the casual listener due to its WB heavy lyrics.
• Now: OK song but sounds terribly dated today.
• 319: Never really understood why this became such a fan favorite.
• Shy: Good song, I like his storytelling songs and the music here. Don´t understand why it´s so disliked among fans but I really like this one.
• Billy Jack Bitch: I liked it back then as part of the "angry" attitude that Prince displayed back then but in hindsight it hasn´t aged well as far as the lyrics go. Much like Dolphin and other songs about his conflict with WB and the press, this one is not exactly a song that I go back to these days. It´s part of a certain era and a certain situation that is no longer part of today´s reality, if that makes sense.
• I Hate U: I prefer the remix version and think it should´ve been preferred over this version for the video. This song, no matter which version, could´ve been his last great hit other than TMBGITW if he had supported and promoted it properly. Many non-fans went bonkers when they heard this back in the day, and it almost made it into the Billboards top ten and could´ve been a huge hit. Wasted opportunity.
• Gold: A cheesy attempt to duplicate Purple Rain. Still like it even though it doesn´t come close to Purple Rain but I find the production a bit cheesy and sterile. I prefer the rawer sounding unreleased version but even that still sounds too polished for me. Not a bad song per se but sounds a bit too thin for me.

So, all in all, this one is a weird album to me. I loved it before it was released , enjoyed all the live versions of the songs and couldn´t wait for it to be released and was a bit disappointed when it finally came out. It´s still an album I like, which is strange considering the number of songs that I find rather mediocre or just meh.

It was a fascinating era and my fondness for that era and the live shows makes this album well remembered but not necessarily often replayed.

I generally agree with the sentiment of your opinion on TGE. The album doesn't have many tracks that are genuinely good or interesting. It is a very flashy album, but not much substance in the end. All IMHO of course. I only really like Shy and I sometimes enjoy listening to P Control and Gold. The rest of it is indeed mediocre or meh. Not an album with huge staying power. I like it less now than when it was released.

I think "flashy" is the perfect word for the album. It's all sheen and gloss, from the ridiculously OTT and tacky title track to the saccharine sugar overload of TMBGITW.

In terms of depth, Emancipation goes a lot harder.

MendesCity said:

SoulAlive said:

MendesCity said:

SoulAlive said:

OperatingThetan said:

SoulAlive said:

It's a brilliant album.I just hate the fact that Prince was feuding with Warners.Under normal circumstances,this would have been a massive seller.There are about three or four potential hit singles here.

Yes. It definitely affected his career moving forward. Still, 'Gold' made the top ten in the UK and 'I Hate U' reached the top twenty, but there was clearly more commercial potential, particularly following the global success of 'TMBGITW'.

I think "319" would have been a major hit.One critic described it as the "Kiss" of the 90s.

SoulAlive said:

RODSERLING said:

It didn't age well, since it s not available in stores/streaming anymore for the last 25 years. It s a ghost album, just like The Black Album.

It's available to stream apart from TMBGITW.

SoulAlive said:

yeah,I feel the same way

TrivialPursuit said:

I've always said this is the 90s Purple Rain.

Absolutely. I always thought Prince felt that way, too...

SoulAlive said:

I think "319" would have been a major hit.One critic described it as the "Kiss" of the 90s.

Kiss of the 90's? How on earth? It sounds like Kiss for like 5 seconds. It sounds more like Electric Chair to me.

I loved it when it was released, but hardly listen to it now.

There is something about early 90's albums I don't like, maybe they are too long, the beats are too loud, too many effects, I don't now.

I have the same thing with Dangerous, great songwriting, it just feels like too much

There's a certain energy and shimmer to it and its consistent all the way through. I also liked his aesthics of this era.

So, I'd say yes but in no way is it broadly representative of its time the way his 80s stuff was.

Its also hurt that by the time of its release, it was "old" in Prince's eyes and he had moved on.

emesem said:

So, I'd say yes but in no way is it broadly representative of its time the way his 80s stuff was.

What do you mean by that?

No.

Absolutely not. Still a good album though.

Nope. Then again i never cared for this album or most of his music from the cheesy 90's era.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said: