laytonian said:

W2A is the first Prince album my husband complimented.
There's a butt for every saddle.

.

- I used to say it back when it was released. I think it´s a good album to non-fans, because Prince is more conventional there, and the band sounds great

I listened to it a few times when it came out and it was better than what I'd been expecting. I haven't listened to it for months now, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. I've often sat on albums for years before coming back to them (as an example, only this week have I got round to listening to the outtakes on SOTT SD).

W2A drags a bit at the beginning. As people noted when they were originally released as previews, Born 2 Die sounds like it still needed some work done on its second half when Prince shelved it, while the title track disappoints because it constantly seems like it's about to explode into a full-band jam but never does, and the lyrics aren't very interesting either - vague social malaise without a clear point to it.

However, starting with 1000 Light Years From Here -fantastic to hear given that Black Muse was already one of my favourite Prince songs of the 21st century-, the album begins to flow better. Yes, even Hot Summer, which comes as a bit of a breather after the heavier lyrical content that precedes it.

The Super Deluxe Box is now available on Amazon for ONLY $39.....I like the project and paid full price but this makes me feel like meh. Definitely won't jump at any future super deluxe boxes without waiting.

[Edited 6/23/22 21:08pm]

the only cut I keep going back to is 1010 Rin Tin Tin. the rest, I might care about in 10 years or so.

I don't think this is a bad album. There's nothing cringe-worthy or embarassing in it (expect for possible "Hot Summer" which sounds like a commerical jingle for a water park). It's organic sound is pleasant to my ear drums.

But with that said, there's nothing really great about it that's going to draw me back for repeated listens.

My two favorites songs on it are "1,000 Light Years" and "When She Comes", but I much prefer the HNR II versions. So when I listen to this album, these songs just remind me of how much better the album could have been if Prince had taken the time to better flesh out all of the songs.

Grew on me after I bought the deluxe for $34.

lurker316 said:

(expect for possible "Hot Summer" which sounds like a commerical jingle for a water park)

U're absolutely right!

Ramzoo said:

lurker316 said:

(expect for possible "Hot Summer" which sounds like a commerical jingle for a water park)

U're absolutely right!

"Hot Summer" is not that far removed from "Cream" and "Peach". I like his pure pop songs. I bet if "U Got The Look" was released today some of y'all would dismiss it as a Revlon commercial jingle. Anyway, I appreciate the album as a whole these days. It was worthy of a release. It's a solid 3 of 5 maybe even 3.5. I agree with some that there's too much non-Prince vox but the album feels like an album and that's the school I went to.

[Edited 7/4/22 9:06am]

[Edited 7/4/22 9:07am]

I listened to it the first week it came out. It was shelved by Prince for a reason.

I've never returned.

Rimshottbob said:

It's a very good-to-excellent latter Prince album, with not a clunker on it.

So glad it was released. Very, very good indeed.

People like what they like and I'm truly gald you like it. For me, it's lyrically immature and a poor attempt at being Curtis Mayfield. The music is okay and the band is pretty great. My main complaints are lyrical.

rockford said:

Rimshottbob said:

It's a very good-to-excellent latter Prince album, with not a clunker on it.

So glad it was released. Very, very good indeed.

People like what they like and I'm truly gald you like it. For me, it's lyrically immature and a poor attempt at being Curtis Mayfield. The music is okay and the band is pretty great. My main complaints are lyrical.

i feel similiarly

i kind of like hot summer - its prince channelling a late 60s sly pop song.

If I never hear it again, that's alright.

"Hot Summer" is the obvious clunker on the album the other tracks range from very good to just alright.It's not an album that I'll be revisiting very often.

If Shelby, Elisa and Liv are reading this, I think you three should form an original trio and write and record. Together you are incredible.

And I still like W2A. There are no Prince albums I truly dislike. I just prefer some over others.

[Edited 7/8/22 16:17pm]

Oh yeah, now that I'm listening to it now, the only thing I wish was better was the sound levels. I don't know if that's a mastering issue but I have to kinda crank it a little more than normal to hear it well. And the configurations it came in were rather prohibitively odd.

Milty2 said:

Oh yeah, now that I'm listening to it now, the only thing I wish was better was the sound levels. I don't know if that's a mastering issue but I have to kinda crank it a little more than normal to hear it well. And the configurations it came in were rather prohibitively odd.

Some of the tracks were sourced from a CD-R. It's been documented on the Org before. I wonder if those are the tracks whose sound levels are off?

I'm no audiophile, but I've listened to the album in full to try to notice anything. I haven't noticed anything worth complaining about (for me personally).

Then again, I was used to the original SOTT CD and am still tolerating the original TBA CD. Now those don't sound good!

Love the album and still play it weekly.

About a month after this album came out, I started listening to Prince's discography from the very beginning in release order. I did eventually get to this album after relishing in the gorgeous "Purple Rain" era, and I was just conflicted on W2A's sound and lyrics.

Don't get me wrong; the production is absolutely groovy and so are the performances. It just surprised me that he gave a lot of the spotlight on this album to the girls Shelby, Liv & Elisa, which he obviously does rarely in his older albums. They sound astounding nonetheless! I love that Prince spoke in truth throughout the album, but some lyrics just felt weird or unfitting. Although I can get past bad lyrics, I find it difficult to get past lyrics that ruin a song's flow. Thankfully, it's only done for a few of them.

A year later, I find this album to be a staple of sorts. The second half of the album (starting from "Stand Up And B Strong") + "1000 Light Years From Here" are always replaying in my head. I sometimes hum them unconsciously. I've become more fond of "Yes", especially after hearing on the Prince Estate podcast that the girls all sang together on one mic and had to hold on to that last note for dear life (a.k.a. "32 beats" according to Shelby). That's simply godlike.

All in all, I'm satisfied with W2A now. Even though it's nothing like Prince in his prime, I understand why he took such a path and I mostly enjoy how he executed everything. He couldn't rockhard in the same style forever, no?

On a side note, I just recently finished listening to all of Prince's albums on Spotify and I was surprised to hear "1000 Light Years" and "When She Comes" on HITNRUN Phase Two. I'm very happy the original versions were finally released!

[Edited 7/24/22 23:30pm]

JoeyCococo said:

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

I was hyped for this when it was released I thought it might be his best 2010s album But now im thinking its got way too much shelby And while hey i guess its great to think prince was trying to get more political in his music,for me,that isnt really what i come to prince for (partly as i dont think hes that good at it, but also as i dont think his political lines are esp creative, but hey, thats another convo) I like parts of it but its prob only a few songs id return to (and it has a very ordinary, modern 'organic' live retro soul-funk sound) Its strange listening to this after listening to old prince as you can see he didnt change his sound much since the early 00s (or late 90s maybe) Overall its decent, no obviously awful songs, and works best if you dont think too much about it, but its hard to do that when so many lines are trying to make a point. Anyone still listening to this? [Edited 6/15/22 0:19am]

You and I have the same experience....after the first few listens, I was thinking it was possibly in his top 10 of all time....I think, for once, i connected on a cerebral level with what he was saying. Frankly, I think he should have put more of this stuff out....sharp in some areas, but his 'Princness' in others ....how he uses under water in 1000 Light Years to mean not welcome on 'dryl land'....so good.

NOw, having had this for a year I do not believe it to be in his top 10...but, it is very very soid. I absolutely love songs like 1000 Light Years, this diff version of When She Comes, One Day and Running Game. Also, the sound quality on the album was just phenomenal. I am guessing, it would not have sounded this way had he released it..can't explain why I'm saying this but it sounds so....clean.

Although my opinon has changed downwards, I feel it did show us a diff side of Prince. Yes, we knew he was always questioning the establishment but in these disruptive times, he sounds very very intelligent having said all this 10 years ago. Some of what he warned about is real now...app tracking, sharing of your personal info...he was obviously aware long before other were.

However, I remain encouaged that the Estate would look at something beyond the Purple Rain Era. We know he left a Treasure Trove of material so let's hope they keep up this work.

This makes sense, even if I don't 100% agree with everything you wrote. While I never thought it was in his Top 10, it was refreshing.

I don't think this album was released randomly. The Estate knew that it was full of social and political content that was more than relevant in 2021. It kind of came out at the perfect time, if you ask me.