All the critics also has one of his best, most hypnotic basslines.

Yep. Every album, without a single exception, has tracks that are just average or bad (for Prince).

Dirty Mind: OK, this one is pretty great, isn't it? But it's also short. Sometimes, I guess I'm just not in the mood for "Gotta Broken Heart Again". It kind of ruins the flow of the album.

Controversy: "Ronnie, Talk To Russia"? Not great. At least it's short. "Jack U Off"? Yeah, not great either. "Annie Christian" is cool.

1999: "Free" is okay, but I've never been a fan of "Delirious". That melody is just annoying, the first time like the 200th time.

Purple Rain: "Take Me With U" is not great, but at least it's fun/joyous. I've never been a fan of "I Would Die 4 U", though. "Baby I'm A Star"? Well, average in my book as well.

Around the World in a Day: surprisingly, it's the album from 1980-88 where I least feel the need to skip a track. I guess I have to be in the right mood to listen to "Condition Of The Heart". And "Temptation", which I like, could be a bit shorter...

Parade: I've never been a fan of "Life Can Be So Nice". "Venus de Milo" is not great either. To be honest, I'm not a fan of "Under the Cherry Moon" and "Do U Lie?" either. I like the album as a whole, though. A case of "whole greater than the sum of its parts", I guess.

Sign O The Times: I absolutely loved "It" when I first heard it. But after all those years, I'm a bit tired of... it. "Slow Love" is the song I would remove from that album, though. Yawn.

The Black Album: "When 2 R In Love" is not bad, but I'm not sure the album needed that song. "2 Nigs United 4 West Compton" is a bit tiresome as well. And I say that as someone who listens to a lot of jazz. I have no problem listening to 30-minute instrumental recordings...

Lovesexy: my favorite Prince album of all time, but I guess I could do without "When 2 R In Love", again. "Eye Wish U Heaven" is a bit boring/repetitive as well.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

YES!...and the sporadic guitar soloing throughout the song is elite too
[Edited 12/31/23 7:06am]

olb99 said:

Lovesexy: my favorite Prince album of all time, but I guess I could do without "When 2 R In Love", again. "Eye Wish U Heaven" is a bit boring/repetitive as well.

For me, "I Wish U Heaven" is one of the most interesting tracks on the album. I love the way the heavy snare hits and crunchy guitar chords contrast with the ultra light and airy vocals. The song is simultaneously a hard rocker and an ethereal lullaby. It's two opposite styles combined. On top of that, the bluesy guitar solo is different than his typical guitar solos, which adds some interest.

ooooh All the Critics...... ouch

Didn't the da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dadada melody derive from All The Critics ?

That alone saves it... let alone it's brilliance...

Not much :

Delirious
Automatic
International Lover
Tambourine
The Ladder
Temptation
I Wonder U
Life Can Be So Nice
Venus de Milo
Do U Lie
Slow Love
When 2 R In Love ( whether on Lovesexy or on the Black Album by the way, it doesn't fit neither on one of them)

IMHO, carreer-wise, he should have continued promoting Purple Rain in 1985 with more singles, especially in Europe with at least a few concerts.
And then in 1986 coming back strong with combining the best tracks out of ATWIAD and Parade.
I'm not shitting on Parade, since the album works mostly well like it is, but taken individually I don't think it s enjoyable for most of the tracks.

Wow there are some hot takes on this thread! Trashing some truly great songs.
I'd be the first to admit I've lost all perspective on his 80s stuff, it's just been the fabric of my life, I'm totally attached to all of it. But trying to playing along:

• Dirty Mind: I love the whole record, except for the gross-out lyrics in Sister. No bad songs there imho.
• Controversy: Annie Christian and Ronnie Talk 2 Russia are some of the worst things Prince ever recorded imho. Which is weird coz the rest of the record is amazing.
• 1999: I love absolutely everything on this album except Free. Yuck yuck.
• Purple Rain: no bad songs imho.
• ATWIAD: no bad songs imho. Although the patriotic lyrics of America are so corny.
• Parade: I love everything on there, all great imho. Maybe weakest is Life Can Be So Nice, but I wouldn't lose it.
• SOTT: no bad songs imho. I kinda went off "The Cross" though.
• Lovesexy: I love the whole record!

I think Prince kept his genuinely bad songs for side-projects - Apollonia 6, Jill Jones, Sheila etc.

[Edited 1/2/24 8:34am]

[Edited 1/2/24 8:35am]

MsNia said:

Agree with all of this actually
Parade is 3/4 perfect
I like all of it, i just think all my dreams and old friends 4 sale wouldve fit better than kiss and anotherlover.
Ive never been a huge sometimes it snows fan either. Thats my hot take. If it was about someone whos not the character in the movie, i might like it more. But i cant get that emotional about it cos of that. Hopefully the earlier version will come out one day.
I like annie christian but ronnie... is fun but dumb.
Princes political songs tend to be uninteresting lyrically though, whatever the period. Luckily, america abd ronnie... still bang musically. Free is great as a song too, flag waving aside.
I used to love the cross and i love the guitar, esp live, but im not so keen on princes Christian songs these days. Maybe thats age.
[Edited 1/2/24 14:05pm]

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[Edited 1/5/24 17:27pm]

I grow quite weary of the disdain for Free

-

Tracks that miss the mark:

Eye No - Not an entirely awful song but certaintly not a good opener

Tambourine - It's funky as hell but not as purpley hypnotic as She's Always In My Hair or Girl

Slow Love - If it's not the live version from SOTT film it ain't for me.