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Thread started 05/25/24 3:13pm

TheFunkyNewAlb
um

Name an acclaimed album you just never got into?

For me, it's easy: "Sign 'O The Times."

Of all the "highly acclaimed" albums of his, this is probably the one where my tastes just don't allign.

It might've started even before the album came out because by then I already had many of the songs on tape in their demo version. So, right from the get-go, I thougt songs like "Strange Relationship" were better in the forms I've already had.

Next, was the format. I bought "Sign" on cassette; not really ideal for a "lengthy" album like that; sonically, the length of the tape didn't real bring out the best audio.

Then, maybe it was Jon Bream's review where he said "Play in the Sunshine" was like a (paraphrasing) another version of "Let's Go Crazy;" for some reason that always stuck with me.

But, then the songs themselves.

The opener never really did it for me. Nor do "It," "Slow Love," "Ballad of Dorothy Parker," etc.

Loved "If I Was Your Girlfriend" and others, but it never really coalesced into a perfect Prince album.

Then, I thought maybe it's because I never had a great format to listen to it; but with the remastered set I still have the same opinion.

BTW, I love, love, love the outtakes on the Special Edition.

What acclaimed album has never done it for you?

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Reply #1 posted 05/25/24 4:36pm

ShellyMcG

Lovesexy.

I've seen people on here and elsewhere talk about Lovesexy like it's this great masterpiece but it's just not my kind of thing. It starts off ok with Eye No but it goes downhill quickly from there. Also, it's got the 6 words I fear the most in all of Prince's catalogue. "Cat, we need you to rap". No Prince. No we didn't. We didn't need that at all.
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Reply #2 posted 05/25/24 4:41pm

djThunderfunk

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bananadance GTFOOHWTBS!! lol

Don't hate your neighbors. Hate the media that tells you to hate your neighbors.
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Reply #3 posted 05/25/24 5:48pm

TheFunkyNewAlb
um

djThunderfunk said:

bananadance GTFOOHWTBS!! lol

As Jar Jar would say, "How rude!"

What exactly is your problem?

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Reply #4 posted 05/25/24 5:54pm

TheFunkyNewAlb
um

ShellyMcG said:

Lovesexy. I've seen people on here and elsewhere talk about Lovesexy like it's this great masterpiece but it's just not my kind of thing. It starts off ok with Eye No but it goes downhill quickly from there. Also, it's got the 6 words I fear the most in all of Prince's catalogue. "Cat, we need you to rap". No Prince. No we didn't. We didn't need that at all.

Lovesexy was like my religion for a certain period of time, including the extended and live versions.

But...I can certainly understand how it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.

Certainly, a radical departure from where he was at.

Today, I would love, love a remastered Lovesexy, but truth be told, I don't listen the album very often these days.

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Reply #5 posted 05/25/24 9:28pm

funkbabyandthe
babysitters

Lots of the later albums were acclaimed for reasons i dont get. musicology for one.
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Reply #6 posted 05/25/24 9:55pm

paisleyparkgir
l

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Musicology.

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Reply #7 posted 05/26/24 6:17am

djThunderfunk

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TheFunkyNewAlbum said:

djThunderfunk said:

bananadance GTFOOHWTBS!! lol

As Jar Jar would say, "How rude!"

What exactly is your problem?


lol No problem at all. Just my honest reaction to Prince fans on a Prince fan site not digging SOTT or Lovesexy. Musicology? Sure, that makes sense. But SOTT? Lovesexy? These are quintesential. Just sayin'...

BTW, quoting Jar Jar Binks doesn't help. falloff

Don't hate your neighbors. Hate the media that tells you to hate your neighbors.
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Reply #8 posted 05/26/24 6:52am

bozojones

1999. A lot of the songs on that album are incredible at their core, but most of them honestly go on way longer than they need to. It also has "Free" which is hands down one of the worst songs Prince recorded in the 80s, so that knocks it down a few pegs for me lol

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Reply #9 posted 05/26/24 7:45am

funkbabyandthe
babysitters

Lovesexy is like controversy, an album with some all time incredible songs but also about half that can feel a bit scrappy, even though they have great elements. Not everything on there is amazing even if it feels inspired, if that makes sense.
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Reply #10 posted 05/26/24 8:33am

themanfromnept
une

3121

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Reply #11 posted 05/26/24 9:36am

TrivialPursuit

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The Rainbow Children

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
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Reply #12 posted 05/26/24 12:13pm

BridgeofGraffi
ti1220

Art Official Age. It's good but it's not a top 10 of his entire discography masterpiece like I've heard some people claim.

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Reply #13 posted 05/26/24 12:55pm

TrivialPursuit

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BridgeofGraffiti1220 said:

Art Official Age. It's good but it's not a top 10 of his entire discography masterpiece like I've heard some people claim.


Unpopular opinion: He didn't have a full on masterpiece in the 2000s and onward.

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
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Reply #14 posted 05/26/24 1:11pm

ShellyMcG

djThunderfunk said:



TheFunkyNewAlbum said:




djThunderfunk said:


bananadance GTFOOHWTBS!! lol





As Jar Jar would say, "How rude!"



What exactly is your problem?




lol No problem at all. Just my honest reaction to Prince fans on a Prince fan site not digging SOTT or Lovesexy. Musicology? Sure, that makes sense. But SOTT? Lovesexy? These are quintesential. Just sayin'...

BTW, quoting Jar Jar Binks doesn't help. falloff



If all of Prince's albums sounded like Lovesexy, I wouldn't be a Prince fan. Quintessential or not lol
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Reply #15 posted 05/26/24 2:18pm

sahara

I'm not sure which of his non-80's albums are considered acclaimed. If I had to pick one that seems to get a lot of love from Prince fans that never clicked with me, I would say The Gold Experience. To my ears, it's not a very good album. I like a few tracks - Gold (the last track) is probably my ultimate Prince guilty pleasure. I always wished that Endorphinmachine sounded more guitar driven, like when he played it live on some VH1 awards show (I think before the album was released). The album version of TMBGITW is annoying. And I have never ever liked P Contol. Lastly, the between song segues were, as they say, cringe. From Graffiti Bridge through Musicology, I bought every Prince album on release day. I wanted to love them all. But I just couldn't convince myself to enjoy TGE.

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Reply #16 posted 05/26/24 2:21pm

sahara

ShellyMcG said:

djThunderfunk said:


lol No problem at all. Just my honest reaction to Prince fans on a Prince fan site not digging SOTT or Lovesexy. Musicology? Sure, that makes sense. But SOTT? Lovesexy? These are quintesential. Just sayin'...

BTW, quoting Jar Jar Binks doesn't help. falloff

If all of Prince's albums sounded like Lovesexy, I wouldn't be a Prince fan. Quintessential or not lol

I can see that. I actually love the album myself, but I completely understand it not being for everyone. Some of the production can strike me as overly dense, but somehow I love it regardless.

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Reply #17 posted 05/26/24 2:50pm

funkbabyandthe
babysitters

sahara said:

I'm not sure which of his non-80's albums are considered acclaimed. If I had to pick one that seems to get a lot of love from Prince fans that never clicked with me, I would say The Gold Experience. To my ears, it's not a very good album. I like a few tracks - Gold (the last track) is probably my ultimate Prince guilty pleasure. I always wished that Endorphinmachine sounded more guitar driven, like when he played it live on some VH1 awards show (I think before the album was released). The album version of TMBGITW is annoying. And I have never ever liked P Contol. Lastly, the between song segues were, as they say, cringe. From Graffiti Bridge through Musicology, I bought every Prince album on release day. I wanted to love them all. But I just couldn't convince myself to enjoy TGE.



Same.
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Reply #18 posted 05/26/24 3:12pm

ShellyMcG

sahara said:



ShellyMcG said:


djThunderfunk said:



lol No problem at all. Just my honest reaction to Prince fans on a Prince fan site not digging SOTT or Lovesexy. Musicology? Sure, that makes sense. But SOTT? Lovesexy? These are quintesential. Just sayin'...

BTW, quoting Jar Jar Binks doesn't help. falloff



If all of Prince's albums sounded like Lovesexy, I wouldn't be a Prince fan. Quintessential or not lol

I can see that. I actually love the album myself, but I completely understand it not being for everyone. Some of the production can strike me as overly dense, but somehow I love it regardless.



Prince was very musically diverse. You could take 10 random fans and all 10 of them would have different ideas as to what makes a Prince album "quintessential". And none of them are wrong. Rockers are going to prefer his more guitar heavy albums. Jazz guys will prefer his more horn-driven (ooh-er madam!) stuff. And so on.
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Reply #19 posted 05/26/24 4:20pm

hosemasterflex

Cool thread! For me Musicology came to mind immediately. I'm not sure why it falls so flat for me exactly, but I'm not into that one at all.

I used to find SOTT to be a drop in overall quality from what came before, but that feeling has gone away over the years. I can understand about that one and Lovesexy.
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Reply #20 posted 05/26/24 4:57pm

GustavoRibas

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Today, I really like Lovesexy and Parade, but it took me a long time to get into them.

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Reply #21 posted 05/26/24 8:32pm

SoulAlive

Prince once described Lovesexy as "a mind trip".It's an album that alot of people didn't get.It's a vibe,a feeling,a trip....you have to open your mind to understand biggrin I think it's absolutely brilliant.

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Reply #22 posted 05/26/24 11:59pm

olb99

avatar

TrivialPursuit said:

BridgeofGraffiti1220 said:

Art Official Age. It's good but it's not a top 10 of his entire discography masterpiece like I've heard some people claim.


Unpopular opinion: He didn't have a full on masterpiece in the 2000s and onward.


It might be true. Still, he released a lot of brilliant stuff during that period (IMO).

Actually, when you release 70-80 albums over a 38-year period (including The Time, Sheila E., Madhouse, and many more), a lot of excellent albums won't even be in the "top 30" (whatever it is).

[Edited 5/27/24 0:00am]

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Reply #23 posted 05/27/24 1:52am

trickyjoe7777

In response to Op, which songs off of SOTT had leaked prior to its release in demo forms? This would be just as boots started to appear such as Chocolate Box and Charade and I don't recall any Time songs leaking?
[Edited 5/27/24 1:52am]
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Reply #24 posted 05/27/24 3:33am

funkbabyandthe
babysitters

olb99 said:



TrivialPursuit said:




BridgeofGraffiti1220 said:


Art Official Age. It's good but it's not a top 10 of his entire discography masterpiece like I've heard some people claim.




Unpopular opinion: He didn't have a full on masterpiece in the 2000s and onward.




It might be true. Still, he released a lot of brilliant stuff during that period (IMO).

Actually, when you release 70-80 albums over a 38-year period (including The Time, Sheila E., Madhouse, and many more), a lot of excellent albums won't even be in the "top 30" (whatever it is).

[Edited 5/27/24 0:00am]




Aoa isnt a top ten prince album but its def top 20.
One of the few great front to back albums he did in the 00s/10s decades and it has higher peaks than pretty much all the others too. Basically it sounds like he really worked on it, honed it, tried for a modern prince album, one that was still pop without trying transparently/desperately, and it paid off IMO.
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Reply #25 posted 05/27/24 4:12am

johnpiex

TheFunkyNewAlbum said:

For me, it's easy: "Sign 'O The Times."


I can understand this. As a kid, I didn't like a lot of it. Crazily enough, I didn't even like Adore. But the stuff I did like, combined with the SOTT concert film, set the stage for my superfandom that exploded with the Lovesexy era.

I'm not sure how acclaimed they were but I still haven't properly gotten into the first 2. Dirty Mind kind of feels like the first Prince album for me.

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Reply #26 posted 05/27/24 8:20am

paraded

The only one that still fits this bill for me is Around the World in a Day. Always leaves me cold.
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Reply #27 posted 05/27/24 11:41am

TrivialPursuit

avatar

paraded said:

The only one that still fits this bill for me is Around the World in a Day. Always leaves me cold.


Try an expanded playlist:

ATWIAD

Paisley Park

Condition of the Heart

She's Always In My Hair

Hello

4 The Tears In Your Eyes

Raspberry Beret

Girl

Tamborine

America

Pop Life

The Ladder

Temptation*

* I use my own edit of this one. It's slightly sped up, and that talking-to-God ending is gone.

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
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Reply #28 posted 05/27/24 11:54am

paisleyparkgir
l

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paraded said:

The only one that still fits this bill for me is Around the World in a Day. Always leaves me cold.

Was it acclaimed though ?

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Reply #29 posted 05/27/24 7:20pm

TrivialPursuit

avatar

paisleyparkgirl said:

paraded said:

The only one that still fits this bill for me is Around the World in a Day. Always leaves me cold.

Was it acclaimed though ?


By who? Who's doing all this acclaiming? Critics? Fans? Some intern making up a list at Rolling Stone or Apple Music? Some TikTok yokel who sits around and yammers about shit? Who, exactly? And why does their opinion count more than anyone else's?

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
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