i just received this in the post and WOW!!!
why the hell didn't he release this instead of the Arista version?
i was going to hold off before posting but i'm into song four, Hot Wit U(Nasty Girl Remix) and i can't hold back!
why on Earth did he hold this back just for the Club and not give it to Arista?

TGRES is a mix of the Adam & Eve remix with the Arista version. oh lawd this is sooo-oh-oh good. Undisputed (the Moneyapolis Mix) is HOT! a bit slower and bass heavy. plus the lyrics are extended all over the place.
this is great! and to think i only bought this becuz i have never heard Beautiful Strange. it also sounds like it could be a different mix of this album. dayum!

by the way, i hated the RAVE un2 the JOY fantastic.

There's an easy explanation.

Now that there is nothing else "pop" to listen to from Prince, suddenly ANYTHING "pop" by Prince sounds great.

Truth be told, Rave Un2 and In2 were never as bad as some people have claimed. But now, with pre-conceived notions removed, Rave In2 can be accepted simply for what it is and not what people want it to be. The same applies to almost anything Prince creates.

I always thought Rave In2 was much superior to Rave Un2.

Fuck that shit! Both versions are great!

Rave Un2 Great music!

abucah said:

right. sorry but you got deep on me just now but i'm groovin' at the mo.
i have always loved Prince's pop stuff. obviously shit like Cream, She gave Her Angels, Lonely Christmas, Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do (i actually did like that) or even Sweet Baby. i actually think he can write a great pop song if he wants to but he's all over the map (in his head). TMBGITW is a classic example.
we have to get it in our head that Prince is not just a pop artist.
as ?uestlove said,"he has one foot in melody and another foot in something a bit more deep".

surely that's not Mike Scott playing that guitar on Beautiful Strange?
it sounds like Prince.

In2 is MUCH better than Un2 imo. There are only 2 things that I would change and it would be a near-classic...1st put "Strange But True" back on In2 and take off "Silly Game". Also (now here comes the flames) I like the version of the title track on the Arista version...not crazy over the remix...what can I say I like the guitar on the original. So there. But I was so happy the Everyday is a Winding Road cover was dumped I fucking HATE that song with a passion.

right! update:

Tangerine has a guitar solo. never was crazy about that song anyway but it mite grow on me.
Man o War - OMG! what a groove. a bit slower and different vocal. bob yo' head, folks.
Baby Knows - do i actually hear Sheryl this time? i couldn't care less about Sheryl but i do hear Kip on there. nice dynamic ending.
Eye Love U, but Eye don't Trust U anymore - sounds like a different vocal.
so far, So Pleased, Silly Game, the sun, the moon and the stars - the same as the Arista versions
Prettyman - extended Maceo Parker solo but check the bass line in the extended bit. that's what we want.

but OMG! Beautiful Strange is OOF DA HOOK!!! yes OOF! not OFF. it says Guitar by Mike Scott but i am certain that's Prince blazing away on there. there's a guitar in the back so that must be Mike Scott. the vocal is exquisite.

Pagey said:

yeah i kinda like the title track here but it wanders into Prince techno mode (only Loose! and I wanna Melt With U is good at that).
silly Game i could have done without too. The Sheryl Crow cover sounded like Kirk Franklin but i do like the ending with that keyboard part.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who was dumbfoundedly surprised at how improved this version is over the Un2 disc...listening to this doesn't make me like "Silly Game", "So Far So Pleased" or "Baby Knows" any more than I useta did, but as a whole, if this had been released instead of the Un2 version, I would have been much, much, FAR happier.

Question: did he bring Gwen's voice up in the mix for the In2 disc? Sounds it.

I love them both.

Anxiety said:

With new tracks added they would have had to master this over again, so I think you are right that they were able to fix the poor job done on the first version.