This is an album that takes time to get to know and like but its actually very good and is probably Prince at one of his happiest times.
Disc 1 is very lively and joyful,Right back here, Get ur groove on, BetchaBGW, We Gets uP, White Mansion, Damned if i do, in this bed i screm r especially good.
Disc 2 is very sexy and romantic. Dreamin about u is very sexy. 1 kiss at a time is cosy and cuddly as is Soul Sanctuary
Disc3 is more to do with his battles. Who can forget Human Body (very original concept), Da Da Da, Friend/mother/lover sister mother wife.

Its on my favourite list...how bout u?

It could have been cut down into a single album with the good songs on it. A lot of it was terrible.

EvilWhiteMale said:

As 4 Disk II...'sexy'?!

I love Dreamin' About U and I Can't Make U Love Me.

I think Prince spent a hell of a lot of time and effort on this album and I love all its multi-layered nature!

I think Prine was obsessesd with getting a three disc set out, and ended up with a lot of needless filler. It has merits for sure, and a lot of great songs, but overall it's weak.

I love Emancipation

I wouldn't want to see it squished down onto one disk. Let's face it, we all want the big sprawling indulgent albums. The bigger the better. Emancipation has some great moments and some not-so-great moments, but it is eclectic and interesting and I dig it.

Also... the man was sounding SO happy and in love with Mayte on that album... the good vibes are infectious

Ian you summed up my views completely about the complaints about it being too long. U can never have "too much" when it comes to Prince.

It was also an era when Prince seemed relatively normal but also cool!

Right Back Here In My Arms

Somebody's Somebody

In This Bed Scream

Soul Sanctuary

Joint 2 Joint

Dreamin' About U

The Human Body

My Computer

The Love We Make

ian said:

That's true.

And even given what I think about it -- I'm not interested in it being whittled down, either. Regardless of what anyone thinks, Prince wanted released as it was, and it's his work. I'll take it.

i love emancipation superb -underated album

only 3 songs i didnt really get into

slave
new world
the human body

he really sounded in love with mayte alright i'd agree on that 1

i also loved the covers , i actually had the originals of stylistics - betcha, delfonics - la la la and j osbourne - 1 of us , i didnt take long to aquire bonnie raitt i cant make you love me. ive heard people give him a hard time over these covers but i think he bettered 1 of us and i cant make you..., he did the other two just like the originals no complaints from me on the covers.

whatabout these great tracks ???

right back here in my arms
somebodys somebody
soul sanctuary
friend,lover,sister...
face down

great photos in the booklet as well !

i also bought the lyric book from the club cant remember what the club was called then !

Disk one was a great disk, maybe one or two tracks that didn't measure up.

Disk two is a flawless masterpiece (except for maybe that track from Kamasutra).

Disk three is good in spots, ie. Slave, Human Body, Face Down, Sleep Around, and The Love We Make- the rest I could do without if I had to.

Overall, a solid release and good representation of Prince's abilities. It was easy to be hard on it during its release, because I was in love with the sound of the Gold/Chaos era, but I've come to love this style of production over the years too. I'm glad he's not still dabbling in the overproduced r and b sound anymore though

ian said:

I was gonna write something long and involved, but Ian's saved me a job!
Out of all of the 90's stuff, I think it's stood the test of time better than 99% of the rest.
Spot on - and co-sign!

[This message was edited Tue Sep 9 15:38:33 PDT 2003 by bananacologne]

if i had any appreciation for it i'd gladly show it here, but i have none to show at this time. sorry for the inconvenience.

I latched onto disc 3 immediately, took some time getting into disc 1 but eventually got there, and to this day have a hard time listening to disc 2, with the added obstacle of knowing what became of the marriage and child he was singing and writing so enthusiastically about...it just seems kind of unintentionally dark and bittersweet in retrospect, in addition to the fact that I thought disc 2 was a little on the saccharine side to begin with. I made a single disc version for myself with all the songs I liked, and titled it "Abbreviation".

Oh, and that image of Oprah running on a treadmill singing "Emancipation" ruined that damn song for me forever.

Anxiety said:

true.

All I know is that White Mansion is one of the most irritating songs I've ever heard.

One word: Terrible

Yes, one cd could have been a triumpth compared to the obvious throw aways and songs that had no right to be released, but its some what enjoyable to dig through 3 cd's worth. I can only applaud him for such acts simply because I wouldnt mind if he did that again, The more music, the better.. even if some really arent worth playin.

Brillian Album... i think of my Wife when i listen 2 this Album

I hate it - the sugar just drips in galons from this release and is as irritating as the whining r&b records. I Accidentally cracked the casse on the first day and could'nt care less. There's simply no edge on this album and tastes like the most flat pop-crap ever, Eventhough you notice that it is more complex than that.

Not one of my favorite albums by a long shot.

It does have some good songs on it, but overall it just sounds
far too samey. I was really looking forward to a big sprawling
triple album that really showcased Prince's eclectic style and
had an interesting mixture of musical ideas. Unfortunately
Emancipation was not that album. All the songs had the same
flat and pedestrian production which ironed out any potential
diversity in the sound. There were no real suprises on the album,

A triple album should have given Prince the room to include
some really way out there material. Where's the over-ten-
minute-long opus like 'Crystal Ball' or the arythmical
strangeness of 'Dance On'?. Where's the out and out rock of
'Endorphinmachine' or 'Let's Go Crazy'? Or the real funk of
'Days Of Wild' or 'D.M.S.R.'? I have to say that after 'The Gold
Experience' and even 'Come', Emancipation was a let down.
It seemed to be one flavor all the way through, and while there's
certainly nothing wrong with that on a lot of albums, you soon
get tired of it over 3 cd's (or I did, anyway). It's the only Prince
album that I would have been happy to see cut down to a single
disc, or split into a 'love songs' album and a 'regular' album.

Some decent songs, but generally dull as dishwater.
At least 2 CDs too many, maybe 2 1/2.

Some of you are saying that the album should have been trimmed down to a single disc.I think it should have been edited down into a stunning 2-CD set,as there are about 12 tracks that just don't measure up.When you get rid of crap like "We Gets Up","Style",the lame title track and the four remakes,you are left with a kickass double album that (almost) rivals 'SOTT'.


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[This message was edited Wed Sep 10 6:29:00 PDT 2003 by DavidEye]

My Computer!!!

RIGHT BACK HERE IN YOUR ARMS!!!

what is it about Prince's voice in this joint that makes you feel like you're in it, listening out. it's extra-electra-fying in this song. i listened to it 5x back to back on the way into work today.

what did he do differently on this one? it fantabulous!!!