TRC is nowhere near the musical genius of SOTT or Lovesexy. I hate to tell U, but Prince reached his pinnacle of music from 1986 to around 1992. After that everything seems to sound the same with Come being the only exception. His new direction into jazz is a real true effort, however, his Madhouse forrays were much funkier indeed. TRC is different and it has a few good one like Digital Garden and 1+1+1 is 3, but overall it really not that good.

I have learned that just because it's Prince it must be good! I don't think so! I am through forcing myself thinking that some Prince is good when it really isn't and TRC is one of those examples. You don't have to justify it to yourself.

daned said:

I recall some dreadful voice going on and on on top of some Newpower Soul-kind of jam. Don't even get me started on the content of the "lyrics". I think TRC is crap from start to finish.

P.S.: I would say TRC is the sound of Prince's creativity hitting rock bottom, but... I already said that about Newpower Soul, so... I guess TRC is the sound of him still scraping the bottom.
[This message was edited Sat Oct 18 17:26:16 PDT 2003 by scififilmnerd]

daned said:

i got given a Watchtower a couple of weeks back and i flicked through it, there were references to 'the accurate knowledge' as well as a couple of other terms used on TRC. Don't kid yourself there are no JW references on it, cause there are.

Marrk said:

I'm with Marrk. As good as TRC is, it is nowhere near Lovesexy, Parade, or SOTT

I can't find anything on that album that is anything to do with JW religon. It's just a Prince storey, so all you bedwetters who keep bringing up the JW in regards to TRC are just jumping the gun & talking shit in my book.

Back on the music track, all the best albums are NOT instand. Emancipation was the last penny to drop because it takes so long to 'digest'. TRC was a slow grower, but once you've really wrapped your ears round it, you realise it's a gem. There's no wallowing in past glories, just a forward thinking vision. Definitely one of his best 5 albums.[/quote]

I am hearing this!! I was wondering why people thought the album was about Kingdom Hall myself.

Marrk said:

You groupie! You only read it because you felt like it was a bit of merchandise!


No, seriously. I reckon TRC may have a lil' JW influence in there (about 5%) but most of that narrative is too whacky for any religion (even David Koresh), it could only be Prince.

I'm well into my jazz, soul, gospel and r 'n' b as well as my rock, dance & metal, so TRC tickles all my spots.

MattyJam said:

woah cool the hell out. i love trc but to say that it is better than sign o the times is crazy. Sign of the times is a MASTERPIECE, and it has more than 1 genera on it and it all blends together. Now trc is still one of my favs cause i like the stroy theme of it and the jazz, but it is not superior to sign maybe lovesexy but definatley not parade or sign

Only those that are living in the 80's would think that Parade is as good as TRC. Parade is Prince-lite whereas TRC is the real deal. The only other album he came as hard as that is with 1999 when he was still trying to prove to the world what he already knew-- that couldn't nobody fuck with him. Perhaps with TRC he was trying to prove that to himself.

As for Parade, that was him being playful and exploring different things, but with no passion. It'll always be one of my favorites but I can tell the stronger album. Sign O' The Times is more a compilation of orphan songs with no home. I like them but there's no cohesion to them. Lovesexy is a good album as well, but it's climax comes too early (Ana Stesia) and the music is much weaker than TRC's.

The bottom line is is you put aside all of your biases (hard to do I know) and if you're honest with yourself you'd admit TRC is the inspired work of a master while the others are more or less done by a man feeling his way along. TRC is a peak-- not his only one-- and the others are on the way down from his highest peak.

I am from the 80's.
When Parade,SOTT,& Lovesexy came out people did not BUY the albums.Folks were listening to 1999 & Purple Rain saying,"I wish he would ..."

Here we are saying that Lovesexy & Gold are "classics" and TRC is crap.

Enjoy the ride people.
Enjoy the ride.

I can't give it higher marks than SOTT, PARADE, or even Purple Rain. The latter gets higher marks for nostalgic reasons. TRC is far superior musically than all record mentioned, tho SOTT experimentation, inventiveness, and mystique make it a better LP overall. The songs are more consistent. I love first part and last part of the "Everlastin Now" the same was I loved the last part of "The Continental". The live version endears me to this song more so than the studio version on "TRC". As for "Lovesexy", TRC definitly is better than this one. These two LP's are very comparable, but TRC is miles, if not years, away from the content of "LOVESEXY". Parade is just so damn cool and smooth. It was not a Prince "the hitmaker" LP. It was a Prince "the Jazz/POP artist (like in the sense of Michelagelo)" LP. In other words it's a "beautiful" LP like the "first kiss" u ever had.


just my opinion
[This message was edited Sat Oct 18 22:13:48 PDT 2003 by lmas]

I agree...this coming from a rainbowchild himself!!

Controversial? Well any way.

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and as much I do really like TRC, you're opinion is tarnished because you are a fan of Rave

My opinion of TRC is very high, but better than Parade or SOTT? No way.

At artist at their creative peak vs an artist at their technically proficient peak? Nahhhhh, no contest.

Prince gets lots of props now for being a great player, but he's always been great - Being the best player, or being technically superior with an instrument is WAY over rated - If the music is right, I'd take a medium-talent player over a high-talent player any time.

As for the music on TRC, I enjoy it, but I don't think it stands upto Parade or SOTT.

As for The Last December, it's a nice tune, but it's a bit of a staple for Prince to tack on that type of anthemic rock-ballad at the end of an album ain't it, and I think it's been done better.


--
[This message was edited Sun Oct 19 2:32:31 PDT 2003 by Romance1600]

I think it's a good album, but it isn't even top 10 for me. It's strange- hearing it for the first time, I thought it would be in the upper echelon for sure, but it just has too many weak points to rank right up there for me.

The Rainbow Children is a wonderful, dynamic sounding record. But the end result leaves me cold for some reason. When I first heard it, it really moved me. Further listens and a certain concert experience turned me off to it somewhat. Maybe I should give it another chance. It's been awhile since I've listened to it.

I think a lot of the long-term fans will never find a Prince album they prefer to Parade or Sign because they're so blinded in nostalgia.

"Get out of the eighties boy!"

scififilmnerd said:

One thing I love about TRC is that it brings out so many different opinions from fans, we've had albums come and go since, and yet we still talk about it as if it was freshly ripped from the plastic wrap.

I think it's his best work since his 80s hey-day - Whether one agrees and disagrees with the strict dogma of the JW relgiion, it did put some fire in Prince's belly again and drove him to create an album with discussing for it's lyrical and musical content, and it stands out as something on own as a Prince album - you can't really say that album any 90's album with the exception of the Truth maybe.

I agree with some of what scififilmnerd said above about, there are touches of that plastic Emancipation sound on there, and Mellow is as dreary as you can get, that's the most skip-worthy track on the album for me, but I know some others have said that they love Mellow, so it's all a matter of taste, he puts something for everyone on an album, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I think the James Brown/Sly kick-backs were fun at first, but I don't think I could dig another album like that, from reports Musicology seems to follow this vein of The Work/Family Name, which isn't something that makes me jump up in my seat eager to hear it.

daned said:

I think Prince's views on the album are JW-influenced, crossed with some heavy conspiracy theory reading too.

All the Digital Garden, Akashic Records, Banished Ones stuff, that might not be JW teaching, but a lot of his lyrics on Digital Garden, The Work, and Family Name are lyrical interpretations of stuff you would find on any website or book that discusses Government conspiracies, future prophecies or the mis-representation of historical events.

I love discussing Family Name especially, but I daren't create a topic on it any more because it always snowballs into a flame war.

I didn't think Prince was capable of creating such songs any more - in terms of audience reaction, but there it is.

TRC gave me a reason to expect something great from Prince in his advancing years, and no other album since his split with WB has made me think that, so for that alone if nothing else, I say TRC is his best LP since Lovesexy, possible since The Black Album.

Anxiety said:

:FALLOFF:

MattyJam said:

I just don't think any album will touch "1999" or "Lovesexy."

MattyJam said:

I don't think you can cast aside people's opinions by saying it's nostalgia - I don't think it's nostalgia at all, I just think an artist who has fire in his belly, something to say and at their creative peak is gonna pump out the best music of their career.

In Prince's case I think that period was 1980-1986 - A lot of artists only have one album at such a level, but Prince was knocking them out for years.

MattyJam said:

Well you're wrong there.i prefer 'Gold' to 'Parade'. not by much mind you.

Romance1600 said:

Well said. I agree 100%. Personally, I love TRC but I know others hate it. Love it or hate it, TRC generates a vast amount of discussion!!

Many of his 90's/00's albums stack up to his 80's albums for me - D+P, , Come, The Truth, Crystal Ball. The Rainbow Children just isn't one of them. Sign and Lovesexy are my favorites, but not for nostalgic reasons. I just don't think he put out a better 1-2 punch in his career. The look, the band, the style, the sound was unbeatable.

Romance1600 said:

Exactly. Chalking up liking of his 80s albums to nostalgia is essentially the same as chalking up like TRC as "famdom." It's just preferences, really. I love a lot of his 90s/00s albums on par with his 80s material.

MattyJam said:

its a great album but not really 'innovative'. its actually his most retro (70s) sounding album ever.

Moonbeam said:

Well, here's a vote for LoveSexy. I just listened to it again yesterday after not playing it for a while. It's still my favorite. Just ever so slightly past Purple Rain, Sign o the times and The Rainbow children. I'm glad to see Parade getting so much props. I really dig the sound of that album too. Too bad the movie kind of gets in it way. Good discussion.

MattyJam said:

Well, you can't get any more long term ('78) than me, and Prince's creative heyday was in the '80s, that hasn't changed. But I prefer TRC's consistency over all three of the albums you mentioned.

trc was great musically,lyrics were lacking not what u would play at a party, but well produced.emancipation was his best pop cd, sott, and trc his best musically.i want him 2 do both, lose us musically and give us some straight funk all on the same cd.

1+1+1=3 is fabulous only because of the keyboard playing and the whole nature of Funk it has. It's pure FUnk. But the vocals are kind of a let down. There too monotonous, low and uninterested. The endings weak. Such a great Funk song though.

But, but, I wouldn't say it's a Masterpiece, TRC.

Just because theres acoustic drumming doesn't do it for me. I do like the call full circle like thing with him saying "Reproduction of the New Breed Leaders...stand UP Organize!" that was exciting in the sense that he still held those ideals and concepts from way back.

Its an album that I hold in my hand and go "yeah" but let me pull out Parade! Or Sign Or Lovesexy or 1999!

His 80's albums are his best, that's my personal feeling.

He seemed more free. Plus the cover painting...seemed like it was NOT intended for the album, I may be wrong, but didn't he buy it and then later just used it?
[This message was edited Sun Oct 19 23:07:13 PDT 2003 by FlyingCloudPassenger]