Every song on it is good, straight through. Yes it is 'light-weight', but regardless it is an album that I pull out more often than something like Lovesexy because it is such an entertaining listen.
All the songs are in my top 220 or so of Prince songs, I dare you to name one BAD tune on it.

WatchThemFall said:

Can't...top album

WatchThemFall said:

Trust
Arms of orion

just to name 2

Thierry said:

I like both of those songs and I know a lot of other people who do too, by bad songs I mean songs that just totally fail like Jughead, Dead On It etc. which are on every album after Batman.
[This message was edited Tue Feb 3 5:26:28 PST 2004 by WatchThemFall]

I disliked this LP a great deal (except for perhaps "Electric Chair" and "The Future")

Also I got really disappointed with the lack of interesting cover designs for the singles that were released from this album. I think that everything except "Scandalous" and "The Future" Remix 12" came with just a dull bat-symbol on the cover. (Mind you at least that was more interesting than the clear perspex sleeves we were treated to on most of the LoveSexy single releases in the UK!)
[This message was edited Tue Feb 3 5:43:53 PST 2004 by DarrenMawbey]

Although I realize that MANY people can't stand The Arms of Orion (but Trust?? What's wrong with that song?), I agree with your assessment that Batman was his last consistently great, cohesive album. Starting with Grafitti Bridge and the yak-inducing title track, every album since has had at least one song that's so embarassing you cringe the FIRST time you hear it...like Jughead (which admittedly I've since come to enjoy) or Diamonds and Pearls (ugh) or Silly Game or some shit.

I love the whole sound of the Batman album...so manic.

WatchThemFall said:

Dead on it is a fantastic song - at least, the music is thumping. If we're counting the Black album as post-Batman then i think that's far superior to Batman. Batman has some choice tunes like the future, electric chair, partyman. Even arms of orion is kinda cute
but i personally think scandalous is a bit weak.

Thierry said:

And Lemon Crust is a third

Actually, Batman is the first Prince album that disappointed me. Sure, I liked The Future, Electric Chair and Vicki Waiting, but the rest was nothing new, if not downright bad. So as a whole, it just did not live up to his previous albums.
In fact, I really, truly hated some of the tracks on that album, Partyman especially. And the following Nude Tour introducing the Game Boyz and with Partyman as the encore...

Batman was the beginning of a truly terrible period for Prince fans that, thankfully!, ended with Act II and the dismissal of the Game Boyz.

Batman - P's first Mistake?

I don't like this album at all ...
cold synths ... no great vibe on this one.
I don't think prince put much work in this album ...
a quick commercial step.

Let's rate the individual songs in a 0 'till 10 rate:

The Future : 6
Electric Chair : 7
The Arms of Orion : 0
Partyman : 5
Vicki Waiting : 8
Trust : 6
Lemon Crush : 5
Scandalous : 1
Batdance : 0

I like most of Batman but don't consider it perfect. The one song that stuffs it for me is Vicki Waiting - I've never been able to enjoy it. It sounds so forced, especially lyrically. I know of on my own with this opinion. It's a funky album in it's own original way. What really makes it for me is the remixes and extended versions, especially Partyman, SSS, Batdance, oh all of them!

Batman's great...but far from perfect.

I think The Arms Of Orion let's it down, and pretty much every album post-batman had it's own "arms of orion" on it... Graffiti Bridge, Jughead, My Little Pill, Wedding Feast etc.

Still other than that one song, I think Batman is a very good album...one of my fave's actually.

As soon as I saw the title of this thread, I knew you'd have many people who vehemently disagree...well, actually it's less vehement that I thought, to be honest.

I love this fucking album. I, too, pull it out more often than some of his "great" albums, because it's wonderful fun. Nothing too heavy, just good, funky songs. The only song I don't like is Lemon Crush. Arms of Orion isn't his best, but I don't understand the absolute hatred it inspires. It's a sweet song, with a beautiful instrumental at the end. I also think it's an example of great Prince vocals.

Let's all rate:

The Future : 5
Electric Chair : 7
The Arms of Orion : 1
Partyman : 6
Vicki Waiting : 3
Trust : 2
Lemon Crush : 2
Scandalous : 9 (I love it... especially the Suite!)
Batdance : 8

Thierry said:

This is on a scale of Prince songs. They'd get higher ratings if I were comparing them to most of the shit that's on the radio these days...

The Future : 8
Electric Chair : 8
The Arms of Orion : 6
Partyman : 7
Vicki Waiting : 8.5
Trust : 6
Lemon Crush : 3
Scandalous : 7 (The Sex Suite gets a 9.5... can we please do it...let's do it by the mirror baby... )
Batdance : 8

FunkMistress said:

I agree in that I never cared much for the album cut, but I've strangely enough always liked the Sex Suite.

scififilmnerd said:

The album cut is boring in comparison.

The Scandalous Sex Suite is orgasmic, ain't it?

Let's do it by the mirror baby, so i can see what i wanna see...be who i wanna be...

There's not a single song on there that I don't enjoy FULLY, including Vicki Waiting (one of my favs actually) and Arms of Orion (again, one of my favs, although I know to most people it's like Diamonds & Pearls is to me)...man, I wish I had that album with me at work today!

Two things I will mention about this album for the kajillionth time:

1. Batdance has one of the finest Prince guitar solos ever to be included in one of his single releases. I mean, really. Listen to it and forget that you're listening to a song called "Batdance". That damn guitar solo kinda kicks some big ol' heavy ass. And then to go into that funky "Vicki Vale" section? If you don't like it, that's fine - more for me, I suppose.

2. Arms Of Orion

i've never really understood why people hate Arms of Orion so much. I think it's a nice ballad... beautiful melody. Sheena is a tremendous singer. Is it among his best material? Of course not. But I think it's a cool song.

Batman as a whole though is probably in my Bottom 5 P albums. The production sounds really thin and dated. Vicki Waiting is a top-notch track, and Partyman is real funky. Scandalous, i can't listen to all the way through. The rest are middle-of-the-road, and Batdance is just embarrassing.


The Future : 5
Electric Chair : 5
The Arms of Orion : 5
Partyman : 7
Vicki Waiting : 8
Trust : 5
Lemon Crush : 4
Scandalous : 1
Batdance : 1

WatchThemFall said:

um...vicki waiting, arms of orion, and any other song that is not titled 'electric chair' or 'the future'.

Trust is corny...& ditto 4 Orion in the ballads dept.

Electric Chair is the killer here with batdance & Partyman (long version)

for a lot of people out there (including all Batman fans), this is the only Prince album they've ever bought. i think it introduced a lot of people to the versatility of Prince's music, the blend of pop, funk, and rock with lots of silliness and symbolism thrown in for good measure.

The Future- 6
Electric Chair- 9
Arms of Orion- 9 (yes, I actually thoroughly enjoy this song)
Partyman- 4 (Although extended version gets a 6)
Vicki Waiting- 9
Trust- 6
Lemon Crush- 8
Scandalous- 5
Batdance- 6 (I admit it's a beautifully constructed piece, but it just doesn't hold up well to multiple listenings)

Not a bad album by any means, but not something I listen to often. In the bottom half of Prince albums for me...

WatchThemFall said:

No, "The Gold Experience" was. "Batman" is - mostly - throwaway.

I love Batman.

The overall sound of the album fits the mood of the Batman movie very well (as it's supposed to do), a bit cold and dark...


My votes:

The Future: 8
Electric Chair: 7
Arms of Orion: 7
Partyman: 7
Vicki Waiting: 8
Trust: 6
Lemon Crush: 7
Scandalous: 9
Batdance: 8

WatchThemFall said:

MY GOD! YOU JUST MENTIONED "DEAD ON IT" AS BEING A FILLER???
:-O
It's one hell of a great tune with EXCLUSIVE basslines, funky and fat as hell.. God Lawd!