7 - as if it even warrants a debate
Sweet Baby? - Bloody Awful. What are you people hearing???

dewmass said:

A sweet and gentle mid-tempo soul ballad. It glides along like a welcome, cool breeze between the uninspiring 'I Wanna Melt With U' and 'Continental'.

JDINTERACTIVE said:

In plain English
M
O
R

The symbol album, I thought this album showed more polish and production chops than just about any other I can think of, previously. Never understood why people said they hated it or point to it as a point where Prince lost them. That said, I thought My Name Is Prince is the weakest single Prince ever released and one of the worst tracks on the cd. I've never been a fan of hip hop so even if the rap was good I wouldn't like it, and if it's bad, well it's all bad to me. I usually just blocked out the rap interludes. Wasn't it so damn much cooler when he used to flirt with rap like he did in "Girls and Boys"? So much cooler to just put something like that in a song than to go full hog on it like he's tried. This was a concerted effort by prince because it was the first album released after his phony 100 million dollar contract. I like much of the classical elements he used all over and his voice was just better and better. You could definitely make the argument that he was losing his creative edge on this album and on several before but what the hell, it's a solid album. Didn't sell much and set the stage for his big debacle with WB because he found out that he didn't get paid unless he sold five million or more. He overlooked that when the stroked his ego with that 100 million dollar contract.

The Continental!!!

Sweet Baby

I'd have to just barely give the edge to Sweet Baby.

It's just such a sweet song to heal your pain. It has such a gentle, cascading melody.

For the record, I don't know why ppl hate the album either. I really dislike the hip hop elements in some of the songs (except MNIP, which I seriously enjoy aside from the rap interlude), but in between some mediocrity are truly great songs...

Damn U
Sweet Baby
Blue Light
3 Chains O' Gold
7
And God Created Woman
The Sacrifice Of Victor

Those are all songs that I love listening to on any given day.

The album was no SOTT or TGE, but I'd still rate it a good ***1/2 out of a possible *****.
[This message was edited Thu Feb 12 15:36:29 PST 2004 by PurpleKnight]
[This message was edited Thu Feb 12 15:39:01 PST 2004 by PurpleKnight]

What's most memoriable about this album is the great sex that came with it, to be totally honest. Summer of 93, I think it was, in the back seat of an slick black 81 trans-am. Almost every day/night for like 3 months.

All that 17 year old sex energy just KABAMM exploaded as I found all sorts of new sexual territory with the help of this album.

This was also my first Prince concert.

My co-worker at the time was a big fan. I was working at a dinner in the kitchen. He was also a musician and I was helping him with his promotional photographs as I was learning photography. As I came into work that evening after school, he was screaming at me "Take this money and go next door and buy me prince tickets NOW!!!" Ok, no problem. Someone, had to stay in the kitchen.

When I went to get the tickets, they were all sold out. As I was leaving, the lady at the counter was screaming at me to come back! Supposedly, someone's credit card got rejected and 4 more tickets came back up as available. Not just any seats. 3rd row center! I bought all 4 and gave the two to my co-worker who told me to run over there and get them to begin with. He was the fan. I wasn't. But I did know that girls had a thing for Prince right?

Act I, was it called? I asked several girls to come with me. All of them said heck no. I guess they were more interested in U2 that year and that lollapolooza crap. Then came Mary. You know the movie. "Something about Mary"? yep, that was type of girl. She screamed like a little kid. Apparently she was a big fan. She said she hadn't listened to him since Lovesexy. I had no idea what she was talking about. Love-who? I told her I wasn't much into gay artists, but Prince sure could play a mean guitar, and those james brown dance moves were pretty slick. (remembering the get-off video)

I'm thinking to myself, wow this girl has huge boobs! I sure hope she decides to flash them at the show! (I read that zelous girls do that at concerts) I'm thinking I'm going to get a peep at MOST. maybe. ok, probably not. This girl was older than me. She just wants my ticket, not my stick-it. (ok, that was dumb but hey! I'm 17 now) That's ok, at least I'll get to ride in her BAD ASS car. That trans-am was so slick. (at that time) I loved batman. That thing reminded me of the batmobile. Who would have thought Prince would have been conected there too!

The show kicked my ass. period. No need for details, because this review is about the ride.

This was also my first concert of ANYONE, so I bought everything. The hat, two shirts, the tour book, the CD and the tape. such a tourist.

ahh, the opera...
(this review is about the show in the back of the trans-am that we made almost every day for months after the concert)

My name is prince - the playful alpha male dance "look at me, look at me!"

Sexy M.F. - the come here give me that kiss

Love 2 the 9's - The foreplay

The Morning Papers - more foreplay but more of an emotional response both

The Max - ok, that's enough. Let's get busy already

Blue Light - not too fast NOW!, let's slow it down before I loose it. And ya dern right I got nothin' but a smile on!

I wanna melt with U - wait. I'm 17, I can go all night at this age!

Sweet Baby - I don't care who you are, all girls like a little cuttle time. Besides, it helps the momentum!

The Continental - alright cut. Grind time. Hey, I'm the 17 year old energizer bunny!

Damn U - Break time. NEED WATER! I'm thinkin, I'm going to get hurt by this girl, I just know it.

Arrogance - Mean sex. Just dirty. Submit Woman! kinda sex. And she liked it.

The Flow - Still in the previous mind

7 - Good spiritual, redemption sex. I'm gonna marry you type (tear in eye)

And God Created Woman - Yes he did.

3 Chains O' Gold - Questionable sex. Are we like "an item" or just two people escaping reality for the summer?

The Sacrifice Of Victor - cloths back on, cigerette lit, water guzzlin' "Let's go eat!" And I'm thinking, hey, this prince guy is still pretty good. I wonder what other albums he has out there besides purple rain and 1999?

After that summer on every pay day, I bought another album. My older brother had everything he ever did so I found it funny that I knew the words to almost every song as I started collecting the albums. He must have blasted prince out of his bedroom every morning as we were getting ready for school. Even the black album. I remember him having this beat up cassette with his ear up to the speakers trying to make it out because it was such a poor quality boot.

Yep, I got dumped once her and her ex-boyfriend wanted to give it "another go". Oh, well. At least I met Prince. We'd get together for a night or three with every new release up to Crystal Ball. (I know, what a sucker!)

And that ladies and gentelmen is how I got here...
Good night.



...
[This message was edited Thu Feb 12 16:42:46 PST 2004 by yamomma]

So yes.
Every single one of those songs has a special place for me.

Prince had a knack for expressing raw emotion. I guess that's why so many of us were drawn to it at such an early age. It's those teenage years when we are so full of emotion and make so many stupid decisions based off feelings alone.

That could go with just about any album/song though, right? At that age, we are running wild with our feelings and if a tune comes on that expresses that thought or feeling to song, hey you got your very own soundtrack to your life!

I think as we get older we grow more grounded spirtually or intellectually (not that I know how to spell it) or even both. So a lot of the flair wears off, I suppose. Mr Nelson is going to do that too. Or did.

Kinda "been there, done that" sort of thing.

I look at my own creative output. As I got married, I'm less sexually expressive in my work but more expressive in values. Inspiration (for me) used to be drawn from the "new". New relationships, new sexual encounters, new challaenges, new problems. Not that married life doesn't have it's own dose of "new" flavors, but the romance of the search of that is over. The climb now is stability, I guess.

maybe that's just it. The new was found. What's that got to do with anything? Just over annalyzing the creative difference from then to now.

So now what?


...
[This message was edited Thu Feb 12 17:42:29 PST 2004 by yamomma]

It's a three way tie between 2 the 9's, Sexy MF, and The Sacrafice of Victor. I can't narrow it down any further than that.

Anxiety said:

I like all of the songs except Sweet Baby. That doesn't do anything for me. But 7, The Continential, Sexy MF. Those are too sweet.

I think this album belongs in the top third of all Prince releases, and his second best of the 1990s (following "The Gold Experience" and not counting "Crystal Ball").

It is really varied and has a lot of catchy tunes.

For me, it was a very exciting release on the heels of the erratic Grafitti Bridge and the mediocre Diamonds and Pearls.

The only songs I really did not care for were "Three Chains O Gold," "And God Created Woman" and "Sweet Baby."

"My Name Is Prince" and "Sexy MF" were so-so, but I still think "2 the 9s," "Damn U" (my wedding song), "Morning Papers," "The Max," "The Continental," "Sacrifice of Victor," "7" and "Take Me to the Next Phase" are first-rate Prince.

There should have been many more hit singles off this record!

Peace,
Scott

with some better sequencing - cutting the segues and the rap tracks - this would have been a stellar album. some great material - 7, And God Created Woman, The Morning Papers..

i have a soft spot for Blue Light... i just think it's a fun breezy pop song. It should've been a single.

...like the whole album.

kisscamille said:

right on!!!

"And God Created Woman" is one of the finest Prince songs ever recorded.

3 Chains O' Gold.

I agree that it's a pretty good album overall. Way better than Diamonds and Pearls.
[This message was edited Thu Feb 12 20:37:43 PST 2004 by HobbesLeCute]

the album is a classic - 7 is my favorite prince song period.

Love 2 the 9's
And God Created Woman
3 Chains of Gold
Those are my 3 and I'm sticking to them. Especially since I lost my copy of the Love Symbol Album.

every song except: the flow & the max

Love 2 the 9s is the best.

But there are 3 others that are really great and come close- Sexy MF, The Morning Papers, and Blue Light

The Continental
Sacrifice of Victor (this tune rocks, though i know some don't like it)
Sexy MF
Damn U
Arrogance (just for the laughs into the scratches, and the beat)

Sexy M.F.
The Continental
Damn U
7
And God Created Woman

namepeace said:

And God Created Woman!!! - and so he did I believe!
Also loving Sexy MF, Blue Light + The Morning Papers

But I hate those stupid "interviews" inbetween!

jtgillia said:

This song has some of the most amazing lyrics ever...


"don't use that magical,mysterious,intoxicating,joy fantastic,fascinating word called love unless you love me to the 9s"

"would U lie down on a bed of thorns while I drink your ocean dry? and if we said we loved each other,instead of smiling,would U cry?"

skywalker said:

Was that supposed to mean something? Oh, you were just babbling...

My mistake.

The morning papers

especially live on the Arsenio Hall show (I think!)

Well Fruck me runnin'
I spent over an hour on that "review"

And God Created Woman
Damn U
The Continental
Sexy M.F
Love 2 The 9's
I Wanna Melt With U

...in fact other than Arrogance, I like pretty much every track on .