Who here hopes that the new CD will be a return to those wonderful days of buying a new Prince album? When you first heard about the tracklisting in the music press and wondered which song titles would be ballads and which would be uptempo (was that just me?). The purchase of the new single, which you'd play over and over again, desperate to listen to the album from which it came. Looking at that 'From the 4thcoming album...' notice over and over again, pondering over the new album's title and thinking about that delicious musical experience that you knew was imminently coming your way. That unbearable wait for the new album that made the final result far more sweeter. And as for that first viewing of all those copies of the new album on the shelves in the Wrecka Stow, which was usually your first glimpse of the cover art. Well, personally, that usually made me almost cream with excitement.

And that beautiful moment when you finally experienced that first listen...

I haven't heard 'Musicology' yet, but even if I'm disappointed with it (I was also disappointed with Gett Off when I first heard it), I know that the excitement of a new album will more than make up for it.

Even if this album is available as a download on the NPGMC before it's release, I'm going to try so hard not to download it. Not because of the expense of downloading it as well as buying the physical CD, but because I want, yet again, to feel that 'new album' experience that hasn't happened for waaaay too long.

I want that first playing of the physical CD to be a magical moment!

Regardless of how anybody's felt about Prince's output of the last ten years or so, I would imagine that most people here have felt a little spark, at the very least, that this is going to be a pretty exciting time to be a fan.

Or maybe it's just me..?

It doesn't matter if deep down I know he won't be releasing the next TGE anytime soon, because it's still Prince.

That excitement over tearing that wrapping off the CD and popping into my CD player for the first time as I anxiously read over the tracklisting will always get to me.

It's always a thrilling experience discovering for the first time what Prince was able to come up with during his latest time in the studio.

I completely understand!

I've already made a vow that I will not hear any material from the new album — other than "Musicology" and "Reflection," of course — until I actually play it in full in my living room.

It's going to take a lot of willpower because the leaks will surely be out there, but I'm resolved.

Along the same lines, I hope that folks who hear the music early will mark their thread titles and posts with spoiler warnings to alert those who are trying to remain "virgins."

Peace, David

I've thought about this some more and I probably will feel more excited nearer the time. I just read Purple Knights post and remembered when I opened NEWS and I'd heard it! I still felt excited!

The days of buying a new Prince album are the same for me. Perhaps even more exciting nowadays, seeing as he is chatting about different things.

livewire said:

it wont really matter wot others say in they'r threads / posts , as u still have the choice of judgeing the album by urself !,

ie; some1 on here could create a thread slating the new album , that doesnt mean u slate it 2 !!! u may create a thread of ur own saying its great " kno wot i mean", cheers.

Therapy said:

u beat me 2 it , i bought news on day of release and had that new p album xcitement, and i enjoied the album 2 !!!

I remember the day I bought the SOTT album.
I went straight to the mall from home.When inside the store I saw the LP standing there and the price tag said $24.99.
Shocked, because it cost too much for an LP,I quickly picked up the cassette copy .I wanted to cry when the $16.99 price struck me in the eyes.

I had go to my mother's job to get money to get the album.
I got it though.

danielboon said:

I think what David means (and I agree with him on this) is that gone are the days of an album release being an 'experience' - the only way 2 come anywherenear close 2 that now is 2 avoid hearing any online wavs/mp3's whatever - and listen 2 it fresh, outta tha wrappa.

Here's hoping its somethin funky - not flunky!

Haystack said:

Its probably just you. But I think I made some sense of what you said and it sounds like you didnt get The Rainbow Children. That was exciting because it was such a new direction for Prince and truly broke some new ground - the same way that 1999 did. But then that might just be me.

muleFunk said:

Thats funny as hell

this is a very good thread

I remember the day I bought Sign o' the Times.... i had to beg and plead with my mom to drive me into town (we lived out in the country a bit) so that I could buy SOTT on its release date. She was not amused. I nagged until I finally got my way. I think I threw a bit of a temper tantrum, as I recall... I was 15 years old.


And Lovesexy.... Me and my best friend Rod sat on the floor of Backstreet Records for about 2 hours waiting for the UPS truck to arrive so we could get our copies of Lovesexy.... what a record. Still blows me away to this day.


For the past several releases, I've done the mid-night thing at Tower Records on Monday night.... i'll definitely be doing that again for Musicology.

I'll be excited as hell when listening to it for the first time, but if it's just full of boring JB wannabe sounds and dull jazz, I'll be super disappointed.

I still remember the days when I was six years old and first getting into Prince, and didn't have access to the internet, and heard no word of mouth about new albums - I just used to go into the store, pick up two or three CDs whose content I knew NOTHING about (first album I ever got was the Hits/B-Sides box set, after my brother played me Daddy Pop on his cassette player). Anyway, I remember I used to get real excited, get home, crawl up to my room, stick the CD in my discman, goe outside, lie down, stare up and the clouds and be funked. I did that with 1999, and was amazed, I must have listened to DMSR about 15 times in a row that day. I still crave for that feeling, but I know it'll never come again cause I hear about new album releases and I know so much about Prince now. Back then all I knew was that on these CDs that Prince had made was good music; I didn't know what year they were from, how popular they were or anything, but I loved everything on them. The first album I got told to buy from word of mouth was LoveSexy, and my bro told me to buy that and I remember I wasn't as impressed by the others as I was (of course, I am now), and the only song I truely enjoyed at that age was Lovesexy. I miss those days when there was an abundance of Prince albums still to get; I've got almost all of em now, and he isn't making more quick enough .

Lovesexy

Lovesexy was released 3 weeks before I graduated from high school.
We got off the bus at the old mom & pop wreaka stow.
The lady who owned the store would not let us buy the album without id.

I still remember leaving school on the last day blasting LOVESEXY in the car.

Another funny day .
In 1986 we walked to the wreaka stow to get the ANOTHERLOVER 12 inch.I went to my grandma's house (grandad had a better stereo) to play it.

My friends and I were jammin then my grandma came ito the room she started dancing too.
When she looked at the cover of the 12 in. she said that "Prince looked like a dying calf."

I guess you're never too old to get funky.

yeah.... after i downloaded TRC, i kinda wished that i hadn't... because when i went to the record store and bought it and opened it up, the only excitement was the excitement of the packaging, because i'd already heard everything inside...

but i did get the feelings you're talking about with "RAVE"... cause i bought the cd single to "the greatest romance" and it had that "from the 4thcoming cd" on it... and i couldn't sleep at night and shit waiting for that damn cd to come out...

and it may not have been one of the masterpieces, but coming after NPS, it sounded better than it actually was, because it was a noticeable improvement... to hear him screaming in the falsetto on the opening track... i was like "shit... we ready to rock this mutha now"...

so, yes... it would be cool to get that again... ...

NPGLOVER said:

How on earth did you come up with that conclusion?

Take a look at my profile and see which album I've put first as my favourites.

TRC is my favourite Prince album. However, it didn't initially create that same buzz as the old days because, if you were a member of the Club, it was given to you on a plate the month before it's CD release. Buying it at Tower Records was just going through the motions to complete my collection (although it was nice to hear it in full, perfect sound quality).

It kind of makes me glad that Prince has stopped tracks leaking from Paisley Park. This will be like the complete opposite of TGE for me. Those tracks were circulating for ages before the album came out and there was even a Gold Experience tape put around by the community. The only thing memorable about the actual album release was hearing the cowbells in Endorphinemachine! ... there's nothing like playing that unfamiliar new album for the first time.

since y'all are talking about the day you bought SOTT,here's my story


I remember seeing this album in record stores when it first came out.I picked it up,glanced at the song titles and I was shocked and intrigued...

"If I Was Your Girlfriend"?

"Starfish and Coffee"?

"The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker"?

But I couldn't wait to get home and listen to it.Those were the good ol' days,before the Internet.You could buy a new album and be totally surprised at what it sounds like.

Haystack said:

I remember downloading TRC for the first time was actually my most exciting new-Prince-album experience, even though I've been a fan ever since SOTT.

Still, buying the actual cd when it came to the store was even better, because of the great artwork outside and the pretty fanatic typography inside. And the great sound quality.

You may say that the months after I got TRC, it was really some kind of study object to me. Just like ages before, Parade, SOTT Purple Rain and Lovesexy were.

DavidEye said:

You can still do that you know. I still do that. When it comes to new albums, pretend the internet doesn't exist, restrain yourself, don't go searching for downloads, wait for it to appear in the stores.

My story was about Purple Rain. I was 12, took the bus from Oakland to Berkeley, bought PR on vinyl. I had seen the "Doves Cry" video and just about lost my mind. I had no idea who this guy was or what to expect. When I got home and played it, it was the most amazing sound I'd ever heard. But the record was a little warped and kept skipping in parts. I basically whined and moaned until my mom agreed to drive me back to Berkeley that afternoon to exchange it for a new one.

AsylumUtopia said:

I hear what you're saying,but that is SO hard to do...lol...if I really want to be surprised at the new Prince album,I would literally have to stop visiting this site between now and March 29.

i wasn't able to live through the halcyon days of buyin new p albums, so i haven't a clue how it all is...and if it will be so nowadays.

sabaisabai said:

I had a couple of boots before the album came out, and it made me a bit disappointed at the lack of DOW, the alternative version of Now. I had the same thing with Come on the Come album.

And I guess the moral of the story, which i will never adhere to, is don't buy boots. Fat chance.

On this subject though, i always look forward to the new album. Think i only got more excited back in the late 80s because i was younger and had to save up my pocket money to buy an album.

DavidEye said:

What you need is a downgrade. Throw away that speedy broadband or DSL connection. Buy an old 56k modem. When it takes over an hour to download a 3 minute mp3, and you're paying per-second billing, even Prince isn't worth the cost.

Haystack said:

Cloudbuster said:

Cloudbuster said:

Oh, you're just a hater! Your journey with Prince is over. Maybe it's time to leave and let the rest of us true fans carry on with our trip. Personally, I'm in this for life and I don't care what anybody else says. Maybe TRC didn't enlighten you like it did me, in fact it took me into the realm of Dungeons and Dragons!

Carry on living in the past and listen to your SOTT CDs LOL.