What if New Power Soul had been labeled "Outtakes, B-Sides, and Demos" or something like that? Would u have liked it more? If NPS were titled "The Vault II" would it have seemed like a better collection of songs 2 u?

What if Emanicpation had been sold as 1 album consisting of the triple disc's best songs, and followed up sometime later with a double album of "Emancipation Outtakes", would I have liked it more? I think, yes. I remember when Prince's B-sides were often quite superior ("17 Days", "She's Always In My Hair," etc.). Now, however, it seems like some albums (D&P comes to mind) have quite a few 'filler' or 'throw away' tracks on them. Just wondering if these albums had been packaged or promoted differently, what my thoughts might have been...

i think u could b right about the emancipation disc , personally i love it and am very surprised at how much stick it gets on here ! but as i said earlier ur probably right about a 1 disc album with a 2 disc outtakes, as the outakes "become" (great unreleased songs bootleg wise i mean)

im my opinion, if emancipation had had been shelved altogether and then bootlegged it'd b right up there with all the others dream factory and crystall ball etc. , just an opinion.

That's what makes me think Prince's brilliance was just sort of wasted once he left WB.

I don't know how their deal worked exactly, and I won't pretend, but it definitely seems like WB steered his creativity in the right direction, in the sense that they provided him with some sensible focus.

That was missing with Emancipation, and it showed with all the filler tracks unnecessarily included.
[This message was edited Fri Feb 27 6:08:59 2004 by PurpleKnight]

Emancipation was platinum - somebody bought it

There's only six songs on Emancipation that I really don't care for:

We Gets Up
Damned If I Do
Mr Happy
The Human Body
Da Da Da
One Of Us

A few I'm neutral towards:

Right Back Here In My Arms
I Can't Make U Love Me
Emale
The Holy River
La. La, La Means I Love You
Style

The rest is pretty fine.


"is" edit.
[This message was edited Fri Feb 27 8:31:40 2004 by Cloudbuster]

no.

NPGLOVER said:

well...sort of...

it was three discs so each sale will count as 3 discs sold. hence, if the cd sold 333,000 copies it would be certified platinum. it didn't sell anywhere near 1 million copies in reality though.

however, sales do not make a great record. great tracks do. emancipation has about 2 discs worth of really good material and 1 disc worth of classic material. but that's just my opinion.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Apart from Track 1, NPS is a fine album.

How can anyone not like Shoo-Bed-Oh ??? (remind ya'self y the lyrics were written)

xt1000 said:

Umm, 'cuz its a lame song with a pedestrian melody and truly bad lyrics? Yeah, that would be it.

xt1000 said:

I like but tell me, why the lyrics were written? It seems to me that' one of those stories every prince's fan knows (but not me)

jillybean said:

I've always thought that if "NEWPOWER SOUL"'s tracks were sprinkled over "CRYSTAL BALL", or replaced some of CB's lesser trax, they would have come off better.

Sometimes SEQUENCE can make tracks seem worse than they are: take "RAVE UN2 THE JOY FANTASTIC". Most every track is a decent/good song on it's own, but as a SET, it just doesn't hang as a satisfying album.

Imagine "Come On" & "Shoo Bee Doo" replacing "Cloreen Baconskin", or "Mad Sex" replacing "So Dark"- those songs would seem spookier & cooler, like they came from the funky vault of a mad scientist. In the context of the NPS album & sequence-they kind of lose luster. Dig?

I would have liked "Emancipation" better if...

Prince had been more honest on the Oprah Winfrey show to kick off the album's release. Now, keep in mind, this was about the time his baby was near death (if not dead already) and he lied when questioned about the baby's health. Sure he may not have wanted to go on TV and discuss it openly - but at the same time, the Oprah cameras were allowed into Paisley Park, we got a sense that the artist's walls were coming down, and "Emancipation" would be a cure-all for fans and Prince alike. But after seeing the show and knowing what was really happening - I couldn't help but feel like I was played. Like it was all about the hype of the record's release. Not about liberating an artist, fans (including Oprah) into the world of Prince, and hope for the future (including honest interviews and the veil being pulled away).

Instead, Emancipation seemed to flop, the tour was filled with a negative vibe (still angry at the record industry during "Face Down"), and I don't believe he's ever been back on Oprah's show since. If he was to guest on there again, I wonder if she'd ask him, "Why didn't you tell me the truth before?" Anyway - with the death of the baby (which I am sure was not easy on Mayte or him), there are many aspects of Emancipation that seem cryptic and sad now. And what was up with some of those pictures inside?

NPS had a better "meaning" for me because I wasn't set up for disappointment. There wasn't anything to figure out. The songs seemed fresher or more upbeat. And I didn't feel manipulated. I enjoyed the album (and still do) without having to associate it with anything strange or negative.

'Just my thoughts...

I would have liked NPS better if Prince's current band played it!