And I’m not just talking about when P sang dirty and made brave, crazy-mad music. I’m talking about the magic that is anticipation. Stay with me…

The year is 1987. Under The Cherry Moon is out of theaters. Parade has been played and played (and we all like it). What’s that funky brotha gon’ do next, we wonder? And then, he drops the masterpiece of masterpieces, Sign “O” The Times. Perhaps some of you were privy to the track list or the songs themselves before the album’s release. Besides hearing the title track on the radio, I was in the dark when SOTT came out. I was speechless. I was in 7th grade, and even then I knew that this album was something rare and special.

What am I getting at anyway? Let’s say SOTT was being released this spring. Some of us will be expecting “Dream Factory” in all its glory. Some of us will be crossing our fingers in hopes that “Crucial” will be on there. Some of us have heard an alt version of “Housequake” and since it’s the only version we know, it’s the one expect to appear on the album. Aren’t we just setting ourselves up for disappointment?

I really liked TGE when it came out, but I had already heard all but 1 song from it, and spent the majority of my first time listening thinking, “What happened to ‘Interactive’?”

What I took far too much time to say here is this - not only do I miss the experimentation and energy I used to find in P’s music (“Musicology” notwithstanding, I think it’s a good tune), but I miss the excitement of hearing an album for the first time. Remember when new music actually meant new music? Remember seeing a list of song titles you didn’t recognize, reading lyrics you’ve never read, etc.?

Maybe, just maybe, the anticipation makes the album that much more enjoyable…

niiiiice...but for younger & newer fans/friends/freex/geex/fams/whoever like myself, it's kinna hard to imagine all of that. all we can do is look up to ya'll old-skoolers for how it all was. it ain't like that no more.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

It was cool, I remember being at the music shop when they unpacked SOTT from the boxes. The clerk took the first copy and handed it to me saying, "This one is for you, enjoy." The clerk always made sure he set aside the latest Prince album for me. I never asked him to do it for me -- he just did it. I will never forget that time in my life. When I played SOTT for the first time -- I loved it. The first time I heard Musicology -- I loved it.
[This message was edited Thu Mar 4 12:18:13 2004 by slm4m]
[This message was edited Thu Mar 4 12:21:30 2004 by slm4m]

I'll never forget marching home from the wrecka stow with a copy of Parade under my arm, then cracking the shrinkwrap and dropping the needle...I had no idea what I was in for, other than the fact I'd be going on a trip for an odd half-hour or so. I don't know if I'd "vote" for a return to those days - part of the good thing about the past is that it's the past - but it's nice to remember just what an amazing experience a first listen to a Prince record could be. I still dig a lot of the new stuff, but the vibe on impact is a lot more mellow and cerebral than it was when a new Prince album would suck my soul through my bellybutton, bounce it around the room a bit, then cram it back into my body in tact but somewhat blissfully dazed. People change and sensibilities change, not just on the artist's end of the line, but on the listener's behalf as well.

jillybean said:

You're preaching to the choir here, jilly!!

My background is even more remote. I grew up in really remote places in the US, farms and ranches in NE, MN, and WY. I often didn't see a video or hear more than a song or two on the radio. I used to ABSORB the records when I finally got my hands on them. The covers, the lyrics, the music... all of it in one huge feast. It was awesome.

Nowadays not only do people know about the tracks, hear them ahead of time, but many never even see the cover/artwork and if they do its tiny compared to the vinyl... the whole experience has changed.

Music used to be an OBJECT. Something you held, owned and interacted with. Usually a vinyl album with a nice large cover, sometimes a poster, etc. Now its an experience. A computer file. It has no real physicality.

Which is ironic because back in the day (before recording technology) music again was an experience- something you couldn't hold. Odd how things come back to square one, eh?

Oh, one more thing- if people want to anticipate things they don't HAVE to participate in the spoilers. I have lots of friends who refuse to!!

jillybean said:

GET OUTTA HERE! I was in the 7th grade too when SOTT came out. I was
remember the first time I heard the single..It was lunchtime and I went to my locker and put my walkman on. As I was about to chomp away on a burrito...I heard them (KZZP FM...now KIIS in Phoenix, AZ) say "New Prince song next"...10 minutes later the song played and I almost lost the burrito I had just shoveled down my throat. I remember going to the nearby Tower every weekend just hoping to see a poster or something. Everyday my anxiety grew until the album came out. Then I would lock myself in my bedroom and listen to it over and over and over just marveling at the artwork, learning all the lyrics...seeing who played on what song, who mastered it (Bernie Grundman) and who he thanked. I'm all about details.

This was a special time if you were fortunate enough to live through it...every year this anticipation would come and it would just overpower you. I miss that feeling. Very few artists make me feel even half that way anymore. Only a couple come to mind.

All I gotta say is...thank U Prince for making my life so much more enjoyable and cannot wait to see you next month!!!!!

Sign O' the Times mess with your mind hurry B 4 it's 2 late.....

ahhhh - those were the days . . . prince's highly anticipated album releases . . . i too bought Parade on vinyl and brought it home, put the needle down and then New Position came on, and i TOTALLY thought i had a bad copy that skipped!!!!! i had my mom come listen and she said it was just part of the song . . . had i bought a tape or if it had come out of CD i would never have thought that huh?

Besides allowing fans to be cynical, overcritical, armchair music analysts, the internet has ruined the surprise of a "new" album.

skywalker said:

If people on the Internet make you so miserable, why do you keep coming back?

Just curious.

skywalker said:

i was a cynichairarmcritical music geek waaaaay before i knew about the internet. so whatchoo sayin? and what do you mean about ruining a new album, the shit ain't even came out yet.

But we've only heard one song from the album. Even now, there is no Hi-Q copy of "Musicology" on the file-sharing networks. Most of us have seen the video for the single (which was on a TV show anyway) and seen the live performance on the Jay Leno show... Isn't that just like it was in the old days?

In fact - In the old days, more unreleased stuff used to trickle out than it does now. The Vault door is firmly closed.