why is there so many people always doggin on NPS and Rave? and that whole period in general?

There's the songs C'mon, the C'mon remix (damn this thing is so gooood), Undisputed $apolis mix, Strange but True, Beautiful Strange, Sun Moon, and Stars, and The Greatest Romance, with its great remixes. And then there's Hot with U, (this ain't fun at least?!) and there is So Far so Pleased, which I always thought was a good pop song.

and i even like Wherever U Go dammit.

And I happen to find NPS pretty damn funky all the way thru. It is what it is, and it is that very well.

It is true that as records they were rather mishandled. but i think they cover a lot of ground musically, experimentally, and show growth in terms of prince's musical development.

people are always raggin' on the collaboration factor in Rave. But really, Gwen, Ani, and Crow are practically drowned out of the whole thing. They don't really seem to contribute at all, or at least in any way that detracts, or diminishes the songs.

And all the live shows (esp. at pp) during this whole period were damn funky and furious, (only true of course when they weren't playing everyday people, or i wanna take you higher).

so i wanna know, where's all the defenders at?!!

HiinEnkelte said:

You know what? I really like Rave. Between the normal release and the special edition there is one great album there if you select the right tracks from each, imo. I have no complaints with this project.

NPS is a more shaky affair, however. I like NPS, Mad Sex, Come On and love The One. Even Freaks On This Side when I'm in the mood... but the rest of the tracks are really average or substandard imo.

Overall, I had no great problem with P's releases until I got to the TRC-News era.

With Musicology, I'm back on track however - or he is!

Yeah, sorry, they're pretty lousy, especially in retrospect, with a damn fine P album coming out of my speakers right now.

Well, as long as SOMEone likes em, they're not a complete waste of space and time.

After TRC, Rave and NPS are distant, underwhelming memories. Rave had a few good songs, but other than that it's not one of Prince's unique albums. He was mainly punching the clock.
[This message was edited Tue Mar 30 19:15:32 2004 by Supernova]

Supernova said:

yeah what she said...

I think Rave In2 is freakin' sublime. Why it was released as a sleepy little fan club offering and Rave Un2 was the official version is beyond me.

Yeah, there were parts of NPS I really dug, but I've been afraid to come out of the "New Power Soul closet" around here! There were a lot of mediocre tracks, mostly the 'party jams' like "I Like Funky Music," "Freaks On This Side," "Push It Up," etc. But I always liked one of the most hated tracks, "Shoo-Bed-Ooh." I love the moody bassline and the "White Mansion" style keyboards. And I think "Wasted Kisses" was absolutely one of his best 90s songs. It seemed to really capture the cool essence and uniqueness of his 80's work without sounding derivative. An awesome, underrated track. So I can't say NPS was a great album; it was too uneven and the low points were some of the lowest of his career (just above Tony M.). But I think some of the tracks were much better than they're given credit for. And while I may appreciate N.E.W.S., I know I'd rather listen to New Power Soul any day of the week.

'Rave,' well, it was a good pop record with some catchy tracks, but there was nothing all that interesting about it to me. I think overall it worked better as a complete album than NPS, but there didn't seem to be any songs drawing me back to it. If I put it on I can get into it, I just never seem to want to put it on.

I don't dislike these albums, but I have 2 admit I almost never really listen 2 them. Aside from a few especially funky or soulful cuts and a couple of nice slow jams, they really feel sort of uninspired 2 me.

I really don't like either of those. But it seems as on this album he has taken elements from all of those including TRC and made this album. And this one I love.

I really don't like either of those. But it seems as on this album he has taken elements from all of those including TRC and made this album. And this one I love.

I agree completely those two albums were incredible.
I almost got laughed at whe I said I liked NPS at a concert in Houston.
Like he says " It is another Jam of the Year, you think it ain't , but it is"

HiinEnkelte said:

i'm not too big on NPS, but i dig rave... i think both albums could've benifited from better production... the songs on NPS are a bit more uneven, but you'd be surprised how much better the right production can make a bad song sound... ...

NPS - Great tunes

- The One
- Come on
- Wasted Kisses

Rave - Great tunes

- Greatest Romance
- Baby knows
- I love u but...
- Wherever u go...
- Pretty man

I'm not so keen on the others. These are probably my least favourite Prince albums (not including Kama Sutra or Xpectation which i've convinced myself aren't 'albums' at all) - tho i've got more time for Rave.


[This message was edited Wed Mar 31 5:24:10 2004 by TheFrog]

I like the majority of the tracks on 'Rave', but I still think it's one of Prince's weakest albums of the 90's. 'Rave In2' is a slight improvement, mainly 'cause of the inclusion of beautiful strange.

NPS has a handful of excellent songs too (the one, wasted kisses etc.) but unlike 'rave' the good doesn't really out-weigh the bad on the album.

Anyway...tracks I dig:

Rave -
Title track
Greatest Romance
Tangerine
So Far, So Pleased (to a certain extent)
Sun, Moon & Stars
Man 'O' War
I Love U But...
Baby Knows
Strange But True
Pretty Man

NPS -
Mad Sex
Come On
The One
Wasted Kisses.

can't-spell-for-shit - edit
[This message was edited Wed Mar 31 5:26:26 2004 by r1ghteousone]

HiinEnkelte said:

Here's a defender right here. I love both albums, especially NPS. It is a funky album straight thru. And this is pretty much the only time Prince did a "Funk" album. Usually his albums have a mix. So, you're not the only one. Don't let these people get under your skin. I think it's fashionable around here to knock his 90s stufff. I guess it makes them feel like real fans to say they were around during the 80s stuff.

Also, if you are into funk, the way it was conceived by the likes of Parliment/Funkadelic, you gotta love "Freaks on this side". I mean, the hornz or killer.
[This message was edited Wed Mar 31 5:32:26 2004 by wyld1]

thanks y'all. some really good points.

thanks y'all. some really good points and comments.

Rave was a weak album, but it wasn't the worst thing he had done. I think the reaction was so strong because of how utterly terrible NPS was. People were hoping for some redemtion from such an awful excuse for an album. Sorry to all the folks who love it, but it really is sub-standard. So far beneath Prince's abilities on the whole. Now, if P had waited, saved up the best songs from that album and the two Rave editions, then it really could've been a decent project.

Thing is, when you hear crap like "Push It Up" or "Man O' War", you really can't help but think that the guy has done 1000 times better over and over. Prince is a master musician, and he just wasn't putting in effort into his music. With so many great songs in his vault, there is almost no excuse for giving us garbage.

...I like Man'O'War....


...the Rave In2 version, anyway...

JediMaster said:

Yup.

I think in the end it was okay to get "Rave", "NPS", because we eventually got "TRC", "ONAL", "NEWS", and from what I hear, "Musicology".



The ok thing with a bad Prince cd is you know they'll be another album in a year. He's a machine. If you don't like "Rave" you have 30+ other albums to grab.

"Rave" and "NPS" are LIMP. If he followed those 2 cd's with ANOTHER 6 "Rave"'s or "NPS"'s, I doubt he'd have any fans left.

LIMP!

Anxiety said:

Anxiety said:

... i hate the in2 version, but the original version is one of my favorite prince songs...