well, i have a question... I m not crazy about pop songs and i m a bit allergic to syrupy ballads. I prefer instrumental parts, jazz and funky stuffs... To me the rainbow children was just PERFECT. Am i going to like Musicology ?

I know all you orgers are probably tired of these threads but I had to make a comment.
First I was seriously fearing the worst after reading numerous comments about this cd. Also I've been down with P since 1985. The Golden years. ATWIAD, Parade, SOTT, Lovesexy, Black Album. I've Been there, Even tried to convince myself, and others, that every release after that was great. Well some were most not. And at the time of Rave I thought that was good. Now I think it is one of his worst. To the present.
TRC blew me away! Still does. Love it! NEWS and ONA still loving them! I think P is on a serious roll since TRC.
Musicology. Just listened last night. First impression. Brilliant! Why? To my ears it is a serious return to form in the sense that it reminds me of his first couple of cds. Not musically but his approach. Just P writing, performing great songs . Stripped down. Raw. And the songs are great. No massive overproduction. No pandering to styles. (mostly). Just a great artist writing great songs. Simple and yet still progressive. Old but still new. IMO it's exactly what I wanted and needed to hear after TRC, NEWS, CNOTE, ect.
Final thought. Any "true" P followers who haven't heard Musicology and are a bit concearned don't be. It is a seriously GREAT cd. In time it will be seen as a classic as well.

Raskolnikov said:

Propably not.

calldapplwondery83 said:

Agreed. If that is what you are looking for this is not it. Remember Prince does not stay in one place too long. I hear elements of Sign 'o' the times (the song), I could never take the place of your man, Adore, Ballad of Dorothy Parker. It is MILES away from TRC. Polar opposites. I've read before where it's like Rave. Only in the sense that where Rave failed Musicology succeeds.

Bfunkthe1 said:

I'm so glad people are liking it. I came home from the simulcast, put it on, and immediately banged out an admittedly over-gushing review. But still, after nearly a week, I think it's a great record. It's a real grower---the rock ballads have even grown on me a bit. I still don't think it's going to be a big hit, but despite it's pop-ness, it feels like a real CD from the heart to me.

It is MILES away from TRC. Polar opposites. I've read before where it's like Rave. Only in the sense that where Rave failed Musicology succeeds.

I love MUSICOLOGY as well, I just hope the April 20th release gives us longer versions & more songs. I agree with most of what Bfunkthe1 said except I'm not down with the RAVE hateration deal a lot of fans keep posting here. I'll admit there are 3 or 4 joint on RAVE I cannot stand, but thats true of a lot of albums.

I know all you orgers are probably tired of these threads but I had to make a comment.
First I was seriously fearing the worst after reading numerous comments about this cd. Also I've been down with P since 1985. The Golden years. ATWIAD, Parade, SOTT, Lovesexy, Black Album. I've Been there, Even tried to convince myself, and others, that every release after that was great. Well some were most not. And at the time of Rave I thought that was good. Now I think it is one of his worst. To the present.
TRC blew me away! Still does. Love it! NEWS and ONA still loving them! I think P is on a serious roll since TRC.
Musicology. Just listened last night. First impression. Brilliant! Why? To my ears it is a serious return to form in the sense that it reminds me of his first couple of cds. Not musically but his approach. Just P writing, performing great songs . Stripped down. Raw. And the songs are great. No massive overproduction. No pandering to styles. (mostly). Just a great artist writing great songs. Simple and yet still progressive. Old but still new. IMO it's exactly what I wanted and needed to hear after TRC, NEWS, CNOTE, ect.
Final thought. Any "true" P followers who haven't heard Musicology and are a bit concearned don't be. It is a seriously GREAT cd. In time it will be seen as a classic as well.

I love MUSICOLOGY as well, I just hope the April 20th release gives us longer versions & more songs. I agree with most of what Bfunkthe1 said except I'm not down with the RAVE hateration deal a lot of fans keep posting here. I'll admit there are 3 or 4 joint on RAVE I cannot stand, but thats true of a lot of albums.

3NineteeN04 said:

I don't mean to sound like I'm hatin' on Rave I just think in the scheme of things it's not one of his best. But like someone else said there are a couple of great tunes on it. This may sound crazy to some but I don't have Rave in2..nor have I heard it. Altough what I've read about it leaves me to believe I would like it a lot. I have the song Beautiful Strange and I love that. I'd really like to hear the remix of Rave as I always thought that song had so much potential.


purplecam you're welcome.

I m not crazy about pop songs and i m a bit allergic to syrupy ballads. I prefer instrumental parts, jazz and funky stuffs.

Have to disagree I'm afraid - like many people i was ecstatic when I heard TRC and still love it more than any prince release since the late eighties. And yes I do hate Rave - think it is a terrible Prince album comparitively speaking. And so was really hoping to love Musicology - currently on my third listen so this might change, but not particularly impressed.

What I missed from his music in the nineties was that feeling i used to get with every new album of 'what the hell is he doing now' and then I'd move with him and it would all make sense and my expectations would broaden each time this happened. During the nineties I was never suprised, just dissapointed by his chasing trends and the lazy but calculated nature of the music. That old feeling returned with TRC and I've enjoyed the build up to Musicology and really hope it does well, but when I listened to it I was hearing elements of Chaos, Gold,The Vault, Emancipation, NPS, and Rave.

The first two tracks are quite cool - we all know Prince can do this funky stuff in his sleep, then Million Days opens really well before getting all pompous (think 3 chains, and stg off Chaos). Then Life o' The Party - sorry, but hate this one most of all, very NPS. Call My Name is lovely! A nice ballad in the vein of the best stuff on the Vault (but nowhere near as good as 5 Women). Cinnamon Girl - an attempt at a pop song. A silly song like Dolphin's aborted sibling (an I love pop). A slice of decent standard R and B follows with What Do U Want...? that would have got happily lost on Emancipation. For Marrying Kind see Million Days above. If I Was The Man... is more of the same just without the nice beginning. On The Couch is the next installment in the Do Me... Adore... series, but it's not as good and the vocals don't really soar as they do on the best of his ballads. Mr Man is very cool. Good lyrics, a nice hook, laid back (read not trying too hard finally) and with a nice vocal. Reflections which I was really looking forward to is utterly forgettable and then it's over.

I know there are folks on here who love the nineties stuff and that's cool - you'll probably love this album - I'm sure it'll 'get ur groove on', and I envy u. For those that didn't really dig those albums alongside his earlier output, u may well prefer this album to Rave, NPS etc - I do, but there is nothing on here that will surprise u, amaze u, challenge u, sadden u, lift u or turn u on. Don't u miss the feeling music gave u back in the day?
[This message was edited Sun Apr 4 3:58:32 2004 by vivid]

vivid said:

Wow did we listen to the same CD lol? I know everybody is entitled to their own opinion but wow u sound so jaded in your accessment. Maybe u need to take a long break from prince maybe even a permanent one. U seem to longer be able listen to Prince. Instead u are to busy trying to find how the current sounds like the past. A song like on the couch sounds absolutely nothing like adore or do me baby. Let me repeat that again nothing. The only similarity is they are all ballads. "on the coach" is very al green and blues very new sound for prince. Reflections is forgettable? huh? What do u want me to do is no where near being standard R & B. Do u actually listen to R & B? There is nothing like that song on the radio. Cinnimon girl is an attempt at a pop song? It is a pop song and the lyric is quite serious far from silly. Maybe u need prince rehap I don't think Prince can get u "high" again.

YEAH, Musicology is like Prince's Sgt. Peppard!

fauxnewbie said:

Strike that. I bumped my head again and everything is fine now.

'Twas fun for a while. The life of a fam. Surrounded by banality once again.