musicology is a nice album,all songs are good(except life o the party,nice lyrics
but weak music).
but the rainbow children ismuch better album in a music sence.
problem with musicology is that every song that is there PRINCE
ALREADY DID BEFORE.
H e have better balads,funk and rock songs.
musicology songs are something ,prince can do in his sleep.
musicology song is a revamp of cool by the time.
on the rainbow children album you had music which some of you would call funk,fusion but i would call prince at his best.
it's evident that prince really tried to do something that musicly beat every album before.
whole album is packed with organic sound that he has lacked since the days of dirty mind.
production was raw and great.

every song was great(wedding feast was him showing a sense of humor.)
many of you had problem with the rainbow children lyrics,but with music that great
you can almoust ignore the lyrics.
i don't know ...some people miss the splits.i just want prince to shut up have fun and play guitar.

yeah, TRC is better, but that mellow mellow song is weak, and illusion coma pimp and circustamce kicks the shit out of 1 + 1 + 1 = 3 and everlasting now.

TRC is probably the better Prince album in the sense that there are some almost-classic songs on there, which Musicology doesn't have.


that said, the pomposity, concept, and watered-down funk/jazz leaves a lot to be desired.


Musicology is an album I can imagine putting on and listening to all the way through at any time without screaming at my CD player, ejecting the disc, and throwing it across the room. the same cannot be said for TRC

Musicology will probably be a hit, but it IS Prince by the numbers.

I do think it's ODD that while on Tour, he's stressing the importance of real music, interacting with a band and changing up the music with new arrangements, but a lot of the album is just Prince, his computer, guitars here and there, and songs with interesting lyrics, but straightforward musical patterns that sound like they were put together in a couple of minutes.

togdog said:

Remember that the people that prince is trying 2 reach with this cd is a combo of the kids of 2day and ol'school P fans. TRC is 2 sophisticated a cd 4 the record buyers 2day in the musical sense. Prince will ease the public back in 2 his world. Look at how Santana did it. Santana had 2 do collaborations and more radio friendly songs. That grammy cd was basically Santana lite. Like prince said school is in session and b4 u learn algerbra u have 2 learn basic math so the public is getting basic prince with a hint of chili sauce!

... ... ...

i have been a Prince fan since 1982 and have liked every single album he has put out except Rainbow Children..its his only album i dont listen too on a regular basis..i wonder why i can't get into it like a lot of people on here can

Mazerati said:

'cuz it's the closest he ever got to putting out his own version of "Godspell" or "Jesus Christ Superstar"...nothing wrong with you. Sure, some of the music was interesting, but the lyrics were like the unholy union of Meatloaf, Amy Grant and Professor Griff.

Rainbow Children is not a very fun album. I don't mean that as a slam, I am just saying that Prince has been able to push his beliefs/messages before in a more partyup way (Lovesexy, Graffiti Bridge,etc.) Musicology is a return to fun without sacrificing "real musicianship" and artistic integrity.

I think TRC is a more fascinating album because it's so literal-minded and such an exploration of all the religion Prince was being introduced to at the time. As a piece in the puzzle of his creative biography in progress, I think it's a really interesting piece of work.

Musicology, on the other hand, is far more fun and delicious to me.

argh, i still don't have musicology. so i can't really participate in all these threads about it... but all i can say for TRC is that it's a concept album, a different genre altogether from a regular pop/funk album like musicology, so i don't much see the comparison...

thebanishedone said:

I agree in part. But i don't think that the ballads on TRC are better than those on Musicology. Apart from Last December (which is a quasi-ballad i suppose), they're much weaker i think. Mellow Mellow, She loves me for me, muse to the pharaoh - they're ok - good, solid tracks. But they're not as good as On the couch or Call my name, IMO.

Similarly, Illusion Coma... Life of the party and Musicology - musically i don't think they come anywhere near Family Name, The Everlasting Now, the Work and 1+1+1=3.

They're just different albums. Musicology's an excellent pop album basically (with a bit of idiosyncracy thrown in cos it's prince, of course). TRC's musically much more sophisticated, and lyrically annoying. Ya takes ya picks, ya spins ya records and ya goes to bed.

[b]Rainbow Children is amazing cd, it so fresh. His true artisitic expression of sound is presented in Rainbow Children. If you have a love of jazz then Rainbow Children is the CD.

For example, I played Rainbow Children to a generation of people who came along with Miles Davis, James Brown, coletrane etc, the innovators of american music. They loved the CD.


Musicology is a great cd too, but in almost every track you can hear something that prince has done before in the past 20 year, whereas in Rainbow Children it's completely a "new" sound.


Similar how Prince came out with Parade, that was a new sound for him too.

[/b]

I actually like Musicology better than TRC. They're both shitty, but at least Musicology has 2 descent tracks.

EvilWhiteMale said:

Freudian slip. Even when trying to compliment, the word used has connotations of a slippery slope.

Well said, simply put TRC and the whole ONA Tour / News/ Jazzy stuff was for his hard core whilst this current CD and Tour is without a doubt for the masses. TRC is loved by so many hard core purple heads and proved to many that he could still be creative, controversial and damn funky when he chooses.

TC is just better. less cynical, less wannabe trendy, stronger material, more integrity.

I like both albums, but I think Musicology is far better.

Sure TRC is odd, unique, and different. But that doesn't make it great. As a concept, TRC works.

For songwriting, Musicology creams it (apart from Life O the Party).

Songs Like TRC, Muse and 1+1 are very weak on on the writing side. Its as if the lyrics meant more than the tune.

Songs like Illusion pimp, Mr Man, Million Days and Cinammon Girl has much better structure and melody to them.

The other thing that makes Musicology is that prince relaxes. He has got off his high horse for a while. No slave, no warner, no god, no banished ones. A collection of good tunes.

I like Musicology and TRC both.

TRC is far far better.
musically and lyrically.

and when i say lyrically; i'm not talking about the subject matter but the use of words. it's so damn brilliant.
'take a load off sweetie darling, let me run agenda through your hair'

i also think that if anyone thinks that Musicology is better musically than they should stop buying music and listen to cheezy radio.(not saying i hate it, i love it). If you don't have the paitence for TRC then move on to rave.

They both stand on there own...different in the fact I don't see a need 2 comapre or pick one over the other.....different moods & different concepts.