There is an obvious theme to the album, but it isn't necessarily the concept of educating the masses to the lost art of songcraft... I believe that the theme of the album is about educating the masses to the lost art of PRINCE.

I'm being serious here. I think that each track on the album is representative of a stage in Prince's musical career.

I don't think its any accident that the first track on the album is called Musicology and the last is called Reflection. He is studying and revisiting his own work - not anybody else's.

The album touches on a lot of classic Prince flourishes:

Synth Horns;
Linn Drum Machines;
Whimsical "Wendy & Lisa" type ambles;
Cryptic political statements (like 'Ronnie Talk 2 Russia', 'Sign O' The Times' etc);
Dense jazzy arrangements with pop lyrics.

Its all there. Its a musical salad made up of Prince's past output.

The lyrics are a lot stronger than anything since before Graffiti Bridge. Maybe I don't agree with him on a personal level (such as the "no point in voting" line in 'Dear Mr. Man') but at least he's expressing himself again. He hasn't sounded this alive since Lovesexy.

There are already classic tracks on this album: The title track; "Illusion, Coma Pimp And Circumstance"; "If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life" and "Reflection". They are all as good as anything on Sign O' The Times. I never even liked every track on Sign O'The Times... 'It' and 'U Got The Look' always have me leaping for the skip button.

I even like 'Life O' The Party' - but then, I'm one of the few people who enjoy listening to Newpower Soul.

BinaryJustin said:

co-sign.. exactly what I was thinking.... for me it's the best album since SOTT; I mean "Call my name" alone... it's frieking genious..

'Dear Mr. Man' is as good as anything on "There's A Riot Going On".

I can even listen to 'Cinnamon Girl' now.

BinaryJustin said:

wow,still not heard Musicology but if the majority of the tracks are anything as brilliant as 'It'
or as catchy as 'U got the look' then I'm gonna love the album.

BinaryJustin said:

This is getting scary----I fell the same way. I skip It and U Got The Look too as well etc...

The way I see it, He released Lovesexy. An overtly religious album which was followed directly by Graffitti Bridge, which was really kind of a joint effort so it doesn't really count as a "Prince" album. After that though was Batman. I feel that this album, Musicology, closely mirrors that effort. Not one thing about it was overtly outstanding, however it was a good album overall and a great pop effort. That's What musicology is. There isn't one thing that is really outstanding about, but it just is a great pop effort following some weird religious effort.
No barriers were broken with batman but it was a good if not great album at least. Same with Musicology. Not many musical barriers were broken, but that doesn't detur from thre fact that it is a good album, if not great. Every musical style attempted is an education in that genere.

I thought the Batman album really sucked though.

Aside from Batdance, Scandalous, Vicki Waiting and Electric Chair, not one single song kept my attention.

Boring pop fluff.

Musicology has way more depth in the way it both lightheartedly AND sombrely explores concerns about relationships, government, and society.

Sure, there's pop songs like Cinnamon Girl and outrageously fun songs like Illusion..., but they're not superficial at all.

Musicology's a pop album with powerful lyrical depth.

The songs on it that don't impress me much are the title track cause it lacks a hook, and Life 'O' the Party cause the chorus sounds a bit outdated.

Even those songs are solid to me though.
[This message was edited Sat Apr 10 12:48:56 2004 by PurpleKnight]

BobGeorge999 said:

Dude Batman was released before GB and after Lovesexy..and you havent digested Musicology its only been out for 2 weeks lol. There is a lot happening oin it, you just havent heard them. Lots of outstanding things there. For example , using anothers response:

"There are several THAT moments"
Here they are...
on Illusion Pimp Coma Circumstance when he is sliding the chords to the flangy guitar all angular like.

On Million Days when he hits the chorus bending the guitar notes.

On Cinammon Girl when he twists it with the Joni quirkiness with his synth/guitar/vocals "And we all know how that movie is ending"

On Call my name when everything stops and he says "STOP THE WAR"
to just his harmony vocals. That is such a killer sense of timing.

On If eye was the man in ur life- the way he segues into this song with the intro of the band...and the high end notes on the piano. And his band does like a Gold Experience ala Prince/Michael B type intro. Powerful...

On the couch-When he sings along with the harmony vocals and the horns and then does his own vocal turn.

On What do u want me 2 do-When he takes a bensoneque/prince guitar solo.

Dear Mr Man-The horn stabs ala Family Stonesque with the fuzzed out edgy guitar solo.


This is a 4 star album for mainstream. It succeeds where Rave doesn't because of it's time length and void of guest stars who distracted some of the songs. He leaves a new listener wanting more. And that is how you do an album....when you have been out of the spotlight for 4 years since your Rave period.

But Batman was pre GB lol..now if anything that cd was a throwaway even though some gems yes...Musicology is a consistent solid effort.

.
[This message was edited Sat Apr 10 12:48:58 2004 by SENSHY]

PurpleKnight said:

First I'd like to apoligize for getting the order of the albums wrong.

Batdance Scandalous, Vicki Waiting and Electric Chair is almost Half the album. Thats far from not one single song keeping your attention. As for lyrically, yes it was based off of a movie, but they're were many powerful, moving and personal versus. One being :

Talk of children still frightens me
Is my character enough 2 be
One that deserves a copy made?
This I one day, hope 2 see
Until then she's held at bay

This vesre being one that I think he has finnally reliased more than a decade later.

We all know that the song Musicology is lyrically as deep as they get...right.

psykosoul said:

Ignore me then. Why waste your time?

SENSHY said:

Oohhh, I'm scared.

BobGeorge999 said:

You've totally misunderstood me.

First of all, I didn't say not one single song off Batman kept my attention, I said not one single song aside from that small collection did.

Second, I didn't say the song Musicology is lyrically deep, I said the Musicology album is.

EvilWhiteMale said:

My thoughts exactly when jedi moaster propped u with that quip of "be prepared to get pushed back"...I stated the same thing in quotes a s a mocking getsure to show how stupid it was..and u reply "ohh Im scared." Dude you are so emotionally immature its now qite apparent...as if it hasn't been for the past year.

Which explains the MM fascination

SENSHY said:

You love giving me attention, don't you?

PurpleKnight said:

Plus, he had a #1 album last year.

EvilWhiteMale said:

You don't seem to mind receiving it.

chookalana said:

LOL at all of this. i'd take the truth over musicology any day, or emancipation even. now theres an album with ten times better songwriting than musicology.

Aerogram said:

Kinda flattering I guess. There's no such thing as bad press.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

Damn right. The Love We Make by itself beats the shit out of any track on Musicology.

Love We Make is gorgeous.

PurpleKnight said:

It's a great song. Now seriously, what track on Musicology can even come close to it?

EvilWhiteMale said:

exactly. if you pared emancipation down to a single CD, it would be his best album of the 90s. i dont even know why TGE gets cited as his best 90s album. that honour IMO goes to emancipation or the truth. emancipation had his most consistent and most considered songcraft in years, possibly since SOTT (although i hate that sort of hyperbole). and even at 3cds long, excepting maybe 5 songs, i dont think theres anything thats better on musicology.

musicology is merely rave part deux.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

It really is.

EvilWhiteMale said:

I kinda gett off on mocking you because you make yourself look like an idiot in the long run. I didn't know how sensitive and tender you really were until you orgnoted me all pissed off about something I said to you earlier.

psykosoul said:

yup..sounds like EWM's M.O.

this guy (shakes head)

EvilWhiteMale said:

What was really wrong with Rave?

Do ppl so easily forget that it had one of the most heartwrenchingly sad ballads ever in I Love U But...?

Baby Knows 4/5
Man 'O' War 4/5
Silly Game 3.5/5
Wherever U Go... 4.5/5
Prettyman 3.5/5
Greatest Romance 3.5/5
Tangerine 3.5/5
The Sun, Moon and Stars 4/5
I Love U But... 5/5


That's really not bad. It's a solid 1/2 album to me.

If those few uninspired, forced, plastic sounding songs like Hot Wit U, Undisputed, and Every Day... weren't there, it would've been great.

So yeah, I do think Musicology is a little like Rave, except in a way that shows Prince learned from his mistakes.

Just my opinion.

psykosoul said:

Cuz I'd prefer handling personal issues without an audience. I don't need them for moral support. I can stand on my own. The computer gives people like you balls that I'm sure you'd never have in the real world.

SENSHY said:

I order you to keep responding to my posts and give me attention. Obey me!