Props to DMSR for sparking the thought.

For me its:

Jam Of the Year
Right Back Here In your arms
Damned if I do
In this bed I scream
Joint 2 joint
Holy River
Slave
New World
Style
Sleep Around
My Computer
The Love We make

Killer album, killer hits

1) White Mansion
2) In This Bed I Scream
3) Sex In The Summer
4) Soul Santcuary
5) Curious Child
6) Joint 2 Joint
7) Holy River
8 Saviour
9) Face Down
10) Style
11) Sleep Around
12) The Love We Make

This was an easy question for me, since this is the CD I made after getting Emmancipation way back when. I have burned this for MANY friends, they all thought this was the best Prince CD of the 90's. Too bad itthe actual CD was 3 TIMES this long, with a lot of shitty songs as well.

The Human Body
Face Down
Slave
Right Back Here In My Arms
White Mansion
Emale
The Love We Make
Somebody's Somebody
Get Yo Groove On
New World
Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife
Emancipation

Here we go...

1. Jam of the Year
2. Somebody's Somebody
3. White Mansion
4. In This Bed I Scream
5. Sex In the Summer
6. Curious Child
7. Joint 2 Joint
8. Holy River
9. Face Down
10. Sleep Around
11. One of Us
12. The Love We Make

in no particular order:

1. Somebody's Somebody (live studio mix)
2. Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother, Wife
3. Eye Can't Make U Love Me
4. In this Bed I Scream
5. One Kiss at a Time
6. Soul Sanctuary
7. Let's Have a Baby
8. The Human Body
9. Savior
10. Joint 2 Joint
11. Curious Child/Dreamin' About U (could be 1 song w/ segue)
12. My Computer

I still want White Mansion in there somewhere...

01) Jam Of The Year
02) Face Down (with live drums at the very least)
03) Soul Sanctuary
04) Sleep Around
05) Right Back Here In My Arms
06) Somebody's Somebody
07) Curious Child/Dreamin' About U
08) Joint 2 Joint
09) The Holy River
10) One Of Us
11) The Love We Make
(Hidden Track) Goodbye
12) Friend Lover Sister Mother Wife

I'm glad Aaron added "Goodbye". How this song ever got dropped I'll never know.

My Girlfriend thinks its the best song of the whole era.

Emancipation was a killer triple CD set. No need for choosing cuts. Prince has attempted since Lovesexy to get his work to be considered in its entirety. Unfortunately, the unwashed, uneducated masses are mentally incapable of doing this thus you get dumb questions and analyses like this one

If I could pick twelve tracks this is what they would be...sexy!

1.Jam Of the Year
2.Dreaming About U
3.Joint 2 Joint
4.In This Bed Eye Scream
5.Curious Child
6.The Human Body
7.New World
8.The Holy River
9.Somebody's Somebody
10.Face Down
11.White Mansion
12.One of Us

If I had a CD burner I'd make it myself. It's all I dream about. And you? What do you dream about?

in order but these songs:

somebody's somebody
white mansion
I can't make you love me
one kiss at a time
the holy river
the love we make
face down
right back in your arms
betcha by gollie wow
lets have a baby
jam of the year
savior

FACE said:

In many ways, I agree with FACE (often do). But I feel that great artists benefit from careful editing. This seems particularly true for Prince since he is so prolific.

I have read that Prince wanted SOTT to be a 3-disc compilation, but Warner insisted on less, arguing that the public wouldn't buy a 3-disc release. The result was a condensed 2-disc version that sold well. In contrast, Emancipation fared less well, although there were a number of other reasons why, I'm sure.

It's interesting to see the varied responses to the question on this thread. No 2 lists are the same. Even Prince devotees cannot agree on the 12 best from Emancipation, so FACE must be right...It's all good, release it all. I wonder if the question were turned around to read: What 12 songs should have been left OFF Emancipation? Perhaps then the role for editing would emerge.

We're back to that old question regarding Prince - Is it important to his fanbase that he sells a lot of records, or does a true artist have few followers, and total sales are irrelevant.

1. Friend,Lover,Sister,Mother/Wife
2. Holy River
3. Saviour
4. Joint 2 Joint
5. One Kiss At A Time
6. In This Bed Eye Scream
7. Betcha By Golly Wow!
8. Face Down
9. Jam Of The Year
10. Right Back Here In My Arms
11. The Love We Make
12. Emancipation

Or something like that anyway. I like the album as a whole.

thats funny, because made my own emanciaption cd today before i saw this topic! anyway, here is what is on my cd:

1. jam of the year
2. right back here in my arms
3. somebodys somebody
4. betcha by golly wow
5. dameed if eye do
6. eye cant make u love me
7. mr happy
8. the holy river
9. the plan
10. slave
11. new world
12. the human body
13. face down
14. sleep around
15. my computer
16. emancipation

Not one song has featured in everybody's 12 track configuration which tells us that there is no definitive idea about the edited down best tracks, so better all 36 are there to choose from no?

That's exactly it! No one can agree 100% on what to cut! My own favorites have changed too. I've grown to love disc 2 the most, but initially liked 1 and 3 more. "Joint 2 Joint" and "The Holy River" are just awesome tracks. The only Emancipation tracks I don't care much for are "Get Yo Groove On" and "We Gets Up" but they're probably somebody else's favorites. And I still would rather have them than not!

"The Love We Make" is majestic-awesome too!

Can you imagine the EMANCIPATION set with the organic/live sounding production of THE RAINBOW CHILDREN? Whoa! I hope he plays some of these tracks on the new tour.


JACKZILLA!!!

Oooooh! I wanna play!

White Mansion
Damned If I Do
I Can't Make U Love Me
In This Bed I Scream
Curious Child
Dreamin' About U
Joint 2 Joint
Holy River
Saviour
Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother, Wife
New World
The Human Body


Personally, I think Emancipation is already a killer album. It's the first album of his that actually felt 'complete' to me.

I don't agree that Emancipation should be dwindled to a single- I think it would be best served as a double. A double would've been perfect for this. However, in keeping with the thread, I'll take the bait and try to pick 12 faves.

1.Jam of the Year
2.Somebody's Somebody
3.Courtin Time
4.Damned if I Do
5.Sex in the Summer
6.One Kiss at a Time
7.Soul Sanctuary
8.Joint 2 Joint
9.Let's Have a Baby
10.Savior
11.The Human Body
12.Sleep Around

For the 2 disc (preferrable) set, add these 12:

1.Betcha by Golly Wow
2.In this Bed I Scream
3.Curious Child
4.Dreamin about U
5.Slave
6.New World
7.Face Down
8.My Computer
9.The Love We Make
10.Emancipation
11.Journey 2 the Center of Your Heart
12.Goodbye

Ok, so the last two weren't on E, but they were part of those bountiful sessions! This 2 disc set, with a little different track placing would be perfection!

If it had 2 be a single disc...

1. Jam of the Year
2. White Mansion
3. In This Bed Eye Scream
4. One Kiss At A Time
5. Soul Sanctuary
6. Emale
7. Friend, Love, Sister, Mother, Wife
8. My Computer
9. The Holy River
10. One of Us
11. Let's Have a Baby
12. Sex In The Summer
13. Emancipation

1.White Mansion
2.One Kiss At A Time
3.Damned If I Do
4.Somebody's Sombody
5.Courtin' Time
6.The Love We Make
7.One Of Us
8.The Holy River
9.I Can't Make You Love Me
10.Face Down
11.Soul Sanctuary
12.Savior
[This message was edited Thu Feb 21 13:21:55 PST 2002 by automatic]

I think Sign 'O' the Times would've faired well as a triple disc especially since it was his 1st solo release after the break up of the Revolution.

I'm just scanning to make sure that Joint 2 Joint is on everybody's list.

i think emancipation would have been ideal as a double-disc, but if i had to choose 12 joints, then:

jam of the year
new world
soul sanctuary
in this bed eye scream
face down
style
slave
eye can't make you love me
the holy river
my computer
friend,lover,sister,mother/wife
the love we make

This very question led me to believe there will never be consensus anywhere, ever. I just cannot believe people actually putting 'damned if I do' or 'new world' on it.

So I'm glad it's a three disc set, this way we can all our favs. : )

Disc 2 is pretty perfect as I see it.

The only song I would substitute is 'The Plan' for 'The Love We Make'.

1. right back here in my arms
2. somebody's somebody
3. white mansion
4. soul sanctuary
5. curious child
6. dreaming about u
7. joint 2 joint
8. the holy river
9. in this bed i scream
10. new world
11. face down
12. my computer
[This message was edited Sun Mar 17 16:34:36 PST 2002 by tiger2]