It's amazing how people with such varied tastes can all join together in the love of Prince music. I absolutely hate Shy. I think it's the worst track on TGE. lol

If I was going to mix TGE/Come tracks I'd have to go with

P Control
Endorphinemachine
Shhh
Space
TMBGITW
Dolphin
Now
319
Solo
I Hate U
Letitgo
Gold

I love this album, I was spinning it the other day. There was rawness and hunger to TGE that is reminiscent to his earlier work. It's loud, angry, sensual and agressive, while keeping a groove that is felt throughout the duration of the songs. The narrator does detract you from the music at times, but it doesn't bog down the album. I actually like Pussy Control, I think it's an excellent tongue and cheek opener. The classics are numerous as well; Endorphinemachine, Shhh, I Hate U, Dolphin, Shy and The Most Beautiful Girl in the World are some of Prince's strongest songs melodically and lyrically. This is the album that REALLY GOT ME INTO Prince. I purchased it on a whim, mainly because of the recommendation of a cashier at the now defunct Blockbuster Music. I had just started my freshman year in college and after listening to this album I researched all of Prince's back catalouge.(Ahh the memories) Michael Bland's solo on Shhh is legendary and John Blackwell has nailed it on the current tour.
[This message was edited Sun May 16 0:09:12 2004 by DorothyParkerWasCool]

homeandmantel said:

Thumbs up for The White Stripes and Queens of the Stone Age,Audioslaves do nothing for me but Dido makes the most dreary bland uninteresting music I have ever heard Princes worst music is head and shoulders above any Dido music.

Personally, I think The Gold Experience ranks as one of Prince's strongest albums. Yes it's
loud and sometimes over the top, but it definitely achieves it's purpose... and that is to
capture the feel of a 'live' band and showcase the musicianship of and the NPG. Every
song has a beginning and an end (nothing just 'fades out'), just like they would when played
live. The album contains some killer guitar playing from Prince and it feels like an album
with a mission, it has purpose and passion (something that has been mostly lacking in Prince's
output since... well, up until The Rainbow Children anyway).

Prince had always wanted to release a triple album, and in my opinion the Gold/Come period
would have been the perfect time to do this. It was Prince's most prolific and consistently
good period of songwriting since the time of Dream Factory/Crystal Ball/Sign O' The Times.
Imagine a 3CD set consisting of tracks from The Gold Experience, Come, Chaos and Disorder
and others that ended up on Crystal Ball? Now that would have been a killer set!

As it stands, The Gold Experience showcases the 'live band' style material from this period,
while Come showcases the 'solo Prince' material. Up until their release, many tracks swapped
between the two projects until the final tracklists were locked. If it hadn't been for the fall-out
between Prince and WB, I think it's highly likely that The Gold Experience and Come (as
albums) would not exist, and we would have had a triple album entitled 'The Dawn' instead
(as this was the original idea when Prince started the project).

I love the album, its more hard rock than anything P ever did before, which makes it stand out. One of his best albums for me because of the different sound that P created for it and also because it has 'I Hate U' on it, that song is the f00king bomb can't get enough of it.

TheBluePrince said:

Yeah, I could not have put it better myself; I just love his guitar work on this album.

It's the last cd I really cared about.
I feel the opposite about lovesexy,and most prince fans love that album.

319 has a groove to it.

All I've heard wuz "I Hate U"(Extended Remix) & "Gold".

I was never fond of this album...along with C&D, this is the album I listen to the least....

homeandmantel said:

The expected evasiveness.

BorisFishpaw said:

Definite co-sign on this one. How does an album sound like he put so much creative effort into it and yet sound so effortless at the same time? That's the Gold Experience and pretty much every LP that is "classic" Prince. IMO, every album beginning with Emancipation and ending with Rave sounded like very little effort went into making the album and somehow they all ended up sounding like he was trying too hard. As a result, that bulk of that material ended up sounding overproduced. I know that probably doesn't make sense but it does.

I Love the Gold Experience album are ya kidding me? Dolphin is my favorite off of this album.

Mazerati said:

i agree with you, i love The Gold Experience and hate TRC.

Oh you've got give it listen theres a number of great tracks and the album version of 'I Hate U' is much better imo.

Well, in order to fully understand the immense appeal to this album, you need to have lived
through the times from it's inception to it's final release and all the stages inbetween.

It was a magical time to be a Prince fan back then. His fight with Warners was just stirring
up and it was pretty much unclear to anyone what his next move would be or where he was
heading musically at the time.

I mean, Prince had proclaimed to quit Recorded Music for good just a few months before
the first new tracks started leaking.

Then there was the mysterious DAT-tape sent to dutch radiostations containing 8 brand new
songs. Some of them ended up on come and one or two ended up on GOLD.

After that, tracks started leaking to radiostations all over the place. New music was coming
out at an alarming rate, yet none of it on an official new Prince album.

Then talk of the GOLD experience began. The album went through many changes and most
of the songs were remixed several times before it was finally released.

Most of the songs were played live at the GOLD tour, where he played all new material and
just two or three old 'coversongs by a guy named Prince'.

Paired with Come, this album represents one of the most exhilerating and bizarre stages in
Prince's career. A notorious midlife crisis paired with a more vibrant and heavy style of songs
than he'd ever done before. He roared with new life and at that stage seemed to have come
to the decision that the guitar was his 1st and 4most instrument.

I don't know, it was just a magical time. There were so many projects and Prince was on
such a weird high that it stands out as one of the most excentric era's in his already pretty
unconventional career. Performing in snowboots with scarves wrapped around his head
under the guises of 0(+>, Tora Tora etc etc.

The Glam Slam Ulysses kind of kick-started it all and from there it went through Come,
Exodus, The Undertaker, Madhouse 24 II, 1-800-New-FUNK, The Love4OneAnother special,
The Beautiful Experience and it's namesake Specials.

It was a buzz, a whirlwind that roared just outside the mainstreem. He'd just had his biggest
hit in 15 years and somehow it all got lost in the wash. But boy was that a good time to be
a Prince fan. Damn.

Good album but very overrated.

I totally agree: u had to live tru this time period 1993-96 to fully appreciate Come, TGE and C&D (and the later released tracks on CB from this time).

My favorite time as a Prince fan.

TGE is one if his best albums. As lots of u have said swap P Control and We March for Days of Wild and Acknowledge me (or Interactive/Ripopgodazippa) and had the original version of Endorphinmachine been included it could have been his best. Maybe?

I still find it strange that Empty Room never found it's way onto any album in this period especially as Same December and Zannalee were released. Ever since the 1995 tour I've always associated these fine songs together.

TGE was the last great album Prince made, until, that is, TRC.

TGE is my favourite album and the one which got me into P. BTW where can i get Days of Wild iv never hear it before

IstenSzek said:

I agree with every word and couldn't have articulated it better myself.


.

In reply TGE doesn't facinate me at all and never did. Beautiful Girl and Dolphin were great singles in a big spangly pop kind of way but the much of the remainder really gives me no pleasure. It was a good solid commercial release that was unfortunately buggered by all the record company shit going on back then and yet I have trouble listening to it. I love SHY but overall i find the record over-produced (would never play it to a grunge fan!!!) and calculated. It seems to have been recorded in the same spirit as Musicology 'a pop record' as the man says, but i prefer the latter as it seems less desperate to please. And as for TRC? Personally I think it is the best release outside of the 1980 - 1988 period.

All I have to say is, "Close your eyyyyes...Im gonna cover yo' ass with this sheet..."

DigitalGardin said:

It's not like it's our fault that the album does nothing for you.

"The Gold Experience [Warner Bros./NPG, 1995]
After two or three plays, convinced that "P Control" and "Endorphinmachine" slam harder than any hip hop I've heard in years, I shrugged and recalled that, after all, I already knew he was the most gifted recording artist of the era. But this album documents more than professional genius rampant--all of them do that. This album is a renewal. It's as sex-obsessed as ever, only with more juice--"Shhh" and "319" especially pack the kind of porno jolt sexy music rarely gets near and hard music never does. And you'd best believe "Shhh" and 319" are hard--not for years has the auteur (as opposed to some hired gat) sounded so black, and not for years has the guitarist sounded so rock. As for the ballads, they suffer only by their failure to dominate. One of them has already stormed the radio--and another, good for him, takes too many risks to follow. A"

Robert Christgau.

Novabreaker said:

I absolutely love The Gold Experience. It's just good, a whole package that makes me happy. I have borrowed it from the library, but I will buy it for myself. There's not one song I disike.
P Control ---is funky and loud
Endorphinmachine ---or "Coffee Machine" like I firsat heard it is a fun song
Shh ---is wonderful! Amazing!
We March ---is again loud and motivated
The Most Beautiful Girl In The World ---is pure genious. And since I only ever heard the Single version this album version seem to me to be fresh and exiting
Dolphin ---is beautiful! I love it so much!
Now ---energetic!
319 ---now this is my kind of part song!
Shy ---it just seduces!
Billy Jack Bitch ---loud, cool, raw
I hate U ---Pure genious! I fell in love with this. There are so many aspects of this I can't even explain it all...
Gold ---really good finish that makes me start it over!

There are my thoughts. They are just mine.
BTW, I dislike The Rainbow Children.
Sirah

I think the Gold Experience was the missing link to all the funk we have not heard on the past previous 90 releases. That was the last album he did that actually had a #1 song on it.