This can be a good album. Simply delete Wedding Feast as soon as you buy the album (it is inevitable, get it over with early) and learn to enjoy the words for their sound and rhythm rather than their (misguided but well intentioned) religious posturing. The Everlasting Now is Prince's best song of this century and there are some really new and interesting melodies in there (e.g. Everywhere) which are not to be missed.
[This message was edited Sun May 23 7:04:55 2004 by MrGeorge]

LAProducer said:

Let me go back and put this in perspective. I became a fan of Prince's in 1991. So I followed his career through the NPS debacle and thats when I gave up on Prince. So from 1998-2004 I wasnt into Prince. I knew nothing about what he was doing, didnt try to find out. Nothing. I knoew nothing of what was going on. So I was in WalMart in Jan of this yr and I see TRC CD there and I loved the cover so I bought it on a whim with no expectations. NOTHING. So I played it and I was AWED! KNOCKED TO THE FLOOR! I was like the REAL Prince is back! The level of the music was AWESOME. It reminded me of way back in 1992 when I heard SIGN O THE TIMES for the first time. It was an awesome experience. "Family Name" is a GEM! A lot of people cant get beyond the Darth Vader voice and the spirituality of the CD but its a trip. I love the CD! And that CD is what brought me back to Prince.

On the first listen i thought "what the hell?" I guess I was expecting more of the old prince sound. However the more I listened the more I realized the album is great as a complete album. I don't think you can just pop in the cd and skip to the "hits" because I believe you have to be able to listen to it collectively. THe whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
And i think the only think worse than having the darth vader voice would be to use someone like kirstie ally and her horrible raspy voice.

When I first listened to this record, a couple of things happened:

1. The ending of the track one blew my brains away... the instrumental was so phat and scary.

2. Everywhere, it's bass solo and Prince's ending vocal, brought tears to my eyes. I was most impressed by how well he did Gospel music.

3. The Middle portion of Last December is, from a musicians stand point, is brilliant.

4. Mellow is so sick... The Horns and Flutes are amazing!!

I LOVE The Rainbow Children. I put it on at night when I'm ready to go to sleep. It puts you in a trance-like state! I think it's great, and "Last December" is one of my favorite Prince songs.

TRC is like two albums in one for me.

Most of the first half is the material I can't stand.

Rainbow Children
Muse
Everywhere
Mellow

So with the exception of Digital Garden and Sensual Everafter, the first half is just WAY too mellow sounding. The Work is also just pure outdated JB trash.

The second half though? Sheer brilliance, some of the best work he's ever done imo.

So, TRC is just uneven for me. Too bad though, cause the second half is just WOW!

I think the story of TRC is really interesting too, really engaging. The Darth voice is effective too as a narrator, it gives the album this euphoric out of this world feel. Does get irritating as hell in the opening song though, which sucked to begin with.
[This message was edited Sun May 23 11:17:25 2004 by PurpleKnight]

LAProducer said:

See what you think of it 6 months from now.

Personally, I see it as Lovesexy 2001.

It was Prince creating an album that reflected where he was spiritually at that time, with no outside influences from anybody else. When Prince creates music to his own personal taste, not caring how anybody else will perceive it, that's when Prince creates his best music.

Drink a couple of red wines (or whatever), stick TRC on the headphones and let it take you on a journey. Don't look too deeply into the lyrics, or else you might find something that grates. Likewise, if you look too deeply into the lyrics of Sister, Head, or Lady Cab Driver you might find something not too pleasant.

It's one Prince album that you really feel has come from his heart as an artist, whether you're of a religious bent or not (and I most certainly am not - although I am bent!). I'm not a 'fam' by any means, but I do love this CD.

Then again, you might find it to be boring, long-winded, jazz-influenced pap. And there's nothing wrong with that. I personally find Sign O The Times dull, despite others telling me that being a Prince fan, I should love it. Being a Prince fan doesn't mean that you have to like every single song he's put out.

One thing I will say though, The Work is pretty uninspiring.

My initial reaction to TRC:
My reaction now: Merely okay. I've tried to give it a chance, but it just doesn't do it for me.

Haystack said:

Thankyouverymuch. All the complaining about that aspect is about the specific religious adherence in his life and the stigma that some people attach to the Jehova Witness religion to begin with. He's forced illicit sex and Christianity down listener's throats long before he followed the Jehova Witness faith and nobody whined about it. Pick your poison; with Prince's music he is probably going to force something on a segment of his whining audience that they don't want to hear - IF forcing is how one sees it. His convictions on wax (or on cd for that matter) are no more forcibly done TODAY than any other recording artist's convictions ever before. Some just don't dig the subject NOW.

For me, I could almost boil down to its essence why I adore TRC: the drumming of John Blackwell.

There are just some ferocious beats on this album...and they're all so live-sounding and organic (with a rare few exceptions)...I've said before and will again, there has been no Prince album to date with better drumming on it than TRC. Now the fact that I also think Prince's guitar work is brilliant as well (sorry, but his guitar work on the title track is head-shakingly fierce, especially there at the end during the instrumental part...and "Family Name" just tears up the guitar, too), and that the melodies and song structures are given more freedom...not to mention the crystal clear production values (half the time I felt like I was sitting in the studio listening to this thing live)...and I have tons of reasons to love TRC.

Byron said:

I agree that the druming is excellent, but good musicianship is no substitute for good songwriting, this CD really falls flat to me, after listening to it for a few days i'm afraid it's going to take it's place on my shelf next to the other sub par prince releases...i.e. Come

[quote]"Many I'm sure find classical music, citizen kane, and 2001 boring. That says more about their taste than it does about the art"


LOL, Please don't compare Citizen Kane & 2001 to the Rainbow Children, lol

those are two of my favorite movies!

Say you like it, and ill respect that, lol but don't degrade those two movies by comparing them to that.... thing!

Byron said:

Exactly!! TRC is definitely a GEM!!

My initial reaction was.....




But after 3 months,.....

Now that Prince censures his own music, I'd like to have an edited version of The Rainbowe Children album, so we could enjoy the music without its religiouse references.

...Camillo don't bother me...I TRC from beginning to end, from the very first time I heard it!
[This message was edited Mon May 24 20:59:38 2004 by Starmist7]

I liked it to begin with... say, the first coupla times I listened to it. These days I think it's dreadful.

Supernova said:

A truly great, honest post. Right on.

blackboab said:

Yeah, I don't think anyone isn't aware it's supposed to be a joke...it's still a really BAD joke. Awful, awful song. Horrible, insipid lyrics.

Ugh.

Didn't like it on my first listen. Gave it a bunch of chances. Still don't like it.

But...

Really dug it when I heard him perform alot of the songs live in concert. So, I can listen to the live performances on ONA live, but TRC itself still doesn't do it for me.

For me it his best album and as much as I love Musicology, it pales into insignificance next to the Rainbow Children. Certainly the subject matter can be off putting, but how much of that is down to peoples prejudices of JW's? The vast majority of the lyrics can be applied to any branch of christianity.

The musicianship is superb, some of Prince's best guitar work released to the general public can be heard on this recording. John Blackwells drumming has already been praised as it should be. Haven't read much here about Rhonda's bass playing, but one of the main images burned in my mind from the ONA tour is that of Rhonda relentlessly plugging away at the bass on The Rainbow Children itself, I love that track.

The only problem that I have with the CD is the first part of family name, I find that the computer voice really grates. Darth Vader doesn't bother me and the Wedding Feast doesn't fill me with laughter or dread but that computer voice babbling on about black.white this/that really annoys and is now edited out of the CD that is a permanent fixture in my cars CD changer. It is a shame really because if you listen past it, there is some great little licks being played and I would love a version that was instrumental and started vocals at the, "end of part one" bit.

The first time I listened to it was after downloading it from the club. It took ages and the downloaded finally completed at 2am, I was tired but really wanted to hear the new album. I burnt it to CD, took it downstairs and played it. The voice I had read about commenced the album and yes I thought it sounded a bit odd, but then the music started a nice intro and then into that fine bass line, I was hooked.

The title track builds and builds, then just when you think it's over, up pops that fine instrumental ending and wow. Muse 2 the Pharaoh was a nice mellow follow on, then Digital Garden is like nothing I had heard before, not the greatest thing I had heard but just wildly different.

I don't know why The Work gets such a kicking, it's a funky little number and probably one of the most traditionally catchy tracks on the album. To be fair, it, along with She Loves Me 4 Me, are the two tracks that reveal less on subsequent listens than the others on this album, but by no means bad tracks.

Everywhere is a joyous outpouring from the heart and The Sensual Everafter is beautiful. Deconstruction doesn't do a lot, but a lovely little bit of guitar at the end.

Now... I can understand why the wedding feast gets a kicking but it just makes me laugh, especially when I think about how much it winds people up, it really is just silly.

She Loves Me 4 Me I really liked on the first listen, a simple little love song, the kind he does in his sleep. The beauty of it is that he has kept it simple and not gone over the top on the production.

Family name part one, I have already covered, but after that the album really picks up the funk, grabs it by the scruff of the neck and doesn't let go until the end. Yes, the lyrics of Family Name have sparked some controversy, but when has there been a Prince album that hasn't?

The Everlasting Now is one of the major highlights, along with the title and closing tracks. Fine drumming, fine guitar and a great pounding bass.

Finally, The Last December. Loved it on first listen and love it still. Again it demonstrates some superb guitar and drum work. One of the best closers on any Prince album and certainly up there with Purple Rain and Gold in my top three favourite final tracks.

Obviously some of you don't agree with my feelings on this album, but isn't that the beauty of Prince? There truly is something for everyone, his worst is better than most peoples best and in a poll of favourite albums, most peoples top 5's, woud look different. There are some that you could say would definately figure, Sign O' The Times maybe? 1999? Purple Rain? Not true though, Haystack has already posted that he finds Sign O' The Times dull and I have seen posts before from people that can take or leave Purple Rain. For me, 1999 is way down the list, as is Dirty Mind, (sorry Dansa).