Actually (didn't realize we were discussing Rave UN ), I do listen to the Man 'O War remix, at least I used to quite a bit. Pretty Man is cool too...

I'm not a huge Rave fan either, but I'm surprised nobody mentioned Wherever I go, whatever I do. That and Tangerine are my definite 2 rave favorites, Baby knows is like a poor mans Peach or Cream

CalhounSq said:

man, the version of man'o'war on rave IN2 totally flipped the script for me. i LOVE LOVE and ADORE the remixed version, whereas i'd always thought of it as kind of a dreadful dirge on rave UN2. the rave IN2 version is the kinda song you want playing in your car when it's 3am and you're on the last stretch of highway before getting home. nice nice nice.

Better than New Power Soul, Kamasutra, Gold Nigga and ALMOST equal to Graffiti Bridge in my opinion.

mrdespues said:

Graffiti bridge is a real tough one to rate, it's the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. "The question of u" and "joy in repetition" are two of my all time faves, but other than that, there's nothing I really like. just cause of those to songs, I have to put it above rave. So despues, how many stars are rave and graffiti?

The songs on this album are either brilliant or completely terrible - there is no half way inbetween.

Unfortunately, there are only two brilliant songs, "The Sun, Moon and Stars" and "I Love U, Bit I Don't Trust U Anymore".

The rest is utter shit.

However, The Rainbow Children is amazing all the way through.

MrGeorge said:

I can't even think of what the songs you mention sound like, I was going to go back and listen to them till u said the rainbow children is amazing..now i know we just couldn't have more differnt tast in our P faves. As soon as someone says the rainbow children is brilliant, i take anything else they say with a grain of salt

LAProducer said:

Fair enough, maybe my ironic end didn't really come across there!

Having said that.... You've must admit that "The Everlasting Now" is a first class Prince song?

MrGeorge said:

the everlasting now is listenable, but too put it in perspective, it didn't make my 5 CD best of Prince that i made

Anxiety said:

And as you can see I get RaveUN & RaveIN confused. But yea, that remix kicks ass

LAProducer said:

you're killing me with this stars shit.

Here's how I rate them:

Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic: **1/2
Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic: ***
Graffiti Bridge: ***
Kamasutra: *
Gold Nigga: *

purpleknight> agree with u ,the cover of "everyday is.." sucks, and like u said " it´s a really good album"

calhounsq > why did u stop listen 2 rave`?

laproducer> wherever i go" it´s okej.. but not his best song on the cd

anxiety> true the remix kicks ass....

mr george > u didn´t like man´o war? or tangerine

eccotides > thanks, i´m just given props 4 rave un2 cd

myloveis4ever said:

I should clarify - I don't ever listen to the retail version BUT used to play the remix version of Man 'O War when I first got it. Now not so much

Nope, just tried to listen to the album again. The bulk of it is just so damn generic....a patchwork attempting to reclaim Diamond and Pearls era success. But it never even reaches the slick height of that album, especially on "Greatest Romance." I just really dislike that song...it's overwritten, too complicated for its own structure, and lacking in a good hook. And the lyrics just do nothing for me. The fact that it was the lead single really soured the mood of the album for me. In retrospect, Sun, Moon & Stars is pretty cool. Might've made a better single. I sometimes think the single choices lately are bad because whoever's picking them is doing it based on Prince styles that were successful in the past, rather than whatever new sound he's interested in, which is usually where his heart is. OK, ramble out.

I gotta do a track by track review. But before I do I have to give my overall impression of this album. It's a bit of a mess. I think the biggest problem is that it doesn't hold together at all. There are some great tracks but as a listening experience it can be jarring. Maybe on some songs Prince does try too hard for a hit but generally it's not that bad. Certainly better than New Power Soul.

1) Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic-Well the first track kind of maps out the trouble with the whole album. It's a good song but isn't it from 1988?

2) Undisputed-I've never been a fan of Prince and rap but this song is ok. Could be worse.

3) The Greatest Romance Ever Sold-Hmmm. Well, the song is ok but for a first single I think Prince could have done better.

4) Hot Wit U-I like this one. Great album track.

5) Tangerine-I love this song. Very simple and very sweet. Nothing wrong with this one.

6) So Far So Pleased-I think maybe this should have been the first single. Great pop song.

7) The Sun, The Moon And Stars-I love this song except for Prince's rap. Uggh. Why!

8) Everyday Is A Winding Road-Definitely my least favourite song. I don't like when Prince does covers but surely he could have done better!

9) Man O War-Nice ballad. Maybe a little too sedate but I like it.

10) Baby Knows-This one is ok, but it certainly seems a little uninspired.

11) I Love U But I Don't Trust U Anymore-Lovely song. I think everyone likes this one.

12) Silly Game-Probably my favourite. It floats along beautifully.

13) Sad But True-I used to hate this song but the more I heard it the more I loved it. Very Cool. And also very different.

14) Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do-Nice closer. Again it may be a little too sedate but it works.

15) Prettyman-Well, it's ok but I ain't a fan of Prince doing JB. Not a bad song but not a great one either.

So overall I guess the album is quite good. The problem, I think, is that the highs aren't very high and the lows are very low.

The reason why most do not like this album is because of the way it was promoted. If Columbia/Sony had the promotion working on that album like Musicology people would be raving about it.

I listen to Rave about once a month ,it is not in my heavy prince rotation but we get around to it every couple of weeks.

mendescity> okej , u maybe don´t like the cd,,,, fine....


rialb> u say that "I think the biggest problem is that it doesn't hold together at all"

maybe, but many prince cd´s doesn´t hold together...
so whats the big deal with "rave"?? it´s still a great cd

MULEFUNK> i agree with u 100%

Worst Prince lp next to Chaos.

Sounds dated and overproduced.

myloveis4ever said:

I don't know if I agree with you. I find that most Prince albums hold together very well. What other ones would you say don't hold together. Graffiti Bridge, I think, is one.

Thumparello said:

No, Thumparello, no! Please don't be hatin' on Chaos And Disorder. I love that album!

thumparello> chaos is okej... worst? maybe ,,but still good cd

rialb > hi -- listen , when i listen 2 music, i don´t think if they hold together,,, i don´t care..
i listen 2 the music , the feeling, lyrics .. i understand if u feel that way /peace...

"silly game" annoys the crap out of me, no matter what version.

I thought that Rave was kind of good, but it was a commercial failure and their weren't any good singles that were released except The Greatest Romance Ever Sold.

I JUST GOT THIS CD A FEW DAYS AGO AND I LIKE IT!. IT'S NOT AS BAD AS ALOT OF PEOPLE SAY IT IS. LOVE GREATEST ROMANCE & HOT WIT U.

I think its a great album too, I also got RAVE IN2... from NPGMC and it is excellent!

anxiety> true...

debbiedan2> u see:) i like ,,hot with u great song

orlando> hehe u got them:)

rave is a great cd:) that´s it

The only good thing about RUTJF was Prince's clothing and look.

I just can't get thru it. Every time I listen to it, I get bored. It is Prince's paint by numbers album. Actually, it is from that paint by numbers period. Granted, even when he is recording in his sleep, he can still suprise me, but when he is uninspired, it is painfully obvious and he got lost during that period. A few good songs, but Prince's albums are best when there is no filler. Sadly, since the mid-late 90s he has had filler on almost every album to complete them.

Rave is a great song... it is also from 1988. Maybe that is why it rocks.

Why does everyone hate Every Day is a Winding Road?
I think it's one of the best songs on the album, and I'm not a Sheryl Crow fan.
Is it because of Larry Graham(I can't say like that part either-- "Do you love your brother?")?

But it does what a good cover song should, which is reinvent the song.
I hate covers that are exactly like the original (anyone heard the version of James' "Laid" that was in the last American Pie movie? Why bother?)
And it's funky and has a good hook, which Prince often lacks nowadays.

At this moment in time I prefer Rave Un2 TJF to Musicology and ..song for song..probably
The Rainbow Children too . TRC is a lot more adventurous but my personal preference goes with Rave sorry.Rave In2 TJF is better than Rave Un2 also , mainly because the worst 2 tracks on the latter ,the title track and undisputed , are much improved on the Special edition .
I really love Tangerine , ILUBIDTYA and TGRES , theyre the 3 classics on the album , I've still to find a real classic (or anything close to it) from Musicology sadly .