I've had this album for months now and really enjoyed it when it first came out, but months later I've tried listening but it really has little to offer in the way of true "genius" songs, although there is some amazing guitar work on A Million Days and the like. I've found myself listening to the first few moments of most of the songs, then skipping to the next. Maybe I've played it too much, or is it just that the musical ideas in the songs are that long-lasting? I'm starting to think it's the latter and I'm beginning to put this album on a par with Rave, where I usually would have rated it much higher.

So, are you ready for something else? Personally I've been going back to the Rainbow Children as it contains much better playing and Prince actually utilized his own great playing with John Blackwell a lot more on TRC than on Musicology.

Anyone else a little bored of Musicology?

i got bored with it a couple months ago. i'm all ready for whatever's next now.

mrdespues said:

Nope! I'm still diggin it,but with P releasing so much material i never over do it by playing the new cd 2 death. I'll play it right after Xpectations or Slaughter House and then play ONA Live or COME and diversify moderately.

bored with it the first time I listened to it...

A million days....the ONLY standout track on the whole thing...

FiveFootNine said:

I beg to differ

Hell NO

I don't get bored I get busy

Yes I am bored with it, but play it anyway. Is's no masterpiece but I think we were all go glad to see him come into the spotlight once again. I do "like" it a lot but I am not the first to say it is "Prince Lite" .
I love TRC and Lovesexy, the Trilogy of Dirty Mind-Controversy-1999. Come is a favorite of mine also. Sign O The Times of course. I never liked The Black Album. The NEWS didin't do it for me but I liked Kamasutra and Madhouse 8. Have been enjoying The Slaughterhouse and The Chocolate Invasion and C-Note lately.

How often do you guys play these records?

I only listen to it 2-3 times a week at most and consequently I'm not sick of it.

I think sometimes people over do things and spoil them. If I played Sign of the Times every frickin day I'd end up sick to death of it.

Having said that, I do agree that the album lacks an absolute classic killer track. But it's still good.

bkw said:

2-3 times a week, yeah....but I think it might have something to do with the WAY I listen, which is mostly on headphones. It just doesn't cut it as a classic or anything near it. I tried to fool myself into thinking WDUWM2D was classic Prince, but then I went back to the real stuff and noted that compared to the classic feel-good funk he still hasn't completely got his groove back, at least on record (though I know he's always great live).


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[This message was edited Sun Jun 27 16:51:08 2004 by mrdespues]

How could anyone be bored of such a fantastic album?

When I bought it I listened to it like 5 or 6 times in a row on my mp3 player and I"ve only listened to it maybe twice since then. It's not that I don't like the album it's just that I don't love it.

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[This message was edited Sun Jun 27 17:28:49 2004 by lovemachine]

Nope, still lovin it!

EvilWhiteMale said:

look, it's really not a BAD album, but it's just not all that good either. I will admit that it has gone down in my book drastically after many listens stacking it up against the greatness of his past. I now view it as on a par with Rave and NPS, although I disagree with you that it sounds alike to either of those albums.

Here's how I would review it:

1) Musicology - pretty boring after a while, but not bad at first.
2) Illusion, Coma, Pimp and Circumstance - great guitar work, amusing lyrics, but he tries a little too hard to be hip.
3) A Million Days - A really good song. Perhaps the best on the album
4) Life O The Party - could have been great, but sadly it's pretty crap
5) Call My Name - Just doesn't hit the spot like a great Prince ballad can. Nice chorus, but in the rest of the song he sounds irrelevant and old.
6) Cinnamon Girl - The political lyrics ruin and date what could have been a good song.
7) What Do U Want Me To Do? - Well Prince, if you're going to use a linn drum, I want you to make it a little more interesting than this.
8) The Marrying Kind - those synths just sound sooooo '95. Wake up, it's 2004.
9) If I Was The Man In U're Life - The second good song on the album. But not as good as A Million Days.
10) On the Couch - not even b-side material, but works great on piano live. Where it should have STAYED. This song makes me think he just ran out of good-standard material, or else edited it out in favour of a cheeky crowd pleaser.
11) Dear Mr Man - b-side material. The political lyrics will date this song...it tries to hard to take a stand and fades out before it can even approach a good groove. Maceo makes a welcome appearance at the end, but alas, Prince fades him out
12) Reflection - Not nearly as good as the Tavis Smiley version. I'm missing something here....what is it? Oh yes...the EMOTION he employed on the Tavis version.


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[This message was edited Sun Jun 27 18:07:18 2004 by mrdespues]

I can agree with that.

mrdespues said:

I think that's the problem. Musicology is designed to sound good live. Prince has always been a dual type of musician--A whiz in the studio, and brave enough to reinterpret his material live. With Musicology, he melds the two at the expense of the magic of his studio sound.

Let's face it, some of the best Prince albums involved neat tricks that he performed in the studio that are impossible or very difficult to reproduce live--who here doesn't like both the studio version of "if I was your girl friend", and the vastly different interpretations of it live?

Musicology is so focused that it, dare I say it, is very tame.

All I could think of after listening to the album only twice, was "This is nice...what's next?"

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[This message was edited Sun Jun 27 19:49:09 2004 by AsianBomb777]

AsianBomb777 said:

exactly. it's like Supernova said on my other thread about NEWS, Xpectation and C-Note being better than Musicology -- it leaves you wanting more, but not because what you had was so amazing. it just doesn't stick as particularly invigorating or satisfying.


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[This message was edited Sun Jun 27 19:53:06 2004 by mrdespues]

Yeah. I just hope his next abulm is great and is released very soon.

I mean, Musicology didn't have a single song about vaginas.

Prince himself said the album is meant to accompany the concerts, so I don't really think it was meant to be anything great. I think it basically serves a purpose of a good pop album that reintroduces lost fans to Prince, showing them the kind of sounds he's famous for.

It pretty much is Prince Lite though. It has all the trademark Prince sounds, and it's consistent, but it lacks the brilliance.

In the end, Musicology comes off a little more like a really good Prince imitator than the musical genius, Prince.

For my own fun, here's how I'd rate the songs.

Musicology-An underwhelming opener. It's funky, but it's pretty dull and really has no hook. (3/5)
Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance-This song is great, but it could have been a true classic. It has funky guitar, the story is really amusing, and unlike Musicology, it has a really catchy chorus. Sadly, it could've been amazing with some updated synths. It just sounds too much like a b-side from 1999. (4/5)
A Million Days-Great song. Love the theme, love the vocals, love the raw sounding production. Just wish it had a bit more of an extended guitar solo though. (4.5/5)
Life 'O' The Party-Good beat and I like Prince's vocals, but that chorus with Candy is just so dated sounding. (3/5)
Call My Name-Relaxing music, sweet lyrics, and a pretty chorus, but it's still a little too derivative of Insatiable. A typical Prince ballad that's great to listen to, but pales in comparison to the classic ones like Adore. (4/5)
Cinnamon Girl-A great pop song...until it hits the chorus. What an unimaginative chorus to this one. Quite a shame... (3/5)
What Do U Want Me 2 Do?-I like the theme of this one, but it just doesn't have anything great to it. It's good, but unspectacular. (3.5/5)
The Marrying Kind-The synths do sound a little outdated, but I love the chorus and it makes for a really fun little pop song. (4/5)
If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life-Pretty much feel the same way about this song as I do Marrying Kind. (4/5)
On The Couch-Love this song, especially the organ. Soulful and melodic. (4.5/5)
Dear Mr. Man-I like this song, it has a nice drum beat. The lyrics for this aren't all that provocative though for a song criticizing the government. (3.5/5)
Reflection-It's sweetly reminiscent and really pleasant sounding. Works well as a closer here. (4/5)
[This message was edited Mon Jun 28 0:41:04 2004 by PurpleKnight]

ummm....I still enjoy it....I don't listen to it that often...I will agree that there aren't any real standout, AMAZING, must listen tracks...but i still find the album very enjoyable...

well, I had not listened to the album in weeks but last saturday I was on the beach and
gave it a listen: it sounded really good again . It´s nothing more than a light poppy album but
a good one at that, imo.

i'm not listening to it for a bit.

Well given the fact that I don't listen to much "real music 4 real musicians" -type of music these days I did personally find it boring even on the first spin. But that's just my own problem.

I'm giving Musicology a break for now but I still like the album. It's perfect for today and getting back all those fans he lost in the 90's. It's not meant to be the sequel to SOTT or Purple Rain, it's supposed to be a pop album and it's a great one at that. I look forward to a new album but for once I can be patient and enjoy this one for a while.

A very crap album by all accounts... This aint anywhere near the standard Prince has made for himself, never mind it being a pretty mundane attempt at the mass market.

Now, watching Basement Jaxx at Glastonbury... Now there is someone (Felix Da Housecat) doing the funk for the new Millenium... Talking about real musicians, real music, no more drum machines blah blah... The point is being missed. What is wrong with combining overdubs, computers, real musicians and everything else in between? Taking chances, creating new energies etc.

Prince has lost his tempo. He has lost his energy. The New Power Generation has become the Old Power Geriatric... It worked in the early nineties, the energy was there, the tempo was high... Now we are lucky if we get past 110 bpm!

Even his so called "funk Monsters" of recent years like Everlasting Now seem to be empty somehow... Nothing like the energy of say, Arrogance/The Flow or the entire Black Album...

He is great on stage. There is no one that can touch him in a live performance. But the studio stuff, if we take off our Prince blinkers, is pretty lame really. We're just so obsessed with the guy that our judgement is clouded.

Anyway, maybe he will find a second wind sometime soon....

Nevertheless, musicology is pretty dull, and will be remembered as nothing else but mediocre along with NPS and that other one.... er.... what was it called again? Something to do with raving fantastically... which it certainly didnt...

Musicology? He sounds like he was simply bored in the studio... Nevermind.

Basement Jaxx know the score!

mrdespues said:

Amen on the comment about Reflection. I LOVED the version on the show and was so looking forward to the album version...and then was disappointed. I want to trade mine in for the Tavis Smiley version!