How is this not everyone's favorite album? He takes so many chances. He experiments more than any other TTD album. It's the Beatles meet Radiohead meat XTC meet the best TTD. Every song is a quirky gem. Good to see an old school artist keep perfectring new shit.

3 hours long? Amazing.

He lost his mojo long, long ago. Hes' the eternal tortured/takeshimselfwaytooseriously artist, and I'm not here for that. After Wildcard, which was only 30% good anyway, I lost all interest in him.

I'm only three songs in and I like what I'm hearing.

The voice is still strong.

He just became too quirky and became at odds with the industry way too fast.

That's my guess anyways.

I've loved plenty of Sananda's stuff in the past 20 years, but I just couldn't get my head around this album. What is the purpose of the alternate versions, and in particular, the instrumentals (which appear to be just karaoke versions - nothing else going on musically that wasn't on the vocal version).

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It's been a while since I listened to it though, so i'll give it another ago. A triple album is an unwieldy thing at the best of times. But this, unlike, say Emancipaiton, doesn't seem necessary to be this length.

I'm in the middle of my relisten.

A question - Why, after the two intro songs, does he open with three songs that were released many years previously?

When u move 2 an enviornment that is FUNK free.........u get this.

I loved his first four albums, but stopping following him after he changed his name. I have no objections to anyone changing their name. People can call themselves whatever the fuck they went. Hell, Prince changed his name to a symbol and I didn't give up on him.

The reason I gave up on Sananda Maitreya is that his music became weirder and less accessible. I'm sure it's still good. If I listened to it with the right mindset and gave it a chance, I might like it. But the point is, it would have to win me over. It's not something that would instantly grab me. I'm not patient enough to deal with that.

As I said, I don't object to him changing his name. But with that said, Terence Trent D'Arby, aka TTD, was a great fucking name. It's a shame to lose that.

lurker316 said:

I loved his first four albums, but stopping following him after he changed his name. I have no objections to anyone changing their name. People can call themselves whatever the fuck they went. Hell, Prince changed his name to a symbol and I didn't give up on him.

The reason I gave up on Sananda Maitreya is that his music became weirder and less accessible. I'm sure it's still good. If I listened to it with the right mindset and gave it a chance, I might like it. But the point is, it would have to win me over. It's not something that would instantly grab me. I'm not patient enough to deal with that.

As I said, I don't object to him changing his name. But with that said, Terence Trent D'Arby, aka TTD, was a great fucking name. It's a shame to lose that.

Did you listen to Wild Card, which was actually made in the late 90s (although not released until years later) and is much more in keeping with his earlier work? Before the back-to-basics Post-Millennium Rock that started in about 2003.

His first album is up in my top 20 of all time favorites. I really liked the rest of them up to Wild Card. After that he lost me. Don't care about the name change, but I couldn't get through P&P.

leecaldon said:

lurker316 said:

I loved his first four albums, but stopping following him after he changed his name. I have no objections to anyone changing their name. People can call themselves whatever the fuck they went. Hell, Prince changed his name to a symbol and I didn't give up on him.

The reason I gave up on Sananda Maitreya is that his music became weirder and less accessible. I'm sure it's still good. If I listened to it with the right mindset and gave it a chance, I might like it. But the point is, it would have to win me over. It's not something that would instantly grab me. I'm not patient enough to deal with that.

As I said, I don't object to him changing his name. But with that said, Terence Trent D'Arby, aka TTD, was a great fucking name. It's a shame to lose that.

Did you listen to Wild Card, which was actually made in the late 90s (although not released until years later) and is much more in keeping with his earlier work? Before the back-to-basics Post-Millennium Rock that started in about 2003.

I hadn't heard of Wildcard. I just listened to samples on iTunes. That does sounds more like classic TTD. The version on iTunes is called "Joker's Edition". According to the Wikipedia, some of the tracks are different from the original release.

lurker316 said:

leecaldon said:

Did you listen to Wild Card, which was actually made in the late 90s (although not released until years later) and is much more in keeping with his earlier work? Before the back-to-basics Post-Millennium Rock that started in about 2003.

I hadn't heard of Wildcard. I just listened to samples on iTunes. That does sounds more like classic TTD. The version on iTunes is called "Joker's Edition". According to the Wikipedia, some of the tracks are different from the original release.

That's the best version, including one of my all-time favourite ballads, What Shall I Do? I think there are a couple of songs missing from the early free 16 track online edition, and the Universal Music. Plus Testify.

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Paradise Postponed, Love Can You Hear Me?, Reflecting and Benediction: Sugar Ray are the songs missing. All good songs, but the Joker's Edition is by far the best version, with better songs replacing them. Some of my favourite songs by him are on there - O Divina (which has 2 music videos), Drivin' Me Crazy, Sayin' About You and several others.

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These songs were originally slated to be on Terence's Trent D'Arby's Solar Return double album on Java/Capitol in 1998. I'm pretty sure it would have been a decent mainstream hit with proper promotinon if it had come out then.

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(Full disclosure - I had some limited involvement in promoting the album back in the day).

Which TTD/SM album is everyone's favorite? Mine is Symphony or Damn.

lurker316 said:

Which TTD/SM album is everyone's favorite? Mine is Symphony or Damn.

Same. I would call it a masterpiece. It's a perfect balance of experimental and commercial, daring and traditional.

1) Introducing the Hardline

2) Symphony or Damn very close 2nd

3) Wild Card

4) Fish nor Flesh (great but bloated)

5) Vibrator

Poplife88 said:

1) Introducing the Hardline

2) Symphony or Damn very close 2nd

3) Wild Card

4) Fish nor Flesh (great but bloated)

5) Vibrator

I know many fans have The Hardline in the number one slot, but I don't. I think it's the most commericial / accessible, but I prefer his weirder stuff.

Some of my favorite songs are no Neither Fish Nor Flesh, but I can't bring myself to place it in my number one slot because it's not as consistent as Symphony or Damn. It's got some weak spots or filler... or as you said, some bloat.

I'm not familiar enough with Wild Card to rank it yet.

Well, I really like and appreciate SM's "Post-Millennium Rock" productions. I think they fit in as an extension of his earlier material, brilliant and unique in their own way, too.

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I've commented on "Prometheus and Pandora" on this forum in the past. Guess it's not for everyone with its length, repetition, and mix of old material given a home among new material. It's meditative--a culmination of the ideas he was representing in the "Zooathalon" and "Zugebrian" (lol) mythologies focused on his previous 2 projects. There's some richness there if you want to take it in. Not everyone does!

I loved everything up to Wild Card and then I just lost track. I'd love for someone to guide me through his post Wild Card output. Considering how good (Franke and Johnny, My Dark Places, Holding On To You etc) and imaginative (Turn The Page, Elevator To Her Heart, Perfumed Pavillion etc) his stuff was, I have high hopes he has a few more total gems post Wild Card.

TrivialPursuit said:

He lost his mojo long, long ago. Hes' the eternal tortured/takeshimselfwaytooseriously artist, and I'm not here for that. After Wildcard, which was only 30% good anyway, I lost all interest in him.

I think Wildcard was great. All his albums up to that point are special but then quality control went out the window. I've listened here and there to his post Wildcard albums. There might be a good "Best Of" but the mediocrity and weirdness is just too much.

Wilcard was a good collection of sons Sananda had in the can--IMO it slayed Prince's Musicology that arrived soon afterward. He ulnleashed his new phase of music and song that slayed dead the attention of quite a few old fans as evidenced on every thread that you can find discussing his stuff.

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I find Sananda's naysayers' comments humorous, and even more fortunately find Sananda's song lyrics ever more hilarious and entertaining.

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I also really appreciate his 2 hour docu-video online, working his band through their forthcoming Costa Rica concert session prep. You can see how very serious and suffering he is on that one!

JoeyCococo said:

I loved everything up to Wild Card and then I just lost track. I'd love for someone to guide me through his post Wild Card output. Considering how good (Franke and Johnny, My Dark Places, Holding On To You etc) and imaginative (Turn The Page, Elevator To Her Heart, Perfumed Pavillion etc) his stuff was, I have high hopes he has a few more total gems post Wild Card.

This may give me inspiration to create a Post-Millennium Rock playlist. There are many gems amonst the mass of material he's released in the past 20 years. Are you on Spotify?