wow it's crazy expensive for an old cd !
― AlXTC from Paris, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 08:27 (six years ago) link
even at the center of fire there is cold
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 14:17 (six years ago) link
Yeah, it really is that good. His best album of the '90s, IMO, although Come runs it close. It's also, I think, out of print which would explain the high prices the CD goes for.
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 14:48 (six years ago) link
Basically I have to flip a coin between this and Come as to which is my favorite. (Usually it's Come due to "Letitgo".)
"Dolphin" is an incredibly silly song and every time I listen to it I am confused as to where it came from and why it's in the middle of this album.
voting one of these:
P ControlShhhThe Most Beautiful Girl in the WorldShyI Hate UGold
― a butt groove but for feet (DJP), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 14:51 (six years ago) link
The chorus of 'P Control' is so fun to sing... hehehehe!
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 22:47 (six years ago) link
it's one of my go-to karaoke jams
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 22:55 (six years ago) link
Tough call between Shy and Gold for me. Also, I know everyone hates but I really love Dolphin.
― kitchen person, Thursday, 6 July 2017 01:17 (six years ago) link
The chorus is gorgeous.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 6 July 2017 01:22 (six years ago) link
Love "Dolphin"
― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Thursday, 6 July 2017 01:34 (six years ago) link
IMO Dolphin is pleasant enough without really going anywhere (including the chorus, which imo is slight). Problem for me is the 90s has a lot of 'pleasant' without being vital. Outright awful is debatable.
Gold, to me, is evidence that Prince was still capable of writing an indeliable hook no different to 80-88
― Master of Treacle, Thursday, 6 July 2017 01:36 (six years ago) link
Indelible, even
― Master of Treacle, Thursday, 6 July 2017 01:37 (six years ago) link
Secretly great albumBilly jack bitch all the way
― i believe that (s)he is sincere (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 6 July 2017 06:09 (six years ago) link
'Gold' is a brilliant song, I agree... one of his absolute finest moments of the '90s. If I was to make a best of compilation of '90s Prince tracks, 'Gold' would be a very easy selection.
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Thursday, 6 July 2017 21:30 (six years ago) link
There's something about the guitar riff of 'Endorphinmachine' that reminds of the Smashing Pumpkins, weirdly.
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Saturday, 8 July 2017 10:10 (six years ago) link
Also, '319' seems to be stylistically close to late '80s Prince!
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Saturday, 8 July 2017 10:14 (six years ago) link
In the end, I voted for 'Gold' ... what a fuckin' song!
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Saturday, 8 July 2017 10:20 (six years ago) link
Listened to this today for the first time since the mid 90s, and I still think it's decent but far from great. That said, I'd argue "P Control" is one of his five or so best songs of the 90s and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" has actually grown on me. It is probably because I have become a much greater fan of 70s Philly Soul in the decades since, but I now hear that song as his most successful evocation of that era (and that definitely includes his cover of "Betcha By Golly Wow" a year later).
― some sad trombone Twilight Zone shit (cryptosicko), Monday, 10 July 2017 03:34 (six years ago) link
The record's weakness is the anonymous production: the floomfy keyboards on "Gold," the drum machine on "319."
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 10 July 2017 10:34 (six years ago) link
i'd edit this album down to:
EndorphinmachineShhhDolphin319ShyBilly Jack BitchI Hate UGold
i do like TMBGITW but it doesn't quite fit here. RNR is alive would make a good bonus track.
― StillAdvance, Monday, 10 July 2017 14:06 (six years ago) link
P Control is a terrible mess of a song, despite those great synths.
I think Interactive is actually better than endorphin machine but i can see how the similarity between the two songs made him have to choose only one.
― StillAdvance, Monday, 10 July 2017 14:07 (six years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Tuesday, 11 July 2017 00:01 (six years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Wednesday, 12 July 2017 00:01 (six years ago) link
Missed this but wanted to say that the Crystal Ball mix of P Control w the gospel choir singing "PUSS-AYYYY, PUSS-AYYYY, PUSS-AYYYY!!! PUSS-AYYYY CONTRO-OL" is one of the greatest things ever.
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 12 July 2017 01:55 (six years ago) link
Yeah, can't complain about that winner - 'Shhh' deserved at least one vote, though!
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Wednesday, 12 July 2017 12:34 (six years ago) link
The hell?! I was the only "I Hate U" voter?!
― Anne of the Thousand Gays (Eric H.), Wednesday, 12 July 2017 12:46 (six years ago) link
i don't get the love for dolphin but 319, we march and shy deserve better
― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Wednesday, 12 July 2017 13:44 (six years ago) link
march
wahhh-oooh
we march
― or at night (Jon not Jon), Wednesday, 12 July 2017 14:19 (six years ago) link
just found a cd of this at a thrift store for $2 💃🏻
― nomar, Thursday, 13 July 2017 00:26 (six years ago) link
Unrelated but...we got newly leaked amazing demo!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vflIZwPK0rM
― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Thursday, 13 July 2017 03:59 (six years ago) link
wtf? Search " Prince 101" on YT
― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Thursday, 13 July 2017 04:01 (six years ago) link
just found a cd of this at a thrift store for $2 💃🏻― nomar, Thursday, July 13, 2017 12:26 AM (sixteen hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― nomar, Thursday, July 13, 2017 12:26 AM (sixteen hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Nice one! That's a bargain considering the prices the CD usually goes for!
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Thursday, 13 July 2017 17:27 (six years ago) link
its weird that this album is still seen by a lot of fans as his greatest 90s album. i know he was esp fired up around this time, and playing lots of great solos, but its really just prince in big dumb mode. it would have been better if he got rid of all the major cringe tracks (now, p control) and his sweet but naive political commentary (we march) and reduced it to these songs: endorphin, shhh, dolphin, 319, shy, billy jack bitch, eye hate u, gold (this is really underwritten but musically it has some nice moments). anything longer than 45 mins in the 90s was just too long for a prince album.
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 11:40 (three years ago) link
i do love TMBGITW (though not this album version, the original single version) loads but idk if it fits here really.
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 11:41 (three years ago) link
idk what it means that after his big name change, he launched his career with TMBGITWN, basically his announcement of becoming a mature, MOR artist, yet on the same album you get songs like now and p control lol.
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 11:44 (three years ago) link
I must of bought it but looking at the track listing I can’t believe I made it all the way through...I think my lockdown homework is a reappraisal of 90’s Prince
― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Sunday, 1 November 2020 11:46 (three years ago) link
Listening to this and the npg exodus album was dispiriting.
Going to go through the 00s albums though to see if there are any gems I missed. If I can tolerate it.
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 12:34 (three years ago) link
Emancipation has become my favorite Prince album.
The production lets TGE down. Prince stopped innovating. "Billy Jack Bitch" just sounds ugly.
― Patriotic Goiter (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 1 November 2020 12:50 (three years ago) link
Factoid I recently learned- eye hate u is inspired by carmen electra. Prince was angry with her for cheating on him despite the fact he had several women on the go at the same time
Idk about the whole thing, but emancipation is his best 90s album, yes, though a good chunk is terrible
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 13:07 (three years ago) link
Emancipation is so all over the place i prefer to separate it between the stuff that sounds 'princey'and the stuff that just sounds like him trying to slot into mid 90s rnb formats
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 13:12 (three years ago) link
Everybody wants to sell what's already been sold.
― Patriotic Goiter (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 1 November 2020 13:14 (three years ago) link
Which is why the most subdued, romantic stuff on emancipation still seems unlike much else in his catalogue
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 13:19 (three years ago) link
Billy Jack Bitch is about "C.J." longtime Star Tribune gossip columnist
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Sunday, 1 November 2020 13:20 (three years ago) link
― Spiral "Scratch" Starecase (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 1 November 2020 13:59 (three years ago) link
"Everybody wants to sell what's already been sold."Prince was no fan of super deluxe editions
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 16:18 (three years ago) link
I’m pretty unambiguous about my belief this is his greatest ‘90s album. Any fault you can find here is present in any other album from the decade, in greater amplitude.
― On average, this critic grades 8.3 points lower than other critics (Eric H.), Sunday, 1 November 2020 16:49 (three years ago) link
It's my favorite of the '90s as well, though it really needs to be remastered because the original CD spikes the treble to a ridiculous degree. It was like nails-on-a-chalkboard when I first heard it, but if you can soften up the EQ, it sounds a hell of a lot better.
― birdistheword, Sunday, 1 November 2020 17:53 (three years ago) link
that's kind of my big problem why i can't really get into prince post SOTT, he used to have such a cool, distinctive production sound and it got so hamfisted...i maintain the pneumatic percussion of new jack swing (which works great for those artists) making its way into prince's sound was the worst thing that ever happened
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Sunday, 1 November 2020 18:10 (three years ago) link
P Control is fantastic, gtfo if you disagree
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Sunday, 1 November 2020 18:11 (three years ago) link
(don't really gtfo obv but that song rules)
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Sunday, 1 November 2020 18:29 (three years ago) link
the 2nd song on the album sounds like an Usher song
― Lover of Nixon (or LON for short) (Neanderthal), Sunday, 1 November 2020 20:35 (three years ago) link
Shhh? Dont recall usher ever doing a bombastic funk rock ballad
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 20:39 (three years ago) link
anyone who likes this record should hear the triple album bootleg the dawn
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Sunday, 1 November 2020 20:56 (three years ago) link
combines come, gold experience, undertaker and a few contemporaneous tracks into a very cohesive experience
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Sunday, 1 November 2020 20:58 (three years ago) link
are you ready for the realllll
― Lover of Nixon (or LON for short) (Neanderthal), Sunday, 1 November 2020 20:59 (three years ago) link
Brad OTM. The Dawn resequences all of this stuff and actually makes it coherent.
― doug watson, Sunday, 1 November 2020 21:27 (three years ago) link
Cohesive, even. Lol
― doug watson, Sunday, 1 November 2020 21:28 (three years ago) link
Shh sounds like an Usher song because Tevin Campbell sang it first
Also everyone talking about how New Jack Swing Prince doesn’t work needs to go back and relisten to “Pheremone” on Come, which is actually his best 90s album
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Sunday, 1 November 2020 21:43 (three years ago) link
"letitgo" too. i love "letitgo"
most of come is really successful new jack prince imo
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Sunday, 1 November 2020 21:44 (three years ago) link
Come is dope and I like all of the tracks
― Lover of Nixon (or LON for short) (Neanderthal), Sunday, 1 November 2020 21:47 (three years ago) link
Come is the only Prince album whose tracks I've trouble remembering beyond "Letitgo" but like anyway.
― Patriotic Goiter (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 1 November 2020 21:48 (three years ago) link
"Letitgo" was the radio hit, right?
― Lover of Nixon (or LON for short) (Neanderthal), Sunday, 1 November 2020 21:49 (three years ago) link
“Letitgo” is one of his best songs
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Sunday, 1 November 2020 21:49 (three years ago) link
You don't remember the title track? "Space"? "Papa"? I'm with DJP that Come is right up there with his best '90s stuff.
― On average, this critic grades 8.3 points lower than other critics (Eric H.), Sunday, 1 November 2020 21:51 (three years ago) link
I actually recorded a version of Letitgo with me doing all of the harmonies maaaaaaaaany years ago.
are you ready for the reaaaaaaal?
I listen to Come more like a continuous album, it just doesn't let up the funk and dope atmosphere.
― Lover of Nixon (or LON for short) (Neanderthal), Sunday, 1 November 2020 21:52 (three years ago) link
― On average, this critic grades 8.3 points lower than other critics (Eric H.),
Yep on "Space." Nineties Prince:
1. Emancipation2. TGE3. Come4. Symbol5. D&P6. C&D7. Bleh
― Patriotic Goiter (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 1 November 2020 21:56 (three years ago) link
I'm not here to shit on Emancipation because "Sleep Around" is one of his hottest house-era jams but ... there's a lot there that doesn't need to be there.
― On average, this critic grades 8.3 points lower than other critics (Eric H.), Sunday, 1 November 2020 22:02 (three years ago) link
well, yeah
― Patriotic Goiter (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 1 November 2020 22:04 (three years ago) link
That's why I love triple albums.
Emale.coooooom
― Lover of Nixon (or LON for short) (Neanderthal), Sunday, 1 November 2020 22:07 (three years ago) link
Lot of emancipation sounds like he struggled to get through it. Or like he really worked to get rid of offending weird edges. Though he still ended up with cringe moments. I've tried to come up with perfect playlists of it but it's really tricky to make it work.
Agree with the 90s ranking above
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 23:00 (three years ago) link
The more I think about pussy control I keep wondering if John waters wrote it
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 23:02 (three years ago) link
https://www.discogs.com/The-Artist-Formerly-Known-As-Prince-The-Dawn/release/14983400
This looks great and like a triple with more life than emancipation but God, what a slog. I wish he just made short n sharp albums in the 90s like he did ten years earlier. The CD era did his weakness for musical overload no favours.
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 23:05 (three years ago) link
Actually that dawn set just looks like a compilation of every single thing he meant to release in this period. That's a LOT of npg action
― candyman, Sunday, 1 November 2020 23:15 (three years ago) link
the dawn is really not a slog inasmuch as any three-disc behemoth is inherently a slog, it would surprise you, it surprises me too. whatever fan put it together had an excellent sense of sequencing and pacing. i almost like to think of it as the unrealized glam slam ulysses
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Sunday, 1 November 2020 23:18 (three years ago) link
i'm relistening to the dawn rn and once again find it so impressive that i will send it to anyone curious but also my ilxmail does not work bc it is tied to a dead email address
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Sunday, 1 November 2020 23:57 (three years ago) link
im tempted to find it but idk if i want to listen to half those songs that much (18 and over? pussy control? we march?), though maybe in this new context, they will seem different. i know a lot of fans really adore this period as prince was so fired up and productive. im actually reading a jim walsh book on the era at the moment (basically just write ups he filed from the time, rather than a bigger picture view of it).
here's the undertaker if anyone hasn't heard it. worth half an hour of your time i think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZwGxv1GvMU
― candyman, Monday, 2 November 2020 10:05 (three years ago) link
Alfred's list OTM. Anyone creeped/skeeved out by Prince lyrics in the 90s or otherwise should prob stop listening to a good portion of all his stuff asap. You shouldn't go to pre-JW Prince for family friendly musical wholesomeness.
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Monday, 2 November 2020 11:51 (three years ago) link
Who wants wholesomeness? Dont think anyone has argued for that. So untwist your panties please.
― candyman, Monday, 2 November 2020 11:59 (three years ago) link
My boxers are hanging fine. You?
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Monday, 2 November 2020 12:06 (three years ago) link
Got briefs on today but they're not my favourite. Only got them on as they were a gift. Wonder if prince was briefs or boxers guy.
― candyman, Monday, 2 November 2020 13:31 (three years ago) link
boxer briefs: https://flic.kr/p/2k2JmPw
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Monday, 2 November 2020 13:45 (three years ago) link
I know somewhere there is a fan with all the npg store merchandise in pristine condition.
When ppl say prince never really opened up in his music its these little details that make up the man that are missing.
I've a feeling he wasnt into underwear actually.
― candyman, Monday, 2 November 2020 13:49 (three years ago) link
kinda sad people are ignoring his great late career masterpiece Vikings song #skol #purplepride
crank it up to celebrate our win over the pack yesterday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq3SfauwzgQ
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 2 November 2020 15:54 (three years ago) link
When ppl say the gems stopped after 92 its songs like purple n gold that tell me they just weren't paying attention. Says more about them than anything else.
― candyman, Monday, 2 November 2020 16:08 (three years ago) link
90's Prince for me from beast to least:
ComeGrafitti BridgeSymbolGold ExperienceEmancipationDiamonds and PearlsCrystal Ball/TruthBlack Album (if you want to count it)VaultChaos and OrderRave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
At least 100 great tracks! An enormously fecund era!I will also rep for all four of the final albums.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Monday, 2 November 2020 19:07 (three years ago) link
in fact: Prince: Graffiti Bridge - What is the Answer to The Question of UR Favorite Song?
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Monday, 2 November 2020 19:20 (three years ago) link
Y’all just talking about 90s Prince like this epic demonstration of quality control never came out:https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/4166E3PC5GL.jpgFor me, a lot of how I hear this album and mid-90s Prince is through the Crystal Ball box – which is a total dog’s breakfast but also shoved a lot of 90s odds and sods up against outtakes from his 80s heyday. And perhaps surprisingly the 90s stuff is, candidly, no more hit or miss than the material from the 80s, with plenty of experimentation and playfulness. As a result I wasn’t particularly disappointed when I finally dug into the proper releases during this era (including TGE) as they seemingly all had a few amazing moments, a couple of horrible clunkers and a lot of stuff that was serviceable and maybe rewarded deeper listening for an incredible guitar solo or the like. Also, and I’ll say this again, the Crystal Ball version of P. Control remains the absolute fucking greatest.
― Naive Teen Idol, Sunday, 8 November 2020 15:58 (three years ago) link
"Wasted Kisses" is great. It says a lot that it was an unlisted track buried as track #49 (with 38 blank tracks preceding it) while the rest of that album is crap.
― birdistheword, Sunday, 8 November 2020 18:18 (three years ago) link
i dont think the 80s albums had any real dudsdef some umm idk how good this is moments, but even those were still interesting in some way?in the 90s, the highs were just not as high, which made the rest seem less good.but obv there were still good songs there. he still sounded inspired and like he was trying, compared to the 00s and 10s. i recently listened to his hit n run albums and couldnt believe that in 2014/15 he was still trying to write modern sounding bangers. wasted kisses just leads to the suspicious myth that there were lots of great songs he made but didnt make it to the albums. but who knows if that is really even true?but as soon as he left warners, and he becomes independent, you can see that his albums start to sound fairly forced. he never stopped trying to write commercial material, which at that stage, he prob should try avoiding.
― candyman, Sunday, 8 November 2020 19:16 (three years ago) link
theres a doc on the 90s called slave on amazon which is interesting and makes a good case for him as a business sage and innovator in the 90s and beyond, but while thats all great, as the music started to suck, it was hard to care so much. but hey, thats all artists after a certain stage in their careers. i suppose the drop with prince just seemed more dramatic.
― candyman, Sunday, 8 November 2020 19:18 (three years ago) link
i made this post but prob should have posted it here Prince's 'Slave' era and battles with Warner Bros - C/D
― candyman, Sunday, 8 November 2020 19:19 (three years ago) link