Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
1987
Album Summary
Sign o' the Times (often stylized as Sign "☮︎" the Times) is the ninth studio album by American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was first released on March 31, 1987 as a double album by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album is the follow-up to Parade and is Prince's first album following his disbanding of the Revolution. The album's songs were largely recorded during 1986 to 1987 in sessions for releases Prince ultimately aborted: Dream Factory, the pseudonymous Camille, and finally the triple album Crystal Ball. Prince eventually compromised with label executives and shortened the length of the release to a double album. Many of the drum sounds on Sign o' the Times came from the Linn LM-1 drum machine, and Prince used the Fairlight CMI synthesizer to replace other instruments. Minimal instrumentation is heard on the stripped-down "Sign o’ the Times", the lead single. Four songs contain higher-pitched vocals to represent Prince's alter ego "Camille". The album's music encompasses a varied range of styles, including funk, soul, psychedelic pop, electro, and rock. Sign o' the Times' release was supported by several singles, among them the socially conscious "Sign o' the Times" and "If I Was Your Girlfriend"; in addition to a well-received concert film of the same name. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) four months after its release. It also reached the top 10 in Austria, France, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the UK and number one in Switzerland. "Sign o' the Times", "U Got the Look" and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" were all top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Following Prince's death in 2016, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 20. Though not as commercially successful as Purple Rain, Sign o' the Times was Prince's most acclaimed album, being voted 1987's best album in the Pazz & Jop critics poll. Included in many lists of the greatest albums of all time, it has been appraised by many critics as Prince's best album, ahead of Purple Rain. Writing for The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Michaelangelo Matos regarded it as "the most complete example of [Prince's] artistry's breadth, and arguably the finest album of the 1980s". In 2017, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
WikipediaI feel like this is prince's last truly great album. Kind of like his "songs in the key of life." His last big supernova before becoming a neutron star. Like he's trying to get everything out, throwing in the kitchen sink while he's at it (even a live track). I'm kind of a sucker for sprawling, all over the place, wooden rollercoaster type albums with all kinds of twists and turns from track to track. Love him playing different characters with different voices. Love the Linn drum sound. Love the playfulness and range of emotions. Love Prince. Listened to the super deluxe edition.
Huh. That wasn't what I expected. It was startlingly mediocre. Boring, even. Nothing stood out to me as particularly groundbreaking, exciting, or exceptional. I was glad to be done with it and sad to be glad. So much of Prince's catalog is phenominal. This album just doesn't have any of those songs, I guess.
Consistently hilarious (“shut up already, damn!”) while showing all manner of musical prowess and staying funky as hell. Both intimate and all-encompassing. Fav track: forever in my life
Sexy, soulful, and human. It has a song for many moods, all performed excellently and honestly.
Look no further if you want to see why Prince is such an acclaimed icon and music star. Although not as popular as Purple Rain, and with less recognizable hits, this album is Prince at his most talented. He sings mostly in the upper register, and you can truly hear his range as a vocalist shine through. On top of that, he did a lot of the instrumentation and sampling himself and it’s just impressive to see this project done by mostly one mind. I had never heard this album before, and I couldn’t stop listening after my first time through. Partly because it was so fun, but also because this album flourishes with every new listen. The songs are jams from top to bottom, and there is legitimately not a bad song. Some songs are minimal on instrumentation with focus mostly on Prince’s lyrics, a lot of which are politically charged and focused on the end days. There are some moments this album can lose focus, and if you don’t focus enough you may have questioned what you just listened to. Nonetheless, it’s a masterpiece from one of the all time greats. Favorite Song: I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man Least Favorite: It
Genre: Contemporary R&B 5/5 Prince’s best album, Sign o’ the Times, is one of those musical archetypes that will be referenced for years to come. A la The White Album, Physical Graffiti, or Sandinista!, Prince’s double album is a mix of styles, flavors, and moods, but all of them combine to make a truly delicious, one-of-a-kind musical stew. In a where-do-I-start kind of way, this album has highlights up and down the tracklist, from the opening title track to Hot Thing to U Got the Look to the incredible live jam, It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night. But those not listed make up an entire body of work that even some of the best R&B artists would be happy to call an album. Prince’s songwriting, his singing and his playing, and his sexy attitude throughout the whole project are infectious, timeless, and perfectly Prince. A must listen and a must have in anyone’s musical collection.
An absolute masterpiece, probably Prince's greatest record. A solo collection from the his most fertile period at the height of his powers. Funky, fresh, profane, reflective, funny, sad, profound, silly. Not really a dud track on this, probably the last of the great, true double albums. Cannot recommend too highly.
In which Prince deploys his generational talent to such an extent that he makes somewhere between four and three-hundred albums in one, which is defined by two more features: the first, that most songs start as genre workout but finish as genre-defining; the second, that he plays everything, including rock god, funkmeister, a talking orgasm, silence, a besotted schoolboy, Jesus, oracle of the apocalypse, and John Lennon rewriting Norweigan Wood with Dorothy Parker in the lead role.
“Sign ‘O’ the Times” by Prince (1987) At the time of Prince’s tragic and untimely death in 2016, I observed to a friend that I had never heard a song by Prince. He insisted I listen to the song “Purple Rain“, so I did, and I thought it was good, but not great. That’s the extent of my exposure to this great artist. Upon listening to this album (or at least the 10 out of 16 tracks that Spotify would allow me to access), I can say some positive things about Prince. He has a good voice, if lacking in power. Pitch problems on “The Cross“. Wonderful R&B stylings on “Adore”. He is reputed to be a great guitarist, but the only solid demonstration of his guitar work on this album is on the track “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man”, and it’s good, but not great. Acoustic on “The Cross” is out of tune. Drum machine is annoying. It’s more than ironic that he has a photo on the album cover that includes an elaborate drum kit. The best song on the album is the final track, “Adore”. Really nice. Also, and probably not coincidentally, it seems to be the most collaborative song in this collection There’s a lot of mystery about this guy. 3/5
Over the years, Prince had a lot of great albums, but he also had a lot of bad ones. This was one of his best and that is saying a lot. Lots of variety and emotion makes this a must-listen.
De este disco de Prince puedo decir que siempre quedo confundido. No de mala manera, pero tiene tantos géneros, sonidos distintos, tonos o moods, etc., que no lo entiendo. Quiero bailarlo, pero no es del todo bailable. Parece festivo de repente y otras veces, no. A veces te encuentras con pistas tan largas (esa joya "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night") y otras más breves. De cualquier forma, Prince era genial y casi que cualquier pista —así en aislado— me emociona. De aquí, quiero mucho "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker", "It", "Hot Thing" y "U Got The Look". La canción que da título al álbum también es un rolón. 9/10
Still very fresh und mit vielen Dingen, die immer noch neu zu entdecken sind.
Well this easy! My all time favourite album. The best Prince lp, probably the best lp by anyone ever. Eclectic and covers everything good about Prince: pop, disco, rap, rock, blues, ballads, sex, politics, social awareness, live concert, quirkiness. An absolute masterpiece.
Before this album, I didn't think of myself as a Prince fan, but I have to admit that every song on this album is a catchy thrill. These might not be the songs he's known for, but that doesn't really matter; the songs come together to make a full and complete experience that will make you want to listen again and again.
So many different styles and still only a small sliver of his genius. Wow.
Nearly flawless album. Politics, bombastic catchy jams, and plenty of funk. Incredible, timeless album.
An absolutely great album. Some really well known songs but the other lesser known songs are great too
Is this one of my favourite Prince albums? Hard to say, but with tracks like Starfish & Coffee, If I Was Your Girlfriend & The Cross, it’s right up there.
This album has some weird tracks on it and runs a bit long, but it’s Prince. You gotta love it. 9/10
Artist so nice we get him twice. And this is a double album, so technically we're talking three Prince albums in a row. I was worried at first, but damn this one pulled through. I know I said in my last review that he can sometimes be too quirky for his own good, but not here. It's the unique Prince spirit that makes these songs so addicting. Lots of '80s sounds that you could hear all across the musical landscape, but Prince doing it all his way elevates things. I'd only heard a few big hits from this one, but so much of it sticks immediately. Yeah it's long, and could be condensed a little, but the expanse doesn't bother me here, as I loved plenty of tracks from both halves of the album. I might just have to give this the five-star treatment. I previously thought 1999 was my favorite Prince album; I'll have to reassess when we get that on the list (maybe tomorrow?). Favorite tracks: So many, but Starfish and Coffee, Hot thing, I Could Never Take the Place, Sign O the Times, Adore. Album art: Lot going on here, and for what? It's maybe the biggest flaw this album has, which is saying a lot. The absence of a title on the cover, and instead featuring the words "two disc set" on some releases makes me nauseous. Is this a parade float or something? I do like the ominous photo of Prince, like something a spy would take of a target on microfilm. I just can't say this is a memorable cover; the strength of 1999's cover (and Purple Rain's) by contrast makes this even more unfortunate for me. 5/5
This is an album that I didn't appreciate in the 80s, but wow now I get the hype. what a solid pop record. it's trite to say, but every modern pop producer owes a debt to what Prince put together for this album.
The groove really takes over, I don't think I could listen without moving my head. U got the look is an easy favourite. I could never take the place of your man and it's gonna be a beautiful night make me wish I could have gone to a Prince party. What a fun vibe. Adore is so good, lemme light a candle and get a snuggle on.
Absolute bop Favourite songs: Hot thing, it's gonna be a beautiful night
I am a not a fan of Prince, I am aware of and liked his songs/videos that were heavily played on MTV: (1982): 1999, LITTLE RED CORVETTE (1984): WHEN DOVES CRY, LET'S GO CRAZY, PURPLE RAIN (1985): RASPBERRY BERET (1987): SIGN O' THE TIMES, U GOT THE LOOK and of course, Sinéad O'Connor's version of NOTHING COMPARES 2 U in 1990. I also did see the film PURPLE RAIN when it was first in the movie theater. After listening to SIGN O’ THE TIMES, while I enjoyed the music, it is not the type of music that I listen to. I can recognize Prince’s genius and ability to get people movin’ and groovin’, I believe that’s the reason why I rated Prince and SIGN O’ THE TIMES a little higher than I normally would, even though it just ain’t my thang. In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, I see that Prince two prior albums included: 1999 (1982) and PURPLE RAIN (1984) Rate Artist: PRINCE (4.5) Rate Album (Year): SIGN O’ THE TIMES (1987 Original) (4.5) Rate Album (Year): SIGN O’ THE TIMES (2020 Super Deluxe (8CD + 1DVD) Edition) (5)
Fantastic! Some of Prince's best work can be found on here, especially with those last three tracks. Not all of the songs may be of the same quality, but this package is too much fun to not check out at least once or twice. Favorites: "Sign O' The Times", "Starfish And Coffee", "Slow Love", All of Side D.
Sign 'O' the Times, U got the look, Strange Relationship, The cross.... un bon 5 étoiles bien mérité Quel artiste
a genius gives us a sprawling pop/funk masterpiece, rammed with hits, and hooks, and funky jams
Brilliant combination of different genres like pop soul and rock as well as many jazz elements. Two highlights for me is the exquisite drumming and princes always fabulous scat singing as well as his charming falsetto and youthful vigor and energy. My favourite tracks were hot thing,adore,slow love,sign of the times and housequake. But honestly the whole album was incredible and Prince always keeps me listening and entertained. My fav so far, I’d give it a 9.3 out of 10 as I didn’t love every track but still pretty good lol 👍
I bought this album through one of those Columbia House offers, where you get however many tapes for a penny. I bought it mainly because I loved Purple Rain. I had no idea what this was going to be. And very lucky for me, I really loved this one. I think the only song on the radio was 'You Got the Look'. (At least, on rural NC radio). But Jesus, these songs - Housequake, Play in the Sunshine, I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man. If Was Your Girlfriend??? Do you know what that song means to a 13-year-old kid in the rural South in 1987? Well I'm just saying it's a perspective on sex that you do not get anywhere else. And then to have a track like The Cross at the end... definitely the best Christian-themed song ever written? Aside from maybe O Holy Night, but that's a whole different conversation. Anyway. Another sentimental favorite here.
Enjoyed this way more than I expected. I'd only listened to popular bits of his before but will definitely listen more in future.
The thing I love about most Prince songs is that you get the initial groove and you get lulled into an idea of “oh yeah; I see where this is going” and then BLAM! he drops a keyboard or guitar solo on you and introduces the secondary melody and the next part of the song. And you’d think you would learn after 5-6 songs but no you don’t. It’s MF Prince and he is the (insert superlative here).
What an album! Housequake alone would justify five stars. Shut up, already, damn.
I already love Prince even though I'm only partially familiar with his large catalog of work. Most times when I hear another Prince track, even if I don't necessarily love that particular song in that particular moment, I'm consistently blown away by his ridiculous array of multi-faceted talents. If all he did was to have a music career based solely on his guitar work, it would've still been memorable. Add the rest of everything he could do, and then I realize how super-rare he was. This is a great album. Cuts across and weaves in quite a few styles and genres. It's so well written, superbly mixed and produced, incredibly performed, and, wow, just a whole lot of fun and interest throughout. I had not sat through a whole listen of the album before. Glad I did. And I'll do it again.
Prince really could not do wrong. Everything he did worked. What a master.
"1999" and "Purple Rain" notwithstanding, this is the greatest Prince album. Not only that but this is definitely in my top 5 albums by anyone of all time, I'd give it 10 stars if I could.
16th June 2022 Listened throughout the day while working in the office. Went to see Billie Eilish with Jen in the evening at the O2 which was great! Not a lot to say about Prince other than he’s just the master.
Absolutely genius. One of the best albums ever, by one of the best artists ever.
For when you want get it on music that you can dance, groove and jam after
The answer to the question ‘Can Prince really do it all?’ is answered with a resounding yes. This album shows Prince at his best across several genres including, soul, funk, pop, hip hop, and even moments that sound like alternative rock. Despite this albums 80 minute running time, it never feels taxing on the listener and is a testament to Prince’s ability to capture and audience.
A candidate for the best album of the 80's. Instead of writing out superfluous praise, I want to list some of my favorite moments from the album. - The moment Prince sings "It's silly no? When a rocket ship explodes.." on the title track gives me goosebumps - Prince describing being seduced by Dorothy Parker - The opening of "Starfish and Coffee" - The tasteful brass flourishes on "Slow Love" - The canned synths on "Hot Thing" is pure sex - The duet with Sheena Easton on "U Got the Look" is hilarious, especially the "Let's get to rammin'" line - When the kick drum comes in on "The Cross"
Only half the album was available on Spotify, but I'm sure the missing ones are as great as the others on the album.
That was the quickest 80 minutes of my life. Usually a double album tends to drag. But this just barrels through a barrage of different genres until it's finished. Which is disappointing because I don't want it to end. Then I remember that I can start all over again. This is the best double album I've heard. Sorry White Album. Sorry Physical Graffiti. Sorry Frampton. (Only kidding there. That album begins to pall by song 3) The teeny-tiny genius truly came from another planet. How can you get so much variety from a solo songwriter. Oh. Yes. He invents a new persona. Camille is breathtaking. So is this album. Sometimes Spotify gets out right. After the last strains of "Adore" faded, I was greeted by Strawberry Letter 23, the Brothers Johnson version. This is one of my favourite songs and definitely fits the vibe.
An incredible album start to finish. Prince mixes loads of genres from pop, funk, jazz, soul, r&b. The performances, the song writing, the instruments. Prince has it all. This album is just further proof to why he is one of the best artists of all time. And arguably one of the biggest influences in Pop history.
Guess I'm a Prince fan. Listened to it twice and watched the concert film. The drum machine tracks are almost abrasively filtered, but they work really well in these songs and create an addictive pocket with the wide variety of synths and instruments utilized. Whether it's the evocative bass of the title track or the hair rock guitar in U Got the Look. Then the second half has a live band feel that's reminiscent of Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense with infectious horn lines and workout video energy. And Prince's voice of course, which soulfully inflects standard funk mantras like Hot Thing and funny surreal stories like Starfish and Coffee. The Cross is also a great song.
"Sign O' The Times" is ninth studio album by Prince, a double album at that and the first following his disbanding of The Revolution. And what an album it is at that. It contains songs from the disbanded albums "Dream Factory" and "Camille" which he intended to make into a triple album "Crystal Ball." The record company nixed that idea and now we have "Sign O' The Times." The styles range from funk, soul, pyschedelic pop, rock and ballads...he covers a lot ground. Prince played most of the instruments including the Linn LM-1 drum machine, state-of-the-art-at-the-time Fairlight CM1 keyboard and introduces us to his androgynous alter-ego voice in Camille. Lyrically, he is all of the place too...social commentary, stories, love, sex. It is considered the most expansive R&B albums of the 80's, one of the best overall albums of the 80's and to many his best. The album journey begins with his first single "Sign O' The Times." A serious, dark one at that...social commentary on drugs, poverty, hurricanes, the Challenger disaster, AIDS and gang violence. Idiosyncratic drum machine, his stud keyboards, sampled bass and eventually funky guitar. The second song "Play in the Sunshine" lightens things up and sounds like it belongs on "1999." Dance beat, keyboards, great guitar solo. Let's forget the world of the first song and party. The third song "Housequake" introduces us to Camille. Great dance beat. Funky. Another let's party song. A great song on side two is "Starfish and Coffee." Here's his soulful and funky album song. About a girl who ate starfish and coffee. Is she autistic (serious)? Or just carefree ( less serious)? The third side contains the big hits. "U Got the Look" starts big and grand. Dance beat. Funky again. Oh, and Sheena Easton and Camille again on vocals. I forget the weird guitar part in this song. Camille appears again on the second single " If I Was Your Girlfriend." Organ intro. Mechanical drum beat and great groove. And then side three ends with one of my favorite Prince songs "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man." Maybe a perfect rock-pop song. Great, great melody and vocals. A classic Prince guitar solo. I like the album song version which give us that extended Stone-esque "Can't You Hear Me Knockin" part. And if you thought that was enough, here comes side four with three completely different songs rubbing his talent in our face. The slow rock-epic of "The Cross." He goes totally Parliament-Funkadelic in the nine minute "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night." And the albums ends with "Adore " Prince at his most soulful. A ballad of sorts. Slow. Horns. Prince goes falsetto ( not Camille though). A fantastic ending. Even if you do not like Prince (I don't know how you cannot at some level), this should be a required listen. An amazing achievement from an amazing talent.
Stunningly good stuff (and not at all surprising, this better not be the only Prince album, especially as we get 12 Dylan albums)
This album is proof that Prince was actually a genius. Mixing rock, pop, r&b, disco and funk in such a organic way, all of the songs of this record are classics, there's not a single bad song in the whole album, none feels forced or out of place. This album was released during the time were Michael Jackson was in his peak of popularity, and you can definitely hear his influence on this album in songs like "Play in the Sunshine". I don't know why, but I can also sense a certain James Brown influence too, specially in the more "funky" songs. In short, this album is just great.
Remains the most expensive gig I ever bought tickets for, worth every single dollar. Just Prince and a piano, people were crying, it was superb. He died a month later.
L'obra més variada i completa de Prince. Comença amb un dels millors temes de la década i es va deixant desenvolupar en tota una orgia de cançons, festa, erotisme, ball... no tot està a nivell d'obra mestra, però és un dels pocs discs dobles que no es pot imaginar com a senzill... res hi sobra
One of my favorite Prince albums with some of my favorite Prince songs (Sign O’ The Times, Play in the Sunshine, Housequake, U Got The Look, I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man, The Cross, It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night, Adore - to name a few), Sign O’ The Times is an astonishing accomplishment the shows off all the things I love about Prince.
Incredible. Didn't want it to end. Until the last song. I was kind of glad when that one ended. But overall, super-top-notch!
It surprises me that I have never listened to this album before...at least it did not seem familiar. It is a masterpiece! Loved it, even more the second time through, and bummed I didn't make time for a third today, but I will soon.
I didn't realize how familiar this album was going to be. It came out when I was in college in Minnesota (where Prince was king), and apparently was the soundtrack to many a gathering there in the late 80s. Listening, I definitely had some vivid and nostalgic flashbacks, despite never owning this album other than having some of the tracks on mixtapes (and "U Got the Look" being a favorite party tune). I really enjoyed this, more so even than 1999.
This would be his masterpiece, but he also made Purple Rain. But holy shit is this great, especially for a double album. An apt comparison would be to call Purple Rain Prince's Sgt. Pepper and this his White Album. I'll always ride hard for Purple Rain to the point that I often argue it's perhaps the most perfect album ever. But I have no qualms with anyone saying this is the Purple One's finest hour.
The Purple One flexes his genius. Funky, slinky and sexy. Best Tracks: Sign O' the Times; Starfish and Coffee; I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man
This was a lot better than the other record I listened to by Prince. I am getting a clearer understanding of why he is so highly regarded. The songs on here just made me feel happy. 3.5, but I'll give it 4 stars.
Prince's well-known singles are good and all, but this is the stuff. A massive album in every way. Best track: It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
Bumping it a star because it is Prince...and that dude has talent. But the album and me just don't see eye to eye.
I appreciate discovering prince since he is such an icon, I like the funky beats too
This rules. I kinda knew going into it that I’d love but ya, it’s great
Only version was super delux and it was like 8 hours long. Some good songs in there tho
I've not heard many of these songs from Prince before, but do like a lot of this.
Admittedly I am not a huge Prince fan but I certainly appreciate him, and I feel like this album exemplifies what is so endearing about him.
I like that there's lots of prince that sounds like it's always been on the radio, but i've never actually heard it before. Everything just sounds like prince.
Great record. Doesn't drag too much for being a double LP. Prince is a favorite.
Bon album tres funky mais avec une bonne touche pop. Le drum beat est tres utilise et pour certaines tounes ca fonctionne moins bien pour moi. 4.25*
Variado, versatil, buen ritmo y buenas vibras (?). No lo sé en realidad, porque rara vez le pongo atención a las letras de las canciones, pero bueno... suena alegre. Agradezco los solos de guitarra en varias canciones y hasta los breves momentos protagónicos para el bajo que no me esperaba. Personalmente, me desagrada la música que suena muy positiva u optimista (sobre todo en la primera mitad del disco percibo esa vibra), pero aun así disfrute el álbum y estuve haciendo un ligero bailecito en mi silla y soprendido del rock psicodélico en medio de las baladas en y el pop de la segunda parte del disco. Varias son buen material para los memeros del future funk y a la mitad del disco, me dio risa en hot thing un gritito digno de Cradle of Filth, LOL. Track favorito: The Ballad of Dorothy Parker porque el bajo y los beats me tuvieron moviendo la cabeza como una gallina comiendo sus granos en un suelo vertical invisible. Mood: no sé, tenido personalidad múltiple en Nueva York ochentero
Sounds very 80s,very synthey. Good tunes. As a whole album it didn't feel as much of a masterpiece as Purple Rain, but I actually enjoyed the tunes. The last song The Cross was an absolute genius tune. Replayed it a few times. 4/5 overall just cos that last tune was so good.
4/5. Not totally my vibe, but I can appreciate the artistry behind it. Good music to do homework to if I’m looking for something more low-key.
Not my favourite Prince, but still good nevertheless. The random vocals support the whole vibe of the album, but sometimes they get annoying.
With Sign O' The Times, Prince capitalized on the success of Purple Rain, bringing us another strong album of creative sounds, catchy hooks and stirring soul/funk. The title track, while of it's time on the surface, is sadly still relevant today. The rhythms in Housequake are divine. I Could Never Take The Place... is a fun pop confection, but also a great jam session. A couple of tracks might be on the racy side (If I Was Your Girlfriend, e.g.) for average listeners and therefore a little off-putting, but there's still no denying his musicality. The Cross brings in so many kitchen-sink elements - pop ballad, raspy rock guitar, the slow-build, Eastern/raga instrumentation, gospel choir - that it shouldn't work, but somehow still does. This is a solid 4 for me, with moments that a clearly higher than that.
I love 80s pop, rock and prog, but have somehow never gone out of my way to listen to Prince. Turns out that was a mistake, because this album is fantastic. I'll probably end up listening to a LOT of Prince this month. The alter ego songs are fun, the instrumentation is great and the production is top notch.
Prince is underrated in a ton of ways. His guitar playing is out of this world... He's an unbelievable innovator... he has a great voice and pretty much everything he does funks. I've not always liked his songs, but I always had a huge appreciation for him. So I'm really glad that I enjoyed this album as much as I did - it's very long, and so there were a few moments that I tuned out, but all in all it was a damn good collection of tunes with a cohesive feel and sound
a good album by prince. Though this probably havsn't stood the test of time like purple rain has.
September 27, 2021 This is fun - I enjoyed "Housequake", "Strange Relationship", "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man". Not as epic as I expected given what everyone says about Prince.
8/10. Pretty good, but certainly not my favorite Prince album. Had good variety which helped mitigate the length, but not much of it stood out to me.
I’m not the biggest fan in the world. I think maybe I want funk to be dance music, where as this is definitely funky but kinda sit down funk? Maybe because he seems like a bit of a wanker? Dunno, but I like it but don’t love it.
Diverse sounds. This album shows the range Prince had and is easily one the best Prince albums.
i never really cared for prince while he was alive. there's still something about his music that puts me off, but christ, his talent is undeniable, innit?
Never been a huge Prince fan but was a fun album. A little too sexual for me at times. Felt like a peak into the 80s for sure
Fun and light, cool instrumentals and reallyncool guitar work. Just a little too poppy for my taste. 7/10.
Very funky and fun. Prince is a legend and so easily crafts these catchy jazz-pop-funk tracks. Heard Parliament Funkadelic vibes on Housequake, and the songs like Ballad of Dorothy Parker like influenced modern R&b/funk artists like Anderson .Paak. Favourite Tracks: Sign I'm the Times, Ballad of Dorothy Parker, The Cross
I recognise that these are all bangers but prince's vibes are just so rancid to me!! good stuff tho
Straight out of the golden era of Prince! I didn't know all of the tunes on this album and I loved pretty much all of them! Juicy 80s beats, some naughty lyrics and mix in the wacky unique Prince personality. Really enjoyed it! It's not a 5 though, every single song wasn't perfection a couple of them missed for me but enjoyed the journey of listening. 4.5!
Very sexy album. Struggled to get going, the first few songs really didn't hit but once over that hurdle there was several fantastic songs that followed.
Well I never heard this album before and I generally enjoyed its everything AND the kitchen sink esthetic. A few good songs, a few throwaway and one absolutely great tune that I had never heard; The Cross, which sounds like a moody, heartfelt post punk anthem that could have come off of a Sebadoh album (if it weren't for the gorgeous vocal performance). 4 🌟 for The Cross.
“Established Prince as the greatest rock and roll musician of the era — as singer-guitarist-hooksmith-beatmaster, he has no peer.“
Listened Before? N Another gap in my musical experience. Prince. First Prince album I've listened to beginning-to-end. Pros: Well, I now see why he was considered a pioneer and why he was so popular. This album is very, very good. Highly skilled production and never gets boring. It's very impressive that he pulled this off basically as a one man band. His attitude is INCREDIBLE. Prince gives no fucks. A classic of the 80's! Cons: Unfortunately not ENOUGH my style to add the whole album. I'll come back to it in the future I'm sure, but right now it's not really in my wheelhouse. Fairly dated lyrically, but that's okay. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Housequake, U Got the Look
I have an overall appreciation for Prince so a bit prejudiced. Can listen to this any time and not be disappointed
My first Prince! Funky and soulful. I’m sure it would anger fans, but I could have done without some tracks. Still overall very solid.
4.4 + One of Prince's four or five great records. For me, this one's notable for deeper cuts like "It", "Starfish And Coffee", "Forever In My Life."
Not my favourite but some great songs in there. Bit up and down I thought.
Fav tracks: - Sign 'O' the Times - U Got the Look - If I Was Your Girlfriend Least fav: - It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night
Enjoyed the album quite a bit- "I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man" had a catchy instrumental at the end. At the moment I still prefer Purple Rain to this, but this is definitely one that I'll revisit later.
Me tinca que todos los discos más antigüos que escuchemos van a ser del tipo: había que estar ahí para entenderlo. Se supone que esta es la obra maestra de Prince y se entiende por qué. Hay varias canciones que se quedaron en 1987, pero honestamente el disco tiene un buen ratio: hay varias que seguiría escuchando. Mis favoritas: la del título y The Cross
An album for the fans. It's a lot of fun, very pop-like and accessible, appeals to the contemporary R&B crowd, tons of synths and a standout drum kit to dance to, and littered with James Brown-esque funk rock. It's not a very good beginner Prince album though. Being a double album already makes it a heavy task to devote to. But nothing resembles hits as in 1999 or Purple Rain. And it's not very consistent either. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The style, tempo, and mood keep changing from track to track and it can be a lot of fun, but don't go in expecting for a cohesive experience. It feels more like Prince experimenting with a lot of ideas and having them work out. I'll definitely be playing this if I'm looking for variety 80s pop. Especially by one of the kings of pop.
I don't always like albums that have many different styles of songs like there is on here, I usually feel like it takes away from the pacing and makes it too inconsistent for my enjoyment. That doesn't mean I wouldnt listen to those songs on their own, but when put into one package I usually feel like it makes the whole thing drag a lot. With all that being said, I did not at all have that issue here, there's so many great songs that it's really hard to even get too upset with something like that, especially when you know this was going to be a triple album that was slimmed down to a double LP at the request of the record company. This was also my first Prince album I listened to from one side to the other. I loved it. There's a reason why this man has gone down as one of the most legendary acts in modern music history.
Some great tracks on here like "Sign O the Times" and 'I could never take the place of your man". I think perhaps the album is over long, and some of the production is a bit off but a corker nonetheless.
Loved the classic singles, but with a repeat listen really enjoyed the stuff if never heard before. Unmistakable Prince and has encouraged me to seek lesser known album tracks.
Sign doesn't have Prince hits, at least not ones I know. Despite that, it's a lovely dance record. The blend of the political and sexual comes in slightly less than perfect to my ear.
Second favorite Prince album I’ve heard. Ballad of Dorothy Parker is one of my favorites
This suffers in the same way that a lot of double albums do, and is a bit inconsistent (both in quality and in tone) but there's enough great stuff across here to make it enjoyable on the whole, especially the second half (though the live song drags on waaaaay to much, low point of the album for sure)
I've always had a hard time getting into Prince, and felt the man himself was what people liked as I didn't find the music (mostly the big singles) to be that outstanding. Listening to Sign o the times I definitely gained much more of an appreciation for his musical style. I wasn't familiar with any of the tracks on this double album but it flowed very well, had a great sense of funk and soul and it pulled me in the longer it went.
Good album with prince experimenting on some lesser known songs with his music but majority of his songs focus around what prince was most know for his “sensual “ lyrics and vocals
For me the is last great Prince album, some really great songs, a few not so great, always a problem with double albums. For me it's not quite 5 stars, Dirty Mind, 1999 and Purple Rain I think are much stronger albums and are all 5 stars.
I was going to give this a four for the fun bops, but If I was Your Girlfriend kinda creeped me out and it moved into three star status. the rest of the album actually moved it back into four stars. Good stuff.
Prefs: Sign "O" The Times, Play in the Sunshine, The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, It, Starfish and Coffee, Slow Love, Hot Thing, Forever in My Life, U Got The Look, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Strange Relationship, I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man, The Cross, It's Gonna a Beautiful Night Moins pref: Housequake
Peak 80s, incredible energy. Prince is a glaring black spot in my musical awareness