Sign 'O' The Times

I think my expectations were too high, or I don’t like Prince as much as I thought. 3.5

Before listening to this album, I didn’t really get the hype about Prince. And I still don’t.

Not a huge fan of Prince

Awful

Prince is just a one hit wonder with multiple hits. You know what I mean. Talented musician and his work is well produced, but his albums are mostly dull and lifeless.

Easy five stars

Good! Too long.

I believe this is the 3rd Prince album I've been given yet my favorite Prince album is probably not on the list. That of course is Dirty Mind. This one I'd never listened to all the way through and it's good and should get another listen. House quake!

very good and classic, big fan

Didn’t care for this when it was new, have a better appreciation for it now. Still not a favorite, but listening to it again I do find I like the song “Sign o’ the Times”

I am not a fan of the early keyboard sound and it makes the rhythm track feel very juvenile or artificial. The better part, his vocals, gets lost beneath it.

it's alright, 3/5

Not a prince fan apparently. Didn't do anything for me.

Such a cool album. It shows how eclectic Prince was.

The end of the album really starts to shine... but man the majority of this album felt like a drag to me. Way too much, and some of it is too boring

SO 80s!

Never really been a big prince fan. This was enjoyable.

I'm fully aware that not loving/worshipping Prince is one of my most fatal flaws as a human. Many of the struggles I've historically had with his music - production elements, stylistic preferences, singing - come into play on this record as well. However, there's a decent amount of stuff I really do like here as well, and I think it can continue to grow on me. "The Cross" is my favorite of his by leaps and bounds, but I also quite dig the title track, "Starfish and Coffee", "Hot Thing", "Forever in My Life", and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man". There are numerous cool, experimental moments that I don't get out of other lauded releases of his. I'll keep trying to right this wrong, y'all, but believe me when I say this is progress. 3/5

No prince

Ist gar nicht mein Stil, etwas langweilig und ziemlich lang mit 1h20m

It all sounds quite flat. Not Prince at his best

Prince is a genius but he deffo made better things than this imho

Very versatile, at times very funky

It’s really fun, it’s just fucken long lmao

Absolutely boring - didn't know that prince made such monotonic music

Muss man kennen. Grundlage für andere Musiker. "Purple Rain"!!!

My second Prince album and I still does not understand the appeal. If someone can explain me why person with cartoonish voice singing about sex should be appealing? I am not saying it aged badly but I don’t see how would this succeed released today

One of the greats

I thought this would be good because it’s Prince. It was not. It was too long - felt like a gazillion years - and boring. There were no standout tracks. Dull.

Not my genre at all but very very good

Pop rock, funk, R&B. Ni fu ni fa.

Prince is a musical genius. Take a look at the credits for this album. Vocals-Prince Back up vocals-Prince All instruments-Prince Too bad it’s not his best album.

It’s a bit long and it doesn’t quite live up to any of the hits that I’m already aware of. But it’s still vibey as shit! Simpsons: of course

Really enjoyed the opening track, thought it could be a high scorer. Rest of the album was just OK.

it's mnfn PRINCE y'all.

Funky. Not my typical taste but enjoyed this album.

Genre busting

Das ist so schlimm. Kotze

4.5 Starfish & coffee rounds to 5 rather than 4

Starfish and coffee track - great lyrics

5 as an expansive album that does so many genres so well. 4 for personal taste.

Prince kan alles. Ik vind het matige muziek, maar hij doet het maar wel mooi allemaal: bas, piano, gitaar, zingen, nieuwe artiestennamen voor zichzelf verzinnen, acteren, regisseren, klinken als een krijsende baby met een volle luier en ga zo maar door. Op dit album klinken een aantal nummers alsof je naar een telefonisch wachtmuziekje zit te luisteren, zowel qua inhoud als productie. Het is gedateerd, plat, kitsch, lelijke 80's. Het duurt 2 uur en er gebeurt vanalles, maar toch voelt het enorm leeg. Ik geef het echt een eerlijke kans (zo wachtte ik 5 nummers voor ik dit allemaal begon te typen), maar het is gewoon niks voor mij.

This is just horrible.

First prince album ever, what a trip! Play in the sunshine drew me in. Love the ad libing and stuff he’s legit hilarious. It’s not hard to see this type of musical style and personality influencing all sorts of artists, like even Tyler maybe

Double albums always tend to be a little messy. It’s always a lot of music, and with album lengths often extending over an hour, there are some real endurance test double albums. They occasionally border on over-indulgent and excessive. But if there was ever an artist that would make a concise and well paced double album, it would be Prince. Prince felt like a virtuoso in the truest sense of the word. He was simply good at every instrument he played, had a beautiful voice with crazy range, and created some of the most well put together albums of the 80’s. He was a sultry sex icon. And his musical persona is really felt on this. This very much feels like Prince’s version of a synth funk album. Another artist could make the same songs, but you would feel the difference, because it isn’t him. This album starts off incredibly strong, with the entire A-side being filled with excellent songs. I’m a total sucker for a song like The Ballad of Dorothy Parker. Something about how soft it is, combined with the synth bass and electronic drums sounds so cool. The album then has a few highlights here and there. And then peaks on the D-side. Those last three songs are all amazing. I love how different and separate The Cross is to the rest of the album. It’s darker and slower, but doesn’t stray too far from the core strengths of the record. It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night is a disco/funk masterpiece. I want all funk music to sound like that. And Adore ends the album off sweetly. Rating: 8/10

4.5

This album was disappointing. I haven't really listened to much Prince, but I've heard a lot about him, so I had high hopes going into it, but they were not met. The songs all seemed like they had potential but they just didn't click with me, and as a double album it went on far too long with far too little variety. It wasn't awful, but I'm definitely never coming back to it. 2/5

One of my favourite musician/artist is Steven Wilson, and Prince is his Idol. Soooo I was excited to finally dive in to Prince. I was happy to see it was this album because Steven Wilson has covered Sign 'O' The Times in his covers series album. I can see where SW gets his influence from. There is a lot of good inrumentation on this record. And a lot of like instruments between the two: synthesizers and drum machines to name a few more prominent ones. I feel like this is a concept record but i didn't dive into the Wiki on this record. There are a few songs with higher pitched vocals by Prince, almost as if he was pretending to be someone else? A protagonist? Or just a different character in the story? As interesting as it is, I think it was poorly done. The vocals came off really annoying. In fact a lot of his vocals are pretty annoying... Almost cringey. I guess maybe at the time it wasn't... But they didn't age well. There are certain points where he almost sounds exactly like Michael Jackson. The lyrics are awful. And honestly this album as a whole was very disappointing. Especially when I was very excited to finally try and get into Prince. I really hope his records are different. Perhaps he is the type of artist who doesn't write the same record twice? Just like Steven Wilson. That being said, I can't deny the influence he has had, not only on SW but on many artists. I only knew about Raspberry Beret and Purple Rain before listening to this record. That and his amazing guitar solo when he and a few other artists covered While My Guitar Gently Weeps... Which may be the best live guitar solo I've ever watched. I want more of that Prince! I don't want whiny, synthetic-poppy-drum-beat, dance Prince. I can't give up on him yet. But this record was a hard listen....

A very odd mix. From anyone else, this would be a mess but Prince just had something didn’t he!? I’m going to confidently give this 3 stars

Prince is one of my favorite artists of all time, so going back to this album is always an exciting prospect. For me, this is the closest that we see Prince at his full powers as an artist. Every single song is memorable, the production is sublime and goes in directions that still throw me for a loop every time I listen to it, and his performance on all the tracks is nothing short of incredible. Even more impressive is that the records that bookend this are 1986's Parade, a soundtrack album that was based on his film Under the Cherry Moon, and 1988's Lovesexy, an album that I have just as equal love for. Would I say it's the best Prince album to get a first-time listener into? No, I believe Purple Rain does an outstanding job at that, and is probably the first album that most people trying to listen to Prince should go for first, but once you understand his processes behind making music, the themes that he tends to touch on, and of course the musicianship behind each of his records, Sign 'O' The Times shines brighter than every single album in his catalogue after gaining that understanding.

I didn't connect with any of the songs on this album, and since this is a double album, it made it feel like a double drag having to slog through it. Best Songs: N/A Listen Again: No

"Sign 'O' The Times" by Prince - diverse, innovative, but a bit long and all over the place. Standouts: "Sign 'O' The Times," "U Got the Look." Rating: 3.5/5 stars.

This is where Prince starts to feel very comfortable before transitioning again into new territory. On one hand, for an artist who never stopped challenging himself to create something new, it's a little complacent. One the other, I think this double album is nearly perfect. There aren't really any singles that hold the same status as some of his mega hits, but man, this record works SO WELL as a whole experience. I would even argue this album is the most direct influence on one of my favorite artists today (of Montreal). It's weird, sexy, funky, and filled to the brim with Mr. Linn and his wonderful drum machine.

The Purple One proves, without a shadow of a doubt, that he is by far the most prodigious pop powerhouse this world’s ever seen.

Nah, not my kind of thing. Next please :)

Minnesota boy! Funky, great instrumentation and vocals. And that guitar!

6/10

Thank you horny funk-pygmy for your advice on getting some. I’ll start with lying about my relationship status and taking bubble baths with my pants on tonight.

It's funny how albums on here seem to appear if i've been listening to them recently, as I've thrown this one on a few times in the past couple weeks. Might be climbing over 'Purple Rain' as my favourite Prince album, there's such a good mix of styles on here. For a double album it's rare to see such consistency across the whole thing, I wouldn't say there's a bad song on here at all. Some highlights for me are the title track, 'U Got the Look', 'Strange Relationship' and 'I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man'. Prince really knows how to write a damn good pop song the pulls from rock, funk and soul in perfect balance.

Not Princes best album by far and I say this as a fan of the man's talents and career

Het stelde me teleur, vond het zelfs een beetje saai

Better than 1999. Groovy in that obnoxious 80s falsetto pop way that I don't particularly care for. Still unpleasantly horny at times.

Just not my thing really. Has some bangers though - Slow Love especially.

Not a fan of how late eighties this is. Maybe if it was made ten years earlier. Not consistent

Up and down, many forgettable stretches (the cross)

Personally, I love this album a bit more than Purple Rain because of tis darker tone and funkier instrumentation Also love how Prince managed to create a whole new alter ego by just pitching his voice up Favourite tracks: Sign O’ The Times, Housequake, The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, Starfish and Coffee, U Got the Look, I Could Never…, The Cross, Adore

Didn’t get through Al of it, but liked the general styles and vibe,

What a classic. Huge number of hits on this album. One of the best albums by one of the greatest ever musicians = 5 stars in my book.

good not really my fav kind of music but slay

I mean you can tell it to prince, There's some okay songs on here but the whole things just 🤷

3rd prince album I’ve listened to and my last favourite. I feel like I’m missing something with this album, need to maybe look into it a bit and some context will make me appreciate it more.

Turns out I just really hate Prince. His music is pretty much just not my type. I have heard kidz bop that sounds better. I am not listening to all of this, HouseQuake sucks mega balls. I also despise Hot thing and Let me be your girlfriend. Sucks through and through, lyrical content, beat, and singing. This might be the worst album yet, and I really hope we start getting better albums soon because I might lose hope in "1001 albums to listen to".

Oh, more Prince. Looks like this album doesn't even have any of his big hits. Not excited. Some parts of Play In The Sunshine were half decent. How does a song called Housequake come out this lame. Why does Prince sound like a cartoon sidekick? Shouldn't a ballad have, like, nice singing? I would call the police if someone sang Hot Thing at me. I'm giving up before the end. Of the thousand and one albums to listen to before I die, which are supposedly good, I can't imagine enjoying something else less. I award Prince one star and may God have mercy on his soul.

3/5 funk i can get behind

It was ok

1st

Some of these song I absolutely loved and will be listening to again. Some of the songs I couldn’t get into. Overall strong album, but not all my style 3.5

Classic pop Prince. Not my forte, but it is timeless music.

Prince was a genius in his area, but it's really not my thing.

THE CROSSSSS

Bastante meh. El primer álbum que me ha costado varios intentos terminar de los que llevo. No ha habido ninguna canción que me haya gustado especialmente y, aunque tampoco ha sido horrible tenerlo de fondo, lo he terminado más por saber qué me espera hoy que por oírlo genuinamente.

I feel this comparison is disrespectful. But I felt I was listening to a funkier Michael Jackson. It was nice, nothing remarkable tho

I agree purple rain is a better album but I really enjoyed the wide range of instruments and styles on the go here. 80s &90s rock sounds, ballads (the cross), bit of hip hop (housequake), soul stuff. Truly talented man. Feels like he was making a bit of a statement with it all

I think Prince is my ‘solid’ baseline, I enjoy everything he does fine, and love the obvious highlights.

Prince famously plays something like 24 instruments including absolutely shredding it on guitar when he fancies which is why I found it annoying that so much of this sounds like him noodling about with a drum machine and a little keyboard recording sparse home demos. I think Purple Rain is head and shoulders better. I particularly enjoyed Starfish and Coffee, If I was your girlfriend, Cross.

I think 80 minutes of Prince is too much tbh, this has enough great songs to make up for it though I think. Cut the last song and it'd be better imo, but so it goes.

Prince really is a legend.. Even if some of these songs aren't your speed, you can't deny prince is a musical genius. He plays multiple instruments, is an incredible singer and lyricist.. I personally loved this album, some of my personal favorites on this thing were the track the album is named after, 'Sign 'O' The Times' its just thing funky lil bop.. also, 'The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker' is just this encouraging jam that prince shows his talents off on. 'Starfish and Coffee' is a weird song that I just adore, but my favorite track on this thing has to be 'Slow Love' its just perfectly my speed.. Disc 2 has some bops on it too.. 'U Got The Look' has this kind of 80s robo feel that gets my foot tapping, and it has my SECOND favorite song on this thing, the MF CLOSING TRACK 'Adore' oh baby this one is for the keith sweat, baby making music fans.. Oooooh its a beautiful love song, a song you can dedicate to a lover. I absolutely adore this song. This is my first time digging deep into this album and it just reaffirms my love for Prince and my appreciation for him. He will forever be one of the greatest, and I would of loved to grow up in his era, and watch him in his prime.. alas, I have to settle for what we have on video. Long live Prince. Overall: 3.1/5

Prince is good singer and there is some aspects i fuck with

Groovy but the lyrics don’t quite hit the spot for me.

I closed my eyes and thought “hell yes!” when this popped up. One of my favourite Prince albums. It begins with some of Prince’s greatest lyrics in Sign o’ The Times and ends on the highest of notes with the incredible “Adore”. The album is beautiful, sweet, sexy, wild and funky. Most of all it’s great! Honourable mention to the popping Housequake. I’ll give these low score reviewers a line for the road - shut up already, damn!

Horny 7/10

Quite long, but generally pretty good 👑

Love

Better than first thought. Very poppy and brilliant tbf

not my taste

Prince is prince

Fab! First album so far that I didn't already have that I want to get.

Good and very funky! I’ve never been much of a Prince fan which is a total shame.

not sure about this one

Didn’t like this one

I must be missing something. The 80s were a weird time, man

Well, what are you going to say? It's Prince. This guy was so ahead of his time and it's a shame he just went when he did. Listen to these tracks- they make a point. Funky and socially aware. Glad to see he has a few albums in the list- I wouldn't say any album hit me but he needs to be here. Icon.

Swingt wel lekker

Not a strong album imo

Ik heb deze 2 keer opgezet, omdat ik Prince na de eerste beluistering ging buizen zonder meer. Na een tweede beluistering zijn de nummers die ik goed vond nog beter, maar jammer genoeg vind ik de dingen die ik verschrikkelijk vind ook nog net wat slechter. Sterkhouders zijn er zeker hoor, vooral naar het einde toe: Starfish and Coffee en I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, The Cross, Adore... al mag Bart Peeters best wel trots zijn op zijn cover van Starfish and Coffee, dat smaakt me eigenlijk evenzeer. En het moet gezegd: Flight of the Conchords heeft met The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room een mooie hilarische tribute gemaakt aan Adore. Maar ergens is het kalf dan al verdronken. Prince staat me iets te geil soms, maar dat is zeg maar 'zijn ding'. Waar het voor mij echt om zeep gaat, is in If I Was Your Girlfriend'. Zonder dat nummer had deze plaat een 3 geweest, dus zeer jammer voor al wat wel goed is. Die hele dialoog is waarschijnlijk shockerend bedoeld, maar Prince zijn hormonen slagen hier op hol voor mij. De kruimels kan ik smaken, maar deze volledige Princekoek gaat er bij mij niet meer in. De laatste nummers spoelen de vieze nasmaak niet meer weg. De rest van het pak Princekoeken/zijn oeuvre bevat wel genoeg dat ik in zijn geheel kan verorberen. Op zich vaak zeker even geil, maar meer fun, meer toegankelijk. Zie Purple Rain, 1990, Dirty Mind. Zijn beste koek naar mijn smaak zal wellicht een Greatest Hits zijn.

Rare 80's sound, het nummer play in the sun is precies voor een Micky Mouse aflevering gemaakt. De tweede helft kon ik beter smaken. Prince is wel sowieso een artiest waar ik bepaalde nummers wel eens graag van hoor, maar nooit te veel. Volgens mij is dit dan ook nog eens niet een van de betere platen.

Voor mij moet er niet in letterlijk ELK nummer een snare-drum met reverb of een 'clap' zitten (dankuwel 80ies). Ja... Prince. Heeft wel goede nummers maar heb die toch altijd al een beetje overrated gevonden. Heb zo'n beetje een kwantiteit boven kwaliteit gevoel bij hem. Zeker als ik dan een volledig album luister. Die machinale drumbeat gebruikt hij iets te vaak Als ik dan in de Wiki lees "arguably the best album of the 80ies"... Ja... dat geloof ik wel. Voor mij zijn de 80ies een zwarte bladzijde in de muziekgeschiedenis.

His magnum opus encompassing all moods and sonics. I esp love the Cross

Prince doing Prince stuff. Nowhere near his best work.

goat of pop music, but i don’t like pop that much

Poppy love making music from 80s. Funky. I like it

Pure Prince. For me, the best track is the title track "Sign o' the Times".

It was cool to hear Prince’s first solo album. Wasn’t as much guitar as I was expecting, given his status. The album had a good vibe and flow to it which I liked.

Elaborate upbeat funk with a pop sensibility that's the template for tons of the RnB and neo-soul that would follow. Lots of these sounds have become genre conventions (the reverby guitar hits, rising and falling horns, sexual healing-style moaning vocals, bass grooves carrying the song through the changes...) that it's hard not to hear them as conventional 35 years later. But the very 80s sounding bits (amazing synths and drum machines) are certainly signs o the times (not to say they don't sound awesome, just quintessentially 80s) and Prince's vocal style in terms of both delivery and melodic phrasing marks it as uniquely his own - hardly contained to a genre and certainly not generic. Except on the almost power-pop 'I Could Never' he's not in guitar god mode, here he's in sensual song-writer and immaculate vibe curator mode. I've never really listened to this in full before but it sounds really familiar nonetheless - I think because so much 90s stuff was influenced by this. Maybe also because it's a like a hybrid of Madonna, Parliament Funkadelic and Marvin Gaye filtered through the medium that is Prince. Favorites: Hot Thing, Housequake, The Cross, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, got that look

whatever.

Þetta er 100% 80's, 100% Prince. Töff, sexy, hrár og skítsama. Er alltaf 50/50 á því hvort melódískari popplatan Purple Rain með hittarana sína sé besta plata Prince, eða þessi sturlaða veisla á skynfærin. Hvað er hann ekki að experimentera með á þessari plötu (og mastera)? R&B, funk, pop, rokk, jazz, soul og early electro. Þetta er bara allt þarna. Það er eitthvað svo ekta við Prince. Í dag segi ég að Sign '☮︎' the times sé hans meistaraverk.

Prince var snillingur. Ótrúlegt samansafn af frábærum og gerólíkum lögum. Sign O the times, Starfish and coffee og I could never take the place of your man, ekki mikil líkindi milli þessara frábæru laga. Góðir textar líka. The Cross greip mig í þessari yfirferð, magnað lag. Eins og við er að búast á tvöfaldri plötu frá afkastamiklum snillingi ekki alveg jafn góð lög inn á milli. Meistarastykki frá mögnuðum listamanni, en ég er á Purple Rain vagninum.

Man I missed the whole Prince train. Completely thought I didn’t like any of it but listening to his full albums makes me appreciate his talent so much! And the amount of songs of his that people are sampling now is crazy. He truly was a legend. Listen again: yes Purchase for my collection: yes Favourite Song: If I was your girlfriend

Блин качает, есть вайб east side

Prine

meh

Very nice but unfortunately it's not my jam. However I enjoyed it a lot

Alright in general Not my sort of music Prince sounded like a top shagger but a bit of a dodgy fella Probably won’t listen again Housequake was the worst- sounded like kids party music Best songs were the cross, slow love and strange relationship

The album starts with a weird juxtaposition with the bare, minimal opening track, followed by the upbeat and overstuffed Play in the Sunshine, but the final few passages of the latter demonstrate some really interesting and lovely shifts in tone. Housequake was a little jarring, with Prince’s alter ego “Camille” being introduced for the first time. This was one of the few tracks I was iffy on. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" is absolutely fascinating. There are some dated sounds on the track, but Prince uses his pitch-shifted vocals to amazing effect. The track kind of goes off the rails at the end. From there onwards, it's all a little overwhelming with SO many ideas here, most of which work really well. I think there is so much material it almost demands additional listens to really appreciate.

Really comprehensive album, like the relaxed vibe. Some really interesting accompanying instruments. Very strong love themes. Much more relaxed and in tune with songs that I like currently. Prince does love his runs and I am here for it

unfortunately when it comes down to it i just don’t think i like prince very much. wish it leaned into his guitar abilities more. not ever bad though

Solid 2

A few standout tracks, but mostly background music. Nowhere near his pinnacle.

Probably his best album

Trademark Prince robotic funky beats

Not a lot of hits, but this is still a great Prince record. What impressed me the most was the consistency from front to back. Normally double albums can be a bit of a slog to listen to, but this album kept the momentum the whole way through.

It's Prince. I haven't heard it in a long time. It'll make the rotation more.

Prince is always a good time. I don't think this is his best album, but there are some great tunes here.

chaotic good.

It’s ok. The title track is amazing but it feels like there’s a lot of ideas that are only half finished. Expected more

I like Prince a lot. He was a god among men. This album has some bangers on it but a lot of it has a specific late 80s synth sound that I can’t quite stand. That’s why this is a 3 instead of a 4.

Not as good as I expected 2.7

some good jams but overall not my personal taste.

Not the album to listen to if you want to immediately get into Prince. It would be like listening to Bitch’s Brew as an intro to Miles Davis

Prince’s usual funky self. Can’t go wrong with Prince but it’s no Purple Rain or 1999.

Once you get beyond the many many radio hits that Prince has it turns out he has many many awesome albums. This possibly the best.

Some catchy funk/groovy music - some nonsense sounds. Honestly don't know how I feel about the album.

What more can be said. The production is dated but the sound is so distinctive and the themes so diverse.

I didn't find myself moved by anything in this album until Hot Thing, which is simply not at all what I expect from Prince. It's not offensively bad at all, but a pretty startling amount of stuff that only registered as background noise to me. The album does pick up quite a bit at the end, though. It's Gonna be a Beautiful Night is more of the energy I love from Prince typically. The second half of the album is a much higher score on its own, but this score is representative of the whole thing. Favorite track: It's Gonna be a Beautiful Night

Ganske chill husker ikke så mye av det men satt og hørte på det imens jeg spilte pokerogue

I am certainly more of a Purple Rain fan. It features perfect storytelling, but many songs sound like Michael Jackson rejects. Favorite Song: Slow Love Sleeper Hit: The Ballad of Dorothy Parker Worst Song: Housequake

“It” was a great song

I really like Prince, so this was right in my happy zone. That said, I don't think this is Prince's strongest album. It's really good. But it also has some tracks that are very mediocre (The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, Hot Thing being two examples). Still a really solid listen.

Not Prince's best album, but still pretty damn good.

I had never heard this Prince album before and - initially - I was a little disappointed that some of his "hits" weren't on here (and it was over an hour long). But, man, Prince never disappoints. He's got an iconic voice and style, he's probably one of the most talented pop arrangers/composers ever, and it's just good. I can't describe why - it's just good.

Never been able to appreciate princes music aesthetically. But his music always feels like has impacted so much that came after.

Awesomesauce

4.5

Listened to it on the first day. Interesting album to start

pleasantly surprised by this; some songs i definitely wouldn’t vibe with again, but some were genuine bangers!

Good

Ok, nema bas hitova osim Oh yeah

I missed this when it 1st came out. A travesty! Sounds superb and relevant now

A good album to let play in the background and just chill to with many fun songs. But because the album is so long, I don’t see myself listening to this or any song in particular on the regular.

Essential Tracks: Starfish and Coffee (Playlist) Sign ‘O’ The Times I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man

Pretty solid. The first song threw me for a loop - it was not what I expected. The rest of the record was pretty good.

Meh

Despite its bleakness, I have always loved the title track, because it rightly concludes that the world is a completely messed up place. I always especially appreciated that because I thought it came from a totally irreligious point of view. In touch with reality, and no one needed to tell him so. But after listening to The Cross for the first time, maybe there was a spiritual side to Prince that I never knew about. Who knew. Apparently a very lusty zesty sexified spirituality, but still. Starfish and Coffee is fun too. The snare of his drum machine often has a sound like hands clapping. Strange Relationships is a good example. I never noticed it before, but now it feels like a key component of the Prince sound.

Not a huge prince fan and it was a little too long but still not bad

Ooof. This is definitely a 3 stars rating I’m gonna regret being so low in a few months. I can just feel it. This is Prince unleashed. He’s so all over the place here, it’s kind of all-inspiring. He is trying so much. This guy seems like he has unlimited energy and unlimited groove. Insane. As an album, it has some amazing, standout records (“starfish and coffee” is still one of my favorite Prince songs, since hearing him sing it on The Muppet Show of all places), and there are some tracks where I just have to stop the record and go “wow.” From a production standpoint, he’s so quirky. I just get this feeling of excess listening to this album. It’s too long, some of the tracks are so gratuitous and over-the top, especially on the vocal delivery, that it gives you a bit of vertigo sometimes. I had a super fun time, and Prince’s mind is like no other, but there are more album-driven, focused, thematic Prince albums out there… obviously! The man was a machine! Also, not enough Prince guitar. For a good time, but not likely to pick it up again (and the overlong runtime)… 3/5

Solid album, ready 3 not living it but there are some standouts housequake, slow love

Was ok

An astoundingly great album.

Holy smokes

Wasn’t my favorite. A couple stand out tracks.

Prince wrote a LOT of songs. Not all of them great.

very good listen. Never heard these prince songs before mostly.

good

I’m not a huge fan of Prince’s, but I could find some songs that I enjoyed here and there. Overall it was ok

3.8

Prince an sich cool, aber nicht sein bestes Album

I really wanted to like this but somehow it didn't fit my groove. I probably need more time with it and I'll gladly give it another listen in the future.

Must re listen, I didn't give it enough love

Enjoyed. Got a lot more upbeat in the second half of the album. I don’t think I would particularly listen to it often or in a group setting, but it definitely has its place. Great lyrics and storytelling, the vibe and pace of the first half of the album wasn’t for me.

Some of these songs are great. Starfish and Coffee for one. I do want this sound to be for me but I don’t know how true that’s really going to be. Maybe just a very specific collection of songs. Strange Relationship, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man are alright. It just doesn’t seem like there’s much of a place in my life for this sound.

Pretty good, not really my thing though.

Some tracks (especially in the first half) dragged on for way too fucking long, and ironically enough the 9-minute "It's Gonna be a Beautiful Night" justifies its length more than some 4- or 5-minute tracks. Final few songs were great. Liked it overall.

Title track: It's sad that things he's singing about in 1987 are worse or just the same. Lots of fun, catchy tracks on this album. It's exactly what I expected from Prince. I really enjoyed listening to this! Found myself bobbing along and toes dancing throughout!

has some catchy songs, also some pretty goofy stuff and attempts to be sexy that come off as pretty cheesy. also kinda goes in some experimental directions/funky sounds, but unlike the david bowie record it seems to still stay pretty musical. it all sounds very exact and purposeful, which matches what i know of prince's eye for detail. don't think i'll add it to my playlists, even tho i like some of prince's output, and he's a crazy good musician.

Quite remarkable musicianship

Started strong then seemed to fade in energy

Love me some Prince. Also, this was #500 for me

Starts well, but not mt cup of tea

Just okay, nowhere near my favorite prince album. Some good songs and some really bad ones lol, 6-7/10

Y'all knew about Prince's pterodactyl noises and didn't say anything? The second half of this album just gets better and better

While non of the songs here were catchy enough to stick in my ear or moving enough to stick in my head, I can't help but give credit to Prince for his incredible range on this album.

Prince is someone I had never actually previously listened to. That might change after my listen of this rather long album, Sign O' The Times. Every single song on this track list is different from the last. Every piece is creative and feels like Prince was really trying to play around with the sounds to get it just right. It is nice to see an artist just do what they want with their album and from what I read it would appear that this was created primarily by Prince himself. It's a shame that most of these songs were not on any radio stations I listen to and most of these might go unrecognized by general audiences. I look forward to hearing other albums from him and his so called "revolution."

Not bad. Decent even. There's some fun stuff in here like "It" and "U Got The Look". Really enjoyed the drums and bass on this album, though a lot of the lyrics were a miss rather than a hit. It's a bit long at 80 minutes in total for the album. For me, it sits somewhere between a 3 and 3.5.

I get why it’s iconic, but I just am not really into his sound

It’s okay. Not really my thing. I can tell it’s impressive, unique sounding, just doesn’t do it for me. Too much of what sounds like wining and synth bits/drum loops. Def pop. Not for me.

The album feels like it would be nostalgic if I used to listen to it when it came out.

Typical Prince: high quality, grooving music. A no-name looking at of songs that still rock. No singalongs, but a tone setter for a fun afternoon. Low 3

Surprisingly good

Sublime

Not my favorite Prince record.

Love everything about this album. You never quite know where it’s going to go next. Perfectly produced as always from Prince. Extremely easy 5 stars.

La calidad es realmente impresionante. Todos los temas tienen algo para rescatar. Por ahí no es tanto mi tipo de música.

I want to like it... I really do. I just don't. Prince is objectively an incredible musician and I just don't connect with any project I've ever heard. I might have just missed the times. I don't know.

downloaded 1&6. i dont really like prince, he has some predatory behaviour that got swept under the rug

Weird, I thought I had reviewed this earlier today. But it started off ok, but then didn’t keep me interested

So it turns out I don't really like Prince that much. There were a few good songs though.

Blind album: never heard a single song from it. I'm supposed to like this, I know I am. I know this is in the same level as Purple Rain, but the title track couldn't even hook me in. I'm super divided on this and it sounds like Prince in his true form. Credit where credit is due, the sound is classic and the style is awesome. It's just not for me...

Like I had said on the other funk/soul/etc. album, I've never really been a fan of this type of music. I see that Prince is a great musician, and I appreciate the quality, but I just can't get into it. I've also been really busy and only half listening.

I know prince was ona different drug for every song. I wanna try em all and re-listen to this blitzd out my mind

Cool

Today I learned I like Prince a lot more than I thought.

I get it now. Every song a story, every song a bop. Amazing album.

The last few songs were excellent, but you have to wade through a lot to get there. I had high expectations too which doesn’t help

not my fav but still ok

This is a perfect example of 80s shit which has aged terribly and probably didn’t sound very good in the first place. I respect Prince but this bored me to tears

The rarest of birds, a double album that doesn't get boring. Very of its time. Also, great.

Hmmm…can’t find the direction this album is going in. Not really one standout hit either. I think I heard the drums that were sampled for Hollaback girl. “The Cross” was kinda cool. Sounded very U2ish.

Un destacable álbum de Prince que si bien, está repleto de interesantes ideas que ayudaron a construir el imaginario del Hip-Hop norteamericano actual, carece del impacto y presencia que tuvieron sus antecesores. La producción en este álbum es bastante errática y la duración un poco exagerada. De todas formas, sigue siendo uno de los mejores lanzamientos que el artista de Minnesota realizó a lo largo de su larga e intensa carrera. Quizá no es una buena introducción a su trabajo, pero sí es un complemento para todos quienes se sientan atraído a su arte.

A little bloated but c’mon, it’s Prince

Understandably a 4 star album, but personal preference is a 3. Could see this going up on further listens, but it tires me out and is maybe too much? I can also imagine a cover of these songs in a slightly different style would make me appreciate them more. But 3 stars is still 'good' in my eyes.

Seminal album - fabulous.

I really wanted to like this but I just didn't. This album just felt really dated and nothing about it really worked for me. Hopefully his other albums are better but this ain't it.

Sign O’ The Times // The Ballad of Dorothy Parker // Starfish and Coffee // Slow Love // The Cross // Adore 3-3.5/5

Erg taai deze weinig echt leuke nummers maar ja het is wel Prince

Echt niet 1 lekker goed nummer

One of the best and certainly most prolific songwriters of our time. This isn't my favorite album, but the the music is still so well written.

Good album

Wish I liked it more. Trying to get into prince. This was only ok for me.

Not my favorite, but still good!

enjoyable but wo strong feelings

mouai repetitif un peu délirant

loved it

Not my favourite prince album. Some of the driums are simply irritating

Best Prince album. All songs are fantastic, sound funky as hell with awsome guitar playing.

Superb album

Boring

:)

I'm a recent prince convert and this one needs to grow on me more but for now it's a 3/5

For soul and R&B its pretty decent... 3 stars

It was a bit hard to follow at first but the last 6 or 7 songs are quintessential Prince. Will definitely be listening again

Yesterday I made it through 4 minutes before turning it off. Like, it's supposed to be funky but I'm only tapping my foot nervously. They even put an alarm in one of the songs so you can't sleep through it, they truly know no mercy.

This is not the sound I had associated Prince with, at some points the instruments sound like he is using a ruler held down on a table and using the vibration of the part hanging over the edge as a percussion instrument. Its interesting but not good imo

solid

Geeft iets moderne Micheal Jackson vibes

Het is niet slecht ofzo maar het doet me ook bijzonder weinig. Ik vind het gewoon niet echt interessant.

I like Prince, I do, but I can't get on with this album. There's some class tunes here, and some really interesting stuff with the Camille alter ego. It's just a double album that should have been an album. Can't shake the feeling it sounds like what it is, 3 albums of track choices thrown into a single release. Probably for best that the triple didn't happen. If I was going to pick a 3rd prince album after the two most obvious choices, it would definitely be Around the World in a Day.

A diversidade de estilos musicais presentes no disco é um testemunho da versatilidade artística do Prince. Mas não foi suficiente para me empolgar a escutar mais.

- l'impression d'écouter une émission télé pour enfant "allez on tape dans les mains" (notamment housequake que je n'ai pas pu finir) - des chansons beaucoup trop longues pour ce que c'est - on a l'impression que son producer joue avec la soundbox qu'il vient d'avoir à noel comme un enfant de 6 ans... - slow love était plutôt sympa - hot thing 20 secondes in et je suis déjà agacée

Singersongwriter Gedudel.

Lucky I did not die from boredom

Embarrassed to say this might be the first full Prince album I’ve heard. Great sounds. He rules.

Wasn’t big on the remastering of the songs.. good beats though.

Hugely talented musician and songwriter wastes his immense gift on poundshop sub-funk pop.

No skips! Prince is one of my favorite artists of all time. Stress on "artists" (not just singer/vocalist or songwriter or producer or musician - Prince does all the things!) and "all time," as in I've listened to and loved his music for different reasons at every age and stage of my life. He's timeless, classic, and genre-bending. Name something he can't do and doesn't do extremely well. I often hear comparisons of Prince and Michael Jackson. I hate it because they’re apple and orange. Michael Jackson’s music, while also classic, doesn’t have the variety or depth of Prince’s. I can dance to MJ’s music, cook a meal, clean my house. Great for kicking off a party of diverse party-goers. Prince’s music is more suited for a long drive in summertime, with or without friends. It’s more mature and contemplative. It’s sexy. It sparks conversation. The Sign o the Times album is so good because it covers all those moods and adjectives. So do just about all of his albums. I recently watched the Sign o the Times concert film as well. A true performer. I was more sad over Prince’s death in 2016 than I have ever been for any celebrity ever in my life. It shocked me how overtly sad I was. I’m still in mourning now. I wasn’t done enjoying his presence in the world. At least we have his music.

I don’t get Prince. I was quite surprised to see all those positive reviews. It seems I’m just not hearing what everybody else is. Sure, there are some good moments but none of those is really outstanding. And the rest.. this album is just super bloated and you can’t convince me otherwise. It’s boring and repetitive, with goofy humour on top. I was just waiting all the time for it to end but nooo, it’s 80minutes long. It does get a bit better at the very end, but it does not really feel gratifying. is everyone just saying it’s so amazing because they’re supposed to? Im really curious. 2/5

my first experience with a prince album in its entirety, and to be honest, i am really digging this one. fun and funky and you can tell that he was functioning on a different plane with this one. just very creative and interesting and I feel like this album holds up incredibly well, despite it being 35 years old at this point. favorite track(s): housequake the ballad of dorothy parker starfish and coffee if i was your girlfriend i could never take the place of your man adore

The pop/R&B sound on this album is second to none. The individual songs are not that memorable, though. After the first few songs, the rest seemed like iterations of the same themes.

What’s actually incredible is that I’m 34 and have NEVER listened to Prince. So I guess all the social comparisons and references finally make some sense.

Turned it off as it was rubbish

Enjoyable in places, but thought it would be a bit better overall.

Convinced there’s more to Prince than this, so I was very surprised to see this record being talked about as his peak. At least half the songs pssed me by as being just a bit mediocre. Not to mention all over the place. I like a bit of mess, but when it lacks coherence it just sounds a bit desperate. That said, this grew on me the second time round and a few songs started to jump out more. Loved the lyrics to Sign o the times, and Hot Thing was probably my favourite. Slow Love / U Got the Look were canny too, as were the live tracks. Hated The Ballard of Dorothy Parker. And loved the music to If I Was Your Girlfriend but I hated the way he sings about 80% of this. Overall, a bit underwhelming. Not the iconic masterpiece I was expecting! 2.5

Got to respect artists who completely commit to their own ideas, do everything their own way. Bjork comes to mind musically but Prince probably went further than anyone with this mindset. But... This is 80% awful, cringe inducing most of the way through. Every decent moment was surrounded by terrible parts that would have been shouted down by anyone else with any creative control. The big Prince hits are decent but this album and his music in general are not for me.

Not at all what I was expecting given the fanfare. Kiss, Purple Rain, Raspberry Beret, and When Doves Cry are absolute classics. Unfortunately none of them are on this album. Severely underwhelming. Really scattered. The drums do really stand out on the mixing of many of the tracks - which is fine as they are generally excellent. I was thinking about 1.5, rounding down because I was annoyed, but the drums are great.

Never listened to a prince album before, but obviously know he's pretty iconic Was all over the place and just thought it was a bit shit frankly. I didn't recognise any of the tracks and I don't really get what the fuss is about based on this album. I thought the last few live tracks were probably the best and most coherent, but still didn't enjoy it and won't be back. I know he's got some classic tracks, which I don't mind, but none are here 1.5

Honestly, not a fan

Okay, I suppose. A Iittle all over the place. I still liked the 3 radio hits, though.

Not my fav. Sry

All Prince albums are fantastic. This one is very eclectic, more drum machine than usual, but still great. Funky, great guitar solos, great jams. I could never take the place of your man is a standout for me. Really enjoyed.

Hadn’t listened to this, very different than the Prince I do know. Since it’s Prince, you can assume it will be captivating. I liked it overall, but this might’ve been the beginning of a small decline.

Icon. First time hearing this album, and loved it. Strange Relationship and U Got the Look are highlights for me.

Reading claims that this album is a contender for best album of all time, I was disappointed. I simply do not hear what other people are hearing. Replacing percussion and musical instruments with cold and lifeless synthesizers is a travesty that was repeated and repeated in the 80s. I did enjoy the song I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man.

This album is phenomenal and a classic. Prince's best album and his magnum opus. It would be criminal to give it anything other than a 5/5.

not a purple rain but I like this very funk oriented and the last few songs are good

3.5

Production, funk, disco, Prince, dear Lord, that was a superb album. Slow Love, U Got the Look and Hot Thing are gems here. 4,5/5.

Good but not his best

Never got into Prince. Its funky, I like it

I liked it, the sound was good. Lyrically great and prince's voice is ovbiously a gift to this earth. Just don't think his music is my jam. That era of pop rock doesn't really hit me.

Surprised by how much I didn't like this.

Great album, has slow/emotional songs as well as more fast paced, pop songs. 3.75 for me

Heel fijn. Lekker geluisterd in de trein naar de babyshower van Leonie

Not bad, not super my thing. I'm sure Prince has stronger albums.

Didn't like this as much as the other Prince album I've gotten so far. Some songs were bangin' for me but it dragged at other parts that made me dislike it.

I was really surprised that this was released in 1987. I thought it was a post love symbol album. It had passed me by until recently, I was a mid- eighties and a mid-nineties Prince listener. A few good tracks.

Try as I might, I just can't get into most of Prince's stuff - too many gated drums, too much performative sexiness, too much synthetic sound. This album was no different: listenable but nothing really stood out.

While this album is a little bloated, it showcases a lot of Prince’s strengths with some killer tracks.

some proper bops, super energising

My only prior knowledge of Prince is loving the song Purple Rain but trying and failing several times to get into the album of the same name. I was quite excited when this popped up. After a couple of songs I thought there'd been some kind of mistake. The first track was ok, but the second poor. The third, Housequake, was abysmal. I checked the album on wiki to see what was going on and I'm astonished that it's cited as his best work. Really? The music sounds so dated, unlike a good chunk of other 80s stuff that survived the times. The poor drum synthasiser definitely doesn't help proceedings. Got half way through the album and had to stop. Honestly let down. Why was Prince so popular?

3/5 Best: Adore Worst: It

I can recognize that there are probably elements of greatness on this album, but it wasn’t for me. I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could.

It was good not great. Some good songs for sure but not enough for a second listen.

Exactly what I would expect from a Prince record, sassy, sexy and outrageously groovy. Sign 'O' The Times finds the Purple One in a direct, if stripped down form. The beats are decidedly 80s, but that works. I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man stands out.

Lots of instruments....sax, xylophone....hollow sounding drums and electric drum machines. Jammy sessions.

I can’t believe how many artists I only listen to their hit singles. Prince is no exception. I’ve heard songs like Sign ‘O’ The Times, Raspberry Beret and Purple Rain sure. But other than that, just not so much, and that’s a shame. Because he was such an inspiring artist. He wrote great songs and this record features a lot of good moments! Smooth funk with some electronic vibes to more bluesy, jazzy tracks. A very nice record. 8 out of 10

Great Album with some more outstanding Songs, liked it!

I was very surprised at how much I disliked this album. I didn’t mind a couple of songs especially towards the end of the album but some of the tracks I thought were so bad, in particular Housequake and Hot Thing (the lyrics “Hot Thaaaang, barely 21” really don’t do it for me). Production is very 80s and the lyrics are very hit or miss; sometimes ok (but a little on the nose) like on the title track or The Cross but mostly just horrendous like the aforementioned Hot Thing. This album was really not my thing, only not one star due to a couple of better tracks.

I don't love all of Prince's music, but this was phenomenal. The artistry and talent shown on the album is crazy. Not an easy or short listen, but well worth the time. Probably one of the best albums to come out of 80's pop hell

Couldn’t get into it

Really great album

Never been a fan