Reviews (page 4 of 13)
Variety: 4 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 3 = 4.4 rounded down to a 4 "You've got the look, you've got the hook. You sho'nuf do be cookin' in my book/ Your face is jammin'/ Your body's heck-a-slammin'/ If love is good, let's get to rammin'" When you look at people who wrote, performed, and sometimes produced their own work, in my mind Prince's only competition in the realm of the great solo creative forces in pop is Bowie and Dylan. Stevie Wonder and Madonna are in the conversation as well. Taylor Swift might be as well, but I am wholly unfamiliar with her work. There are a ton of other great and talented people, but these stand heads above with their mass appeal, sustained quality, legacy and influence. I exclude guys like Robert Smith who I think really did rely quite a bit on their bandmates. It's kind of arbitrary, but here we are. Prince's first 10 or 11 albums ( I'll count half the Batman soundtrack) are pretty unimpeachably good to great, and I struggle to think of an act with that many successes in a row. The Beatles I guess? He's also a prime example of a dude whose deep cuts will mop the floor with the best of a LOT of other acts. This album in particular is not my favorite, and in fact I think gets just a smidge too many laurels ( not that it is undeserving - it's still pretty great) as it leans hard into all the tropes that music critics like so much, and will grasp onto to avoid having to elect a more mainstream ( but better) album as a "work of genius". "See how off the beaten path we are? Not everyone can make these fine distinctions" is the message I get when this happens. In some cases they are mostly right - The Cure's Disintegration comes to mind, but it does slightly annoy me. THE TRACKS Side one "Sign o' the Times" - What a start. Easily the most well known song on the album. Prince at the very tip top of his game, this is maybe his substantial hit. From here forward he would continue to drop bangers, but they got thinner. When I think of Prince I don't normally think of him stepping too much into the "social ills" arena, but this one hits hard without feeling cliched or slightly embarrassing like some. That synth bass line will live forever in my brain. "Play in the Sunshine" - Here's one of those great deep cuts I mentioned. Bouncy, groovy, and catchy as hell. But it'll never hold a place in the culture like "Let's Go Crazy" which it compares pretty favorably to. And coming right after the darkness of the previous one sends a message that this album is going to be a cornucopia of sorts. He even throws in the "Shave and a Haircut" melody in there without ruining things. That's fucking BALLSY. This is Prince unbound, and completely free. Whether that plays out completely to his advantage though, we'll see. There are three more sides to go... "Housequake" - Prince going full on Ruby Rhod here, a good ten years before Chris Tucker would take the role originally intended for the his purple majesty. This was a throwaway bit of fun. Silly and yet supremely funky. Prince's P-Funk influences are rarely turned up this high. "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" - Weirdly warbly lo-fi sound form a guy not really known for this sort of thing. Feels so out of left field musically, but also yeah... I can see it. This pre-figures some of the kind of weird musical choices that Outkast would thrive on a decade plus later. It's hard to imagine his purpleness thinking something like this would fly on mainstream radio though. Side two "It" - Very stripped down sound here, but still pretty danged effective. More and more elements are added as we go along making it feel paced out and never too busy. Those now cliched synth hits that pop up in a million other songs make it feel a little more generic and dated that some other stuff though. "Starfish and Coffee" - At times pretty and whimsical, this one has a fine groove to it, and feels like a bit of a lark in the vein of a Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. He's definitely taking advantage of the space accorded by the format to spread out and explore every avenue that comes to mind. "Slow Love" - And we get our first slow jam. Prince can go full horndog when he wants , but there are plenty of classy pieces like this to balance out his boudoir numbers. This is one of the latter, and it's got a shit ton of hooks. "Hot Thing" - And he immediately moves into the middle ground here where all the sex is realized in the music itself. The vocals and the dirty sounding drums do the work the barely suggestive lyrics can't. This is Prince painting by the numbers. It works. The elements are all there, it's just barely there. "Forever in My Life" - This was also fine, but is carried almost entirely by the vocals as the barest of instrumentation kind of makes this one feel like a gussied up demo. Side three "U Got the Look" - This is more like it. One of the few I remember seeing a music video for off this album, and the confidence to put all that weight behind it as a single is completely understandable as it's a jam from beginning to end. An assist from both Sheena Easton AND Sheila E.! ( who I would often confuse with each other as a child). Hilarious lyrics, great vocal hooks. Just below the top shelf, but it'll do just fine. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" - Bit of musical gender play from the royal one, with an assist from production to pitch his voice up, this one was apprently salvaged from his "Camille" project where the idea was for Prince to release a full album under a female pseudonym. It was scrapped, but supposedly might get released in the near future. An interesting experiment that isn't 100% successful I think. But it's still pretty good. "Strange Relationship" - Loved the instrumentation on this, with some unique flutey sounding synths providing the foundation for a boppy little opposites attract story. "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" - I love it when you get a joyous and upliftingly catchy song that tells a deepy sad story. I eat that bittersweet shit up! And hand claps to top it off. Pure pop perfection. This sits on the shelf right next to "When You Were Mine". Would also favorably compare this to Rod Stewart's "Young Turks" which hits a lot of similar notes for me. The instrumental bridge maybe goes on a tad too long, but that's nitpicking. Side four "The Cross" - The most beautiful and emotionally affecting song on the album. Also my favorite vocals. Prince manages to evoke some of the stuff Stevie Wonder was so great at, without sacrificing any musicality for message. Beautiful. "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" - Had to check if this was recorded live, and it was. Though likely with a bit of studio sweetening after. Every live performance I've seen by the man looked like it was a true event, and never a dull moment. This gave me strong P-Funk vibes, and I can see why he chose a live cut. Studio cut would have killed that atmosphere ( but probably still have been a strong entry). Was Prince the first to use the Wizard of Oz chant in a song? He certainly got there before Metallica and LL Cool J... "Adore" - We end on another slow jam. This one's a bit more of a traditional 70s throwback, and Prince is steeped in that stuff so he knows what works. And this works. HIGHLIGHTS - "Sign o' the Times" - "Play in the Sunshine" - "Starfish and Coffee" - "Slow Love" - "U Got the Look" - "Strange Relationship" - "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" - "The Cross" - "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" - "Adore" MIDLIGHTS - "Housequake" - "It" - "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" - "Hot Thing" - "Forever in My Life" - "If I Was Your Girlfriend" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS More or less as I remembered it. Not my favorite by the man, but chock full of a zillion good ideas, anchoired by his always on point instincts. I believe this man probably has one of the lowest miss rates of any popular musician of the last 60 years. He's might not be pulling in Ty Cobb numbers, but he's a top tier slugger, and he rarely strikes out. His worst stuff is still interesting. This album does not have a single turd on it, which is an accomplishment on a double album. And the stuff I ranked as middle of the road is still very solid work, some of which might get a step up if I wasn't grading on a curve. There more than a few albums by Prince that I enjoy more than this one though. I think even with all the lesser stuff taken out this still would only be a 4-star from me at the end of the day. He's just got SO much better stuff. And as much as I do love the man's output, he has so many goddamn amazing songs that there's enough to fill a 3 disc best of. Those are Bowie and Beatles numbers. Nothing to scoff at. This came at the tail end of a classic run of albums, and this feels like a man stretching out his arms and enhoying the fruits of his labor. It's got life, it's got some messages, it's got earnestness, and it certainly brings the groove and the funk. It just isn't Purple Rain. Sorry. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Nope FURTHER LISTENING - Ice Cream Castle by The Time - The Family by The Family - Vanity 6 by Vanity 6 - Sheila E. by Sheila E. - Jill Jones by Jill Jones - A Private Heaven by Sheena Easton
3.5 rounded up
prince is talented. RIP.
Albums like this are why prince is such a legend.
It may not be the best Prince album (for a start, like just about every double album, it could be cut down to an absolutely killer single album, but Sign ☮︎ The Times is still The Purple One operating at a level that's close to his peak, and that's reflected by the high points of this album. "U Got The Look," and "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" especially are tracks that remind you just why the mid 1980s was Prince's imperial era.
Another quality album from Prince - not in my top 3, but still excellent
Muy larga la versión deluxe pero buen disco
great prince album, some strong highlights. a little bloated but still a banger, 9/10. 1st time listen tracklist ranking: 1. Adore 2. Sign “☮︎” The Times 3. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man 4. Strange Relationship 5. If I Was Your Girlfriend 6. Slow Love 7. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night 8. Hot Thing 9. The Cross 10. It 11. U Got The Look 12. Starfish and Coffee 13. The Ballad of Dorothy Parker 14. Forever in My Life 15. Play in the Sunshine 16. Housequake
I'm a shameful Prince noob but this album still blew my tits off. Leave it to Prince to write a song that does such interesting things with gender like "If I Was Your Girlfriend" and also a straight-up Christian Rock song "Cross" and include them on the same album and it works, somehow???
is that MC Chris?
Very soulful start followed by silly pop which I just can’t get into no matter how much I try. I enjoy the “Casio Vibe” of some of these beats like “The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker”. It gives it the lo-fi sound which most definitely the intention. Prince’s ability to harmonize with himself is so impressive. Disc One finishes strong(even with its silly tunes). I’d have to say the same for Disc Two. Personal preference has me leaning towards to no frills tunes like “The Cross” although I did enjoy “I Could Never Take Place Of Your Man” with it’s killer guitar solo. 3.5 rounded up
This album has some of my favorite Prince songs on it - "Starfish and Coffee" the title track, "U Got the Look", the gospel wigginess of "The Cross" - and the dubby, vacuum-of-space production was peerless for the time and still sounds great. The record is a lot and gets mired in some of the ballads, but it's among his best. Maybe second after Parade for me.
an enjoyable mix of funky pop mixed with rock. Prince's smooth and unique voice added on top. there wasn't a single song that changed my world, but definitely and album i'd enjoy listening to again
Always loved Prince; he's in my personal Mount Rushmore of musicians for sure. Great album, loads to it. Adore was my fav song and first listen. I Could Never Take the Place Of Your Man and The Cross were my other highlights
good 80s! a bit long
Mid level but still great Prince.
I prefer the guitar-driven, more poppy Purple One than his more funky stuff, but there’s some good stuff here like Starfish and Coffee and Adore
Best Song: If I was Your Girlfriend Prince is always welcome. I don't like this album as much as Purple Rain but it is still really solid. 4/5.
Way better than I was expecting. I love all things Prince, but all mainstream '80s music was just..... ugh! And, as prolific as Prince is, you're bound to hear some garbage every now and again. Consider my prejudices removed.
i've never purposfully listening to price, it was fun but I wouldn't put it on again. i did like "if i was your girlfriend" a lot but there was a weird part of the song i didn't like so I didn't save it. I also liked "adore" but not enough to save it
Nice
R&B, Funk e uma pitada de soul que faz minha cabeça mexer. Não sei se gosto mto do fato de ser usado uma drum machine, mas é definitivamente interessante (Deixa algumas musicas artificiais). Muitas músicas boas, mas algumas ficam perdidas no meio do álbum. Linhas de baixo MUITO envolventes. No geral, um álbum muito diverso
Such a great album. I saw it in the theater! I would say Purple Rain is definitely a masterpiece, but this is pretty darn good. It is funny this came right after Jimi Hendrix. Both guys are masterful musicians, but I do think Prince plays a lot of other instruments as well as all the writing and producing.
I like Prince a lot. Probably my third fave album of his after 1999 and Purple Rain
Damn we lost we lost a real one in Prince.
Can never take the place of the Man. There is troubles big and small. I guess it's just a sign o' the times.
It's kinda like 'Breaking Bad' where you have to get 6 episodes in before it really starts to take off. That's a sign to me that this thing is bloated and could've used an editor. But boy when it gets going, it really gets going.
fun album,
I think I’m finally starting to “get” Prince…
pretty horny but really tasteful, great grooves and excellent guitar tone works just as well when it surrenders to funk rhythms as when it stops to whisper slightly risqué ballads in your ear this man is the pinnacle of overflowing talent in every sense; im glad to be able to tackle such an intimidating discography from such a prolific artist, forcing me to dissect it on my own terms every song has its moments, and every performance elevates the tracks to give us something much greater than the sum of its parts
Even as a massive fan of the Purple One, I’ve always found Sign of the Times to be too long. It does contain some of my favourite Prince tracks but isn’t an album I rush to put on.
I’m a big fan of Prince, but surprisingly only heard the title track and U Got the Look. I’m gonna be honest, this album intimidated me a bit at first. I always worry with double albums that I’m gonna feel like they drag on. Luckily, I didn’t get that feeling with this one. It honestly didn’t feel like 1hr 20min to me. Sign "☮︎" the Times has a bunch of great, funky moments, including the live track “It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night”, which I honestly wasn’t expecting to like as much as I did. What a fun addition. And it balances out nicely with ballads like “Slow Love” and “Adore”. I don’t know how hot of a take these are gonna be, but I found myself enjoying disc 2 more than disc 1, and I wasn’t much of a fan of the Camille tracks. But all in all, this was a really great listening experience. Favorite tracks: Sign o’ the Times, Play in the Sunshine, Starfish and Coffee, Slow Love, U Got the Look, Strange Relationship, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, Adore
It’s Prince so it’s a mix of compositional genius and being straight horny!!
It's smooth, it's funky, it's a little self indulgent but it's Prince so that's ok.
If there's one thing this album convinced me of, it's that Prince was a genius when it came to instruments and using his vocals in line with the instrumentals. Everything flows together beautifully and while this might not be my favorite album ever, it definitely shows how talanted Prince really was.
I didn't always love the songwriting on this album, but what I did love was it's unique energy — especially on the more upbeat tracks. Listening to some of these songs honestly feels like being pulled into an 80s house party where you can imagine Prince stomping around doing a one man band act like in some kind of corny feel-good movie. The guy was larger than life and this album is a monument to that. It's fun, it's funky, and it's even surprisingly thoughtful at times. I wasn't a big fan of the slower, ballady songs though. It does feel like he was trying a little too hard to be Mr. Sensual Lover on some of those tracks, but maybe that's just my straight male ass being impervious to his charm. The other main issue I have with the album is that some of the songs seem to continue for a couple of minutes past the point where I feel like they were squeezed of all their juice. If I Was Your Girlfriend is guilty of both of these complaints of mine; I really wasn't a fan of that one. Probably would have given this a 5 if it was just a little bit tighter of an experience. Favourite Tracks: Housequake, U Got the Look, It
Have I listened to this album before? No How familiar am I with this album? I know some songs How do I feel about this artist? I like Prince a lot Favorite song(s)? U Got the Look, Play in the Sunshine, Housequake Overall Thoughts: It makes sense that this was other abandoned albums pieced together, like the Camel from Parks and Rec. It all came together very nicely though. Kept me on my toes, and had especially interesting guitar parts (sometimes I’ve been waiting for). Listened to Part 1 at work and Part 2 later in the bath. Hot Thing has no business being as long as it was or even on the album at all.
Pretty amazing
Loved this record - not quite timeless, but a very decent listen.
What can I say, it’s prince, it’s good
This will be my first listen to this album in its entirety. I bought every piece of Prince wax I could put my hands on until about 1987, but experienced this album's songs primarily from the EPs and singles I found during this time period, so looking forward to it listening to it all!
266/1089 first 2 tracks were decent, very dated to the 80s but not entirely negatively. Housequake is dated to the 80s in a distinctly negative way imo okay, The Ballad… and It were good but then it goes to Starfish and Coffee.. Hot Thing is also NOT IT this album is SO hot of cold to me, Forever in my Life is really nice and tbh would make a good closer for the album, so i’m intrigued that it goes on further okay disc 2 was good, and deserved to be there i think faves: Forever in my Life, Strange Relationship, U Got The Look 71/100
I feel like I finally get Prince’s genius in a deeper way than I ever have before. His genius is in layers. First there’s the sheer volume of content of a certain quality. There is almost an hour and a half of music on this “standard” edition but undoubtedly it was selected from an even deeper well of material. Then there’s His Sound. Complex layers of rhythms from syncopated drum machines, synth melodies, funky guitar riffs, and, if he so chooses, some bass. Prince at his best, for someone that is capable of anything, shows incredible taste and great restraint in what he chooses both to include and to omit in the pursuit of a compelling groove. Once he’s found the groove we find the next layer of his genius: he can write great fucking songs too. Seldom gratuitous, often brilliant, sublime, nuanced, catchy as hell songs. He so accomplished at writing songs in fact that his choice is to sometimes completely forego His Sound altogether and paint with a different brush just because he fucking can. That’s not always as successful in my opinion because sometimes he really nails an imitation of a genre I find inferior to his own, like the misplaced Christian rock-tinged “The Cross”. All-in-all though this is the most consistently likable and listenable set of Prince masterpieces I’ve ever heard assembled. My personal favorite stretch begins with “Hot Thing” and closes with the hit “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man” which is almost an album’s worth of incredible content for a lesser artist. The self-editing could have cut a little deeper overall in my humble opinion and the critical omission of 2, maybe 3, songs from set would have made it a stronger album experience.
Love u prince muah
Really great album, not really any standout track but the whole thing is great. Could be cut down quite a bit though
never heard this one before! but prince is a musical genius and this was a banger as per usual for him. very groovy and fun
Not as good as purple rain but still solid
I've tried to get into Prince before and often bounced off his stuff, never disliking it but never being grabbed by it. This is probably my favourite of his stuff though, I feel like I get the hype more from this, the songs are a bit more hard hitting, less love ballads on the tracklist.
-I mean its prince -got lots of songs with raw voice, very focused around vocals and beats -cool bass -funkyyy -got some horns in it too -chanting too -also got some chill funk songs in between, so its not all too much -also got the 80s sound -some cool voice effects on it -although it has upbeat funk it also has emotional moments or rock moments, so I really feel like its telling a story -ends on a good song "Adore" that really blends elements of the entire album well -got a few unusual but chill songs for prince -3 or 4 gems, like real real good songs, good song abundance
Muy bueno
There's nothing bad on this album but there are too many songs. Listening to this I also realize how many people are trying to rip his sound off and it sounds so much worse when they do it. 8/10
thought this was pretty fire
okay geet favorite song: play in the sunshine
At least it went by easily.
not what i expected from prince, but fun nonetheless 🙂↕️
Enjoyed this one! I like just having it on in the background. The songs have such an interesting vibe to them.
4,2/5
Love me some prince! Side two is way better imo, but the whole thing is enjoyable of course. I don't think I dislike any of his work. 7/10
Prince 👑
Sign 'o' the times - 4 Play in the sunshine - 3 Housequake - 3 The ballad of dorothy parker - 4 It - 3 Starfish and coffee - 3 Slow love - 3 Hot Thing - 4 Forever in my life - 5 U got the look - 4 If i was your girlfriend - 3 Strange relationships - 5 I could never take the place of your man - 3 The cross - 4 It's gonna be a beautiful night - 3 Adore - 3 xx / 16
I really liked this. This really felt like a combination of all the vibes that Prince had before this album. Parts of the album may feel a little disjointed because of the amount of styles he’s going for, but I appreciated the ambition more than it bothered me. I love the more raw style of this compared to some of his other work. Definitely think it needs another listen though, especially the second half.
Obligatory double album warning. I suspect Dimery loves double albums. Title track is pretty cool. I'm grateful that Prince tried out half the 80's schtick (maybe synth can replace anything!) but not the second half (mooooar reverb!). You can sorta tell the rhythm is programmed in 'Sign 'O' The Times'. Prince is just too interesting to be bogged down by it. It helps that he's an auteur in the Hollywood sense -- capable of doing all the parts on the album himself, so his very specific vision can be reached as closely as possible; if he can't communicate an idea to a musician, he can just take over. It's worth noting that that can be a terrible curse (Todd Rundgren, I'm still holding a grudge) but, in this case, it's just a clear expression of a massive talent for interesting and engaging tunes and grooves. For the most part, after 'Housequake,' I didn't notice what I was listening to until 'I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man.' Everything in between was good and I have no doubt launched countless bands but it had a more electronic bent than I love. That I found the experience pleasant is saying quite a lot and it's clear that generating music electronically wasn't a crutch or some kind of cost-saving measure by Prince. After that, 'The Cross' is great (reminds me of Wide Mouth Mason, who came long, long after). 'It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night' is beautiful. 'Adore' is pretty lovely (sounds a bit like 'Midnight Train to Georgia' in the opening). It's a very good album. You really should listen to it, at least once, just to keep experiencing all the varied stuff that this guy could produce. I don't know that this will go into everyone's regular rotation. It's a lot. Like many double albums, there's more than an album's worth of good material here but probably not two. It would've been one *hell* of a single album and accompanying outtakes release. 4/5
"don't wait for yo neighbour! green eggs and ham!" Didn't take Prince as an avid Dr. Seuss reader. He also says sixty-seven, which is really funny. Prince is hip with the kids. Fav Song: Slow Love Least Fav: Hot Thing
Classic Prince by The Funky One.
There's so much going on in this album. The androgynous ambiguity, the sparse electronic production, the constant shifting between genres: pop, R&B, rock, gospel, psychedelia, soul and, of course, funk. Even as a double album running over an hour, it's still a lot to pack in. Watching the concert film alongside it adds yet another layer. The suggestive sexuality, the flashes of James Brown in his dance moves, and the overall flamboyant musical theatre nuttiness of the narrative. There's a serious smack of 80s tackiness and excess too of course, but Prince’s music somehow always overcomes that. He’s completely uncompromising, fully committed to his vision. The result is a messy funk odyssey. I particularly loved a few songs over others. “Starfish and Coffee” for its catchy melody and folky harmonies. “Forever in my Life” for the association of the absolutely stellar live performance in the movie, even more so than the album version. What a vocal performance! And “The Cross” for the rock anthem that it delivers. But it’s the title track that stands out the most. It’s absolutely amazing. It’s crazy how much he achieves with such a minimal electronic setup. It’s stripped back and refined, with those amazing guitar skills lurking, buried in the background. The lyrical content is dark and depressing as hell, but the catchiness of the tune means you almost don’t notice the darkness of the themes. It’s definitely one of the best songs of his entire career. A lot of people consider this Prince’s best album, even over “Purple Rain”. I wouldn’t go that far. It’s got some great moments, but it’s messy and a lot to take at times. If anything, pairing it with the concert film helps bring it into focus, showing the unbelievable musical abilities of Prince, hidden beneath all the layers of that funky chaos.
listening to this album was like watching the office for the first time and spotting all the memes & soundbites in real time. i constantly kept going 'this was what lady gaga was trying to do on that one song' 'didnt daft punk sample that?' 'is this where tyler the creator got that shtick from?' i do also hear a lot of crossover with the jacksons to be fair - michael but more specifically janet (& i think control was released slightly before this album?). & of course callbacks to both rock n roll and earlier electronic music which were fun all in all v much enjoyed the album. what a banger!! didn't even feel long, for other albums an hour 20 runtime would annoy me SO much. it had so much variety that it didn't bore me. only drawback was that it had the misfortune of being produced in the late 80s, which is the achilles heel of many great albums
It’s Prince!
This was rather enjoyable, but I don't think any single song stood out to me.
Prince was a romantic, genderfluid and talented guy. Fav track: If I Was Your Girlfriend
Lite väl sliskiga texter, men det svänger ju.
Farsan brukar ofta stressa om när han var på Prince på typ globen efter att han släppt den här plattan. Första delen bagisk, andra fylld av "fruktansvärt Jesuspredikande" haha oooch sista delen bagisk igen. Asså det var kanske lite christian rock-feeling men tror han är bränd och överskattat mängden i efterhand. Eller så var liveframträdandet mer missionerande, vem vet! Oavsett - mäktigt 😎
Mycket härligt när man får kliva in i princes värld. Som min polare Freddi sa: Bra mix men kanske sämsta nivåerna på mastern någonsin?
Mad respect for Prince and his contribution to music. His influence is everywhere and his talent is undeniable. None of these songs are my favorites of his, but if the people love it I get it.
8/10
This is a hard one for me to rate, because I appreciate the musicianship, some of the songs that really stand out, and the subtleties of the rest of the album. However, overall, on a first listen, I heard more of what some people have been saying since this album came out, that it feels a little "all over the place" with a lot of songs that almost feel incomplete. I don't actually think they re incomplete, but I just think that it didn't need to be a double-album. I think that if he would have trimmed it down, it would have been more cohesive and felt amazing. However, it doesn't feel significant enough with some of the songs and the presentation. For example, the second to last song that is live and is way too long for a double-disc, in my opinion.
I think this is the first time I'm listening to this album start-to-finish, though there's a bunch of singles on here that I'm pretty familiar with. This may not be my favorite Prince album, but it's still pretty darn good.
I was excited when I saw I got recommended an album by Prince, and definitely expected more than normal. Is this a bad album? Not at all. Does this album sound like it’s from the 80s? Yes. This album is pretty consistent, and doesn’t switch up constantly. Favorite song: The Cross
6.5/10 Nice album
8.5/10
This is such a vibrant and upbeat album and I enjoyed it a lot. However, I think it did run a little too long and I was slightly tired of it near the end. Overall, it is still a very enjoyable album and it was a fun listen.
Great composition, every arrangement of instruments fall softly on the perfect tempo and space to be enjoyed
The music is great here, and Prince is clearly at his creative peak, but double albums are almost always a mistake just because it's hard to maintain quality over such a long time span, and this record is no different. Cut the weakest 20 minutes and you have a 5 star album. 3.5/5.0: Very Good
я люблю принца но этот альбом был на удивление не так крут как другие, но все равно красиво
First Prince album I actually fucked with. This one has its ups and downs but mostly ups. I love the emotion on the vox and some of the instrumentation (the parts that aren't that lifeless'80s synth drum).
Buen disco, creo me gusta más que Purple Rain, el segundo disco tirando al final más experimental lo resaltaria como mi favorito
Such an iconic sound. Love it!
This is not a Prince album I know and I know why this is well bellow the very high standard he has set for his music It is completly bathling why this is on the list in terms of why include this from prince when its not close to his best? Then from track six there are just lots of great songs why is the start so week and the rest so great, means it feels between a 3 and 4 for me but it's prince so I will be generous.
I love Prince this isn’t my favourite album of his but I still listen to it a lot
Very groovy
Love Prince but not my favorite album of his and never fully understood why it’s so highly rated
Great record. There are still a few Prince albums I like better, so this one is only getting a four.
A lot more consistent than Purple Rain, though the highlights aren’t quite as high. I am still in the camp where I appreciate his work rather than really enjoy it.
Very nice.
prince can do no wrong
Bought this the day of release and again on vinyl, and tracks still making my playlists. 1. Sign "O" The Times 2. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man 3. The Cross
I'm not sure if it's as good as Purple Rain...there's a lot of great stuff on here but I'm wondering if it's too much as a double album. Can't give this a 5, as much as I'd like to. Really like it, would want to listen to it again sometime. There's a lot of funk, some good rock, some great beats...it's weird and it's fun, highly experimental.
Yes
Oh Yeah! Un autre album " Plaisir"! C'est beaucoup... C'est pas ce qu'on pourrait appeller un album épuré. Les arrangements sont top, ça part dans tous les sens, il y a de la virtuosité de guit et de brass, du drum machine et/ou du vrai drum, des hooks vocaux (parfois même parlés).Vers la fin de Hot Thing, quand il lâche un geignement animal et que le sax repique la mélodie, c'est du génie. Mention spéciale au banger Hot Thing, qui est pas mal 1 accord tout le long et qui est tout sauf plate, c'est à peine si on se rend compte que cest 1 seul accord tellement ça bouge (même si bon des paroles un peu douteuse de type gars qui groom des jeunes filles de 21 ans mais bon il y en avait à la pelle à l'époque). Parlant de bangers, il y en avait plusieurs. Accroche à la première écoute, alors qu'il y avait aucun des titres de pièce qui me disait quelque chose en les lisant. (Housequake aussi par exemple) Selon le bouquin 1001A, son label Warner a refusé qu'il fasse un album triple car les ventes post Purple Rain avaient mal été, donc ils lui ont demandé de cherry picker les chansons qu'il préférait, ce qui donne une courtepointe, passant du "grinding funk" au "smoochy soul". ( BTW C'est auto-réalisé! ) Il y a même quelque chose de précurseur au pop-punk dans I could Never Take the Place of Your Man. Note à moi-même : revenir à cet album, et écouter plus de Prince.
Infinitely better than the film, which is shite.
Really enjoyed. I don’t know enough Prince but it was groovy
Maybe the most 80s album I've ever heard. I think there's definitely some misses in the tracklist (for me at least), but some of the hits really blew me away. Very sensual at times, but also really explosive. Also definitely enjoyed the second half more than the first, but that's mostly due to me not being in love with straightforward love songs. Favorite Songs: "Sign o' the Times", "Strange Relationship", "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man", "The Cross", "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" Least Favorite Song: "If I Was Your Girlfriend" Mid 4.
PRINVCEEE
Favorite Tracks: Sign O' The Times / Starfish & Coffee / I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man / Adore Rating: 3.6 Listened to the 2020 Remaster version. Yup, it'sa Prince album. Some real bangers, some ego-stroking filler tracks, a kitchen sink full of styles and sounds...all pretty creative, all with plenty of musicianship. I gotta be in the right mood for it personally.
hochmusikalisches album mit tollen songs von einem meister.
Zeer sfeerig
Van genoten
Very funky album - kinda feels like he was trying out a new sound. I was surprised to find out it came AFTER Purple Rain. Some people say it's better but generally I disagree Highlights: Ballad of Dorothy Parker, The Cross
классный альбом. Мне понравились почти все песни
Just a little bit too much filler to be a five. The good songs are very good though.
groovy af. listened to on a sunny walk around the block.
I thought it was really good!
Lauv
Starts off great with the title track, which I think is one of his best songs, followed by another strong song. But then Housequake comes on and wrecks the momentum. I appreciate the James Brown samples but the rapping that sounds like he inhaled helium? I don’t know what he was going for but it’s kind of obnoxious. The rest of disc 1 ranges from pretty good to excellent (Starfish and Coffee). Disc 2 starts with more of the helium vocals on “U Got the Look,” but they’re a little less annoying this time since there’s a lot more going on in this song. More helium on If I was Your Girl Friend, which has an ok groove but is a little schlocky. Strange Relationship is pretty good, and it’s followed by another of Prince’s best - I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, and Disc 2 continues with several good songs. Arguably this could’ve made a great single album, if Housequake and a few other songs were cut, but I think it mostly works as is - not every song is my cup of tea, but it’s interesting to hear his experimentation with lots of different ideas.
Pues será muy ecléctico y muy genial, pero yo no le veo la coherencia a este disco por ninguna parte.
La nota va en función de su valor histórico. Considero que para esa época, había cosas bastante parecidas (y quizás hasta mejores) pero, entendiendo el contexto del album, es muy interesante a nivel producción y producto final. Sin embargo, Prince en general me parece un bodrio.
This album got out of the box slow and very 1980’s, but boy did it turn that around. It was great by the end.
Oh yeah, always love Prince! Good start to our group too.
This is a super fun album. Found myself bopping my head a lot more to this than I expected.
Really really great album
The music on this is great, but some of the songs are little bit too much to be enjoyable. Paired with 80 minute runtime I have to drop it a point
Love Prince! A few moments that fell flat, a few fun tracks, but overall a nice listen. Band and backup vocals are top notch.
Expansive, whimsical and endlessly prince. There's all sorts of musical traps to be be lured into. It like prince has been sucked inside a synthesizer and is fucking his way out.
This is good Prince. I have grown to really like the talent that was Prince. The man was an incredible musical talent, in so many ways. Honestly this album probably has something for everyone to enjoy.
Man that live song is so energetic The album is such a rollercoaster 4.5/5
“I could never take the place of your man” is my favorite so far. I also like “The Cross” a good bit, especially the intro
First and title track insantly grabbed me because of the sparse beats and Prince's voice complimenting them perfectly. Ballad of Dorothy Parker is also gorgeous and the melody in his voice is perfect.
I feel like I've been slacking on my Prince listening! He's an artist I've always heard and knew the hits, but have never goen out of my to listen too. I think this is a travestry because I absolutely love everything I've heard recently, and this album is the same. I love the funky groovy vibe that's found throughout this album. I will definitely be diving further into the Prince catalog when I have the chance!
Quite surprised how much i like it. Funky, party!
good record
Prince is very talented, what a shame he is problematic.
I liked this one. Although its long, there’s a good amount of variety between the tracks to remain relatively engaging throughout.
Some absolute classics on here
Just what I expected from Prince. Enjoyable listening. Nothing outstanding
Great Psychedelic Rock
Sure, I can see why this is called a masterpiece and Prince's greatest album. Every song is great at best and ok, fun at worst. It does drag a little too long with 80 minutes and the drum machine (it's on most songs) really becomes painful after a while. All in all, it's a solid album, bordering on great. 4/5
LOVED the production
decent prince
Any double album is bound to have some filler in there. So it’s not Prince’s tightest album, but it does have some excellent slower soul on it. Slow Love is just gorgeous. The man was a genius.
Meticulously crafted, genre-spanning, would prefer a mix of live and programmed drums but that's an artistic choice 4 - great even among this list
Très sympa, classique Prince, ça change
J'avais jamais écouté d'albums de Prince en entier ben franchement bonne découverte. Good vibes, un peu street, un peu pop, un peu funky!
C'est grave du hip-hop wsh (non, mais on voit bcp d'inspis, ou trucs inspirés de ça plutôt), j'adore la vibe. Housequake me fait grave penser à Do the Swamp de Puppetmastaz. C'est intéressant. Y'a aussi plein de titres auxquels j'ai l'impression d'avoir vu des réponses ou des reprises, faut que je me renseigne sur son influence
Great album! I was surprised with how indie rock this sounded in places. I just know Mac Demarco loves this album.
Horny, some great compositions with jazz, RnB, and folksy influences I really dig. Some really standout pieces, but the pieces like girlfriend really fall flat for me. Cool album!
favorites: u got the look, the cross
Genres: Funk/Rock/PsycPop/Soul/Electronic Viele verschiedene Stile in einem Album verarbeitet, erste Hälfte des Albums ist eher ruhiger und langsamer, die zweite Hälfte dann energetischer. Das Album klingt immer wieder als hätte man Michael Jackson und Jimi Hendrix in einem Mixer gesteckt (positiv). Play in the Sunshine besonders rockig, am Ende dann mit The Cross ein sehr schwerer und kräftiger Song, IGBaBN und ICNTtPoYM fröhliche energetische 90s Banger Top 3: 🥇: Play in the Sunshine 🥈: It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night 🥉: I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man HM: The Cross, Adore, Strange Relationship, Starfish and Coffee
A fun album and creative tour-de-force, with a clearly unshackled Prince meandering across pop, funk, and R&D across nearly an hour and a half of music. "Sign of the Times" has some of the shambolic appeal of other double album masterpieces like Tusk, London Calling, and Exile on Main Street. I rate it a hair below those records, but it is unequivocally one of Prince's statement works.
3.5 - Good
Very 80s
what is choogling?
So much Linn drum… damn sis…
Funky
Funky
This was a weird one, cause I'd be super into a song or two, and then kinda zoned out for a couple and then he'd come in with another banger. "Sign o' the Times" "Housequake" "Starfish & Coffee" "Hot Thing" and "The Cross" were faves on here.
Early prince. Not bad
Great funky album.
You can hear the influence in this album so clearly; that is to say you can hear why artists have been influenced by the album and the rest of Prince's discography. For me, it runs a little long and the songs end up blending in with one another.
4.5 - probably a 5. Will listen again soon.
Truly one of the great artists of all time, though not quite at his peak here.
Still really really good, just not quite as cohesive as purple rain imo. He reminds me a lot of Michael jackson here.
Prince can do it
Idk why albums need to be this long, but this one is great. Enjoyed most of it but too long.
This seems like pretty average Prince, but average for Prince is high quality. An enjoyable listen.
I have to confess that I had never listened to a full-length Prince album until now. But I think this demonstrates his being pop royalty - not only by name, but by nature too. Great tunes, great performances, great production.
What a fun, big album to dive into. A mix of funk, pop, dance, and rock. And since this is Prince, you also get some killer shredding guitar solos. I love how often the album surprised me. The genres switch between tracks, but each song has its own character. The production often adds weird effects to certain instruments. It keeps everything fresh and adds a playful tone. I get the impression that Prince was meticulous about this music, but it still feels fun and organic and wild. I could see this being one of those albums that takes a few listens before you realize just how great it is, but on a fist listen I still had a blast.
Really solid Prince album. I love the opening track; the verse is kind of Bruce Springsteen-ish but it's filled with Prince's great attitude that often comes through in his best songs. He's sharp, he's cool, he's the man. It's a nice 4/5 for me.
It was good, very 80s, the fist prince album I have listened to but it was good
It’s Prince….no mistaking him for anybody else!
Dit kan ik echt waarderen. Zou het zelf niet snel op zetten. Maar het is echt tof. Dus misschien vaker doen.
Ik hou niet van funk, maar wat een album en artiest is Prince
Funky cool ans a great song for any day. Starfish and coffee sounds like the perfect breakfast
I feel that this album combines electronic and physical instruments better than some of Prince's other albums, which makes it sound much less dated. I really enjoyed this one, the pop-ier songs were more palatable, I guess. The live track at the end was a great inclusion, really highlighting Prince's strength as a performer and showman. That being said, felt like there was a lot of filler, maybe could have benefitted from not being a double record. Standout Tracks: Sign O' The Times, It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night.
Listened to this on a long-ish drive. It was funky and kind of hypnotic? Felt like it could go on forever but not necessarily in a bad way.
I feel like I’ll be eviscerated for this score.
3.9, couldve been better it was a good listen tho.
I loved the joy in Play in the Sunshine and Starfish and Coffee
I can’t tell how I feel about Prince. No one writes a song quite like Prince did, and I mean that in the best and worst ways. I don’t know that I always agree with every artistic and stylistic choice Prince makes in every song, but I have to admit that this was an engaging and interesting pop/rock/soul/whatever else he felt like doing album.
Quite good, but feels like there's a bit of filler in there. The album doesn't need to be this long.
4 stars easily for starfish and coffee
Title track is excellent Funky Very late-80s A bit much for me
I've never given Prince much time beyond what I knew from stuff like Batman '89 and just his general cultural footprint and this is a great way to crack into what could be a very intimidating discography.
So groovy, great for strutting around in the city with a sick jacket on. Love Prince's storytelling!!!
Top tier Prince. One of his best. The only way it could have been better is if they extended a few more of the songs and let him and the band jam a bit. Musicians like Prince shine brightest one the extended jams. Just my opinion though. I'd still put Purple Rain slightly above this one, but Sign O' the Times is certainly no mediocre album.
Excellent stuff. "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" is the standout for me.
8 / 10
it prince.
It’s Prince, n’uff said
It’s not bad at all. Very diverse music. Liked slow love, hot ting, sign of the times. I love when artists do not try brainwashing the audience yet the melodies are catchy, interesting and fairly easy to remember. Very pleasant. He also has a good voice. The album ticks many boxes but it doesn’t impress me with something unique to it. So not yet a five for me.
I knew coming in that it was going to be off the beaten path and a little weird simply because it was a Prince album, and I wasn’t wrong. There were still so many tracks that were absolute jams and kept you engaged. There were parts that haven’t aged well since the 80s, but it added to the charm.
Princes 80tal är sanslöst. Sign 'O' the times är jätte jättebra ändå är den inte nära att vara hans bästa, åtminstone Dirty mind, 1999, Controversy och Parade är ännu bättre album enligt mig. Men låt inte den åsikten lura er, Sign... är strålande bara inte lika koncentrerad. Det räcker med att rabbla upp låtlistan, jag räknar till tio låtar jag älskar. 16 spår, 1 timme och 20 minuter, det känns för kort man vill bara att det ska fortsätta. Prince är för bra för sitt eget bästa. Allt ska med och det gör det lite spretigt för att hålla ihop det till ett album. Men det är en marginell anmärkning när låtarna i sig är så bra. Bara för att belysa en tidigare ståndpunkt, lyssna på titelspåret och du hör Kraftwerks oändliga inflytande; minimalt, precist och svängigt. Vrålstark fyra
Återhållsamhet var aldrig Prinsens signum. Här är det mycket av det mesta. Han slänger sig vilt mellan olika genres även om den souliga funken ständigt är närvarande. Självhävdelsebehovet finns där. ”Ska visa dom att jag är bäst på allt”. Å förvisso, det kanske inte är sanningen rakt av men inte långt därifrån. Tror ändå att SOTT mått bra av att kortas ned till ett enkelalbum. Med det sagt är det svårt se vad dom ska bort. För min del funkar andra skivan något bättre än första. Inte minst den avslutande D-sidan som är lysande.
Honestly, I prefer it to Purple Rain…
Prince’s White Album.
pretty good
Purple…y. Miss this guy…gal.
Very solid Prince album. I like Purple Rain better, but has some super interesting songs and the style varies quite a bit. “U Got The Look” and “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Girlfriend” were highlights.
I’ve never actually listened to a Prince album from start to finish before this but I quite enjoyed myself. Had this on loop a couple times in the background at work and have definitely added it to my liked songs. Prince was such an influential voice and this album makes it clear as to why. I love how fun some of the songs are and will definitely be going back to this.
Solid. Catchy album!
Sprawling, perfectionist pop. You could tell Prince knew which way the wind was blowing with the production choices. It’s a bit unwieldy, but still full of banger instrumentals and great melodies. It’s another achievement among his many.
A good album, I liked Play On The Sunshine and Housequake the most.
Awesome funk album, lots of great grooves. Only a few standout songs as a whole - but still an awesome Prince jam.
J'ai de la misere a tripper Prince. Il y a des moments très forts mais quelques un qui me rebutent. Le talent est indéniable et j'aime mieux ça à chaque fois que j'en écoute.
C'est beaucoup de matériel a digérer mais un 3.75 facile en une seule écoute.
I thought this was a really fun album, with a few weird moments. I’m a big Prince fan and I think he wrote incredible songs but I don’t think he ever released a truly flawless album. The highlights for me were the title track and It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
Viele Songs des Albums sind sehr gut, ein paar leider… nicht so sehr.
It’s Prince at his peak. It’s Prince at his best. It’s Prince! Not sure the double album is warranted but there are tons of solid tunes on this album to justify it. Favorite Tracks: Starfish and Coffee, Slow Love, U Got the Look, If I Was Your Girlfriend, I Could Never Take Your Place, The Cross, Adore
A little bit of everything, sometimes all at once, and always engaging (and of course incredible production).
Not my favourite Prince album, but what a wild time.
More complex pop than I expected. Very impressed.
A hell of a product demonstration for the LinnDrum
Hell yeah
Prince is an icon though he's one of these seminal artists that I don't usually love their full albums. Having this as a double, coupled with the comically '80's drum sounds knocks this down a star. 3.5/5
Will need to revisit, I feel like it would be a 5 if I kept on listening to it
4.5
I dont think this was nearly as good as Purple Rain, or maybe even 1999. He’s great on here again of course, but I think the length is just way too much. I also don’t think it’s as coherent as some of his other projects. Loow 4
Prince was just unreasonably good at music. Fucking great
Prince is great. Not my favorite album, but a solid listen.
Obviously a genius. Don’t connect with all of it but enjoyed.
Definitely my favorite Prince album. Mixes a lot of different influences in this Pop-Soul-R&B like slushie. You could consider this his White Album!
A solid album with good singing and catchy song. Not much else to say, Prince was a great artist and that shows. Even on the weaker songs on this album the floor is high.
I give 4 stars to the songs I extract from this double album and forge into my own playlist. They are: Sign o’ the Times Play in the Sunshine Starfish and Coffee Forever in My Life U Got the Look Strange Relationship I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man The Cross The other songs display Prince’s versatile talents but these are the songs that resonate with me at this point!
This album tarted slowly, but really really grew on me. An amazing album in a lot of ways that I don't quite know how to explain. The tone, mood, and vibe command your attention. And while there is no single that stands out, the album just feels stronger as a whole rather than on the weight of its tracks.
Loved a lot of this. Wish Prince would lean into his strengths more (guitar work and epic vocals). But I like the variation.
Very good
3.75
I'm not a huge Prince fan, but he deserved all the credit for always being on the cutting edge. He brought sounds from funk, R&B, pop, even old school hip hop together and made music that appealed to everyone, from diehard fans of those genres to snobby classic rock folks. Plenty of great stuff on this, as a producer he was pretty unmatched. Take the song It - lyrically its literally just about getting laid, like a lot of Prince songs, but it ascends into a futuristic, scifi-esque romp at the end with the drum machines and synths. And then two songs later he's doing a 50s-style crooning thing with the sax on Slow Love (surprise, another song about getting laid). Something entertaining on every track here, you can tell how widely he listened. One of his best for sure, it can be corny, but its fun as hell
I had obviously heard of Prince before listening to this, but I had never really listened to him properly. This was good.
Liked the song girlfriend which I never knew beyonce referenced in 03 Bonnie and Clyde
You know what? I like Prince more than I thought I would.
After really hating Purple Rain or whatever the album that that is on is called, I was expecting to hate this too. Well I didn’t hate it or love it. Some songs were great while others were a bit rapey and kind of just gross. Also this shit is long, not the longest album but it’s up there. Doesn’t help that every song is 4 plus minutes long. The songs didn’t need to be that long as there is no evolution during the runtime of each song that changes them. At the 2 minute mark the same shit is happening at the 4 minute mark. Kind of a mixed bag. No Prince I will not fuck you even if you were my girlfriend, please stop pretending to be a woman, you’re freaking me out. 7/10
Listened to this twice all the way through. First was the original 1987 release. I honestly thought it was a set of good songs completely ruined by the overly compressed outdated production. Second time was the 2020 remaster which thankfully fixes these issues and brings some dynamics and space to breathe.
Funky
This is #day403 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... yet another artist is being ticked off the list, as this is my third and final album by Prince. One of those few artists whose albums I got in order of their release. A case in point that this random generator isn't that random at times. Now, Sign 'O' The Times is clearly a product of an era. Late '80s all over: the record is funky, jazzy, electrifying... Prince in his prime, or so they say. "Hot Thing" is a standout among a couple of others. As an album, I prefer "1999," though. After all, it's "1999" that I have on vinyl. Still, this is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day404.
Thatbwas a good surprise. Although I feel most of the prince album are all over the place I do appreciate his different ideas and views on music, it is always a journey through music. 4/5
A high 3 rounded up to a 4 because I feel generous. It's got some good bits but is way too long and samey.
Pretty good
This album is so strange since it’s one of the few where I like the second half much more than the first. There are some BANGERS on the B-Side but the A-Side didn’t do it for me. 3 for the first album, 5 for the second.
I would give this a four plus.
It's goooood! Although a bit long to me. But I totally understand why Prince inspired so much other music now
FUCK YEAH. We get some of the smoothest, sexiest soul & funk to ever hit the market, courtesy of Prince. Every song is just thrumming with energy and verve - a compelling listen for all 80 minutes.
I was constantly floored by these instrumentals. He’s pulling out guitar solos, FUUUUNKY synthlines, and monster basslines that make your head explode. I gauge funk by how much it makes me want to tear my shirt off, and by the time The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker came on, that shirt might as well have been through a shredder. Purple Rain might be his more focused project, and it's an all-timer for sure -- but this one had me in awe at how consistent and cohesive it stays despite 1) the double-LP runtime, and 2) Prince switching from freaky, to hilarious, to funky, to conscious from track to track. 4.5/5 "Shut up already, damn!" Standouts: Housequake • The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker • Hot Thing • Forever In My Life • I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man • It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night - Live
BEST SONGS: - Slow Love - Sign 'O' the Times
Uffff
loved stuck with me
Показался более перегруженным, чем 1999, но с другой стороны мультиинструментальному скиллу Принца всё так же сложно сопротивляться. Каждый риф, каждый снэйр, каждый синт, каждая перкуссионная клавишная партия - в точку.
I loved this album when it came out. Years later I now notice some things I don't care for, that it sounds like it was the product of many hours obssessing in a studio rather than a group of musicians collaborating and also that many of the sounds are electronic. Worthy of the list but not so much to my taste these days.
this dude horny af
Very fun and funky
Very good
I know of prince but this the first time ive listenend to an album of his. The kind of music that makes you want to be the club and flick your head from side to side.
Prince is an absolutely fascinating artist. There are more ideas in some of his songs, than on entire records by others. That can be overwhelming at times, but is mostly just impressive. My only criticism is, that this album here is too long and the incredible ~50 minutes in there are watered down by some more forgettable songs, e.g. "It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night". Those songs aren’t even bad at all, but just a weirdly benign distraction of the moments that let you live in the genius that was Prince. (vinyl)
Prince spreads a wide net.
Always great to listen to prince, such a stunning musician.
Cool record. Seems tighter and more focused than 1999 in writing and production. Much less focused in run time though. I need more time to get into a double record
Being raised by two metalheads, I hadn't even heard of Prince until recently. Looking at other reviews here, that may be a blessing. I'm coming into this with an open mind and zero expectations. Prince is surprisingly engaging vocally. Every song offers something different. That keeps things interesting for that hour and twenty minutes, but also makes it a mixed bag. Like, Sign "☮️" the Times may be my favourite here, and Starfish and Coffee is cute, but It and If I Was Your Girlfriend aren't that great, and Slow Love is unbearably cheesy, etc. It also feels more like a random collection of songs than a cohesive album. Funny how Prince's work turned out to be everything I expected (and didn't get) from MJ on this list: sexy, stylish R&B with a touch of social commentary.
sex
Another album I've never listened through previously. Amazed how musically talented Prince was. Will be listening to again.
Pretty good stuff.
groovy
Prince was never like anyone but himself. I can imagine how different this would have felt when it first came out. Just a funky lil dude.
I'm a sucker for long double albums. They're like musical journeys for me that ensure that I'm going to go into a series of emotions within the next however many tracks. Examples of this would be The White Album (one of the greatest records ever) and Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (TWO FUCKIN HOURS!!!). So when I heard that Prince had a double album a few years back, I was sold. I recall trying to get into this in the Fall of 2022 but without much to note. I didn't pay attention to a number of songs and a lot of great details were lost on me. Now that I'm a better listener, I can now share my honest opinion on this record between both discs. Disc 1: It starts off really well with the first four tracks. "It" is the first skip but Starfish and Coffee has a catchy hook. Slow Love makes a short impression, Hot Thing is kind of cringe-worthy but grows on me and then the last song is ok. Disc 1 is a mixed bag between great tunes that prove Prince's musicianship and tunes that sound too minimal to overstay their welcome. I was wondering "Man, is this going to end up dragging to the finish line?" Disc 2: Then I remembered that it's fucking Prince! Out of nowhere, the rest of the album after "Forever In My Life" manages to hit very well. U Got The Look starts off the disc with a standard good pop tune (I love the World Series of Love theme) before the real fun begins with If I Was Your Girlfriend. Oh man, that song is fantastic and it builds to this spoken word climax where Prince (as Camille) goes off on his partner for her not letting him see her undress. After that, it's fair game where every hook catches me and keeps me feeling real fine. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man falls into this minute of separation where the guitar and beat change up from the regular progression. It's a sweet diversion in the middle of a song that was a single. The Cross is a very interesting track here because it sounds very different and personal. It's more rock-oriented and the lyrics appear to be about Prince's religious beliefs. On an album full of songs about sexuality, life and having fun, that's quite the different story to hear late into this record. The second to last song is an edited live song that runs for 8 minutes and grooves before finally the album settles on Adore where Prince says yes to more falsetto. It's a very strong Disc 2 that in my opinion gives the record a very hard extra boost. It's no Purple Rain and it's no White Album, but it sure makes a great impression on me. I think it might grow on me if I keep coming back to it, but for now with some skips, I think I'm satisfied with the current score (8/10, 4/5 on this scale)
Wie gut sind bitte die drei letzten Songs? Rettet dieses sehr gute, aber viel zu lange Album.
I'm just impressed with how multi talented the dude was.
So good.
I’m a big fan of Prince but I’ve never thought this was his best work and never understood why it’s generally accepted that it is. Disc 2 is absolutely a 5, banger after banger. But disc 1? A bunch of songs that either should have been left as B sides or work much better live (Housequake is the primary example of this, crushed live, flat here imo). The Sign O The Times lyrics sound like MAGA propaganda in 2025 and even in 87 they were cringe. This would have been an absolutely all timer as a single album. As a double, it’s very good but flawed.
Prince was such a funky genius!
A classic, but not better than Purple Rain. U Got the Look is still a banger! 4⭐️
Great album. Upbeat feel good. Standard Prince
Genius
Such a funky and fun album. Too long though, there is some fluff here
Very super cool
(43 known/92 new)
Prince is a solid listen and this is classic sound and style. He was soulful and energetic. Good album.
https://youtu.be/TG4PqmShvHI?si=ngKEss60viPecJ78
pueh weno, no ha estado mal, es disfrutable no se xq Prince me recuerda a Michael Jackson XD 3.5/5
Me when I live in the 80's Bigly Start Oh no Prince is horny on main! nah jk he's cool Oh no Prince is horny on alt! nah jk she's cool
So great to hear the non-singles on this one...and to reappreciate the singles, too.
Good! Lots of great tracks, but it feels aggressively 80s at times. The whopping big length of it also makes it miss the landing a bit.
Mixed bag of funk, R&B and rock. There is also great variety in how the tracks are built, some are short and sweet pop songs, others long jams. Some have the sparse 80's synth sound, others have a rich background. A constant is that 80's production which dates it. But then I could never take the place of your man comes on and I end up giving a good grade.
Me encanto, siempre pensé que Prince no me gustaba, hasta ahora, ya me doy cuenta que era un simple prejuicio. Estoy totalmente seguro que si a este disco le doy mas escuchas le daría 5 estrellas, pero de momento le dejare 4.
P to the R to the ince! U go purple one! I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man is SUCH a great song! 4.5
I'd listen to in on the background only.
Good album with songs of varying quality. Not his best but nice listen regardless
Always likes Sign o the times, this is a decent Primce album but not my fav
Prince was brilliant. I may not enjoy every single one of his songs, but it’s hard to dismiss his creativity. I have nothing but respect for him. For someone who skillfully produced his own music, he brought something new and fresh with every track. His songs were full of soul and passion. Not only that, he had the largest collection of vocal styles I’ve ever heard, ranging from a smooth baritone to a high-pitched falsetto. He brings all of that—and more—to this album.
Listened to this album while mowing the 14,000 steps lawn. The SIGN OF THE TIMES is better than I remember. I really like a "Beautiful Night", my new mowing mixtape member. Weird to read that he sang into a Sennheiser 411 microphone for this LP.
Prince being Prince.
The album starts out okay but the second half is much better and definitely raises the overall rating. 4 stars or B+.
Prince
Late 80’s Prince. Classic
This challenge has made me reconsider some of the takes I made in my youth. Artists that I thought overrated have gradually become some of my favorites. First it was David Bowie, now it's Prince.
Buen album, muy en la línea de prince, sin obras maestras pero decente.
Prince!
Good
Love the vibe. But it lacked the special something for the 5 stars
En af hans mere eksperimenterende albums og vidst også ankerkendt som at være hans bedste kritisk. Blender en masse både soul, pop, rock, elektro og jazz. Det fanger ikke mig sådan specielt meget udover at jeg rigtig godt kan lide lyden af prince.
I'd forgotten how fun and lively this album was, so it's been a welcome reintroduction
I was a bit wary going into this. I've not heard much Prince but ive not been blown away by anything I've heard so I thought a double album could be iffy I really like the sound palette used on this album. The title track is an unusual opener, very murky and lowkey, especially as the album takes a much more energetic shift immediately. I like it though. The Ballad of Dorothy Parker is good too, the strange synths remind me of some game I must've played like 20 years ago but I can't figure it out Other than If I Was Your Girlfriend, I dont like the Camille tracks, Housequake is pretty bad. Its almost like an early hip hop track with the drumming machine backing it but it just felt so rough I'm going to settle on a 4. There's a lot to dissect and digest, I could see this going up or down with repeated listens Highlights: The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, Sign O the Times, The Cross
Some great songs. But what ruined it for me is watching the concert film first. Sheila E's drumming is so much more powerful than the weak drum machine on the studio. Studio album-- 3.5/5. Concert film-- 4.5/5
Solid