Reviews (page 6 of 14)
Для меня этот альбом звучит словно стереотипные 80е. И это мне не нравится. Я хотел услышать принца а этом списке, но этот альбом весьма посредственный.
Prince is the king. I don’t care that this is over an hour, no space is wasted. Amazing and funky and sexy and clever and FUN!
Ei ole minu maitsele. Üks lugu oli hea.
I was never a huge Prince fan, but Sign O’ The Times is helping change that. It’s an album that really grows on you—packed with creativity, range, and emotion. While I wouldn’t throw it on while relaxing on the patio with a beer, it’s perfect for work listening. There’s something about its energy and unpredictability that keeps your brain engaged. This one definitely opened my ears a bit wider.
Not my favorite from Prince. I did like disc 2 better.
Not my favorite Prince album. Maybe it's too experimental, but I can't deny that it's still Prince being Prince. Always going left when everyone else goes right. There are some great tracks on the B-side of this album. Specifically, the last 4-5 songs.
Some great songs, but some very dated sounding pop - in terms of musicianship it's hard to fault but in songwriting terms I'd rate this mediocre overall
Eh
3.75
Amazing!
This album is actually kinda awful, wtf. I expected better from Prince.
This is Prince's best album hands down. Just an amazing, genre hopping album of great songs with lots of his fantastic guitar playing interspersed throughout. Psychedelic rock ("Play in the Sunshine"), sweaty funk ("Hot Thing"), smooth R & B ("Slow Love"), an impassioned gospel song ("The Cross"), and topical commentary (title track). And so many more bangers. My college roommate was a HUGE Prince fan and this album was one of the very few that we agreed on as being one of the best albums of the 80's.
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
Some truly great guitar work let down by some truly terrible songs
This wasn't bad, there were a few songs I enjoyed, but a few were definitely a product of the times and may not have aged so well. I was not aware Beyonce used some of the If You Were My Girlfriend lyrics in her rap break down on Bonnie and Clyde 03!
Was prince a good musician, yes he was. Just see some of his guitar performances. In saying that this album is so stuck in the 80’s I was expecting an appearance from Reagan. The synths and drum machines date this album so much and not in the fun way and it’s such a chore to listen to. There was a sporadic good song here and there but it’s surrounded by so much filler, the fact that this is album goes for an hour is so baffling and no one had the grace to tell prince that he should maybe cut some of the weaker tracks, then I see this is also his other most appreciated album which also perplexes me.
Boah ne, hat mir nicht zugesagt. Die Songs klangen als wolle einer Singen, aber jemand fasst ihm gerade die ganze Zeit mit kalten Händen an den nackten Sack
Ich komme mit Prince gar nicht klar. Relativ langweiliges Album.
Fehlt mir 1-2 von den großen bekannten Prince Songs. Ansonsten war es nur okay, hat mich aber auch nicht gestört zu hören.
I’ve always liked the Prince persona more than his actual music, and this album only confirms that view. It’s not a bad album per se (although not as good as Purple Rain in my opinion), but it’s definitely not my kind of music. While I’m sort of impressed that he managed to make an entire double album with little more than a drum machine and a synthesizer, I found the overall production terribly dated. Not only does it sound awfully 80s, it sounds like early 80s, with all the worst gimmicks of that time period. I find the constant claps and breaks painful to listen. I’ll admit there’s a wide variety of styles involved, Prince is clearly at ease with almost any genre. However, too many of these genres are of the kind I dislike – like Rn’B, my personal Nemesis. The only redeeming grace of this album is Prince’s voice, which is as warm and sexy as ever. I’ll give it a 2* for effort and objective talent, but I honestly took very little pleasure in listening.
I just can't get the hype. I feel most of the album just misses a rhythm section. The vocals hamonies are there sometimes, but most of the time it's just dull. Two songs to save I think: The Cross, and Sign of the time with its "bass" gimmick.
I never understood why Prince's music was so appreciated and acclaimed. I listened to this album and, yes, when it came out it must have been very innovative, but I didn't like it. It's not bad, it's just not my style
Back in high school, I had two friends who were hardcore Prince fans. Under their influence, I gave it a try, but honestly, not much stuck with me. I’m kind of closed off to it, I can’t really get past that 80s production. Of course, I respect him as an artist, producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist… but his music doesn’t hit me that much. Still, I don’t dislike it. On this album, I enjoyed Slow Love, Hot love, Forever in My Life or the very rock The Cross, where I think Prince’s voice sounds amazing. Overall, I’m not totally on board, but I’m not giving up. One way or another, I’ll come back to this incredible character that is Prince and I might even like it.
I had obviously heard of Prince before listening to this, but I had never really listened to him properly. This was good.
o álbum me surpreendeu bastante, ele me trouxe uma sensação boa, não sei explicar. Adorei o jeito que o álbum mistura o punk, rock e até um pouco de jazz.
My experience with Prince so far has given me the impression that he’s a restless creative who’s bursting with ideas and is not great at editing them down. While listening to a Prince song, I’m bopping and having a great time. When I listen to a Prince album, my mind wanders. Being a double album, Sign O’ the Times has this problem even worse than 1999, which was so close to being a 5-star album. And that one I’m afraid had even more great songs I’d want to return to. I’ve always heard how classic this album is, and admittedly it sounds good and is well-produced (aside from those god-awful, loud, unadorned drum machine sounds), but is a bit of a slog to get through in full.
Liked the song girlfriend which I never knew beyonce referenced in 03 Bonnie and Clyde
Really wanted to like this album and each track seemed to hint at a promise that just didn't deliver
This album demonstrates the limitless powers and talents of Prince. It has a little bit o' everything - Politics, funk, jazz, psychedelics, soul, rock & roll, and of course, sex. A true masterpiece.
oh wow…. OH WOW… i waited too long to listen to this one 4.5
Not really my thing, I was a bit bored.
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
It was pretty good! But honestly, I don't really get the common obsession with Prince. Like, it's fine and pretty good but it's not like, amazing to me.
Yet again a double album that could be better as a single album. Too much Prince in one sitting.
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
Didn’t age well.
BANGERS
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.
Eh
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
Prince is a good band, but not my style
Unique, funky sound
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.
Rating: 10/10 Possibly my favorite pop album of all time, even though it's so much more than that. What an eclectic mix of genres and styles that culminate to make Prince's masterpiece. Even at its length, it does not overstay its welcome one bit.
I'm convinced that "Prince was sexy" is some kind of psyop, just listen to "If I was your girlfriend" and and try not to cringe.
Divo
I don't know why but I've never been able to warm to Prince
Prince was very prolific. Maybe a shorter album(s) would be more memorable
I just don't get it I think the childlike voice is the most grating
Prince at the peak of his powers. He wanted a triple album but comprised on a double. Filled with absolute gems.
This has got to be an all-time "Oh no, this genius has too much money and is too famous and the quality of his music is about to go straight off a cliff" album. Love the little purple guy but this is much worse than I remembered.
I dunno, y'know. I just feel like I'm missing something with Prince. There's no doubt that he's a talented guy, but he doesn't really make me feel anything most of the time. This felt like quite a technical exercise in songwriting. It's still good, of course, I can see that, but it's just not particularly connecting with me.
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.
Not one of his best. Some fair songs, but lacked the luster, and vibrant sound most are used to
I don’t listen to a lot of Prince and only know him because of Little Red Corvette. The first few songs were were excellent, the the middle of the album not so much, then ending with three wonderful songs. A mix bag for me.
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’ve heard Prince’s better stuff and this isn’t it.
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
Not my favorite of his. I see the genius, and it definitely makes me want to get up and dance, but I have always been a little confused by why this album is in such high esteem. Waiting for Purple Rain!
I liked it enough to listen twice, but I still need a bit more to really warm to it.
BEST SONGS: - Slow Love - Sign 'O' the Times
I think prince is maybe not really my vibe. But overall this is still pretty cool. Couple of super duper bangers
This album is no Purple Rain but it wasn’t bad. Could have taken out the tracks that Prince played all the instruments himself and it would have been a better album. Prince needed a band to make his sound awesome.
Prince is unique. He has an unmistakeable voice, lots of talent, and a great work ethic. There's plenty here to like, but there's also...too much. And only a handful of songs really stand out.
A double-album with some great tracks & some mostly forgettable ones.
Sure, if you like Prince.
Not even finished the second track and already bored. Tracks would maybe have been alright at half the lenght but too long and too repetitive. Just finished Starfish and Coffee and I am getting annoyed. There is clearly talent and originality here but it is all so unfocused and all the tracks fo far just drag on and on. Even the short Starfish and Coffee managed to outstay it's welcome. On Hot Thing now and I just had to look just how long this track is and was surprised it is only 5:38. When I looked it felt like I had been listening to it for much longer than that, at least 8 minutes or more. Well made it to the end and am pretty annoyed. There clearly is talent and originality here but it all get's lost in songs that drag on and on. And they're not really that long but somehow too long. And the wasted talent just annoys me terribly. This could have been a great album and it just isn't. And for that reason I really dislike this just like Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life. Such a waste.
Uffff
it was an album. i feel like i'm missing something here. don't need dull instrumentals to pad out the time on already boring and repetative songs.
Sign O the times, the title track, was more than I expected - good for prince for being edgy. Housequake was a fever dream. So was Starfish and Coffee, but I kinda dig that one. Forever in my life was a nice, normal prince song that I enjoyed. I don’t know what he was trying to do with this album honestly. Glad I listened to it - but please don’t make me do that again
It all sounds like Prince, but nothing particularly compelling. I feel like maybe this was big for its time and this is a good snapshot of that 80's sound that was well regarded at the time, but did not have the longevity that Purple Rain has. It's not bad for background music but not something I am going to listen to intently.
The greatest rockstar of all time’s greatest album.
loved stuck with me
Underwhelming. That’s probably the best word I could use to describe this album. This was my first Prince album so I had high expectations going in and although there is things to like, I was left feeling pretty disappointed Some of the instrumentals were creative, the vocals were great, and the entire album sounded really good (especially the drums), but the overall execution fell flat For as long of an album as this is (16 tracks), there wasn’t any song in particular I thought stood out as being great and a few that I thought started out good left me wanting me by the time they finished I’m still excited to hear the rest of Prince’s discography (especially Purple Rain), but my expectations have been lowered a bit Favorites: None Honorable Mentions: Housequake
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.
Prince is a good singer and a good guitarist, but this just didn't sing to me.
Tää on hyvä levy. Hyppymestareiden musaa -H Ei kyllä lähteny. Mutta näen tässä Princessä potentiaalia, hetken ku harjottelee niin ihan mahkuja menestyä. 2/5 -A
Favorites: Sign 'O' The Times Play in the Sunshine Starfish and Coffee Slow Love If I Was Your Girlfriend Strange Relationship I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man Adore Rock and roll. R&B. Vocal chops and guitar riffs. Incredible all 'round. Very listenable album if you wanted to put it on repeat.
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.
1987 - junior year high school @ Kaiserslautern (K-town) AB, Germany. Interesting sound from Prince. Became a fan after his Purple Rain album, and enjoyed a couple of these songs, the depressing lead track and 'U Got The Look'
this dude horny af
Good album. Don't have much to say about it.
It’s good, but too long. Felt like the album quality would improve drastically if they dropped half the songs. Favourite Song: Strange Relationship Honourable Mention: Hot Thing, Sign O the Times
incredible and its two fucking discs so its an hour and 20 minutes but all of it hits
1987 I've simply no time for the Purple One. Over- produced, over-hyped and overplayed. I tried to listen... but I just don't like it. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ 20% Revisit ❌️ Pointless ★★☆☆☆ (3/10)
Wow. Probably my favourite of the later Prince albums. It's where it all comes together for me. Still gets a regular play around here.
It feels like a diary written by someone who’s way cooler than me but somehow still relatable.
Very fun and funky
Prince at his deepest and funkiest. Great record.
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.
Verstehe er ist horny, ich kochte grad, war es also ausnahmsweise nich, fühle es dementsprechend leider nur mittel. Insgesamt risikolos, teilweise ganz cool.
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)
An interesting album. I wasn’t super familiar with Prince‘s work beforehand, so I could approach this with a fresh ear. I liked the sound and the very eightiness of it, although some of the basslines immediately made me think of old sitcoms - obviously not the music’s fault but due to when and how I grew up. I don’t think I’ll specifically seek it out to listen to it again, and I also skipped the dozens of „rediscovered“ songs added to the remaster, but it still was a really nice one to hear. Would give 3.5 if I could.
Alright, lots of songs with great beats but nothing really memorable.
Prince was undoudbtedly a highly talented singer, instrumentalist and stylist, but the songwriting in this album is mediocre, using predictable and overused patterns. There are moments of interest, typically in background instruments suddenly doing something brilliant, but all in all it's a very long bore.
C’était sympa, mais je ne suis pas spécialement touchée ou embarquée par la musique de Prince.
This wasn't hitting for me.
Sign ‘O’ the Times by Prince is, for me, the definition of an average album. I was expecting so much more—perhaps Prince is more of a singles artist than an album one. When I first saw it was a double album, I was excited: plenty of material to help me really get into Prince, and by his ninth studio album he should have been at the peak of his powers. Unfortunately, it didn’t land that way. The record feels uneven and often underwhelming, with only the odd highlight shining through. I will not be listening to this again. Favourite track: Slow love was OK. Least favourite track: Starfish and Coffee felt especially weak but in reality there are a lot of songs that do not stand out and blend into 1. Album artwork: A brilliant, iconic cover—probably the best thing about the album for me.
A lot of great music but also had some lousy tracks
I listened to this while doing work, and I found myself thinking "oh wait is it over already?" at the end because nothing really stood out to me while listening to it. This isn't *totally* a bad thing or the album's fault, because while it was up against a fierce foe (vyvanse 40 mg), so it didn't have any sounds that made me want to turn it off completely... ..I just realized how sad and boring that makes it sound after writing that, but I can't really find it in my mind to dispute it. Whomp whomp.
the jams are undeniable, but all the vocal talent and sick 80s beats in the world will not excuse you from horny jail.
Somebody needs to put Prince in solitary confinement in horny jail. Man is a little freak but he makes good beats on the electronic drum machine so I can’t be too mad. The album has its fun moments but I felt like I had to take a cold shower after some of these tracks.
I'm a little disappointed - i got prince and was expecting this amazing album and what i got was a random collection of songs that loosely have a theme today - it's not bad in any way but nothing special or something i'd ever revisit
If it were made by anyone else apart from Prince, I think it would be a better album than it was. The theming and atmosphere of the album were good, but not delivered by Prince. Just not the biggest fan of him.
Great classic Prince. First time listening to a full album by him.
It's Prince! It's the 80's! It's good! While I was never a huge Prince fan, I've always liked his music. This album seems a bit more mellow than some of his other releases, and for me, didn't have recognizable hits.
Fine pop album, no real thoughts on it. I liked Sign O' The Times the best I think
Prince is back and sexy as ever. I didn't enjoy this album as much as Purple Rain. But I can appreciate the wide variety and range of the instruments over this album. I nice mix of keyboard and brass. Prince sure does love his slow love making.
Not my favourite prince album. Some songs were good, but I found most of them to beyond my taste in music. This dude really loves sex though damn.
2 album 16 tracks, 14 of which are hot garbage. I did not mind Slow Love and It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night was absolutely wonderful. But everything else is proof you could make mindless sounds and write terrible lyrics if you were famous enough. Im sure there are plenty of good Prince Albums but as a whole neither album 1 or 2 are worth its weight in vinyl alone. I'd give it half a star if I could.
2/5
A couple of good songs, but not one of his best albums.
Kinda one of his less interesting albums and too long but you can't go too wrong with Prince. 6/10
In a nutshell: let's go crazy. Prince tries too hard to be cool here. His lyrics combine social commentary, despair and wild libido. The music is what you would expect from him- rock with R&B, soul and gospel stylings, Fairlight CMI, drum machines, etc... Which makes this boring. Perhaps Prince isn't for me. Overall: 2/10
Lowkey kinda soulless, I thought he was just popular cause he’s gay turns out he’s not even gay
Double albums are tough for me. It’s a long listen and I usually don’t have the time to go through it all at once. So my take-aways can speak to the cohesiveness of the album. So some great tunes here but I struggle to think of when I’ll relisten to the whole album again. Probably should be a two, but this guy is really so good.
Prince is always worth listening to.
All sorts of blends into one, fail to see the appeal of this, there's better prince albums. I would suspect this is included only save for the artist who created it 2.5*
Prime time Prince, pure class. Listened to this since it came out. It’s the journey he started and accumulation of all his ideas over the last few albums into a varied somewhat genre bending record to my ears coherently, while pushing complex themes from social issues to spirituality. While mainly being the man himself just in the studio, but then brought it live, good memories. The man sure was talented. 5 Star On side note just saw in the reviews Prince has 3 albums in the list, while others like Elvis Costello, who I seem to have on here every other week, have it seems 600, that’s an interesting take on music through 2 careers that ran pretty much in parallel in time, one being very influential but from this list you would be misled to which one it was.
2.7 1x not bad but i still dont really get the love for prince
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.
This was fine. A lot of it sounded very similar to me. Housequake was fun.
Prince's body of work sure does perplex me. This dude felt as if he was a creative music God, and yet released a double album hear with the first half being chud. Come at me with the "raw" "stripped down" "acoustic" "rootsy" nonsense. But this man fucking shredded, and was a pop rock icon and disc 1 was his best acoustic writing. 2/10. The real meat and potatoes here in my opinion is side 2. Perfect prince album, tight, groovy, unique, sexy and fun. Beautifully sounding and produced at an excellent caliber for 1987. But it shows his true intentions to write a pop masterpiece like purple rain. 7/10. Ill split the difference and give it 3 stars. Because all in all im super partial to his guitar god era in the late 70's.
Pretty good stuff.
It's a two-hour long mishmash of ideas that don't always work. Couple of bangers, but Prince's voice becomes too squeaky for me after 90 minutes.
Prince is still just not quite for me. I want more punch somehow.
groovy
Slick, overpolished sludge. Critics and fans call it genius, but it’s really glossy boredom.
point2.
Fantastic, if a little overbloated...
***** Isn‘t it wonderful? Prince in his prime
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)
I didn't love this one and wanted to give it a 2 but there were a couple really good songs that brought it up to a 3 for me.
Enjoyable
The Good: We are taught the sign ‘O’! The Bad: We aren't taught what that ‘O’ really means… The Ugly: Realizing it is a future reference to the movie Officespace… It this Prince’s magnum opus? Not for me. What it is for me is the culmination of a creative period that started with Controversy, switched to 1999 (included in the 1001 list), drove us to higher spheres with Purple Rain (also on the 1001 list), surprised his fans with Around the World In A Day (regretfully not on this list), couldn’t repeat the Oscar with Parade (also, not on this list… I believe), to finally get us all excited with this album. For me, that’s 6 5* albums in a row… but I am a fanboy… I saw the tour… and what a fucking show! It was my third Prince concert, and my last. This album has a little of this, a little of that… and for me, never get’s old. Made my day seeing this gem pop up! If you can’t dig it, give it another spin, and another, and you will come around! Oh Yeah...
It was an enjoyable listen, but probably not one I’ll revisit. I enjoyed the groove and the overall vibe. Some melodies were a but repetitive and some songs dragged on a bit long but overall a good start.
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.
disc 1 - meh disc 2 - meh not doin it for me but not awful
Ah, Prince. Love that smooth voice. Most of the album went along swimmingly. A bit same-y at times, but still a nice listen. A couple songs dragged a bit, like It and The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker. Cross was some strange Jesus song. It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night was nice, but went on for too long. Starfish And Coffee was a ton of fun, great song. And oh boy, If I Was Your Girlfriend was, um, pretty steamy. Prince evokes quite the imagery in that one. Most of the songs average a 3, +1 for Prince, but -1 for the length. Scaling back a bit would have helped a lot, this could have been two 4 star albums. Best song: Starfish And Coffee
"I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" and "You've Got The Look" are pretty good but overall I'm not excited about this album beyond a 2 for me. I do enjoy the earlier popular radio play songs that Prince did earlier than this work.
This is a really uneven album. There is some amazing music on here, e.g., Sign O' The Times, parts of Play In The Sunshine, Housequake, Starfish and Coffee, U Got The Look, It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night. But then there's a lot of stuff that only ends up on an album when people are afraid to say "No" to you. 3 stars.
So good.
Not his best work
Sign O’ The Times will be my third and final Prince album to review. So far, I gave five stars to Purple Rain (an instant classic) and four stars to 1999 (it’s a bit much, and collapses under its own weight at times). I consider myself a Prince fan, but I’m not incredibly certain what to expect from this album. Looking at the track listing, I think I only know a couple of songs here, and they’re not songs I know particularly well. I’ll be honest that I’m a little daunted by the fact that this is a double album, because I feel like that was one of the things that weighed down 1999 so much. Hopefully this will be 80 minutes of funky bliss! Man, I’m really struggling with how to rate this album. On the one hand, I loved the synthesizers and drum machines, and I thought the album sounded amazing overall. Sign O’ The Times really is a testament to Prince’s abilities to create incredibly rich sounds that pull the listener into the worlds that he creates. On the other hand, though, it was a little bit boring in parts. Some songs went on a little too long, and a few others felt like they could have been cut from the album, and I wouldn’t have missed them. But now that I’ve written that sentence down, I immediately disagree with it. I think trimming this album down would have taken away from the work as a whole, cutting the knees out from under Prince’s vision in a way. Part of the fun of this album for me was not knowing what was coming next, and getting hit with some really wonderful surprises for my ears along the way. I found myself audibly going ‘ooh!’ whenever a song would start, and I’d hear that particular synthesizer arrangement for the first time. I don’t think this is an album I’d listen to again, but that’s a personal preference, and it doesn’t take away from how fun it was to experience this album for the first time. Now that I’ve talked through the conundrum of whether this album gets four or five stars (it’s getting five), I’ll go through my reactions as I went through these songs. -I love the sound of the title track. It’s funky, and I love how Prince paces the vocals. This is album is really starting off great. -“Play In the Sunshine” sounds great too. I love the timbre of the vocals, and that synth intro is great. The backing vocals are awesome too. I love the screeching guitars and the percussion. The outro feels like an homage to “Aquarius” by The Fifth Dimension. I dig it. -The homage to Joni Mitchell on “The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker” was really great. I loved the slower and more relaxed vibe to this song. -“It” is incredibly weird, but I do love the synths and drum machines, even though I don’t care much for the vocals. -“Starfish and Coffee” is really unique. I’m not quite sure what to make of the lyrics, but I think it’s about how limitless our imaginations can be if we let them. Really cool and whimsical. -“Hot Thing sounds awesome.” I love those synths and the drum machine. -“U Got The Look” is exactly what I want from Prince. Sexy guitar, awesome vocals, killer drum machines, awesome synths. This is the only song I knew on this album, and it rocks hard. -I really love the synths on “Strange Relationship” -I love the synths on “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man.” The guitars sound amazing too, and I love the vocals. What I realized in typing out this review, is that this album is great because of the journey it took me on. Prince is an incredible musician, and while I love jamming out to Purple Rain, in my opinion, Sign O’ The Times is more about the discoveries of pushing the boundaries of music with drum machines and synthesizers, than it is about kicking out the jams.
Love!
It’s alright, there are certainly better Prince albums though
I think this is the worst Prince album but it's still on this list, showing the sexual prowess of Prince in his prime
Prince just prints hits
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⭐️
very hype! not bad really.
Yep. This is what Prince sounds like.
Honestly I expected a little more from this album. There’s no denying his unique talent and everything and it was good but it just felt like something was missing.
I feel like Prince was simultaneously the most over-rated and under-utilized (or mis-utilized?) musician of my generation. If only this album were recorded in a way that the album cover seems to (mis)represent...I don't really love any of his studio albums (Purple Rain comes close), yet I can't think of a live video/concert I've seen of his that wasn't everything that's awesome about live music/musicianship. Ironically it was probably a <ahem> sign of the times using that shitty drum machine which not only sounds crappy and dated but was *boring AF* - ok Prince you perfectionist, why didn't you at least just play the actual drums yourself on every song?? Frustrating because this is close to being excellent (if not just too goddamn long - double albums that don't feel too long are maybe once per decade events, and this wasn't it) - feels like most of these songs and this album as a whole could have been awesome with an outside producer/voice - someone to tell him to give this more of an organic feel. Maybe even a band? Like...The Revolution? I can't escape the 80s on this one and the further we all get from the 80s the more I really hate that generic "80s sound." I'm unfair here - maybe I should be judging it on what it is and not what it isn't, but it's not easy. There's a lot of diversity in arrangement but each time I hear that coffee can drum sound or very closeted/canned keyboard sound or that pitched-up "alter-ego voice" it brings me back to frustration. I'm ripping on this much more than maybe it deserves because I just wanted this to groove more. And it almost gets there - the album closes pretty well - the individual highlight is that latter-part guitar almost-out-of-place guitar solo on "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" - it has a very Stonesy/Can't You Hear Me Knockin' feel to it ... then the following song "The Cross" has a real raw emotional feel to it - dammit, why wasn't this all over the record!? I'm repeating myself here so in sum: it's not bad and it's hugely ambitious, but it's not altogether good either and what's worst is that it could/should have been so much better as a 10 song album by a Prince-led BAND co-written (or at least co-produced) by others. 5/10 3 stars.
some strong tracks (title track, the cross, adore) but a lot of fillers
I wanted to like this more. Undeniably talented. I just wish he started recording 20 years later and we could have escaped the sheer 80s-ness. I don't like it, I don't want to hear it again
The Camille Album. It’s possible this is Prince’s best work. Definitely under appreciated. Housequake is an absolute banger, and If I Was Your Girlfriend is my favorite Prince song. People wanted Prince to make Purple Rain 2 & 3 but Prince had other plans. 💜
Brilliant
2/5
Great album. Upbeat feel good. Standard Prince
Genius
Such a funky and fun album. Too long though, there is some fluff here
It's Prince. It's like spring weather in England. If you don't like it, wait five minutes. This isn't my favorite Prince album, but it's still worth a listen. It's mildly dated, but what the hell, it's still Prince. I don't have a great deal to add, not a lot stood out, songwise. A perfectly cromulant time.
Een dubbelalbum van Prince, ja dat moet dan wel heel goed zijn? Het is een beetje mwah, begrijp me niet verkeerd er zitten hier gitaar solos en funky beats op het album die kei en keihard zijn, maar er is ook echt een hoop filler daaromheen. Dat vind ik een beetje het probleem met 'alle' muziek van Prince. Ja; heel veel is heel vet, maar hij vind dat zelf ook net iets te veel. Dat leidt er dan toch toe voor mij dat nummers die vet beginnen, toch een minuut of 2, 3 langer duren dan nodig. Wel echt vet dat hij zo gemakkelijk meerdere genres doet met rustig een ballad ergens, dan weer pure funk en herken ik nu zelfs een klein beetje dance/elektronische muziek?? ZO JAMMER van dat totaal onnodige live nummer. Echt, Prince had ZO VEEL gehad aan een editor of zoiets. Gewoon iemand die tegen hem had gezegd Nee maat, je hebt niet bijna anderhalf uur nodig voor dit album, maak het 3 kwartier en dan heb je goud in handen. Want dat is wat hier aan de hand is, als je het mij vraagt tenminste. Nu is dit album nog steeds wel echt prima, maar het had zoveel meer kunnen zijn... Wel een heeeeerlijke glijplaat als afsluiter zeg, pfoe! FAVO: Sign o the times, starfish and coffee, Ic ould never take the place of your man, The Cross, Adore
Very super cool
"I took another bubble bath with my pants on".... another?!
(43 known/92 new)
Prince is a solid listen and this is classic sound and style. He was soulful and energetic. Good album.
I've always liked Prince but guess that's because of awareness of a limited selection of great hits. This double album, starting off with a tremendous tune, slowly evaporated my enthusiasm with mediocre works, sorry to say.
"It" by Stephen King was released the year before, so there were two great "It" entities in consecutive years. That's about it though. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. It's mid-tier music by someone who should be significantly better than this. Favorite Track: "It".
i was intimidated by the length of this album and while i wouldn't say this was an excruciating listen, it sounded like prince threw everything at you to see what sticks and nothing about this album sticks with me unfortunately
https://youtu.be/TG4PqmShvHI?si=ngKEss60viPecJ78
Horrible music. Horrible noise.
Yet another album I have already
3
Its good but not my style and definitely not the phase I'm in now *rating is for me, not necessarily the quality of the album* Didn't put any songs on the repeat playlist
This isn't bad, because there is no such thing as a bad Prince album. He is Prince. The Purple One. His worst albums are still bops that you can dance to. However, I am slightly spoiled. My first Prince albums were Purple Rain and Batman, two of his undisputed masterpieces. And this isn't QUITE as good as those two, I'm afraid.
What a banger
pueh weno, no ha estado mal, es disfrutable no se xq Prince me recuerda a Michael Jackson XD 3.5/5
The handful of songs that are really good still suffer from stripped down 80s synths and drum machines.
Alright, let's talk about Prince's Sign o' the Times. And seriously, how in the hell did I miss this one back in the day? I know, I was stupid. My apologies to the masses for my previous shortcomings. But wow, I'm absolutely blown away by this album. It's just so good. I've always loved Purple Rain, but this might actually be his best work I've heard. Every track is a gem. Man, I really wish he was still here, still making music, still blowing minds. And yeah, I definitely wish I would've seen him in concert. This album is a masterpiece, and I'm hitting the vinyl hunt as soon as I'm done with this. Pure genius.
I must be missing something because I don’t get the praise for this album. This is a terrible album and I did not enjoy a single song. 1
Parliament Funkadelic, his best?, drum machine, Camille, super solid - no throwaways Housequake Starfish and Coffee If I was your girlfriend I could never...
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
Prince is one of those artists I’ve always wanted to like more than I actually do. For whatever reason, his music just never hits me the same way it seems to hit other people. Like most of his albums, this one felt pretty middle of the road to me, there’s definitely some strong elements scattered throughout, but overall, it didn’t leave much of an impact. It’s not bad by any means, just not something I find myself connecting with the way others seem to.
I just don't get it! There were brief moments of listenable music at the end of the album but I genuinely found the first 3/4 unlistenable. I felt like I a was being pranked by an eccentric art school friend who told me to come to their show - only to find I was the only one in the audience and they would play an hour of obscure gobbledygook just so I had to sit through it.
I'm genuinely confused as to why Prince is so well regarded because I'm not a fan of this. I guess it was a Sign 'O' the Times... Seriously though, I was about to dismiss this album as entirely forgettable until we got to I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, the Cross, and It’s Going to Be a Beautiful Night. The latter of which was my favourite track on the album and stood out well above the rest.
Prince was a genius, and this album just provides proof of that fact. The songwriting, the musicianship, the production… all outstanding!
So great to hear the non-singles on this one...and to reappreciate the singles, too.
### **In-Depth Review of Prince’s *Sign O’ The Times*** #### **Overview** Released in 1987, *Sign O’ The Times* is Prince’s ninth studio album and a sprawling double LP that showcases his genre-defying genius. It emerged from the ashes of three scrapped projects (*Dream Factory*, *Camille*, and *Crystal Ball*) and stands as one of his most ambitious works, blending funk, rock, soul, jazz, and electronic experimentation . --- ### **Lyrics** **Pros:** - **Social Commentary:** The title track addresses AIDS, gang violence, and the Challenger disaster with stark, poetic urgency ("A big disease with a little name") . - **Emotional Depth:** Tracks like *Adore* and *Forever in My Life* explore devotion with raw vulnerability, while *If I Was Your Girlfriend* dissects intimacy through gender-bending perspective . - **Whimsy & Wit:** *Starfish and Coffee* celebrates eccentricity with childlike charm, and *Housequake* delivers playful, James Brown-inspired funk . **Cons:** - **Uneven Themes:** Some tracks (*It*, *Hot Thing*) lean heavily into carnal clichés without the lyrical nuance of his best work . --- ### **Music & Production** **Pros:** - **Genre Fluidity:** From the minimalist electro-funk of *Sign O’ The Times* to the live-band exuberance of *It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night*, Prince effortlessly shifts styles . - **Innovative Soundscapes:** The Fairlight CMI sampler and LinnDrum create futuristic textures (*Housequake*’s syncopated beats, *The Ballad of Dorothy Parker*’s hazy atmospherics) . - **Vocal Mastery:** Prince’s falsetto (*Adore*), Camille’s pitched-up alter-ego (*U Got the Look*), and spoken-word delivery (*The Cross*) showcase his range . **Cons:** - **Overstuffed Moments:** The 80-minute runtime includes filler (*It*) and abrupt transitions (e.g., *Play in the Sunshine*’s disjointed coda) . --- ### **Themes** - **Duality:** Sex and spirituality collide (*The Cross* vs. *Hot Thing*) . - **Apocalypse & Hope:** The title track’s despair contrasts with *Adore*’s romantic idealism . - **Identity & Gender:** *If I Was Your Girlfriend* and Camille’s persona challenge norms . --- ### **Influence** - **Legacy:** Inspired Outkast, Kanye West, and Frank Ocean with its genre-blurring audacity . - **Critical Impact:** Ranked among the greatest albums ever (BBC, *Rolling Stone*) for its innovation . --- ### **Pros vs. Cons** | **Pros** | **Cons** | |----------|----------| | Lyrical depth (*Sign O’ The Times*, *Adore*) | Some filler tracks (*It*) | | Genre-defying musicianship | Overlong runtime | | Pioneering production (Fairlight, LinnDrum) | Uneven thematic cohesion | | Vocal and stylistic versatility | Occasional lyrical clichés | **Verdict:** A flawed masterpiece and Prince’s creative peak, *Sign O’ The Times* remains a towering achievement in pop music .
I’m not a fan of Prince, few artists grate with me so consistently. A double album of Prince is a new low in my listening history I’m afraid. Albums you must hear to appreciate just how terrible you still find them.
Holy fuck, YouTube Music wasn’t lying when they said I was looking at the Super Deluxe album. Aside from the 50th Anniversary Beatles reissues, I can’t think of a longer body of music to come from a mainstream artist. Anyways, let’s have a lookie at the actual length of this thing. Fuck me. This cheeky Prince bastard just had to close out his inclusions with another double album. Oh well. Could be worse, though I’m pretty sure this is the first hour-twenner album to dawn upon the list. To echo my endlessly autistic ramblings about album length, 48 minutes is the scientifically deduced perfect length for an album. Albums longer than an hour take serious hits to their quality to reach that length and there is only one hour-tenner album that I consider to be good. The odds are heavily, heavily stacked against this thing being good, though I’ll give it a fair go, nonetheless. A weak and bleak send off to the Prince album lineage. There’s very little going on in this album and the songs are stretched out into infinity. Prince’s vocals are characteristically 80s, though I don’t think his approach works for me. The pitch is all wonky. Anyways, the title track is a respectable opener. I like the funky bass. The succeeding track, Play in the Sunshine, is a good follow-up. I quite like the instrumental, especially the bass guitar and the xylophone that appears near the end of the song. Starfish and Coffee is a nice track. If I Was Your Girlfriend is hilariously gay and uncomfortable for a song that I assume was meant to be sensual. The first half of ICNTTPOYM is solid, though the second half of absolute nothingness admittedly took me out of the track. I’m checking the book. The song “It” sucks, which is a funny thing to preface your review with. Released when Prince’s success was waning. Was intended to be a triple album. Stylistically diverse. Pushed the boundaries of music. Eh. Hmm. This album was much more successful than the list lets on and there’s an incredible amount of creative energy that went into making this album, but I think it could do with a snub. I get the impression that Prince is more of a singles act than an album act, which is a bad repertoire to bring to an album fight. In place of this album, I humbly submit Electro-Shock Blues by Eels for consideration on the list.
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.
Pretty mid. I had higher expectations for Prince.
J - 3/5 Best Track - "U Got The Look" F - DNL
Nice
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.
The link is the remastered album…much worse then the original from 1987 Original: 11/10… funk / pop-rock
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
It wasn't that awesome but I mean I can't give less than three stars to a man who wears eyeliner
tiene alguna cancion chula pero no me parece de lo mejor de prince
I'd listen to in on the background only.
There's no real standout tracks on here. I also personally find something very bland about the drums on a lot of the tracks. I'm surprised by the general popularity of these Prince albums given some of the almost lethal cringe I get from the lyrics. I feel like there's always self prescribed music nerd waiting in the wings to tell me trivia about why Prince was a genius and they could be right but I don't enjoy listening to this.
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
Fantastic.
Live albums are problematic. If you are not there, the crowd participation, the weird sound issues, the odd riffs and mishmashes can be a bit jarring. There are nearly always flashes of brilliance, and it helps massively if you are watching it happen on video. If you are not, or only intermittently... Some live albums are amazing instant classics. Some struggle with any and all the things I spoke of. If I had been at this concert I would have been amazed, mesmerized, stellar! But I was not. Frankly I would have preferred a studio album in this case.
First things first. Dear you tube, an album (musically) is a collection of tracks that is 40-45 minutes long, and will fit nicely on one side of a C90 tape. It is NOT 92 tracks and 5 hours long. Even if you do call it the Super Deluxe version. So having listened to the first 45 mins, it was actually better than I expected. In that it wasn't bad. I think I enjoyed it more than 1999, but that's about the best I can say probably the best way to give my opinion is to score it because from what I have written here I would expect a 2 but this is definitely a 3
I remember enjoying the big hits at the time. But, wow, this has dated badly. He makes so many strange noises. I always have considered Prince to be an awesome guitarist, but definitely not on this evidence. Poor.
Never liked Prince, he was too slimy for my liking. I dismissed this when it was first released, but it more enjoyable than I expected it to be. He was so talented being able to play so many instruments, however its just a shame he wasn't as talented in keeping his medicine cabinet in order. With that amount of stuff he could have written some fantastic psychedelia. But he didn't. Shame.
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.
a minnesotan and celebrity witness. as an album experience, all over the place. however, it felt natural for the songs to be as long as they were, and there were many colorful, whimsical, and interesting sonic and lyrical moments. there were also many off the wall, confusing and bizarre ones as well. mixing sometimes felt botched. as a back to back experience this was not so fulfilling for me, but individual songs and moments were fruitful. best tunes: sign o' the times, it, slow love, hot thing, adore + random interesting moments throughout
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.
nice Prince album. A bit too long tough. and some songs haven't aged great especially the mixing. 7/10 fav songs : If I was your Girlfriend & Adore
I didn't really get into this one.
This is one of those albums that gets better with repeated listens. Prince is funky, musical, cool. The album makes me happy. Favorite songs: Sign O' the Times, Housequake Strange Relationship, If I Was Your Girlfriend. "And together we'll stare into silence And we'll try to imagine what it looks like"
Not as cohesive as Purple Rain (to be fair, the latter was essentially a movie), so interesting, usually good, but some of these things are not like the other.
Prince being Prince.
Previously rated: Purple Rain (4/5) 1999 (3/5) ********************* I've heard the album once before, plus Apple Music likes to push tracks from it. It's usually hailed as a masterpiece, but I don't get it. It sounds mediocre and very dated to me. It's less horny and more religious than the other two I've rated, but still kind of uncomfortable to listen to. The repetitive beats and his vocal fry get on my nerves. U Got The Look is admittedly good thanks to the ladies. I'm not sure I want to know what Starfish And Coffee is about. All in all, I'm giving this barely a 3/5 and the lesser of the three Prince albums I've gotten.
This might be the Prince album that made me decide the man was a genius. Fun, thought-provoking, and both of and ahead of its time. If you told me this was all I could listen to forever, I think I'd be ok with it.
The album starts out okay but the second half is much better and definitely raises the overall rating. 4 stars or B+.
I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man is fire
"I took another bubble bath with my pants on".... another?!
- not a perfect record but so very good. Still gets a 5 just for the quality / ambition ratio. -
ehhhh I've had better prince songs and albums. another 2.5 I think if it was an option
Prince is undoubtedly one of the most talented artist of modern times (his guitar playing being criminally underrated). He blends jazz, rock n roll, funk, rnb, soul, pop, and even hip-hop into his seemingly endless catalogue of work. This album is a testament to his talent and vision but should have been just one disc, there is so much filler in here that it becomes a bit tiresome. The peaks of this album are great, and the valleys are still better than what most artist will ever accomplish, the the 2 don't blend well. All that to say that I love Prince and put him towards (if not) the top of almost any musical list, but this album is not his best showing, and I think one of the great things about Prince is not that his albums are the greatest thing, but his catalogue is damn near unmatched. He made so much music, that along the way he made a few misses amongst all his hits. He is kind of the Brett Favre of music, a ton of interceptions and fumbles along the way but was amazing to watch play. That is Prince, maybe not as many turnovers as Favre though lol. I do enjoy this album nonetheless and is better than at least half that album I have listened to so far on this list, just not Prince Rogers Nelson's best showing. 6.9/10 107/1001
My first reaction when I saw this album as the pick of today was a bit of fear. My experience with Prince is basically nonexistent so I didn't know what to expect from him. The reason behind of being afraid of not liking his highly regarded music, just for the fact that he is a pop artist from the 80's. And I have my reason to be afraid of liking 80's pop music, since my experience with this style throughout this list was not very pleasent, to say the least. So, I've listented to this album twice, and I can agree with the fact that this man was incredible talented and creative, and with a very peculiar sound and style. Nevertheless, I can't say that I connected with this album, and its length didn't help. I will give him points thanks to how different he sounds from other artists from this time though.
Unpopular opinion: Prince is fine. Maybe it’s just me and I’m not partial to 80s pop guitar, too many synths, but I just don’t get it.
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.
Some songs are very good but there are so many that it’s hard to keep same quality
Buen album, muy en la línea de prince, sin obras maestras pero decente.
Do me baby.
Just supreme.
I like Prince, but never loved prince, it has some good tracks and some ok tracks, but I've never understood his work to be anything other than just fine.
Oof, I know Prince is pretty wildly adored, but his music has never been my cup of tea. Also, this was way too long.
Prince!
Man was this guy horny. Catchy production and interesting musical ideas throughout. No standout tracks for me, they were all about a 6.5-7/10
Good
Not what I expected from a Prince album, it sounded very experimental, like a patchwork of different genres. Overall I had a good time listening to this, but I am not the biggest fan either.
Love the vibe. But it lacked the special something for the 5 stars
I really want to love Prince but his music just doesn’t do it for me. I like some of his hits but not his everyday stuff.
Try as I might, I just can’t seem to like Prince more than 3 stars :-(
It's good. It's not really my thing though. I can tell it's probably brilliant, but my heart doesn't want to know.
52/1001. I do own many Prince LPs, but for some reason have missed this. We'll the catalog is quite immense, right? And with that comes maybe the weakness - no matter how genius one might be, there is no way all the material can be great. For me the music sounds will crafted and I like the way he turns positive what ever limitations there are e.g. in the choice of instrumentation, and also that he doesn't want to let the listener gwt out too easily. But then the problem is that are there any hits, good tunes, memorable songs? Well some, but others just go in one war and out the other, the simplicity-complexity craft not fitting to your brain cells and their patterns. Which is also a positive thing: I'm sure you can listen to this album (as other Prince albums as well) over and over again and discover new things, new favorites, songs you didn't remember were in it. A 3 or 4? I think there will be more Prince here that I'm more familiar of, so only a three here - I didn't discover nothing new really about the man, the myth - the legend.
👌
Love Prince. He’s so SEXUAL!
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
I like Prince, don't get me wrong, but this album as a whole didn't do it for me. It kinda felt sleepy, not a lot of energy or ear-catching music going on here. There were a few songs on disc 2 that I was enjoying, but nothing that completely captured my focus and made me go "wow". Sorry 😞
A fantastic offering from Prince. Era defining sound, with all the Prince-ness you could ask for. Put this one on anytime you need a Prince fix and you won't be disappointed.
Sehr hit or miss, 1&2 gut 3-5 naja, 7 gut ~2/5 Gute Songs 3-4/5, schlechte 1-2/5, 50-60% schlecht Texte teilw naja
This is Prince going all out. "Housequake" alone is worth atleast one star. I would normally say that 80mins is too long for an album, but it's pretty hard to get bored during this.
Overall a nice album, but nothing memorable that jumped out to me.
Was really excited to dive into icon Prince (never have before)! Not entirely my vibe, but happy I listened through his top album. I liked a few songs, but they're not ones I could see myself going out of the way for moving forward. Glad to know more of his discography now beyond Purple Rain lol
The title track, "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker", "U Got the Look", "If I Was Your Girlfriend," "Strange Relationship", and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" are the best tracks on Prince's 9th album. The rest are serviceable and less memorable. 3.7 stars rounded up.
Super artistic, playful, and full of personality. Loved how diverse it is. Just a wild ride through themes and sounds.
The first song is kind of cool. The rest is not for me
Kind of a long album that all blurred together for me. Not particularly my cup of tea. My mom really likes prince so I tried to be especially interested but felt very middle of the road to me for this most part.
In addition to being too long, this was just not a good album. Prince has some good songs, but this is the second album I’ve gotten by him that makes me think the majority just are not.
Most songs aren't my jam (I wouldn't choose love or religious songs), but I can appreciate the musicality. I was glad when the album was over.
Pretty good
Meh
Enjoyable funk for the background
I feel like most of it is dated but their are some great baselines, I feel like “ if I was your gf” as well as an earlier song that I can’t remember the name of can still suffice as a “hit” in today’s era.
Prince is one talented motherfucker man. 2 hour albums are typically a recipe for disaster but this one is a banger all the way through. Might be a 5 but this is my first listen so playing it safe with a 4
4.0 Catching up on reviews so my memory is a little fuzzy on the details. I think if you were a huge prince fan, this would be your favorite album
some songs too long
I've never listened to a Prince album before and I only know the hits, so I was surprised at the diversity in his vocals and the range of topics - it wasn't all fun sexy times like I expected. The Cross was a standout. This was good and I understand why it's here; I'm just not totally sold on revisiting.
Prince uno de los reyes de la música de los finales de los 70s e incios de los 80s lanza su noveno álbum en 1987 años mas tarde de haber lanzado sus albums mas famosos, siendo estos Dirty mind y Controversy viniendo con este álbum una serie de canciones (16 en total) de la mano de un rock y R&B mas suave orientado a una audiencia que quizás ya era fan de su sonido desde los años 80, aunque no hay nada especialmente llamativo en casi ninguna de las canciones de forma general, el ambiente parece ser lo mas interesante y ciertamente existen canciones de mi gusto personal como “If I Was You” con una R&B casi contemporáneo lo cual dentro de las pocas “buenas” canciones que tiene el álbum se traspapela un arte moderno que no tiene nada que envidiarle a los referentes del genero en estos tiempos todo esto hablando que es un álbum de hace casi 4 decadas.
Not my thing
Still don't get him. He must be good but I just here Shakin' Jacko
Really good. Is it a 5 tho?
I thought I'd like more this album. Prince seems to be an incredible artist that I didn't have the opportunity to check out. Well, it turned out I didn't like this album. It feels very "all over the place", it lasts more than it should. So many no-rememberable songs. I think I only enjoyed one song to a point of giving it a like. Bummer The instrumental slaps, very groovy and funky. But it didn't get to me.
tem umas boas tem outras ruins tem algumas ??? pq isso existe no geral eu preferiria não ter escutado esse tanto de prince
UMA HORA E VINTE DE PRINCE achei que seria BEM pior meia boca, mas algumas até salvam. não sei se o ALBUM TODO era necessário, mas né, fazer o quê
I saved a couple songs but I guess it makes it a 3? watched the movie so it's now a 4
Vibey, great tracks all trough. Though Prince has better projects, but that says more about Prince's genius than about the quality of this double LP.
Some of it was good. Some of it was OK. All of it was too long. Prince just never really hooks us in.
With such a great talent as Prince I was very excited to listen to this album as I had never heard of it before. It had some good lines, some good arrangements, however it was not for me. I kept waiting for something to hit me musically but it never did. The first half of the album seem to stagnate and never really hit a peak, at least this was the feeling I got listening to this. It wasn't until I heard the break on I Could Never Take The Place of You and The Cross that I heard songs worth listening to.
Moments