Sign 'O' The Times

Strong start, there were some great songs I added to my playlist such as "Housequake" and "Play in the Sunshine", I lost interest tho when it transitioned into the more mellow and slow songs. Prince has an amazing and iconic voice that carry those songs tho, so even though I got a bit bored I appreciated his voice all through the rest of the album.

I just can't stand Prince's voice. Grating to me, but not bad music.

Wonderful another double album and another artist I truly want to like but just can’t get into it. Respect to the great and powerful Prince, he fusion so many styles of music together on Sign O’ The Times but none of them are my style. 4.4/10

Love it

I was not moved until "U Got The Look." This album did not move me.

80s funk. Gotta love it. I enjoyed this - maybe not as much as the stuff with The Revolution. 4/5

Prince seems to love taking a million ideas that fuse funk, pop, r&b, soul, rock, and a tad of psychedelia into a long album. A long album that says the world sucks, so let’s dance and fuck. Danceable, silly, groovy, catchy, conscious, sexy…though I prefer the fun tracks to the sex jams, which makes this so-so for me. He has an interesting blend of arrangements - some very sparse outside of vocals and rhythm, while others are busier and more elaborate, some feeling like a party. It started off with a few strong tracks and then just kinda coasted ok-to-boring with a few other good tracks sprinkled in. I was very surprised that he mentioned ham at least twice in this album. This project so far has made me realize that I respect Prince’s talent and vision, but the music just doesn’t quite do it for me. If he leaned into and sustained some more of his weirder musical fringes, I’d dig him more I suspect.

Ah, Prince... without a doubt a musical genius, an exceptional multi-instrumentalist and guitar virtuoso, a top-notch composer, arranger and singer, and unquestionably one of the (arguably THE) iconic pop stars of the 1980s and beyond. And yet I find myself having trouble getting into his music. I could easily name probably a dozen (maybe more) songs of his that I consider absolute timeless masterpieces and that I have been playing in heavy rotation for decades now. However, when it comes to his albums, it's a different story for me. With the notable exception of Purple Rain (which truly is an all-killer-no-filler disc), I have yet to discover a Prince record that I enjoy listening to from beginning to end. Lots of people put SotT in that same tier, or have it ranked even higher. It's widely considered his crowning musical achievement. Some even see it as the best (double) album of the 80s. Somehow, I just don't hear it. There are some amazing tracks (I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man is the highlight for me), but to my ears there's also a bunch of filler. Like so many other double albums, in my view this one would have benefited from some editing and would have been a stronger album as a single record.

This is when I learned TLC’s “If I Was Your Girlfriend” was actually a Prince cover. So that’s cool. This album is eclectic and smart. Prince is a powerhouse musician and vocalist. My Dad was a big fan of Prince, so I grew up with his music on - I wish I could talk to him about this album, especially compared to his others. I always knew Prince was cool, and this album feels cool to listen to.

Prince records should get an automatic 5. This is one of his best albums. Strong 5.

some fun moments but overall meh

Very cool but didn’t make it all the way through for time reasons. Really on the edge but I’ll give Prince the benefit of the doubt and go 4 stars

I had not listened to this one previously. Very sprawling record shows the depth and breadth of Prince's talent. I enjoyed it

Kind of a slog

Quite an accomplishment as producer, performer and writer. Significant effects that made it a standout

great

LOVED this!

No explanation needed

I thought I enjoyed Prince but maybe not. This is the kind of generic music they would play in a hotel lounge that is trying to have a vibe.

Not my favorite Prince album, but good nonetheless.

Diverse and high-concept, with a few bangers that feel innovative even now (If I Was Your Girlfriend). Also a famous use of the Linn drum. I feel I'll never quite fully get it without having lived through the 80s

Some of the album sounded like 80s cheese but the eclecticism brought some timelessness and the good was great

Top vocals, funky, with elements from rock. Rhythm wise a little repetitive

80s synth gitaar funk, meh

I'm not actually a fan of Prince but I can recognize the artistry and talent involved. I love how it sounds stripped down but still solid.

pretty good. little hard to get over the dated drum sound, but a few songs grabbed me

Some albums are made on alcohol some on psychedelics—this one sounds like it was made entirely on Viagra. Sign "O" the Times is Prince in full, unfiltered, permanently-horny overdrive, stretching a single album’s worth of ideas into a two-LP marathon of funk, falsetto, and feverish lust. From start to finish, it’s like he’s trying to seduce the listener, the microphone, and possibly the entire world, and Im just not interested, it gets exhausting when he just won’t quit. Like someone pestering you in a nightclub when all you want to do is have a dance. There are some nicer moments. “The Cross” is a banger of a tune, “Housequake” is just silly fun. But then there’s way too much filler, a lot of meandering, and If I Was Your Girlfriend, isn’t just weird, it’s creepy. It’s Prince at his most obsessive, whispering and crooning in a way that feels less like seduction and more like he’s watching you through the blinds. The album is overflowing with ideas, but it’s like he refused to edit anything. There’s a great single album buried in here, but as a double LP, Sign "O" the Times is a test of endurance. It’s like Prince was so in love with every idea that he refused to cut anything, and the result is something that feels less like a masterpiece and more like an overexcited teenager showing you all his unfinished demos. Iconic? I guess in a way. A great listen? Not really. Compared to Purple Rain it's just not in the same league.

Fav song: The Ballad of Dorothy Parker SO many modern artists owe so much to Prince. Such an iconic sound, REAL lyrics, and amazing guitar skills to boot. A proper musical pioneer.

Prince had a good sound and his album was well produced. Just never got into his music.

Favorite tracks were The Ballad of Dorothy Parker and Adore.

You probably had to be there to get it, but not bad.

Not my favorite. Still good though

Ive tried to get into Prince, I really have. I dont understand the appeal and the value he brought to pop music.

A bit of a letdown from Prince. Not one memorable song on a double album is wild.

Banger.

An unexpected treat. I was only familiar with his radio hits. This album proudly demonstrates Prince's versatility as a musician and his uncompromising talent.

This was what I expected from Prince. It was fine to listen to, but I wouldn't go out of my way to ever purposely listen to it again. Prince is just a weird cat and that is reflected in the music.

This is great. Listen again

after listening through for a second time, his virtuosity blows my mind. It's funk, soul, unabshedly pop, R&B, raunchy, in between the sheetsy .. each song so different from the last, just awesome - whether you dig his sound or not, he is/was really all that.

I like that this album addresses the issues of the time. However, it's not my favorite album. It doesn't hook in the way the others do.

Coming in - this is my favorite Prince album. Just reading the tracklist it makes your head hurt. It's just banger after banger. It feels like an artist no longer reaching - just doing - in the best possible way. He is in total command. He is in the zone not matter what he's doing. And a lot of what he's doing is getting down with his bad self. So many funky confections - all with enough pop sheen to make then universal. If Purple Rain was the culmination of all his influences consolidating in an amazing record - this is Prince transcending. Singular.

actually terrible 😭 how could my prince do this to me... resorted to phone calls to avoid listening to it while studying

I don’t totally love this, but it’s Prince.

Every song is good.

This did nothing for me

disco pop no acaba de ser mucho mi estilo

A tough album for me to rate. On one hand, I have an immense respect for Prince's musical and songwriting ability. And I did enjoy a few of the songs a lot. But his style does not click with me at all. I find it decent at best, and just overall not my thing. I think I would have like the album more if it was just the second record - I didn't like anything at all from the A & B sides. Top tracks: U Got That Look, The Cross, It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night

I had listened to very little Prince. I think primarily because I took him not to have been making music in my favourite genres, and I'd not enjoyed the famous singles enough to seek out the albums. This was therefore a first listen to a full Prince album. I won't say I'm a convert and probably wouldn't put this on very often, but I did enjoy it much more than expected, even if it lacks a stand-out track.

The drum machine sounds really bad here. Prince's output really seems to lose steam around this point in his discography. Sign 'O' The Times appears to rely on a "chill vibe" with its artificial percussion, prominent bass/synth lines, and nods to the outdated disco genre – but the percussion ends up being annoying and repetitive rather than smooth. In fact, the biggest problem with this record is that, despite every instrument technically being played well, the ear-catching compositional elements are missing entirely. That is, there are pretty much no melodies I enjoyed. In the entire album. On any instrument. This made it pretty tough to enjoy most tracks. They're difficult to sing or hum along to, and rely more on showmanship and flourishy vocal/synth lines rather than anything simple, concrete, and infectious. The track Starfish and Coffee is a major exception to these complaints, having a good melody and legitimately fun, groovy backing instrumental. Slow Love is also notable for its soft, lilting guitar work, nice backing vocals, and use of a real acoustic drum kit. The title track/album opener is the best instance of a song sounding fairly good despite all the problems mentioned above, probably because of Prince's good vocal delivery. His voice doesn't go weirdly off the rails like some of the more questionable tracks (Housequake, It, U Got the Look), but instead is smooth, steady, and to the point. Props. 3/5 Key tracks: Sign 'O' the Times, Starfish and Coffee, Slow Love, Adore

Purple Rain is one of my all-time favorite albums. This follow-up was a great disappointment.

There still are better Prince albums. This wasn't that good.

Very 1980s production. I definitely wouldn't listen to this again

4/5

There are a couple of stand out tracks here, but as I have found with most of Prince's stuff over the years, it all goes on a bit, much of it aimlessly. I often get the feeling that he had a ton of great ideas but was never quite sure what to do with most of them, resulting in confused albums like this.

Excellent album

Better than Purple Rain? I don't think so. There are some very good songs on here, but I felt like it overstayed it's welcome. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for it, but my first impression is that it's just OK.

As usual with Prince, I just don’t understand the fanaticism

80s garbage, Prince has done better

I like it, strange and funky but some of the songs could feel a lil generic at times. I think you could've cut some songs to make this a great single album. Other than that, I loved the Joni Mitchell reference

Nothing good, nothing bad, prince has probably got better stuff to look forward to

it's prince. come on.

Ja versteh ich, aber fühl ich zu wenig

Cool

An absolute gem of an album.

Good album? Yes. 100 Greatest of all time? Hard pass. Mot even the best Prince album

Average instrumentals, average vocals, goofy alter ego (made me laugh I guess) quite a lot of awkward moments. Favourite songs: the first one from each disk. Overall around 4/10

Nije mi dobar ovaj album baš. Ono što mi najviše smeta je taj kick u većini pjesama koji baš zvuči treš i preuzme mi sve u pjesmi. Ima mi par okej pjesama, ali nije mi ni blizu Princu kojeg volim u nekim drugim albumima. Nisam sigurna ni da mi ovaj album pripada tu iskreno. Dvojila sam je li dvojka prenisko, ali realno nije mi baš za trojku, najrealnije bi bilo 2.5, ali eto, moram dati 2/5, 4/10.

9.5/10 Kakav album! Od pocetka do kraja fantastican, iako mi fali jedna stvar oko koje bi bio skroz opsjednut da bude cener. Prince mi je uvijek bio svojevrsna enigma jer ga nisam puno slusao, sve do pred koju godinu, gdje sam shvatio da mi je zapravo jedan od drazih artista 80ih i 90ih. Favorita na albumu ima puno, mogao bi pol albuma izlistati ali honourable mention ce dobiti The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker, If I Was Your Girlfriend, I Could Never. Vec vidim da ce mi biti zao sto mu nisam desetku dao, al bit ce jos njegovih albuma i prilika!

OBSESSED

3.5 - it was good, but I didn't enjoy it IN MY SOUL which was disappointing :( Stand out tracks: - Sign O' The Times 5/5 - one of my favourite songs of all time, absolutely beautiful - Strange Relationship 4/5

I won’t even begin to try to understand the comparisons to Purple Rain, it’s not even in the same stratosphere. I struggled with this one, I’ll give it the round up to a 3, just for benefit of the doubt that I am missing something but I don’t get it. 2.5/5

I find it pretty ironic that the cover art features a full-on drum kit front and center, when real drums were really only played on 3-4 of the songs. And while I found the overuse of the drum machine along with the pitch shifted vocals somewhat annoying after awhile, the album is still pretty strong. It’s no Purple Rain like many journalists have written, but the talent across multi-genres and styles here can’t be ignored.

Roughly as annoying as any other Prince album

Man, maybe I’m just not cool enough or don’t have enough soul to love this…not my favorite prince work. The song I prob liked the most was I could never take the place of your man which is prob the most generic pop. I’m ashamed of myself.

I don’t co-sign the popular opinion that this album is better than Purple Rain. In fact, I considered downgrading from the 4 I gave it in a separate “best of” album challenge. But it finds its legs about midway through and I ended at the same rating. It’s pretty solid but not great. 3.75/5

I admit it, I'm a Prince superfan. But come on... the Ballad of Dorothy Parker is brilliance. U Got The Look is an anthem. If I Was Your Girlfriend the most bare-souled sexy love song. No notes.

I don't get it.

Uh

Another familiar album of which I've never done a listen through. I'm beginning to think that music TV's might've done me a major disservice between late 80's and early 90's. I know several songs off the album, few enough to be quite fed up with them. Titular track doesn't sound what I remember it sounding like, I'm assuming the blame on the video for that. I was expecting a lot more funk and bluesy rock bits, but it was mostly simple pop music. Most of the musically interesting stuff for me was happening with the vocals, not the guitar or groovy basslines etc. which was the expectation. I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or not, since it sort of fulfilled the expectations I had based on the video tracks. I wanted the rest of the album to be more ambitious music, filled with funk and soul, but sadly it was not.

Found myself pretty bored through the first five or six songs, but then a few leaned in a different direction like I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man and I enjoyed those.

Sounds like Prince in the studio. Not my favorite, but good to hear a lot of tracks from the late 80s

it's a classic, not much to say here

Helt ok, men inte helt min kopp te. 5/10

First song's lyrics took me by surprise, such a tough song on top of an easy groove. Overall I like how this sounds, although I don't think any of these are mind blowing. Still like the cohesive sound and production. Highlights: Starfish and Coffee, I could never take the place of your man, The Cross (loved this one!!!) I think it's a 4.5

Not his best

3.5/5 Some fun little ditties on here. I was torn on 3-4 stars but ultimately there's a fair amount of filler/miss tracks for me - a common affliction for double albums. Reading the wiki for this albums prince was planning on releasing this as a triple album(!) until the studio stepped in.

I love Prince. A lot. He was amazing in everything he did. Sign ″☮︎″ the Times is a double disc masterpiece. A blend of rock, funk, rap, and just Prince. Great album, can't miss. 4/5

Loved it! So good to dance and think. Starfish and coffee I could listen to over and over.

one of my all time favorite albums already

Soft Prince album, not my style

Might be the best prince album

A few great songs, a lot of filler and inconsistent production quality throughout. Love the artist but not so much this particular overall lengthy double album.

This was pretty alright. Not as funky as I would've liked from Prince, but still very good. Four stars.

Favourites: Sign 'O' The Times; The Cross

Definitely a bigger fan of the first half. If that’s all it was it’s be 5 stars

It’s fun and weird, but not everything works. There’s a George Clinton vibe in some spots, but it’s more scattered. You can tell there’s a lot of creativity here, even if it feels like too much at times.

Didn’t realize Prince was Jehovah’s Witness until Jan 2, 2025. His religion definitely shone through on the Cross, but still had the recognizable freaky lyrical genius of his popular stuff. Favorite songs: The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, U Got The Look, The Cross, and I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man.

It's Prince, it's obviously good, but stylistically not my cup of tea. 3/5

Lots of fun bangers, loved. A few songs I didn’t love but might become 5 stars with more listens

This is for sure a unique album by an extremely creative artist. However it’s a bit hit or miss for me.

Prince is Prince really - some serious funk, some hella weird lyrics and overall a disjointed feel across the album

Good

Interesting use of vocal harmonies, w 80s synth drums. Lots of instruments. Overall not styles I seek out, but can't deny the talent, creativity, and how this album captures and defined 80s sound. Didn't hear any single song i wanted to hear again immediately tho.

4.5

Funky and the classic Prince sound. Probably not one I’d listen to often but I appreciate it for what it is!

Way better than the Beatles. Starfish and coffee almost kicks this to 5 stars

Prince is one of the greatest, most unique, and creative musical artists of our time. Surprised this was the first of his albums to appear on the challenge for me so far. This album is fantastic, although not my overall favorite. We still have fantastic songs like “If I Was Your Girlfriend”, “U Got The Look”, and “Slow Love”. My least favorite track is "Sign o’ the Times", and personally it still feels like an odd choice to start the album off with a socially conscious song, instead of getting the listener into the more groovy stuff.

Some good things - mostly not for me.

A truly great album; he’s the nearest we had to Beethoven Inthink and this album is Prince at or near his peak. A masterpiece.

godawful, mixing awful, just unimpressed tbh

No known "hits" but a solid album front to back. Highlights for me were The Cross and Adore

Good shit

The second record is where thus really cooks, though the opening track of the album is also a grand highlight (8.55) ★★★★

Some good moments throughout, but ultimately not my prefered style, and I think it is too long and sprawling, with too many ups and downs. 3.5 stars

Really cool , ambitious album from Prince. Highlights include "It", "U Got the Look", "If I was Your Girlfriend" and the title track. 4.5 stars

4.5

There are a few certainties in this world. Grass is green, Pope is catholic and Prince is the greatest musician to have ever walked the planet. And this is truly one of the all time great double albums. So fresh, funky, vibrant and eclectic with the heavy, politically conscious title track opener, hip hoppity Housequake, tinges of Daft Punky electro on Ballad Of Dorothy Parker, the badass genre bending chipmunk voice of Camille on the fantabulous, philosophical If I Was Your Girlfriend, religious soul searching with the acoustic rocker The Cross, the greatest house party and last hurrah of his former backing band The Revolution on It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night, classic rock fm/baseball anthems with Sheena Easton duet U Got The Look, a pantheon of feel good pop with Play In The Sunshine, Starfish and Coffee Strange Relationship and more as well as some of the slinkiest soul ever with the slushing scorchtastic closer Adore. Even though it’s a double, each disc is really tight and it all flows wonderfully. There’s little padding on this sexy beast. Easiest 5 stars ever.

The real old heads will hear some strong similarity between this album and Sly And The Family Stone. This is a big album that is really trying to cover a lot of ground, and at times it seems to lose coherency. If you want a shorter album from Prince's catalog, go with Lovesexy or The Black Album, both from approximately the same era. This one is more satisfying altogether, but it's a big heapin' helpin' of Prince's irascible genius.

3 estrelas

I don't like prince

Wasn’t terrible but I didn’t love it either

Actually better than expected.

Love love love

Good beats, but not my vibe

It's ok

Big album, which teased and ultimately promised me more than it delivered. Lots of different genres provide influence here, and there's diversity in terms of tempo and overall vibes. I did like the funk sound on tracks like Housequake. The chilled out ballad Slow Love works for me and my favorite track on the second half was probably The Cross. Some of the lyrical themes are a bit dated (eg, Hot Thing). Maybe at nearly 90 minutes long it's just too dense to absorb quickly, but I'm left wanting more.

one of the increasingly rare double albums that actually feels like it both values your time and expects you to sit through the full thing. going in, i thought an 80 minute album was at the very least gonna be a bit tiring, but it feels shorter than some 50+ minute albums i've heard. i hold the theory that this is due to no two songs sounding alike -- Sign "☮︎" the Times always has another trick up its sleeve, and switches you from soul to dirty funk, and Christian rock to a goddamn Wizard of Oz chant live jam. i'm not saying that he's doing any wild genre experiments on S☮︎tT, but Prince always keeps things moving from one new idea to another, like a brisk studio tour that is also nearly an hour and a half. the record just bristles with this wild, colorful energy, a kaleidoscope of song that shifts the world around it. by no means is it perfect, but if someone said this was Prince's best album, I don't think anyone would fault them for it. the idea of being Prince turns my stomach. can you imagine having a new, exciting musical idea every day of your life and live with the fact that you'll never be able to play them all?

Now he’s doing a horse called June.

'o'

A fantastic explanation to what a virtuouso Prince would show he is.

Was pretty mediocre. If it were another artist I'd probably give it a 2.

Bellissimo

I am a huge Prince and have been since my first listen of the 1999 album. SOTT was peak Prince. He was in complete control and put out an album with funk, rock, dance, orchestra, and rap (tongue-in-cheek). And his trademark sense of humor was also present (Housequake….Starfish and Coffee). There is not a skip on this album. This is my favorite album by the purple one and the one I point people toward to experience a perfect album.

It was a Hot Thing. Made me want to Play In The Sunshine

several excellent tracks, funky, bass and some nice piano

Heard

Much prefer this to 1999 - more poppy/hip hoppy less funk and slap bass. Only managed one and a half listens as its another effin double album so this is only my initial view (although I doubt I will listen again to form a more fuller view). The over reliance on drum machines dates it and makes it feel disposable. A few zingers - Sign of the Times, U Got the Look and I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man but quite a lot of filler.

Sign 'O the Times is one of Prince's masterpieces. It is his ninth studio album, an expansive double album including songs of a surprising range of sounds and styles. Prince released a concert film of the same title which is, in my opinion, among the best concert films ever produced. Prince combines R&B, funk, soul, and rock in his work; the result is some of the most engaging, influential songs in modern music. This album included a few hit singles - the title track, "If I was Your Girlfriend," and "U Got the Look" - but these were not among his biggest singles. The album is so very well regarded for the incredible range of the tracks, which show the boundless talent behind the music.

Stone cold classic

So Prince didn’t know who Dorothy Parker was when he wrote The Ballad of Dorothy Parker. I found this whole album naff and insufferable but it did make me look up a couple of Dorothy Parker poems again so here are a couple: “ By the time you swear you're his, Shivering and sighing. And he vows his passion is, Infinite, undying. Lady make note of this -- One of you is lying.” “ Razors pain you; Rivers are damp; Acids stain you; And drugs cause cramp. Guns aren’t lawful; Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well live.” And, of course, there’s her reply when being asked to use the word ‘horticulture’ in a sentence on a radio show: You can lead a horticulture but you can’t make her think.

It’s prince so it’s solid, but nothing really grabbing me.

A lot of the drum beats and synth noises are too processed-sounding. Not too unsimilar from some 80s's MJ. Slow Love is a pretty good song with nice sax. If I Was Your Girlfriend was weird. I Could Take The Place of Your Man is a pleasant almost alt rock song that doesn't fit the rest of the album's vibe. The Cross is a quite good song, as is It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night which has a recognizable part at 3:50 and nice instrumentation. R&B/soul/funk/rock album. Started off slow but ended strong. Pretty good.

I didn't like this at all. Play In The Sunshine sounded awful, like it was recorded in a suitcase. The obnoxious squealing in Hot Thing was completely unneccesary. I just can't do Prince.

Favorite Track: Housequake

Groovy, funky but no real bangers (for me).

Nicht meins, würde ich nicht nochmal durchhören.

Pretty good. Creative. Imaginative.

Not my kind of music, but not a bad album. Good production

Solid.

I've heard this many times. It's been a while since I've listened to this album. I had forgotten just how great this album is. 80 minutes that covers the gamut of Prince's abilities in performance and songwriting. The fact that the great pop song "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" doesn't appear until the end of Side 3 of the double album gives an indication of how much great music is included on this album. Perhaps Prince's best album. Definitely the best representation of the breadth of his abilities.

Out of the three Prince albums this is the best on the list, which is not saying a whole lot. He has some good songs here, but a lot our just overkill on the sex language.

I certainly don’t believe the hype. I didn’t before and don’t know because his voice just starts to get annoying just like Costanza in Seinfeld saying Costanza to a possible girlfriend and then said girlfriend is like I can’t get that name out of my head. Also you don’t need a bunch of long songs

Just painful. It started off okay but I've learned that Prince only made good singles, never great albums. All his albums that we've had so far (which are supposedly his best) have been either okay or hot trash. This was no different. First off, it's an hour and 20 minutes. No album should be that long. Secondly, the first couple songs start off okay, decent even, and then fall off a cliff. It's just a bunch of whatever nonsense lyrics or just Prince doing his squeaky falsetto over and over and over and over again. Also the "drums" actively annoyed me. Dude is still super horny and manages to have about half the album be about his sex drive. I don't understand how this fool got so famous.

uuuuuugggghhhh. way too long, too much falsetto, overly synthesized, and all sounds the same. after the 1st 2 tracks, I was done

Top funky shit from the Purple one

Almost 700 in and this is the first Prince record I got. He left a very big mark on 80s pop music. He was a great innovator and very prolific, so it surprises me it took this long. He was unhappy with his record company because they didn't want to release everything he recorded. I think they were very generous allowing this album to be as long as it is. The man is obviously very musical. However, we have very different taste in music. Favorite song: strange relationship

4.25

I want to like this a lot more than I did. It's so..inconsistent. Just when I feel like an idea is about to flourish into a cool track it lets me down and falls flat. Not everything is mediocre here but so much of it is. Still, I respect the weirdness this album brings.

haven’t listened to much prince but it made me feel a certain nostalgia for a time i didn’t experience. a few songs gave very protest song vibes

听过

I’d heard some of Prince’s songs before this, but I didn’t expect this album to be this amazing. It feels like I found the missing link to most of the r&b I like. Favorite Song: If I Was Your Girlfriend Least Favorite Song: Slow Love

First side is really mediocre. No hooks. Side two is marked improvement but not really enough to save the whole endeavor. I’d like to round up to three stars out of respect for Prince but the album really doesn’t deserve it. Prince is an interesting artist in that he has SO MANY crazy-great songs but man alive so much more middling crap.

I only ever listened to 1999, Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, the Batman soundtrack. While those are outstanding, this was just meh. Three just because it's Prince.

I always struggle with Prince, I think he is / was an amazing musician, but I didn't always like his style, a lot of 80s synth is not my thing. As a guitar player and icon I think he is truly one of the all time greats. Stand out track: - Play in the sunshine - The ballad of Dorothy Parker - Slow love - Hot thing - Adore

Impecable ejecución de instrumentos y sonidos, no le doy 5 porque necesto el remaster para ayer

I just don’t get the fuss about the dirty little puppy that was Prince. Everything is just so overlong, and so much is repetitive and never really goes anywhere, and it just bores the wrinkly tits off me. The one high point was the somewhat-out-of-left-field rocker The Cross, which has an incredible drum sound, but even then I was getting bored. It just does not tickle my pickle.

Two double albums in a row and they couldn’t be more different. Loved it!

Way more honkey tonk than I expected?! So good though

Even if some tracks aren’t as strong as others, it’s an incredibly solid work overall from a legend of music.

Gets a good groove on 3.7

A lot, That is probably my takeaway from this album. Lots of ideas and different styles, some I liked, others not so much. While I probably wont listen to the whole album again I'm definitely listening a couple of songs again. I really enjoyed the title track and "The ballad of Dorothy Parker". Personally I love the use of the 80's sounding drums and synths. Especially because they are accompanied by great sounding bass and guitar. Also a big fan of all the instrumental breakdowns.

It's a great lesson. Really good reminder on how much I like Prince... This album is definitely going into the rotation

Decent

This is...a lot. Highlights: "Sign o' the Times" (cool burbling percussion, somewhat dated lyrics), "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" (fonky), "U Got the Look" (the voice manipulation is cheesy but it's a bop musically), "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" (catchy power pop) Notable: "Housequake" (um...what‽), "Slow Love" (almost a doowop sound to it)

...

Didn't love this. Don't really get the Hype about it

Original, fun, listenable. So creative. 4/5.

Enquanto escutava as músicas deste álbum, algo martelava na minha mente: qual nota atribuir a Sign 'O' The Times? É impressionante como ele consegue atingir uma quase perfeição, mas, ao mesmo tempo, ser, em alguns momentos, um pouco monótono, repetitivo... Sem dúvida, trata-se de um excelente álbum, com faixas para todas as ocasiões – ótimas para ouvir em momentos de introspecção, perfeitas para dançar em uma festa, ideais para se declarar ou até para curtir em uma viagem. É divertido, é bom, é aconchegante, mas não é perfeito. Sinto que, na busca por essa perfeição, acabou tropeçando em alguns pontos.

Good, transitional album from Prince.

Pure Prince magic.

Incredibly disappointing. There's no way this is the best Prince record. Yes, every single one of you is wrong.

I didn’t need this much

I have a feeling I'm starting to glean what Prince might be all about. I'm not quite there yet, but I can guess why people are all over this.

I was not previously familiar with this album. I have a lot of respect and appreciation for Prince's immense talent. He can literally do it all. This album seems pretty typical of Prince's material - upbeat and poppy and eclectic. It has some strong songs on here, others seem more dated. As someone who likes but doesn't love Prince, a double album is a bit much to get through, but the material itself is good. I would definitely listen to Prince again, but I might choose a different album over this one.

i dont care for it but a couple were ok

Prince wrote some great singles, but his album always bore me. The 90s Soul/Funk period never caught me so while I always wanted to enjoy Prince, when I would try I would get turned off by his synth-drum machine tracks. When he goes full funk like Strange Relationship he's a joy to listen to. Obviously Sign O' The Times, You Got the Look, and If I Was Your Girlfriend are the easily recognizable hits from the album but I'd rather not have to invest an hour and 20 minutes to hear some of his 'decent' singles. 3.5/5

This was suprisingly all over the place. Some tracks were mediocre and forgettable, while others were excellent ("Slow Love" was a highlight). This was my first time listening to Prince and I honestly expected better.

I've never been a big fan however I can tolerate his music in small doses.

From Wikipedia, interesting to learn that: 1. This is regarded as his best album, above Purple Rain, 2. it was originally supposed to be a triple-disk but Prince was forced to reduce it to a double album. It definitely has that 80's sound, which I think is largely because of the synth drums. None of the songs caught my attention.

While I'm not a Prince expert, this album is sort of just a reminder that not only did he write a lot of great songs. He just wrote a lot of songs. Period. And that maybe the quantity is partially the reason there is so much quality. The Wiki said this was his first album without the Revolution, and while he might have appreciated the nimbleness of making songs this way, it does feel stripped down in a half-realized way.

I did not expect to dislike this as much as I did. I had some idea Prince's excellence dropped off in the late 80s/early 90s, if only because my mom had none of his albums after Purple Rain, but I didn't know how badly. I don't know if 1987 was just a bad year for music, but this sounded SO dated, vacillating between tinny beats that seem to be aiming for that 'Let's Go Crazy' vibe but failing to meet that mark, or Isley Bros style soul grooves that can't come near Prince's early output, e.g. 'I Wanna Be Your Lover.' I did enjoy one song I'd never heard (Ballad of Dorothy Parker), and still enjoyed If I Was Your Girlfriend and U Got the Look - but this mostly made me sad that Prince is now slightly less of a legend in my eyes.

One of the most important Prince records, but this is just too long for me. I loveeeee many songs on this record, especially the title track, but there is also some filler material in my opinion.

Opnieuw een 5 sterren album. Prince heeft twee 'gelijkwaardig legendarische albums' (ik hoef niet te zeggen welke de andere is) naar mijn mening. Starfish and Coffee blijft één van mijn favoriete nummers van Prince. Daarnaast zijn er weinig nummers op dit album die niet goed zijn. 5.0

Sounds like something you'd hear in a bar and wouldn't care about or remember the moment you left.

I liked it! I’ve never listened to much Prince but this convinced me to check out more of his music

Prince is just soooo fun and I had a blast with this one. Favorite track: It

Funky? Yes. Rizzard? No.

No songs really stood out for me and the only good tracks were play in the sunshine you got the look and if i was your girlfriend 2/5

Was alright. A couple of stand out songs but didn’t think it was something to write home about overall

Wanted to like it more but didn’t really stick with me. Not terrible tho.

Not one of the purple ones best - mediocre

Not a patch on Purple Rain.

Funky banger. Didn't expect to like it this much tbh

Not sure why this had to be a double album. I liked it more than I liked Prince back in the day, but there were a lot of tracks I could have lived without. Since slightly more than half of the work was good, I‘ll round up my score.

Not as good as Purple Rain, more eclectic, but the quality production is still top notch. High 3.

I like Prince more than I did prior to starting this project. He was clearly a talented songwriter, musician and singer. But I still don't LOVE his music. It's just not my thing. And 2 albums is a LOT of Prince when you're not a big fan. 3.5, but I can't bring myself to round up.

prince geðveikur

Strange and I can‘t put my finger on what I like about that and what not

This album is a vibe. Lots of songs on there that made me dance a little in my seat. Loved it!

A good Prince album with his eclectic style. Sign o the Times and Never Take The Place Of Your Man are classics.

The genius of Prince is that he makes his masterpieces seem effortless. The man was operating on a plane several levels above his contemporaries. I don't *like* every song on this album but that doesn't stop me from recognizing the brilliance. Everyone should listen to this. In addition to classic Prince sound, this album even offers up "conventional rock" with "The Cross."

Prince is essential!

An incredible Prince double album with songs so good it could have made two single albums

Oh my lord unbelievable. Every song was so gucking good

Prince, you’ve done it again. And this time with an album twice as long. Need to listen more but Prince is quickly becoming a favorite artist of all time dang.

The hooks, the voices, the funky beats. It's all here. I can see the talent. I think the songs sound great. I just don't want to listen to them. Maybe there's something wrong with me. It feels like Prince managed to influence the kind of pop music I find the least appealing. I've tried prince over and over again and every time I leave wondering how such catchy and original songs leave me so bored.

I have a lot of respect for prince and his earlier albums are very good but this kinda sucked. It’s just distilled 80s electronic sounds with Prince’s (excellent) voices behind it. The songs are generic and it goes on forever. Really disappointing for what is supposed to be his best work.

I didn't expect a weird electronic album. I was getting a little bored listening to it and kept finding out there were more songs. This isn't for me.

this is good prince album. a little overly long for me, and there are moments that are lackluster (i thought one song sounded like a car commercial, lol), but i love housequake and sign o the times. and the way he does a bass line. lets go.

R&B, funky pop I guess is how I’d describe this album. Not too bad, but nothing really stood out.

Never been a big fan of Prince

Yes

I just find Prince's style boring and mostly unchanging. There were interesting moments of instrumental mixing but not enough to save the whole album

Haven't listened to a lot of Prince and while this isn't usually my cup of tea, I really enjoyed this. Lots of variety in vocals instrumentation. Just fun album all the way though. Favorite tracks: Hot Thing, I Could Never Take The Place of your Man, It's Going to be a Beautiful Night

There's a lot of sass and swagger in this album. Not normally my thing. 80s R&B is not normally my thing. But Prince makes it unique and original. ‘Starfish And Coffee’ was a good but strange track: it sounds like a novelty alternative hit from the late 90s. 'I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man' was an instant favorite, and sounds like everything I like in Prince's music, like a counterpoint to 'When You Were Mine'. ‘Forever In My Life’ and ‘The Cross’ were good too, heavy and dark. Songs like ‘Slow Love' and 'Gonna Be A Beautiful Night' simply aren’t the sort of music I like. But the best parts of the album are among the best songs of a truly gifted musician.

I mean... it's Prince. One of the best to ever do it. Favorite track: I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man. But I really dig most of these. What I especially love about this is that a lot of the songs feel fairly normal at surface level, but there's always something crazy going on with the instrumentation or lyrics or Prince's delivery that really takes everything to the next level. Even the horny songs (and there are a lot of horny songs) are just, like, so good. I want to throw a party just to play this. Doesn't it feel like perfect party music? Hell yeah, Prince. 4 1/2 stars.

I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man is probably my favorite Prince song.

Less familiar with this later '80s Prince. Still solid though. Lots of nods to '70s era soul. Did this gut have any misses?

It's fun, it's genre-bending, it's weird...it's Prince! Fun fact: I used to hate Prince when I was in middle and high school because his hits would play daily on the morning radio. Shortly after denouncing pop radio stations, I became a Prince fan. Funny how that works. Favorite song: Housequake Least favorite: The Ballad of Dorothy Parker Knew before? No

It goes purple rain > dirty mind > sign of the times > batman soundtrack

Some greats songs and some not done great

1/11/24 I appreciate Prince as an artist, i just found it little bit boring.

Hmmm. I think it’s a real mixed bag. I bet if this album was shortened it’d be much better. Some songs are great, some are boring and skippable. The lack of the Revolution is pretty clear, there are no real bangers on this

Good

Like David Bowie, Prince was not in my musical radar until starting this project. Might take me a few other albums before I start to full ‘get’ him but this was an enjoyable start. Lots of well written songs covering just about any genre you can imagine. From pop songs like I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man to whatever was going on at 3.50 in Play in the Sunshine plus some proper ear worms with Hot Thing and U Got the Look plenty here to explore.

This all felt a bit bland and repetitive, I think it stems from the drum machine, seems like the same beat all the way through each track with no variation

What started off as promising, the lyrics and groove of the opener being cool and interesting, descended into too long an album filled with pretty average material. Might get better with multiple listens but the sterile production is hard to listen to for an extended period of time.

It's taken me so many attempts to listen through this album, but I've finally attempted it while I'm in the right mood to at least get through it. There's a really broad variety of stuff on there, and I quite enjoyed some of the funkier ones (Housequake) and the last few, including the rocky one, but I still think Prince just isn't for me. I found the poppier tracks left me completely cold.

I don’t remember much of this album when it came out, maybe since it was overshadowed by Purple Rain and 1999. After listening to this, I feel Prince wrote better songs for other artists at the time. Other than a couple of songs, unsure I’d give this whole album another listen.

🎧If Prince had consolidated this down to one LP it probably would have rivaled Purple Rain in quality. It’s got some great tunes! Starfish And Coffee, U Got The Look—great slow builds on both I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man and The Cross. But then there’s also a lot of filler. Title tracks seems to suggest in one line that weed is a gateway drug to heroin?

There were a lot of good bits in this album, but overall it felt a little disjointed.

É um bom album, com altos e baixos, para mim. Gostei de Sign O' The Times e The Ballad of Dorothy Parker. O melhor ficou nas 4 últimas músicas. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man é muito boa! Mas eu queria dar mesmo 3,5.

Queria poder dar 4 estrelas e meia, pq esse album é muuuito bom!!! Variações de ritmos e de vocais excelente em todas as músicas. Destaque para "Housequake", "It", "Starfish and coffee", "U got the look" e "Sign O the Times"

Sign ‘O’ The Times is a brilliant song, but the rest of this album is very forgettable 3/5

Not me giving a double album 5 stars. Tis the season of miracles. Honestly, though, this is fabulous.

hell yeah. not my favorite prince, but it’s still prince.

What a run of albums…

Not my favorite by Prince but still very good

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

Rollo patatero

Really good - but not even close to his best!

A very slow-burn of an album. Pretty decent if you're focusing on it but I tended to get distracted throughout. I think a few more listens would bump it up. 6/10

Prince is always a good time but this isn’t my fav of his albums.

Still feels fresh today! A few interesting moments of dated synth crunches, mario-kart interludes and sitar for some reason, but the beats and songwriting were all smooth, funky and refreshing. I know how iconic Prince is, but never listened before. Well worth it

own

Hatte ich schon

Obviously very popular, but not my favorite music

I thought Prince would have made a more interesting album than what is on Sign 'O' The Times, but I guess not. I either found the music boring, or so boring that it became annoying. There were some funky beats, but honestly nothing is particularly interesting. I don't care for Prince's vocals much on this album. I think there also needed to be more iconic Prince guitar shredding. Mediocre.

Prince is a surprising blind spot for me in terms of his entire discography but I was excited to listen and this did not disappoint! A double album that i easily listened through and then another time.

This is a 3 out of respect to Purple Rain

Epitome of funk. I love Prince. This album makes me so happy.

Prince was an insanely talented musician and had soul for days. But his songwriting was very hit or miss. I couldn't get myself into this album and found the album fading into the background and not engaging at all.

Track 1: Sign 'O' the Times (8/10) Prince was such a great lyricist. This is a pretty dark song and I think it's great. Track 2: Play in the Sunshine (7/10) I like the backup vocals in this song. The lyrics are weirdly apocalyptic? At least that's how I interpret it. Track 3: Housequake (7/10) The poppiest, most danceable song yet! Track 4: The Ballad of Dorothy Parker (9/10) Excellent storytelling! Very funky bassline. Track 5: It (7/10) I like the 80s sounding percussion on this track lol it's a pretty fun song about doing "It" Track 6: Starfish and Coffee (9/10) All Prince needed to make a great jam was a piano and some backup singers. Such a great song. Track 7: Slow Love (6/10) I'm not incredibly into these slow "bedroom time" songs, but it's good for what it is. Track 8: Hot Thing (7/10) Hell yeah, more music to dance to! Track 9: Forever in My Life (5/10) Found this kind of boring tbh Track 10: U Got the Look (7/10) Fun song, not incredibly diverse. Track 11: If I Was Your Girlfriend (8/10) This is the only song I knew going in, it's so great. Love the slappy bass. Track 12: Strange Relationship (6/10) It was okay, nothing really stood out to me. Track 13: I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (8/10) Very fun and funky! Track 14: The Cross (8/10) The most rocking song on the album! Track 15: It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night (7/10) This one was kind of hypnotic, I was digging it. Track 16: Adore (7/10) Great track! Overall: 7/10 The only issue with doing this for me is that sometimes you'll get an album that you may not be into at the moment. I'm gonna have to relisten to this on a day where I'm feeling more mentally up for it but I did enjoy it still! Fav Song: Starfish and Coffee Least Fav Song: Forever in My Life

Now this is a party!! I put this on during a rainy Monday and despite the mood, I found myself dancing along. Such great grooves. It’s playful and fun and the talent shines through. Such a nice surprise!

I thought he sucked before but I didn't think it was this bad. When he stops the weird voices and hysterical shrieking there are a couple of decent songs on here

I listened to Purple Rain Instead bc I aint reading all that, one of the best albums I've heard in a while. So full of life and energy, and unbelievably groovy. Love his voice and vibe. On first listen perfect I think lol Fav songs: Let's Go Crazy, The Beautiful Ones, When Doves Cry, Purple Rain, The Beautiful Ones

Cons: (1) This is not just a double album, but a “guess what kind of song I can make? all of them” double album; (2) this is Prince just past his prime; (3) too much messing around with cool new toys in the studio and not enough of a central theme (4) Prince rapping. Pros: the worst music by Prince is better than the best music made by your dork-ass favorite band. Fuck you. This is a fucking Prince album.

Prince is a masterful artist and this album is an amazing listen. It is also WAY too long.

this was okay?? i looove a lot of prince tunes but this album was quite long with not enough memorable songs to me personally (considering i was listening to this for the first time). as a massive 80s fan though i didn’t hate how any of this sounded - it just started to all blend together and a lot of the songs were long af. definitely need another go with some of these songs tho. “i can never take the place of your man” was the most stand out to me !! catchy as

Masterpiece. I knew it on first listen.

Sign of the Times (political commentary over a pop song) House quake (dance song) U Got the Look (very 80s) If I was Your Girlfriend I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (80s pop) Adore

A bit to 80s for me to really love.

Noiosetto, mi aspettavo molto meglio

Was good at first, but too much

I won't speak on Prince, the person, because that is a can of worms... but I loved this album front to back and don't even think I can pick a favorite song because they were all excellent.

Wow, this was flippin awesome. I knew some of Prince's hits but never listened to a full album. I'm left wondering what I've been doing with my life.

Weird album. I bought this for like six bucks in college and it's a treasured find. For real fans.

Arguably Prince's best album great songs ,a variety of styles, interesting, this encapsulates what made Prince great. Lack of quality control is certainly a criticism that can be levelled at Prince, and a culling of this double album to be a single album would have been wise. If an alien landed on earth and said I want to hear some Prince I would hand him Sign of the Times!

It all sounds pretty good but I'm not a fan of 80s sounding music.

3.5☆/5 10.07.2024

gotta listen on some speakers

Expansive but quirky. A 3 hour movie that could have been 2 hours.

I'll never deny that Prince was a huge talent but I've never been more than ambivalent about him. My impression of this album was that it was self-indulgent, bloated and for the most part, meh. OK at best.

Funky but not as strong as some of the other Prince hits

Sign 'O' The Times is pretty good, with a classic vibe that makes it pleasant to listen to, even if I wouldn't normally like it.

I saw prince on the musicology tour. He was amazing. This isn't the first prince album I would put on but you can't deny h8s genius

Loved it. Awkwardly danced around the office whilst listening. Glad I work alone.

Title track aside nothing on this really stood out and for a double album that's a lot of hard listening. Very disjointed, very over indulgent...

Great pop rock album. Would die happy if I never get to listen to it again

3.75 - guitar over everything, yes very harry

Prince is right up there for me, by that I mean right up there with a lot of other well respected artists that I just don't get. I'll admit that he has released more than a handful of songs that I do actually like, but fuck me, this lad released 1000's of songs so there were always going to be a few I liked. This album was fairly boring to me - simple drum beats, rhythmic chanting, nothing special....

I like Prince - but mostly know his hits. This record felt like an entrance to do a deep dive through his catalogue. Funky, surprising and fun.

all the pervy shit kind of grosses me out but that’s kind of a stupid thing to hold against prince

Poorly mixed, otherwise solid prince album despite none of the major hits Favourite track - It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night

song I knew plus new ones. Prince never fails.

Didn't enjoy this one. 2/5

A lot of adds here a lot of good singles few misses

Pop? Rock? A little bit of both I guess. I had a whole weekend to digest this one and it honestly hasn't changed since I finished. Kind of like how Taylor Swift is super overrated and popular, Prince is similar but with actual talent. His music is really accessible and he could play a lot of different instruments. Didn't do a whole lot for me but I totally see the appeal.

Solid album. First time listening to a Prince album the whole way through, I dig it. His fans are a bit unhinged though. Saw one comment on YouTube that described this album as so ahead of time it would be worshipped religiously in 2134 on a track that follows the same formula as a thousand other Soul songs from the '60s. Good, but not "ahead of time" in 1987. 6 / 10

Not his best, but even his very good is still amazing.