Reviews (page 9 of 14)
Not a Prince fan but this album grew on me especially the second disc,as usual I think a lot of the album is about sex and he seems to be singing even squeakier at times. Don't think I will revisit the whole album again but maybe a few of the tracks will get a replay.
It's good but i definitely did not enjoy if i was your girlfriend. cringe in edeka
Not sure why Prince was so popular. This was all just mediocre at best to me
I've never really listened him but in like him.
Classic 80s feel, and its Prince. Can't go wrong
Prince again. He always sounds like his music is made for sex, but set in the 80s/90s.
Moments of mastery - but mixed with a few misses.
Prince is a God. The title track, Hot Thing, and It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” are top shelf.
I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man is my fave.
A calm and correct Rock album by Prince. It was agreable to listen through the piece.
Это уже второй его "большой" альбом, и по всей видимости я должен признать: это не совсем мой артист. Лучшая песня - If I Was Your Girlfriend.
It isn’t my favorite Prince album, but it blows the hell out of most. Sexy, and catchy. 4.5 stars
Great album! Prince is very talented
Easiest 5/5 ever Pure unadulterated GROOVE and FONK
Absolutely perfect
Masse bra synth, men fortsatt ikkje innertier
Prince was One of a Kind. This album is excellent!
I keep trying, I just can't get that much out of Prince, maybe he was a musical genius. Even though he inspired many other musicians I like, I can't get on with him. And it's the same with this album. Maybe it's great, but I don't feel that way. I probably won't listen to it again. 2/5
Музыка 80-ых, как я люблю, близко к песням Майкла Джексона, но местами напоминает R'n'B музыку нулевых. Тем не менее, из-за специфичности альбома (не все песни запоминались), он меня не зацепил полностью.
Creative, but not that good...
A couple great songs.
Je vais être honnête, j'écoutais un peu d'une oreille, mais ce qu'il rentrait dans mon oreille unique était quand même d'la funky bombasticolomatique
Very interesting album. I don't think I connected with it just yet so I'll give it a few listens more. I definitely like the songs on disc 2 more than disc 1.
This album was all over the place. It's so fabulously '80s. Absolute banger.
Depending on who you ask, this album could be seen as the big, messy exclamation mark on Prince’s imperial phase. He’d fucked the taste from our mouths in “1989”, gone grinding through “Purple Rain”, orgied his way “Around the World In A Day”, and… whatever the hell he was taking on “Parade”. Was 1987 his last gasp? Well, he continued to make work to delight his ardent fanbase (and I enjoy “Lovesexy” quite a bit), but the fact this album is his last on the 1001 list tells you much about his mass-appeal afterwards beyond a few hits. Because “Sign O’ The Times” is so damn dense, let me break it down for you: “Sign O The Times”: A quality opening, microcosm of the album: sparse arrangement, dark lyrics, tight funk guitar, synth bass, omnipresent drum machine. “Play In The Sunshine”: A welcome burst of adrenaline, gorgeously upbeat, all hail the breakdown in the second half. “Housequake”: A little marred by the ubiquitous drum machine and buried guitar/bass, making it feel more sterile than it should… but still a great groove. “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker”: An introspective jazz-leaning song, beloved by Prince fans, which I just can’t get behind. Nice slap bass, though. “It”: Horny by numbers: the man could write a song like this in his sleep by the ripe old year of ‘87. Fine but forgettable. “Starfish and Coffee”: Refreshingly bonkers, with intriguing production and a great melody to boot: psychedelic-leaning Prince is my vibe. “Slow Love”: Yes, it’s corny and schmaltzy, but the horns, strings and glockenspiel sell the whole package: it’s great to hear Prince lean fully into straight R&B and soul. “Hot Thing”: Grinds and groans with a dark sexual energy. Not my favourite, but the instrumental break around 2 minutes in really elevates it. Sax and slaps! “Forever In My Life”: Continues to be “the track I forget about”, after repeated listens… that can’t be a good sign. “U Got the Look”: Prince comes out the gate swinging in the second half, with this blues-leaning stomper. Great squalling guitar riff. “If I Was Your Girlfriend”: Pitched-up alter-ego Camille rears her head again in a surreally sexy, strangely substance-less non-sequitur. “Strange Relationship”: Sounds like a “Parade” cast-off in the best way: a circus-like synth flute line, strong and steady bass part, dense with hooks. “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man”: Yes! Yes! YES! YEEEES! Oh, GOD YES! “The Cross”: A sudden left-swing into Christian rock, with a glorious melody and very satisfying build: he could have totally owned this for an album or two (and did, I believe). “It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night”: Now we’re cooking: an extraordinary live recording with more dynamism and drive than anything else here. Sticks out a bit, but made me long for more of its kind on the disc. “Adore”: Gorgeous retro soul to see us out, with some velveteen Prince vocals to close the book. So there we have it: after quite a few listens over several years to settle into it, I’ve been won over by this album. It really picks up steam in the second half, with some of the best cuts found towards the end.
Waited for the opening song to get going and kick into another gear for 5 mins but it never came. And that was the case for a lot of songs on this album. Pretty boring and repetitive and just waiting for something good to happen. The opener had the most plays on Spotify so thought it would be the best (or close to) but it wasn't anywhere near. Play In The Sunshine was next and was immediately a better song. Side 2 is much better. The Cross and Adore are so very easily the best songs as they have the best vocal performances of the album. The Cross also builds to something pretty damn good, almost heavy metal. Overall it's just a bit wanky for my liking. Which I maybe could have guessed if I were to prejudge what I thought Prince would be like. Really not my thing at all. Half of the tunes sound like they would be okay for background music in an 80s industrial club or something, but to actually listen to, not good. Really like Prince's voice though. The non industrial sounding songs are much better, otherwise it sounds like I am listening to a bad radio station on GTA Vice City.
With the First couple songs I wasn’t sure why prince was so popular to begin with. But album 2 and even the B side of 1 it got better. Still very 80s and housequake might be the worst song ever
Great album
I just can’t get into Prince, this was fine. 2.5
Bien
Added 6 tracks to the 1001 Experience Playlist and that number shocks me, it felt like 30 minutes in between good songs. Prince has some all time bangers but his mid & late career isn't my favorite.
Amazing album. What more is there to say.
Good funky 80s music. Prince is good.
Very good, funky!
Didn't like it. Very 80s R&B
This sounds like a collection of Saturday morning cartoon intros. So unbelievably stupid, what the fuck am I even listening to. Upon finally finishing this, I have come to the realization that I actively hated every single second. Incredibly obnoxious. Horrible Mickey Mouse vocal performances for 80 minutes.
Wow prince is weird
Only 3 or 4 good songs. When LP artwork was great
I liked it Starfish and Coffee is my favourite. I enjoyed myself all the way through, although there was quite a bit of 80’s movie montage music
This album is an absolute masterpiece.
Very chill, mellow, and relaxing album.
Funky tunes, overly sexually driven lyrics. The less poppy tunes were better
legendary creativity. Peak, so purely original not everything sounded the best best, but it's a very welcome ride
Sign ‘☮️’ the Times It took me a while to get into Prince, I think was put off by a lot of his 90s output in comparison to the Britpop I loved, and I didn’t really understand what an incredible artist he was and all the great music he made until I met Clair - she loves his early stuff and it was her playing the song Controversy a lot that really got me into him. This is probably his last really good album, ending a pretty incredible run of 5 or 6 albums from Dirty Mind onwards. I’ve really come to appreciate his single mindedness and willingness to try tons of stuff, sometimes all at once. He has that similar facility for music that McCartney has, although coming from a funk and soul angle rather than a rock and pop one, and perhaps without Macca’s degree of melodic and harmonic skill. The title track is absolutely superb, one of my favourite Prince songs. The sparse synthesisers and drum machine arrangement against the overall downbeat mood creates a nice tension, and I love the keyboard riff. It kicks off a great run of songs, the catchy pop of Play in the Sunshine, the rhythmically driven Housequake and It, the delicateness of Dorothy Parker, the AOR pop of Starfish and Coffee, the pulsing spacey funk of Hot Thing and the slightly hypnotic scythe riff off Forever in My Life. The only misstep for me is Slow Love, a foreshadowing of some of the vaguley flat records he did in the 90s. Even before I got into Prince I always liked U Got the Look, a classic bit of 80s pop, with added Sheena Easton 80s ness. If I Was Your Girlfriend just about treads the right side of that same line as Slow Love, and is definitely a grower. Strange Relationship I’m not a fan of, one of a few dips on the second disc. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man is great though, along with U Got the Look one of the highlights of this disc, a super bit of 80s soft rock pop. The first half of The Cross is superb, I love the melody and the guitar, but then the 2nd half’s rock out doesn’t quite convince, maybe due to the dominance of the echoey drums in the mix. It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night I strongly dislike, it’s a real nadir, the woah-e-oo refrain is really annoying and the whole song has an ersatz quality that is really dislikable. Adore brings things back though, a great bit of crooning 80s RnB, I love the organ and the sitar touches. Despite some fantastic music on here, I don’t think it quite works as a double album. There's an obvious dip on the second disc, and the 3 or 4 cullable songs are of significantly lower quality than the rest. As a single album it would be a 5, but it is too long, and the presence of It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night alone is worth a star deduction in its own right. I’ll settle on a high 4. ☮️☮️☮️☮️ Playlist submission: Sign ‘☮️’ the Times
Not my favorite Prince album, but still fun and funky
This is the best 80s-dance, synth-psych, neo-funk, crypto-soul, agit-pop album I've ever heard. Too bad I don't like any of those things. Ok, I take it back synth-psych sounds like it could be good.
Prince kicks ass. Never Take The Place Of Your Man, is my favorite. A solid listen.
Wow!!! This was phenomenal
8/30/24. Another Prince Classic!
Couldn't get into it. 1/5
This one keeps you on your toes and the percussion is WILD. The cornucopia of instruments employed is astounding. Vocal style changes similarly from song to song without a dropped note and the storytelling is paint-a-picture vivid. There are also some clever allusions to some other rock classics (the Stones especially). While not the style that fits my daily listening this is a creative masterpiece...of weirdness. Listened to: in Brooklyn botanical garden. Favorite tracks: Housequake, Strange Relationship, Adore
It’s an interesting album somehow. A blend of Electro funk and pop music ballads. Not a favourite album for me, but then there are the singles drawn from it, that really stand out. To me it is 3 stars for Sign o’ the times, the album, plus an additional star for Sign ‘o the times, the song
Good, not great. A mixed bag - doesn't include any of the major hits, but damn, the man could sing.
I wish this wasn’t a double album. The 2nd half is hands down 5 stars. Literally every song there is fantastic, perfect, etc. The 1st half, though, is boring and unremarkable, which is a bummer considering it’s Prince. The title track and “Starfish and Coffee” are the first half highlights, but the rest is nothing to write home about. Splitting the difference here and rating it a 4, which doesn’t quite seem fair because of the strength of the 2nd half, but it seems overly generous for the 1st half. Sadly this is one of those double albums that really shouldn’t be. Add a few songs from the 1st to the 2nd half, and you have a damn near flawless album. Oh well.
had some nice funky elements but after a while it gets a bit old and nothing really stands out
I'm a rarity among Prince fans. I think his songwriting got BETTER as time went on, and I regard this excellent album as a relatively primordial example of a man still gestating inside the chrysalis of pop music mastery. It's the MUCH later stuff - Planet Earth, Art Official Age, Hit n Run - that really does it for me. A lot of the "early" stuff - including Purple Rain - for me sounds fairly repetitive and does the most for me when I remember where it's pointing rather than where it is. Does that mean I don't love Sign O the Times? Oh hell no. This album is BONKERS level amazing. One song after another of a man taking a simple musical idea and then riffing on it until it's become a multi layered love affair. I still can't believe the utter consistency of Prince's performances and musical output. His worst music still sounded fucking amazing, and his powers as a performer never waned. The album length for this one can be a little intimidating - it is a double! - but it's worth doing whatever you've got to do to get from beginning to end because you can't get to the end without reaffirming why Prince was and is such a big deal.
I hated the first two song but the rest ranged from good to meh
Vilken nostalgitripp. Inte lyssnat på många år och det kanske finns skäl till det. Jag gillar flera av låtarna fortfarande visar det sig. Titellåten, Housequake, Play in the Sunshine, Starfish and Coffee och U Got the Look håller fortfarande. Jag slår till med en 4a för det var inte bara nostalgi. Jag gillar det.
Skivan är all over the place. Det gör att man både njuter och lider. Cross var riktigt bra. Annars är soundet sådär, mindre bra när det är tungt syntljud. Men överlag är jag nog mer nöjd än förra skivan.
Till skillnad från Purple Rain tycker jag inte att denna hade några ordentliga hits som stack ut. Sen är ju Prince lite kul att lyssna på eftersom det är så varierat och han är så originell. Men summa summarum tycker jag inte att det här är jättespännande och på det så blir det lite väl mycket 80-tal på det synthigt dåliga sättet. Svag trea (efter endast en genomlyssning förvisso).
This is one of those albums that is able to take so many different musical themes from a period and synthesize them into a something more than the sum of its parts. It's got a heavy funk current, uses a lot of well utilized synth, has soulful vocals, can get poppy, can shred on guitar and keeps a consistent sound while keeping each song fresh with a lot of variety. This is a masterclass of an album and an excellent representation of the period.
5 stars. Love Prince
I admit I’ve not listened to Prince at all even though his music defined my generation. I’m surprised at his range, stylistically and thematically.
His Royal Badness was nothing if not highly ambitious—not all of the tracks on this sprawling double album work, but you can’t say he’s not putting in the effort. Blending subjects and genres in a stew that sometimes tastes sour, but is never boring.
I enjoyed most of this album (probably more disc 2 than 1) but I don’t particularly like the songs with the voice change effect. These aren’t the “hits” I remember as much but still some solid tracks.
This was a fun 80's album. A lot of Prince songs I haven't heard before. I think the only thing holding this album back is a single or two. None of the songs really standout from the rest of them.
I've always been on the fence with Prince. I recognize he is one of the great musical geniuses of the late 20th century and I truly enjoy many of his albums and songs, but I find some of his material difficult listens, sometimes edging on self-indulgent, boring and bland. It's not to say, Sign 'O' The Times isn't a good album, it's got some nice stuff on here, but maybe there's too much material to fully highlight the quality. I didn't find anything earth-shatteringly brilliant or essential on Sign, in my opinion he's released better records. I like it, but I don't love it...next.
I enjoy Prince -- but apparently not as much as the next guy because this is never making my top-100 album list like Apple Music. And 2 lp definitely stretches my interest level
Ah, Prince, gifted, so capable, such a beacon and groundbreaking artist, yet he is so uninteresting to me. I try. I do try. I'm just not moved. So, moving on with a 2 star rating.
His name kind of says it all for me and maybe a hot take but he's certainly not an album artist... not to say there aren't great songs in his catalog and on this album but for me he's a notch below the greats and although this album has some funk, soul, psychedelic pop, electro, and rock, his voice doesn't shine nearly as much and the instrumentals don't always align just right. He's an incredible artist but this isn't a incredible album
Quite enjoyed, nothing that stood out that much but it was good music
Quality
It's alright, none of the songs really felt captivating enough to listen more than once
Enjoyed this, although against other things in Prince's catalog, it feels like more of the same, but without quite as much magic.
I like the artist formerly known, but this was a bit of a slog if I'm being honest.
Save for the Batman soundtrack, it's as good as old Prince will give you.
20241608 Sign "O" the Times 3/5 Coming back to this challenge two years after I started it, the first album I get is this well acclaimed album by Prince. I’m not much into his music, but I’m well informed of his impact on the industry during the 80’s, and this album is considered by many as his best. However, as it has happened to me before with other well-known last century "masterpieces", I’m not impressed with its songs, and the style and sound production is not for me. Regardless, there are a few songs that I have saved for a future listen. The variety of styles Prince is capable of playing is one of the highlights of the album, with pseudo “hip-hop” on Housequake, Gospel on The Cross, or Rock on U Got the Look, to name a few. Every song with a touch of Funk and an incredible groove, with the incredible range of Prince’s voice as the cherry on top of the positives of this album. On the other hand, the aged production is a low, with clear examples as the difference in volume between different songs (not sure if a problem of Spotify), or the lack of clarity on the mixing of the instruments. I feel like this is a “me” problem, as my ears are used to 21st-century production, but it makes for a poor listening experience. Other problem is that, besides some of my highlights and the difference on styles, most of the songs sound flat and boring. Probably because I didn’t experience it the time, but the album doesn’t sound (in my opinion) as revolutionary or groundbreaking as I was told. Perhaps working alone, without the influence or advice of other people, was the problem. Favourite songs: Sign "☮︎" the Times, The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, Strange Relationship Least favourite songs: It, Starfish and Coffee
Starfish and Coffee is a banger. I enjoy Prince, with how much I loved him aesthetically I wish I enjoyed his music more.
Absolutely loved sign o the times opener. U got the look is a tuuuunnnnneeeee. Top Tunes: Sign of the times, dot parker, IT, Hot thing, U got the look. If i was your gf and the cross. Overall a good album.
Fine listen.
This may not have been Prince's big commercial success, but it's still fucking Prince. It's political (Sign 'O' The Times), saucy, funky, groovy, and classic purple pop. I didn't know that he had an alter ego named Camille, but it makes perfect sense. I loved that he was always in touch with his feminine side - I believe that's part of the reason why he was such a fantastic lyricist and performer. That and the fact that he was a multi-instrument genius. This album is fire. 5 stars.
he got hit with post nut clarity on forever in my life
Sign o' the Times (often stylized as Sign "☮︎" the Times) is the ninth studio album by Prince, originally released in 1987. I'm typically not a fan of Prince. It's probably because I haven't heard enough of his music, because I ended up loving this. He was really into drum machines and synths at this time, as a lot of people were in the 80s. But this really didn't come off as cheesy for me. There is a great range of musical styles on here. Prince was clearly a great talent. Although he's horny in pretty much every song, I was digging this. I'd definitely like to hear more tracks from these sessions as this was originally meant to be a triple album.
I can't really tell if I like Prince or not. It's very 80s pop, but done pretty well. It's almost nauseating at times with overproduced drums and synths, but then there are some magical solos sprinkled throughout that rock pretty hard. The lyrics are pretty thirsty, particularly in It and If I Was Your Girlfriend. I think my favorite was Play In The Sunshine, up until it plays Shave and a Haircut. So maybe U Got The Look is my favorite here? I'm sure there is more Prince on this list, at least Purple Rain, so I'm hoping to like that more.
It’s not bad
Look, Would I myself a Prince fan? Yes of course. Did I enjoy this album? No not quite. Took a bit of effort to really slog through it, I did really like Slow Love and The Cross though.
Sign of the Times was a great start to the album. After that I quickly lost interest. Stopped halfway - was far from being unlistenable, but was just very meh.
Клёвый исполнитель и альбом в целом
У Принца есть хорошие песни, но нет хороши альбомов
Had this on a dubbed cassette when it came out, listened all summer on my generic Walkman while doing farm chores in the sun. And dreamed of a different life.
probably 2.50 but it feels needlessly long could i write poetry to this? n
Arguably Prince's best post-Revolution album. However, its double-album length shows hints of the inconsistency that would plague his late-career records. Give an extra half-star for the accompanying concert film. The movie showcases some amazing performances, including my favorite, "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man."
Way too long! Way too much synthesiser! 2.5 stars. Sorry.
I had high hopes for this record, and several of the songs met or exceeded those expectations, but, ultimately, not even Prince can redeem the double album as a format for me. (…but I did like how he was like “Drummer, do your thing!” on the second track and it was immediately followed by drum machine fills.)
Prince's first solo endeavor. Immediately noticeable were the electronic drums featured throughout, almost sounding like a futuristic version of rock for the time. The album as a whole was a bit too up-and-down energy-wise for me, though. It just never maintains a high level, alternating between classic Prince horndog ballads and outright forgettable tracks. It almost feels directionless. I had heard that this album was one of Prince's more critically acclaimed coming into my first listen and I couldn't help but leave a bit disappointed. I can't deny that the album as a whole is produced well, which keeps my rating of it afloat.
2024-08-05...
i didnt listen to it again, its been a while since i've heard it but if i remember right its pretty HEAT
More like a 2.5. Always great beats from Prince but the album didn’t do much for me.
Excellent, maybe, but I can only appreciate it in one song doses.
Prince albums can usually be divided into two categories: where Prince is On One, and when he is not. When he's on, he's the greatest pansexual imp to ever pick up a musical instrument. But unfortunately, he was often led astray by leading the life of a medieval king, flitting between being obsessed with Jesus or getting all the pussy in the world. This album is the exception: it's both On and Off, sometimes in the same song. I don't know why the academic opinion is that this is Prince's best one, and after listening again, I still don't. The musicianship is insane but large chunks of this seem juiceless to me. I don't know. At least it's not that weird concept album about ancient Egyptian genetic memories solving racism
Never been a fan. The guy makes me cringe and shudder. This album has not changed my mind.
Prince is a force. Prince is an attitude. Prince is self-defined. Prince is confidence. Prince is an artist. Prince is a genius. I knew all of these things coming in. But I somehow could count the number of his songs I knew on one hand (Purple Rain, When Doves Cry, Let’s Go Crazy, Kiss, 1999). So I was eager to be educated in the ways of the legend. And educated I was. What a mix of genre here. Funk, soul, rock, R&B, some world music in there. He was truly a master. For me this came on strong, sort of slowed down the momentum in the middle, and finished strong. I don’t think the length of this was any help to it. I always dread the longer ones because they’re hard to find the time for. And so when I do, it’s often in spurts that makes it difficult to really fully understand and appreciate an album to its fullest. So a full relistening is in order. But who has the time for that? All of this said, it gets four stars. It’s Prince. What else am I supposed to give it? Standout Tracks: Sign O’ the Times, Play in the Sunshine, Strange Relationship, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, The Cross, Adore
LOVE!
🫶
Heck yeah
I liked this alright as a casual Prince fan and I can see diehards loving it.
Jim Coffell ski bus
Loved this album back in my ski bus days. Jim Coffell ski bus and my Sony Walkman
Very funk, it’s DIFFERENT that’s for sure Not any bangers that I liked, but I’ll give a 3*** for artistic creativity
Meh, not really for me
RnB, 1987 -> 2
I don't like Prince
Really boring, can’t be his best surely?
Clearly fallen from his peak but still decent
It’s hard to go wrong with Prince. The ultimate reminder to Bruno Mars that it’s already been done. This isn’t my favorite of his albums, but still always a fun listen.
This is a long ass album. Not necessarily long in a bloated way. Thought it was okay, not my kind of music. There’s some variety in there. I had checked out after 40 minutes. Standouts: Housequake, The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, If I Was Your Girlfriend, and Strange Relationship.
I've been waiting for this album. Great album. None of the major hits that have been overplayed. I prefer disc 2, but the entire album is solid all the way through. Prince was a massive talent.
It's Prince. That it all.
Hab disc1 angehört, am Anfang war ich so meh, aber nachdem ich mich drauf eingelassen hab wars ganz nice. Aber ich mag Prince Stimme nicht so und werde glaub ich kein Fan
another level
#290. It's right. 3/5: decent Song added to playlist: I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
8.5/10 This was good, possibly the best 80s album I’ve heard? Especially because it really leans into the synth and drum machine, it only getting away with it but still sounding great today A little bit of everything on a bed of pop: R&B, soul, gospel, blues, rock. The last side even hits pure rock/hard rock Great vocals, great guitar, great production. I guess Prince is good. Best: It
Classic Prince - a few sensational songs diluted with some average and a couple poor ones. Favourite: The Ballad of Dorothy Parker. Least favourite: Housequake.
This album should deserve more recognition. Perfect blend of funk/jazz/electronic
I am sad to say that I don't think this music is timeless. Didn't really enjoy, I'd rather listen to anything else.
Some classic prince. Love strange relationship, I could never take the place of ur man, and slow love
You know how I feel about Prince
The title track is of course superb and the rest of the album bumps along well enough in mix of funk, rock and pop. But can't say I was overwhelmed
Immense. Honestly, if the app bugged out at this point and it kept giving me this album every day for the next three years, I don't think I'd mind.
Excellent
i harp a lot about albums being too long, but here's an exceedingly rare example of an 80 minute album that actually earns its length
Kind of a snoozefest :/ Sorry Prince (RIP), but not his best work. Fine and serviceable.
We all know he's done better
I give 4 stars to the songs I extract from this double album and forge into my own playlist. They are: Sign o’ the Times Play in the Sunshine Starfish and Coffee Forever in My Life U Got the Look Strange Relationship I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man The Cross The other songs display Prince’s versatile talents but these are the songs that resonate with me at this point!
It’s Prince so you know it’s going to be reasonable. Can’t imagine revisiting it though.
Prince at his horniest and weirdest. Still accessible, though, making this such an interesting trip of an album! 4+
Ok lowkey banger I fw the drum machines heavy. Prince has crazy vocal range it’s insane could talk about this for a while but idrc that much. 4.5 tbh but also first disc clears second
This album’s highs are some of the best music I have ever heard. But it is also an hour and 20 minutes, and much of the album is good but not good enough to justify the runtime. If this album was cut to the high points, it could still be 40 minutes and also be one of the best albums I’ve ever listened to.
Muito bom, uma diversidade de ritmos mas mantendo sempre um alto astral.
2 Stars (5/15)
I’ve been much of a Prince fan and this album doesn’t really change my mind. That digital snare drum (or however they produce that sound) is ever present and is not pleasant to my ears. I appreciate Prince as an artist but this album is just not for me.
This is perfection. W e are covering it on the next IGTOV.
Havent given prince the proper listen. Wowed by how fresh this still sounds
Epah, eu não desgostei, as minhas músicas favoritas foram: play in the sunshine, hot thing e it, dou um 6 a este álbum.
Clearly the reason Prince did the Batman 89 soundtrack. Fantastic statement record.
Sign O The Times
as much as I like Prince, nobody needs a double album (Unless its Nelly's Sweat/Suit duh). honestly its fine, but its missing that Prince flair. solidly average.
Ok first off I like Prince. Maybe I just didn’t listen to this album correctly because it felt too long and not as engaging as some of his other albums.
I liked it, it’s not the music I usually listen but it’s was good, the vocal was really so so good. I will definitely listen more from the artist. My fav: Adore
I’ll never stan him as much as my mom does
Still better than anything Elvis Costello has ever made.
yes, prince is (ok, was) an incredible musician - and if you haven't seen his performance at the rock & roll hall of fame induction ceremony, seriously - check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWRCooFKk3c but...see, i've never really cared for the poor guy's actual music - and honestly, 1987 was *such* a bad year for music. i dunno what it was, but that whole year in pop music just felt to me like it was kinda...lost. it tried hard, but it just couldn't get there - that's my recollection, anyway. i mean bruce willis' solo album, y'know? that said, never take the place of your man - a distinctly non-princely prince song - has always been a favorite (see also: the goo goo dolls' cover, on hold me up), and the cross is a really cool standout. beautiful night has an absolutely killer groove, distinctly prince-worthy, and of course the title track was unavoidable in its day - even back then, i liked that he called it the telly, that alone apparently being enough to make it stick in my mind for all these ages. all in all, solid. even if you don't love prince, you can find something here to appreciate
Man I love Prince. Not my favourite album of his but still. 4/5
I didn't actually like this one much. Decent parts but didn't hold me through the album Will I listen to again: 1%
I've never really figured out Prince. Reviews fell me I'm missing something and he's an all time great, but while I enjoy it I don't hear that level. This isn't his best album and kind of meandered some. I'm glad that people love this but I don't all that much.
I'm not sure I will ever fully understand Prince. There are sections of this that cause me anxiety by sounding like kids let loose in a room full of instruments. Very production heavy. There was a song or 2 that seemed a little more stripped down that I liked a little more. Like The Cross
In my opinion, I think the second disc was better than the first and kind of saved the album. I wanted to like this more in general, honestly. Like its very well produced, don't get me wrong, but I don't think there's a song that is well known, let alone popular. It does make you wonder how Prince's popularity was even obtained; I guess this album reinforces why I think that Michael Jackson is always head and shoulders better than Prince. Other than that, this album has spans that sounded quite similar to the Batman album Prince made which was released a couple years later. 7/10.
Usually when an artist wants to make a double album, let alone a triple, they have a lot of really great hooks waiting to fill it. There is nothing like that here. This is an hour and a half of fucking around with super simplistic crap that does not warrant anyone's attention. This record felt like a punishment.
It's good, kind of remember this album from when I was in high school. I like Prince but I'm not a huge fan. I may not opt to play this album but I wouldn't skip a song if it were on my playlist.
Prince, that weirdo. Sign o' the Times? Double album bullshit, right? Turns out, the guy's a freak. Can't decide if he wants to funk you up, make you cry, or just get plain bizarre. But damn, it works. Like finding a fifty-dollar bill in a gutter. You listen, and you're hooked, even if you hate yourself a little for it.
Prince ages like milk. The music doesn't stand up to those of his peers. Artists like U2, INXS, Michael Jackson, George Michael, The Cure, Depeche Mode,, Guns n Roses, etc all released music in 1987 where most, if not all, still stand up today. His voice is still Prince, but the music is so outdated and would not consider it an album that one must hear.
Arguably Prince”s best - his white album such is the eclectic mix of styles
Creative. Unique. Erotic. This 3 words describe the sensations that Sign O' the times leaves on me. Even though I think its a proof of why Prince is one of the gretest icons of Pop music and even of culture, I think it didn't impressed me that much. This record has some very good things, and demonstrate why Prince is a musical genius, one is that it's very creative and changing, you have the upbeat and eclectic Play in the Sunshine in one side and the sexy "Ballad of Dorothy Parker" on the other; and even though they sound totally different, they're both great. The album is very funky, it has some cool basslines and the moments I liked the most were the saxophone solo in "Hot Thing" , and the guitar one in "I could never take the place of your man". I liked Prince's voice in many tracks, specially in "Adore". I liked the second part of the album because it was more consistent than the first part. I liked almost every song on it, meanwhile the first part had a few misses like "It" and "Forever in my life". And the second part had some of my favourite songs of the record. One thing I didn't like is a bit controversial, but I hate that Prince is horny almost every fucking song, I think it's one of the main things that make its personality so interesting, but it's a bit tiring to hear him on almost every song sinhing about how hard he wants to fuck. Also sometimes songs were just too long, which bored me at times, and just like one of my favourite things were Prince's vocals, they also were a thing that I didnt love at times, for example his falsetto almost ruined "Slow Love" for me, and sometimes he sounded like a teen alien. Overall I think it's a good album, maybe not my taste, but I understand its value and importance in pop's music history.
Seems, I don't know... too indulgent? Not for me. 2.125
Not my favorite Prince album. But even bad Prince album is still pretty good
I was excited when this came up as I kind of lost track of Prince albums after Paisely Park for some reason, despite loving him. It's fair to say I found this underwhelming. Starts with Title track, which is cool. Next track was straight up pointless. Track 3 - \"Housequake\" - sounded like a jokey song from an animated film that doesn't quite work. Would have sat well in Shark Tales. Tracks 4-9 are OK. Defintely average by Prince standards. All a bit like AI being asked to do Prince - especially \"Hot Thing\" which shows there's a fine line between the genius of the effortlessly sexy \"Cream\" and a creepy piece of crap. U Got The Look - great pop song. Sounds dropped in from a height by record execs. Back to the AI songs after that for a while including a live track that was pretty dull. (\"I Would Never Take the Place of Your Man\" is fun) Ends with the sprawling, soulful \"Adore\" which sounds like it's going for a place on \"What's Going on\". It's one of the stronger tracks on the album, and a decent finale. But I don't feel like I've just listened to a Prince album. I shouldn't feel this bored.
Just sort of mediocre pop / R&B. It wasn't offensive, but nothing stood out to me.
He's just trying to have sex with you, and succeeding.
One of the best on this list.
A classic prince record. Coolness paired with musical genius results in a huge record.
Soulful, smooth and sweet, but not all that interesting.
++: Sign 'O' The Times, Play in the Sunshine, Housequake, Starfish and Coffee, Slow Love, U Got the Look, The Cross, It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night, Adore + The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, It, Hot Thing, Forever in My Life, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Strange Relationship, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man 9,7/10
Who can go from the drug epidemic in black communities to nasty, sexy, funky music followed up with a song about God, topped off by some good ol’ R&B jam sessions? Prince, that’s who! The irony was not lost on me while listening to the first song “Sign ‘O’ the Times” and thinking of his early death due to fentanyl addiction.
r&b, soul, rock, jazz, disco, pop - can find everything in this 5 star album of 80 minutes. Favorite track: Sign o' the times other picks: Jazzy work in "the ballad of dorothy parker", I could never take the place of your man, Cross
✅ parts of this are really cool, and you can totally see why Prince is so influential. But this is way too long and it felt like it dragged because of that. If they had trimmed this to even 55 minutes instead of 80, it would be a stronger album.
Kinda mellow, nothing especially memorable but still nice to listen to. Quite background
Music was fine but Prince's voice got a little screechy
Ain't shabby m8
It's Prince. 3.7.
I feel like I was wanting and expecting more out of the first Prince album I listened to. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't a standout. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5
As with a lot of double albums, this record is a bit bloated. Prince was prolific during his life and they probably could have put out a quadruple record if they included everything they recorded during these sessions. I think if they had been editorial it easily could be a five star album, and I wouldn't argue with anyone who rates it that way.
Pretty great, ain't it? It's better than I think it is, and I think its great Starfish and Coffee is a top 5 prince track. It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night is a banger. The singles are all great.
Never really got on the Prince hype train. Prefer his older work which is much more funky.
Funky
3/5 - again, I get it, but it’s still not my thing
Big Prince fan. I first came to him via the Batman soundtrack which I can still sing cover to cover. Later I hit up his greatest hits 1&2 (1993) which I played so much the CD started to skip. I remember Prince as a notch below Michael Jackson and Madonna, but the mid-80s were more Prince and Madonna, since Bad didn’t come out until 1987. Prince peaked with 1999 and Purple Rain, so this was at the tail end of his dominance. This album has its hits with the titiular track, the Sheena Easton fronted U Got the Look, If I Was Your Girlfriend (first introduced to me by TLC), and I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, but newer favs include The Ballad of Dorothy Parker and Starfish and Coffee. This listen helped me appreciate The Cross. Musically a great balance of bangers, fun pop numbers, political statements, and ballads. Great album.
The music that plays in hell, round 1. hated. (⌐♀_♂)
1. As a general rule, I don’t like horny music much. Prince is an exception, somehow, despite being the horniest of all. 2. Some jabroni in the reviews said he “heard Prince is a good guitarist, but this album doesn’t showcase it”. Way to tell on yourself for listening to the first 10 seconds of each song and crying because they started with synths. Prince shreds here!!!
fav - the ballad of dorothy parker
Just wonderful. Hadn't heard it inits entirety for years. A masterpiece.
Unfassbar nervig - vielleicht abwechslungsreich aber jeder Song ist dann doch gleich ätzend. Musikalisch interessant aber die quäkende Stimme macht alles zunichte. Belanglos
Come on
Prince is overrated. There, I said it.
Un poco pretencioso y no emocionante
Fun funky album, with Standouts in Sign O' The Times, The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker, Slow Love, Forever In My Life, and I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man.
✅ can really hear that technology caught up to the sound prince was trying to make. the space on this recording, the production in general is fabulous. hard to earn a double album and this one wanders around a fair amount. some cool tracks, but not a solid sense of where it's going. feels like it cooked a little too long.
Aight, not as good as his others
Womp womp.
Going through this list makes me realise that Prince for me is a lot like Queen. Some indestructible hits and great individual songs, but by God, I really can't stand most of his albums as a whole. This is just so steeped in 80s production. Including tons of synth drums, which is ironic considering there is a bloody big drum kit on the cover. Also, a lot of the songwriting isn't... Really going anywhere. Except to the next 80s synth sound. You can put all of these songs over any big hair 80s romantic drama movie abomination. And I don't mean this in a sort of nice, nostalgic way. Although I'm sure many will.
There's a lot of variety here and some good songs, but I would have enjoyed this album more if it was half as long.
Try as I might, I've never really found a way to be a true Prince fan, although he/they has had my respect for a long time. I can see why this is considered one of his best albums, and it certainly has a pretty wide-ranging selection of his distinctive styling. Perhaps almost *too* wide-ranging, as it sounds like this was kind of weird grab-bag of Revolution-involved compositions and some weird "Camille" alter-ego concept album. But still a good Prince sampling. That said, I'm a bit disappointed that the 1001-albums project included a double-album, as this seems like a bit of an imposition, but I can at least thank Warner Bros for resisting Prince's desire to make it a triple album. And it seems fair to give Prince 3 slots in the collection (although I'm sure some would want even more).
Not my favorite Prince album (I'm I the only one who likes 1999 best?) but I love his guitar. Wish the drums felt a little more natural.
Yes why not j'ai pas écouté en entier
I may be burned at the stake but I just don't think Prince is for me.. or maybe this is one of his "lesser" albums...
Dont like prince don’t like rnb, but i can’t say it’s terrible music
Good album. Very original.
Not the biggest fan of this one, much prefer Purple Rain. Sign O the Times is a great song though.
Don't think I'm a Prince fan
Du er ikke i tvivl om at der en grund til at Prince er et navn man kender og mange holder af. Personligt syntes jeg der var for mange numre som ikke sagde mig noget, men momentvis var der noget guf imellem. Jeg skal ikke afvise at høre mere Prince i fremtiden.
Ret så liderligt. Og jeg kan faktisk godt lide det. Hvis det skal være fløde lyd, så må det gerne være Prince.
Der er noget funky shit over det. Men også meget 80er synth 😬 Åbneren er et godt eksempel på når denne formel fungerer for mig. Men ofte bliver det for meget.
Gear: Focal Clear (ZMFed) Artwork: 🪅🎸🥁 Mix (2020 Super Deluxe): 🎧😘🤌 Musik: 🎨🎼🤯 Wertung: ☮︎☮︎☮︎☮︎☮︎/5
I like Prince a lot but I think I’m more of a fan of his hits than his entire albums. High 3
Überlanges Album im Swing, Synthesizer und Jazz Stil. Prince nasale Stimme ist unverkennbar. Leider ist das Album weder im Gesamtwerk noch in den Einzelstücken irgendwie inspirierend. Im Gegenteil, mit zunehmender Dauer werden Stücke, Stimme und Musik immer nerviger. Freiwillig brauche ich keinen der Songs nochmals höre … naja kurz vor Schluss gab es noch zwei kleine Ausnahmen “ I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" & “The Cross” . Ich war darüberhinaus froh als das Album durch war.
It’s Prince so it’s great. Every song can be a minute shorter and I wouldn’t hate that.
Liked it, but others appeal to me more
Prince formerly formerly formerly. Kann man man hören, aber Fan werde ich nicht.
-I really like it super duper groovy fun -definitely my fave album so far!
This was just.... not good. It made a long car ride even longer. 1/5
I love Prince, I think he is incredibly talented. He has written some absolute pop classics, he may be a top 5 guitarist of all time and he is cool as fuck. But sometimes I just can't get enthused. Maybe is the innate 80's feel, the overly long album with an absence of quality control I don't know. Would this be a better album if an editor has chopped it down to 40 mins? Definitely. Did anything really stand out? No
Never heard a Prince album before. This was terrible with cringey lyrics. I've heard he is an excellent guitarist but this never featured. 1/5
This was a disappointment, I had high hopes and this fell flat for me.
Never been much of a prince fan other than a few songs. This album sounds so dated. Nothing really stands out here to me.
easy listen! almost a 5!
Love prince’s early work. Not a huge fan of this, but definitely dont hate it.
I have resigned that I will never understand Prince and that is ok.
Amazing production, 5 stars on that alone! May not come back to this one very often but an incredible listen.
This is hands down my favorite Prince album and believe me I've done my homework. 2nd favorite is his unreleased Black album but I'm an outlier on that one. What I love most about this one is how sprawling and stylistically diverse this is. He's constantly tinkering with methods of sonic presentation to achieve new aesthetics, reversing snares, dialing in new synth patches, ect. Songwriting-wise, you really feel like you get a broader spectrum of his mind, from the world troubles of Times to childhood classmates of Starfish to religon of the Cross, to romantic love/lust, from stormy to serene. Favorite deep cut is the walloping stomp of Strange Relationship, in all of it's lyrical complexity of exploring a place in a dynamic no one wants to be in but just can't let go of.
When I was a kid my parents banned me from listening to Prince because they felt he was too pornographic. Little did I know the Little Red Corvette was not a car. Obviously I didn’t listen to a lot of him off radio play. Now that I am old enough (I didn’t tell my parents …) I was amused by this album. You can hear a lot of Sly Stone and JB’s-era James Brown I there. His musicality is exceptional with a favorite track being Ballad of Dorothy Parker. On disc 2, U Got the Look and It’s Going to be A Beautiful Night were key tracks. Unfortunately, a lot of this album sounds like the 1989 Batman Soundtrack, which as a film did not hold up well. But you have to appreciate Prince made sure you got your money worth. I could listen to this one again!
I am today years old when I learned that U Got the Look was a Prince song officially. I knew Prince and Sheena Easton were connected but I thought it was a Sheena song that Prince was involved in and not the other way around. Regardless, that song is a banger and is the standout track on this album. I'm not a huge Prince fan, I'm into some of the hits but didn't really invest in Prince or his "artist formerly know as" persona. Anyway, this is a totally fine album and a decent listen but not a classic. I did notice he was 90s R&B before it became the dominant music force in the 90s. Plus he had a little funk that came from George Clinton.
Estando en la cima de su carrera tras el aclamado "Purple Rain" y la psicodelia mística de "Around the World in a Day" y "Parade", Prince se embarcó en esta grabación estilísticamente extensa, caótica, intrépida y ecléctica. En ella encontramos su afamado electro-funk, el soul suave marca de la casa y, por supuesto, el pop psicodélico de sus útlimos trabajos. Pero también hard rock, gospel, blues e incluso folk. Me gustan bastante "Hot Thing", sobre todo el arranque, y "U Got the Look" en el más puro estilo Prince. También "If I Was Your Girlfriend", "Strange Relationship" y el hard rock de "The Cross". Canciones en las que Prince nos habla de un mundo en descomposición golpeado por las drogas o el SIDA, y en el que sólo vislumbra esperanza a través de Dios, del amor o, curiosamente, de simplemente pasarlo bien. El signo de los tiempos de aquellos finales de los 80.
80s synth music elevated by Prince's unique weirdness.
I've been waiting for some Prince! I was also familiar with a few songs on this album from a compilation that my parents have. Including the title track which has some weird, low-key energy, but Prince still somehow made it a hit. "Housequake" has that great quirky but infectious Prince energy. "U Got the Look" and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" are total jams as well. There are some lulls in the tracklist, it's not as punchy as his older stuff, but this is still a great listening experience.
Honestly my only familiarity to Prince before this was the song Purple Rain, so I was excited to dive deeper into his discography. This album surprised me a little. It wasn’t necessarily what I was expecting to hear from Prince. That being said it was still an enjoyable album. There’s a whole lot of diversity of sounds on here. At times it’s funky and loud and other times it’s slow and sensual. Do I think this album warranted two disks and over an album of runtime? Probably not. But there were still plenty of cuts on here that were fantastic. Fav Songs: Sign O’ The Times Housequake It Slow Love Hot Thing It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
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Far from Prince's best, and I must say this really doesn't feel like it needs to be a double album, it makes it way more bloated than it should be. But I do admire a lot of the experimentation on this album.
Absolutely emphatic album. The length of the record and of some songs but my oh my is it justified after listening . I simply have no words other than it may be arguably his best album to me . Favorite tracks were "The ballad of Dorothy Parker" " Forever in my life" "I could never take the place of your man " and the wonderful " SLow love"
Enjoyed this album beginning to end for the most part. Great songs and brilliant delivery.
His Royal Purpleness never failed to innovate. Even with drum machines and stripped down tracks he created an album that sounds full and fresh. The cultural relevance of Sign O The Times cannot be denied. One of his best albums, even though the singles weren’t his most popular.
Not bad, clearly early Prince. Raw.
I will say I didn’t get into Prince’s music until after he passed away, and it’s a shame on myself because I’ve enjoyed what I heard thus far including this album. It’s not perfect, where Sign ‘O’ the Times is a double album (originally a triple album) that can sound dated in places with extensive use of a drum machine. But, I will say a lot of tracks stand out, from the simmering title track that opens the album before kicking into full gear with “Play in the Sunshine”, to the sensual “Slow Love”, to the swagger of the duet “U Got the Look”, and even the admittedly grunge-sounding ballad “The Cross”. Overall, it’s the kind of funky, groove laden, sexual 80s album you’d expect Prince to make, albeit a bit bloated. I’d divide your listening time into more than one session for Sign ‘O’ the Times, cause it’s certainly enjoyable when you’re not overindulging.
liked it but couldn’t get through it
This album is not for me. It was quite boring and I have no interest in returning to it. 2/5
Not the best but a really good album from Prince.
Favourite Prince album so far. Elements of funk, pop, rock, prog, all melded into one. Some songs are undoubtedly better than others. Unsure if I like or dislike the wild sexual lyrics. Overall though I enjoyed this.
It's a great album in that's it's by Prince. Although, best track, in my opinion, is "Sign 'O' The Times" which is about the only song worth listening to repeatedly.
It was OK. There are way better prince songs.
Not all that bad. Have a little fun.
This sucks - some of it is cool but most of it sucks, so it sucks!
Prince. Great guitarist, interesting person, writes music that I hate.
Nice album, will listen again, though I prefer his other stuff more.
Contemporary R&B, pop rock. Wasn't really into this album to be honest. Like it has all the makings of a great album, I mean it's Prince. He's an amazing vocalist. The talent of the musicians is on clear display, and the production is top notch. But still it felt kinda hollow to me. Definitely didn't help that it's as long as it is. I will admit I wasn't actively listening the entire time, hard to set aside time for the whole album and really pay attention. I didn't dislike it by any means. I thought it was good. Just not as good as everyone else seems to think. Just feel like I missed something, so I hate that I can't change a rating. I should revisit, doesn't feel fair. Light 3.5/5
cool
B- Sign "O" The Times 3 Play In The Sunshine 3 Housequake 3 The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker 3 It 3 Starfish And Coffee 3 Slow Love 3 Hot Thing 3 Forever In My Life 3 U Got The Look 3 If I Was Your Girlfriend 3 Strange Relationship 3 I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man 3 The Cross 3 It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night 3 Adore 3 Prince is kind of growing on me
Amazing variety on this one. Dated production but chock full of ideas. A masterpiece with a clunker here and there. 3.5 on RYM updated to 4 upon relisten.
Loved Starfish and Coffee, the rest of the album was meh. 2.5 rounding up to 3, perhaps influenced by how much I’ve disliked the other albums this week.
Didn’t get to it today. Rating it from my vague memory when it came out that it was fine, but way too long, not worthy of a double album. Will listen this weekend and text any added comments or revised score.
First disc nearly made me quit. Second disc brought it back.
Poppy funky
Sing O Times is an entertaining album, a hard-to-achieve goal for double albums. Despite its length, it keeps bringing new things song after song a curious bridge here, an acoustic guitar there- making it a fantastic experience. I can imagine it was a massive challenge for Prince to keep up with the quality set by Purple Rain. Honestly, I think this album pass the test.
This album is just fantastic front to back. I LOVE Prince. Oozing with creativity, and an iconic drum sound. The production is spot on too, love how a silly little engineering mistake makes The Ballad of Dorothy Parker very eerie and gives it such a unique sound. Prince is a genius, but this isn't even my favorite Prince album on this list
Meh alright
Very dynamic album. I enjoyed it.
Simultaneously epic and sexy. Very much into this album.
Couldn’t be bothered with that I’m afraid
Not my favorite prince album. But it’s still prince
great album great voice and great sound
Great album by an incredible artist. To this day probably my favorite concert I've ever been to
This is a sprawling work of genius. Sometimes infuriatingly throw away often sublime. It's not a first listen album I think - it rewarded me listening a few times as a kid. Something about it being so disjointed and jumping around the styles. It's a classic though, a one off from a one off. None of the easy constitency of Purple Rain but a rolling sound of bursting creativity. I had a ticket to see Prince on this tour. He cancelled. I never did see Prince.
3.5/5: A Promising but Disjointed Effort from the Purple One Prince's latest offering in the list had all the makings of a masterpiece, but ultimately falls short of its lofty expectations. The album's standout track, "Sign O' the Times", is an undeniable banger that showcases the artist's signature blend of funk, rock, and R&B. However, the rest of the album struggles to live up to the standard set by this exceptional cut. While individual tracks exhibit flashes of brilliance, the album as a whole feels disjointed and lacking in cohesion. It's as if Prince's eclectic style, which has always been a hallmark of his genius, has given way to a scattershot approach that prevents the album from truly gelling. Despite its inconsistencies, the album still boasts moments of brilliance, and die-hard Prince fans will undoubtedly find plenty to appreciate. However, for those expecting a cohesive, start-to-finish masterpiece, this album may come as a slight disappointment.
I mean it is quirky and inconsistent. And it is a double album. But man this brings back memories. And Prince. Is one of the best gigs I ever went to
Prince's sound was definitely unique. Like a sexual revolution coming in via a mix of every sound of the 80s. While I didn't find this album as good as 'Purple Rain' and possibly a bit too long, there are definitely still a lot of bangers on here. Prince was unusual and it makes some of the less popular tracks a little more difficult to crack. But it's hard not to be intrigued by the show he puts on.
Oh I loved this... so playful, funky, silly and inventive! I knew the hits (and U Got The Look and Sign O The Times are amazing) but the rest of the album tracks were new to me. Souch fun. 4/5
Brilliant album - a few "eh," but overall, I'd listen again and again
I did not enjoy this
Delighted when this one appeared for me today - it's great to have an excuse to listen to it again. A new Prince album was always eagerly anticipated in the 1980's and this one is the best of the lot. Solid Gold ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This album helped me finally figure out my issue with Prince and I think it's with his fans (who seem to be everyone). It's that Prince is an inherently silly artist, partially due to making music in the 80s and that being fairly normal, but also he was a weird guy. When I listen to this music and approach it the same way I approach something like Talking Heads, I love it, it's only when I try and approach it in the "heady all time artist such a mysterious and clever guy" place that it doesn't hit how it should. I suppose this is on me but people seem to miss that this music is silly and fun most of the time and that's its strength as opposed to being something that's serious and moving all the time, even though it can be at certain moments. Idk I've also thought stories about him being super cool and mysterious made him sound annoying so maybe it's just not the kind of artist archetype that I enjoy, but anyway, had a great time listening because I approached it differently!
I had no expectations. I'm not sure clear on most of the lyrics, but I think many songs were about sex, but my puritanicalish upbringing wasn't terribly offended because the songs managed to not sound or feel... dirty. Musically, this is intriguing. It's, non-genre consistent. Hip-hoppy, rocky, poppy, funky, ballady. This makes sense, after all, it's Prince. I think I'll revisit this one again some time. More than a 3, less than a four. I'm just not sure if it'll get rounding privileges up to a four. Maybe that's a sign 'o' the album. More than average, and if the range of three stars is average, then it must need a four or greater.
Typically I make myself listen to the entire album even if I don't like it. After an hour of this I had to give up. Sorry, Prince, you remain too damn 80's for me.
I appreciate what Prince does, but many of the tracks don't connect with me.
Had listened to most of this before and enjoyed what I’d heard but had never made it through the whole thing because of its length I would say from the prince albums I’ve heard this is probably the most diverse he’s been in terms of range of types of song My favourite song is IT but there are about 4-5 that are all timers. He is also incredibly ahead of his time. Definitely need to listen to it more but it’s the length that makes it a bit less accessible than other prince albums but this album deserves no less than 5/5
Me abrurrió un poco, me faltaron dos o tres temas.
I was excited to get a Prince album since I have always enjoyed his hits but have never gotten around to doing a deeper listen of his catalogue. On first listen I was pretty let down because I wasn't jiving with it very well and none of the tracks were any of his songs I know and love. Something told me to give it another listen the next day though and I definitely liked it a lot more on second listen. I suspect this will continue to grow on me with subsequent listenings.
What a talent Prince was. A fantastic album!
Fantastic fucking album! You need to give this one a few rotations to really appreciate it because there's a lot more nuance and intricacy below the surface. It's not just another cool fun party time with Prince, and yet, it also is very that. But still. You can't go into this one just expecting the same old same old from him. It's funky and cool as always. It's sexually charged and edgy too, but in a more thoughtful way than some of his earlier work which went into explicit sexual content purely to provoke and titillate. There's some socially conscious commentary happening here too, but I don't know that it reveals anything newly insightful about the state of the world at this time, it feels more retrospective in its stance. There's also a few glimmers of raw self-effacing vulnerability that reveal some of the inner turmoil and personal struggles Prince needed to process through his art. There's just so much to consider and mull over. The music is incredible, but it also makes me think. To reiterate, this is a fantastic album. Musically, lyrically, tonally, everything comes together in such a spectacular way. And I expect no less from Prince, the musical genius and virtuoso who changed the landscape of music for everyone with his blessed combo of untouchable cool and unflinching boldness. He's the total heck-a-slammin' package and this record is another pure fire achievement from his prolific catalogue.
Know a few of the albums by Prince, but did not know this album before. Has quite a few nice songs but will not become my favourite. But definitely worth listening to if you like his music.
I really tried to like this. I turned it up and really tried to get into it. No dice. Then I had to pause it for a meeting, and I'm like "how much more of this do I have to listen to?" Turns out I was on the second last track of the first disc of a 6 CD set. Nope, DNF. Two stars because I didn't really hate it, I just didn't like it.
Not the best Prince album.
This album just screams 80s but not in a good way.
At first I thought it was an ok album, but the more I listened to it the better it got. My favourite song is "It's gonna be a beautiful night". Other than that though, I don't know I'll probably continue to listen to this album from time to time, just to see if my opinion changes.
- Some strong tracks ("Slow Love" and "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" in particular), but combined with a lot that felt like generic Prince fair. Better than many artists? Sure. But standard stuff for Prince. - Not sure how I feel about "The Cross." Evocative, but not sure if it is being sincere or not with regard to the religious undertones. - People like this more than "Purple Rain"? Wtf?
this was quite bad actually? it sounds so dated and a couple of the songs are unlistenable (housequake, if i was your gf). saved from being 1 star from the couple good songs.
very, of the times. but dude can rip
I was happy to listen to a bit of Prince but I really didn’t love this album. The opening track is fantastic and I remember it premiering back in the 90s and being so engaged by the video but the rest of the album didn’t work so well for me.
I wanted to love this album. I love purple rain and had heard that this was a great album. I thought second disc was far superior to the first and thus it jumped a star. I appreciate what he does, just not a huge fan of the genre
It was good, but I really liked some of the songs and was not a fan of others. The highs were really good, but there were too many lows for a 5.
Didn’t think there was much new from Prince on this album other than Housequake (best song on the album.) I like the idea of If I Was Your Girlfriend. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night is weird, catchy, and brought me right back to the castle scene in WoOz. Somehow the album didn’t run too long. Don’t remember it from ‘87 and we were listening to Prince at the time. Don’t know anyone that owned the vinyl back then so it wasn’t one of his bigger albums. Maybe made the 1001 long album list? (2.7*s)
The only song that really stood out to me was "The Cross" which I liked a lot. The rest was pretty typical and this album is way too long. There's a lot of filler and a lot of squeaking. I get that this double disc set was attempting to showcase all of his variety but I just couldn't get into a bunch of it.
Disc 2 way outplays disc 1. U got the look is best song and sounds like it's a Ruby Rap hit. The cross started out slow but finished strong and with a sound way unexpected from prince. He was huffing some helium for a few songs that I wasn't into. Didn't know he had an alter ego.
There's a couple of good songs mixed in but overall too long and relatively skippable. When Prince is on the music is fun and sexy, but I just don't think its sustainable for 80 minutes. It's an OK album but I feel it takes the place of something more deserving. To echo previous comments about Prince he has a ton of music and I just don't think I want to sift through 50 hours to find the 30% that are worth listening to. Some of his music is great but plenty of it is "meh". Despite being a fan I'll stick to primarily greatest hits with Prince. 2.31 stars