Prince's 3121:What do you think?

[The Punished]

Prince's 3121, the long awaited new album...Do you like it or not?

I enjoyed a number of the songs on the cd. I still feel the work is not as good as his early work back when he was young and hungry. When he was kicking out tunes like "Head" or "When U were mine".

I clearly think he has stepped up his game over the course of Musicology & 3121. It is night and day better than Rainbow Children.

Your thoughts?

[howyadoin]

Haven't heard anything from it yet, but I'm definitely lookin' forward to it.

[Spike-X]

I obtained an advance copy a couple weeks before it came out. It didn't do much for me.

[The Punished]

It seemed he was skirting the edge of his old work & his new direction.

[Nate Grey]

It was okay. I liked it a little better than Musicology.

[Lubichev]

I just wish he'd start using the full word instead of using a letter. "When U were mine." "I Would Die 4 U."

[Cactusakic]

I have only listened to it all the way through once so far, but I have to say I'm unimpressed.
I loved Musicology but this one just seems a little too much like a Nelly or Black Eyed peas album rather than a Prince one.
Having said that, I dont actually own anything by Nelly or Black Eyed Peas so perhaps I am being unfair in my comparison.
My point is that it does'nt sound like the innovative and different Prince that I know and love, it sounds more like an attempt at sounding like everything else that is on MTV these days.
I hope that I prove myself wrong with future listens, but I dont think I like this album much.

[The Punished]

I agree that is not the Prince music we had a few years back. Much has changed in his life. He had his first marriage to Mayte annulled. Both parents died within the same year. He chose a second wife with little hoopla and he became a devout Jehovah's Witness.

He indicated awhile back that some songs he would never play again due to the explicit lyrics. I just wish he would put one complete album together again. It seems these days all he puts out are one or two really good songs and some filler.

Back in the day, you couldn't wait to hear the next song because each were so strong.

[Nate Grey]

I agree that is not the Prince music we had a few years back. Much has changed in his life. He had his first marriage to Mayte annulled. Both parents died within the same year. He chose a second wife with little hoopla and he became a devout Jehovah's Witness.

Good gravy! With the exception of Mayte (I thought he got divorced, not have the marriage annulled), I didn't know ANY of that. Poor guy. :(

He indicated awhile back that some songs he would never play again due to the explicit lyrics.

Did he list those songs, maybe? Just curious.

I just wish he would put one complete album together again.

A while ago, I'd say now about 4-5 years ago, either him or Wendy and/or Lisa said they'd all do an album together. Obviously that didn't happen, but I would love to hear Prince with The Revolution (or at least Wendy and Lisa) one last time. I know it wouldn't be as, well, sexual as when they were all together the first time, but I would still love it.

[The Punished]

Good gravy! With the exception of Mayte (I thought he got divorced, not have the marriage annulled), I didn't know ANY of that. Poor guy. :(



Did he list those songs, maybe? Just curious.



A while ago, I'd say now about 4-5 years ago, either him or Wendy and/or Lisa said they'd all do an album together. Obviously that didn't happen, but I would love to hear Prince with The Revolution (or at least Wendy and Lisa) one last time. I know it wouldn't be as, well, sexual as when they were all together the first time, but I would still love it.
I have not seen a complete list. I think one can assume P Control, Darling Nikki, Head,Sister, It, I luv U N me, etc.

Again, it is also safe to assume that he doesn't like to spend much time in his old catalogue. He really only did the acoustic set in Musicology tour due to all of the people wanting to hear him do them again.

[Nate Grey]

I have not seen a complete list. I think one can assume P Control, Darling Nikki, Head,Sister, It, I luv U N me, etc.

Never heard Sister or It, but the rest I have. And I'll never hear them in concert. :( Well, if I could ever get a Prince ticket. I think they sell out in like the first 15 minute.

Again, it is also safe to assume that he doesn't like to spend much time in his old catalogue. He really only did the acoustic set in Musicology tour due to all of the people wanting to hear him do them again.

Personally I'd just love to hear the sound again that he had with the Revolution, even if whatever new songs he came up with with them would have "neutered" lyrics so to speak. But, can't live in the past. Would have been nice though.

[The Punished]

Never heard Sister or It, but the rest I have. And I'll never hear them in concert. :( Well, if I could ever get a Prince ticket. I think they sell out in like the first 15 minute.



Personally I'd just love to hear the sound again that he had with the Revolution, even if whatever new songs he came up with with them would have "neutered" lyrics so to speak. But, can't live in the past. Would have been nice though.


I agree the Revolution was the best era in his career. Sister is the song directly after Head which was written on the subject of incest.
This of course, on the Dirty Mind album.

[Spike-X]

I would love to hear Prince with The Revolution (or at least Wendy and Lisa) one last time.

Try to find the clip of his performance from the most recent Brit Awards.

[howyadoin]

I just wish he'd start using the full word instead of using a letter. "When U were mine." "I Would Die 4 U."Hey, he pretty much invented that.

Besides, try reading some old Slade song titles sometime...

[Ill Communication]

I'll have to listen to it again, but I was REALLY let down. Someone earlier said that they thought this album was better tham Musicology, I completely disagree.

I castagated one of my friends earlier in the week because he said once an artist finds Jesus, they churn out completely mediocre art. Maybe he's right, but I like to think not.

[david r]

I have every Prince record from Purple Rain up the late 1990s. His newer music is just not as exciting as it used to be. Far less innovative and surprising. "Musicology" wasn't bad, just not really that good. I listened to it a few times and haven't tried it since. After almost 30 years, Prince just has gotten....kind of boring.

It's also sad how every time a new Prince CD comes out, it's always advertised as "His best since "Sign 'O The Times". And yet, it never is.

[Spike-X]

Which is another way of saying "20 years later, he still hasn't topped Sign O' The Times".

[Shellhead]

I've only heard one song so far, "Lolita", and it was mindlessly repetitive, a real disappointment.

[The Punished]

Which is another way of saying "20 years later, he still hasn't topped Sign O' The Times".
I would argue the Gold Experience was a better overall album than Sign O' the Times

[Kaiju]

I would argue the Gold Experience was a better overall album than Sign O' the Times

Well be prepared for the stampede of disagreement. :D

Sign O' The Times was his great album imho. I like the Gold Experience but it doesn't stack up compared to his best work.

I love Black Sweat from 3121 but the other stuff I've heard has left me unimpressed.

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

I would argue the Gold Experience was a better overall album than Sign O' the Timesi LOVE THAT ALBUM!!!!,gold is one of my favorite tracks.


i haven't heard 3121 yet,but i do wish he'll go back to the psychadelic rock/funk/soul style.

[Nate Grey]

Oddly, though, The Gold Experience is out of print. :confused: Wish I had got a copy when I had the chance. I know I can get it used, probably, but nothing like new.

Meanwhile, "Sign 'O'The Times" is well IN print (or whatever the opposite of out of print is called :D) and I think you can now get it for or just under $20.

So, so far, "The Gold Experience", "The Black Album", "Crystal Ball", and "New Power Soul" are all out of print. Kinda odd to see anything by Prince out of Print...

[david r]

I liked "The Gold Experience", I feel it's one of his best of the 1990s. But wouldn't rank it as one of Prince's all-time achievements.

"The Black Album" took me years to find. I finally found a bootleg version and was severely disappointed.

Crystal Ball and New Power Soul are pretty much forgettable IMO. I think his best 90s record was the 1992 album that has "My Name is Prince" and "7". The title was that weird symbol. Personally, I feel that '92 record is his best all-around achievement since "Sign 'o The Times".

[The Mirrorball Man]

In my opinion, "The Rainbow Children" is Prince's best album since "Sign of the Times".

"3121" is about as good as "The Gold Experience", and actually it sounds pretty much like "The Gold Experience", which is not bad.

[Nate Grey]

I liked "The Gold Experience", I feel it's one of his best of the 1990s. But wouldn't rank it as one of Prince's all-time achievements.

"The Black Album" took me years to find. I finally found a bootleg version and was severely disappointed.

Crystal Ball and New Power Soul are pretty much forgettable IMO. I think his best 90s record was the 1992 album that has "My Name is Prince" and "7". The title was that weird symbol. Personally, I feel that '92 record is his best all-around achievement since "Sign 'o The Times".

I got Crystal Ball and The Love Sign/Album (the one with the weird symbol) from a Barnes and Noble discount bin, for $6.99 each! A real steal. I like Crystal Ball (especially the 4th disk), but can't say I would have paid the $50 price tag when it WASN'T cut out.

I'd still like to hear New Soul Power. I remember seeing it at Target and wish I had got it. :(

[david r]

I felt The Rainbow Children is hands down the worst work Prince has ever released. In fact, I'd say it may be the most shockingly bad record from a major artist I've ever heard. (I was also bored stiff with is 2003 instrumental CD N.E.W.S. ) Were you being serious?

@Nate Grey, most of Crystal Ball are old Prince songs. But the 4th disc was (then) new music. Prince has recorded some acoustic music in 1997, and that output is what makes up that 4th disc. It was titled "The Truth" and reportedly some of the songs concerned the death of Prince's first child, and the ending of his marriage. Prince decided instead of releasing "The Truth" on it's own, he'd bundle it with the rest of Crystal Ball. I liked it as well.

[Nate Grey]

Yeah, I already knew that about Crystal Ball. Prince was trying to release that album, "Camille", "Dream Factory", and several others over the years but WB wouldn't let him. So he wound up taking songs that would have been featured on those albums and dispersing them to other albums. Because of that, when "Crystal Ball" finally came out, everyone had heard most of it before. As for "The Truth", okay that's the first I'd heard of it dealing with the death of his child and end of his marriage. Still a good disk that could have stood alone instead of bundled with "Crystal Ball".

[The Mirrorball Man]

I felt The Rainbow Children is hands down the worst work Prince has ever released. In fact, I'd say it may be the most shockingly bad record from a major artist I've ever heard. (I was also bored stiff with is 2003 instrumental CD N.E.W.S. ) Were you being serious?

Ah, you're quite hyperbolic. Yes, I was being serious. Different strokes, etc.

[The Punished]

I must say that I was not pleased with Prince's work in The Rainbow Children. I also understand his life was taking a different direction at that time.

I wish I could find copies of the Gold Experience, & Crystal Ball. The first 3 bootleg cd's in that work were all old tracks that had been recorded at various stages in his career. I thought the Truth cd packaged along with it was so cool as he did most of the work acoustic.

But marketability I still have to argue Gold Experience. All the songs had cool melodies and easy to sing catch phrases. IMHO!

[bert]

What is the second single?

I think I saw the video. . something about a woman scorned?

I know I liked the first single (Black Sweat), and now I like this song too. . I'll have to go pick this up.

[david r]

3121 is better than "Musicology". I especially like the song "Lolita".

But it still pales to his 1980s heyday. I think the innovative Prince is gone for good.

[The Punished]

I would not say that...

Prince is famous for making comebacks when you least expect it. When caught in limbo with Warners he release the Most Beautiful Girl single and people could not believe it.

He has so many songs to choose from he doesn't have the chance to release them when he has the fire for them...

Even that can be argued as he now releases over the internet site The NPG club.

Prince will comeback always with lyrics and music that makes even the harshest critic eat his words...:rolleyes:

[Spike-X]

Prince will comeback always with lyrics and music that makes even the harshest critic eat his words...:rolleyes:

And when will this be, do you think?

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

3121 is better than "Musicology". I especially like the song "Lolita".

But it still pales to his 1980s heyday. I think the innovative Prince is gone for good.
as a matter offact i hate the fact his pschadelic funk/rock undertones are gone :( i really miss the revolution

[david r]

as a matter offact i hate the fact his pschadelic funk/rock undertones are gone :( i really miss the revolution

I agree. Prince seems to have returned to his pure funk roots. Both "Musicology" and "3121" reminded me of his earlier records.

But the simple fact that for me, his songs just don't "jump" out like they once did. I think the fact he's done so many songs has drained the well, so to speak. We've heard this all before by Prince. I wish he'd be innovative again.

[The Punished]

And when will this be, do you think?

Did you happen to see the BET awards this evening? Prince joined the allstar tribute to Chaka Khan...Chaka Khan...Chaka Khan. It was great to see him do I Feel 4 U with Chaka. He brought the funk out of the mothballs on Tell Me Something Good.

Then he ended the show with his own jam 3121...

It is a slow methodical deep concord jam slowing building to a crescendo!

Never 4get about the man who created the music!

[Spike-X]

Don't get me wrong, I still love seeing/hearing Prince live. The clip from the Brit Awards gets regular play here, and I've got a few great bootlegs.

I just think he's struggling when it comes to making records these days.