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>Not to mention the way he totally screwed up "We Can Funk", >the one song the die-hards had been praying for a proper >release for. He changed the tempo, added George Clinton, and >pretty much destroyed that song. > >That album was put together about as good as the movie. > >Now I still play "Symbol", and I loved Lovesexy and even most >of Emancipation..and Come has it's moments, but other than >that, up until "AOA", nah...
I feel like I'm about to fall into an episode of The Prince Snobs talking about it.
The good shit:
- "Joy In Repetition": it still sounds 2 years ahead of '90s slow jams it reminds me of... and yet, it's even older than that.
- "Can't Stop This Feeling I've Got" (there are some questionable elements that creep up in this though)
- "Thieves In The Temple": Prince canon on first listen.
- "The Question Of U": weird, quirky Prince that inspires repeat listens.
The OK stuff:
- "Elephants and Flowers": still a little bit of Lovesexy to be found on this one. Disassociate any memories of the movie and this song, though (or the movie in general)
- "Still Would Stand All Time": A slow song that I go back to every now and then, weird enough to keep it out of "Arms of Orion" territory, but still...
- "The Latest Fashion" - yay for Prince & The Time, but dammit, this is a "My Summertime Thang" remix to my ears.
The stuff I'd leave off:
- "We Can Funk". I've heard a version of this that is basically the Graffiti Bridge version w/out all non-Prince vocals. I think it's dope. Not really seeing the '86 version(s), or even what we've "heard" of the original take, but still good. However Prince PEED all over the released version with the ill-fitting George Clinton parts (even though I think that arrangement was made to fit his vocals) and the cringeworthy "I'm testing positive for the funk" lyrics.
- "Tick, Tick, Bang". one of the few '90s Prince songs that at least, until the singing begins, sounds like it belongs in the era... but you know, as this was a remake of another song Prince did way better years before... it's some BULLSHIT!
- "Release It". It's sold as a Time record, but it sure as hell don't sound like The Time. Neither does "Shake". There's a reason why "Jerk Out" was brought out of storage alongside with "Chocolate"... THAT is what The Time sounds like. I think with those two songs, I was ready for Prince to let 'em go do their own thing (as was seen mostly on Pandemonium). "Love Machine" is awkward New Jack Swing.
- "Round and Round". I would have rather heard this on a Tevin album with "The P" (hilarious song).
- "Melody Cool". I don't really hate this song but ...eh, all the non-Prince songs can get 86ed, really.
That old BUUUUUUUUUULLLSHIT:
"New Power Generation" (both parts) are just a window into the kind of corniness that this album didn't deserve. The song just sounds like Prince is grasping at straws to do something new, instead of just doing it like he usually did.
fuck that title track in the GOAT ASS. 2x. Romper Room Prince.
If you took all the non-Prince stuff off the record, added "The Grand Progression" and deleted the bullshit, that would have been a great album.
But instead we got the signal post that Prince was gonna be on some bullshit for a long while.
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