<![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore - Idolator Comments]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/idolator.com.png <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore - Idolator Comments]]> http://idolator.com Thu, 30 Aug 2007 03:50:43 EDT Thu, 30 Aug 2007 03:50:43 EDT http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2272514 Economic, intense and 'bang bang nailed', let's hear it for Dennis O'Bell. Has anybody ever said it better.

And as for 'The Wall', that's no double album. It's a 12" single.

michaelk_xsx

]]> 33:291579:c2272514 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 03:50:43 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2193496 I would say SOTT is one of his best albums, but Purple Rain is flawless in every way. It's more consistent and still sounds fresh. The record label or Prince broke the momentum of SOTT by releasing "If I Was Your Girlfriend" as the second single. I, and most Prince fans love that song, but the general public was not ready for it. The album dropped out of the top 10 immediately and never really recovered, despite the 2 top 10 "singles" that followed.
Don't forget that "Diamonds & Pearls" had 3 top 10 hits, with "Gett Off", "Cream", and the title track. Not his best, but a triple platinum smash. And yes, "The Gold Experience" is his last masterpiece. Unfortunately it's been out of print for several years.

antistar

]]> 33:291579:c2193496 Wed, 22 Aug 2007 03:48:24 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2187214 @brainchild: I agree that it would've been an awesome album, and probably a critical darling, but it would've bombed commercially I think.

revmatty

]]> 33:291579:c2187214 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:43:50 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2186962 @maura: Thanks Maura. I figured as much, but I guess they have an easier time keeping back-catalog stuff off the Internets than they do with, uhm, Fergie. I guess greying music nerds have nothing on bored teens for persistent illegality.

The Mozfather

]]> 33:291579:c2186962 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:28:32 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2185958 I've always loved the puberific cover of Dirty Mind. The tour shots are even better...Yummy.

NoWireHangers

]]> 33:291579:c2185958 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:22:18 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2185893 umm... great article, but can i get a little love for something/anything. please.

iantenna

]]> 33:291579:c2185893 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:18:35 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2185450 provocative and informative post! but ditto lucas jensen; i often listen to entirety of songs in the key in one sitting. also your analysis of race wrt prince and lupe is off. less an issue of the album being disguised as r&b but the race of the performer coloring readings or rather listenings of the music by audiences and critics alike, an issue which predates prince's arrival and certainly persists. furthermore those genre distinctions can be tricky as rock and r&B often bleed into each other.

jb

]]> 33:291579:c2185450 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:50:31 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2185099 SotT IS a monster of a record - but I'd really be hard-pressed to pick only one from him unbelievable streak of released and unreleased albums. Also, let's show a bit of love for The Gold Experience, for my money Prince's best record of the past 20 years, which somehow never gets mentioned in "Best of Prince" lists.

Thierry

]]> 33:291579:c2185099 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:26:55 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2185017 @Jack Fear: See the second addendum.

"Tommy" is not a double album by the author's standards. "Quadrophenia" is, though.

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee

]]> 33:291579:c2185017 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:21:46 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2184899 @tigerpop: [slightly sarcastic statement]and yet another reason why prince is better than dylan... you can't chop off any song on SOTT. they're all so necessary[/slightly sarcastic statement]

brainchild

]]> 33:291579:c2184899 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:13:51 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2184766 @The Mozfather: I'm going to guess it has something to do with publishing rights.

Maura Johnston

]]> 33:291579:c2184766 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:04:47 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2184732 This doesn't explain why Prince videos are not available on Youtube. Not a one. What's up with that?

The Mozfather

]]> 33:291579:c2184732 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:02:12 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2184605 @GovernmentNames: Same with Blonde on Blonde.

tigerpop

]]> 33:291579:c2184605 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:53:33 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2184597 @babystrange72: What he said.

tigerpop

]]> 33:291579:c2184597 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:52:57 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2184514 The thing about Double Nickels is that the original double vinyl album wouldn't fit on a single CD, but they chopped off a few tracks so that it would.

SOTT all the way for me. But then, I don't even rate Dirty Mind over Controversy or the self-titled album, let alone later masterpieces.

Al Shipley

]]> 33:291579:c2184514 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:47:51 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2184476 @Ned Raggett:

Totally dating myself, but the first time I saw Batman I was 16 and the theater was rented out for a private party. We all had plenty of booze and anytime anyone said, "Batman," we had to drink.

They say Batman a lot. I remember by the end of it, I thought it was a pretty awesome movie. And then I passed out.

whoneedslight

]]> 33:291579:c2184476 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:45:28 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183967 @Ned Raggett: If there's anything more sane than a crippling fear of marching hammers, I'd like to hear it.

PengIn

]]> 33:291579:c2183967 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:12:25 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183892 @babystrange72: Thank you for mentioning Dream Factory as well! But I have to call you out on saying that The Black Album ranks up there with the "canon" albums. I think in the case of TBA, it was more the story behind the recording and cancelling of the album than with the quality of the music itself. A lot of that album is quite forgettable ("Dead On It"), and some is simply brilliant ("Rock Hard In A Funky Place", eff it... THE ENTIRE SECOND SIDE)

brainchild

]]> 33:291579:c2183892 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:06:20 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183863 @revmatty: the original Dream Factory album (the double album that eventually became the triple album Crystal Ball that eventually became the double album Sign O' The Times) would've been a monster itself! A lot of the songs have been released officially over the years, but it's a pretty flawless record.

brainchild

]]> 33:291579:c2183863 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:03:46 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183850 OK, I've heard this all before.

Anyone worth their weight in Purple obsession knows that Mr. Rogers Nelson never even released his best album: Dream Factory. Slated for release in 1986, it would've been his defining statement. Many of the songs found their way onto Sign O' The Times in slightly altered form.

Around The World In A Day is completely underrated and was shat upon for the same reason that makes it so great: it followed the juggernaut that was Purple Rain. ATWIAD is such a huge step forward, even though many of the songs were recorded around the same time as those on Purple Rain. "Paisley Park?" "Condition Of The Heart?' "Pop LIfe?" "The Ladder?" Oh Hells to the yes.

"Sign" is definitely my favorite released Prince album, but this mostly has to do with the SOTT tour; that shit was and still is amazing.

And let's not forget Parade, The Black Album, and Lovesexy. All of these hold their own to any of his "canon" albums. To think that in a two year span the man made Parade, Crystal Ball, Dream Factory, SOTT, The Black Album, and Lovesexy AND had time to tour the globe putting on bonkers show after bonkers show, it makes me absolutely nauseous.

And if y'all still think Prince reached his apex in '87, I got two words for y'all: Small Club. Go find this boot. Or don't. I don't really care.

PS. If you ever say "Songs In The Key Of LIfe" is bloated and overrated to my face, I won't physically assault you, but I'll twist your nipple real hard. That music is about as magical as these ears have ever heard.

Darth Funk

]]> 33:291579:c2183850 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:02:17 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183828 As a fairly hardcore Prince fan (I even bought all the internet-only albums in the early 2000's) I have to agree. His SOTT era work still stands as the most cohesive and broad ranging. He's done more experimental things since, but they haven't worked together in a sum-being-greater-than-the-whole-of-it's-parts sense to nearly the degree that SOTT did. And as much as he hated to pare it down, I think the tracks that were dropped would have been awesome b-sides but would have muddied the greatness of the album as it was released.

revmatty

]]> 33:291579:c2183828 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:00:45 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183785 Loath though I am to (a) let discussion of a well-considered article be derailed by a single throwaway line in a parenthetical endnote and (b) jump on a bandwagon, I've gotta ask: You're saying Tommy not a great double album? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

Jack Fear

]]> 33:291579:c2183785 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:56:45 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183728 @TheMojoPin: Goddamn Tim Burton ruined EVERYTHING with that movie...

I was just home for a brief visit these last few days and at one point my mom was flicking around on TV and said movie came up. The parts I caught made me wonder what in the world I ever saw in it.

Ned Raggett

]]> 33:291579:c2183728 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:51:48 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183599 Um, I listened to Songs in the Key of Life on the road last weekend. Twice. And I like Talking Book best...um, maybe a future column?

Lucas Jensen

]]> 33:291579:c2183599 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:41:02 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183550 Damn...foiled by the italics code.

TheMojoPin

]]> 33:291579:c2183550 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:37:34 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183518 Double Nickels on the Dime.

You rock, Dennisobell.

whoneedslight

]]> 33:291579:c2183518 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:34:27 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183504 @Ned Raggett:
Word is bond. As is [i]Wall[/i]-yawning.


TheMojoPin

]]> 33:291579:c2183504 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:33:44 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183434 So the long and short of it is that "Batdance" killed Prince? Goddamn Tim Burton ruined EVERYTHING with that movie...

Fantastic article, though. Couldn't agree more with SotT being one of the few double albums that "works," mainly because it is just so batshit crazy. It's, like, completely haphazard and so perfectly precise at the same time that it's trying to tear my brain in multiple directions and then mashing it all back together into a delicious pink goo.

TheMojoPin

]]> 33:291579:c2183434 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:27:26 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183407 @PengIn: Your Wall-phobia sickens me.

From here, it's a sign of sanity.

Ned Raggett

]]> 33:291579:c2183407 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:25:09 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183392 Oh yeah, I vote for Purple Rain on accound of how because "Let's Go Crazy" is pretty much the best thing ever.

PengIn

]]> 33:291579:c2183392 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:23:50 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183359 I hate to respond to a pretty-much-flawless Prince article by focusing on that double album/double CD remark, but Physical Graffiti is right there.

natepatrin

]]> 33:291579:c2183359 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:21:59 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183343 Your Wall-phobia sickens me.

PengIn

]]> 33:291579:c2183343 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:19:49 EDT <![CDATA[Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore]]> http://idolator.com/tunes/canon-fodder/mess-with-your-mind-prince-spends-the-80s-confounding-rock-critics-tipper-gore-291579.php#c2183334 great post. great album. i only take issue with the praise given to Lupe Fiasco's boring Food & Liquor, an album I wanted and tried hard to like.

brainchild

]]> 33:291579:c2183334 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:18:48 EDT