| Track: | Rating: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sign O'The Times | | | | | |
| 2. Play In The Sunshine | | | | | |
| 3. Housequake | | | | | |
| 4. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker | | | | | |
| 5. It | | | | | |
| 6. Starfish And Coffee | | | | | |
| 7. Slow Love | | | | ||
| 8. Hot Thing | | | | | |
| 9. Forever In My Life | | | | | |
| 10. U Got The Look | | | | | |
| 11. If I Was Your Girlfriend | | | | | |
| 12. Strange Relationship | | | | | |
| 13. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man | | | | | |
| 14. The Cross | | | | | |
| 15. It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night | | | | | |
| 16. Adore | | | | ||
Nor can it easily be denied that TAFKAP has some audible links to the progressive world. His skills as a guitarist may not be his most notorious talent, but he has unquestionably created many excellent moments in this capacity. To regard him merely as an extended publicity-stunt (as some on these newsgroups have done) is to judge him entirely on his image, ignoring the substance which lies only a short distant below the surface.
Sign O'The Times was released towards the end of his 1980s popularity apex, and shows a diverse range of musical styles converging under his direction. Funk, rock, pop ballads and even jazz-fusion(!) all make their appearances on this release, making for an uneven but compelling double-album project. With the demise of the Revolution (Prince's mid-1980s backing band), The Artist was able to create pieces with impressive arrangements and production work, partially saving even the weakest material on this album. While some fans might have missed the instrumental density of his earlier works, Prince was nevertheless able to come up with some excellent material in a somewhat simpler manner.
"Sign O'The Times", the track which begins the album, has elsewhere been referred to as an extreme form of pop minimalism, and it is difficult to dispute this claim. The music of this track is unbelievably sparse, with only minimal percussion, bass and guitar parts featured throughout the duration of the song (although some guitar experimentation does occur towards the end). The lyrics were clearly the main thrust of this song, with Prince reciting a series of social malaises (AIDS, nuclear war, etc.) -- perhaps the most concise protest number to have emerged at this point in musical history. While some of the lines are a bit questionable (is it accurate or responsible to suggest that reefer leads to horse?), The Artist nonetheless merits some credit for the cleverest "moon/June" line in recent memory. As 1987 Top 10 pop songs go, this one is fairly good.
"Play In The Sunshine" begins in a somewhat more lightweight manner, marked by an obvious reference to Sly & The Family Stone. This track features a clever mix of acoustic guitars and a prominent dance rhythm, though it's primary strength (for most of its length) is obviously its arrangement. The guitar solo towards the end helps the overall rating of the track, sounding vaguely similar to Frank Zappa at times. The lyrics, though, are a bit of a throwaway (except for The Artist's demented references to talking rabbits and the colour green, of course). Not quite as good as the lead-off track overall, but in the same range.
"Housequake" is an obvious "party" number, successful within its limits but ultimately less substantial than the earlier tracks. The lyrics are at once cliched and disturbingly esoteric, suggesting the manner in which many of his recurring themes would develop in subsequent years (qv. Lovesexy for better examples). Musically, The Artist adds a few interesting saxophone and synthesizer parts, but is otherwise a bit less adventurous than normal on this number.
"The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker" is an odd track. The chords (with more than a bit of a jazz-fusion influence) are deliberately dissonant, in spite of the otherwise polite arrangement. This creates an effect which is both ironic and highly musical, making this track easily among the best on the album. The lyrics are more than a bit on the unusual side (even by The Artist's standards) -- after meeting a waitress with an allegedly quick wit, the narrator begins a habit of taking bubble baths with his trousers still attached. Perhaps Prince's extra-curricular activities were in some way altering his muse -- it's hard to say. But he does deserve credit for including a bit of Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" into the lyric, even if all else is ignored.
"It" is another minimalist number, with a series of keyboard samples (in the tradition of "Owner") and a strained vocal performance accompanying a very steady beat. An interesting guitar solo appears halfway through the song, but the actual composition is still a bit on the "average" side. One can only use so much studio wizardry to hide an essentially mediocre song, and The Artist only half-succeeds here.
"Starfish And Coffee" merits little detailed explanation -- it's a pop number, and easily one of the better to have emerged from that genre in early 1987. The arrangement has a few quirks (such as the backwards drum sounds and the alarm which begins the track), but this one primarily succeeds on its simplicity and catchiness.
"Slow Love" doesn't work as well. This is essentially an "old style" number in the tradition of pop balladry, and a somewhat conventional one at that. Some interesting tricks appear here and there, but (save for a brief period near the end when such tricks come to dominate the track), this isn't really that much of a song.
"Hot Thing", the most overtly "funk" track on the album, is considerably better. The minimalist bass line of "So'tT" provides the obvious inspiration for this slightly different arrangement, and the sitar effect helps the song as well. From an arranging standpoint, the highlights of the song are: the samples from "I Would Die 4 U", the horn performances, and the instrumental segueway section of the song. The lyrics are largely forgetable, but thankfully a more important aspect of the song exists as well.
"Forever In My Life" closes off the first CD. This is obviously The Artist's take on a traditional soul number, with the lyrics focusing on a motif of faithfulness -- it seems a bit odd in context, but The Artist's vocals allow him to pull it off rather nicely. The musical backing, as might be expected, is somewhat sparse.
"U Got The Look" (another US Top 10 hit) begins Disc Two. Although The Artist deserves much ironic praise for including both Sheila E. and Sheena Easton on the same track, the reviewer is forced to wonder if the latter's presence was really in the best interests of the song. The lyrics (by both singers) focus on love/sex from a (deliberately) superficial perspective, and quickly become a bit annoying in so doing. Musically, though, the track has its advantages -- the guitar texturing is impressive throughout the number (particularly at the end) and Ms. E. contributes to the track fairly well. A mixed success, but not totally undeserving of its popularity.
Beginning with a bizarre "Here Comes The Bride" reference, "If I Was Your Girlfriend" quickly transforms into a fairly relaxed jazz track with more than a touch of fusion (which, for 1987, must be thought of as rather unusual for a popular artist). This track is enjoyable on its own terms, with The Artist's altered vocals actually making sense in the context of this song. A few oddly dissonant notes add more elements of interest to the end of the track, though the obsessive spoken-word lyrics wear thin a bit quickly.
"Strange Relationship" is a good funk-rock creation with a powerful keyboard presence and a catchy refrain. Like "Starfish And Coffee", this track gets by primarily on its simplicity, and merits little extended consideration as such (though it might be noted that the outro solo goes on for too long without really doing terribly much).
"I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" is the most overtly "rock" track on the album, and is quite well-done as such. This track (a Top 20 single in the US) features an extended solo, involving a jazz guitar section, which is not included on the single release. This falls a few steps short of being a classic, but is still very good.
"The Cross" isn't quite as successful as its artist seems to have intended. The lyric deals with the eventual coming of a being that will remove the sufferings of the poor and downtrodden throughout the world (though obviously set in a Christian cultural tradition, it is not specifically Christian in the lyric). The music is somewhat minimal, with a guitar solo only emerging at the end (during a heavy rock passage, curiously unexplained in the liner notes). In spite of the track's strengths, however, it doesn't really go far enough within its goals -- The Artist's attempt at creating a "hopeful" motif within his singing voice doesn't quite succeed as he had intended. Perhaps a slightly different arrangement and a different take would grant this track a higher mention.
"It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night" was recorded live in Paris with the Revolution, and as such appears as a definite link to The Artist's past. This track consists of little other than a series of musical "additions" strung together: the Marching Soldiers's chant in "The Wizard Of Oz" by the backing vocalists, the horn performance, and Prince's high vocal range are the three most immediately obvious examples. While the actual composition seems only half-formed and more than a bit disorganized, the track succeeds by virtue of its supremely high levels of internal diversity throughout its eight-minute development. Once again, Sheila E. does a fairly good job as a percussionist.
The album then ends on a somewhat unsatisfying note with "Adore", a classic-style soul ballad (almost doo-wop at times) in which the form of the genre seems to govern the content of the piece far more than is necessary. The lyrics are far from essential, and although the horn presence and vocal performance both "save" the track to a certain degree, the actual song simply isn't that impressive. This cut -- along with "Slow Love" -- could easily have been omitted from the final copy.
It's rather difficult to say, in general, whether this album is recommended or not. If you like Prince already, this album should do little to change your opinion of him. If you don't, the same is true.
As Prince albums go, this may not be the best starting point (due to its uneven quality). Still, most fans would probably find little to specifically complain about on this release. Recommended with a caution.