Sign O' the Times - Prince (CD 1987)

This condition I got it is crucial
Prince, Adore



Prince Roger Nelson is truly a mystery. Not like we didn t know what he s thinking of (most of the time, that is). But he s illogical. You could write a dozen generic articles, all starting with the words only Prince could , and you would most likely be saying the truth. Because only Prince could be the opposites of nearly any quality we can think of. Only Prince could be the single author of Come and Sometimes it Snows in April . Only Prince could have willfully ruined his career and still receive a warm welcome ten years later, when suddenly it pleased him to hit the big time again. Only Prince, only Prince, only Prince... yeah, only Prince could make an album like Sign O the Times.

But why the heck is it outta print? Think of it this way people, buying this record at Wal-Mart today would be almost like forgetting a McDonalds meal at the jewelry shop. You know what I mean, don t you? This is an album that has only gotten better with time, and perhaps it is appropriate that, like a bottle of aged fine wine, it takes time to be found. All I m saying is: knocking on the door can be fun too, folks. And, when you finally have it (Wooden Nickels would be a fine option, but you didn t hear me say that), don t listen to it in your car. Oh don t you do that, wait fore you come home and it s dark outside, then open a bottle of good wine, dim the lights, or better yet, lit some candles, sit back on the couch and then, then push play on your remote, and absorbe what is one of all-time finest and weirdest listening experiences.

In about 70 minutes, your musical tastes will have changed forever.



Sign O' The Times (1987) was a creative zenith. After two quirky, under appreciated records - 1985's Around the World in a Day, 1986's Parade - Sign was a critical watershed that remains the favorite Prince album for many musicians and non-musicians. "His best album to me is Sign O' The Times," says Ahmir, drummer for the hip-hop band The Roots. "That's his all-look-ma-no-hands record. No one but him would put that coda at the end of 'U Got the Look.' No one but him would put backward drums on 'Starfish and Coffee.' No one but him would write a song like 'Starfish and Coffee.' And put that sh*t sixth on his record! Artists today put all their eccentric sh*t way toward the end because they're all worried about makin' sure the first six songs are absolute bangers. Meanwhile, he covers the whole spectrum of music in the first four songs. He covered Santana, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield - just as far as styles - Joni Mitchell, Pink Floyd, all within the first five songs."
(Icon Magazine, October 1998)



Let s start with the styles. The genius of Sign O the Times is this double album (unless you really hate Prince with a passion, that is) can be anything you want it to be. Alright, this is Mr. I-Am-The-Royal-Funkster, so you want to groove? There hardly is such thing as a Prince record without a good jam, but Housequake probably towers above them all. It s messy, it s fun, and it doesn t make any sense. But boy does it make you groove. And if that s not enough, there s 9 minutes of a live performance called It s Gonna be a Beautiful Night on disc 2 I dare you to find a more meaningful application to Edward Lear s Said the Table to the Chair .

Getting ready to go out, but, oh no, you got that weak feeling in your knees? Tongue-tied? Some confidence could do you good His Royal Badness provides in surplus: Hot Thing is an instant classic in Prince s catalog of seductive songs, and U Got the Look should make you deliriously happy, let alone confident. And don t forget to play It s Gonna be a Beautiful Night before you go.

We are beautiful, it s gonna be a beautiful night

You want to talk love? Like, the subtle thing? How bout Forever in My Life? You re a boy? You ll be singing along. You re a girl? All the same, and this is a really simple one, except for that overdubbed vocal that s all there is a drum machine, two vocal tracks (both Prince, but, like, really weird) devotion soul magic.

Adore is the definitive Prince love song. Forget about The Beautiful Ones , this is the epitome of the Prince falsetto, six minutes of it.



Prince QUIZ: What is it that Prince isn t doing just 4 kicks?

Prince QUIZ#2: What was Dorothy s favorite song?



Dorothy was a waitress on the promenade
She worked the night shift
Dishwater blonde, tall and fine
She got a lot of tips

We ve come to the real stuff. I mean, a five-star Prince record is not just funky jams and love songs. Well, some Prince records are that way, but that s why they re not five-star records. Sign O the Times is. In addition to all of the above, it also contains some of the Artist s weirdest work, songs which, once you ve discovered them, stay with you for the rest of your time here, possibly even changing your attitude toward life and people. One of such songs is The Ballad of Dorothy Parker. Another would be I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man - who would have thought a Prince song could actually make anyone think? And, of course, If I Was Your Girlfriend - I m sure most people never even thought of looking at the boy-girl relationship that way before Prince just said it. I know I haven t, until I heard it. And I ll let you in on a secret once you ve heard it this song haunts you whether you want it or not.

I could go on. There s Slow Love, a lazy jazz number, but look out for those horn sections at the end of each chorus it s a true masterwork. There s Starfish and Coffee - whatever the heck this song is about is beyond me, but it s FUN. There s a couple of trademark guitar solos, all overblown, all Prince style in Play in the Sunshine, It and the smash one in I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man. There s one of Prince s openly Christian songs - The Cross - and, believe it or not, he plays the blues. There s tons of lyrics that get stuck in your head against your will. Above all, there s soul, and there s attitude. And there s lots and lots and lots of positivity and good time.

Now I understand how them other folks felt when writing their reviews of this fabulous album. Sign O the Times becomes so a part of you, you want to cite every lyric, tell about every song, ask a thousand questions and answer every single one of them yourself. Like other reviewers, however, I ll pretend that what I have written is a relatively brief review and, before I give it five stars and a heartfelt recommended , invite y all purple boys and girls to just sing with me:



From the first moment I saw U
Ooh, I knew U where the 1
That night I had 2 call U
I was rappin' till the sun came up
Tellin' U just how fine U look
In a word, U were sex
All of my cool attitude U took
My body was next
U made love 2 me
Like U were afraid
Was U afraid of me?
Was I the first?
Was I your every fantasy?

That's why

Until the end of time
I'll be there 4 U
U own my heart and mind
I truly adore U
If God one day struck me blind
Your beauty I'd still see
Love s 2 weak 2 define
Just what U mean 2 me

I give you my heart
I give you my mind
I give you my body
I give you my time



Thanks for reading.



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Prince QUIZ#3: Where was It s Gonna be a Beautiful Night recorded?

Prince QUIZ#4: Could Never Take the Place of Your Man , what time was it when he met her at the bar?

Prince QUIZ#5: Favorite number of Cynthia Rose?

Needless to say, this is a closed book quiz. Please submit all the quiz answers in the comments section.