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All rights reserved.Sign O' the Times - Prince (CD 1987)
Not Even The Purple People Eater Could Stop Prince In 1987.Review created: 06/03/06
by: the_motleykid -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
Multi Genre Masterpiece.
Multi Genre Masterpiece.
Cons:
Cons??? This is Sign O The Freaking Times!
Cons??? This is Sign O The Freaking Times!
Too often, people label Sign O The Times as the brightest moment of Prince s career. Are they wrong? Well, that comes down to personal opinion, but really, it is hard to put any album against it, and have that album stand up against The Purple One s 1987 masterpiece.
When you think about it, Sign O The Times (SOTT) was as much a curse as it was a blessing to the career of Prince. Ever since its release, every Prince album was met with at least some degree of disappointment, purely because it didn t match the incredibly high bar of expectations that SOTT set. Since then, Prince s material quality has jumped up and down more then a hyperactive child on a pogo stick, but nevertheless, he has released some stellar music which largely flew under the mainstream radar because it wasn t the next Sign O The Times.
Prince spent the better part of the 1980s on a creative juggernaut that has remained unmatched, not only by himself, but by any other artist you care to throw at me. Simply put, the quality music flowed from Prince like the cheap beer flows at the local watering hole on any given Friday night.
Quality and Quantity. The two Qs of music. Most musicians sacrifice one over the other. Prince strongly maintained both these Qs, holding your attention for the 16 songs on Sign O The Times. How did he do that? He dared to be different, that s how. Never on any album have I seen so many musical styles (successfully) represented and fused together to almost create a genre of its own, which is not rock, funk or pop, but simply Prince.
By this time, Prince had almost completely ceased involving The Revolution in his music, preferring to go solo and enlist additional musicians when necessary (usually to play the horns, seeing so they are the only instrument he hasn t mastered). Interestingly enough, Sign O The Times is a collection of songs from several projects Prince was working on at the time; a concept album Camille (which featured sped up, ladylike vocals) & the final Prince/Revolution collaboration entitled Dream Factory . Originally, Prince planned to release 21 songs as a 3 LP set called Crystal Ball & as you may have guessed, his record label at the time, Warner Bros., had a hissy fit about the prospect of that much material being released at once, so long story short, Prince left out 5 songs, and named the new album Sign O The Times after one of the songs from Dream Factory .
The final result was an album that shows a maturing Prince, not just musically but also in his perception of long term commitment via his lyrics. A listen to Prince s earlier work only demonstrates the lack of stability he brings to a relationship &, for a truly frightening peek into the Dirty Mind of His Royal Badness, seek out the song Sister , appropriately from the 1980 album Dirty Mind
One last thing before we get rolling with the songs, I am a huge fan of rock n roll, but more importantly, I am a huge fan of music. Confused? Yes? Good, that s how you know you are reading one of my reviews! By that I mean, rock is my true love, BUT I immensely enjoy music of all genres (except rap), and I am at my happiest when listening to a wide variety of styles. Only liking one genre is damn close minded, and you miss out on so much because of that. Luckily for me, Prince nailed music with Sign O The Times. He rocked out, he funked, he jazzed and he danced. Never before have I seen such a successful blend of styles. Music lovers with an open mind will love this album but if you feel yourself confined to one genre exclusively, stay away unless you are willing to open that door in your mind.
Prince firmly believes every great album should have a title track, and of course, he puts that belief to work with Sign O The Times, which turned out to be a commentary on society that if anything, has become more relevant then ever before. Using a minimalist approach consisting of a tribal drum line, plodding bass & some occasional bluesy guitar work, the music is noticeable but remains relatively low key as to allow the true to life lyrics to take centre stage.
It's silly, no?
When a rocket ship explodes,
And everybody still wants 2 fly,
Some say a man ain't happy,
Unless a man truly dies,
Oh why? - Sign O The Times
The thing about Prince is, some of his songs seem to be very simple at first listen, but when you think about it, there really is a hidden complexity within his songs. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker is a perfect example. Set to a straight forward bass/drum combination, Prince narrates the story of a night shift working waitress on the promenade. Doing away with the verse/chorus approach, the song reads like a story. Usually, it is hard to woo the listeners with such an approach, but just looking over the lyrics to the song, I instantly remember the melody and precise vocal delivery. Songs such as Hot Thing & Forever In My Life also make good use of simplicity in a musical sense, but lyrically, those two songs couldn t be further apart. Predictably, the former is a dirty little tune, glorifying sex in all it s sweaty goodness, while Forever In My Life was the first major sign that everybody s favourite purple fellow was only going to drive the one little red corvette
There comes a time, in every man's life
When he get's tired of foolin' around
Juggling hearts in a three ring circus
Someday will drive a body down 2 the ground
I never imagined that love would rain on me
And make me want 2 settle down
Baby it's true, I think I do
And I just wanna tell U that I wanna with U (baby, if U do 2) - Forever In My Life
Although it wasn t a hit, Play In The Sunshine is one of my favourite songs. It s a high energy, audible dose of ecstasy of which I am proud to admit I m addicted to. Prince adds some very nice guitar solos to the mix while the drums, bass and keyboards turn your frown upside down. I KNOW that was a corny thing to say, but you are not describing Play In The Sunshine if you say anything straight-laced! If cheery music is your thing, head over to disc two, and give Strange Relationship & I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man a whirl. Although the music is happy, both songs deal with some not so pleasant topics ranging from abandoned pregnant mothers to the turbulent feelings between a couple.
While preferring to fly solo, in U Got The Look Prince enlists the help of two funky ladies (three if you count Camille), Sheena Easton for guest vocals & Sheila E for guest percussion. Sporting a dark vibe, the song amazingly turned out to be very radio friendly and a strong hit for The Purple One. On top of being dangerously catchy, this tune was custom designed to make people dance. It succeeded majorly! See also Housequake for an essential mover and groover with humorous vocals by Camille. Shut up already. Damn
I came and took your love, I took your body
I took all the self respect U ever had
I took U 4 a ride and baby I'm sorry
The more U love me sugar, the more it makes me mad
Baby I just can't stand 2 see U happy
More than that I hate 2 see U sad
Honey if U left me I just might do something rash
What's this strange relationship? - Strange Relationship
From dysfunction and disorder to love and lust, the classic love and commitment songs from the album is without a doubt Slow Love, Adore & If I Was Your Girlfriend. Making love is as mental as it is physical, and I am sure everyone is aware of Prince s dirty mind, so it comes as a surprise that Slow Love is an emotionally charged, yet sensitive journey of sex that comes off as similar to some of Barry White s best music, and that my friends is the biggest compliment I could bestow upon a love song. Often grossly, grossly misunderstood, If I Was Your Girlfriend is a very recognizable yet controversial tune (which seems to be a Prince trademark in songs) that was released as second single. My take on the song is Prince wants to know where he d stand with a girl if he was one of her girlfriends. Obviously, there are other, much more harsh perspectives on what the tune is about, but that s the way I ve always looked at the song.
Powerfully closing the album is the definitive ode to commitment, Adore. Recorded live, the tune has that extra spark of emotion that you only get when performing in front of a large audience. Prince slips into his falsetto for this number while being backed up nicely by some sad horns and sombre drums. At the time, this song chiselled Prince s romantic intentions in stone (The stone has long since shattered, unfortunately.) with some of his most touching lyrics that denounce his old, free loving ways, while making the bold statement that he is ready to settle down.
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 where 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 - Adore
Without a doubt, this album is one of a kind. Although Prince had more commercial success with Purple Rain, he reached his creative peak on Sign O The Times. If you are curious about Prince s music, maybe 1999 or Purple Rain would be a good place to start as they both contain some of his major hits, but if you aren t so much looking for familiarity, but rather constant high quality, Sign O The Times is an album you must obtain. It has barely aged, it is still relevant & it just plain infectious. But the only strike I can make against this album is, it takes time to grow on you. But, good things come to those who wait
Disk 1:
1. Sign O' The Times
2. Play In The Sunshine
3. Housequake
4. Ballad Of Dorothy Parker, The
5. It
6. Starfish & Coffee
7. Slow Love
8. Hot Thing
9. Forever In My Life
Disk 2:
1. U Got The Look
2. If I Was Your Girlfriend
3. Strange Relationship
4. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
5. Cross, The
6. It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
7. Adore
Album Statistics a.k.a The Silence Of The Anal Retentive Reader Section
Released: March 30 1987
Length: 79 minutes, 26 seconds
Producer: Prince, of course!
Great Music to Play While looking for a purple outfit. Trying on high heeled boots. Going somewhere. Staying home. Bumpin and grindin . Lovin and fightin Actually, just play the damn record.
When you think about it, Sign O The Times (SOTT) was as much a curse as it was a blessing to the career of Prince. Ever since its release, every Prince album was met with at least some degree of disappointment, purely because it didn t match the incredibly high bar of expectations that SOTT set. Since then, Prince s material quality has jumped up and down more then a hyperactive child on a pogo stick, but nevertheless, he has released some stellar music which largely flew under the mainstream radar because it wasn t the next Sign O The Times.
Prince spent the better part of the 1980s on a creative juggernaut that has remained unmatched, not only by himself, but by any other artist you care to throw at me. Simply put, the quality music flowed from Prince like the cheap beer flows at the local watering hole on any given Friday night.
Quality and Quantity. The two Qs of music. Most musicians sacrifice one over the other. Prince strongly maintained both these Qs, holding your attention for the 16 songs on Sign O The Times. How did he do that? He dared to be different, that s how. Never on any album have I seen so many musical styles (successfully) represented and fused together to almost create a genre of its own, which is not rock, funk or pop, but simply Prince.
By this time, Prince had almost completely ceased involving The Revolution in his music, preferring to go solo and enlist additional musicians when necessary (usually to play the horns, seeing so they are the only instrument he hasn t mastered). Interestingly enough, Sign O The Times is a collection of songs from several projects Prince was working on at the time; a concept album Camille (which featured sped up, ladylike vocals) & the final Prince/Revolution collaboration entitled Dream Factory . Originally, Prince planned to release 21 songs as a 3 LP set called Crystal Ball & as you may have guessed, his record label at the time, Warner Bros., had a hissy fit about the prospect of that much material being released at once, so long story short, Prince left out 5 songs, and named the new album Sign O The Times after one of the songs from Dream Factory .
The final result was an album that shows a maturing Prince, not just musically but also in his perception of long term commitment via his lyrics. A listen to Prince s earlier work only demonstrates the lack of stability he brings to a relationship &, for a truly frightening peek into the Dirty Mind of His Royal Badness, seek out the song Sister , appropriately from the 1980 album Dirty Mind
One last thing before we get rolling with the songs, I am a huge fan of rock n roll, but more importantly, I am a huge fan of music. Confused? Yes? Good, that s how you know you are reading one of my reviews! By that I mean, rock is my true love, BUT I immensely enjoy music of all genres (except rap), and I am at my happiest when listening to a wide variety of styles. Only liking one genre is damn close minded, and you miss out on so much because of that. Luckily for me, Prince nailed music with Sign O The Times. He rocked out, he funked, he jazzed and he danced. Never before have I seen such a successful blend of styles. Music lovers with an open mind will love this album but if you feel yourself confined to one genre exclusively, stay away unless you are willing to open that door in your mind.
Prince firmly believes every great album should have a title track, and of course, he puts that belief to work with Sign O The Times, which turned out to be a commentary on society that if anything, has become more relevant then ever before. Using a minimalist approach consisting of a tribal drum line, plodding bass & some occasional bluesy guitar work, the music is noticeable but remains relatively low key as to allow the true to life lyrics to take centre stage.
It's silly, no?
When a rocket ship explodes,
And everybody still wants 2 fly,
Some say a man ain't happy,
Unless a man truly dies,
Oh why? - Sign O The Times
The thing about Prince is, some of his songs seem to be very simple at first listen, but when you think about it, there really is a hidden complexity within his songs. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker is a perfect example. Set to a straight forward bass/drum combination, Prince narrates the story of a night shift working waitress on the promenade. Doing away with the verse/chorus approach, the song reads like a story. Usually, it is hard to woo the listeners with such an approach, but just looking over the lyrics to the song, I instantly remember the melody and precise vocal delivery. Songs such as Hot Thing & Forever In My Life also make good use of simplicity in a musical sense, but lyrically, those two songs couldn t be further apart. Predictably, the former is a dirty little tune, glorifying sex in all it s sweaty goodness, while Forever In My Life was the first major sign that everybody s favourite purple fellow was only going to drive the one little red corvette
There comes a time, in every man's life
When he get's tired of foolin' around
Juggling hearts in a three ring circus
Someday will drive a body down 2 the ground
I never imagined that love would rain on me
And make me want 2 settle down
Baby it's true, I think I do
And I just wanna tell U that I wanna with U (baby, if U do 2) - Forever In My Life
Although it wasn t a hit, Play In The Sunshine is one of my favourite songs. It s a high energy, audible dose of ecstasy of which I am proud to admit I m addicted to. Prince adds some very nice guitar solos to the mix while the drums, bass and keyboards turn your frown upside down. I KNOW that was a corny thing to say, but you are not describing Play In The Sunshine if you say anything straight-laced! If cheery music is your thing, head over to disc two, and give Strange Relationship & I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man a whirl. Although the music is happy, both songs deal with some not so pleasant topics ranging from abandoned pregnant mothers to the turbulent feelings between a couple.
While preferring to fly solo, in U Got The Look Prince enlists the help of two funky ladies (three if you count Camille), Sheena Easton for guest vocals & Sheila E for guest percussion. Sporting a dark vibe, the song amazingly turned out to be very radio friendly and a strong hit for The Purple One. On top of being dangerously catchy, this tune was custom designed to make people dance. It succeeded majorly! See also Housequake for an essential mover and groover with humorous vocals by Camille. Shut up already. Damn
I came and took your love, I took your body
I took all the self respect U ever had
I took U 4 a ride and baby I'm sorry
The more U love me sugar, the more it makes me mad
Baby I just can't stand 2 see U happy
More than that I hate 2 see U sad
Honey if U left me I just might do something rash
What's this strange relationship? - Strange Relationship
From dysfunction and disorder to love and lust, the classic love and commitment songs from the album is without a doubt Slow Love, Adore & If I Was Your Girlfriend. Making love is as mental as it is physical, and I am sure everyone is aware of Prince s dirty mind, so it comes as a surprise that Slow Love is an emotionally charged, yet sensitive journey of sex that comes off as similar to some of Barry White s best music, and that my friends is the biggest compliment I could bestow upon a love song. Often grossly, grossly misunderstood, If I Was Your Girlfriend is a very recognizable yet controversial tune (which seems to be a Prince trademark in songs) that was released as second single. My take on the song is Prince wants to know where he d stand with a girl if he was one of her girlfriends. Obviously, there are other, much more harsh perspectives on what the tune is about, but that s the way I ve always looked at the song.
Powerfully closing the album is the definitive ode to commitment, Adore. Recorded live, the tune has that extra spark of emotion that you only get when performing in front of a large audience. Prince slips into his falsetto for this number while being backed up nicely by some sad horns and sombre drums. At the time, this song chiselled Prince s romantic intentions in stone (The stone has long since shattered, unfortunately.) with some of his most touching lyrics that denounce his old, free loving ways, while making the bold statement that he is ready to settle down.
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 where 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 - Adore
Without a doubt, this album is one of a kind. Although Prince had more commercial success with Purple Rain, he reached his creative peak on Sign O The Times. If you are curious about Prince s music, maybe 1999 or Purple Rain would be a good place to start as they both contain some of his major hits, but if you aren t so much looking for familiarity, but rather constant high quality, Sign O The Times is an album you must obtain. It has barely aged, it is still relevant & it just plain infectious. But the only strike I can make against this album is, it takes time to grow on you. But, good things come to those who wait
Disk 1:
1. Sign O' The Times
2. Play In The Sunshine
3. Housequake
4. Ballad Of Dorothy Parker, The
5. It
6. Starfish & Coffee
7. Slow Love
8. Hot Thing
9. Forever In My Life
Disk 2:
1. U Got The Look
2. If I Was Your Girlfriend
3. Strange Relationship
4. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
5. Cross, The
6. It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
7. Adore
Album Statistics a.k.a The Silence Of The Anal Retentive Reader Section
Released: March 30 1987
Length: 79 minutes, 26 seconds
Producer: Prince, of course!
Great Music to Play While looking for a purple outfit. Trying on high heeled boots. Going somewhere. Staying home. Bumpin and grindin . Lovin and fightin Actually, just play the damn record.
Review ID: 10000000000230084
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