The Gold Experience - Prince (CD 1995)

With all the hype over the name change conflict and o+> claiming institutional slavery to his record contract, The Gold Experience was sadly overlooked by an admittedly plastic society that looks for the next hit instead of the next great artist.

I first heard about (the material for) this album in 1993, oddly enough, when his NPG dance crew (headed then by Carmen Electra) performed on the Arsenio Hall show. Arsenio introduced their performance of Endorphinemachine, one of 13 unreleased tracks from Prince's new album (this was right before he changed his name).

Some months later, he released what became his last true chart-topping hit song, "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" (I believe it reached #3 on the single's chart). Talk was that, like Erotic City, this was a song in search of a hit album.

As we were made privvy to more and more information about the debate between o+> and Warner Bros., The Gold Experience was listed on the Internet as having a release date of 'never'. Several corresponding magazine articles would shed light on just why o+) wrote 'slave' on his face and was so eccentric and difficult to interview. He even dedicated his performance at the 1994 MTV Europe Music Awards "to the death of the Prince", and then ripped into a blistering version of "Peach".

Then along comes the 1995 American Music Awards and The Artist Formerly Known As Prince appears to accept an award for Prince (Lifetime Achievement), and we see his dance troupe do three minute routine, followed by an introduction of TAFKAP, and he magically appears from underneath a sheet to do a lip-sync medley of "Billy Jack B*tch", "Eye Hate U", and "319", all of which of course are from this album.

Then comes The Letterman Show and he appears briefly to perform "Dolphin", after which he feigns his own death and is carried off the state. Be patient with me, please, because there is a point to it.

So in the meantime, I had become a 1-800-New-Funk customer and was calling for some reason, when it is announced that The Gold Experience will be released to record stores worldwide in late September. I was away at a retreat, but as soon as I got back, I rushed to the store to buy a copy of this record. To my surprise, everyone in front of me also had a copy.

I ripped off the packaging and put the tape in my walkman and hoped desperately that I wouldn't be disappointed. The opening chord and Spanish-spoken announcement from Mayte (loosely translated, "Our performance will begin shortly, but first, a word from our sponsor") signals the very definite beginning of The Gold Experience, with a to-hell-with-it-all-shake-yo-a*s-til-you-die 4/4 funk-driven speed of P Control (how many of you have it?) Can you imagine what I looked like walking down the street, not caring to do anything else but shake my booty?

Then comes 'Endorphinemachine', which is full of vim, vigor and screaming-from both o+> and his guitar, and brings rock and roll back to life in one fell swoop! Then comes another announcement from Mayte ("Prince is dead! Long live the NPG!) and the barnstorming beginning of 'Shhh!'. A trademark sex song talking about where he likes to do it, it's full of guitar-ridden sentiment.

We March continues along in the style of "Love Sign", with 'laidbackgrounz' by Nona Gaye, with the message of equality. Then comes The Most Beautiful Girl In the World, but with a radical change of instrumentation, with a great breakdown-segueway into Dolphin, a song about reincarnation and perseverance.

'Now' begins the second half with a great romp through 'funkland', where he compares his music to 'passing the j'. Then there is an old-fashioned strut with 319. This is the sexual equivalent of George Orwell's room 101, from 1984.

Shy is a brief break-down with a rather dark story about a thug, and is great for its acoustic quality. Billy Jack B*tch (see P Control) takes a stab at the record industry and press, and Eye Hate U states a lyrical paradox - desire vs. spite, and we hear our nameless friend putting his love interest on trial. There is a short, blistering guitar solo at the end here.

Finally, we conclude with a soundscape of thunder and the NPG operator, which appears all throughout the album to introduce segments of The Gold Experience, morphs into many different voices and speeds before correcting herself to announce the last song, Gold (which coincidentally uses a rearrangement of the same chord structure of Purple Rain, complete with power chording), quite the befitting end to this outstanding album. With a message directed at us to look beyond the surface and make something of ourselves, this song builds with great power, with Beatles style harmony and another compact guitar solo that make it possible for the barnstorming finish that inevitably comes. After I listened through for the first time, I could feel my eyes open wide and my jaw to the floor at what I'd just been witness to!

Go out now and buy this record - it will change your life!