The Gold Experience - Prince (CD 1995)

Woke up this morning and I knew I had to tell the world of Epinions about Prince s often overlooked album Gold experience. And why I can t stop listening to it for already it seems like a week.





What you need to know


about this album is that it was written by one of the best pop artists of all time. One of the two greatest artists, I d say, and if you follow my reviews you know who I think is the other one. Say who ?


Forty minutes of pure entertainment, no more, no less, is what Prince delivered under the title of Gold in 1995. It is a concept album (like most of what Prince does), however, it flows effortlessly enough to never actually bother you with its idea. What Gold does is blend in some life experiences in one melting pot of various music styles, creating an utterly enjoyable rollercoaster of songs about sex and fun, heartbreak and survival, life hardships and seeing another sunny day dawn through it all. Now that may all as a matter of fact sound familiar to you, but what really sets Gold experience apart from legion of other albums is the package Prince presents this stuff wrapped in. And no, I don t mean the sleeve.





about sex


The guy is Creativity incarnate, and he proves it here. Take Shhh, 7 minutes of a ballad in the first half of the album. You won t notice it s that long. Let me tell you, a couple of years ago, when I only started to discover for myself the world of music, I heard George Michael s lyrics and thought that that was brass. Remember his sweet little album Faith ? "Well," yours truly raved, "that's how one be singing about sex." All I can say today is "screw Faith, guys", because that was an infant s babble, and Prince surpasses nearly anything I have heard since. Besides George could never really play the guitaaah. Now tell me: just what is a song about sex without some decent guitar licks, uh? And hey, it just goes without saying you better make sure there s going to be a solo, if you want to sound anything credible.


Back to our hero. Lyrics aside, the way he uses his guitar on Shhh should be considered a Criiime. Wait, however, till you hear the little jam in the closing minutes of the song mmm and yes, there is a gorgeous solo that, coming out of the said jam, the boys close the whole thing out with.


Oh, you want a sample of those lyrics? Here s some that Prince whispers in the closing seconds


Sex is not all I think about
It s just all that I think about you




If anything, Shhh is sweet. If you want to hear something that is, in fact, brass, go straight for 319. That song changed my dictionary definition of the word bad*@*ss. Once again, the guitar and the guy playing it should be arrested, no less.


However, it is the little song Shy, hiding with its subdued approach somewhere in between crashing jams, sappy ballads (like "The most beautiful girl in the world") and sleazy guitar anthems, that actually towers above nearly anything here and is the real and sexiest masterpiece of the album. The lyrics are a true work of art, and those acoustic guitars make me want to learn to play mine as soon as possible. It s about, erm, just what you d thought, really meeting a shy person.


Looks like we re gonna take the long way home tonight





about heartbreak


Prince doesn t dedicate half as much space to pain on Gold experience, as, say, he would later on Rave un2 the joy fantastic . Slap me if that s not a good thing. But when he does, the man only proves his worth again: I hate you must be one of the best ballads I have heard. Almost closing the album, coming out of a slightly repetitive jam of Billy jack b*tch there s a strikingly beautiful experience of hate:


This court is now in session
Will the defendant please rise?
State your name to the court never mind
U re being charged with one 2 many counts of heartbreaking in the first degree
I don t give a damn about the others
My main concern is you and me

Your honor, may I call 2 the stand my one and only witness?
A girl that knows damn well she didn t have no damn business
I know what u did, how u did it and who u did it with
So you might as well plead guilty
Cuz u sure can t plead the fifth



tell me that it s not an example of how to write great lyrics. The above two verses and then some are spoken, giving the song an absolutely convincing, genuinely heartbreaking feel this stuff just might well tears in your eyes. I mean, what a tragedian!





about funk


The album opens to probably one of the best songs about, um this certain kind of lady. P control may contain some foul language (like, I m sure you know what that p stands for), but in fact it s a really good song about life, and I respect Prince for writing it. I respect him all the more for the message he puts in it, for lighten up, no diss this song, rather it s more of a tribute, and a very honest one.


Credit the man once more, for whether his song be about a lady who knows just what she wants, freaks doing everything they want to do now (dance, I assume), armies marching in the streets (yes, we ve got a fairly decent political song here), or dolphins (dolphins? What are those doing here?) it s always set to the funkiest and sleekest a*ss-shake provoking groove you re ever likely to hear. Prince may have changed his name into a symbol, but we know full well what this guy s real name is.


It s Funk. And yes, he will rock ya.



One last thing: when you think that this album has already taken through you every kind of motions and experiences, there s the brilliant closer, a 7 minute epic, awaiting to pick you up from wherever you are, or elevate you even higher, in case you re already flying. I have really only one comment reserved for this gorgeous little masterpiece, called Gold... this song is the sound of Dawn.


So do yourself a favor - pick this album, when and wherever you spot it, and get yourself a ticket to the Dawn with Prince and NPG. And trust me, with an album like this you can only go wrong if you leave it on the shelf.


Thanks for reading.





PS: My next stop is "Sign 'o' the Times", as (eye) continue to explore Prince's discography. Somewhere along the way (eye) will make sure to stop and review "Musicology". Until then... stay 2ned, y'all.