Expecting Purple Rain Part two. Not in this case. Prince does what only Prince can do in this situation. Sell over 4 million on album #6, and turn around the following year and release an album that is totally left field, change his image AGAIN!, and still make the album go platinum( well, not immediately, but as of this time it is platinum)
Prince develops an album reminisant of a Beatles 60's style, while still maintaing some funk and unique arrangements. I remember as a child, because i became a fan around 11 years old or so, my dad gave me the album, because i was spoiled, and all i had 2 do was ask 4 it : )
I didnt care 4 it much then, cuz of course....i was a kid. Hip-Hop was strong in 85, times were changing, things were changing, and apparently Prince was too. I even thought something was terribly wrong with my album the first few times i dropped the needle on "America" and the intro seemed warped. But i discovered later that, that is his genius. Doing something that hasnt been done before.
I distinctly remember my uncles playing the LP at the time and praising how good it was, and singing along. As time grew on i started digging it more and more. So yeah, it eventually grew on me. And now since i'm older, I totally understand it being ahead of its time and i caught up with it.
The cover artwork is unique, it's a painting, circus-like showing The Revolution members in gothic and clown apparel in an open landscape. A little boy flies in the clouds with a very huge balloon with the albums name in psychadelic print inside where u can barely understand it.
On the original album there is a huge yellow ladder that extends straight up the gatefold of it.
Prince used this analogy to propose 2 the world that he was tired of performing and recording and that he was going 2 stop everything and use the remainder of his life 2 "look 4 the ladder" in various interviews @ that time. He even composed a song with his father on the LP called "The Ladder', which is one of the strongest tracks on the album.
And of course, he reigns supreme on some strong B-sides again opposing the singles "Raspberry Beret" b/w "She's always in my hair" which he still 2 this day performs in concert. And 4 us Prince-heads there was "Hello", the back of the "Pop Life" single. And one rarity on a 12" @ that time the "America" song which appears on the album as a 3:42 song is stretched out to almost 23 minutes of music if u bought the extended version @ that time. A little long and drawn out, but irresistable at the same time, it becomes creative in a lot of parts of the song.
So all and all it is a very unique album, and definitely holds its place as groundbreaking at that time, and still sounds fresh 2 this day.
And as of that "Retirement announcement".....well we know that never happened because he was back 2 work the following year not only with another album, but also a movie starring and directed by him. What kind of retirement is that???
Standouts here are..."Pop Life", "The ladder", and "Raspberry Beret" (NOTE: Raspberry Beret was the only video made 4 this album even though there were 3 singles. There was a video made 4 the song "America" but it was actually a live performance promoting the song overseas)
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