Customer Reviews

The Gold Experience

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

With this CD Prince declared not only was he back (well sort of, he was still called O(-+> then), but he was back with a vengance. The sounds on this CD just tear though you. It's loud and raccus and the best part is Prince is back to playing guitar! He's such a talented guitar player and it's terrific (and long overdue) to hear those talents featured once again.

The presentation of the music is set up to be like you're clicking your way through some cyber world, dipping into the various 'experiences'. A computer-like voice introduces the CD and is heard many times throughout along with keyboard punches and assorted beeps and blips. It's a great idea, but one that might ultimatley date the CD.

Fortunately the music included here will wipe out any bad taste left by the computer host. Things start off with a bang with the rocking 'P Control' and 'Endorphinmachine' before hitting the gentle groove of 'Shh'. 'We March' is a song about racism, that offers some interesting lyrics, but is probably the weakest song here. "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World' gets a much more guitar and drum based treatment than what was heard on the radio and 'Dolphin' is all about rebirth, transformation and reincarnation. 'Now' and '319' are so full of energy and immediacy, they drag you to the dancefloor and won't let go. 'Shy', 'Billy Jack Bitch' and 'I Hate U' form a trilogy of sorts. Telling the story of meeting a girl, falling for her and then the messy relationship that follws. It's raunchy, it's raw and it's pure heaven to hear! The CD closes with 'Gold' which is anthemic like 'Purple Rain' and 'The Holy River' but surpasses them in that it feels so urgent.

That's the one thing that stands out to me. This is an urgent sound. I've never heard Prince sound like this. It's a sound of such heartfelt energy that it just HAS to be heard, and it has to be heard NOW. It's an amazing experience. A GOLD experience. Don't miss out on it.

"Don't worry about my name, it's too long to remember," he raps on "Now," a rockin' hip-hop dance number that also directs us to not think too hard about the past. OK, we'll take the bait. The name doesn't matter, the persona doesn't matter, the reputation doesn't matter. Thefemale cyber-voice that shows up between several tracks on THE GOLD EXPERIENCE to narrate our trip through a faux-interactive world of various sensory experiences? Doesn't matter either.

This is all about music--adventurously funky ensemble music with a tighter-than-ever New Power Generation, psychedelically poppy studio music from within the man's ever-scheming head. Hip-hop-styled beats boom ("Now" has a grandstand-chant beat that Naughty By Nature would love), space-age keyboards squiggle (through big-beat numbers like "P Control"), and fuzz guitars grind out super-funky rhythms (like "Shy," which pays a debt to Sly Stone). Meanwhile, the man himself stretches his supple voice like an elastic band around falsetto soul, psychedelic rock and enough playful raps to convince you he finally actually believes in the stuff, making THE GOLD EXPERIENCE the most musically realized album what's-his-name has made in the NPG era.

In keeping with that symbol of his, which combines maleness and femaleness, THE GOLD EXPERIENCE salutes a gender that, in the past, this same certain someone often asked to bow down and salute him. It finally puts the devotional 1994 pop ballad "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" on a proper album. "P Control" pays respect to a strong, smart woman. And the album ends with "Gold," a soaring paean to personal growth and a rejection of nihilism in all its forms. This is Prince's gospel, and with its bright keyboard chords, acoustic-guitar rhythm and na-na-na ending, it may just be his"Hey Jude," too.

'The Gold Experience' was recorded during Prince's bitter feaud with Warner Brothers,in which he chose to begin referring to himself as O(-> (or the Artist Formerly Known As Prince).This was the first release credited only to that symbol,the first popular artist to refer to himself as something other then a written name.That indulgance aside this CD is a return to form from the rather lacking Prince albums just before.The same modern elements of hip-hop and harder rock are still there but more focused and well performed,not tacked on.The album itself plays like a computer program with every other of the 18 cuts being the voice of the NPG operator explaining the 'feel' of the upcoming song.'P Control' is one of the better examples of Prince being able to successfully integrate rap and hard funk and since both are presented in tough,driving fasion it works.Like much of the material here it is very politcal-in terms of music,race,sex and social status.This ends up basically being one half rock and another half funk.Of course "Endorphinmachine","Shh","We March" and the fabulous "Dolphin" are great rock songs-some poppier the some harder edged.Prince pulls some crazy guitar solo's and riffs out of left fiend and really commits himself to the music entirely.Of the funky tunes the ripping "319","Now",the haunting "Shy" and the back to basics "Billy Jack Bitch" all assault you with rhythm.The three most powerful songs are two fabulous epics-the rock hysteria of "Gold" and the soulful "Eye Hate U".The next one (and the biggest hit from the album) is the catchy ballad "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World"-it is very gentle,humane and beautiful-the flowering of a fully mature Prince.No matter what he's playing-rock,funk,pop,hip hop or some unique hybrid in between Prince is always Prince and always has his own distinct style to go on in each style he chooses to explore.And although often neglected this was the beginning of a whole new beginning for O(-> and his music.There were many times where quality slipped,such as right after this but it never last too long.This deserves to be revisited.

I've never written a review before, but I simply had to respond to the one previously listed. Quite simply, The Gold Experience is the best of Prince's albums under the name O(+> (rivalled in quality and consistency only by "The Truth" album released in conjunction with "The Crystal Ball" set).

Some of Prince's best raps appear here ("P Control" and "Endorphinmachine"), along with his most boisterous, raucous, and rollicking funk jams ("Billy Jack Bitch"---especially the joyous abandon of instrumental mayhem at the song's closing). Songs such as "319" and "Shy" exhibit a return to his sexual inventiveness. "319" documents a raunchy scene with a call girl; it's as lively, inventive, and energetic as past favorites "Gett Off" and "Darling Nicki" but kinky enough to conjure up more obscure songs, such as the excellent and riveting "Pheromone" from the sometimes dismissible "Come" album. "Shy," on the other hand, is a meandering folk-soul jam about a girl mixed up in gang culture---the aimless musical sprawling cleverly mimics the girl's aimless wanderings in LA. "Shy" yet again showcases Prince's inimitable ability to combine genres effortlessly while painting a picture and telling a story in the music itself.

The previous reviewer spoke too quickly in dismissing some songs as "mainstream" pop and R&B. "Shhh" is among Prince's most atmospheric sexual ballads, at once hearkening back to "Do Me Baby" while breaking the mold of its predecessor with more compelling drum parts, harmonies, dynamic shifts, sporadic guitar riffs, and a commanding, utterly confident vocal part. It is entirely too complex in its aural landscapes for anyone to classify it as a "mainstream R&B" song.

"I Hate U" may have been released as a single, but that doesn't mean that it's a useless pop throwaway. It's frankness is signature Prince---the lyrics more than redeem this song from any sentimentality. Consider the line: "I'd like 2 have the defendant place her hands behind her back / So I can tie her up tight and get into the act / The act of showing her how good it used 2 be / I want it 2 be so good she falls back in love with me." What other artist switches so swiftly between metaphoric ideas over a range of emotions, from the indifferent to the sexually charged to the emotionally heartbroken? He goes from 'witness on the stand', to 'kinky lover in the bedroom', to lovelorn ambivalence---all in 4 lines! Prince gives his audience plenty of credit in putting such a range of feelings in his lyrical images and musical impressions.

In short, this album is a pure return to form for Prince---and by "form" I don't mean "formulaic.' At his best, Prince's form has always been to explore and expand upon his previous innovations. He does not repeat himself on "The Gold Experience." On this album, Prince exhibits that unaging freshness that his last official Prince albums simply lacked ("Diamonds and Pearls" and "O(+>").

In short, this album is more than worth its purchase price, and its complexity and breadth reward close listening!

Of the horribly inconsistent albums Prince released throughout the 90s, he achieved gold with 1995's "The Gold Experience". This 18-track opus takes us through his "experience" with the aid of a female NPG Operator as our guide. It's a return to the old Prince we enjoyed and here's why:

The songwriting:
Divided into four of Prince's favorite subjects: sex, love, deception, and self-knowledge. The album starts with the raunchy but inventive gutter feminist lyrics of "P Control". In "319", pinup photo shoots never sounded more erotic yet puerile. He also shows that he hasn't lost his caring romantic side in "Shhh" and in the hit single "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World". In "Billy Jack B---h" and the ballad "I Hate U" Prince becomes a misogynist, denouncing his women for being unfaithful. The social-political awareness in "We March" and the mundane metaphors in "Dolphin" are a tad cliché, but the songwriting overall is wonderful.

The music:
While I admit that it's not musically groundbreaking, it was up-to-date for a mid-90s album. The tracks are mostly uptempo rock and R&B numbers. But the best part about this album is that Prince once again does his killer guitar solos in each song. The electric guitar solos in the high-octane "Endorphinmachine" and "I Hate U" are awesome. Other favorites include the guitar portion of "Dolphin" and the horn and bass in "Billy Jack B---h". Production-wise, it's Prince at his finest since "Sign O' the Times" and even funkier than the "Love-Symbol Album".

The vocals:
Prince sings, he yells, he raps (effectively in "P Control" and "Now") he screams to the top of his lungs like a woman, he's full of energy. You could tell he had a great time recording this album.

It's shocking that this album was such a commercial failure despite being a critical hit. And it's even more unfortunate that most music stores don't carry TGE anymore, it's a must-have from his 90s work. Prince is a musical genius and icon stuck in his own self-indulgence; hopefully he'll someday have that drive again to create another album as consistent as this one.

After releasing a three disc compilation (which was a commercial disaster, stalling at platinum status), changing his name to a symbol, releasing the most hyped album of the 80's in 1994 (which didn't exactly live up to the hype), and releasing a final Prince offering (the lackluster "Come"), Prince made an artistic and commercial comeback in 1994 with the huge hitsingle "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World". A year later, in 1995 he released "The Gold Experience", but although the album received positive reviews it failed to catch fire commercially, stalling at (the almost appropriate) gold status. This is really a shame, since this is his best effort of the 90's, easily blowing away such later releases as the lackluster "Newpower Soul" and the slightly stronger "Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic". A lot of the tracks on this album are really enjoyable, most notably the powerful fuzzrocker "Endorphinemachine", the wonderful pop rocker "Dolphin" and the anthemic "Gold", which strangely reminded me of both "Purple Rain" and "Hey Jude". There are some weaker moments on this album ("Now" and "Shhh"), but the good moments more than make up for that. An excellent album from one of the most exciting hitmakers of the 80's/early 90's.... Now if he'd only just bring back Wendy & Lisa....

While the "Gold Experience" doesn't cover the myriad history of popular music as "Sign 'o The Times" or the "Symbol" album does, what it does deliver is something that most popular performers and bands don't deliver: intellegence and style.

This recording came out in 1995 after "failing" with the "Symbol" recording and the "Prince is dead" "Come" recording.

To say that Prince was heading in a different direction is a misnomer, because none of his recordings sound much like the other ones unless it serves his musical purpose. And yet, with the beginning of this recording, it was clear to those who have studied Prince over the years that this was a clear break from the "Diamonds and Pearls", "Purple Rain" and the "Sign O'The Times" eras. This was Prince at odds with Warner Brothers. This was Prince who was sick of being told how much, when and where he could record. This was Prince starting to break away from the "music business" mold that still operates on premises that started with rock and roll in the mid-1950's.

Warner Brothers really slammed Prince by making fun of his "symbol" name while promoting this recording by annoucing this CD with a bunch of squiggly lines as if to say here is Prince and Prince is weird, thus, making a statement that Prince couldn't market himself the way he saw fit.

As for the CD, well, it didn't sell well and Prince balked that the package was not promoted enough and correctly. Incidently, this is the last full blown album of specific new music intended to be sold as a package. "Chaos and Disorder" and some other "NPG" projects fulfilled his contract and he became an idependant artist, recording, packaging and marketing any future projects on his own. As many of you already know, the first recording of this era is "Emancipation".

Prince is still hands down the most talented and visionary artist of all time. You will never hear "manufactured music" coming from Prince. One or two songs here and there might sound like it, but once you break down the music and/or the words, you'll realize that every note has it's place and every word has a meaning. Even if that meaning is obscure, I challenge you to listen as you may find something you didn't expect to find....yourself.

Omigod!!

I was (and still am) living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil when I bought this album in 1995. I was already hoping for something of the "let's raise the bar a bit" category from Prince, but was totally unprepared for something of this caliber. This was music from a master musician with his back against the wall, fighting with his long-time label and out of step with the predictable shlock playing on the radio, and yet defiantly playing his kind of music with the best band he ever had, the New Power Generation (NPG). Everyone is in top form here, from press-roll master, drummer Michael Bland to Tommy Barbarella (keys), to Maceo Parke (sax-y funk meister) et al. First and foremost, of course, is the sheer brilliance of Prince himself.

Long considered a musician's musician by those in the know, especially on lead guitar (hark the words of Carlos Santana who called Prince "the most underrated guitarist around"), Prince excels also in his ultra-funky rhythm guitar (check out "319") and on every other song herein. The song for song quality of this album is impressive: I don't think there's a bad song in the lot, and although I'm a big Prince fan, I certainly don't think all his work shows such consistent brilliance. I was truly saddened later to discover that this album remains somewhat unknown, probably due to its being lamentably out of print for a decade -- probably due to the machinations of Warner Bros., or the languishing state of musical tastes in general, one supposes. The good news is: it's BACK IN PRINT!

So, please pay attention to these words: This is the absolute finest Prince/NPG album of the nineties (and there's some stiff competition there, no?), and (track for track) is definitely one of his top five albums of any period (in no particular order: Dirty Mind/Purple Rain/Sex Symbol/Sign 'O' the Times) and a must-have for any Prince fan or lover of 90's music. Do what you must to have this album -- it's that good.

This disc takes you through the vast array of music that Prince is able to play. "Endorphin Machine" is pure high energy rock an roll and "Shh" is Prince at his best on a ballad. Not to mention the clever "I Hate You"

The 90's were a frustrating time for die-hard Prince fans. Although Prince released a lot of music, much of it was either self-indulgent overkill ("Emancipation"), or lackluster contractual obligations ("Come"). Although there were always gems in every collection of music he released, "The Gold Experience" is by far the most solid, consistent and accessable album Prince had released in a very long time.

Prince is one of the most versatile musicians of all time, and his best albums are the ones where his various musical influences and personas are all allowed to be expressed (see "Sign o' the Times", "Purple Rain", "Around the World in a Day"). With "The Gold Experience", all the different shades of Prince are back: Prince the tender lover ("Shhh", "Eye Hate U"), Prince the partyman ("Now"), Prince the social critic ("P Control", "We March"), and Prince the spiritual seeker ("Dolphin", "Gold").

"The Gold Experience" doesn't break any new ground, but it is a welcome return to form for one of the greatest artists in music.