Sign O' The Times (Original Soundtrack) - Prince > Reviews > The opus!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Uplifting; thoughful; style - spanning and funky; lyrics printed in full
Disadvantages:	The price of the album varies so shop around !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Quite simply Prince's opus. A double album from the most talented musician of his generation was bound to be good but this exceeded even my expectations! Heavily jazz influenced whilst combining Prince's ability to produce quite avant garde soul and pop/rock numbers. This was ahead of its time.

I've always been a Prince fan since the days of the Batman soundtrack when I first took notice and cast the Kylie Minogue albums aside - don't go there! Every Prince album is different from the last so you have to take each one as it comes. I stumbled across Sign O' The Times at a bootsale marked up for £8 and it was still shrinkwrapped. This was an absolute bargain as I've seen it priced up for as much as £19.99 in stores, though recently the price has fallen, like a lot of the Bealtes albums. Shop around, but I believe every penny you spend will be worth it for this.

I am going to review what I regard as the key tracks.

Disc 1

Sign O' The Times - a social commentary about the AIDS epidemic, drugs and various problems of the 1980s,which are still relevant today. Mid-tempo with a simple and yet so catchy bassline with very minimalistic arrangements. The lyrics are deep and to be honest I believe that for the lyrics alone this is one of the most under-rated hits of all time. Full with a dark message, melancholy but nevertheless still a great title track and album opener and arguably one of the best songs Prince has written. The video was just as minimalistic as the arrangement, but then again, the song's worth is its message which is essentially in Prince's lyrics.

Play In The Sunshine - A total contrast to the previous track 'Sign o' the times' and quite possibly, this has the most random intro I have ever heard, consisting of Prince shouting the words ,''OOO DOGGY!' I have to admit that goes straight over my head but overall, as the title suggests, the song is a feelgood, fun song with a lot of soul and vigour tempo. Simple lyrics but nevertheless you have to give Prince credit - "I'm feelin' kinda lucky tonight, I'm gonna find my four leaf clover," for instance. It is definitely uplifting, great for a Summer drive and one of the best Prince album tracks ever recorded. I would say this is one of the most accessible tracks on the album. The arrangement again is quite minimalist but it works. Bouncy is the word.

Housequake - Very minimalist arrangement and I realise I'm saying that a lot but this one is the most minmalistic. The track features Prince's 'alter ego' Camille on the vocals, though it was probably a case of messing about in the studio, Prince's vocals still sound amazing when given the 'Chipmunk' treatment as I affectionately call it. This is a very funky track with pounding drums featuring classic Prince guitar licks. I don't think this track is everyone's perfect choice but it does require a second chance because on first hearing, even I thought "this sounds too minimalist." This is just pure Prince genius in my opinion - it's fun, funky, showcases his excellent guitar playing and versatility.

The Ballad of Dorothy Parker - a bit more mid-tempo than 'Housequake' but the 'big' drums from the previous track still provide the main musical arrangement. The song is a homage to Dorothy Parker, the poet, and like 'Housequake,' is very minimalist so will probably require more than one listening before you get the hook. The bass is more prominent in this one - very funky bass but not typical of basslines in a lot of 80s funk/soul at the time. Prince's vocals are back to normal without the 'Camille' treatment but boy can the guy sing. I always think of a D'Angelo song when I hear this and I think it is a safe bet that D'Angelo was inspired by Prince, at least vocally.

Starfish and Coffee - slow, short and sweet. This is one of the more accessible songs that doesn't make a lot of sense but has a really catchy chorus and as Prince says, 'if you set your mind free baby, maybe you'll understand...' I don't fully understand it but what I do understand is that the guy is a genius and he can write great pop songs. Very uplifting and one of the best album tracks I have ever heard. Since I first wrote this review, the song has has been played a few times on BBC Radio 2, which has been nice. I think it is deserving of a classic album track status. The song is about somebody who the singer knew at school called Cynthia Rose - who knows if she existed or not! Starfish and Coffee are just two of the random things Cythia claims to have eaten for breakfast every day. Yep, random subject matter, but boy does it get stuck in the head. Quite cool keyboards and I do believe, a harp as well are the main instruments of choice.

Slow Love - One of those songs that says what it does on the tin! A highly jazz influenced ballad with great use of brass that proves Prince could easily have been up there with the great jazz legends as well as the 80s soul crooners of his time. Prince's soft and sultry vocals are outstanding and enviable! Very hard for me to sing along too to do it justice, even when I am wearing the tight jeans! I defy anyone not to hear the charm in this.

DISC 2

U Got The Look - a unique 12 bar blues arrangement that sounded so unlike a typical 12 bar blues - only the best trained ears would notice. This is an extremely funky track and unlike anything else out at the time. I don't think you can say "yeah that has a '1987' sound about it. This number features the talents of Miss Sheena Easton and is really a duet between her and Prince/Camille. I wish they had included the 12" long look version on the album because it has one of the funkiest Prince guitar licks for an intro of all time but still, the album version is fantastic. The lyrics are a bit random, like most of Prince's songs, but instantly memorable.

If I Was Your Girlfriend - this is sung in the guise of Camille once again and has slightly confusing lyrics because you can either take them as being sung by Prince ( a male) which suggests transvestite fantasies, or if you take the song as being sung by the feminine Camille, lesbian fantasies. Well that's my take on it! Either way, Prince at his androgynous best. The arrangement is very ahead of its time but distinctly Prince. This track has even been reworked by Beyonce in her hit 'Bonnie & Clyde' and was definitely an inspiration for the N-Sync & Nelly hit 'Girlfriend.' Quite simply a seminal Prince hit and it should have been a top 10 hit at least here in the UK. The album version has 'The Wedding March' as part of the intro, which I often thought was quite novel. The song is essentially a list of questions to a lover (I believe) that all seem to start with the lyrics 'If I was your girlfriend..." Funny that! I guess it is a slightly ambiguous song but again, it has a knack for getting embedded into the consciousness.

I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man - one of the other big hits from the album, at least in the UK. This is Prince at his Pop/Rock best and probably one of the most radio friendly tracks he released in the late 80s. For some reason, I think this song has similar vibes to 'Dancin' on the ceiling' by Lionel Richie because it always reminds me of the summer and has the similar sort of synth hook. Strange I know. Anyhow, quite a bittersweet lyric as the title suggests and out of all the tracks I have described, this is certainly NOT minimalistic on the arrangement front. It is a great 80s pop/rock number.

I would recommend this as the best album to use for converting non-Prince fans because if there isn't something on this musical pick 'n' mix they like, then they will never appreciate Prince!