Lost/Forgotten Album #296

[Jon]

It's the twenty-fifth album in the series I thought up all by myself and even though a certain someone is enjoying the series and is afraid it's going to be stopped just because he likes it, I can assure you that there's more to come. 

This week's selection is the 1996 release from Prince (or the artist formerly known as Prince, at least back then) Chaos And Disorder and, as with the AOTW, it's a sad yet celebratory post due to his untimely death. You know he wasn't done and it's painful to think what we will be missing in the years to come. 

Now, this is where it gets a bit tricky. Chaos And Disorder is the first Prince album since his 1978 debut, For You, to not receive a RIAA certification. However, there is The Black Album which was initially supposed to be released in 1987 but was pulled, heavily bootlegged and finally given a "proper" release in 1994 but for only two months.  So, with that rather bizarre history, I'm not going to include it, just because it doesn't seem right and also just because I can. 

During this time, Prince was fighting with Warner Bros. over his contract and Chaos And Disorder was one of those "contractually obligated" albums. You hear "contractually obligated" and you generally assume the artist is just going to put out something, anything just to finish up the contract, not really caring if it's good or not. 

Even though Prince didn't do any promotion for this album, it's definitely apparent that he did put some thought into this album and had one hell of a good time making it. This is also a very geetar-heavy album, which is always a good thing. Of course there's funk and R&B, but this is mostly rock, maybe even hard rock, album. 

WARNING: Parental advisory!!!!!

Allmusic.com review!

Like Come before it, Chaos and Disorder is a contractual obligation album for Prince, a way to get himself out of his contract with Warner Brothers. Unlike Come, Chaos and Disorder doesn't sound disjointed and pasted together -- it's a fun, offhanded throwaway. For the first time since 1987's Sign 'O' the Times, Prince has made a pop/rock album, complete with squealing guitars and sighing melodies. None of the songs qualify as major songs in Prince's canon, but that's part of the record's charm -- Prince sounds like he's having a good time, and he could really care less what anyone else has to say. Or, as he puts it in one of the album's best and most careening tracks, "I Rock, Therefore I Am." Chaos and Disorder sounds immediate, like the songs were recorded the same day they were written. While that might mean there's a handful of throwaways scattered throughout the album, there are wonderful moments like the stuttering jazz-funk of "Dig U Better Dead," the scathing "Had U," the psychedelic clashes of the title track, the heavy rock of "I Like It There," and the beautiful "Dinner With Delores," a rough gem that ranks as one of Prince's simplest and most charming singles of the '90s. So, Chaos and Disorder isn't Prince's best or most important work, but it is a really fun listen, especially if you're willing to accept it as what it is -- a record that does nothing more than rock.

Chaos And Disorder

1. Chaos And Disorder
2. I Like It There
3. Dinner With Delores
4. The Same December
5. Right And Wrong
6. Zannalee
7. I Rock Therefore I Am
8. Into The Light
9. I Will
10. Dig U Better Dead
11. Had U

Availability: Well, well, well. I was doing some pre-post research yesterday and even though this album has been OOP for awhile, you COULD have picked up a used copy for around $13. Now the lowest price for a used copy is around $32. 

 

 

[Scott]

I'll save my Purple Rain story for Bossmans post, but I'll share this one...

Went over to a friends house one night, this was in my High School days, so we re likely not up to anything productive.  But I digress ... For the time, which was sometime is 82, my friends stereo setup was amazeballs as they say nowdays.  He had those massive Klipsch corner set speakers, about 3 and half to 4 ft tall and nice mix of components...  He popped in 1999 and turned it up and we sat around and jammed loudly and intently to something we'd never heard before.  It was a memorable moment...

Oooooh...  Nice tune to open this but good thing the wife wasn't here to hear it, or I would've had some 'splainin to do...  Otherwise this seems to have a lot of throw back tunes on it, show tunes style, loads of horns and some old southern gospel vibes going on mixed in with some blues.  At least up until Zannalee and then it goes more contemporary.  Theres also really nice riffs and his showcase of guitar which he is clearly a master of.  But I didnt get the closer...

Overall, this is not really for me, but I must say it did hold my interest most of the way through.  Very nice selection and very tribute to a very valid and timely artist....

[RJhog (Admin)]

Well, I started this yesterday at work, but it's getting to the point where that's gonna be a thing of the past.  I managed to get through the first five songs, but the player was cutting out really bad.  But it wasn't the player, because it's fine this morning on my computer.  It was my work computer. 

It's pretty much what I expected, a mix of rock and R&B.  Prince can certainly play the guitar, I'm pretty sure we all knew that.   A Song like Zannalee shows that talent pretty well.  Most of the songs are fun, like I Rock, Therefore I Am.  Some of the vocals on that song sound almost like Stevie Wonder.  Then there's the quite nice Into The Light.  Sounds like a ballad, then it speeds up.  Very nice.  Some rock band should cover that song.  Have I mentioned that I really like it?  I'm sure that on the actual CD it rolls quite nicely into the next track.

I have a question.  Did he start the "U" instead of "you" style of writing in song titles?  I think so.  He stuck with it too, so kudos to him.  Dig U Better Dead brings out his funky side.  Had U isn't a particularly great song, but it's briefness shows that Prince was his own man and did things his way.  When you do it all, that's not a problem.

I forgot to mention at the beginning how much I like that opening track.  

I enjoyed this.  I understand it's not for everyone, but there's plenty of rock here and this sounds like a very worthy album to own.  Good pick Jon.

[Jon]

Yeah, he's the one who made texting so much easier (at least for those that text).