Ocean of Violets: Prince song by song

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Lance LaSalle, Jul 21, 2020.

  1. masswriter

    masswriter Minister At Large

    Location:
    New England
    "return ..." - 3/5
     
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  2. Arthur Pewty

    Arthur Pewty Always crashing in the same car

    Bump Squad: another enjoyable throwback groove. Works great on a party mix, which is what it was probably intended for.
    3.5/5
     
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  3. Popmartijn

    Popmartijn Senior Member

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    The Return Of The Bump Squad is indeed an enjoyable party jam. It is a bit too long though, it loses steam at the end and it becomes to sound a bit forced. There was not enough material to stretch it to 7+ minutes but they wanted to continue nevertheless. That's a pity as it distracts a bit from the song.
    3/5
     
  4. Freek999

    Freek999 Forum Resident

    Return Of The Bump Squad
    again suprised by the lukewarm reactions, this is a solid 4/5 for me, one of the best tracks on here
     
  5. thekid87

    thekid87 Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    Return Of The Bump Squad

    "What's that funky smell?"

    This is funky!! Prince was really paying homage to George Clinton and P-Funk on this album! And it works out amazingly, bringing the 70s funk to the 90s (and improving it)!
    Check out the loop (from the ONA after show in Copenhagen 2002)....

    :pineapple:

    A real party song about two of Prince's favorite subjects: funk and religion. I really love this song. I can play this all night long out loud (if my wife lets me.... :sigh:).
    Prince is again on vocals (Sonny is there too in the back and doing some lines in between). Mayte is singing something in Spanish ("Oye, espera un segundo, Tu eres como un coño" :winkgrin:) and Prince is name-checking Nona Gaye and Little Richard's song The Girl Can't Help It. And on top of that Eric Leeds is the icing on the cake. What's not to love?! :goodie:

    "The return of the bump squad is comin' your way"

    Same here! I'm starting to wonder what everybody thinks about the classic title track of this album...

    This is a 5 out of 5!
     
  6. thomas kozlowski jr

    thomas kozlowski jr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh
  7. DownInAHole

    DownInAHole Forum Resident

    "The Return of the Bump Squad" is great. I love the groove and don't find it too long. 4.5/5

    What was Prince trying to say with this lyric?

    "Add an 'e' to rap and it spells rape"
     
  8. Piiijiii

    Piiijiii Hundalasiliah

    Location:
    Ruhr Area, Germany
    If only this was true, it's not half as good as P-Funk or JB funk. Pure pastiche without any kick but that's only my humble opinion.
    That ONA clip is terrific though :cool:
    Comparing the '95 NPG with ONA tour band ... apples and oranges. With them he brought the funk back!
     
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  9. DownInAHole

    DownInAHole Forum Resident

    We're getting slightly off topic but I think a lot of folks found the One Nite Alone era band a little too "jazzy."
     
  10. Piiijiii

    Piiijiii Hundalasiliah

    Location:
    Ruhr Area, Germany
    Certainly not me :goodie:
    That band could play everything including a terrific version of Empty Room and much more than jazz ...


    Sorry for going off topic!
     
  11. footprintsinthesand

    footprintsinthesand Reasons to be cheerful part 1

    Location:
    Dutch mountains
    The Good Life
    Pretty good funky track about escapism. It's really well put together with all sorts of neatly connected melodies. Some deduction for that stupid repetitive weooooooowwww sound 4/5

    Cherry, Cherry


    Her eyes were like a pool of 24 karat diamonds ...

    Classic slow Prince mixed with R&B acting as the sweet packaging for this really sad song. 4.5/5

    Return Of The Bump Squad
    Nice deep bass sound on this one, but rather monotonous drum sound.
    It gets some deduction for borrowing from Tom Browne's Funkin' For Jamaica for the Hey, come on part AND for the return of that stupid repetitive weooooooowwww sound, plus ... who wants preaching when listening to funk ? Not me. 3.75/5
     
  12. Andrecrabtree

    Andrecrabtree Forum Resident

    Location:
    Leicester
    Bump Squad.

    4/5
     
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  13. thekid87

    thekid87 Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    I love the ONA band just as much as you do, but that the music you hear in that clip is a pre-recorded music synth sample (same as a lot of the amazing version of Whole Lotta Love, btw) :angel:

    Maybe I exaggerated a bit, but I do think that Prince made some amazing funk music. I listen to both a lot, but many times I prefer Prince’s updated funk music. Maybe because of the unique mix in his music… :cheers:
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2022
  14. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Meh. I've never been a fan of his straight up funk numbers and this one is pretty generic. Seven minutes of it just bores me.

    1/5
     
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  15. Mal

    Mal Phorum Physicist

  16. luvtotha9s

    luvtotha9s Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Return Of The Bump Squad... Enjoyable enough, but it doesn't possess that X-Factor I seek in my primo Prince. It's funky, and serves the purpose of a good Party Jam. I like the Live Version better than the studio cut, but still it doesn't float my boat.
    3/5
     
  17. groovelocked

    groovelocked Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus OH (USA)
    Bump Squad

    funky but missing something.
    3.5/5
     
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  18. hotstuffmama

    hotstuffmama El Supremo

    Location:
    new york, ny
    Return of the Bump Squad is fun, but nothing top tier. 3/5
     
  19. HotelYorba101

    HotelYorba101 Senior Member

    Location:
    California
    Return of the Bump Squad, I would bump it in favor of better songs for sure. 2.5/5
     
  20. Michael Macrone

    Michael Macrone Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA
    "Return of the Bump Squad":

    What it recalls, in particular, is "Chocolate," with which it shares its harmony—and its melody. The lyrics of "Bump Squad" are certainly more intricate and baroque and kind of fascinating, but as with a lot of his contemporary work he seems to be hauling out old bottles that can't hold his new wine. 3.5/5
     
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  21. AnthonyCM

    AnthonyCM Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn
    This is what's so hard with rating someone as prolific as Prince. Am I rating the song against other songs from the album, the era, or the entire career? Return is catchy, but is it really, really good or just average?

    Eh, I'll give it a 3.5/5.0, then I'll question my own rating tomorrow.
     
  22. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Today's song is "Big Fun", written by [​IMG], Sonny T., Michael B., Mr. Hayes & Tommy Barbarella. Produced by [​IMG]; both credits attributed to The New Power Generation. Starts at 36'42" on the video below.

    The New Power Generation – Big Fun Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

    Recorded at Paisley Park sometime in December 1994 and early January 1995; Eric Leeds saxophone overdubbed on January 16th, 1995.

    Sonny T.: lead vocals, backing vocals, bass guitar
    [​IMG]: vocals, all other instruments except:
    Mr. Hayes: keyboards
    Tommy Barbarella: keyboards
    Michael B.: drums
    Eric Leeds: saxophone
     
  23. croquetlawns

    croquetlawns Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    The chant in the chorus is incredibly repetitive and annoying, which is a shame as I quite like the verses - 2/5.
     
  24. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    It's OK, but one of the less successful songs on this album. I like the instrumental track and especially the weird sax and keyboard bits but there's just a little too much going on for me to fully enjoy this.

    2.5/5
     
  25. Isaiah Tolbert

    Isaiah Tolbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minneapolis
    Big Fun
    2/5
    A sleeper. This sounds so uninspired. Never could get into it.
     

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