The Rainbow Children

The Rainbow Children, the first cd by the newly rechristened Prince, wears a sticker that proclaims "The controversial new album by Prince." Upon listening and discussing with fellow fans, the controversy arises not from the religious concepts discussed within the album, but whether the "Darth Vadar voice" ruins the record or not. For me the answer is "no." Taking us back to 1982's "1999," this album begins with Prince speaking in an altered voice, proclaiming "For the accurate understanding of God & his law..." Well, he might have used his regular voice if he wanted accurate understanding. But what strikes you is the music, which sounds nothing like anything Prince has ever done before. What I noticed first are the real drums, always a welcome addition to Prince's music. Then we notice the jazzy feel, flirted with on many an occasion, but never so fully embraced. Then we notice the absence of any pandering to pop trends, which had been an unfortunate trend in Prince's own music since 1991's Diamonds & Pearls. Many fans of Prince will be disappointed by the lack of cursing, sex talk, or simple songs. But what made Prince the legend he is today is his ability to surprise, and his willingness to take chances. The Rainbow Children shows that that spirit has not died in Prince, which is something his previous few albums were not able to do. The title track, Everywhere, 1+1+1 is 3, The Sensual Everafter, Mello, Family Name, Everlasting Now, and Last December are all songs that quite simply could not have been accomplished by any other musician. Playing virtually every instrument except the drums, Prince shows what a truly professional pop musician is capable of, and what seperates him from peers such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, or (yech) Usher. He takes music to heights that only the true greats can reach. But to many, this album is narrated with a weird voice, so it's no good. It shows the unfortunate state of popular music that it took a far inferior but much more accessable album, "Musicology," to reaffirm Prince as a force in music.

Lifelong Prince fan (since 85). This one was a big deal because it marked his return to using the name Prince (after the symbol years). Did NOT like this one much at the time, though I tried HARD to enjoy it. Maybe I was expecting more a return to more conventional pop songs, which this is NOT. Anyway, this album is MUCH MUCH MUCH better than I thought it was when it first came out. I broke down and bought the LP for the slipmat more than anything- but the album being so much better than I remembered was a treat.

Fantastic CD. Attended live concert with Najee in Lakeland. Super Awesome!!!

This is a very melodic album by Prince. The artist had such a depth of musical talent and spirit. One cannot go wrong with purchasing this album and adding it to your collection of Prince music. Whatever else is to come out of the vault of Prince's myriad of music, I cannot wait to hear it. The title "The Rainbow Children" is wonderful in both music and lyrics. This is a must have!

First, the vinyl release sounds fantastic. Another amazing job by Sony legacy. Now, the music: I'm a lifelong Prince fan for over thirty years and bought this album at midnight of release, ran home, popped on the cd.... and then promptly turned it off half way through. I hated it. 19 years later though, I can finally look past the questionable lyrics and misguided narration running over the top of most of these songs and enjoy the music. Because musically, at least, this thing is a thunder clap of genius. One of his best musical works. Sadly the awful narration promoting Jehovah's Witness beliefs just never ever gets any easier to swallow. You should own at least 15 Prince albums before buying this one I think, not because it's not sonically amazing but rather because any casual fan will turn it off within the first ten minutes due to the narration. Still, I'm glad to have it on vinyl and it is a great addition to anyone who wants to hear just how strange and brilliant this guy was. Rainbow Children shows off both traits more clearly than most albums. The fact that it is still the most divisive Prince album almost 20 years after release though should give a buyer pause. Stream it first and then see if you're up for this odd, wonderous, crazy, misguided and ingenious journey into Prince's uncompromising world view.

PRINCE THE ARTIST has created a Work Of Art with the Rainbow Children. This Eclectic arrangement of songs is just so Beautifully Enchanting. This cd really brings you to a Higher Realm Of Consciousness. Every song is more Captivating than the previous one and it just Cultivates into a Tremendous Climax. He pours his Heart and Soul into this cd and you can feel it in your pores. This cd is One Of His Best . It is a Must for all Prince Fans. I play it Everyday as a Meditational tape. It is so Orgasmic and Definately a Overlooked Undersold Masterpiece. Prince has created Magic with this Cd.

After almost 20 years this album has been re-released on clear vinyl. The bonus is the rainbow patterned Prince slipmat. Put down the slipmat, set down the record, sit back and listen. It sounds amazing! One of the cleanest vinyl playbacks I've heard in a long time. Glad to see that the Prince Estate is releasing these albums with a little extra something. I have the original vinyl release and the clear vinyl and slipmat made me get the reissue. Well done!

This is easily the most controversial of Prince's albums to fans. It is jazzy and guided by his faith in as public a way as he had ever done. I contend he was always spiritual and this jazzy effort contains some songs that are very dear to me. Last December is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. The album is worth it just for that song. That said there is so much more.

あのパープルレインのPRINCE⁈ 変化が楽しいPRINCE

prodotto consegnato con qualche piccolo ritardo, dovuto alla grande domanda e alla produzione/distribuzione forse non organizzata opportunamente. Prodotto conforme alla descrizione ed alle aspettative. Fantastico per il package, colore dei Vinili (trasparenti) , copertina da opera d'arte e slipmat di bell'effetto. contenuto dell'album, molto innovativo, jazz-oriented, ma molto funky. qualità audio ottima! degna del contenuto. tralasciando le narrazioni in deep-voice ed il tema spirituale, che possono non interessare a tutti, resta musicalmente ed artisticamente un capolavoro! (PS la prima versione in vinile è praticamente introvabile , se non a prezzi folli (migliaia di euro/dollari)...ma questo album merita di essere ascoltato in vinile!)

So, one of Prince's more challenging, but ultimately rewarding albums, joins the Estate's vinyl reissue bandwagon. And hooray say all of us! A quick search of Discogs or Ebay over the last few years (since he passed away) has shown sellers have been asking obscene prices for vinyl originals of this ! And I'll let you in on a secret.... that original pressing wasn't the best quality-wise ! This however, pressed on crystal clear vinyl, sounds amazing. If you're used to hearing the CD then this is going to be a real treat (unless you're using a cheapy crosley-style turntable! In which case, stick to the CD!) For the un-initiated...…. Music-wise, this is a jazz/funk fusion treat! Like I said, it is challenging, but give it a chance! To be honest, you're better off trying to even forget it's Prince! (impossible, I know!) If you've got Purple Rain, Kiss or any other hits in your head then your gonna struggle to get into this. Think of the 2nd side of Bowie's "Low" compared to say... "Hunky Dory". Different, but equally impressive ! I'll admit it, this was a real slow burner for me. My initial reaction nearly 20 years ago was "WTF ?!", but now it's a favourite. The deep vocoder droning/story telling can understandably be off putting, but it helps to tie everything together. I would think that everybody who really LOVES Prince & his music will admit that most of his albums have the odd "dodgy" track, and this album is no exception, in this case it's the easily forgettable "Wedding feast". But we'll gloss over that one! Overall, a rewarding, jazz club-style way to spend an hour. If you are willing to accept the spiritual message that inspired Prince for most of this project. Finally, as I purchased the vinyl edition of this, just a quick word on that. Quality wise, it's top notch. There's always wriggle room with vinyl, dependant largely on the equipment you're listening on. But I've got no complaints with my copy. Buy it, & listen to it with an open mind. Thanks for reading my review :-)

Quel album! Loin des quelques tubes passés et repassés en radio, ce disque offre une production de grande qualité, se devant d'être écoutée sur un système sachant restituer détails, timbre et bas du spectre. Certainement mon préféré de Prince.

Hay algo que no supiera hacer este señor? Brutalismo, poco comercial; y perfecto.