Leave it to the artist formerly known as Prince to end his 18-year relationship with Warner Bros. Records by handing over a somewhat ragtag collection of tracks initially "intended 4 private use only." Who else would cast ... more »aside the elaborate wrappings of his previous release, The Gold Experience, in favor of a crude photo collage apparently cobbled together in one afternoon with the aid of a home computer and a color Xerox machine? And who else would assure that said album was actually a pretty good checklist of many of the things this frequent genius does best? Even when lyrics appear deliberately puerile ("Dinner With Delores"), Prince is often able to salvage the song with a cranked-up guitar (he plays a lot on these 11 cuts) or a catchy chorus. "I Like It There" is a metal-pop lust-anthem that's both slight and undeniable, the way "Raspberry Beret" was. ("More than I love my hair!" he exclaims in thrall to, presumably, wife Mayte.) "The Same December" takes a similar musical tack to extol the Book of Revelation theology that fueled past classics like "The Cross"; in a nod toward a more earthly deity, the vocal phrasing at song's end ("Uh, you only know what you know") is one of Prince's subtlest Hendrix tributes. Chaos ends with a big, lovely tease. Nearly orchestral guitars fanfare "Had U," which turns out to be less than a minute and a half long. Prince delivers a kiss-off note that, over this truly promising gorgeousness, turns out to be the most articulate and moving thing on the record. It's a frustrating ending, but one that trips you up. How mad, after all, can you get at someone who can summon those sounds, if only to drop them off in a cul de sac? This kind of nonclosure signals that Prince knows just how tossed-away, but listenable, Chaos and Disorder is. --Rickey Wright« less
Leave it to the artist formerly known as Prince to end his 18-year relationship with Warner Bros. Records by handing over a somewhat ragtag collection of tracks initially "intended 4 private use only." Who else would cast aside the elaborate wrappings of his previous release, The Gold Experience, in favor of a crude photo collage apparently cobbled together in one afternoon with the aid of a home computer and a color Xerox machine? And who else would assure that said album was actually a pretty good checklist of many of the things this frequent genius does best? Even when lyrics appear deliberately puerile ("Dinner With Delores"), Prince is often able to salvage the song with a cranked-up guitar (he plays a lot on these 11 cuts) or a catchy chorus. "I Like It There" is a metal-pop lust-anthem that's both slight and undeniable, the way "Raspberry Beret" was. ("More than I love my hair!" he exclaims in thrall to, presumably, wife Mayte.) "The Same December" takes a similar musical tack to extol the Book of Revelation theology that fueled past classics like "The Cross"; in a nod toward a more earthly deity, the vocal phrasing at song's end ("Uh, you only know what you know") is one of Prince's subtlest Hendrix tributes. Chaos ends with a big, lovely tease. Nearly orchestral guitars fanfare "Had U," which turns out to be less than a minute and a half long. Prince delivers a kiss-off note that, over this truly promising gorgeousness, turns out to be the most articulate and moving thing on the record. It's a frustrating ending, but one that trips you up. How mad, after all, can you get at someone who can summon those sounds, if only to drop them off in a cul de sac? This kind of nonclosure signals that Prince knows just how tossed-away, but listenable, Chaos and Disorder is. --Rickey Wright
Prince ROCKS! Get this overlooked CD. (4.5 rating)
M. Allen Greenbaum | California | 05/10/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"From the Hendrix-like opening strains of the title song to the buzz-cutting riffs of the blues/swing "zanalee," "the Artist" (hereinafter known as "Prince") dishes up some impressive power licks as well as some of his strongest singing in years. More rock than funk/hip-hop (although see the solid, if slightly tedious, "I Rock, Therefore I Am"), enjoy his superb guitar work and driving dance rhythms. Prince solos more than in recent years (we want more!), and these sounds, as well as one or two of the ballads, hearken back to the 80's--particularly the very tasty "Dinner with Dolores." Although a couple of songs are a bit uninspired, this is worth getting--play it loud!The liner notes state "originally intended 4 private use only, this compilation serves as the last original material recorded by [The Artist] 4 warner brothers records." Whatever conflicts Prince had with WB, his new non-WB effort, "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic" doesn't touch this or other releases of older Prince music on WB such as "Crystal Ball" or the superb jazz-inflected "From the Vault.""
This was supposed to p*ss Warner Bros off?!?!
M. A. Ball | United States | 12/19/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I can sort of see why the Come CD would maybe make them mad, but not this one. Well, maybe singing about ejaculating all over the floor and the last track, "Had U," would do it, but I don't know. If you ask me, I think Chaos and Disorder is another one of his masterpieces and Warner Bros should be thankful that Prince is so damn talented. This CD is almost as good as the Gold Experience!
I guess why some people don't like Chaos and Disorder too well, is because it's more rock than funk. This is probably the hardest rocking CD he's ever done! Just because it's lacking the funk doesn't mean that this sucks. Every song on here is actually really good, and there isn't any filler at all. I'm really glad I didn't listen to the negative reviews on here, and went ahead and bought this. "Chaos and Disorder," "Dinner With Delores," "I Rock, Therefore I Am," and "Into The Light," are some of his best songs!
"
Prince's Hardest Rocking Album In Years
ElvisCostellosWeiner | Michigan | 04/13/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"a toss off, but brilliantly executed: Prince plays guitar all over this thing, and tosses off one of his funniest, funkiest, and best records. NOT a popular album, and that is not a popular opinion, but I can't help it. The guy's genius knows few bounds."
Underground Classic !!!
Kevin J. Ford | Seattle, Washington USA | 07/28/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The most underrated Funk and Roll album no one ever heard. This cd made me turn off my radio for good ( Repeated hits don't get my juices flowing). Dinner With Delores, Title track, I Will( featuring bakground vocals by Rosie Gaines) were killer tracks that were slept on by the radio. Get this one before it's out of print. Peace Xes Cainam"
He Rocks, Therefore He Is!
E. H. Reynolds | Chicago (South Side) | 04/11/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the first album Prince has ever done that has been this electric guitar heavy. If you lean more towards the rock side of Prince, this is the album for you. Ironically, this album was one of the albums put out under his symbol moniker to honour his unfair contract with Warner Bros. Yet it is ever so profound as he talks about his contentions with the music business and its disservice to the artist as hinted in "Chaos and Disorder", "I Rock Therefore I Am" and "Dig U Better Dead".