Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
| Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Prince | ||||
| Released | November 2, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1988–99 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 73:50 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Prince | |||
| Prince chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic | ||||
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Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic is the twenty-third studio album by American recording artist Prince, under the unpronounceable "Love Symbol", as shown on the album cover. It was released on November 2, 1999 by NPG Records and Arista Records. Issued shortly after the release of The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale, the album features more commercial and radio-friendly material. Despite moderate commercial and critical success, the album was conceived as a return to mass markets after Prince spent several years without significant public attention.
Musically, the album explores Prince's previous genres, like pop, rock, and funk. The included songs are occasionally spaced by a series of shorter tracks, called "Segue" on the track list. The album also includes several guest appearances, including by Gwen Stefani, Eve, and Sheryl Crow; Prince also completed a "sensual" cover of Crow's 1996 single "Everyday Is a Winding Road".
The album received generally mixed reviews from critics, who enjoyed the guest appearances on the album, but were confused by Prince's attempts at harnessing the pop music market. Commercially, the album peaked at number eighteen in the United States and number five in Canada, becoming his most successful album in over three years, but was unsuccessful elsewhere. By the end of 1999, the album was certified "Gold" by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The album's first and only single, "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold", achieved modest success, peaking at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the album's only charted song. Second and third singles, duets "So Far, So Pleased" and "Hot Wit' U", were planned for released in summer 2000, but were both cancelled after the album's lukewarm commercial success. Instead, two promotional singles were released, "Baby Knows" and "Man'O'War". To promote the album, Prince hosted a pay-per-view event, entitled Rave Un2 the Year 2000.
Recording and release
Development of the album began in 1988, under the working title Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic.[1] However, recording and writing sessions began to be unfruitful, and the entire project was abandoned. A majority of the scrapped songs written for the album were included on Prince's other works, such as Lovesexy (1988) and Graffiti Bridge (1990). In June 1998, Prince reignited the project, creating a "reworked" version of the titular track, plus enlisting help from other musicians, such as Gwen Stefani, Eve, and Sheryl Crow.[1] Recording sessions took place in Prince's hometown of Chanhassen, Minnesota, plus in California, New York, and London, England,[2] immediately following the release of his previous studio album, The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999), released just three months prior.[3]
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic was released on November 2, 1999, his first major-label release since Emancipation (1996).[4] Instead of using his name, Prince displayed the unpronounceable "Love Symbol" as the album's artist.[5] The CD's standard edition release included sixteen track, plus two hidden tracks, "Segue III" and "Prettyman",[2] the former of which is forty-three seconds of silence, similar to "Segue I" and "Segue II".
Composition
Songs
The album's opening title track, was originally recorded in 1988 and is his one of Prince's "most pop-oriented" tracks in years.[6] "Undisputed" contains rap verses by Chuck D, a technique previously unheard of on Prince's works.[7] Intended to serve as a "comeback", "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" is a "smooth" ballad with Prince's multi-layered vocals featured in the chorus.[1] The album's fourth track, "Segue I", is four seconds of silence followed by "Hot Wit' U" a hip hop track featuring vocals from Eve. "Tangerine" is a ballad that contains "savvy pop" elements, comparable to Prince's previous efforts.[6]
"So Far, So Pleased" is the album's seventh track, and features simultaneous verses from Gwen Stefani; called an "utterly delightful, effervescent duet", the track was produced to appeal to modern radio and the mainstream crowd. "The Sun, the Moon and Stars" is once again a ballad containing production catered to the same crowd.[8] A cover of Sheryl Crow's 1996 single "Everyday Is a Winding Road" is the album's ninth track, but contains a more "sexualized" structure compared to Crow's rendition.[9] "Segue II" is again a silent track, followed by promotional singles "Man'O'War" and "Baby Knows", the former of which containing "falsetto soul" and the latter featuring contributions from Crow, including her vocals and use of a harmonica.[10]
The album's thirteenth track, "I Love U, but I Don't Trust U Anymore", features vocals from folk rock singer Ani DiFranco, who plays an acoustic guitar.[11] "Silly Game" uses a string orchestra performed by the NPG Orchestra.[1] "Strange but True" uses a "spoken-word soliloquy with a funky foundation", similar to Prince's previous song, "Irresistible Bitch".[7] The album's final mentioned track is "Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do", is another "subtle" ballad, similar to "So Far, So Pleased" and "The Sun, the Moon and Stars".[8] The standard edition of the album contains two hidden tracks, "Segue III", which is like the other two similarly titled tracks, and "Prettyman", which is a jazz song, including a special appearance from saxophonist Maceo Parker.[1]
Promotion
Unlike Prince's previous albums, he did not embark on a concert tour to promote Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. Instead, Prince performed several of the album's tracks live on European television programs, in hopes that the performances would strengthen his appeal outside the United States.[1] On December 31, 1999, Prince debuted a television special, Rave Un2 the Year 2000, as a pay-per-view program to promote the album.[1] The event included renditions of Prince's songs with guest appearances from Rosie Gaines, Morris Day, Maceo Parker, and Lenny Kravitz.[12]
Singles
"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" was released as the album's lead and only single on October 5, 1999, a month before the album's release; a CD single featuring the track plus three remixes was released in European countries on November 23, 1999.[13] The remixes also included vocals from Eve.
"So Far, So Pleased", featuring guest vocals from Gwen Stefani, and "Hot Wit' U", featuring guest vocals from Eve, were also planned to be released as singles in 2000. The release would have included an extended play titled The Hot X-perience with remixes of both tracks, but the release was subsequently cancelled.[1] However, both single versions were later released on the remix album Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic (2001).[10]
Two promotional singles, "Baby Knows" and "Man'O'War", were released in late 1999 and early 2000, respectively. "Baby Knows" features vocals from Sheryl Crow, and was released exclusively in Holland. "Man'O'War" was released exclusively in the United States as a CD single; the package included three versions of the song: the album version, a non-guitar version, and a "Call Out Research" 15-second hook.[14]
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [8] |
| The A.V. Club | (favorable)[6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[15] |
| NME | (2/10)[9] |
| Q | [11] |
| Robert Christgau |  [16] |
| Rolling Stone | [17] |
| Village Voice | (mixed)[7] |
| Yahoo! Music | (favorable)[18] |
After its release, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic commented that the album "is frighteningly similar to Prince's 1998 album, Newpower Soul" and praised the included collaborations, but stated that the effort "is one for the dedicated, like every album he's made since he changed his name to a symbol."[8] Robert Christgau damned the record with faint praise, suggesting Prince's "schtick" was at least somewhat tired after 20 years.[16] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club congratulated Prince for "mark[ing] his return not just to major labels, but to commercial ambition and accessibility."[6] Chris Willman, writing for Entertainment Weekly, was also impressed by the effort and praised Prince for "trying to recapture the spirit of '99."[15]
On a mixed note, Toure of Rolling Stone stated that the album's "few sublime moments outweigh[ed] the lackluster album around them," further praising "Prettyman" for being "a roaring up-tempo number" but panning "Undisputed" and "Hot Wit' U" for being "the worst of his nineties work".[17] Similarly, Robin Rothman of Village Voice enjoyed the collaborations, but opined that they would "be better described as augmentations".[7] In a very negative review, a critic from NME stated "To paraphrase Woody Allen, genius is like a shark; it has to move forward or it dies. And what we have here is a patchily impressive, fleetingly satisfying, but very, very dead shark."[9]
Commercial performance
Commercially, the album was unsuccessful compared to Prince's previous efforts. A success on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs component chart, it peaked at number eight, becoming one of Prince's highest charting albums.[19] Although released shortly after his previous studio album, The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999), Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic debuted and peaked at number eighteen on the Billboard 200, while the former only peaked at number eighty-five.[20] In Canada, the album was extremely successful, peaking and debuting at number five.[21] Similarly, the album lasted thirteen weeks on the charts in the Netherlands, peaking at position seventeen.[22] Elsewhere, the album was unsuccessful, peaking within the lower regions of the record charts. In Germany and the United Kingdom, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic peaked at numbers 57 and 145, respectively.[23][24] On December 10, 1999, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 500,000 copies, becoming his seventeenth album to reach this achievement.[25]
Track listing
All songs written by Prince, except "Everyday Is a Winding Road", which was written by Sheryl Crow, Jeff Trott and Brian McLeod.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic" | 4:18 |
| 2. | "Undisputed" (featuring Chuck D) | 4:19 |
| 3. | "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" | 5:29 |
| 4. | "Segue I" | 0:04 |
| 5. | "Hot Wit' U" (featuring Eve) | 5:11 |
| 6. | "Tangerine" | 1:30 |
| 7. | "So Far, So Pleased" (featuring Gwen Stefani) | 3:23 |
| 8. | "The Sun, the Moon and Stars" | 5:15 |
| 9. | "Everyday Is a Winding Road" | 6:12 |
| 10. | "Segue II" | 0:18 |
| 11. | "Man'O'War" | 5:14 |
| 12. | "Baby Knows" (featuring Sheryl Crow) | 3:18 |
| 13. | "I Love U, but I Don't Trust U Anymore" (featuring Ani DiFranco) | 3:33 |
| 14. | "Silly Game" | 3:29 |
| 15. | "Strange but True" | 4:12 |
| 16. | "Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do" | 8:50 |
| 17. | "Segue III" (Hidden track) | 0:43 |
| 18. | "Prettyman" (Hidden track) | 4:23 |
Total length: |
73:50 | |
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Prince's website[26]
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Charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[27] | 82 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[28] | 44 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[21] | 5 |
| Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[22] | 17 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[29] | 37 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] | 53 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[30] | 37 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[31] | 49 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] | 19 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[24] | 145 |
| US Billboard 200[20] | 18 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] | 8 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[25] | Gold | 500,000 |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | November 2, 1999 | [8] |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Nilsen, Per; Mattheij, JooZt (2004). The Vault. The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince. Sweden: Uptown Sweden. p. 718. ISBN 91-631-5482-X.
- 1 2 Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (liner notes). Prince (musician). NPG Records, Arista Records. 1999.
- ↑ "The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale". iTunes Store. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
- ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Prince – Emancipation". AllMusic. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Prince Discography". MTV.com. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Rabin, Nathan (November 9, 1999). "Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 Rothman, Robin (January 18, 2000). "The Artists Formerly Known as Each Other (Almost)". The Village Voice (New York). ISSN 0042-6180. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince: Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
- 1 2 3 "Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic". NME (IPC Media). November 23, 1999. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
- 1 2 "The Artist (Formerly Known As Prince) – Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic". Discogs. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- 1 2 "Prince - Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic CD Album". CDUniverse.com. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ↑ "Rave un2 the Year 2000 (2000)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ↑ "The Artist (Formerly Known As Prince) – The Greatest Romance Ever Sold". Discogs. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ↑ "The Artist (Formerly Known As Prince) – Man'O'War". Discogs. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- 1 2 Willman, Chris (November 19, 1999). "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic Review (1999): Prince". Entertainment Weekly (Time) (#513). ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
- 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "Prince". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
- 1 2 Toure (January 20, 2000). "Prince: Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic". Rolling Stone (Wenner Media). ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
- ↑ Hermanson, Wendy (November 9, 1999). "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic". Archived from the original on July 22, 2010.
- 1 2 "Prince – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Prince. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- 1 2 "Prince – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Prince. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- 1 2 "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7291." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- 1 2 "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- 1 2 "Offiziellecharts.de – The Artist – Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- 1 2 Chart Log UK: "{{{title}}}". UK Albums Chart. Zobble.de. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
- 1 2 "American album certifications – Prince – Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ↑ "Album: Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic". Prince Vault. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Prince – Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Prince – Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Prince – Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Prince – Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
