Happy 25th Anniversary to Prince’s seventeenth studio album The Gold Experience, originally released September 26, 1995.
When an artist is as prolific as Prince was, it's easy to have an album or two that gets lost in the shuffle. For me, this album is The Gold Experience released in 1995 at the height of Prince’s battle with and separation from Warner Brother Records over the rights to his master recordings and what he saw as an unfairly binding contract.
Having killed off his Princely identity with 1994’s Come release, The Gold Experience was the first album released under his O(+> moniker. With most of the songs that would wind up on the album recorded during the same sessions as Come. The long gestational period between recording and release saw the album wind its way through a multitude of configurations before landing on the set of songs that would make up the final track listing.
And as I place the needle on The Gold Experience once more, I'm reminded that there are gems aplenty hidden within its grooves. This was The Artist reasserting himself as a pop/funk force to be reckoned with, hoping to reclaim the critical and commercial success that had waned a little over his past few releases.
If this was a rebirth, the launch of O(+> had The Artist well and truly reinvigorated. And for those wondering if a new identity would mean an abandonment of all things Prince, there was enough purple carryover to keep them entertained.
From opener “P Control” with its grinding beats and salacious salute to sisters in sexual assuredness to the raucous “Endorphinmachine” which purrs with its mix of funk and rock, The Gold Experience is packed with the edgier, dare we say dirtier, side of The Artist.
Songs like “319” and “Billy Jack Bitch” revisit elements of Dirty Mind (1980) and 1999 (1982), but present them in a new and interesting light. “Billy Jack Bitch” in particular is the kind of synth led funk jam that he built his career on, and proves to any doubters that he still had it, and “319” has enough X-rated commentary to make Darling Nikki blush.
Preannounced as the party jam dance track of the album, “Now” packs a funky vibe into a head bobbing groove. Reflecting more of the sample led music of the era, the song is filled with little hooks rather than melody, the guitar line, the horns, the break down all mixed in this musical brew and boiled to perfection.
When it all comes together, it works so well. But there are also a few misses. For all its well-intentioned social motivation, “We March” fails to be the political mover it’s envisioned as and comes off as a lite version of his more focused social commentary.
Similarly, “Dolphin” with its refashioned britpop sound and cross panning guitar is immediately catchy, but falls just short of taking us somewhere new. Whilst certainly not filler, it wasn’t the hoped-for killer either. In fact, the most intriguing part of the song is the last 40 seconds with the warped carousel feel and off beats.
In the album’s quieter moments, there’s a confidence that comes through. The stripped back “Shy” is beautifully filled with haunting acoustic arrangements and solace, while the heartbreak in “Eye Hate You” is palpable as a bittersweet love song in the grandest tradition of “done me wrong” songs.
And album closer “Gold” is filled with uplift and hope despite the trials and tribulations it documents. It’s The Artist’s very own “Purple Rain” moment, if you will, with rousing chorus, powerful arrangement, soaring guitar solo and epic seven-plus-minute run time. It’s also the track that fulfills a promise as it welcomes us to The Dawn.
But the two standouts on the album are tracks we had previously heard in one way or another.
Originally released by Quincy Jones protégé Tevin Campbell, “Shhh” is reclaimed and retooled by The Artist and transformed into a lust filled journey of desire. With the pounding, rocking drum filled into from Michael B, The Artist dials it up with a seductive retelling that includes a wonderous guitar solo that scorches the track. “Shhh’ is one of The Artist’s finest moments on record and would become a mainstay in concerts after Prince took back his name.
And then, of course, there is “The Most Beautiful Girl In The World,” with its lush, rich serving of ‘70s soul and ‘90s pop. Released as a number one single a staggering 19 months before the album’s release, everything about this song is well crafted perfection. The album version featuring a slightly altered arrangement relative to the single version with added sound effects and slight instrumental changes, you always got the feeling Prince had this song ready for Come but decided to wait until he was free to release it on his own terms. This song easily seduces the listener, it’s at once romantic and passionate, and manages to just swirl around you, sweeping you away with its beauty. A signal to the critics and record buying public that no matter what the moniker, the talent was still there.
The Gold Experience easily gets overlooked in the shuffle of Prince’s career, and whilst it has moments that feel like too much old ground being trodden, it still holds enough “oh yeah” moments to make it a welcome return. It is also an album that finds an artist lost in his own sense of identity, embarking on a new journey that will ultimately lead to a true rebirth, with the arrival of triple disc Emancipation.
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