Around the World in a Day with Prince

A follow-up album to an all-time classic. Imagine this-you're the new age pioneer of rock and R&B music. You've spent every previous year in your professional career, trying to achieve superstardom and the closest thing to artistic perfection. Now imagine this-you always do it. A hit album across the charts, singles from said album going #1 everywhere...not to mention you have an accompanying movie that "Revolution"-izes the way music and film are viewed by their respective industries, across the board. Very few people in the world have experienced this type of gift (or curse). Prince Rogers Nelson is one of those exclusive people.

Around The World In A Day was, in some respects, Prince's real chance to show the world that the Purple Rain soundtrack was not some sort of cosmic happening, where a blue moon came out or that the planets were aligned all in a row like a Connect Four game. It was Prince's chance to show that his genius could be sustained, that it was truly real. This album was his true proving ground.

The album was recorded. It was released. The year was 1985. But then something happened. People heard the music...and didn't know how to react to it. So to compensate for what they could not expound on in their own stupor, critics said "too Beatles-esque." Some said, "Purple Rain knockoff," and the others loved it. Well, I, on the other hand, have become one of the "others." I believe Day to be the stepping stone for what became his Sign 'O' The Times album, and it is a masterpiece of some sorts.

Prince's eclecticism has shown bright on three of the album's first four tracks, those being the title track, "Paisley Park," and "Raspberry Beret." The title track displays an audio collage of Middle Eastern and Asian sounds, with a bit of the 60's to give you the idea of hearts and peace signs floating about your brain. Paisley Park further extends the prior song, but arrangements with the percussion mold its psychedelic sounds, which in fact become a theme for the entire album (I'm beginning to believe that Prince had the idea all along to hit it REALLY big, just to give himself enough room to make a Beatles/Rolling Stones "appreciation" compilation-I see your angle, Prince). And of course, what can be said about Raspberry Beret that hasn't already been put into words. It's a great song, a hit song, and truly one of his best pieces of work, so I'll just leave it alone. But I will add that it showed what he how well of a story he could narrate when thinking of a hat from the Salvation Army.

"Condition Of The Heart" is brilliant, in the sense that when you listen to the lyrics, they are so descriptive to the point that you can think of a heart-in-chest, seemingly failing and being broken as you hear the song simultaneously play. "Tambourine" is a feature song of probably Prince's most underrated instrument of choice. It's more of a fun song, another display of The Purple One's unique ability to mold organized noise to his liking. "America" is an ironic music jam that on the surface seems to be a glorification of our nation's capital-look deeper. It actually holds the powers that be of the United States responsible for the injustices of 1985 society, which in many ways still hold true.

Aristocrats on a mountain climb
Makin' money, losin' time
Communism is just a word
But if the government turn over
It'll be the only word that's heard

If released today, I'm not sure Musicology's "Cinnamon Girl" would have even received the controversial responses that came with the song's release. I am very sure that America would be the anti-administration anthem of 2005. Again, Prince moves on to address his qualms with fame and high-class society in "Pop Life." Unlike America, where the electric guitars scream with reckless abandon, similar to being in the front rows of a rock concert, Pop Life takes a more subtle approach. Somehow soothing and mellow percussion and piano instrumentations make his rhetorical questions to the rich and famous echo throughout the length of the music.

What cha puttin' in your nose?
Is that where all your money goes? (Is that where your money goes?)
The river of addiction flows
U think it's hot, but there won't be no water when the fire blows

The song many fans and critics loved or loved to mark as the "Purple Rain" copycat was Day's "The Ladder," and in many respects, it can be criticized for its technical similarity. Just as Purple Rain was, The Ladder was written by Prince and his father, John L. Nelson and is performed with the assistance of The Revolution; the song itself had somewhat of a storybook theme; and musically, the dynamics of the songs climax to a grand finale-that's where the similarities end. The Ladder is more complex than Purple Rain was, both in lyrics and in musical execution. Listening, you can take the ladder to mean the biblical reference to the ladder that Jacob saw, as angels ascended and descended it, and the addition of a sax solo adds a certain touch to the song that Purple Rain never saw. It's quite a masterful song and helps conclude an album with Day's themes of spiritual revival, jubilation, and mysticism.

Sadly, I am personally disappointed with the ninth and final track called "Temptation," which in my opinion fails to add anything truly worth listening to, unless you are a paranoid schizophrenic. It's wild, puzzling, and down right weird listening to, but this is more of a nit-pick thing, as all other songs on the album are at least solidly good (plus, you know Prince has ALWAYS gotta add at least one oddity to the mix of songs he compiles, if their sounds aren't already foreign and strange-sounding upon our first listenings). And of course, what more is there to say, than this-well done.