Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 87
 An opinion from a loooongtime fan December 2, 2004
Michelle R. Clark (Houston, TX USA)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I remember how excited I was to get this cassette tape the day it was released. My boyfriend and I were going to a friend's house, and as Mark was a fan, too, we listened to it in his 69 Rally Sport Camaro. After it was over, he looked at me with his "what the h--l was that?" expression, while I sat, with a blissful look on my face. He wasn't a fan after that day. I was even more enraptured with Prince than ever. (I knew then that the relationship with my boyfriend was doomed.) Throughout the years, the cassette stayed in my collection. I loved loved loved Pop Life-- as AIDS was really making news in those days, the song held great significance then. Around the World In A Day and Paisley Park were favorite driving songs, ones that helped when I was sitting in stop n go traffic here in Houston. America was, and still is, a staple on my running tape, now CD.
And Raspberry Beret? I tired of its constant repetitiveness on the radio at the time, but as it introduced my DAD to Prince's music--before, he was blinded by the sexually suggestive posters on my wall, prejudiced by the news coverage and controversy regarding his stage show and lyrics, and deafened by the rantings and ravings of Tipper Gore and her PMRC to actually sit and give the music a listen--and now he is a fan as well. His 2nd favorite song by Prince? Cream!!
Anyway, ATWIAD opened my 19 year old mind and enabled me to be more flexible when it came to my favorite artists expanding their style. Now, I'll listen to a CD three or four times before actually passing judgement, and you know what? Rarely, if ever, have I discarded any CD since.
Way underrated... September 8, 2003
Mr (Paris, France)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is one of Prince's very best...just as good as Purple Rain even if different. At the time it was released it disappointed the mainstream audience that didn't understand that Prince was much more than a mere hits maker. Still i don't understand why it didn't get more recognitions. But i think that nearly 2 decades later any true pop music lover would agree that this is a masterpiece.
Around the world in a day let you hear Prince at his warmest, happiest and you can feel the inspiration on each of the 9 tracks...Paisley Park is a psychedelic masterpiece, The ladder sounds like Purple Rain going gospel whereas the haunting condition of the heart stands as the album emotional peak. Even an apparent minor track like tambourine sounds refreshing and playful. There is not a weak momement on this album but just great music from start to finish.
Any Beatles fan should check this one out...
Uncompromised April 3, 2006
Douglas King (Cincinnati, OH United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
It's amazing that a musician as sonically adventurous as Prince would become one of the biggest pop stars in the world, but in the 1980's that's just what happened. And yet at the height of his popularity, Prince never seemed to try to cater to the masses. "Around the World in a Day", which followed the runaway success of "Purple Rain", is evidence of Prince's uncompromised vision. Easily the most experimental album of his career, Prince combines Beatles-like psychadelia (the title track), classical music ("Condition of the Heart"), political protest ("America"), standard Prince libido ("Tamborine") and good old-fashioned pop ("Raspberry Baret"). "ATWIAD" is second only to "Sign 'o the Times" as my personal favorite Prince album.
Once in a Lifetime July 15, 2001
Kody Burkel (Chaska, MN)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
ATWIAD may be the most forgoten record Prince has ever had, and that's a shame. At first when this album was released in 1985, people didn't take to it because it wasn't Purple Rain. That is what helps it stand out as being one of the very best of Prince's albums. Imagine Prince's funk mixed with a little 1960's Soul Psychodelicide. The title track sets up the rest of the recod nicely. It wouldn't be a very good radio song, and that's the point. Every song is telling a small part of the whole album. Every song has an important roll within the album. The world he sings about in ATWIAD is all to familiar and very vivid. All you have to do is close your eyes and take the journey. There are the radio-friendly songs: Raspberry Beret, Paisley Park, Pop Life (which has one of the very best bass lines ever written) and America (he speaks out against all that is good and bad about our country). But if your looking for something totally different and colorful check out Around the World In A Day! It's a once in a lifetime that we are blessed with an album like this one.
A Magical Experience January 27, 2000
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This CD has my favorite Prince song of all time, RASPBERRY BERET. When I first got this CD, I thought it was uneven, but now I love every song. The whole album is very melodic, with lush arrangements that have lots of violins and synthesizers. Of course there's lots of Prince's trademark funky drum sound too. The Revolution had a lot to do with the classy, melodic sounds of this album, and it is a shame that Wendy & Lisa never got more credit, since they contributed so much to Prince's music. The most beautiful moment in the whole album comes during the long intro to "Condition of the Heart", the piano solo is just unforgettable. This album has a certain magic to it that I've never heard anywhere else. Give it time to grow on you, "The reward is great for those who want 2 go..."
Showing reviews 1-5 of 87
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