Sign 'O' The Times (studio album) by Prince

Sign 'O' The Times by Prince
Year: 1987
Overall rank: 174th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 909 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 5 albums of 1987 (3rd)
Award Top 50 albums of the 1980s (22nd)
Award Top 200 albums of all time (174th)

Prince bestography

Sign 'O' The Times is ranked as the best album by Prince.

Prince album bestography « Higher ranked This album (174th) Lower ranked (504th) »
-Sign 'O' The Times1999

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Sign 'O' The Times track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Sign 'O' The Times rankings

Sign 'O' The Times collection

Sign 'O' The Times ratings

Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 909 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 909 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
60/100
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02/28/2024 19:02 Gavin Cook  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 24965/100
 
70/100
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02/22/2024 19:28 iann97  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,44175/100
 
50/100
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02/20/2024 11:35 Dingerbell  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 3,36362/100
 
90/100
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02/10/2024 22:12 CjHubb117  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 25987/100
 
95/100
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02/06/2024 20:40 PeterDuckling  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 25488/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 81.1/100, a mean average of 80.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 81.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 17.1.

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Sign 'O' The Times comments

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Rating:  
60/100
From 11/23/2023 03:05
"Prince's ambitious double album 'Sign 'O' The Times' is an eclectic mix of genius and experimentation. While it showcases Prince's unparalleled ability to blend genres—from funk to rock to soul and beyond—some tracks feel more like creative experiments than fully realized songs. The album's standouts, like the eponymous track and 'If I Was Your Girlfriend,' are undeniable classics, capturing Prince at his most introspective and innovative. However, the album's length and diversity, though impressive, can be overwhelming, leading to a somewhat disjointed listening experience.
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Rating:  
70/100
From 03/14/2023 11:11
The way Prince tackles different genres is extremely impressive on this release. He sounds just as comfortable in R&B as he does in Soul and funk and he does a great job in fusing the three whilst maintaining his pop style as well. However, this is a long record and it does drag especially with the elongated conclusions to his songs like on Hot Thing. In my opinion, there isn't a double album worth of content on here with there being a lot of filler and slower moments. Despite this, the opening track is fantastic along with Starfish And Coffee and a few others that elevate this album significantly. Overall, this isn't my favourite Prince record and he does have better releases that are much more consistent and cohesive for me.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 02/17/2023 16:37
Impressive album, but I'm not as crazy about it as Purple Rain. I feel that it has a lot of bangers, but could have been shorter, because there are some weak ones too. I really like genre fusion that he does here it makes the album more entertaining.
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Rating:  
100/100
From 02/17/2023 00:19
This album is just the best album of the 80s maybe even of all time it's so expansive, prince hits new heights with this album.
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Rating:  
80/100
From 03/17/2022 20:08
A mild personal dilemma, as I listen to this record.

On the one hand, I don’t like double albums and there’s not two albums worth of great songs.

On the other hand, Prince is so comfortable in so many different musical genres, that he almost needs all 16 songs to cover all that he’s capable of. Said differently, not every song is very good, but none of the songs drag.
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Rating:  
85/100
From 12/11/2021 20:02
Album Rating: 80.44
(1,287/16)

1. "Sign o' the Times" 4:57 - 91
2. "Play in the Sunshine" 5:06 - 80
3. "Housequake" 4:40 - 71
4. "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" 4:03 - 81
5. "It" 5:10 - 84
6. "Starfish and Coffee" Prince, Susannah Melvoin 2:50 - 78
7. "Slow Love" Prince, Carole Davis 4:22 - 80
8. "Hot Thing" 5:39 - 70
9. "Forever in My Life" 3:32 - 71

Total length: 40:19

CD 2 / LP 2:

1. "U Got the Look" 3:46 - 90
2. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" 5:04 - 79
3. "Strange Relationship" 4:01 - 84
4. "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" 6:29 - 88
5. "The Cross" 4:49 - 85
6. "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" Prince, Matt Fink, Eric Leeds 9:02 - 71
7. "Adore" - 84
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Rating:  
95/100
From 10/16/2021 16:46
It's hard to overstate what a towering creative achievement Sign "O" The Times is. As much as I enjoy Purple Rain, and even though I have it ranked higher, in some ways this might be the better album. It never comes close to settling into complacency or formula, and because Prince was already a megastar when the album was made, he really had nothing to prove in order to garner attention or success. "Starfish and Coffee," Prince's profile of an odd elementary school classmate, is both great storytelling and exceptional melody making, and although few would consider it among Prince's signature songs, it's the highlight of this terrific album as far as I'm concerned.
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Rating:  
100/100
From 09/07/2021 04:56
My Favorite Album by Prince, he becomes a genius here

Psychedelic pop, Soul, Rock, R&B, funk and Avant Pop

All genres delivered perfectly

Masterpiece
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 07/26/2021 22:42
I think this might be Prince's actual masterpiece
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 03/29/2021 13:26
Um dos grandes do Prince, mas não faz tanto minha cabeça.
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Best Albums of 1987
1. The Joshua Tree by U2
2. Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses
3. Sign 'O' The Times by Prince
4. Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths
5. You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur Jr.
6. Document by R.E.M.
7. Bad by Michael Jackson
8. Music For The Masses by Depeche Mode
9. Sister by Sonic Youth
10. Hysteria by Def Leppard
11. Substance 1987 by New Order
12. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by The Cure
13. Kick by INXS
14. Louder Than Bombs by The Smiths
15. Darklands by The Jesus And Mary Chain
16. Come On Pilgrim by Pixies
17. Paid In Full by Eric B. & Rakim
18. Diesel And Dust by Midnight Oil
19. Tango In The Night by Fleetwood Mac
20. Tunnel Of Love by Bruce Springsteen
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