Prince's Sign O' the Times [Paperback]

One of the greatest double albums of the vinyl era,Sign 'O' the Timesshows Prince at his peak. Here, Michaelangelo Matos tells the story of how it emerged from an extraordinary period of creativity to become one of the landmark recordings of the 1980s. He also illustrates beautifully how - if a record is great enough and lucky enough to hit you at the right time - it can change your way of looking at the world.

MICHAELANGELO MATOS was born and raised in Minneapolis. A former staff writer at Seattle Weekly, he has written extensively for Minneapolis/St. Paul's City Pages, Village Voice, Spin, Nerve.com, Time Out New York, Urb, Stereo-Type, Chicago Reader, Baltimore City Paper, and Creative Loafing Atlanta. He currently lives in Seattle.

[M]y favorite bit of new Prince product isn't the fine Musicology but Michaelangelo Matos' 121-page treatment of Sign as part of Continuum's new 33 1/3 series, in which various writers tackle individual albums in long form...Matos identifies the factors that make Sign of particular relevance... The Memphis Flyer, 6/12/2004

I consider it among the three of four best records I've every heard, which is why my favorite bit of new Prince product isn't the fine musicology but Michaelangelo Matos' 121-page treatment of Sign as part of Continuum's new 33 1/3 series, in which various writers tackle individual albums in long form. I know [Matos] well enough to know that he holds Sign O' the Times in the same esteem as I, but I don't know him well enough to have prepared me for the shock of recognition that came from the first of the four 'sides' his Sign book is divided into. The rest of Matos fine little book steps back for a more critical take on both the album and Prince's career in toto. Matos identifies the factors that make Sign of particular relevance. The Memphis Flyer, 6/12/04

Both a student and a fan of Prince, Matos integrates the particulars of Prince's rise to fame--including the relÓ{