Prince has spent his third millennium selling records by every means except for content. Planet Earth was, essentially, a clever way to sell out concert dates; it was famously included with copies of Britain’s The Mail on Sunday in advance of a seven-week residency at London’s O2 Arena. The CD was also included with the ticket, which came in handy for referring to the songs he wouldn’t play. “Guitar” got the live treatment; it was the leadoff single, and it pairs U2’s latter-day rock sense with Bono’s famous sense of humor. Why wouldn’t it get paired with “Take Me With U”?

To his credit, Prince beefs up his arrangements, especially compared to the last few records. Instead of the standard MPLS treatment, “Chelsea Rodgers” is legit disco, with Prince ceding a good chunk of mic duty to Shelby J. It’s still a Momus-style song portrait on a bigger budget, but it’s sweet. Plus, all the handclaps and frantic horn charts disguise the pedestrian melody. The rest of the record doesn’t have this kind of cover. “Planet Earth” has the distinction of being overstuffed and undercooked, with hokey synth tone and electric sitar and a rawkin’ solo competing to hit you the hardest with the message. “Lion Of Judah” offers an interesting kernel — the superstar as avenging angel — but slaps it on a Morrissey MIDI. Were it not for the creative accounting, the return of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman to the fold would have been the lede. But of Prince’s compatriots, only Morris Day could’ve knocked this thing closer to the proper axis.