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Rufus
12-02-2012, 06:53 PM
Thought i'd give Purple Rain album a spin today . I ought to play it more often and a deluxe edition is long over due ¡ His best album by a country mile IMHO !

JIF
12-02-2012, 10:37 PM
Damn it!!! Sold my copy of Purple Rain cause my male friends gave me weird looks when I told them I bought this cd.

Oreb
12-03-2012, 01:28 AM
His best album by a country mile IMHO ! It is a great album, but I'd hate to have to choose between this, Parade, Sign o' the Times and Around the World in a Day. All it's equal IMO.

If I had to choose one, I'd go with Parade. "Sometimes It Snows in April" is one of those miraculously good songs, and "Kiss", for all its over-playedness, is staggeringly clever.

His recent stuff is also pretty fine: Musicology, 3121 and Planet Earth make a very high quality trilogy.

80s were ok
12-03-2012, 01:42 AM
Damn it!!! Sold my copy of Purple Rain cause my male friends gave me weird looks when I told them I bought this cd.

You can't be serious...I'm not really a Prince fan but I can't believe anyone would sell any CD off because of what friends think?

yogibear
12-04-2012, 05:04 PM
best Prince for me is the gold experience with "sign of the times" and "1999" being a close second third but for me every album he 's done has some killer tunes. 3121 has some killer jams the one wiht the male and female symbols as the title has some wonderful tunes, Emancipation has 3 cd's of good stuff with every cd having wonderful tunage but they are all different.

Rufus
12-04-2012, 05:28 PM
Wonder what happened to Wendy & Lisa. I bought their album when The Revolution was no more . I thought it was really quite god!

Chuck AzEee!
12-04-2012, 05:38 PM
It is a great album, but I'd hate to have to choose between this, Parade, Sign o' the Times and Around the World in a Day. All it's equal IMO.

If I had to choose one, I'd go with Parade. "Sometimes It Snows in April" is one of those miraculously good songs, and "Kiss", for all its over-playedness, is staggeringly clever.

His recent stuff is also pretty fine: Musicology, 3121 and Planet Earth make a very high quality trilogy.

I agree John, I actually loved everything prior to Diamonds and Pearls and his work hasn't been the same to me since.

3LockBox
12-04-2012, 07:33 PM
He has some good songs since Sign O' The Times, but that was his last great album IMO. My fave though is Around The World In A Day. I'd love to see this get a remix.

Jerjo
12-04-2012, 08:29 PM
Yeah, Sign o' the Times was the last monster. I downloaded a torrent of several live shows months ago but I kind of forgot about it. I'll need to convert the files to wav. and check it out. There's tons of great shows out there.

GuitarGeek
12-04-2012, 08:59 PM
Purple Rain is a fantastic album. Lots of great, classic songs. I just wish they could have included the 15 minute version of Computer Blue. On the other hand, reportedly the reason they couldn't use the long version of that song was because the record company wanted to include Take Me With U on the album, which I also like, so they cut a big chunk out of Computer Blue to make that possible (actually, according to Wikipedia, Prince had already cut it down to 7 and a half minutes, before Warners forced him to cut it even further to make room for the Appolonia duet).

As for Sign O' The Times, I prefer the live versions of some of those songs over the way they appeared on the album. In particular, Sign O' The Times itself had some hellacious guitar playing in it's onstage incarnation, and there's that extended instrumental thing in I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man.

I've got a bootleg video release, taken from a Japanese TV broadcast (or maybe it was released on video in Japan, I'm not sure which) called The Undertaker. It's basically around 45 minutes of music (framed by a brief sort of conceptual story featuring a young lady who sneaks into a rehearsal) played by a power trio of Prince on guitar and vocals backed by only a drummer and bassist. Think Band Of Gypsies, and you'll have an idea of what you get here. He tends to overuse a slightly obnoxious pitch bend effect, but other than it's pretty cool. I still think it's one of the best things I've heard from him.

I also remember when he appeared on Letterman back in 94 or 95, whenever it was. Dave announces that he was going to do a song from "This album, The Gold Experience, which from what I understand will probably never be released...so it makes perfect sense he's here promoting it tonight" (this was like a year before the album finally was released, btw).

Gruno
12-04-2012, 09:08 PM
I love Purple Rain. It definitely is my favorite release from Prince.

Some fans of Purple Rain might like this:

http://www.spin.com/prince

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purplish_Rain


Purplish Rain is a compilation of Prince covers released by Spin magazine for readers of its July 2009 issue. The album contains cover versions of songs from Prince's 1984 Purple Rain album, in the same track order as the original, on the occasion of the album's 25th anniversary.

It was not a physical album and was available in its digital format up to September 30, 2009. The album cover features text in much the same font as the Purple Rain album, but with a drop of water added

"Let's Go Crazy" (Performed by Riverboat Gamblers) - 4:16
"Take Me with U" (Performed by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings) - 2:57
"The Beautiful Ones" (Performed by Fol Chen) - 5:01
"Computer Blue" (Performed by Of Montreal) - 3:14
"Darling Nikki" (Performed by Chairlift) - 5:19
"When Doves Cry" (Performed by The Twilight Singers) - 4:30
"I Would Die 4 U" (Performed by Mariachi El Bronx) - 3:24
"Baby I'm a Star" (Performed by Craig Wedren) - 4:07
"Purple Rain" (Performed by Lavender Diamond) - 4:36

I bolded the ones I rather fancy the most.


You can't be serious...I'm not really a Prince fan but I can't believe anyone would sell any CD off because of what friends think?

That is quite amazing, if true.


Wonder what happened to Wendy & Lisa. I bought their album when The Revolution was no more . I thought it was really quite god!

I believe they still have a band together and play out. In 2009, I was in a rehearsal studio with Tears For Fears and Wendy & Lisa were rehearsing in the next room. A friend of mine, Abe Laboriel Jr., was drumming for them. I hadn't seen Abe in years and we ran into each other during our breaks. He said he drums with them when he isn't with McCartney and when they have some local shows to do.


I actually loved everything prior to Diamonds and Pearls and his work hasn't been the same to me since.

Diamond & Pearls was the last complete disc I enjoyed. It wasn't until his 2009 double disc release, LOtUSFLOW3R & MPLSoUND, that I purchased new music from Prince. I thought there could be a good single disc worth of material there. It was a steal at $7.99 from Target. My faves from those releases are:

- Colonized Man
- Wall of Berlin
- Chocolate Box

Oreb
12-04-2012, 09:49 PM
Colonized Man "Colonized Mind". Great song.

GuitarGeek
12-04-2012, 09:54 PM
Wonder what happened to Wendy & Lisa. I bought their album when The Revolution was no more . I thought it was really quite god!

They've continued to work in music over the years. They've released several albums as a duo. They've also written songs and produced records for other people. They've also done a fair bit of film music and TV music (Wiki says they received an Emmy for the theme music to Nurse Jackie a couple years ago).

They produced and played on a couple albums by Wendy's brother-in-law Doyle Bramhall II. Doyle's wife, Susannah (Wendy's twin sister), was actually Prince's girlfriend during the mid 80's. Reportedly, a lot of the songs on Purple Rain, Around The World In A Day, Parade, and Sign O' The Times are about or were inspired by her.

And for what it's worth, both their fathers, Mike Melvoin (Wendy's dad) and Gary L. Coleman (Lisa's dad) were amongst the 60's era LA studio musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. So the lot of us probably all own records that have Mike and/or Gary playing on them.

Gruno
12-04-2012, 10:25 PM
"Colonized Mind". Great song.

Oops, from memory I had it as Colonized Man. Thanks for the correction! :)

JIF
12-04-2012, 10:30 PM
You can't be serious...I'm not really a Prince fan but I can't believe anyone would sell any CD off because of what friends think?Did I mention that my friends are straight males that like prog and metal?

Gruno
12-05-2012, 12:54 AM
Did I mention that my friends are straight males that like prog and metal?

Why did you feel you had to get rid of Purple Rain? If you liked the music then what does it matter what they (or anyone else) think?

Oreb
12-05-2012, 03:33 AM
Why did you feel you had to get rid of Purple Rain? Let's cut JIF a little slack - surely we've all give way to peer pressure from time to time?

dropforge
12-05-2012, 04:31 AM
Did I mention that my friends are straight males that like prog and metal?

So you were afraid they'd think you were ghey or something? You should've made them watch Purple Rain so they could Apollonia and her unbelievable rack. What a fox!

dropforge
12-05-2012, 04:31 AM
They've continued to work in music over the years. They've released several albums as a duo. They've also written songs and produced records for other people. They've also done a fair bit of film music and TV music (Wiki says they received an Emmy for the theme music to Nurse Jackie a couple years ago).

They did the music for Heroes, too.

GuitarGeek
12-05-2012, 12:50 PM
Did I mention that my friends are straight males that like prog and metal?

And probably Caucasian, too, I imagine.

Interesting that you'd phrase it in that fashion. I still think it's hilarious that, back in the 80's (maybe even today), metal and hard rock fans tended to look down on the pop music of the day, let's say the likes of Culture Club or The Cure, as "faggot music". Yet, they had no problem worshiping Judas Priest, whose lead singer we eventually found was not only gay but had cultivated an image (and by extension, the entire look of heavy metal during the 80's) derived from gay leather bars.

And that doesn't even take into account the whole androgynous image of the glam metal bands.

Tim35
12-08-2012, 06:27 PM
Sign o the Times is my favorite
album by Prince.

Mick
12-09-2012, 01:28 PM
OK, my wife Pat just went wild... she has always been a HUGE Prince fan and quickly turned me onto his deeper tracks and the lesser known Prince releases... just as I've instilled her with more appreciation of my own varied musical tastes.
Try... 21 nights in London, The Black Album (originally a bootleg),
One night alone in Vegas or The Vault,
as each contains gems of brilliance surrounded by stellar arrangements from a cavalcade of top flight musicians on each of these releases. Sign o' the Times is merely the most heard.
IMO, Prince DVDs render an appreciation of all of Princes' many talents at the same time... his music, lyrics, singing, phenominal playing, choreography and the overall stage presence of individuals within his band... are all designed to completely entertain any audience under his influence.
Ya gotta give him credit... even if he's more "pop/blues/jazz" than prog... he's GREAT at what he does.

GuitarGeek
12-09-2012, 07:46 PM
Another thing I wish he'd release on DVD was the old Prince And The Revolution Live VHS release. This was a concert in, I think, Syracuse, NY, recorded on the Purple Rain tour. The version of Purple Rain is something like 18 minutes, with most of it being him playing guitar solos. I seem to recall most of the other songs were pretty good too. But I don't think it's ever been reissued.

JIF
04-08-2013, 01:21 AM
And probably Caucasian, too, I imagine.

Interesting that you'd phrase it in that fashion. I still think it's hilarious that, back in the 80's (maybe even today), metal and hard rock fans tended to look down on the pop music of the day, let's say the likes of Culture Club or The Cure, as "faggot music". Yet, they had no problem worshiping Judas Priest, whose lead singer we eventually found was not only gay but had cultivated an image (and by extension, the entire look of heavy metal during the 80's) derived from gay leather bars.

And that doesn't even take into account the whole androgynous image of the glam metal bands.I've had friends that make fun of me for liking Bon Jovi.

trurl
04-08-2013, 10:22 AM
I've had friends that make fun of me for liking Bon Jovi.

And rightly so ;) Nah, just kidding.

JIF
04-08-2013, 10:13 PM
And rightly so ;) Nah, just kidding.Speaking of which, I had one friend in grade school thought that Bon Jovi was good. Then, he thought they sucked when Beavis and Butthead started making fun of them.

yogibear
04-08-2013, 10:41 PM
purple rain is over rated. "the black album" or is that "dirty mind" is the best one of this period.;)

JIF
04-08-2013, 10:42 PM
purple rain is over rated. the black album is the best one of this period.;)I've been trying to hear the original version of I Feel For You, but it's not on YouTube.

GuitarGeek
04-08-2013, 10:45 PM
purple rain is over rated. "the black album" or is that "dirty mind" is the best one of this period.;)

The Black Album and Dirty Mind are two completely different albums, recorded nearly a decade apart, if I remember correctly.

GuitarGeek
04-08-2013, 10:45 PM
I've been trying to hear the original version of I Feel For You, but it's not on YouTube.

It's nothing special, imagine the Chaka Khan version, but with Prince singing the vocal falsetto, without the twists and turns of the Chaka Khan arrangement, and most definitely without Stevie Wonder's harmonica.

Dana5140
04-09-2013, 11:12 AM
I thought that Wendy and Lisa's first two records were excellent, and their soundtrack work since is quite good. They are also married to each other:

From an interview at http://www.out.com/entertainment/2009/04/16/revolution-will-be-harmonized

"Why did the two of you decide to keep working together after you left the Revolution?
Wendy: We were married and I was her biggest fan. Everything that she played broke my heart and still does and I wanna own it and covet it and make it mine.
Lisa: [Laughs at that] Yeah, we're chained together. We're shackled. No, I love Wendy. We've known each other our entire lives practically. Once she was finally hired into Prince's band, it was like a dream for me. I had fallen in love with Wendy, my childhood friend, and suddenly we were looking at each other differently, but I had to leave on the road all the time. It was always just torture. Finally Prince met Wendy and there was some trouble with the other guitar player [Dez Dickerson], and providence moved in such a way that Wendy ended up on the road with us.

Was the image you projected in Purple Rain a function of who the two of you were together? Or did it come from Prince, or the director?
Wendy: I don't think the director had anything to do with it. I think Prince saw us as the couple that we were and used that relationship to add more mystery to him. And I think Lisa and I were willing to go there because at that time we felt mysterious. We were young and it was the thing, so we went with it, not knowing what the result of that would mean or imply later in life. We didn't think about it in those terms. We just thought, Wow, this is cool!

Before we continue, I have to ask: Have you come out before? Is this it?
Wendy: We've never done a 'Let's come out' interview. We've never been in the closet, but we never said, 'Let's get an interview with The Advocate. Let's get an interview with Out.' I didn't want to be a lesbian musician. I felt really uncomfortable with that role. I was already fighting, being a guitar player in a man's world and to have that on top of it -- Lisa and I were so very married at the time, it just didn't seem like something I could handle.
Lisa: With Prince and the Revolution, I think that it was just taken for granted that we were supposed to be the gay reps in the band. [Laughs] The blacks, the whites, the gays. And people would say, 'Gee, do you think this lesbian thing is going to work for them?' [Everyone laughs] So, after the band kind of split up, the record labels would be like, 'You need to be wearing fur coats and sitting on motorcycles and long fingernails . . .'
Wendy: It was just horseshit.
Lisa: 'And why don't you wear that lingerie like you used to?'
Wendy: Which I never did.
Lisa: I did.
Wendy: But you wore it in a very different way.
Lisa: Yeah, it was more punk, like a fuck-you thing, not, 'I'm a sexy girl.'"

Scott Bails
04-09-2013, 11:17 AM
Lisa: Yeah, it was more punk, like a fuck-you thing, not, 'I'm a sexy girl.'"

Ahem. I beg to differ. :)

The Fantastic Progo Rican
04-09-2013, 11:25 AM
Did I mention that my friends are straight males that like prog and metal?

And your point is?

Chris Kemp
04-09-2013, 04:41 PM
Wonder what happened to Wendy & Lisa. I bought their album when The Revolution was no more . I thought it was really quite god!

They do all the music for the Keefer Sutherland TV series, "Touch". And it's quite good. Fits the somewhat unusual mood of the series quite well.

JIF
04-09-2013, 10:30 PM
And your point is?My point is(if you must know), that they would make fun of me if I bought a Prince CD. I mean the guy can't tell if he's black, white, gay, or straight.

Mick
04-09-2013, 10:53 PM
they would make fun of me if I bought a Prince CD. I mean the guy can't tell that he black, white, gay, or straight.

Your "friends" also probably couldn't tell that he could compose (a lot), choreograph, sing, play a mean guitar, keys and drums AND entertain huge audiences who were black, white, gay AND straight.... or because he is a brilliant business man, he was also pretty successful at it.
It's funny how people make fun of the things they can't understand.

JIF
04-09-2013, 10:56 PM
Your "friends" also probably couldn't tell that he could compose (a lot), choreograph, sing, play a mean guitar, keys and drums AND entertain huge audiences who were black, white, gay AND straight.... or because he is a brilliant business man, he was also pretty successful at it.
It's funny how people make fun of the things they can't understand.Btw(even though I'm not much of a Prince), did you notice how I slipped in some of the lyrics to Controversy in there?

Father Tiresias
04-09-2013, 10:59 PM
Not just Prince's finest album but one of the best releases of the 80's. A true masterpiece that sounds every bit as great today as it did in 1984.

Digital_Man
04-09-2013, 11:08 PM
Purple Rain is a classic and believe it or not has a few prog moves imo such as the title track and "computer blue." I saw Prince on this tour and it was great. He jerked off his guitar and sat in a bathtub. I played "parade" once and really liked it. I need to get most of his other early albums. I had a few on cassette tape way back when.

GuitarGeek
04-09-2013, 11:35 PM
Purple Rain is a classic and believe it or not has a few prog moves imo such as the title track and "computer blue."

Apart from the strings at the end of Purple Rain itself, I don't hear anything "prog" about it. A great song, with some very emotive guitar work, but really just a power ballad.

Computer Blue, I see what you mean, but it's really two songs combined. You've got the vocal thing, and then you've got the instrumental thing at the end, which was actually written by Prince's father. If you watch the movie, there's a bit where Clarence Williams III (playing The Kid's father) is shown miming a solo piano version (which is obviously being played on a Yamaha CP-70, though Williams is shown playing a conventional upright piano) of the instrumental section. That's apparently how Prince's father actually conceived the piece.

Now, here's where things get interesting: there's a number of outtake versions of Computer Blue. Apparently, it was originally around 15 minutes long, though I think the last two minutes or so was just crazy noise guitar (a bit of which was used for the segue between Computer Blue and Darling Nikki on the album). At one point, the song had been edited down to around seven and a half minutes, and that was going to be the version that was going to be on the album. That is, until Warners decided they had to make room on the record for Take Me With U (which wasn't originally going to be part of the Purple Rain album), so Prince had to edit Computer Blue down to something like 4 minutes or whatever it is on the record.

I think I've heard a couple different versions of Computer Blue over the years. One had an additional verse during the vocal section of the song and the instrumental section went on a bit longer. One version had either Lisa or Wendy doing this spoken word thing about the "poor lonely computer" and how it didn't understand "that love and lust are both four letter words, but they don't mean the same thing" or something like that. Another had Prince doing a different spoken word bit, about different rooms of a house representing different emotions, or words to that effect. And there's a couple other bits and pieces that they slip in and out of like. Not really what I'd call "prog", but maybe a form of "progressive dance music". Or something like that.

Dana5140
04-10-2013, 07:39 AM
If you now get the DVD of Purple Rain, there is an extra on it, with Prince and the Revolution playing live a combined I Would Die For You/ Baby, I'm a Star that is exciting beyond belief. The band plays to heights it rarely ever reached, and it comes pretty close to prog in a few places, notably where Prince moves to keyboards, and vamps with Wendy, who is clearly working hard- has to be seen, believe me. I only wish they put it on youtube, but he is careful in guarding his product. Runs around 15 minutes long, was recorded at an MTV party.

Mick
04-10-2013, 07:49 AM
I agree with Dana that experiencing Prince on his DVDs is the way to really appreciate his talents.
He does a great Zeppelin arrangement on "Live at the Aladdin" (from Vegas).
She was also correct about how Prince now gaurds his product, very smart man!

Father Tiresias
04-10-2013, 02:13 PM
I've always really loved the beginning of Take Me With You - a very unique and small 'p' progressive start of a song.

Dana5140
04-10-2013, 02:36 PM
She's a he, Mick. :-)

Scott Bails
04-10-2013, 02:38 PM
I'm sure that's not the first time he's heard that. ;):p

Mick
04-10-2013, 07:10 PM
She's a he, Mick. :-)
Sorry to hear that...lol. NOW I know 4 Danas... two are girls, the other one was Dana Andrews.
Good to see some other Prince appreciaters here tho'.

scags
04-10-2013, 08:15 PM
Tons o' talent. I generally hate band playing the Super Bowl, but seeing him in the rain was pretty special.

JIF
04-14-2013, 10:58 PM
Realizing my mistake, I repurchased Purple Rain at Barnes & Noble. Since it was cheap, I also got 1999. I became interested in the music of Prince while watching 100 Greatest Artists Of Rock And Roll on VH1, which was hosted by Kevin Bacon. Nice to hear people like Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend speak so highly of him. Also, it's good that Prince doesn't put limits on his music.

GuitarGeek
04-14-2013, 11:19 PM
Also, it's good that Prince doesn't put limits on his music.

It can be frustrating though. You gotta wade through a certain amount of allegedly "sexy" songs to get to the good uncut funk. And if you dig his guitar work, as I do, it can be maddening when you realize, for instance, that the really guitar work on the live version of Sign O' The Times doesn't exist on the studio version (or that some of his albums are relatively devoid of guitar heroics). And then when he finally does do a guitar heavy album (ie The Undertaker), it goes unreleased, and when you finally do find a bootlegged copy, you realize he uses this slightly obnoxious pitch bend effect on a couple of the solos.

But hey, at least he "shows no signs of caving in to conservatism" (as one news reporter once described Freddie Mercury).

JIF
04-14-2013, 11:32 PM
It can be frustrating though. You gotta wade through a certain amount of allegedly "sexy" songs to get to the good uncut funk. And if you dig his guitar work, as I do, it can be maddening when you realize, for instance, that the really guitar work on the live version of Sign O' The Times doesn't exist on the studio version (or that some of his albums are relatively devoid of guitar heroics). And then when he finally does do a guitar heavy album (ie The Undertaker), it goes unreleased, and when you finally do find a bootlegged copy, you realize he uses this slightly obnoxious pitch bend effect on a couple of the solos.

But hey, at least he "shows no signs of caving in to conservatism" (as one news reporter once described Freddie Mercury).I don't mind "sexy" songs. That's something that can be playing with your making love to a woman.

GuitarGeek
04-15-2013, 12:40 AM
I don't mind "sexy" songs. That's something that can be playing with your making love to a woman.

I dunno, I'm not sure I'd play something Erotic City in front of a woman, certainly not one I'm trying to seduce.

FrippWire
04-15-2013, 01:35 AM
As great as Purple Rain is, I prefer Dirty Mind and Around The World In A Day.

yogibear
04-15-2013, 05:38 PM
I dunno, I'm not sure I'd play something Erotic City in front of a woman, certainly not one I'm trying to seduce.have you seen the lyrics to the song? its a song about a club in minneapolis area called Erotic City. but again most of his songs are all double entendre type stuff. when they say "we can fuck until the dawn" its actually "we can funk until the dawn".

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/prince/..._20111163.html. erotic city lyrics with double entendre lyrics funk and fuck. lol

GuitarGeek
04-15-2013, 06:20 PM
have you seen the lyrics to the song? its a song about a club in minneapolis area called Erotic City. but again most of his songs are all double entendre type stuff. when they say "we can fuck until the dawn" its actually "we can funk until the dawn".


Allegedly, that's what they're singing. I don't think I've ever heard a definitive answer on what it is. On the Sheila E. Unsung show, one of the interviewees was a DJ who said he really wished that it was "funk until the dawn" because he wanted to play that song on the air.

And certainly, Erotic City isn't the only song of it's kind in Prince's catalog. Some of them are more blatantly "naughty" than others, but it can be a bit of a minefield for those sensitive to such things. On the other hand, I still can't believe Tipper Gore got upset over the line "masturbating with a magazine". I guess I can see the point that you want to shield your younger kids from such things, but uh, that's the job of the parent to monitor such things, not the job of the Brain Police to tell you about.

beano
04-15-2013, 07:29 PM
One of the best"THEATRICAL" concerts I ever saw, Prince in the round at The Nassau coliseum in 1988...W/ Sheila E on drums/percussion too...

JIF
04-15-2013, 10:09 PM
Allegedly, that's what they're singing. I don't think I've ever heard a definitive answer on what it is. On the Sheila E. Unsung show, one of the interviewees was a DJ who said he really wished that it was "funk until the dawn" because he wanted to play that song on the air.

And certainly, Erotic City isn't the only song of it's kind in Prince's catalog. Some of them are more blatantly "naughty" than others, but it can be a bit of a minefield for those sensitive to such things. On the other hand, I still can't believe Tipper Gore got upset over the line "masturbating with a magazine". I guess I can see the point that you want to shield your younger kids from such things, but uh, that's the job of the parent to monitor such things, not the job of the Brain Police to tell you about.I just find the whole PMRC thing a joke. I mean, c'mon!! What was Tipper so busy doing that she couldn't monitor her daughter's music purchases? How many parents in the '80s would let their kids(read 12 and under) listen to Prince? Would kids even understand what he's singing? Btw, I just remembered something. I blame PE for me selling my old copy of Purple Rain. When I started a Prince thread on the old board, people just said that he sucked and he wasn't prog.

JIF
04-16-2013, 06:31 AM
And probably Caucasian, too, I imagine.

Interesting that you'd phrase it in that fashion. I still think it's hilarious that, back in the 80's (maybe even today), metal and hard rock fans tended to look down on the pop music of the day, let's say the likes of Culture Club or The Cure, as "faggot music". Yet, they had no problem worshiping Judas Priest, whose lead singer we eventually found was not only gay but had cultivated an image (and by extension, the entire look of heavy metal during the 80's) derived from gay leather bars.

And that doesn't even take into account the whole androgynous image of the glam metal bands.I love The Cure, and don't think they're queer at all. I mean The New York Dolls and Poison also wore makeup.

JIF
04-16-2013, 06:57 AM
Your "friends" also probably couldn't tell that he could compose (a lot), choreograph, sing, play a mean guitar, keys and drums AND entertain huge audiences who were black, white, gay AND straight.... or because he is a brilliant business man, he was also pretty successful at it.
It's funny how people make fun of the things they can't understand.Come to think of it, these people weren't my friends after all(they made fun of me a lot).

JIF
10-07-2013, 12:00 AM
that "dirty mind" is the best one of this period.;)Glad you agree. I got that for $5(used) at FYE today.

JIF
10-07-2013, 12:01 AM
As great as Purple Rain is, I prefer Dirty Mind and Around The World In A Day.Score another for Dirty Mind.

JKL2000
10-08-2013, 02:30 PM
It's ok, dudes. I'm not gay. I listen to stuff like Manowar and Poison!

GuitarGeek
10-08-2013, 03:42 PM
It's ok, dudes. I'm not gay. I listen to stuff like Manowar and Poison!

You understand that the second statement doesn't actually contradict the first. In fact, I'm more inclined to believe that if you're listening to Manowar on a regular basis, or more likely to be a severely closeted homosexual. I mean, those guys are trying waaaaaaay too hard to prove their masculinity. And to this day, I'm still not sure if they're in on the joke or not.

trurl
10-08-2013, 03:50 PM
Listening to Prince doesn't make you gay!



Well, unless it somehow infuses you with a desire to have sex with other men, then I guess it pretty much does.

JIF
10-08-2013, 10:12 PM
It's ok, dudes. I'm not gay. I listen to stuff like Manowar and Poison!


You understand that the second statement doesn't actually contradict the first. In fact, I'm more inclined to believe that if you're listening to Manowar on a regular basis, or more likely to be a severely closeted homosexual. I mean, those guys are trying waaaaaaay too hard to prove their masculinity. And to this day, I'm still not sure if they're in on the joke or not.


Listening to Prince doesn't make you gay!



Well, unless it somehow infuses you with a desire to have sex with other men, then I guess it pretty much does.What!!? this thread has taken a wrong turn.

GuitarGeek
10-08-2013, 10:19 PM
Listening to Prince doesn't make you gay!

.

Listening to Prince won't make you gay. But if you're one of those types who hangs out in gay clubs, you're likely to hear Prince quite often (or at least I would assume, a lot of his 80's hits strike me as the kind of things that still get dance floor airtime). I'm not sure if that's like one of those Jeff Foxworthy things or not...ya know, "You might be gay if you hang out at a place where the DJ still plays 1999, Let's Go Crazy and Raspberry Beret"

(and somewhere, there's a joke hinging on David Bowie's DJ hiding, but I'm not sure where it is)

GuitarGeek
10-08-2013, 10:20 PM
What!!? this thread has taken a wrong turn.

The wrong turn was not when we started discussing whether listening to Prince makes you gay, but when we agreed to participate in this ridiculous forum.

JIF
01-09-2014, 05:35 AM
Dug out Purple Rain tonight. Damn, didn't realize until now how long the title track is.

GuitarGeek
01-09-2014, 01:13 PM
Dug out Purple Rain tonight. Damn, didn't realize until now how long the title track is.

The actual performance that track is derived from is even longer. The intro goes on a bit longer, and there was an additional verse that Prince decided to cut from the song. When they played it on the Purple Rain tour, it was even longer, the version on the old Prince And The Revolution Live VHS release is nearly 17 minutes long, with a long intro, two guitar solos before the vocals, then a loooooong guitar solo on the ride out.

2ndsout
01-09-2014, 02:11 PM
For what it's worth, I recall in an interview with Dan Neer who interviewed Phil Collins back in 1985 for the "Collins on Collins" Interview Vinyl- that Phil got the drum beat inspiration for "Sussudio" from Prince's "1999". He sampled the drums from the song in the Linn Drum Machine and went from there.

JKL2000
01-09-2014, 02:33 PM
It's ok, dudes. I'm not gay. I listen to stuff like Manowar and Poison!


You understand that the second statement doesn't actually contradict the first.

Yeah, that was the idea.

I was reading some kind of recent-ish interview with Thomas Dolby where he says he's disappointed that Prince and David Bowie sort of abandoned their more melodic songwriting and relied too much on rhythm. Kind of a strange statement since he hardly released ANY music for so long. But he felt musicians/songwriters who were capable of writing strong melodies were sort of beholden to do so, because it's a rare talent.

JKL2000
01-09-2014, 02:34 PM
For what it's worth, I recall in an interview with Dan Neer who interviewed Phil Collins back in 1985 for the "Collins on Collins" Interview Vinyl- that Phil got the drum beat inspiration for "Sussudio" from Prince's "1999".

So what you're saying is Prince ruined Genesis?

2ndsout
01-09-2014, 08:34 PM
So what you're saying is Prince ruined Genesis?

No- I think it is the other way around. Prince ruined Phil Collins. ;)

davis
01-10-2014, 01:48 PM
I don't like any Prince songs that I've heard, which include "Purple Rain," "When Doves Cry", '1999' 'Little Red Corvette' and 'Rasberry Beret'. Am I missing something?

2ndsout
01-10-2014, 02:00 PM
I don't like any Prince songs that I've heard, which include "Purple Rain," "When Doves Cry", '1999' 'Little Red Corvette' and 'Rasberry Beret'. Am I missing something?

What about "Let's Go Crazy"... that's always a good tune...

davis
01-10-2014, 02:14 PM
I love "Let's Go Crazy" by The Clash. not sure I've heard Prince's.... well, I just heard a live version on YT. it's okay. I wouldn't buy it.

klothos
01-10-2014, 02:49 PM
As great as Purple Rain is, I prefer Dirty Mind and Around The World In A Day......

+1 Dirty Mind and Controversy are my favorite Prince albums...I also like his eponymous second album

2ndsout
01-10-2014, 03:25 PM
I love "Let's Go Crazy" by The Clash. not sure I've heard Prince's.... well, I just heard a live version on YT. it's okay. I wouldn't buy it.

Two completely different songs in Two completely different genres of music.

davis
01-10-2014, 09:56 PM
Two completely different songs in Two completely different genres of music.

and.....?

Klonk
01-10-2014, 10:05 PM
Can't stand this guy, but he's a pretty damn good guitar player.

JIF
01-11-2014, 02:12 AM
and.....?The Clash and Prince are in two completely different musical universes. That's like us taking about Led Zepplin, and you saying that you have never heard a Led Zepplin song, but I love Rock And Roll Part 2 by Garry Glitter. What's the point? What's that have to do with anything?

davis
01-14-2014, 10:33 AM
The Clash and Prince are in two completely different musical universes. That's like us taking about Led Zepplin, and you saying that you have never heard a Led Zepplin song, but I love Rock And Roll Part 2 by Garry Glitter. What's the point? What's that have to do with anything?

just that 2 songs that have the same title. Be easy, JIF, my social skills are fractured.

I'm on sort of a mission to find at least one Prince song that I really like.

Mick
01-14-2014, 12:21 PM
In defense of Davis, finding a Prince song "that he likes" reminded me of how my wife turned ME onto Prince around 2003 after I had previously only heard songs which I didn't care much for either.
Firstly, one needs to be less miopic when crossing genres, so a love for more than one kind of music is mandatory. I like prog, rock, classical, jazz, swing and many other forms of music, so the first part was easy. Prince was progressive in HIS world whenever he crossed into jazz, prog or rock with his sexual innuendos, all under well diguised danceable music. The man has many talents, and "Live at the Aladdin" DVD was where we started... after that, I found that his deeper cuts had more merit than I ever gave him credit... and I always look forward to his guitar work.
I put Prince up there with Zappa, with a very similar love OR hate public, and huge followings from those that delved deeper into their creative minds. Yes, Prince is flamboyant on stage... so what?

JIF
01-14-2014, 09:22 PM
just that 2 songs that have the same title. Be easy, JIF, my social skills are fractured.

I'm on sort of a mission to find at least one Prince song that I really like.That's okay. Mine are too, and still people on here give me a hard time. Btw, good luck on finding a Prince song that you like. Don't use YouTube to help you. Not many of his songs are on there.

davis
01-15-2014, 11:49 AM
Yes, Prince is flamboyant on stage... so what?

isn't that part of the point? he's an entertainer


good luck on finding a Prince song that you like. Don't use YouTube to help you. Not many of his songs are on there.

thanks for the warning. I've looked there and figured he doesn't do much for me cause most of his music is dance music. I love music that has a great beat but isn't necessarily dance music (e.g., RL Burnside 'It's Bad You Know' or Steely Dan 'Showbiz Kids'). I'll check some Amazon samples.

klothos
01-15-2014, 12:02 PM
Can't stand this guy, but he's a pretty damn good guitar player.

There has always been a rumor that Jesse Johnson actually did a lot of Prince's recorded guitar solos when needed, including "Lets Go Crazy".......If true, its one of the best guarded secrets out there. While I don't put a lot of credence into rumors, I am familiar with a lot of Jesse Johnson's work - from The Time to his solo career (including 90s and 00s) - and when I hear the ending solo on "Let's Go Crazy", it does indeed sound like Jesse Johnson's work

GuitarGeek
01-15-2014, 01:33 PM
There has always been a rumor that Jesse Johnson actually did a lot of Prince's recorded guitar solos when needed, including "Lets Go Crazy".......If true, its one of the best guarded secrets out there. While I don't put a lot of credence into rumors, I am familiar with a lot of Jesse Johnson's work - from The Time to his solo career (including 90s and 00s) - and when I hear the ending solo on "Let's Go Crazy", it does indeed sound like Jesse Johnson's work

Except that there's plenty of live footage of Prince playing his own guitar solos, which suggests that using a deputy in the studio would be redundant.

I'm not familiar with Johnson's solo work, but I had the understanding that on most of The Time records, at least the original bunch that came out in the first half of the 80's, it's actually Prince playing most of the instruments on the records.

klothos
01-15-2014, 01:51 PM
Except that there's plenty of live footage of Prince playing his own guitar solos, which suggests that using a deputy in the studio would be redundant.

I'm not familiar with Johnson's solo work, but I had the understanding that on most of The Time records, at least the original bunch that came out in the first half of the 80's, it's actually Prince playing most of the instruments on the records.

Ive looked at some of his live guitar footage over the years and there are times when it looks sync'd (just sayin')

and, yeah, I heard he recorded a bunch of The Time's music but that doesnt necessarily mean he played every instrument

By the way, Jesse Johnson is a phenomenal guitarist

EDIT: Like I said: its just a rumor (albeit, a good one!) so I have no grounds to debate it :) But Im very familar with Jesse's work (His album "Bare My Naked Soul" is a very good funk-heavy rock album if ya ever get a chance to listen to it). I can make comparisons in phrasing and technique from songs like Prince's "Lets Go Crazy", the loooong guitar solo on The Time's "Jungle Love", to his playing in the 90s and 00s and, by golly, they all sound like the same guy :D

davis
01-15-2014, 06:52 PM
I've just listened to all the 'Sign of the Times' album samples @Amazon. From what I've heard/read, that album/CD is considered one of his best. I recognize why that's the case. The cat is brilliant at what he does. the one sample I liked was 'The Cross.' on this album, Prince is way too commercial for me. If he's done other albums that are less so, point me to them.

Blah_Blah_Woof_Woof
01-15-2014, 08:13 PM
The general tenor of this discussion shows a dislike and a dismissal of the artist. Calling his music 'dance music' suggests that this is a subpar genre and is a limited description for his body of work. Calling him 'flamboyant' and just an entertainer hints at a slur and is condescending. Saying you can't find a song to like tells us nothing except you don't like him; it adds nothing.

The only slight that I can make of Prince is that, as clever and talented as he is, has not been an influential figure relative to his standing in music of the last thirty years. I feel fortunate to have seen him several times and own a lot of his music. He never disappoints. Great songwriter, great band leader, great arranger, great musician. He has brought a lot of joy (and funk) into my life.

JIF
01-15-2014, 09:28 PM
thanks for the warning. I've looked there and figured he doesn't do much for me cause most of his music is dance music. I love music that has a great beat but isn't necessarily dance music (e.g., RL Burnside 'It's Bad You Know' or Steely Dan 'Showbiz Kids'). I'll check some Amazon samples.Try 1999 or Purple Rain. Those run the gamut from soul, funk, punk, disco, rock, and new wave. Purple Rain is very rock based.

Tim35
01-16-2014, 01:24 AM
I used to play the concert movie "Sign O The Times" on VHS all the time. It has massive energy. The music is Funky, jazzy, and it rocked.

Sign O The Times is my favorite Prince album. 2nd favorite is Purple Rain.

davis
01-16-2014, 08:45 AM
The general tenor of this discussion shows a dislike and a dismissal of the artist. Calling his music 'dance music' suggests that this is a subpar genre and is a limited description for his body of work. Calling him 'flamboyant' and just an entertainer hints at a slur and is condescending. Saying you can't find a song to like tells us nothing except you don't like him; it adds nothing..

After I said he's brilliant at what he does? Surely your tongue is in your cheek.
I called his stuff 'dance music' cause that's what it sounds like to me. there's nothing wrong with dance music; It's not my thing, but a whole lotta people love it. no dismissal, no problem.
'Flamboyant' from Merriam-Webster: 'marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful display or behavior <a flamboyant performer>.' it's a fitting adjective for Prince when he's on stage. no slur or condescension at all.
if nothing else, I bring a counterpoint to the discussion. I don't 'get' Prince, so I'm here out of curiosity.

Jerjo
01-16-2014, 09:44 AM
That's fine. I don't get Zappa, which tends to freak all kinds of freaks out.

Mick
01-18-2014, 01:04 PM
'Flamboyant' from Merriam-Webster: 'marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful display or behavior <a flamboyant performer>.' it's a fitting adjective for Prince when he's on stage. no slur or condescension at all.
if nothing else, I bring a counterpoint to the discussion. I don't 'get' Prince, so I'm here out of curiosity.

I never "got" Prince either.. until about ten years ago. This being a 90% male forum, I'm not surprised by some reactions to a Prince thread... however, the girls "got" it... because he aims directly at a more female following, with lyrics, outfits, gestures and his live presentations... while his musical talents as a guitarist, pianist, drummer or vocalist are eventually more appreciated across the board. His flamboyance is no different to Elton John or Liberace as an attention getter, other than Prince is not gay... which is probably the main obstacle to overcome when masculine listeners get their first impression of him.
Just as Kiss had their make-up, Jagger had his tongue, Elvis had his hips, the Beatles had mop-tops... all were to attract attention, so once you can get past their gimmicks, solid musical talent supercedes the hype.
He IS first and foremost.... a brilliant entertainer. He is also an extremely adept business man!
I'm sure he could care less if some people don't like him... because he's not aiming at them.

trurl
01-18-2014, 02:33 PM
+1 Dirty Mind and Controversy are my favorite Prince albums...I also like his eponymous second album

QFT

JIF
01-18-2014, 09:24 PM
QFTYou're a Prince fan, Fred?

3LockBox
01-18-2014, 10:21 PM
I used to play the concert movie "Sign O The Times" on VHS all the time. It has massive energy.. Oddly enough, Prince won't release it for DVD or BluRry. But I agree, it is a great concert movie.

trurl
01-18-2014, 11:03 PM
You're a Prince fan, Fred?

I haven't really delved into his catalog deeply but I like a lot of his stuff. I am definitely a fan of the records up to Purple Rain which didn't do so much for me. The Live At The Aladdin video is one of the sickest things I've ever seen. That band was incredible.

JIF
01-18-2014, 11:08 PM
I am definitely a fan of the records up to Purple Rain which didn't do so much for me.so, you don't like Purple, but you like 1999 and Dirty Mind? I'm just asking because those are the only three Prince CDs that I own.

trurl
01-19-2014, 12:17 AM
so, you don't like Purple, but you like 1999 and Dirty Mind? I'm just asking because those are the only three Prince CDs that I own.

Yes, although I like 1999 slightly less. Controversy is my favorite, Dirty Mind probably 2nd. If you don't have Controversy I would say get it for sure if you like the others.

JIF
01-19-2014, 12:20 AM
Yes, although I like 1999 slightly less. Controversy is my favorite, Dirty Mind probably 2nd. If you don't have Controversy I would say get it for sure if you like the others.I am kinda opposite of you. I love 1999 and Purple Rain, but I like Dirty Mind less. Too dancy.

davis
01-21-2014, 09:44 AM
Try 1999 or Purple Rain. Those run the gamut from soul, funk, punk, disco, rock, and new wave. Purple Rain is very rock based.

1999 is the most tolerable set of samples I've heard. even heard a couple of samples where I wouldn't mind hearing the rest of the song. i.e, Delirious, DMSR, & All The Critics... those samples contain very little of his falsetto singing, which is a plus.
Purple Rain: Let's Go Crazy is okay. TBO is annoying cause of that falsetto, yet I like it because of what he does with the falsetto. I like the weird vocal shit on Darling Nikki. the title song is really pretty. I've decided that this cat's music is more palatable for me w/o video. I hated the 'When Doves Cry" video, but w/o that I like the music better.
Is there a lot of weird stuff going on with keyboards or guitar or both? seems like I heard some really interesting/strange things going on within an otherwise very commercial setting.

davis
01-21-2014, 10:11 AM
^^ just went through the Dirty Mind samples. It sounds to me like 8 singles with falsetto singing. For people that like that, it's probably a great album. I have no desire to hear more of it.

frinspar
11-23-2019, 11:11 AM
I'm 1999% sure my wife got me the 1999 special edition CD/DVD set for Christmas.
Been a huge fan since I was 11 or 12, still have my LPs and tapes.

I once paid $20 to get into an after concert party. It was at some shitkicker bar, and Prince and his then-wife showed up about 2 hours late. They made a 5-second appearance on the second-floor balcony, waved, smiled and left. :lol

GuitarGeek
11-23-2019, 03:55 PM
I'm 1999% sure my wife got me the 1999 special edition CD/DVD set for Christmas.
Been a huge fan since I was 11 or 12, still have my LPs and tapes.

I once paid $20 to get into an after concert party. It was at some shitkicker bar, and Prince and his then-wife showed up about 2 hours late. They made a 5-second appearance on the second-floor balcony, waved, smiled and left. :lol

I remember someone telling me a similar story. Back in the 80's, Prince would go out and find clubs where he could keep on playing. I remember seeing a video fo him playing in some club somewhere, and after show thing, and Ron Wood was jamming with him. They were doing Miss You.

frinspar
11-24-2019, 12:36 AM
I remember someone telling me a similar story. Back in the 80's, Prince would go out and find clubs where he could keep on playing. I remember seeing a video fo him playing in some club somewhere, and after show thing, and Ron Wood was jamming with him. They were doing Miss You.

That's how I got convinced to go by my friend, expecting to see him play. But at least she bought the beers. :lol