RIP Prince

[Fresh_Start]

Some may have disliked his music, his style or his eccentricities.

In the early 1980s, musical ability seemed to take a back seat to everything else.  Prince had everything else covered plus the talent - singing, performing and often overlooked guitar work.

IMHO Jimi Hendrix would've loved Prince's stage moves in "Little Red Corvette" (can't find video on YouTube - ARGH!)

While the movie "Purple Rain" may not be your favorite, the video for "When Doves Cry" is a classic from the time MTV was born.

And it seems appropriate to listen to "Purple Rain" right about now.
https://youtu.be/F8BMm6Jn6oU

Some rectal aperture - almost certainly with a law degree - appears to have taken down all of Prince's official music videos.  Double ARGH!!!

This is a little weird, but Prince demonstrates his chops on this version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
https://youtu.be/6SFNW5F8K9Y

Chip

P.S. the fact that he was exactly the same age as I am creeps me out...

[DummyLoad]

RIP. 


--pete

[2deaf]

I'm starting to feel all alone in this world with all of my heroes dropping like flies.

P.S. the fact that he was exactly the same age as I am creeps me out...

Six years my junior creeps me out even more.  Chyna was eighteen years younger than me.

[John]

Prince was under rated as a musician, IMO. I always liked his stuff, and thought his guitar had a pretty unique voice to it. Not one of my "heroes", but then I don't have any, anyway. ;)

[Fresh_Start]

Prince also was a prolific songwriter.  This Chris Cornell cover of "Nothing Compares to You" is cool:

Chip

[P Batty]

His guitar playing was only the tip of the iceberg:

https://www.facebook.com/dmlady/posts/10210286123007503

[MoparWade]

 

[Willabe]

 

[Madison]

Living in Minneapolis for nearly a decade in the heyday, it was hard not to be a fan!
Or, run into a connection.



I used to frequent the bar , 1st Avenue, where the Purple Rain movie was filmed.
It was a great place to see bands and just hang.
Had a great dance floor too, after hours.



I really think he didn't like being compared to Hendrix, he was way to funky.


I didn't realize what a great guitar player he was until later.


I always knew he was a great song writer, look at all the people that have covered him or he gave a kick start too!
I bought the cassette of "Dirty Mind" and still like a lot of it to this day.


I didn't follow him after the 80s.
Like it or not, he had his own sound at that time.
So much so, he would sue if a former band members would mimic it.


But man.
He really could rip a guitar when needed.
BTW, I want to play with them gals.....good Lordy!
And that is the nice thing.....we need more guitar players now days!
RIP Prince.


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early stuff, the engineering was super.....and if you don't like Head......you's missing out! haha
Bass line kills.


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Later......

[Willabe]

BTW, I want to play with them gals.....good Lordy!

Who? Wendy and Lisa? Good luck with that, they're gay and a couple.

Now this is what a guitar hero should dress like on and off stage.       (And that's NOT photo shopped.)

[2deaf]

I really think he didn't like being compared to Hendrix, he was way to funky.

Anybody that realizes what Jimi was doing on guitar would be real proud to be compared to him no matter how funky.

In the early years, I think that my brother pegged it when he characterized Prince as Little Richard doing an imitation of Jimi Hendrix.  But whatever people think (or feel and pass that off as thought), Prince sure was a phenomenal showman and we sure could use a few more of those today.   

[Willabe]

But whatever people think (or feel and pass that off as thought), Prince sure was a phenomenal showman and we sure could use a few more of those today.

That he was, a showman, but him and Jimmi in the same sentence, no.

And that's the problem the show came 1st for him IMO. Music is in the ears not the eyes.

[Ritchie200]

I'm not sure what to think about Prince.  I was not a fan although my wife beat me over the head with his music for years.  He was obviously a talented writer, musician, and performer.  Anyone who makes it in the music biz, and lasts as long as he did, deserves some props.  However, I thought he was just an average guitar player - a niche that he seemed to fall back on after his wanna-be Michael Jackson persona got a little stale.  Everyone points to the "awesome" (and other extravagant over the top adjectives...) lead he performed live on As My Guitar Gently Weeps as proof of his god-like guitar ability.  IMHO, it was the most ridiculous self gratification (there's another word I could use...) exercise I think I've ever heard this side of a Yngvie solo.  I felt sorry for George's son.  Again, I certainly respect his history and accomplishments.  I just have him on a shelf a lot lower than most people.  Way lower.  That Tele he always played was not earning any points with me as well

I do absolutely love Morris Day and the Time!  I've seen them live several times and they groove almost as good as Sly - but nobody grooves like Sly and the Family!

Jim

[G._Hoffman]

And that's the problem the show came 1st for him IMO. Music is in the ears not the eyes.

Never. 

Not. Even. Once.

I've known quite a few of his band members over the years (local boy, you know), and his absolute perfectionism, MUSICALLY, was unparalleled.  They worked their asses off for months (and these were seriously great players) getting every detail perfect on hundreds of songs.  Plus all the "hits" he would call out at his whim during the show.  The only gig that ever came close to his band was James Browns band, and I'm not completely sure about that.  His players really were the hardest working people in show business.

Yeah, there was a show TOO, but come on, it's FUNK, it's DANCE music; it's SUPPOSED to be a show.  Look at what James Brown did, or Parliament-Funkadelic.  And he was a brilliant showman and an amazing dancer (a lot like JB, really).  But completely put out of your head any thought that he ever allowed anything but the utmost perfection from the band, nor that he ever sacrificed the music to the show for even an instant.  Go find the video of "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" that's floating around (from the Sign O the Times concert movie), and tell me where the show (which is great) got in the way of the music.  Never.

And that's before we even get to the fact he spent pretty much 10-16 hours a day in the studio for most of his adult life, when he wasn't touring.  There is a very good reason he needed to own one of the worlds best recording studios.

Not only does he belong in the same breath as Jimi Hendrix, he had easily as much of an impact on the landscape of music, not so much for his guitar playing (which is great), as for the way he brought together so many influences, and in turn influenced so much modern music.  Jimi and JB, yeah, but also Joni, Sly, George Clinton, and on and on.  Punk rock, folk music, doo-wop, funk, soul - he mastered them all, and brought them all together in a way that was catchy as hell.  And no one had ever done anything like it before him. 


Gabriel

[Willabe]

Jimi and JB, yeah, but also Joni, Sly, George Clinton, and on and on.  Punk rock, folk music, doo-wop, funk, soul - he mastered them all, and brought them all together in a way that was catchy as hell.  And no one had ever done anything like it before him.

Mastered them all?

Mastered, no, jack of all trades.

(Los Lobos and the Mavericks come close to mastering them all.)

[G._Hoffman]

Jimi and JB, yeah, but also Joni, Sly, George Clinton, and on and on.  Punk rock, folk music, doo-wop, funk, soul - he mastered them all, and brought them all together in a way that was catchy as hell.  And no one had ever done anything like it before him.

Mastered them all?

Mastered, no, jack of all trades.

(Los Lobos and the Mavericks come close to mastering them all.)

Mastered them all. 

All the guys I know who were in his band would talk about, in rehearsals they'd get something wrong, and he'd come over and show them on their own instruments, and he'd play it better than they could.  Drums, horns, keys, whatever.  Like him or not, that's up to you, but it is pretty much impossible to overstate how good he was as a musician.


Gabriel

[jojokeo]

  Drums, horns, keys, whatever.  Like him or not, that's up to you, but it is pretty much impossible to overstate how good he was as a musician.

I never realized how good of a musician he actually was until I watched SNL last weekend. They focused the entire show on him and I was impressed. Fred Armisen & Maya's skits were pretty funny too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR5nVbN9Ilo

[pompeiisneaks]

Jimi and JB, yeah, but also Joni, Sly, George Clinton, and on and on.  Punk rock, folk music, doo-wop, funk, soul - he mastered them all, and brought them all together in a way that was catchy as hell.  And no one had ever done anything like it before him.

Mastered them all?

Mastered, no, jack of all trades.

(Los Lobos and the Mavericks come close to mastering them all.)

Mastered them all. 

All the guys I know who were in his band would talk about, in rehearsals they'd get something wrong, and he'd come over and show them on their own instruments, and he'd play it better than they could.  Drums, horns, keys, whatever.  Like him or not, that's up to you, but it is pretty much impossible to overstate how good he was as a musician.


Gabriel

I can't agree more.  Here he is on the bass guitar popping and slapping like a madman:

https://youtu.be/sordWByWM-M

Here he is on the piano

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and here he is playing the solo on the George Harrison induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, (He plays at the end but everyone's performance is stunning.)  What I read is that he prepped for this performance the day before, and he'd never heard the song before, and didn't know George Harrison personally at all. 

https://youtu.be/6SFNW5F8K9Y

He was truly an immensely talented musician and guitar player. 

I'm not sure which album it was, but on one of them he played every single instrument himself, and was supposed to be amazing at the drums as well.

Here's some of him playing drums:

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Edit: somehow got mine in the middle of the quote :D
~Phil