Prince's music

[Robroy]

Prince is 18 months older than I am. Trust me, lots of men my age, and little younger, we're trying to be like Prince. Prince pulled all of the women, what straight young dude wouldn't emulate the man with all of the ladies? Trust me, lots of very masculine men, wanted to be like Prince. Even Dr. Dre, when he was in the World Class Wrecking Crew, was into lingerie. I don't think Dre is feminine.

Along those lines, prince reminded me of this guy:
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[Jamvan]

Ok. I don't know why I keep posting in this thread but I keep remembering great examples to share that help highlight why I found the man to be a musical genius. I'm going WAY back to before he was popular for these instrumental tracks recorded way back in 1977. Again, I'm amazed these haven't been taken down.

You want funky? You got funky!

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Back again, quoting myself as I started listening to these tracks again after I posted the link. Just listen to the bass playing by Andre Cymone on this track! Prince is playing keyboards and Bobby Z is playing drums. This is some great stuff.

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[gjohnson441496]

I found Bowie's small part in the movie "Band Slam" entertaining. It actually was a part of his humanizing, at least for me. But I love your last two sentences. Well put.

Thanks.

 

[mellowinman]

I guess it is just really hard for me to relate to the whole, "annoyed by over-reporting of celebrity deaths" concept. If you're being over-saturated, you should probably watch less TV, go to less mainstream internet sites, and learn to control what you read/watch/hear. That's what I do, and it works very well for me.

As for "Pop Stars," I don't see Prince as fitting that categorization AT ALL. He transcended that a long time ago, and managed to stay relevant throughout his career by playing in multiple genres, venues and styles. Anybody who plays multiple instruments THAT WELL, and writes great songs, and sings as well as he does deserves accolades. You might be surprised to know that I was never that "big" a fan. I don't have a bunch of his recordings; I didn't spend that much time listening to him; a lot of his more well-known work is not in the style I prefer. But that doesn't mean I don't dig him. I do. That guy was excellent, man. Truly excellent, and that can't be argued. He got through to a lot of people, and he pushed some boundaries.

More importantly, he put this town on the map, musically speaking. The Minneapolis music scene is exciting and vibrant, and after spending 13 years in a one-horse town like Fort Wayne, Indiana, that couldn't be more clear to me. This town POPS, baby, and Prince had a huge hand in that.

Basically, if you're reflecting on how "over-rated" Prince is, you're being dour and grouchy for no good reason. Maybe you should think about whether you really need to share that with anyone right now, while people are rightly mourning someone who made a difference to them.

Maybe you're peeing in more Wheaties than you realize.

 

[Robroy]

Back again, quoting myself as I started listening to these tracks again after I posted the link. Just listen to the bass playing by Andre Cymone on this track! Prince is playing keyboards and Bobby Z is playing drums. This is some great stuff.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Cymone is very good. The whole thing is pretty good. Reminds me of the 70's Chick Corea, Al DiMeola, Weather report, Return to Forever stuff.

 

[bass12]

Actually, I was talking about Bowie.

I do have a problem with the idolizing of pop stars. ANY pop stars. I have strongly favorite musicians. I also have a favorite movie star, politician, etc. I don't consider ANY of them worth the sort of stuff going on here.

And yes, I bristled at it when Elvis died.

And there is a reason I wasn't posting about this the day it happened.

I'm not into the idolizing of pop stars either, but I think that there is something in certain "pop stars" that is worth celebrating in a special way. Life is a predictable, dull experience for a lot of people and, once in a while, someone comes along who seems to transcend so much of what we experience. I think that, for a lot of people, Prince represented something not only larger than life, but fairytale-ish in a way that most pop stars don't. He was also independent in a way that very few pop stars are. I can't think of any other artists in the top tier of the industry (Madonna, Michael Jackson, Katy Perry, etc.) who are/were as independent as Prince was (or at least appeared to be). He really did come across as a one-man institution the likes of which are incredibly rare in the industry. He was also a "musicians's musician" in a way that very few pop stars are - and I think that's a big part of why so many musicians have been saddened in a way that they probably wouldn't be by the death of almost any other contemporary "pop star".

 

[Robroy]

I guess it is just really hard for me to relate to the whole, "annoyed by over-reporting of celebrity deaths" concept. If you're being over-saturated, you should probably watch less TV, go to less mainstream internet sites, and learn to control what you read/watch/hear. That's what I do, and it works very well for me.

I don't have TV and actually have not listened to the radio in a few weeks. I do hit news sites on the internet. I have a lot of musician facebook friends and you would think Prince was the second coming of the Christ the way they talk about him. I ignore those threads, but there are just so many of them.

I bowed out of the entire conversation wherever I saw it, except for this thread because of the theme of this thread.

Prince had a lot going for him, but it took his death to remind me that he was still alive. I consider most pop to be ephemeral. I understand how a lot of musicians see him differently, especially if they are in an age group "sweet spot". But to be clear, it is not the "over reporting" of celebrity deaths that is annoying to me. Rather, it is the virtual deifying of some of them. At the end of the day, he was a good musician that threw a lot of stuff against the wall to see what stuck.

And when it's your day job, you've got time to get pretty good at it if you are inspired and/or have a good work ethic.

 

[Altitude]

^ well, yeah, but you're self-professing that you're a counterculturist who avoids the world as much as you can, and you only pay attention to the things you like.

There's nothing to criticize about that lifestyle and it wouldn't be for me to do it if there were - but you can maybe see a few ways how you would not have run across much Prince in your own personal journey. Disbelieve it all day long, but the guy was an icon.

Nobody's idolizing anybody, just laying respect at what seems an appropriate time. Also, feeling a bit old.

 

[Robroy]

I'm not into the idolizing of pop stars either, but I think that there is something in certain "pop stars" that is worth celebrating in a special way. Life is a predictable, dull experience for a lot of people and, once in a while, someone comes along who seems to transcend so much of what we experience. I think that, for a lot of people, Prince represented something not only larger than life, but fairytale-ish in a way that most pop stars don't. He was also independent in a way that very few pop stars are. I can't think of any other artists in the top tier of the industry (Madonna, Michael Jackson, Katy Perry, etc.) who are/were as independent as Prince was (or at least appeared to be). He really did come across as a one-man institution the likes of which are incredibly rare in the industry. He was also a "musicians's musician" in a way that very few pop stars are - and I think that's a big part of why so many musicians have been saddened in a way that they probably wouldn't be by the death of almost any other contemporary "pop star".

I can actually agree with the general gist of what you are saying there. Truth be told, this thread caused me to do some research on his work. I can see why a certain generation (or two) consider him really special.

I think what has jaded me is my circle of friends has enabled me to meet and converse with a LOT of very famous people. I've become completely jaded. They are all just people like me. Every single one of them. So, if I personally know the person and I liked them, their death has a strong impact. If not, it doesn't matter how famous or what "great" stuff they did in their life. Their death means no more to me than my mail man's death. Not that I don't recognize that it is a tragedy for his family. But I can't mourn the death of every person that dies every day. Too many. I reserve my "strong" feelings for those that I personally know.

 

[wintremute]

I'm throwing my hat into the camp that says Prince was a Musical Genius.

I may not like everything that he did. I may not get everything that he did. But I do realize the talent and quality that went into what he did. He did what he wanted, how he wanted, and didn't care if people didn't like it. He was a musician, an artist, an engineer, a composer, a perfectionist, and driven. He also seemed to have a pretty good reputation as a person. At times he seemed out of touch with the normal world that I live in, but I'm glad he was able to grace it with his presence.

Sadly, after I wrote this and was re-reading it, I realized I had to go put everything in past-tense.

So, here's to Prince, and the songs and memories he left us with.

 

[Robroy]

^ well, yeah, but you're self-professing that you're a counterculturist who avoids the world as much as you can, and you only pay attention to the things you like.

There's nothing to criticize about that lifestyle and it wouldn't be for me to do it if there were - but you can maybe see a few ways how you would not have run across much Prince in your own personal journey. Disbelieve it all day long, but the guy was an icon.

Nobody's idolizing anybody, just laying respect at what seems an appropriate time. Also, feeling a bit old.

Yes, I think I may be being overly harsh. My attitude about this is something I think I was born with. I felt this way when Elvis died. Heck, I thought Entwhistle was awesome. When he died I was kinda bummed, but I saw him as just a guy like me that happened to hit on something that made him well known. I was bummed when Hendrix died too. But even then (I was 16) I just saw him as a guy that became famous for being a pretty good guitar player. I didn't much like his music. It was too distorted. He is buried a couple of miles from where I lived in the Seattle area.

I realize I'm raining on a thread about people talking about something they loved. I'm kind of embarrassed now. Sorry about the bad vibes. Seriously.

 

[bassinplace]

I don't have TV and actually have not listened to the radio in a few weeks. I do hit news sites on the internet. I have a lot of musician facebook friends and you would think Prince was the second coming of the Christ the way they talk about him. I ignore those threads, but there are just so many of them.

I bowed out of the entire conversation wherever I saw it, except for this thread because of the theme of this thread.

Prince had a lot going for him, but it took his death to remind me that he was still alive. I consider most pop to be ephemeral. I understand how a lot of musicians see him differently, especially if they are in an age group "sweet spot". But to be clear, it is not the "over reporting" of celebrity deaths that is annoying to me. Rather, it is the virtual deifying of some of them. At the end of the day, he was a good musician that threw a lot of stuff against the wall to see what stuck.

And when it's your day job, you've got time to get pretty good at it if you are inspired and/or have a good work ethic.

I kind of have the same opinion of Prince. I listened to his first album a lot when it came out. I listened to the second one a fair amount also. After that he lost me and I didn't take the time to check out any of his albums from that point so I can't comment on it with any kind of authority. I will say all the hits he ever had were pretty run of the mill for me. With the exception of maybe Kiss, which is just a good song, but nothing special, imo. I think he was a good artist, but overrated. I could be wrong, though. Wouldn't be the first time.

On a side note, I just read an article that said the Purple Rain motorcycle was a 400 twin 2 speed automatic. Lol! Sorry Prince, as a musician I have to give you respect, but when it comes to riding, you wussed!

 

[bass12]

I can actually agree with the general gist of what you are saying there. Truth be told, this thread caused me to do some research on his work. I can see why a certain generation (or two) consider him really special.

I think what has jaded me is my circle of friends has enabled me to meet and converse with a LOT of very famous people. I've become completely jaded. They are all just people like me. Every single one of them. So, if I personally know the person and I liked them, their death has a strong impact. If not, it doesn't matter how famous or what "great" stuff they did in their life. Their death means no more to me than my mail man's death. Not that I don't recognize that it is a tragedy for his family. But I can't mourn the death of every person that dies every day. Too many. I reserve my "strong" feelings for those that I personally know.

I can see where you're coming from and I generally feel the same way. Prince's death hit me differently from most celebrity deaths, though, and I think a lot of it is what Prince represented to me. I have a very dim view of contemporary pop music and Prince was probably the only iconic pop star who seemed to be carrying the flame of a dying generation and industry. There are plenty of independent artists out there, don't get me wrong, but Prince had a visibility and stature that no indie artist can match. While other big names are out there trying to make their shows sound as close to the studio albums as possible (via endless sequencing and lip-syncing) it seemed that Prince was out there being a musician and valuing what it is musicians do - and often making audiences feel something they forgot they could feel at a concert.

 

[bass12]

Yes, I think I may be being overly harsh. My attitude about this is something I think I was born with. I felt this way when Elvis died. Heck, I thought Entwhistle was awesome. When he died I was kinda bummed, but I saw him as just a guy like me that happened to hit on something that made him well known. I was bummed when Hendrix died too. But even then (I was 16) I just saw him as a guy that became famous for being a pretty good guitar player. I didn't much like his music. It was too distorted. He is buried a couple of miles from where I lived in the Seattle area.

I realize I'm raining on a thread about people talking about something they loved. I'm kind of embarrassed now. Sorry about the bad vibes. Seriously.

Some of your posts have made me think more about why it has bothered me that Prince died (when I usually don't care about celebrity deaths) - even though I have never been a huge fan of his recorded output. There are other threads commemorating Prince and I figure it's cool to have a thread that's not just a Prince love-in.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I'm throwing my hat into the camp that says Prince was a Musical Genius.

I may not like everything that he did. I may not get everything that he did. But I do realize the talent and quality that went into what he did. He did what he wanted, how he wanted, and didn't care if people didn't like it. He was a musician, an artist, an engineer, a composer, a perfectionist, and driven. He also seemed to have a pretty good reputation as a person. At times he seemed out of touch with the normal world that I live in, but I'm glad he was able to grace it with his presence.

Sadly, after I wrote this and was re-reading it, I realized I had to go put everything in past-tense.

So, here's to Prince, and the songs and memories he left us with.

I think all of us are still adjusting to fact that Prince is now a part of history.

 

[JimK]

 

[JimK]

...more-
"Miles Davis’s final (and still unreleased) recording session took place with his working band in Germany. Prince had given Miles several of his originals. Unfortunately when Warner Bros. Records wanted to release the music, Prince withheld his consent. Prince was an mysterious person but an amazing musician. In this clip, Miles talks about the ingredients that he saw in this unique artist."
-Michael Cuscuna

 

[TyBo]

Well yeah, the James Brown and Jimi Hendrix influences are unmistakable in Prince. I can see Marvin Gaye there. I don't see Charlie Chaplin so much, but ok. And Prince made his own act out of his influences, and made original music. The problem I have with the "genius" label is that he just plain didn't have the chops of James Brown or Jimi Hendrix or Marvin Gaye. He was an original artist, and wrote a few tunes that I kinda like, but ... eh ... he's fine, glad he was around. I'll take either James or Jimi, or Marvin, thank you. I don't think this is just a generational thing ... I genuinely like music from all across the last century or so - in fact my very favorite stuff comes from before I was born. In that spectrum, Prince made a mark, but it doesn't look like one of the high water marks from here.

 

[gjohnson441496]

I think all of us are still adjusting to fact that Prince is now a part of history.

YES! When I first saw it on the www, I DID NOT believe it, thought it was some kinda stupid prank. Shock is the word that describe this situation for me. Until last Thursday, I didn't realize how much I took his musicality for granted. Not only am I listening more intently to Princes' music now, but I have a much stronger respect for James Brown.

 

[Altitude]

The problem I have with the "genius" label is that he just plain didn't have the chops of James Brown or Jimi Hendrix or Marvin Gaye.

This comment is a bit of a nuclear option in a civil debate - but if you actually feel that way you might not have listened to enough Prince. He didn't rely on chops; didn't need to for many of his killer songs, but boy did he have 'em when he needed 'em.