Faceplams Faceplams:  0
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 30 of 46

Thread: Prince, His Purple Majesty

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Posts
    25
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)

    Prince, His Purple Majesty

    @katara asked me (or anyone) for recommendations on where to start with Prince. I’m not an expert, but I’ll throw in my two cents. The obvious starting point is Purple Rain, a monster of an album that should probably be in everybody’s collection. You’re already familiar with the title track and “When Doves Cry.” The rest of the album is just as good. Watch the movie too; “Darling Nikki” is even better when you see Prince slinking his way through that delicious filth.



    After that, I think you could hit up 1999. It’s got a couple more hits (“1999” and “Little Red Corvette”), but I’d say the secret weapon here is “Delirious.” If you’re getting it on CD, try to avoid the initial pressings that omitted “DMSR” for timing purposes. Better yet, you could go all-in with the Super Deluxe edition.



    More recently, I find myself picking up the posthumous “Originals” every time I’m in a record shop, but I haven’t actually purchased it yet. However, it does have his version of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which I had dreamt of for years (I’ve found his live versions to be underwhelming, especially compared to Sinead O’Connor’s defining recording), and it completely lives up to my hopes for it.



    I haven’t really heard any of his post-Artist Formerly Known As work, so hopefully someone else could chime in with more recommendations. I’ve heard that it holds up, but is less consistent.



  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    4,139
    Mentioned
    62 Post(s)
    I'm one of those morons that didn't really get into Prince until after he died (same with Bowie). That said, once I did, I was stunned by what I heard.

    Quote Originally Posted by mqhanlon View Post
    More recently, I find myself picking up the posthumous “Originals” every time I’m in a record shop, but I haven’t actually purchased it yet.
    It's really good. Highlights for me are his versions of "Manic Monday" and "Love...Thy Will Be Done".

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Milwaukee
    Posts
    3,929
    Mentioned
    75 Post(s)
    Wife LOVES Prince. I’m more of a casual fan, although I do beleive the Little Red Corvette vinyl single was the first piece of music that I owned, back in ‘82. His home/studio tour was cool to visit so check that out if your ever in the Minneapolis area.

    And this thread would not be complete without...


  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    1,268
    Mentioned
    46 Post(s)
    I had a lot of fun diving into Prince's back catalogue for a minute a few years ago and that's also where I became a huge fan. Pretty much like Trent he used to switch styles from album to album, while still maintaining his own unique identity. I especially love how he married Blade Runner era Vangelis with drum machine programmed beats on "1999" (1982), as well as his album for "Purple Rain" (1984). My favorite might be "Sign 'O' The Times" (1987) though.

    Also, his output during those years completely floored me. There are tons of extended single versions and b-sides for each era on singles or compilations that got released many years later. Like... the 12" version for the song "America" is more than 15 minutes (!) longer than the album version.

    Here is a list with what feels to me are essential b-sides:

    1999 era:
    Moonbeam Levels
    Turn It Up
    Possessed

    Purple Rain era:
    Erotic City
    Computer Blue (12 minute version)
    17 Days
    She's Always In My Hair (!!!)

    Around The World In A Day era:
    Hello
    Girl
    America (single version)
    4 The Tears In Ur Eyes

    Parade era:
    An Honest Man
    Love Or $

    Sing 'O' The Times era:
    La, La, La, He, He, Hee
    Crystal Ball
    Feel U Up
    Joy In Repitition (!!!)
    Shockadelica
    Crucial

    Lovesexy era:
    The Question Of U (!!!)

    Batman era:
    Lemon Crush
    200 Balloons
    Sex

    In terms of later material I feel his outpot became a bit spotty quality wise during the 90s. Yet, there are still outstanding moments in his discography from that period. Like "Emancipation" from 1996 is a triple disc album, that - whittled down to a single disc - holds up against any of the 80s ones. My recommended sequence goes like this: 1. Jam Of The Year 2. Right Back Here in My Arms 3. Somebody's Somebody 4. We Gets Up Do 5. Joint 2 Joint 6. I Can't Make U Love Me 7. 2morrow 8. Sleep Around 9. Dreamin' About U 10. Get Ur Groove On 11. Emale 12. New World 13. The Holy River 14. The Love We Make 15. In This Bed I Scream 16. Emancipation

    For a taste of his skills as a guitar player check out this song from 1995, that only ever was played live and never released as a studio version:


    A later album worth checking out in my opinion is "2010". It's a nice little album pretty much in the vein of The Slip, as he visits many different styles from throughout his career during the span of its songs, like using the same drum machine used on "1999" or "Purple Rain" as well as similar keyboard sounds and so on. Here's a taste (that also feels somewhat fitting during this time):


    That's it for now, sorry for this massive post.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Posts
    370
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by r_z View Post
    In terms of later material I feel his outpot became a bit spotty quality wise during the 90s. Yet, there are still outstanding moments in his discography from that period. Like "Emancipation" from 1996 is a triple disc album, that - whittled down to a single disc - holds up against any of the 80s ones. My recommended sequence goes like this: 1. Jam Of The Year 2. Right Back Here in My Arms 3. Somebody's Somebody 4. We Gets Up Do 5. Joint 2 Joint 6. I Can't Make U Love Me 7. 2morrow 8. Sleep Around 9. Dreamin' About U 10. Get Ur Groove On 11. Emale 12. New World 13. The Holy River 14. The Love We Make 15. In This Bed I Scream 16. Emancipation
    Thanks. Emancipation is the only Prince album in my collection but I never really gave it the time and attention needed to really have an opinion about it. Mostly due to the sheer length of the album. The artwork also didn't capture my interest so it sits there relatively unused. I will try out your sequence though. Maybe it will bring me more appreciation for that album.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Bayonne Leave It Alone
    Posts
    5,338
    Mentioned
    120 Post(s)
    oh man do I ever love when I get an excuse to post this:



    I'm assuming most people here have seen this and understand why it's the best. If you haven't watched it, don't skip to Prince's part. Just watch from the beginning and be patient until that badass motherfucker gets the spotlight.
    Last edited by bobbie solo; 06-09-2020 at 12:42 AM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Posts
    25
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by BRoswell View Post

    It's really good. Highlights for me are his versions of "Manic Monday" and "Love...Thy Will Be Done".
    Oh, man. I forgot "Manic Monday" was one of his. It is amazing how many hits he had for other people. Okay, when shops re-open again, I'm finally going to pick this up.

    Quote Originally Posted by r_z View Post

    That's it for now, sorry for this massive post.
    Mmm. I like a massive post, especially when it points me in some new directions. I've barely scraped the b-side section of his discography. Thanks!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Laughingstock of the World (America)
    Posts
    4,579
    Mentioned
    104 Post(s)
    Prince is one of those artists that I have really mixed feelings about.

    On one hand, he was obviously incredibly talented and his contributions to the arts are far-reaching and worthy of a good deal of respect. I would never question or deny that.

    On the other hand, he was absolutely awful to work for in the live setting. There would be times where people were literally lined up at the venue - A-list, best-in-the-business people - because he'd fire them so quickly that they had to have backups on hand. I've worked with plenty of hotheads and people who demand the best, but generally speaking there's usually also some degree of a cool down period and managed expectations (like someone screaming "you're fired" in the middle of a show because something out of their control went wrong, and people being able to talk the artist down by the next city).

    And now, a couple tracks that I feel get overlooked all too often.




  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    6,101
    Mentioned
    32 Post(s)
    I hate to be the one to ask, but isn't there another thread on him here?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Posts
    25
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by onthewall2983 View Post
    I hate to be the one to ask, but isn't there another thread on him here?
    Totally possible, but I didn't see one after a cursory search. I'll sure look dumb if there is.

    In the meantime, please enjoy an alternate take on "Let's Go Crazy." (The b-side of this 7" is Bjork's "Human Behavior.)


  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    LI, NY
    Posts
    2,974
    Mentioned
    33 Post(s)
    Huge Prince fan, and I'm always proud to tell people that I got to see him in 2011 before it was too late. Having said that, I never really delved much into his catalog post- The Gold Experience, aside from a few albums here and there. Just recently downloaded all of his other albums, so I'm looking forward to dumping a bunch of hours or my life into digging into those.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    327
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    The best starting point in my opinion is the Purple Rain soundtrack. From there check out 1999, Around the World in a Day, and Sign O the Times.

    And once this pandemic is over, if you ever get a chance to come to Minnesota, you can do a tour of Paisley Park, as well as your own self-guided Purple Rain tour and visit First Ave, Lake Minnetonka, and the house that was used as his parents' house in the movie.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Posts
    370
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by onthewall2983 View Post
    I hate to be the one to ask, but isn't there another thread on him here?
    After his death there was a "31 days of Prince" thread. But apparently no 'normal' one exists.

    https://www.echoingthesound.org/comm...Days-of-Prince

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    not atlanta
    Posts
    2,222
    Mentioned
    90 Post(s)
    i touched prince a week before he died. i went to the first of his last two shows in atlanta. my ticket was 3rd row towards the right. the way the first two rows were set up, there weren't any seats directly in front of me. people stood up for a few songs and i could stand at the stage. i remember thinking how awesome my seat was coz i was dancing by the stage that prince was on! it was a childhood dream come true for me. he stood up and started shaking peoples hands and i’m like is this really going to happen?!? he got to the person next to me and then turned and started heading towards the middle but then he turned again and came right back to me and shook my hand and the two guys next to me hands. i did a toddler happy dance i stomped my feet in a circle and clapped my hands the people behind me had the craziest looks on their faces so i’m sure i looked insane. it was so fun and surreal. when he died a week later i was so sad but so grateful that the universe allowed me to have that simple gift of connection with one of my all time favorite artists since i was in second grade. (until my mom heard darling nikki and took away my PR soundtrack.)

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    A place both wonderful and strange
    Posts
    2,795
    Mentioned
    84 Post(s)
    The Batman soundtrack is fucking amazing and nobody can tell me otherwise. One of the first tapes I ever owned. I was too young to listen to Scandalous, but hell if it wasn't a learning experience.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    1,268
    Mentioned
    46 Post(s)
    There is a great quote on the wikipedia page of the Batman soundtrack. It goes like this:

    In 2016, film critic Matt Zoller-Seitz praised Prince's songs and music videos for Batman, more so than the film itself, stating that his songs "suggest a goofy, perverse, sensuous, somewhat introverted Batman film that so far we've never gotten from anyone", and arguing that Prince's music videos "are more psychologically perceptive than any of the Batman films."

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    6,101
    Mentioned
    32 Post(s)

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    6,101
    Mentioned
    32 Post(s)

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Posts
    2,470
    Mentioned
    89 Post(s)
    I've noticed that there are a lot more boots floating around on the net than before he passed. His stuff used to be tough because he had some internet police out. Evidently the estate hasn't been quite as strident. Some fantastic concert tapes.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    1,755
    Mentioned
    31 Post(s)
    massive Prince fan.

    the Batdance music video may have been my very first memory of MTV as a kid, probably 3 or 4 years old at the time. didn't fully get into him until about a decade ago but I firmly believe he may be the best musician of all time.

    I can't wait for the Sign o the Times bonus discs!!!

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Ontari-ari-ario
    Posts
    5,658
    Mentioned
    251 Post(s)
    Count me massively excited for Sign O' the Times super-deluxe as well.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    9,216
    Mentioned
    551 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by chuckrh View Post
    I've noticed that there are a lot more boots floating around on the net than before he passed. His stuff used to be tough because he had some internet police out. Evidently the estate hasn't been quite as strident. Some fantastic concert tapes.
    His anti-bootleg thing was exhausting and lame. I remember when Radiohead were pissed that they couldn't find a video of his cover of Creep because Prince had his team of lawyers remove it from the net, saying "hey, it's our song! Just let us hear the cover!!!"

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Posts
    2,470
    Mentioned
    89 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Jinsai View Post
    His anti-bootleg thing was exhausting and lame. I remember when Radiohead were pissed that they couldn't find a video of his cover of Creep because Prince had his team of lawyers remove it from the net, saying "hey, it's our song! Just let us hear the cover!!!"
    It's a mighty good cover. That was the year to go to Coachella. Roger Waters did a mighty Dark Side of the Moon on 1 of the other days.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    9,216
    Mentioned
    551 Post(s)
    I did eventually hear it... I'm not the biggest fan of the song in general, but it's the cover you'd hope for from Prince.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    327
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    The estate has been a lot more open about posting things on social media and hasn't cracked down on bootlegs as much as when Prince was still alive. One area where they are pretty controlling is in how his likeness can be used. They will send C&Ds out to anyone selling things with his name and likeness without their authorization. I remember a local artist created a line of prints and home goods with her (very well-done) Prince artwork, but the estate did not give her a license so everything had to be pulled from distribution.

  26. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Lawrence, Kansas
    Posts
    376
    Mentioned
    8 Post(s)
    Finally started digging into his catalog this year.
    Picked up a couple 7” singles - “Little Red Corvette b/w 1999” & “Nothing Compares 2 U (2018)”
    Should be receiving the “4ever” CD compilation in the mail soon. Seems like a good starting point before collecting some of the albums.

  27. #27
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Ontari-ari-ario
    Posts
    5,658
    Mentioned
    251 Post(s)
    SøtT super deluxe edition is "out there"! The main album remaster sounds terrific, Bernie Grundman did a great job revisiting his original work and giving it just a bit of spit-polish. No squashed dynamic range or messing-about with the sound of those mixes, just crisp and tight and clean.

    Moving on to the bonus tracks!

  28. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    1,755
    Mentioned
    31 Post(s)
    when's the official release? next week? edit: nevermind, today! not on google play music, but that's being phased out. on youtube music though. going to listen on lunch break now and use the whole weekend.

    prince's youtube channel had the full new years even 1987 concert streaming last night. caught some of it. good stuff.

    man o man the song sign o the times is perfect for this very moment in 2020.
    Last edited by versusreality; 09-25-2020 at 10:19 AM.

  29. #29
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Lawrence, Kansas
    Posts
    376
    Mentioned
    8 Post(s)
    Watched that NYE '87 concert last night, so good! Sheila E is incredible!

  30. #30
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    A place both wonderful and strange
    Posts
    2,795
    Mentioned
    84 Post(s)
    Eight CDs and a DVD

    Fuck me

    I have to start saving up for whatever Batman box they're going to put out, they way they're going through his discography

Posting Permissions