Kevin Smith pratar om Prince.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LhcParuzpc
Kevin Smith pratar om Prince.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LhcParuzpc
Senast redigerat av tinybox den 2016-04-22 klockan 22:09.
Länken funkar inte för migUrsprungligen postat av HEK
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Jo det är verkligen som att få uppleva en helt ny planet, och vi var alla välkomnaThis quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
VerkligenThis quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
Två Prince-citat som jag personligen tycker tydligt vad han stod för och förmedlade bättre än någon annan.
"I'd rather give people what they need rather than just what they want."
"Am I black or white? Am I straight or gay?"
Var det denna krönika http://sverigesradio.se/sida/avsnitt...?programid=767 ?
Prince var kanske en god Christian. Det var en del av vem han var, jag misstänker mörka sidor då han var så pass god.
This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.Verkligen
Två Prince-citat som jag personligen tycker tydligt vad han stod för och förmedlade bättre än någon annan.
"I'd rather give people what they need rather than just what they want."
"Am I black or white? Am I straight or gay?"
Var det denna krönika http://sverigesradio.se/sida/avsnitt...?programid=767 ?
Kände ju redan till, tack vare denna dok https://youtu.be/dRNYiFxR2Ps?t=322, det där om att han redan som 17-åring refuserade det STORA erbjudandet från Warner Bros att låta Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire) producera Prince's första album.
Däremot kände jag inte till att han dessutom lär ha tackat nej till ett liknande erbjudande från CBS att låta Verdine White (Maurice lillebror tillika basist i EWF) producera Prince's tre första plattor.
Märk väl att EWF tillhörde Prince's största idoler, men tydligen hade han redan siktet inställt på exakt vad han skulle göra och hur.
En sociopat med tallang och turThis quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
Youtube är tyvärr hårt rensat på/av PrinceThis quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.Länken funkar inte för mig
Live Stream
The Current from Minnesota Public Radio
http://www.thecurrent.org/listen
Fann den nyss, å om jag förstod det rätt så spelar dom nästan hela hans katalog i alfabetisk ordning.
Just nu på bokstaven N.
Om det var hela 29-minuterssändningen som du refererade till så finns de otroligt fina slutorden av Lisa Wall (känd fr bl.a. Elektroniskt i P2) i sin helhet härThis quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
"Prinsen, du förändrade mitt liv. Och du lärde mig saker som jag ska lära min dotter: Gör din grej. Låt ingen bestämma över dig. HA ROLIGT: omge dig med människor som kan lära dig nånting och förbättra dig. Du är värd att få betalt för det du gör. Jobba hårt. Tro på dina drömmar; dansa, spela - uttryck dig. Du har nåt att säga! Håll aldrig tillbaka! Klä på dig nåt du tycker är fint. Sov gott Prinsen."
Hon har även gjort denna Princespecial:
"Princespecial, del 1/2: Mannen, myten, legenden"
Lisa Wall har en idol - Prince. Artisten som blivit hennes livs soundtrack. I det här programmet möter du honom genom fan:ets hjärta och journalistens öron.
http://sverigesradio.se/sida/avsnitt...programid=4918
"Princespecial, del 2/2: Prinsens vänner"
Lisa Wall har en idol - Prince. Artisten som blivit hennes livs soundtrack. I den här delen möter du artisten Prince genom samarbeten och flickvänner, bortgivna låtar och de som han tog tillbaka.
http://sverigesradio.se/sida/avsnitt...programid=4918
Just den spelningen var rätt ganska sjuk med tanke på att det inte hade regnat på Super Bowl på 40 år och den scenen var redan hal utan vatten. Där står dom ändå i högklackat med all utrustning i ösregnet, arrangörerna o crewet svinnervösa backstage, och genomför det trots allt.
Gripande intervju med Stevie Wonder om bortgången.
https://youtu.be/m5mXYQPBJ30
Just i skrivande stund verkar det som om att nätagenterna antingen fått kapitulera eller inte hinner med, för nu finns det hur många Prince-klipp som helst på tuben. Har skett bara de senaste timmarna.
MTV Unplugged:
https://youtu.be/VPwm6YHmlFU
Kiss-videon:
https://youtu.be/MfxhRy-iFqs
Do Me Baby:
https://youtu.be/rraGyVuSm0w
....just 2 name a few....
Senast redigerat av T11 den 2016-04-24 klockan 14:32.
Ja, verkligen!!This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
Oberheim-lyx...
https://youtu.be/I185Lyfsr8A
En av världens bästa gitarrister!
Prince var DEN mest kompletta musiker jag känner till. Otroligt mångfacetterad och fick till saker som ingen annan. Fy fan vad tråkigt! Jag är uppriktigt ledsen.
/Mein
Medhåll x 1000!!
Gud vad kul att se detta klipp. Hade inte sett det innan.
En 'rehearsal'-spelning på hans hemmaklubb First Avenue (MN) 10 dagar innan Sign 'O' The Times-plattan släpptes den 31 Mars 1987.
Inofficiellt kallad för "For those of U on valium"
Ni kommer fatta varför när ni ser den..
https://youtu.be/-s6uSt3jR-s
Jag har sällan blivit så imponerad av en enskild individ på en konsert, jag var golvad på Way Out West.
Av hans emotionella gitarrspel och röst.
Avskyr hela "show"/arena grejen och hade låga förväntningar, men blev som sagt helt golvad!
Det är ibland man säger "Vilken förlust för..." men i detta fall så är det otroligt grymt att aldrig mer få ta del av nåt som han gjort. Vad han än gjorde så lämnade det ingen oberörd. Och vilken grymt kompetent musiker. Osant bra liksom.
Har haft en Prince-helg.
/Mein
Usch. Jag har haft tårar i ögonen framför dessa videos i en vecka nu.Man saknar inte kon...
<3This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
En liten analys av hans gitarrteknik:This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
https://youtu.be/_kuozzK8BaY
Just d där - som killen i videon säger, men inte (imho) vidareformulerar tillräckligt fullt ut - att kunna sjunga en melodi och att spela en helt annan samtidigt är sjukt svårt om man inte har extremt välutvecklad simultanförmåga.
(Lustigt att han även nämner just Sting (ni kanske såg BBC-dokumentären?!) som en av dom få 'biggies' som har/haft denna förmåga.)
Det är en sak att kompspela och sjunga på samma gång. (Kompspelar man så sätter man ju 'bara' en del av hjärnan i repeat typ.)
Men; att framföra två helt olika leads samtidigt däremot.... det är ngt helt annat.
Tror det var media som tillskrev Prince förkortningen TAFKAP när han (1993-2000 bytte sitt namn till Ƭ̵̬̊ och skrev Slave på sin kind) gick emot Warner Bros pga att de vägrade ge honom rättigheterna till hans egna masters. (Mao; han fick 0 kr varje gång hans hits spelades, och vem som helst kunde släppa en cover utan vare sig hans medgivande eller rätt till ersättning)
I samma anda anser jag att media borde vara lika heta på att 'rinäjma' James Brown till:
TAFKATHWMISBUPCA
(The Artist Formely Known As 'The Hardest Working Man In Show Business' Until Prince Came Along )
https://youtu.be/L07KB-QsMwY?t=94
Alla som arbetat med Prince undrar ju när mannen egentligen sov.
Lenny Kravitz inför att spela i ett gemensamt Paisley Park-framträdande 1999:
- "Cut to two days later. He's kept me awake the whole time. Man, I'm starting to fade and I'm still waiting to go do these songs. I'm just falling apart, ready to crash. At the exact moment where I'm starting to fall asleep he goes, "C'mon man, we gotta do it now." I was like, "Now?" He's like, "Yeah, right now. Grab your guitar. We gotta do it now!" That's what we did. If you watch the video I seem a little out of it and I'm low-energy. My voice wasn't really in great form. No excuses, but I stayed up for two days and I was done. I was like, "This guy is a vampire! How does he do it?" His energy was beyond anybody's energy I'd ever met."
(Samtidigt vill j prompt tillägga att svårighet/teknik bara är en del av musikalitet. Vita pojkar tenderar att fastna i den tanken. Konsten är att besitta kunskap...men; att bara använda den only when absolutely necessary. Nyttjandet av tystnad och pauser i sina alster är minst lika kraftfullt. Oftast mer..)
Senast redigerat av T11 den 2016-05-13 klockan 03:17.
Jäkligt spännande med, i mitt tycke suveräne, Marc Dotys personliga berättelse om hur han kom att få jobb och arbeta på Paisley Park. Känns som han levt mina tonårsdrömmar.
https://youtu.be/br1Q0-U5NSo&ebc=ANyPxKopGmLQSDqCyzvpcVBztlMa5CFEEqRnNUYHptlMV7KfSgI_b1Hepkx8LM2DkLBty662__HZwejX2bLPwPxs4SfJk2-fRQ
Idag är det sex månader sen The Kid punched a higher floor.
Jag har ganska dåligt samvete över att jag inte har postat en massa klipp o artiklar kontinuerligt här sen maj.
Mitt huvud har varit annorstädes o ingenstans. Kanske inte riktigt har landat än heller..
Vill bara tipsa om ett par FB-grupper där det konstant postas coola och ibland unika klipp.
https://www.facebook.com/FUNKARTIST-41462400828
https://www.facebook.com/PRINCELIVETHEBEST
https://www.facebook.com/PrinceMuseum
https://www.facebook.com/25shadesofpurple
https://www.facebook.com/housequakecom
https://www.facebook.com/RIP.Prince.Rogers.Nelson
https://www.facebook.com/PrinceOnlineFans
https://www.facebook.com/Prince4ever-1454629488111221
Även om en minst sagt påläst snubbe som gör oerhört djuplodande reviews av alla Prince's album m.m.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCbB...aOO6pPwNuTh_9m
Nöjer mig ikväll med att bara länka till detta sköna klipp, chill rehearsal från Japan '90
https://youtu.be/SErtl9N5kdY
Härligt
Kom på att jag glömde The Revolutions egen FB-grupp
https://www.facebook.com/therevolutionfanpage
Grym snubbe! Har kollat på en, men måste ta och kolla alla. Tack för tipset!This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
Sjukt intressanta detaljer från Susan Rogers. (Susan som i tråden omnämnts tidigare här, här och här.)
Former recording mixer/engineer with Prince 1983–1988
Susan Rogers holds a doctorate in psychology from McGill University, where she studied music cognition and psychoacoustics under researchers Daniel Levitin and Stephen McAdams. Her research focuses on auditory memory, the perception of musical signals and the influence of musical training on auditory development. For two decades prior to her science career, Rogers was one of the world's few women known for her work as a record producer, engineer, mixer, and audio electronics technician. Career highlights include years (1983–1988) as staff engineer for recording artist Prince and working with such diverse artists as Barenaked Ladies, David Byrne, Tricky, and Tevin Campbell.
She is the director of the Berklee Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory. In tandem with business partner and former student Matthew McArthur '10, Rogers launched Boston's first not-for-profit recording studio, The Record Company, to offer low-cost recording facilities to area musicians and free music technology instruction to area teens.
Vill ni hoppa rätt in i Prince-snacket så är det mellan 34:45 - 1:38:38
https://youtu.be/8ON0nQCQF08
TOPICS:
3:25 - Listening and hearing through someone else's ears.
15:49 - First jobs and becoming a producer
35:00 - Recording Purple Rain
43:28 - Prince's value system
1:14:52 - Recording "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker"
1:38:42 - Life after Prince
MUSIC:
8:18 - The Isley Brothers – “For the Love of You, Pts. 1 & 2” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23W3w...
34:41 - Prince – “Let’s Go Crazy” (Special Dance Mix)
56:02 - Prince – “Around the World in a Day”
1:04:53 - Kate Bush - “Running Up That Hill” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp43O...
1:09:55 - Prince - “If I was Your Girlfriend”
1:18:13 - Prince – “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker”
1:34:23 - Prince – “The Cross”
Väldigt intressant!
Tyckte särskilt om delen där Susan säger att Prince INTE var perfektionist - perfektion var något andra sysslade med! Det tycker jag kapslar in vad som var bra med Prince. Diskussionen kring "valvet" var också intressant, särskilt motargumentet.
Eller hurThis quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
En annan sak som oxå fastnade extra hos mig - vilket jag iofs alltid känt men som är så bra att höra från just kvinnor - är att han alltid skrev respektfullt om kvinnor. Något som Lisa Wall oxå poängterade i sin Princespecial.
Älskade även anekdoten om att han ibland vid trumsetet bara satte upp texten från låten han hade på gång i huvudet och sonika utifrån det trummade hela trumspåret. Smått sjukt
Har kollat igenom tråden, men kan inte se att någon postat den här ännu:
https://youtu.be/tQmBhDjjp5M
Är troligen det svängigaste som går att hitta på tuben. Två ackord, nästan 11 minuter. Och fullkomligt genialiskt.
Senast redigerat av jocke31 den 2016-12-10 klockan 16:03.
Nedladdningsbar podcast från den 15 jan 2017.
3h med Susan Rogers. Har bara lyssnat en timme, läggdags, får lyssna på resten imorgon.
Återigen så delar hon med sig en kavalkad av formidabla anekdoter.
http://podcastjuice.net/the-prince-p...ers-interview/
Coolt! Tack för tipset!
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Så fruktansvärt bra <3This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
Lite motsägelsefullt att klistra in två Prince-streams och försäljningsstatistik i samma inlägg...nåväl.
http://80s80sprince.radio.net
NewPowerRadio
http://www.newpowerradio.com/
http://dj506.ddns.net:1974
Prince Was The Bestselling Albums Artist Of 2016, Beating Adele
While Drake may have scored the biggest title of 2016 with Views when combining all metrics and Adele’s 25 was the bestselling album when streaming was left out, neither of those artists ended up being the bestselling albums artist of the year, which is an honor that went to the late, great Prince.
The phrase “bestselling albums artist” sounds a bit confusing at first, but what it describes is the artist that sold the most albums within a year across an entire catalog. So, while Adele’s 25 sold more copies than any other one title in 2016, the British superstar didn’t sell quite as many units as Prince did.
According to Nielsen’s end of year report for 2016, Prince sold over 2.2 million albums last year, and he was also the only person to manage to sell at least one million digital units and one million physical units, which should that his fanbase is diverse enough to want to consume his music in a number of different ways.
The impressive gains Prince’s catalog experienced in 2016 are due to his sudden passing in April, which shocked and broke the hearts of millions of fans all around the world. The day after the news of his death broke, over one million digital songs from his catalog were sold, and at least 200,000 albums.
Because much of Prince’s music wasn’t available on streaming platforms, those that wanted to hear a piece of his legacy as they mourned his passing were forced to head to online stores like iTunes and Amazon to snap up copies of his biggest and most popular titles. In the weeks that followed, brick and mortar stores were eventually able to keep up with the demand for physical copies of his many albums, and his catalog shifted even more units.
The total sales count of his catalog was spread out amongst his massive output, with a handful of titles bouncing back onto the Billboard 200 thanks to their immediate reintroduction to the spotlight. For example, in the week after he died, a pair of the rocker’s albums rocketed up to Nos. 1 and 2 on the albums tally. The following week, he owned five of the top 10 positions on the Billboard 200. That same week, Prince changed charting history by placing 19 of his albums on the Billboard 200, which is more appearances at one time than any other artist had ever managed before.
His greatest hits compilation The Very Best Of Prince was the eighth bestselling album of 2016, and the seventh when looking only at digital sales.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcin...-beating-adele
Inte alls dum, så ej heller denna. Ett år senare, 87, Prince o Sheila återigen i högform - festen börjar ca 45 sek in:This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
https://youtu.be/It5CahraQOs
Ryktena har florerat ett bra tag men nu verkar det vara bekräftat.
Prince's musik kommer åter dyka upp på strömningstjänsterna någon gång under dagen i samband med Grammygalan.
http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/princes...ngstjansterna/
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38922167
http://open.spotify.com/artist/5a2EaR3hamoenG9rDuVn8j
And he's back
http://sptfy.com/1nlJ
Äeee, ska man behöva skaffa Spotify nu eller?
Som första grej efter alla Prince-grejor blev tillgängliga på Spotify så lyssnade jag igenom Sign 'O' the Times.
Titellåten är i mitt tycke kanske den mest fulländade poetiska konstruktion i form av en poplåt som någonsin gjorts. En av de få låtar som fortfarande kan få mig att bli helt paff, trots att jag hört den (och sett den fina videon) massor av gånger.
Äntligen! Jag har alldeles för få Prince-album, många plattor att ta tag i.
Lite instrumentalt stuff.
Den första, ett osläppt stycke från '84 med arbetsnamnet 'Paisley Park (instrumental)' med endast honom.
Den andra, jazz fusion daterad '77. Bobby Z (trummor), André Cymone (bas) och en 18- (lr 19) årig Prince på klaviatur.
==================================================
Prince - Paisley Park (instrumental)
https://youtu.be/LHi0JeoNkNo
The track that is floating around being called 'Joy' is actually called 'Paisley Park (instrumental)'. I've written about this for my upcoming book and wanted to post this just in case you are curious (sure you are! lol). Hope this helps clear up some of the mysteries about this track.
- Friday, March 9, 1984*
1) PAISLEY PARK (instrumental) (basic tracks)
Sunset Sound Studio 3
1:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (Lock-out)
Producer: Prince
Artist: Prince
Engineer: Prince
Assistant Engineer: Peggy McCreary
“You have to be really fast. He doesn’t want to mess around. If you can’t get it right he wants to drop it; he says it’s an omen and it’s not happening. You lose the groove. Five minutes to get a drum sound is pretty unique.”
Peggy McCreary
This was the first time that the phrase “Paisley Park” had appeared in any Prince related document. Although it shares the same name as the song eventually released on his Around The World In A Day album, the similarities stop there. This track is an unrelated instrumental that focuses on a groove created by live drums and bass, accented by some heavily reverbed keyboards sounding like it was influenced by Gary Numan and Tom Tom Club’s 1981 hit ‘Genius Of Love.’ Unfortunately, the production gives it a retro feeling that makes it feel dated. Prince would later revisit and update the beat of this song two years later on ‘Bob George.’ ‘Paisley Park (instrumental)’ also contains multiple reverbed sound effects including children playing in a park, laughter and whistles. Prince would repeat this theme of children playing in a park when he recorded the version of ‘Paisley Park’ that was released on Around The World In A Day as well as in the video.
After taking the previous day off from recording, he requested that his engineer, Peggy set up for a session to start at 1:30 p.m. “Sometimes he'd come in and there would be a mix up on the board and you'd think, ‘OK I'm ready for this’ and he'd tell you to put up some fresh tape because he wanted to record,’ she recalls. ‘So you had to re-patch the board from ‘mix’ to ‘live’ and EQ everything and you had about 20 minutes to tear it all down and set everything back up, and mic it all. And he would be playing the drums and he would say ‘come on Peggy, you’re blowing the groove, you're losing me here.' The pressure was incredible but he got some great stuff.”
The song is basically a synth workout with no solo and sounds as if Prince just wanted to lay down a track to see if it went anywhere. He recorded the drums, bass and keyboards over the next five hours and sound effects (from the Sunset Sound library) were used to help create the mood. Instead of strategically placing them (as they did on ‘Pop Life’ three weeks earlier), they were used as a background bed for the entire ‘Paisley Park’ track. After a quick mix, two C-60 cassettes were made and the brief session was over by 8:30 p.m. No additional information is known about anyone else participating in this session.
Prince would not record again at Sunset Sound until March 17th, so it is assumed that he traveled back to Minneapolis. Any recording that he did while there has not been documented.
STATUS: ‘Paisley Park (instrumental)’ (4:16 with sound effects, 3:44 without sound effects) was briefly considered for placement on The Family album in 1985, but it remains unreleased to this day.
--
this was posted on another thread because it was only about this particular song, but since that was locked, I've included this info in this thread that covers multiple songs.
(this information is from an early draft of PRINCE: The Studio Sessions by Duane Tudahl)
If you want to be updated about my book PRINCE: THE COMPLETE STUDIO SESSIONS (1983/84) go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/1091596104195943/ and join the conversation.
Källa: http://prince.org/msg/7/421074
==================================================
Prince - Jazz Funk Sessions 1977 (Instrumental)
https://youtu.be/RZ7qGz4eu3g
We recently came across a spellbinding instrumental album from 1977 called Loring Park Sessions 77. Given his first LP, For You, was released in 1978, this project would predate that highly underrated initial effort. According to YouTube and verified via Prince.org, the sessions were recorded at the rehearsal room in Prince’s first manager, Owen Husney‘s Loring Park office in Minneapolis. It should be noted that that office is only a few blocks from what was then known as Sam’s and is now known as the legendary First Avenue & 7th Street Entry, where the live performance scenes from the movie, Purple Rain, were filmed. In addition to Prince’s deft clavinet (keyboard) playing, the album features the extremely funky bass playing of his long time friend and bandmate, Andre’ Cymone and masterful drumming by Robert B. Rivkin AKA Bobby Z. Both would become key pillars in Prince’s early bands. Coincidently, one of those groups, The Revolution, which included Bobby Z., recently announced a short tour of the East Coast including Spring dates in New York, Silver Spring, Maryland (outside of Washington, D.C.), and Philadelphia.
The album captures a very funky jazz fusion sound which was vey popular at the time by the likes of Herbie Hancock, Bob James and so many others. It features 8 mostly up and mid-tempo tunes that, though unnamed, predate his critically acclaimed (and fan loved) Madhouse projects that were released 10 years later and the wildly underrated Rainbow Children album, which was released 24 years later. This project, which clocks in at just under an hour was recorded during an incredibly prolific time that featured other pre-For You sessions worth investigating like Sound 80 (December 1976 – Summer 1977), 94 East Minneapolis Genius – The Historic 1977 Recordings and The Rebels among many others. Loring Park Sessions 77 clearly illustrates the genius of one of the greatest musicians of all time and will certainly make for a great listen for years to come (or at least while it exists on YouTube). Enjoy.
Källa: http://www.soulhead.com/2017/02/08/r...-77-unearthed/
Ja jädrar vilken konsert sign of the times var. Hujja. En av mina topp tre någonsin, kanske nummer 1 till och med.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
Fan vad det svänger, det är helt vilt. Man undrar om man skulle palla att lira med det bandet, jag skulle ha permanent järnskakning av allt huvudgungande bakom keyboarden.
Det är därför Prince brukar ha en doktor på den positionen.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
Intervju med Roger Linn angående Prince och LM-1, finns mp3:a på sidan för nedladdning.
Roger Linn, inventor of the LM-1 drum machine, talks Prince and "When Doves Cry"
by Cecilia Johnson
March 1, 2017
http://www.thecurrent.org/feature/20...when-doves-cry
Prince wouldn't be Prince without his sly sense of humor. He wouldn't be Prince without his passion for old-school funk; his glorious purple garb; those wailing, impossible-to-recreate guitar solos. But he also wouldn't be Prince without the Linn LM-1 Drum Computer.
More casual fans might not know, but Prince built many of his most famous beats on the LM-1 Drum Computer, including those heard in "1999," "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker," and his earth-shattering album Purple Rain. When he recorded "When Doves Cry" on March 1, 1984, he dropped a LM-1 beat into the opening guitar solo and let it loop for the rest of the six-minute song. That syncopated "knocking," also heard throughout "The Beautiful Ones," soon became one of his calling cards.
In this episode of The Current's Prince Remembered podcast, LM-1 inventor Roger Linn explains why he's a Prince fan, how Prince got that signature "knocking" noise, and why he stuck with the LM-1 for so long.
Full transcript:
------------------------
Welcome to Prince Remembered. I'm Cecilia Johnson, a writer over at the Local Current blog, and I'm on the phone today with Roger Linn, drum machine pioneer and founder of Roger Linn Design. How are you today?
- I'm well.
I asked you to talk with me today because your LM-1 Drum Computer, in addition to being a signature instrument of '80s music in general, was a key element of Prince's early work. I'm thinking about the drums on the Time's "777-9311" and the knocking during the beginning of "When Doves Cry." How do you think Prince's use of your drum machine influenced popular music?
- It was a very big deal. First of all, it was an absolute godsend for me. I had made this new product, and people liked it, but it was his prominent use of it on his hit recordings that was a tremendous help to me. The exposure of the LM-1 Drum Computer to other people. Because I didn't know, at the time, that it would be something people used to produce recording demos or small-time, and he had the vision to see it as a new sound. A new essential element in creating his record. So it was very nice for me.
I was going to ask: the LM-1 was released under the name "LM-1 Drum Computer." Do you prefer the term "drum machine" or "drum computer" when people are talking about it?
- The general product category of instruments is drum machine. I just called that particular model drum computer because it made sense at the time. When it was released, which was around 1979, it was a time when people were putting little chip computers into musical instruments and using that as a way to expand their capabilities.
Are you a Prince fan, by the way?
- Oh, certainly. Mostly back then. But he's always been very creative, and combined a number of musical styles, so he was able to reach a very wide audience. Most importantly, he had ideas consistently and over time.
- I think that's what makes someone a real artist: the frequency and quantity of good ideas. You know, ideas are not that hard to come by. But good ideas are. There are lots of bad ideas out there. But I think it's the frequency and longevity of good ideas in any musical person or any participant in any art form that makes them a true artist. Their ability to see things that other people don't see. And he, certainly, was very good about that.
Do you have any examples in mind?
- Just his use of the drum machine. Before that time, you have to understand that there were drum machines. They were simple little things that you could put in home organs and such. They had very [inaudible] sounds and fixed beats that weren't very creative.
He saw this machine that I had -- it had sampled sounds -- and also, you could program your own beats. Further, you could alter the sound of the drum. They sounded unusual, interesting, and different. For example, you talked about the knocking sound. Well, that was nearly a recording of what's called a cross stick snare drum, which is a snare drum stick where you hold the tip onto the drum head, and you slap the stick against the rim of the drum. He just used that normal sound, but he decided to tune it down about an octave or more to get what you refer as the "knocking" sound.
He did the same thing with the tambourine. He turned it into this loose jangling thing that didn't sound like a tambourine at all. These became characteristic sounds on his record, so then, of course, a lot of folks stole them.
I was reading from The Guardian that he sometimes ran the sounds from his LM-1 through his Boss guitar pedals. How do you feel about the way that he customized the sounds that you provided in that way?
- Yeah, I wouldn't doubt it. I think he was able to hear what the correct sound should be in his head. The one that was interesting and complemented his music well. First of all, he had one foot in the beat-oriented music world, but he had the other foot in the guitar world. The rock world. So he was able to take elements in the guitar world, like guitar processing pedals, and use them to process drums.
A lot of people would say, "Oh, that's not something you should do. That's not something they were made for." But I think he was able to take things and see value in them that other people didn't see.
Do you think that Prince's use of the LM-1 gave it a cool factor?
- Oh, most certainly so. That reflected, from my experience, in more popularity. The LM-1 Drum Computer and then the drum machines that followed. So it was very, very nice.
After hearing feedback and hearing your instrument in even more popular music, what did you want to change for your next model, the Linn Drum?
- Actually, the changes that I made were more to try and bring the price down, because when I first released the LM-1, it cost $5,000. That was very expensive, particularly in 1979. Someone like Prince could afford it, but not too many others. So I tried to address that by reducing the cost in Linn Drum, the second product. But that was more from the price of some of those computer components coming down than it was in cheapening things. In fact, I added things to it. The second one, the Linn Drum, had more memory; it had cymbals, which the original machine did not, and a few other additions.
But Prince stuck to the original one. He had a special relationship with that one. And he continued to use it for making records. In fact, I remember reading an interview in one of the music magazines with him in -- I think it was the '90s, or it could've been the early 2000s. It showed a picture from his Paisley Park studio, in Minneapolis, of his original LM-1 Drum Computer, and it had a lamp on it. It was like a shrine.
Do you know why he liked it so much? Did you ever find out?
- No, I've never met the man. I just think maybe there was a magic in that one that he saw -- that he didn't see, perhaps, in the other ones. I mean, one of the things I did take -- out one of the things that was very expensive was the independent tuning of all the drums, using the digital circuitry of the time. So I took out the tuning of most of the drums in the second model, and that precluded him from doing all those low tunings, like the knocking sound you described. So that may have been a reason.
Do you have a favorite beat that he made using the LM-1?
- Well, there were so many. "When Doves Cry" was very nice. It started out with the LM-1, playing the beat on that, and how he had a guitar processor called a flanger, altering the sound of the drum machine. So it would sort of sweep up and down in tone. The record being so stark and so sparse of instruments, it was pretty much just him singing and the drum machine. And then, occasionally, his guitar would come, and there was some other instruments, but there wasn't so much more.
"1999" was a big favorite. So many of them, you know.
Well, in addition to his other musical talents -- you touched on this, talking about he was super into guitar -- Prince was an incredible drummer behind the kit. Do you think that influenced the way that he used your machine?
- I suppose it did. I think a lot of people who used and still use my drum machines who aren't drummers, and don't think in terms of rhythmic parts, tend to sometimes play as a guitarist, for example, would, who sits behind a drum set that he doesn't know how to play. He doesn't necessarily know how to create those parts, or he creates too many fills, or he doesn't play the right groove with the beat. So I think [Prince's] knowledge of that, being a multi-instrumentalist, was probably very helpful in his ability to create beats and parts that were more appropriate to the song.
And I think, once again, he is a guy who saw music from an overview. Although his main instrument was guitar, I don't think of him as a guitar player. I think of him more, well, in the sense that people now call themselves "producer." They think of themselves more of the creator of the entire recording and whatever is needed to produce that. They tend to think in all the parts, as opposed to someone who only thinks in terms of guitar parts.
You know, he was the writer, and as the writer, you tend to think in that way, anyway. But as the writer, many people don't have the skills in the individual instruments. So. He was able to put it all together, and I suspect that, were he alive today, [and] if he were asked this question, he would probably think of himself more as just a general creator of the music, as opposed to necessarily a guitar player.
I would agree with that; I think that's really good insight. Do you know when or how Prince bought his LM-1s? I read on a Prince fan forum that he had two of them, actually. I'm not sure if that's true, but.
- Well, I suspect he did. I don't know, because I don't think he bought them directly from me at the company, so he may have bought it from a dealer. At the time, my company was pretty chaotic. I was around 24 and 25, and maybe he had bought it from a salesperson from the company -- I'm not sure. Hard to say, actually. I think he probably bought it from the dealer. Or else I would've heard about it from the people at the company.
I'd imagine. Well, you said you'd never met Prince. Have you been to First Avenue or Paisley Park or Minnesota?
- I think I've been to Minnesota many years ago, when I was a touring guitarist, but other than that, I don't think I've been. Actually, let's see. If anything, it would've been sometime in the '80s, so a long time ago.
Just to wrap it up, like you were saying, the LM-1 Drum Computer still is in Paisley Park. I got to take a tour there just a couple of months ago, and the tour guides talk about the knocking noise at the beginning of "When Doves Cry," so tour guides are briefly explaining the ways that Prince used it every day. How do you feel about your instrument being so closely tied to Prince's legacy?
- I think it's wonderful. He was such a great proponent. I only wish I had been able to meet him while he was still alive. I tried a couple of times; I'd contacted him through one of his roadies, and then once, I think it was through his manager. But I never got a reply. So, he must have been busy with something at the time.
But you know, I've seen him on an interview on the Charlie Rose show, and I thought he was very interesting. The way he thought. A very calm guy, too. Seemed to think and speak very cohesively, so I'm sure he would've been a very interesting fellow to engage in conversation.
It's such a shame, because my understanding, from having read the article about his passing, is that he got some bad drugs or something like that. It's one of those chance things where it wasn't that he'd burned himself out or anything. He had a very unfortunate accident and coincidence of events, and it's sad when that happens. You want everyone to be able to live a long and full life. But then again -- what's the expression? "The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long."
He was a playful person. I actually never got to meet him in person, but I got to watch him perform a couple of times. And I've heard so many stories at this point. He was super well-spoken, and of course, an incredible musician; also, I just enjoyed the sense of humor that he had. Teasing the crowd and things. Actually, I thought of that when I was looking at your machines, the Linnstrument and the AdrenaLinn. I thought Prince would get a kick out of those puns.
- In one of those communications, I tried to give him an AdrenaLinn pedal. 'Cause as a guitar player, I think he'd appreciate it. Never heard back.
Bummer. Well, anything I forgot to ask about or you wanted to highlight or wrap up with?
- The only thing I would mention is that I do regret that he was not able to ever play with my current instrument, called Linnstrument. Because he was about adding expression to music. I think he would have valued that.
One of the problems that happens in music now is that everyone's playing music with on/off switches. A standard electronic keyboard is basically a bunch of on/off switches. I think as a result, there's some missing expressiveness that one found in guitar or in earlier forms of music -- violin, cello, saxophone, or instruments like that. [Prince] was very expressive in guitar and in his singing, of course. I think that's such a wonderful element. I do lament the fact that ever since pop records have been produced entirely electronically, there are no more instrumental solos. I would like to see that again, and I think he would've been able to use Linnstrument in combination with synthesis to use his vision to be able to create new kinds of electronic synthesis instrumental solos on his records that I think would open up a whole new generation of synthesis musicians. There are few people with that vision, and it's sad that he's gone. He never had a chance to do that.
Prince is victorious (once again) with Sign O’ The Times
by A Pop Life (Erwin Barendregt)
Prince – Sign O’ The Times vinyl
-"What People Were Saying About Sign O’ The Times Was; ‘There Are Some Great Songs On It And Some Experiments On It.’ I Hate The Word ‘Experiments’."
/Prince
Preface
1987 was the quintessential Prince year. Not just for the music that was released under his own moniker (Sign O’ The Times) or was scheduled for release (The Black Album), but also for the amount of released material to which he directly contributed by supplying songs, production or performing:
• 21-01-1987: Madhouse: 8
• 19-02-1987: Sheila E: Sheila E (6 out of 10 songs)
• 02-03-1987: Prince: Sign O’ The Times single (B-side, 1 song)
• 19-03-1987: Deborah Allen: Telepathy (1 song)
• 27-03-1987: Prince: Sign O’ The Times
• 17-04-1987: Nona Hendryx: Female Trouble (1 song)
• 26-05-1987: Jill Jones: Jill Jones
• 01-06-1987: Prince: If I Was Your Girlfriend single (B-side, 1 song)
• 17-07-1987: Sheen Easton: No Sound But A Heart (1 song)
• 19-09-1987: Taja Sevelle: Taja Sevelle (2 songs)
• 18-11-1987: Madhouse: 16
• 20-11-1987: Prince: Sign O’ The Times movie
• 07-12-1987: Prince: The Black Album
A total of 53 Prince songs were released in 1987. The amount could have been as high as 61, if The Black Album was relased as scheduled on December 7th, 1987. What stands out is the extremely high level of the releases. Even satellite projects like Madhouse and Jill Jones received A-class material. That explains the separate Madhouse story, published earlier this year. Later this year more 1987 stories will be published about the Jill Jones and The Black Album releases.
Content
Besides the album, the Sign O’ The Times Tour took place and the (concert)film Sign O’ The Times was released in 1987. Therefore, this article is divided in 3 parts:
1. Sign O’ The Times, the album
2. Sign O’ The Times, the tour
3. Sign O’ The Times, the movie
Titel
Three notations are used for the name of this album: Sign “” The Times, Sign Of the Times and Sign O’ The Times. The correct way is the first one, but the third one is commonly used in stories, forums, online media and communities. This notation will be used in this article.
Sign O’ The Times, the album
Prince – Sign O’ The Times, announcement in Dutch music-magazine OOR 5, 07-03-1987
Preface
Prince & The Revolution 08/18/1986 concertticket
When the first announcements concerning a new album were made public, the press nearly exploded, particularly In Europe. A new album by the genius Prince was longed for. The disbanding of The Revolution was considered a shock, because Prince, with The Revolution, had left an indelible impression with the genius album Parade (which was released on March 31st, 1986) and the concerts he had given in Europe, where he had been only once before (in 1981 promoting Dirty Mind, the first truly great work by Prince).
The single Sign O’ The Times, released in February 1987, gave some clue about what was coming. However, no-one expected it to be that good. But, before we get into that: how did the album come about?
The Revolution/Dream Factory
Prince & the Revolution – Dream Factory (bootleg)
The first time I saw Prince live, was with The Revolution. At the time the fantastic album Parade, released in March 1986, was 5 months old. In the meantime the new Prince & The Revolution album was already finished: Dream Factory. Two configurations of Dream Factory are known, an album that started as a compensation towards, particularly, Wendy & Lisa to exercise more influence on The Revolution and its output.
The first configuration of the album was a real band effort, but along the way Prince’s output, once again, proved to be too big. More and more songs were being replaced. The proposed single album (compiled in April of 1986) had turned into a double-album in early June. The last known configuration, dated July 18th, comprised 18 songs, 8 of which were eventually released on Sign O’ The Times. A total of 25 songs were considered for the project Dream Factory. Of the 25 songs, besides the 8 that became part of Sign O’ The Times, 9 were released at a later time, or given to others. The July 18th configuration of the album has been released as a bootleg.
Exit The Revolution
After the July 18th configuration Prince kept on recording songs. Among them Hot Thing, The Ball and Forever In My Life. The recording was interrupted by the Prince & The Revolution Parade tour of Europe and Japan. It turned out to be the last time. On September 9th, 1986, Prince & The Revolution played their last ever show: The Revolution was fired in October of 1986. Dr. Fink, Miko Weaver and Brown Mark were asked to stay, to which the first two complied.
The Dawn
After disbanding The Revolution Dream Factory was shelved. A new project replaced it: The Dawn, a musical. Several songs were recorded for this project, among which the phenomenal Crucial. In the same month Prince recorded the, equally phenomenal, song Shockadelica (see Prince, top 50, songs 25 to 11 for particulars). During his studio-time Prince received a call by Quincy Jones proposing to record a duet with Michael Jackson, titled Bad. Prince was honored, but declined the offer. The song was not very interesting musically and Prince knew he sat on a big pile of exciting and interesting new material, which surpassed the level of Bad by miles. Besides that: the opening line to the Jackson song was Your butt is mine, reason enough for Prince to pass on the offer.
Prince – Camille
Camille
Just days after The Revolution’s disbanding Prince was hauled up in his favorite studio in Los Angeles, Sunset Sound, where he would record songs every day for the next three months. Housequake was one of the first songs to be recorded. On Housequake he used a recording-trick with a sped-up voice. He began thinking about a project for the sped-up voice as it were a character.
Sunset Sound Recording Studio Logo
The character was named Camille, an alter-ego. The idea of a new project inspired even more. Within a period of 10 days five new songs were composed and recorded, all using the sped-up voice. One of the five was the heartbreakingly beautiful If I Was Your Girlfriend, one of Prince’s finest songs ever. In early November of 1986 a test pressing was made of the Camille album (recently a copy was auctioned, marking it the first time physical evidence could be presented of its existence). The project was given a Warner Bros. catalog number and a releasedate of January 1987 was proposed.
Crystal Ball
But Prince was unstoppable. He kept on recording. The Camille project slowly faded into the background. New songs: among others, the beautiful Adore, Play In The Sunshine and overdubs for a Prince & The Revolution live-track recorded in Paris during the Parade tour: It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night. And thus a new project was born: Crystal Ball, intended to be a triple-album. It consisted of 22 songs, largely compiled of the projects Dream Factory and Camille, supplemented with a number of recently recorded new songs (among which the monumental Joy In Repetition). The album was a solo-project by Prince, which contained the infamous line Produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince.
Prince – Crystal Ball (bootleg)
As to be expected, the idea of releasing a triple-album was not met with great enthusiasm by Warner Bros. President Mo Ostin listened to Crystal Ball at Sunset Sound and told Prince that the album was not going to be released. There were objections to the high marketingcosts and the amount of money consumers were supposed to pay for such an item. I remember reading that the, after the first huge numbers, disappointing sales of Bruce Springsteen’s live box Live 1975/85 weighed in significantly on Warner Bros.’ views on the Prince project.
However, Warner Bros. was prepared to release a double-album, but Prince was reluctant at removing songs from the, in his view, perfect Crystal Ball. In the end he had no choice but to downsize Crystal Ball to two albums, of which the song Sign O’ The Times was to be its central theme. The recently recorded new song U Got The Look was added to the album and mid-January 1987 the definitive configuration of Sign O’ The Times was compiled.
Wally
Susan Rogers
At the time of compiling Crystal Ball and Sign O’ The Times the relationship with Susannah Melvoin ended. Susannah was the twin sister of Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin. Prince’s relationship with Susannah had inspired multiple songs, but Wally was the farewell-song. Shortly after Christmas 1986 Prince recorded the song Wally. The song implicitly referenced the end of the relationship with Susannah, which apparently shook up Prince considerably. Prince’s regular engineer Susan Rogers was present during the recording and describes the song as the most honest song he ever made; the song contained a very sincere emotional undercurrent. After the song was completed, Prince began adding all kinds of extras to the song up to the point the song became less and less. Susan Rogers understood that the additions were deliberate and pleaded Prince to stop, which resulted in Prince ordering her to destroy the recording. She refused, so Prince destroyed the recording personally. This was the first and, according to many, only time Prince destroyed something. This was probably too painful (or honest) for him. The next day he re-recorded Wally, but with different lyrics and without the emotional subtext. Wally has never been released. I have not heard it to this day. After Prince’s death, The Roots drummer Questlove tweeted that he had heard Wally, adding Don’t ask, making clear he would not reveal his source.
The complete route to Sign O’ The Times
Based on the available data, the route to Sign O’ The Times looks as follows:
Prince the route to Sign O’ The Times
Sign O’ The Times
Diskoland
Sign O’ The Times is the 9th studio album, Prince’s 2nd double album, released on March 31st 1987, but in Holland it was available on March 27th. I bought it at Diskoland, Heerhugowaard (The Netherlands) as two separate cd’s. At the time, I had my own flat in Amsterdam, but during the weekends I regularly visited my hometown to go out. Because my father didn’t own a cd-player yet, I first heard the cd’s on Sunday March 29th 1987 in my Amsterdam apartment. I only knew the song Sign O’ The Times, which had been released as a single on 02/18/1987. The B-side La, La, La, He, He, Hee was not on the album. The album was released by Paisley Park Records in cooperation with Warner Bros. Records. It is the successor to Parade, which was released a year before on March 31st. It is the first album to be released after disbanding The Revolution.
Prince – Sign O’ The Times ads
Scope
The album consists of a wide range of different styles, like funk, soul, (psychedelic) pop, electro and rock. Four singles were culled from the album, among which the titlesong and one of his most beautiful songs If I Was Your Girlfriend. Later during the year the concertmovie Sign O’ The Times was realeased, which was a (shortened) representation of the Sign O’ The Times Tour. The album was a huge success among critics and musicfans and ended up in the high regions of all end-of-year lists and, nowadays, is regarded as one of the best albums of all times and as the best album released by Prince.
Recording process
Linn LM-1 drum computer
Fairlight CMI digital sampler
The Linn LM-1 drum machine is used intensively on this album. Many songs have sparse instrumentation. On this album Prince (once more) experiments with the, at the time state-of-the-art digital sampler, Fairlight CMI. The song Sign O’ The Times was made with it, with Prince just using the default Fairlight sounds. Many songs employ the sped-up-voice technique. These songs weren’t credited to Prince, but to Camille, Prince’s alter ego.
Despite the general idea that Sign O’ The Times seemed less ‘produced’ than his previous albums, Susan Rogers claims that “we spent more time and money on Sign o’ the Times than anything he’d ever done. Much more work went into it.”.
Prince – Sign O’ The Times
Review
And? Is this album worthy of all this praise? Yes, and more! It’s a breathtakingly good album, containing a vast number of classic songs, which actually were classic at time of release.
A review of the last masterpiece of the vinyl era, song by song.
Sign O’ The Times
Prince – Sign O’ the Times video
The single, released on 02/18/1987 prior to the album. Recorded by Prince himself in July 1986. The song is minimally supported by the Fairlight sampler, with Prince’s programming being responsible for the inventive drums and bass. Sparse synthesizer and a bluesy guitar (particularly on the longer album version) are added to the song.
Sign O’ The Times (single), 1987
More contemplative songs, like this one, were often composed on Sundays by Prince. The song references the Challenger disaster from January 1986.
As a single-choice this song isn’t that obvious, as it isn’t that easy to listen to for its minimalism and heavy lyrics. But it worked nonetheless: Sign O’ The Times was a major hit.
The clip to the song stood out. Prince was nowhere to be seen. It consisted solely of computer generated letters scrolling the lyrics over the screen.
The song starts off with:
O Yeah
In France, a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name
By chance his girlfriend came across a needle and soon she did the same
At home there are seventeen-year-old boys and their idea of fun
Is being in a gang called ‘The Disciples’ high on crack and totin’ a machine gun
Time
Times
© 1987 Prince, Sign O’ The Times
Just one verse and already we are surrounded by the AIDS epidemic, drugs, gangs and guns. This is not going to be a cheerful ride. A little atypical of Prince, but what a song! What a way to start an album! The problems keep on piling up, and yet it ends on a positive note, with an attempt to make the world livable with your loved one:
Sign o’ the times mess with your mind
Hurry before it’s too late
Let’s fall in love, get married, have a baby
We’ll call him Nate
If it’s a boy
© 1987 Prince, Sign O’ The Times
Prince – Play in The Sunshine
Play In The Sunshine
Coming directly after Sign O’ The Times this song decidedly feels less heavy than its predecessor and builds on that song’s ending: despite all the gloom and problems, try to make something of (your) life.
The lyric “dance very dance like it’s going to be the last time” reminds of the theme of the song 1999 (Everybody’s got a bomb / We could all die here today / But before I’ll let that happen / I’ll dance my life away).
Live drums, uptempo with a lot of ingenious breaks (Drummer, drummer, do your thang) and interludes: great song!
Housequake at Sign O’ The Times tour première, First Avenue, Minneapolis, 03/21/1987
Housequake
And then: Shut up, already. Damn!. Housequake starts:
http://media.apoplife.nl/apoplife-sounds/Housequake.wav
Housequake intro, for a long time the clip on my answering machine
One of his best songs, and surely one his funkiest. The drum programming on this song is stunning. Together with the funky rhythm guitar, the bass and the horn section it’s an almost breathtaking experience. Except for the horns, the song was performed by Prince alone. A Camille track, originally intended for the Camille album.
Come on y’all, we got 2 jam
Before the police come
A groove this funky is on the run
© 1987 Prince, Housequake
Shock-a-locka-boom!
Senast redigerat av T11 den 2017-03-31 klockan 01:35.
The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker
Prince – The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker (proposed cover)
The song sounds a bit monotone due to a technical problem. The new home studio was installed, but hadn’t been used yet. At the time of recording this song, the console was partly up and running. At the end of the day it was clear what caused the malfunction, but Prince decided to keep the recording as it was. The song was written after Prince dreamt (!) the song. The song references Joni Mitchell’s Help Me (‘Oh, my favorite song she said / And it was Joni singing /’ Help me I think I’m falling’), off her 1974 album Court And Spark.
The lyrics are lively and funny: Prince has an argument with his girlfriend and goes to a restaurant alone (Yeah, lemme get a fruit cocktail, I ain’t too hungry). The waitress (Dorothy) says ‘You’re kinda cute — wanna take a bath?’. They decide to spend the night together, and not have sex, because Prince is kinda going with someone. Prince keeps his pants on in the tub and during the course of the night he learns how to be a friend to his girlfriend. So he goes home, gets in the tub with his girlfriend, and the fighting stops.
Rumor has it that this song was a proposed single. The cover pictured here is supposed to be proof of that. I don’t know for sure.
It
A song about sex. And what a song this is! The beat is relentless, the other (musical) accompaniment sparse and the singing full of fire.
Prince – It
I think about it baby all the time, all right
IT feels so good it must be a crime, all right
I wanna do it baby every day, all right
In a bed, on the stairs, anywhere, all right
I wanna do it baby all the time, all right
Cuz when we do it girl, it’s so divine, all right
© 1987 Prince, It
Starfish And Coffee
The sound of an alarmclock. Starfish And Coffee is written by Prince. The lyrics are credited to Prince and Susannah Melvoin, at the time his fiancée and lover. The music is playful and upbeat, with a backwards played drumbeat.
Enclosed here the story about the realization of the song, as told by Susannah:
Slow Love'Starfish And Coffee'
By Susannah Melvoin
I remember Fall in Minneapolis vividly, the air smells like water and earth and the lakes that spread throughout the city become deserted of people, they now walk around the lakes bundled up in what is the last fall jacket one can get away with wearing. I loved it and I loved what was to be an extremely beautiful time in my life. Instead of the long drawn version, I can narrow down one particular day in the fall of 1986? maybe 87? That was to be the day I wrote Starfish and Coffee with Prince.
Sitting around the kitchen table was Prince, his engineer Susan Rodgers, and myself.
It was a time Susan and myself spent every day with him recording or keeping each other company. Prince and I spent many hours together, either in the studio working, or driving around Minneapolis talking to each other and listening to music. We talked about our histories and our secrets but on a couple of occasions I told him stories of a 12-year-old girl named Cynthia Rose. My sister Wendy and I knew Cynthia intimately because we shared six years in a classroom, plus a bus ride to school with her. It was the Bus rides that I got to know Cynthia.
Prince – Starfish And Coffee (Cynthia Rose)
Cynthia never had much interest outside of her own personal space, so watching her was an unedited version of what was going on her head. I’m certain if Cynthia were in school today she’d still be as interesting and extraterrestrial as she was then. I think Cynthia was dropped off from another world filled with extraordinary images. Images only Cynthia knew the meanings behind.
Her Favorite number for Many years was the number 12. I knew this because she’d rock back and forth in her seat asking you if you knew what her favorite number was for the day… It was always a shock to her that you knew her favorite number was 12. I’d say “I think it’s twelve, right Cynthia?” She was totally amazed and joyous that you guessed it right. Who’d a guessed it. Again I’d watch how she would ecstatically experience the world.
Cynthia would tell you over and over again how amazing and meaningful the number 12 was. I’d ask why? The answer never changed, it was always because “it makes me happy”. While she etched with her finger on the damp foggy school bus window a huge happy face. Much of those bus rides Cynthia sat rocking in her seat gently repeating her favorite number. Cynthia would also tell me what she had for breakfast, and every day it was STARFISH AND PEE PEE. I never understood the combo meal. And frankly nobody else could, this seemed like the deal breaker for most kids. More importantly the kids in our class who had no interest in how Cynthia came to get her morning breakfast. I thought it was tender and funny, and listened to her tell me anything she wanted to say whether it was firmly planted on earth or from her planet of tender hearted people who love numbers and draw smiley faces…
Sixth grade was the last year our class was to be together. It was the first bus ride that year that something was different about Cynthia. She sat quietly in her seat staring out of the window. When we arrived at school, and as the bus pulled into the lot, Cynthia turned my way, looked me in the eyes and asked, ”If I wanted to know something special?”.
I couldn’t wait!
We stepped outside of the bus, walked a couple feet, when she leaned into me and said…”DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT MY FAVORITE NUMBER IS?”
I said, its twelve right?
Cynthia’s answer? ….. IT” S 20!!!!
then in her beautiful Martian like way she smiled into her hands and said,” because it really makes me happy!”
Running off in her Groucho Marx, Martian kind of way, repeating the number 20.
That year turned out to be a very funny year for Cynthia and myself. On two occasions I happened to leave class for a ladies’ room visit. I’m about to walk out of the bathroom when I hear water splashing and giggling in one of the stalls. I somehow had a feeling it was Cynthia Rose, the giggle sounded unattached to a real person, it sounded naive and desperate almost like the sound of crying into a jacket; muffled and hysterical.
So, I knocked on the stall door asking if it was Cynthia. More giggles, no answer. I looked under the stall and saw Cynthia’s shoes. I asked what she doing in there? when she threw the door wide open with a big red apple in between her teeth, soaking wet hair and face, took a bite of the apple and said “I was bobbing for apples in the toilet!” “it’s so much fun!”.
I was horrified by what she was doing…
Cynthia looked at me for what was the last time we would have eye to eye contact, she became long faced and reflective, something I’d never seen her experience, Cynthia took my hand while I grabbed as many paper towels I could gather to dry her off. Cynthia looking at my hands drying hers without a peep from her.
Prince – Starfish And Coffee
This is the story about the exceptional Cynthia Rose, who was just one of 25 kids named, Kevin, Christopher, Wendy and Susannah just to name a few of us. Who spent everyday together for six years. Moreover, for those six years every day we started off greeting Ms. Kathleen outside her classroom door. We’d all be in line outside the classroom, she’d open the door, one by one we would greet and shake her hand walking to our seats for just another day at school. And all of us were ordinary except for Cynthia Rose.
This is a true story I would tell Prince every so often when asked about it. We both agreed that she was worth writing about, Cynthia being so tender. We both wondered if Cynthia Rose was still living and number’s drunk. Because, it made her Happy.
It was this fall afternoon in Minnesota at our kitchen table when Prince came up the stairs from his studio, sat next to me and asked if I would to tell him the whole story of Cynthia Rose. A few hours later he asked if I’d write it down for him.
On that afternoon when Prince asked if I’d write this story, I would have no idea what was about to transpire downstairs in his studio. Prince requested I not go downstairs until he was finished with the track. But just before he went downstairs he sat down at the table and said to me “the Pee Pee ‘s got to go.“ then asked if Coffee was doable instead. Yes, yes yes of course…
Ten hours later Susan Came Upstairs to get me. I walked into the studio, Prince was standing at the console with a tired gentle smile on his face and said “here it is”!
The rest is history.
Susannah
© Susannah Melvoin (https://starfishcoffeeofficial.bandzoogle.com)
Written with Carole Davis (a temporary lover), this is the song thats doesn’t quite live up to the rest. It’s not a bad song, but it seems somewhat mediocre, especially when compared to the pure genius surrounding it.
Slow love
So much better when we take it easy
Slow love
So much better when we take our time
© 1987 Prince & Carole Davis, Slow Love
Prince – Hot Thing
Hot Thing
Stunning song! Hot Thing‘s beat alone is one of the many highlights on this album. Sign O’ The Times is a classic for Hot Thing‘s beat alone! Add to that a Oriental synthesizer motif and beautiful horn arrangements by Eric Leeds. A hightlight in Prince’s body of work. This song can’t be played enough!
Hot thing, baby U dance so good
Hot thing, baby I knew U would
Hot thing, tell me what U see
Hot thing, When U smile, when U smile, when U smile
Are your smiles, are your smiles 4 me?
© 1987 Prince, Hot Thing
Forever In My Life
Beautiful song that consists of a, once again, beautifully programmed drumbeat, supplemented by an acoustic guitar during the last 30 seconds of the song. Remarkable is the background vocals (Prince) preceding the lines, instead of running behind, the result of an error during the recording. When Prince heard the result, he liked it so much that he decided to keep it. The song is about Prince wanting to settle down, because he found the love of his life.
Prince – Forever In My Life (live)
The lyrics are filled with compliments to his lover, but it works perfectly (without becoming corny). The lyrics are deliverd with conviction:
U are my hero, U are my future (no past)
When I am with U, I have no past
Oh baby my one and only desire (make this feelin’ last)
Is find some way in this doggone world (sugar it’s true)
2 make this feelin’ last (I know I do)
Oh baby it’s true, I know I do (2 with U)
And I just wanna tell U that I
want 2 with U, yeah
And baby if U do 2
Forever, forever, I want U baby, baby forever (U can make right)
I wanna keep U 4 the rest of my life (U are my saviour)
All that is wrong in my world (U are my light)
U can make right (Forever I want U in my life)
U are my saviour, U are my light (La da da da da da da da)
Forever I want U in my life (La da da da da da da da)
© 1987 Prince, Forever In My Life
Particularly during the Sign O’ The Times Tour this Forever In My Life was a definite highlight. The song was extended into a beautiful gospel, including vocal climaxes, often containing heartbreaking screams and shouts. Sometimes (part of) the lyrics to It were worked into the song.
The song reminds of Sly & The Family Stone’s Everyday People.
Prince – U Got The Look
U Got The Look
Third single off the album, a duet with Sheena Easton. A bluessong, sped-up in its entirety. The song is credited to Camille, but wasn’t part of the project itself. The song has a robotic beat and contains beautiful guitar work by Prince. The interaction between Sheena Easton and Prince works perfectly:
Prince:
Well here we are, ladies and gentlemen
The dream we all dream of
Sheena:
(oh, please!)
Prince:
Boy versus girl in the world series of love
Slammin’
© 1987 Prince, U Got The Look
Prince – If I Was Your Girlfriend
If I Was Your Girlfriend
An orchestra warming up, Look at the bargains over here, ladies followed by a short piece of Mendelsohn’s Wedding March. The undisputed highlight on the album is about to start. Number 2 in my Prince song top 50. This song possesses a striking beauty, musically as well as lyrically. Once again a brilliantly programmed drumbeat, supplemented with minimal, subtle synthesizer motifs and beautiful (background)choirs. Everything fits.
A Camille track, released as the album’s second single. A very strange choice, because the song isn’t easy, particularly thematically. It wasn’t a hit, which proves once again that sales don’t represent (the quality of) music.
The lyrics appear to be inspired by the (natural) relationship (Revolution guitarist) Wendy has to (fiancée) Susannah: they are twins. The intimacy that exists between the two is something Prince longs for. He wants to be the (female) friend who she’ll come to, even when Prince hurts her (as a lover).
If I was your one and only friend
Would U run 2 me if somebody hurt U
Even if that somebody was me?
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be
Please
© 1987 Prince, If I Was Your Girlfriend
To end the singing part with:
If I was your girlfriend
Baby can I dress U
I mean, help U pick out your clothes
Before we go out
Listen girl, I ain’t sayin you’re helpless
But sometimes, sometimes
Those are the things that bein’ in love’s about
Sugar do U know what I’m saying 2 U this evening?
Maybe U think I’m being
a little self-centered
But I, I said I want 2 be
all of the things U are 2 me
Surely, surely U can see
© 1987 Prince, If I Was Your Girlfriend
The (backgound)choirs (Prince) woven into the song are all stunningly beautiful and inventive. Prince singing his lyrics sped-up, slowed-down, high and low. He convincingly proves his mastery at simplicity, beatprogramming, melody and instrumentation; vocalist and poet in one. Every time I hear the song, I can’t get my head around the fact he did all of this by himself.
The song continues with spoken lyrics about all the things he could/would do for his lover and/or girlfriend:
Of course I’ll undress in front of U!
And when I’m naked, what shall I do?
How can I make U see that it’s cool?
Can’t U just trust me?
If I was your girlfriend U could
Oh, yeah, I think so
Listen, 4 U naked I would dance a ballet
Would that get U off?
Then tell me what will!
If I was your girlfriend, would U tell me?
© 1987 Prince, If I Was Your Girlfriend
The song ends with the heartfelt desire to:
Yeah, we’ll try 2 imagine what silence looks like
© 1987 Prince, If I Was Your Girlfriend
Strange Relationship
Prince – Strange Relationship
Once again a Camille track. Contrary to the previous song, wherein the desire to get so close to the other, that the couple almost melts into each other, this song is about a man playing psychological games with his girlfriend. He wants her, and he doesn’t. He grants her everything, yet nothing. The game they play, says a lot about her and him.
I guess U know me well, I don’t like winter
But I seem 2 get a kick out of doing U cold
Oh, what the hell, U always surrender
What’s this strange relationship that we hold on 2?
Baby I just can’t stand 2 see U happy
More than that I hate 2 see U sad
Honey if U left me I just might do something rash
What’s this strange relationship?
© 1987 Prince, Strange Relationship
This song originally stems from 1982 and was updated for the Dream Factory project. Wendy & Lisa got a lot of freedom on this song. They added an Oriental feel to it. After disbanding The Revolution a lot of their additions were reversed, but not all. They are prominently present in the (background)choirs and on, mixed to the background, instruments like tambourine, sitar, flute and conga’s. A top song by Prince.
Prince – I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
I Could Never Take the Place Of Your Man
This song also stems from 1982 and was also revived for the Dream Factory project. The fourth single to be culled from the album, this is a rocking song containing lots of guitar work and a memorable motif. Halfway through the song a long midsection starts, which is very funky and also contains a lot of (great) guitar work. Once again, a song Prince did all on his own, from start to finish.
This song is about a woman who is left by her lover and, consequently, searches for a replacement. Prince is in for a one-night stand, but states that he can never fill the void her lover left behind.
I asked if she wanted 2 dance
And she said all she wanted was a good man
And wanted 2 know if I thought I was qualified, yeah
And I said, baby don’t waste your time
I know what’s on your mind
I may be qualified 4 a one night stand
But I could never take the place of your man
© 1987 Prince, I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
The Cross
Prince – The Cross
One of the first songs on his regular albums that directly focuses on redemption through believing/religion. Prince had previously shown signs of a deeply religious conscience on record; the most poignant being the B-side God off the Purple Rain single. And God is named on all previous albums, particularly in the Thank you notes.
Just as in the titlesong the world is pictured filled with problems. Also just as in titlesong, there is a solution. In this case ther solution is to put your trust in The Cross: the cross which embodies the life (and suffering) of Christ in Christianity.
The song starts off with a softly strumming guitar and an Oriental motif. Subtle drumming enters the song and tension starts to build. Halfway through the song the tension explodes in an orgy of guitar, drums and passionate vocals. Great song!
Black day, stormy night
No love, no hope in sight
Don’t cry, he is coming
Don’t die without knowing the cross
Ghettos 2 the left of us
Flowers 2 the right
There’ll be bread 4 all of us
If we can just bear the cross
© 1987 Prince, The Cross
It´s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
Contains the well-known chant oh-we-oh ooh-oh, which was appropriated by the Prince audience and was regularly started during concerts. The chant itself isn’t by Prince, but stems from the March Of The Winkies of the 1939 movie The Wizard Of Oz.
Prince drumming – Sign O’ The Times Tour
Composed by Prince, Doctor Fink & Eric Leeds. The basetrack to the song was recorded at the Prince & The Revolution concert of August 25th, 1986 in Paris. Through (a lot of) overdubs the jam evolved into It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night, the longest song on the album, clocking in at 9 minutes.
One of the overdubs is a rap by Sheila E., named ‘transmississippirap’. It’s a rapped version of a part of Edward Lear’s poem “The Table And The Chair”, which Sheila E. performed over the phone. At the time she was on the other side of the Mississippi river, hence the name of the rap.
The song has a very strong live-vibe and two of the most recurring motifs, which were incorporated in songs during the fantastic Parade tour, are present in this song. The song ends with Confusion!, after which the band creates a whirlwind one last time. Not intended as a farewell to The Revolution, but well worthy of it.
Prince – Adore
Adore
Stunningly beautiful ballad by Prince. Originally titled Adore (Until The End Of Time). One of the Prince songs that were never released as a single, and nevertheless gained a lot of airplay on the radio. That’s the reason the song is popular with the public (Adore is also part of The Hits/The B-Sides, released in 1993). The song is an utterly romantic ode:
Until the end of time
I’ll be there 4 U
U own my heart and mind
I truly adore U
If God one day struck me blind
Your beauty I’d still see
Love is 2 weak 2 define
Just what U mean 2 me
© 1987 Prince, Adore
The love is so pure and full of surrender that even the angels are crying (from emotion) as the couple makes love:
When we be makin’ love
I only hear the sounds
Heavenly angels cryin’ up above
Tears of joy pourin’ down on us
They know we need each other
They know U are my fix
© 1987 Prince, Adore
Luckily Prince keeps his humor. There is a line not to be crossed: U could burn up my clothes / Smash up my ride adding immediately Well, maybe not the ride. Classic song!
Love is 2 weak 2 define how much I adore U, child
© 1987 Prince, Adore
Prince – Sign O’ The Times innersleeves
Contributions van anderen
Everything on the album is performed by Prince, with the following exceptions:
• Wendy Melvoin: guitar and background-vocals on Slow Love and tambourine and conga on Strange Relationship
• Lisa Coleman: background-vocals on Slow Love and Fairlight sitar and flute on Strange Relationship
• Eric Leeds: saxophone on Housequake, Slow Love, Hot Thing and Adore
• Atlanta Bliss: trumpet on Housequake, Slow Love and Adore
• Susannah Melvoin – background-vocals on Play in the Sunshine, The Ballad of Dorothy Parker and Starfish and Coffee
• Sheila E.: drums and percussion on U Got The Look and precussion and rap on It´s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
• The Revolution (Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Eric Leeds, Atlanta Bliss, Susannah Melvoin, Dr. Fink, Miko Weaver, Brown Mark en Bobby Z.): It´s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
• Jill Jones: vocals on It´s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
• Sheena Easton: vocals on U Got The Look
Prince – Sign O’ The Times LP sticker
Extra songs
The singles Sign O’ The Times and U Got The Look contained B-sides, not available on any other format:
La, La, La, He, He, Hee
B-side to Sign O’ The Times: very strong uptempo dance song, with Sheena Easton guesting on vocals. The lyrics are partially written with her. The song was created as the result of a bet, daring Prince to prove he could get a song out of the syllables la, la, la, he, he, hee. Bet won, case closed.
Shockadelica
B-side to If I Was Your Girlfriend: a Camille track. The song was written in reaction to an album by the same name by former The Time guitarist Jesse Johnson. Prince heard that Johnson’s album was to be called Shockadelica and stated that a great albumtitle had to have a great titlesong. Johnson disagreed, so Prince wrote this song, recorded it and had it played on a Minneapolis radio-station one week prior to Johnson’s album release.
Prince & Cat 1987
Albumcover
The albumcover depicts Prince’s new band’s rehearsal space. The stage is littered with flowers and the front of a Cadillac is placed in front of the drum-riser. Prince is partly visible, as if he’s walking away from the scene. The background hinted at the stage setup for the upcoming tour.
Conclusion
What did I think at the time when I heard it in my Amsterdam flat? What did I think about the Camille tracks?
I remember vividly the excitement I felt when I could finally listen to the cd’s: such wealth: next to Sign O’ The Times, 15 new songs! One amazement after the other. The album was nothing like what came before. The musical richness of Play In The Sunshine, the weirdness of The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker, the horny It, the ernest Forever In My Life, the sparseness of The Cross and the party in It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night: such splendor!
Prince – Sign O’ The Times platinum award
At the time the fact that Camille was in fact Prince using a sped-up voice, was not common knowledge. I had to get used to it: mostly a (very) good sign. I had to make an effort, so those were going to be my favorites. And, lo and behold, that turned out to be true: it didn’t take long for Housequake and If I Was Your Girlfriend to get played more often than not. From that time onwards, I have heard these songs on a weekly basis.
After Prince’s untimely death in April of 2016 I compiled my top 50 Prince songs. Two songs in the top 10 are from this album. A total of 8 songs (of 50) are part of this album, making it the royal warrant holder of favorite songs. Also, this is the first and only album I had to re-buy, due to wearing out the compact-discs.
I’m never quite sure whether to pick Parade, Sign O’ The Times or Lovesexy as my all-time favorite Prince album. Given the numbers (from the top 50) it should be Sign O’ The Times.
If I were to rate this album on the scale from 1 top 10, it would be a 9.99 (Slow Love doesn’t get the 100% score…). No album I know scores higher than that…
Sign O’ The Times, the tour
Prince new band
After disbanding The Revolution, Prince immediately started the formation of a new band, centered around Sheila E. Her own career faded into the background, as a result. Her last Paisley Park album Sheila E was released on February 19th 1987. No promotion was done for the album. A pity, really, for the album contains some great songs, among them the fantastic Koo Koo.
At the end of December 1986 the new band was ready to go. However, Prince was on the look-out for a dancer. She was found: Cathy Clover, abbreviated to Cat. Cat had two offers to consider: either go with Prince or go with David Bowie on his, soon to be started, Glass Spider tour. They both wanted her and both were prepared to give her a role in the image and choreography of the upcoming tours. Cat chose Prince, because she had been a fan for years. The band was now complete and the long process of rehearsals started, making the band know each other and to study the new material. It was Prince’s most complete band to date. All musicians were among the best to be found and the level of musicianship was incredibly high.
Prince 03/21/1987
On March 21st 1987 Prince presented his new band at a tryout in (a sold-out) First Avenue in Minneapolis, where 3 years earlier Purple Rain had been filmed. The audience was confronted with a new band, a new image and new music. The concert opened with Prince introducing the band, after which he stated and for those of you on valium, my name is Prince (original as they are, bootleggers often called their releases 4 those on (of you) valium. The band then opened the show with a rousing Housequake: nice way to open a show! The set contained only one ‘old’ song: 1986’s Girls & Boys, with a beautiful funky arrangement. During this show Strange Relationship was also played, which didn’t make it to the tour. Unbelievable, because the performance here is stunning and it would most definitely have been a show highlight were it to be part of the upcoming tour. All in all a very fine tryout, which laid the foundation for the very near future.
When the tour was announced in Europe, reactions were ecstatic. 9 months after the Parade tour Prince would tour Europe again, starting on May 8th up to June 29th 1987. The shows all sold out immediately.
OOR 12 06/13/1987
33 shows in 14 cities were announced: Stockholm (3), Gothenburg (1), West Berlin (2), Zürich (3), München (2), Frankfurt (2), Vienna (2), Dortmund (2), Stuttgart (1), Milan (4), Paris (4), Utrecht (4), London (2) and Antwerp (1).
Almost the complete European press was present at the tour opening in Stockholm. Dutch newspapers were also present. The headlines pretty much summed the spectacular show up: Impressive total-theater in Stockholm’s icehockeystadium, European tour by Prince starts off stunningly and Prince just keeps on growing. Dutch musicmagazine Oor had Prince articles in every issue and was subsequently accused to be nothing more than a Prince fan-magazine (which they made up for after Prince’s passing, by publishing two humongous idiotic in-memoriams). In other words: tension was professionally built up.
At the time Prince was to hit Holland, The Netherlands were in the middle of a typical Dutch summer, meaning: rain. Prince had ordered that the field of Utrecht’s Galgenwaard stadium was to contain seats. When the rain started pouring down Prince personally ordered holes to be drilled in each seat, so the visitors were able to sit. As if the audience would remain seated…
Prince 06/21/1987 concertticket
I had tickets to only one show: June 21st 1987, which stood out for Forever In My Life not being played… But, despite that, what a show it was. Just the opening alone, Prince alone on the stage obscured by smoke. The typical Prince guitar wails and then that Sign O’ The Times beat. The band entering the stage sideways like a marching-band: impressive! And then: highlight after highlight: the speakers at the back of the stadium which were switched on at the end of I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man, Prince gliding between Cat’s legs during Hot Thing, a beautiful and touching If I Was Your Girlfriend, the medley Let’s Go Crazy, When Doves Cry, Purple Rain and 1999 and the encore: It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night. Everything was impressive. (Dutch) Newspaper de Volkskrant, especially at that time known as the Dutch grouches, was ecstatic about the Utrecht concerts:
Prince – Sign O’ The Times Tour review de Volkskrant 06/22/1987
The concluding statement in the second-to-last paragraph sums it all up: […] visitors from another world who came by just to show how music can sound.
In The Netherlands a new phenomenon was introduced: the audience switching on and off their cigarette lighters to the beat of the drums. Prince loved it and called it “a neat trick”.
Support act
Madhouse was the support act during the tour. The setlist usually contained:
• Mutiny
• 2
• 3
• 6
Prince – Sign O’ The Times Tour
Setlist
A typical night during the Sign O’ the Times Tour had the following setlist:
• Sign O’ The Times
• Play In The Sunshine
• Little Red Corvette
• Housequake
• Girls & Boys
• Slow Love
• I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
• Hot Thing
• Now’s The Time (Charlie Parker cover)
• If I Was Your Girlfriend
• Let’s Go Crazy
• When Doves Cry
• Purple Rain
• 1999
Encore 1:
• Forever in My Life
• Kiss
• The Cross
Encore 2:
• It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night
End of the tour
Prince – Sign O’ The Times recordings Ahoy Rotterdam
Initially the tour would leave for England after the Dutch shows, but Prince decided otherwise, due to expected (heavy) rain in England. At such short notice no other venue could be found, so the English shows ended up being canceled. Instead, 3 concerts were planned at Rotterdam’s Ahoy. These shows were to be filmed. Prince had another new idea: a (concert)movie. I could get tickets, but didn’t, as I didn’t really have the funds and I didn’t want to go alone. Priorities… Regret it to this day…
Warner Bros. and Prince’s management wanted to upgrade the tour to a world tour, to get Prince to tour the Unisted States and Japan to promote the album, but Prince wanted to focus on Europe alone, because his latest albums were received better there than in the US and because Sign O’ The Times was already becoming old. He had other, new ideas and wanted to record new material. The film was recorded as a compromise, giving other audiences at least a chance to experience the tour.
According to many closely connected with Prince’s career, the decision to blow off the tour, was the single greatest mistake Prince made during his career, particularly in the American market. The rationale being that Prince could have reached a lot of extra audiences and that sales figures for the Sign O’ The Times album could have been higher. Anyway, the rest of the world didn’t get to see one of the best concert tours of all time.
Recordings
On September 5th 1987 the (cassette) recordings of the concert I went to (including the support act) arrived by mail. Party all over again!
Prince – Sign O’ The Times movie poster
Sign O’ The Times, the movie
In the Summer of 1988, one month prior to Prince visiting The Netherlands once more with yet another new tour (Lovesexy), I went to the, now non-existent, movie theater Alhambra in Amsterdam, to see the Sign O’ The Times movie. I went with my mother, who was there in Utrecht, and would go and see Prince again for the Lovesexy tour.
Prince – Sign O’ The Times movie stills
The movie comes very close to the real thing. The energy comes across very well, the song’s performances are perfect and the movie has a strong live-feel. Barring Litte Red Corvette, the movie contains only Sign O’ The Times songs. The undisputed highlight of the movie is Forever In My Life. It is incorporated into the song, and the end of the song is one prolonged chicken-skin moment, wherein the choirs are beautiful and Prince (literally) screams with desire: one of the most impressive live recordings of all time.
The movie was very well received and comparisons with the Talking Heads movie Stop Making Sense, until then the best concertmovie, were made regularly, often giving Prince the benefit. However: the movie being great as it is, but to be fair, the memories of the Utrecht show outshine the movie.
Because the recordings made in Rotterdam were too dark and inferior quality-wise, a lot of re-shoots were done at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios.
In closing
Prince – Sign O’ The Times label
To single out the definite album from Prince’s genius albums he made in his heyday, is nearly impossible. During the 8 years he was lord and master in the musicworld every album, every tour, was different, more, better. With or without The Revolution didn’t even matter. But I can live with Sign O’ The Times being the highlight (be it just for the fact that it’s a double-album). This album perfectly sums up all that is Prince: his daring, his vision, his hyper musicality, his immeasurable command on so many instruments, his variety, his ambition and humor.
After all these years Sign O’ The Times remains a pure expression if a genius, performing at the peak of his abilities.
What do you think of Sign O’ The Times? Let me know; it is highly appreciated!
Show copyright
Igår fyllde Sign O' The Times-albumet 30 år.
Som nämnts ovan så var det alltså minst 22 låtar som 1987 skulle hamna på det planerade trippelalbumet Crystal Ball.
(Utav närmre 50 låtar om man räknar med allt material som kretsade kring Camille och Dream Factory).
Skivbolaget Warner Bros satte ju stopp för ett trippelalbum och Prince blev svinlack. Sen släpptes SOTT istället.
För att SOTT öht skulle kunna klå Purple Rain som världens bästa enhetliga_album genom tiderna, tycker jag personligen att Prince skulle ha bantat ner den till en vanlig LP.
Så här hade det isf sett ut enligt mig:
1-Sign 'O' the Times
2-U Got the Look (ft Sheena Easton)
3-Strange Relationship
4-Housequake
5-The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
6-If I Was Your Girlfriend
7-Starfish and Coffee
8-Hot Thing *
9-It *
10-Power Fantastic *
11-Joy in Repetition *
12-Forever in My Life
13-It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night *
* kandidater för nedkortning
De 9 första är givna, medan 10-13 beroende på hur många som hade fått plats.
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Dessa hade istället få hamna på 'previous unreleased'-kompilationer, för att dra ner på förväntningarna:
-I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (imho mkt bättre när Prince körde den solo på akustisk gura)
-Play in the Sunshine
-The Cross
-Slow Love
-Adore
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Kvalitet framför kvantitet säger jag. Vad säger ni, hur hade albumet sett ut om ni fått bestämma?
+1This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member.
Kan bara hålla med: Tack.
Kan inte låta bli att bli en smula bedrövad att jag aldrig fick se honom live. Men sånt är livet, och musiken finns ju kvar.
Usch va surt Hugo
Hade förmånen att se honom på Scandinavium '90 och Globen '93 - om jag minns rätt på åren. Sååå j-a sjuukt bra!
Men jag hade helst sett honom på 80-talet. Tog '86 första morgonfärjan över till Kph för att vara där när biljetterna till Parade-turnén släpptes i deras dåvarande motsvarighet till Julius Biljettservice. En riktigt kall o grådassig augustimorgon. Kommer dit, stan är helt död o butiken hade inte öppnat än, men på dörren sitter det ändå en lapp som informerar att Prince-biljetterna redan är slutsålda. Hur i h-e??!!
Det var nog den suraste och längsta hemresa nånsin. Tror nog att jag blev lite blöt i ögat.
Sign 'O' The Times-turnén året därpå missade jag helt i nyhetsflödet (eller snarare bristen på det). Aslack!!
1988, Lovesexy, tror jag att jag inte hade råd...eller så krockade med nånting annat. Nåt sånt iaf.
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Imorgon är det ett år sen han gick bort. I USA ska de ha en hel del hyllningar. Lysa upp städer lila, konserter osv.
Hade gärna varit i Minneapolis, lär bli asmäktigt. Men som vanligt har man inte råd.
Jaja, får väl hänga med i FB-flödet istället, lär ju streamas en hel del.
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‘Purple Rain’ Deluxe Edition tracklist revealed – including never-before-heard recordings
http://blog.thecurrent.org/2017/04/p...rd-recordings/
Det här är bara så vackert. Den kärleken, den värmen. Ren lyrik för mitt hjärta<3
Backspin: The Revolution on Why Working With Prince Was ‘Like Going to the Moon’
https://www.yahoo.com/music/backspin...212424354.html
Bernie Grundman
Ett namn som, enligt 99:ans sök, aldrig tidigare yppats här.
Lite märkligt med tanke på bl.a. följande på sitt CV:
....He has personally mastered some of the industry's landmark recordings, such as: Carol King's "tapestry", Steely Dan's "Aja", Michael Jackson's "Thriller", Prince's "Purple rain", and Dr. Dre's "the Chronic". In addition He has worked on albums by a veritable who's who of the music industry, such as: The Carpenters, Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes, The Doors, Joe Cocker, Joni Mitchell, Burt Backarach, Jackson Brown, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Supertramp, Procal Harum. Rod Stewart, Fleetwood Mac, Janet Jackson, Quincy Jones, Outkast, Ludicrous, Mos Def, Mary J. Blidge, Lucinda Williams, Jack Johnson & Macy Gray.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and a second generation American with ancestry from Germany, Sweden and Norway...."
http://www.berniegrundmanmastering.c.../grundman.html
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