BARBELITH underground
 

Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.


Underground > Radio & Music >

Prince

  
  

Page: 1(2)

 
 
haus of fraser
11:47 / 15.03.06
I just thought i'd bump this thread because i've been listening to Prince non stop this week- after my ipod shuffled 'lets go crazy' my way- i immediatedly stopped shuffin and put on the whole of Purple Rain, imho one of the greatest EVA RECORDS!11!!!!!1111

So on the strength of that i've been listening to lots of the purple one- although all my recordings are on Vinyl- so i've been downloading like crazing- i think i own all the records from 'For You' to 'Batman' although i seem to be missing a couple of great records- Diamonds and Pearls and The Black album- is it worth getting em- or any later ones?

So to add to the party my 3 favourite Prince records (this week- as favourite things always change)

Purple Rain
As i said above one of my favouritest eva records!11! I guess its the combination of perfect pop/ funk whatever and nostalgia for me.

This record is my secret love through secondary school in the 80's- whilst being naive enough to think that Metal was 'the onlyMuSiC!!11!' I knew that i loved this record a lot more than any Metallica or Megadeth record Kerrang was telling me to buy.

I love every track from the opening line 'Dearly beloved...' on 'lets go crazy' to the epic OTT guitar solo ending on Purple Rain this album is wonderful- its a pop record that still sounds fresh- and despite the fact that Prince made some amazing records - i don't think he ever topped it as a whole record. What does it sound like- it sounded like nothing before it- kind of electro funk with OTT Beatles-esque arrangements and squeely guitar solos that are utterly forgivable because the songs are sooo good.

This record makes me want to play the guitar and jump around my room, in sychronised dance moves with Wendy & Lisa. This record has a ridiculous over blown movie attached to it which is terrible but great and i watched over and over again during my teenager years- at partys and on Sunday afternoons, drunk and sober, I love this record so much that i had to shout about it on Barbelith.

Parade
Gumbitch once described this record to me as 'A fuck sight better than Sergent Pepper'- which is a good starting point because this is an overblown conceptual odyssey in the same way that Pepper was - but also a bloody good pop record- I love the Beatles and i like Sergent Pepper- but I think he was right- it is a fuck sight better.

This record is so damn sexy it hurts- Tom Jones tried to steal some of the glory when he covered Kiss- something that could have killed the song forever- it didn't the original is still the best- but then check out the wonderful Girls and Boys or The electro funk of New Position- but as well as the funk we have the fanfare of Christopher Tracys Parade and the slow jazz of sometimes it snows in april or the bump and grind of Anotherloverholeinyohead.

Its also the soundtrack to 'Under A Cherry moon' which i've never seen so can't comment on... i may stick it on the list for my DVD rentals and piss off my SO with this re-found Prince obsession even more...

Lovesexy
This record is about funk, bump and grind- its a party record- Alphabet street is one of the best get up and dance singles ever recorded- how can you you not smile when you hear this- a really simple rythmical guitar part- that lets the arrangement build around it with ridiculous bass playing and horns, finishing with the super dated Cat Rap.

We also get OTT Glam Slam which culminates in a string fanfare, the speedy pop uber catchy Dance On. This record is ambitious and while it still sounds like a prince record - is totally different from the Revolution era stuff- less pop and more funk.

Bloody great. anyone else listening to Prince stuff right now?
 
 
Jack Fear
12:18 / 15.03.06
I heard a new leaked Prince track earlier this week, on one of the mp3blogs, and it pains me to say it was kind of meh.
 
 
haus of fraser
15:03 / 15.03.06
Not surprising - nothing he's done in the last 15 years has really interested me that much.

Anybody have anything more positive to say about Prince?

Favourite song? Favourite record? seeing him live? i never have done, although i wonder whether its worth it now as I understand he doesn't play much of his back catalogue?

Is there anything worth listening to post lovesexy?
 
 
haus of fraser
15:13 / 15.03.06
Any chance of a link to the blog so we can all hear please Jack?
 
 
The Falcon
18:33 / 15.03.06
That 'Black Sweat's good; it's like Prince just took back the game off Pharrell and Chad - he did make it after all. Also, I just really like the name: what is a black sweat? It sounds filthyyy.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
22:26 / 23.03.06
'Black Sweat' is indeed exceptional. It's been a while, in pop terms, since one of the young 'uns made something that hot.
 
 
Lugue
01:16 / 05.06.06
Hmm, beyond Black Sweat (which for some mysterious reason leaves me with a hint of guilt as to the kick I get out of it, and in a way, I can't help feeling that's just how it's supposed to work), which I've only recently come upon, is any of his latest stuff good?
 
 
haus of fraser
10:06 / 13.06.07
I just read that Prince is to be reunited with Wendy and Lisa for a new album due out in July- it certainly seems that he's uping his game for the first time in many years- playing lots of shows and acknowledging his fantastic back catalogue- now a Wendy & Lisa reunion... I'm very very curious- Black sweat was interesting - but this has really really got me interested?

Anybody heard anything? any blogs leaking tracks? anybody go to the o2 shows?
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
10:15 / 13.06.07
is any of his latest stuff good?

I'm afraid I have to confess that I bought the album, thought "oh, there's some nice stuff on here" for about a week, and then it went on the shelf and has barely been taken off since. Oh, Symbolpaws.
 
 
Jawsus-son Starship
10:41 / 13.06.07
U Got The Look is the be all and end all of Prince. And it's got the shell-suited, train riding Shena Easton on it. Can't say fairer than that.
 
 
Janean Patience
11:05 / 13.06.07
Joy In Repetition has the best guitar solo ever. Not just in a Prince song. Of all time.
 
 
haus of fraser
15:01 / 13.06.07
But what about the Wendy & Lisa hook up?

Anybody that's ever seen Puple Rain knows that he owes it all to them and only became famous cos they gave him their song "Purple rain"...
 
 
Brigade du jour
21:18 / 13.06.07
I'm going to one of the O2 shows in August (that'll be twenty-three years of pent-up Funk all over the floor, then). I may well have some observations to write down afterwards and if so I'll be sure to share them with y'all.

Still Waiting for a truly great new album, though - for my money the last one was probably Lovesexy (although the Batman soundtrack was right up there because that's the one that got me into Prince so I didn't have a context yet - don't hit me, please!).
 
 
haus of fraser
15:35 / 29.06.07
So the new album "Planet Earth' won't be released in the UK... instead it will be distributed as a freebee in the 'Mail on Sunday'...

That'll be another Prince album i don't own then.
 
 
Red Concrete
08:32 / 01.07.07
Interesting that the move is making the industry furious. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.
 
 
haus of fraser
11:24 / 01.07.07
Well the little purple one has spent the best part of the 15 or so years trying to make the industry furious, so probably all that will happen is an album will be released and no one will listen to it.

Prince will disappear from public view again for another 5 years, before in classic Woody Allen style someone from a PR company announces some tour dates and return to form; accompanied by some award show collaborations by current uberstarlet and eventually a rather medeocre record that has one reasonable song on it that sounds a bit like something from sign o the times- but not as good.

Cynic? Moi?
 
 
haus of fraser
11:45 / 01.07.07
Can we just re-afirm that i don't care if he wants to give his record away- that's cool with me.

But to give it away in the Mail on Sunday makes me furious.

Contains the classic songs:
'Get Off (My Land)',
'Computer Blue (chip trading stock)',
'Lets Go Crazy (And protest against the congestion charge which is now toucing on my favourite coffee shop in mayfair)
and my favourite Lets Pretend we're married (we're desperate to exploit the lax Labour government and live the rest of our lives in the bed of luxury supplied by state handouts and maybe get the family over too...)
 
  

Page: 1(2)

 
  
Add Your Reply