Purple Rain: The Official Prince Thread.

[evenslow]

I get what KD is saying. Are there thousands of dudes that can play the way Prince does live? Sure.

Paging strat.

[LoathedVermin72]

I watched/listened to "Kiss" yesterday and it was fucking awesome. However, "Cream" didn't do much for me.

[epilogue]

I dont view him as a shredder. The guitar is a literal extension of his being and it shows with every note/lick/progression he plays.

Yeah, I'm not as well versed in Prince as I should be but this is exactly my impression/feeling as well. It's the same thing Annie Clark has going on. I can totally understand someone listening to a St. Vincent record and not thinking she's anything special. But once you dive in, once you see what she's doing (live, especially; much like Prince), you start to melt. The instrument is just an extension of the artist. It's incredible, really. And far, far beyond just a technical proficiency discussion.

[Jorge]

"I Would Die 4 U" is probably my favorite of his hits. It's this manic, contained, jittery, brittle pop thing. I don't think he even plays guitar on it.

[bada]

I get what KD is saying. Are there thousands of dudes that can play the way Prince does live? Sure.

Paging strat.

There are 7 billion people on the planet. I feel comfortable with my thousands number.

[evenslow]

I get what KD is saying. Are there thousands of dudes that can play the way Prince does live? Sure.

Paging strat.

There are 7 billion people on the planet. I feel comfortable with my thousands number.

It's like saying thousands of people can play basketball like Michael Jordan.

[epilogue]

I dont view him as a shredder. The guitar is a literal extension of his being and it shows with every note/lick/progression he plays.

As much as I am "not into" him, I can't think of another artist where I have had more HOLY FUCK moments by random things that I have seen throughout the years. Even though a lot of his stuff doesn't interest me, those moments were enough for me to declare him the king of pimps. They are probably all lost to time now.

Same.

The Super Bowl half time show was a big one for me. That performance took my appreciation for Prince to a higher level. After that I started trying to seek out live clips and things like that. The guy was just beyond gifted. Even if I didn't (and still don't) appreciate all of his music they way others do, there is no way I can deny his power and ability and passion.

[epilogue]

I get what KD is saying. Are there thousands of dudes that can play the way Prince does live? Sure. Is there some...."wait a min I didn't know Prince can play guitar like that?" stuff going on. Sure. Is there some "I thought black guys only sang and danced this is amazing". Sure. Is there some over-inflation cause the guy is dead. Sure. If his type of music isn't your thing it probably won't land. Someone mentioned Zappa earlier. That's a guy that I know is super talented but whos music mostly does nothing for me. Someone could say he is the best ever and would think maybe they are right but I wouldn't feel it myself.

It's interesting to me because KD and I have a lot of similar tastes and interests. And I totally see what he's saying especially in regard to what you've pointed out here, bada. I can also relate to the Zappa point. But where KD and I seem to be coming from the same starting point, I've actually found myself blown away by the guitar stuff I've seen. Just interesting to me how that kind of thing happens.

[bada]

I get what KD is saying. Are there thousands of dudes that can play the way Prince does live? Sure.

Paging strat.

There are 7 billion people on the planet. I feel comfortable with my thousands number.

It's like saying thousands of people can play basketball like Michael Jordan.

I'm not saying there are thousands of people that can write the way Prince can but as far as technical proficiency lots of people can play like that. There are thousands of people that have Jordan's athleticism. The difference is between the ears not the physical.

[Kevin Davis]

I dont view him as a shredder. The guitar is a literal extension of his being and it shows with every note/lick/progression he plays.

Yeah, I'm not as well versed in Prince as I should be but this is exactly my impression/feeling as well. It's the same thing Annie Clark has going on. I can totally understand someone listening to a St. Vincent record and not thinking she's anything special. But once you dive in, once you see what she's doing (live, especially; much like Prince), you start to melt. The instrument is just an extension of the artist. It's incredible, really. And far, far beyond just a technical proficiency discussion.

I appreciate this "extension of the person" thing, and I have done a poor job of expressing myself if it seems like I'm focusing on technical proficiency -- to the contrary, I'm hoping to find what's there beyond the technical proficiency. Annie Clark's playing always has some twist to it, just enough eccentricity to offset the fireworks -- she is like Tom Morello only with an artist's mind and stronger musical instincts. I don't hear that same sense of individuality in Prince's playing. The opening to "When Doves Cry" sounds to me like it could have been clipped from the solo section of any metal ballad from that era. His cover of "Even Flow" is cool, and would have been a lot of fun to see, but it doesn't make me think about the song differently -- it just sounds like a really good guitar player playing an instrumental version of "Even Flow." In the end I don't really care where he ranks on the all-time list of great guitarists (I would largely describe Mike McCready with a lot of the same language I've been using in my last couple posts, and PJ is still my all-time favorite band), I was just trying to participate in the discussion and get some insight as to what people were hearing that I'm not, as this (his abilities on the guitar) is something I've heard about Prince for a long time. So I will stop looking for great guitar playing and just start looking for great songs.

Evenslow, I am never the kind of guy to turn down generosity, so I will absolutely take you up on your offer. My email address is kevin_paul_davis@yahoo.com. What's this mix Lament made for Stip?

[surfndestroy]

I get what KD is saying. Are there thousands of dudes that can play the way Prince does live? Sure. Is there some...."wait a min I didn't know Prince can play guitar like that?" stuff going on. Sure. Is there some "I thought black guys only sang and danced this is amazing". Sure. Is there some over-inflation cause the guy is dead. Sure. If his type of music isn't your thing it probably won't land. Someone mentioned Zappa earlier. That's a guy that I know is super talented but whos music mostly does nothing for me. Someone could say he is the best ever and would think maybe they are right but I wouldn't feel it myself.

How do you judge Prince as a guitar player? His studio work largely sounds like an amazingly good studio guitarist. He didn't show off his prowess more than once every album or two. His live work, where he always had a small spotlight on his guitar playing, was not freely available on the internet.
It would be like deciding how good Mike is as a player based on I Am Mine, Alive and a single video om youtube showing him shredding one solo..

[William Bloke]

What's this mix Lament made for Stip?

[Strat]

I dont view him as a shredder. The guitar is a literal extension of his being and it shows with every note/lick/progression he plays.

Yeah, I'm not as well versed in Prince as I should be but this is exactly my impression/feeling as well. It's the same thing Annie Clark has going on. I can totally understand someone listening to a St. Vincent record and not thinking she's anything special. But once you dive in, once you see what she's doing (live, especially; much like Prince), you start to melt. The instrument is just an extension of the artist. It's incredible, really. And far, far beyond just a technical proficiency discussion.

I appreciate this "extension of the person" thing, and I have done a poor job of expressing myself if it seems like I'm focusing on technical proficiency -- to the contrary, I'm hoping to find what's there beyond the technical proficiency. Annie Clark's playing always has some twist to it, just enough eccentricity to offset the fireworks -- she is like Tom Morello only with an artist's mind and stronger musical instincts. I don't hear that same sense of individuality in Prince's playing. The opening to "When Doves Cry" sounds to me like it could have been clipped from the solo section of any metal ballad from that era. His cover of "Even Flow" is cool, and would have been a lot of fun to see, but it doesn't make me think about the song differently -- it just sounds like a really good guitar player playing an instrumental version of "Even Flow." In the end I don't really care where he ranks on the all-time list of great guitarists (I would largely describe Mike McCready with a lot of the same language I've been using in my last couple posts, and PJ is still my all-time favorite band), I was just trying to participate in the discussion and get some insight as to what people were hearing that I'm not, as this (his abilities on the guitar) is something I've heard about Prince for a long time. So I will stop looking for great guitar playing and just start looking for great songs.

Evenslow, I am never the kind of guy to turn down generosity, so I will absolutely take you up on your offer. My email address is kevin_paul_davis@yahoo.com. What's this mix Lament made for Stip?

before the night is through, you will seem my point of view!

Spoiler: show

[Strat]

I get what KD is saying. Are there thousands of dudes that can play the way Prince does live? Sure.

Paging strat.

[epilogue]

I wish I could be of more help, Kev. But like you I'm pretty novice. I think maybe we've seen a lot of the same things but it moves me way more than it moves you. Which is totally fine.

Back in college I watched PJ @ MSG on DVD the night it dropped. My roommate came home about halfway through it and watched it with me. He's a musician with a moderate interest in/respect for Pearl Jam. But he's a classic rock guy all the way. And because we had a fairly competitive friendship in a lot of ways, when the DVD ended he immediately put on some Clapton live DVD to show me how amazing this keyboard player was.

It was fine. I totally understood why Matt thought it was awesome. But it just didn't move me in the least. And at the end of the day, that's what I'm looking for. Good, bad, perfect, technically proficient, whatever. Does it speak? Does it move me?

Prince certainly does.

[Strat]

Im not sure how anyone could listen to Controversy and not bump along to it with a huge smile.

[surfndestroy]

Im not sure how anyone could listen to Controversy and not bump along to it with a huge smile.

Is it the songwriting that does that or the guitar playing?
Personally, I think Prince was at his best as a guitar player when playing with the Revolution. Post Revolution, his guitar playing was much less prominent in his music. I say that only having followed him up to Crystal Ball.
I think Prince was great on guitar and could have been amazing but he didn't push his guitar playing as it didn't fit the music he played. He's a could have been a contender who rarely tried.

[Kevin Davis]

I get what KD is saying. Are there thousands of dudes that can play the way Prince does live? Sure. Is there some...."wait a min I didn't know Prince can play guitar like that?" stuff going on. Sure. Is there some "I thought black guys only sang and danced this is amazing". Sure. Is there some over-inflation cause the guy is dead. Sure. If his type of music isn't your thing it probably won't land. Someone mentioned Zappa earlier. That's a guy that I know is super talented but whos music mostly does nothing for me. Someone could say he is the best ever and would think maybe they are right but I wouldn't feel it myself.

How do you judge Prince as a guitar player? His studio work largely sounds like an amazingly good studio guitarist. He didn't show off his prowess more than once every album or two. His live work, where he always had a small spotlight on his guitar playing, was not freely available on the internet.
It would be like deciding how good Mike is as a player based on I Am Mine, Alive and a single video om youtube showing him shredding one solo..

Actually, that would about cover it for Mike.

[Kevin Davis]

What's this mix Lament made for Stip?

Thanks man!

[Birds in Hell]

I think most talented artists have some kind of common aesthetic that runs through all of their work. I think it's totally fair to listen to four or five Prince songs and decide that if they do nothing for you then listening to 50 or 60 more won't do the trick.