Red Mosquito

Kevin Davis wrote:I know "Purple Rain" but it's a good example of what I'm talking about. I feel like guitar leads like this were a dime a dozen in the '80's -- what am I not hearing that makes this special? I'm legitimately curious about this by the way, I'm not trying to be smug.

I will track down the rest later and try to key in on the things you mention.

Kevin Davis wrote:I know "Purple Rain" but it's a good example of what I'm talking about. I feel like guitar leads like this were a dime a dozen in the '80's -- what am I not hearing that makes this special? I'm legitimately curious about this by the way, I'm not trying to be smug.

I will track down the rest later and try to key in on the things you mention.

Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:I know "Purple Rain" but it's a good example of what I'm talking about. I feel like guitar leads like this were a dime a dozen in the '80's -- what am I not hearing that makes this special? I'm legitimately curious about this by the way, I'm not trying to be smug.

I will track down the rest later and try to key in on the things you mention.

His reputation leading up to "Purple Rain" was largely built on live performance, much like Bruce Springsteen...he could get pretty much any crowd going back then. "Purple Rain" was kind of his "Born In The USA". He was also a grab bag of things rather than just focusing on one skill...he could play guitar like Jimi Hendrix but dance like a motherfucker in high heels and do splits like James Brown. And like I said, he had this clever, pimp-like aura to him that endeared him to the public on top of all the other things.

Strat wrote:

Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:I know "Purple Rain" but it's a good example of what I'm talking about. I feel like guitar leads like this were a dime a dozen in the '80's -- what am I not hearing that makes this special? I'm legitimately curious about this by the way, I'm not trying to be smug.

I will track down the rest later and try to key in on the things you mention.

His reputation leading up to "Purple Rain" was largely built on live performance, much like Bruce Springsteen...he could get pretty much any crowd going back then. "Purple Rain" was kind of his "Born In The USA". He was also a grab bag of things rather than just focusing on one skill...he could play guitar like Jimi Hendrix but dance like a motherfucker in high heels and do splits like James Brown. And like I said, he had this clever, pimp-like aura to him that endeared him to the public on top of all the other things.

and his funk playing, and song crafting.

Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:

Strat wrote:

Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:I know "Purple Rain" but it's a good example of what I'm talking about. I feel like guitar leads like this were a dime a dozen in the '80's -- what am I not hearing that makes this special? I'm legitimately curious about this by the way, I'm not trying to be smug.

I will track down the rest later and try to key in on the things you mention.

His reputation leading up to "Purple Rain" was largely built on live performance, much like Bruce Springsteen...he could get pretty much any crowd going back then. "Purple Rain" was kind of his "Born In The USA". He was also a grab bag of things rather than just focusing on one skill...he could play guitar like Jimi Hendrix but dance like a motherfucker in high heels and do splits like James Brown. And like I said, he had this clever, pimp-like aura to him that endeared him to the public on top of all the other things.

and his funk playing, and song crafting.

Of course, but Kevin has already said that he doesn't get that part of it.

And it's not a situation where every clip you see and every song you hear is going to blow you away. But there are enough of them out there somewhere to make a believer out of anybody, I think. As I said...it's complicated.

Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:

evenslow wrote:

Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:

evenslow wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:I'm not overly familiar with Prince's catalog, apart from a short list of hits that have never really done much for me, so I've watched a handful of the videos that have made the rounds this week and I gotta admit -- I actually find his guitar playing kind of obnoxious. This "just watch him play man, you think he's just this pop star but then you find out he actually plays like 556 instruments and OMG his guitar playing will BLOW YOU AWAY!!" business just doesn't resonate with me at all. I've seen virtuoso guitar players before -- at some point you stopped being "wowed" by people moving their fingers fast on a fretboard. What are some good examples of his playing that aren't just him shredding over a funk vamp?

"This thing is totally obnoxious and I don't respond to it now show me good examples."

"I have had limited exposure to his music, but my experience with it has been pretty much the exact opposite of what everyone is saying about it. What am I missing?"

His musical legacy is way too complicated to get into unless you are way into that kind of stuff...kind of like Frank Zappa. It's impossible to find a starting point, there is a lot of crap to sift through, etc....

Demonstrably untrue. Just stick to the 80s for starters. Listen to the following run:
Dirty Mind
1999
Purple Rain
Around the World in a Day
Parade
Sign o the Times

Well you have to add piles and piles of unreleased/bootlegged songs to that, the songs that were withheld and released much later, tons of b-sides, the concert videos...I said "musical legacy" not "basic discography".

evenslow wrote:

Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:

evenslow wrote:

Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:

evenslow wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:I'm not overly familiar with Prince's catalog, apart from a short list of hits that have never really done much for me, so I've watched a handful of the videos that have made the rounds this week and I gotta admit -- I actually find his guitar playing kind of obnoxious. This "just watch him play man, you think he's just this pop star but then you find out he actually plays like 556 instruments and OMG his guitar playing will BLOW YOU AWAY!!" business just doesn't resonate with me at all. I've seen virtuoso guitar players before -- at some point you stopped being "wowed" by people moving their fingers fast on a fretboard. What are some good examples of his playing that aren't just him shredding over a funk vamp?

"This thing is totally obnoxious and I don't respond to it now show me good examples."

"I have had limited exposure to his music, but my experience with it has been pretty much the exact opposite of what everyone is saying about it. What am I missing?"

His musical legacy is way too complicated to get into unless you are way into that kind of stuff...kind of like Frank Zappa. It's impossible to find a starting point, there is a lot of crap to sift through, etc....

Demonstrably untrue. Just stick to the 80s for starters. Listen to the following run:
Dirty Mind
1999
Purple Rain
Around the World in a Day
Parade
Sign o the Times

Well you have to add piles and piles of unreleased/bootlegged songs to that, the songs that were withheld and released much later, tons of b-sides, the concert videos...I said "musical legacy" not "basic discography".

You said it's impossible to find a starting point and I gave you a starting point for his musical legacy.

Cliffs notes bare bones version would be Purple Rain, Sign o the Times and the Hits comps.

If you're enthralled by that I would divvy up the rest by eras. There's a lot of shit but there's a ton of buried treasure.

evenslow wrote:We take it for granted now but think of how fucking weird When Doves Cry is. And it went to #1!!!

Creepy vibe and off kilter but with like 14 hooks in it.

Strat wrote:

evenslow wrote:We take it for granted now but think of how fucking weird When Doves Cry is. And it went to #1!!!

Creepy vibe and off kilter but with like 14 hooks in it.

And that meaty guitar solo intro. Lol

evenslow wrote:

Strat wrote:

evenslow wrote:We take it for granted now but think of how fucking weird When Doves Cry is. And it went to #1!!!

Creepy vibe and off kilter but with like 14 hooks in it.

And that meaty guitar solo intro. Lol

One of those once in a lifetime things. Probably keeps Eddie Van Halen up at night.

Strat wrote:

evenslow wrote:

Strat wrote:

evenslow wrote:We take it for granted now but think of how fucking weird When Doves Cry is. And it went to #1!!!

Creepy vibe and off kilter but with like 14 hooks in it.

And that meaty guitar solo intro. Lol

One of those once in a lifetime things. Probably keeps Eddie Van Halen up at night.

Kept billy gibbons up

evenslow wrote:

Strat wrote:

evenslow wrote:

Strat wrote:

evenslow wrote:We take it for granted now but think of how fucking weird When Doves Cry is. And it went to #1!!!

Creepy vibe and off kilter but with like 14 hooks in it.

And that meaty guitar solo intro. Lol

One of those once in a lifetime things. Probably keeps Eddie Van Halen up at night.

Kept billy gibbons up

I want to become a hardcore ZZ Top fan now based on that interview alone.

He is just looking for guitar work that could invigorate him? I can't tell.

Kevin Davis wrote:Youtube seems pretty light on his proper studio stuff -- I am guessing he kept a pretty aggressive watch on this sort of thing?

theplatypus wrote:

Birds in Hell wrote:We all go a little mad sometimes.

Sometimes it snows in April.

Kevin Davis wrote:

He is just looking for guitar work that could invigorate him? I can't tell.

I was just zeroing in on that because the conversation a few pages back was focused on his guitar playing (whether he's better than Gilmour, whether he's top 5 of all time, etc.). I get that he was very talented on multiple levels, however much it may or may not be my thing.

Youtube seems pretty light on his proper studio stuff -- I am guessing he kept a pretty aggressive watch on this sort of thing?