2elijah said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I think it was timing, people went their different ways, tried to regroup, create their own identity. Most would get pigeonheld as Prince Proteges no matter what. Wendy & Lisa went thru that. Also a lot of them started families and did that part of life.

.

I don't believe in that Prince would not have achieved fame with them in the 80s but I do know that Prince of course would not have been as big as he got on his own. He would have been a 1 man piano or accoustic band.

.

the people in his bands back then, believed in Prince and his vision, took it and made him shine. Sheila E the Time the Revolution Jill etc and I find that one difference between them and the 90s group is that they weren't seeing Prince as a stepping stone or trying to steel the spot light or just their to make their money and then move on.

.

Prince starting in 1989 was having problems selling out arenas in the states too, he had ups and downs. But I think they could make something big. Sheila E the Family/FDelux and the Time do well

.

I would have loved it if Prince had Original7/the Time open during that segment of the Welcome 2 tours

Many fans seem to think he wouldn't have been that popular without the Revolution band members during the 80s, but don't you think it was the Purple Rain movie that gave those band members their recognition and popularity, and their association with Princel? You have to admit, that most who attended the movie, went to see Prince. The film, propelled his success, because it exposed his talent worldwide. It was his stage performances in the movie that won most fans over, like when he sang the 'Beautiful Ones', 'Darling Nikki', 'Computer Blue', 'Purple Rain', and the last half of the movie where it exposed his dancing skills, as a performer. Of course, the emotional parts of the movie pulled the audience in, that doesn't go without saying. Thereafter, he pretty much introduced the Minneapolis sound/style to the world, and had other artists trying to copy that sound, Prince's hairdo, and dress styles during that era. It was a fun and memorable era, but maintains its legacy in that 80s era.

About the W2A. He had the Time and Sheila E open several shows for him during the Musicology tour. Sheila E was also part of some of the W2A shows as well. So it wasn't too long ago, that he worked with former members of the Revolution and the Time, not to mention W&L joining him at the Brit Awards and then Wendy showing up at the show at the Target Center in Minneaopolis in 2007 as well. So it really hasn't been that long since he's worked with many former, band members of his 80s crew.

Over all he had the right people throught his camp. It was magic, from engineers, WB managers proteges etc

.

Purple Rain of course took things to a whole different level. Prince himself wouldn't have been as big as he is without it.

.

I guees it would depend on the person viewing it, on who or why they went to see the movie. I was following the Uptown scene so I and many fans were looking for the Time Prince and his band, because Prince did always push that part of image. His band prior to PR was known by those following him.

.

Actually Susannah and Wendy did some songs with him on the Musicology tour, Wendy with Prince on Tavis Smiley W&L did a show here and there, then some songs on Planet Earth, I think Lisa was pregnant or something on her not being able to make the Minneapolis shows, yep Target Center and 1st Avenue

.

But I thought your question was about those bands working together not with Prince...

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

2elijah said:

I hear you. The Purple Rain era remains in its own legacy. It was something new back then, that's why the excitement was there. Back in those times, music was being revolutionized all the time. Now in present day, there really isn't any new, type of sound revolutionizing music, the way it used to before the mid 90s, because everything is being sampled or 'We've heard it before' kind of thing. The music industry and radio doesn't seem to be interested in artists that 'sound different' or and don't seem to have much interests in promoting older artists/musicans at this point. So much has changed in the music industry, and lacking so much at the same time. Anyway, getting back to Morris Day, didn't someone point out that Morris Day has a new song coming out? Was it you that stated that? Will be interesting to hear what it sounds like. It's too bad the O7 didn't continue without Jesse. I think they should have at least gave it a try for a year, and hired someone to take Jesse's place..

No it wasn't me who said that.. I wouldn't have liked 2 c the 07 without Jesse. I saw their debut show before Jesse left and it was incredible! Wouldn't be the same without Jesse.....

I agree, it was the launch of the Original 7. A tour without him wouldn't work

When that band get's together it's magic

OldFriends4Sale said:

2elijah said:

Many fans seem to think he wouldn't have been that popular without the Revolution band members during the 80s, but don't you think it was the Purple Rain movie that gave those band members their recognition and popularity, and their association with Princel? You have to admit, that most who attended the movie, went to see Prince. The film, propelled his success, because it exposed his talent worldwide. It was his stage performances in the movie that won most fans over, like when he sang the 'Beautiful Ones', 'Darling Nikki', 'Computer Blue', 'Purple Rain', and the last half of the movie where it exposed his dancing skills, as a performer. Of course, the emotional parts of the movie pulled the audience in, that doesn't go without saying. Thereafter, he pretty much introduced the Minneapolis sound/style to the world, and had other artists trying to copy that sound, Prince's hairdo, and dress styles during that era. It was a fun and memorable era, but maintains its legacy in that 80s era.

About the W2A. He had the Time and Sheila E open several shows for him during the Musicology tour. Sheila E was also part of some of the W2A shows as well. So it wasn't too long ago, that he worked with former members of the Revolution and the Time, not to mention W&L joining him at the Brit Awards and then Wendy showing up at the show at the Target Center in Minneaopolis in 2007 as well. So it really hasn't been that long since he's worked with many former, band members of his 80s crew.

I thought you were talking about the other bands making music together outside of Prince, not them working with Prince...??

That is what I meant, but I was responding to your 2nd and 3rd paragraphs. You said you don't think Prince would have been successful alone, but he was known prior to the official Revolution band makeup, as the guy who played many instruments, and the way he acted during that Dick Clark interview, after his performance on that show. He had a totally, different image then. With the introduction of the Purple Rain movie, the advertisement of the movie showed him in a different image, which was a change from the pre-official Revolution association. Not all fans were familiar with the Revolution Band members, until the movie came out. I think he would have been successful without the Revolution band members, but not just as a 1 man or acoustic act, as I based that on his 'shock and awe' appearance, sexed-up song lyrics, and his sexual stage performance moves, and not speaking much when interviewed, during that time period before the Purple Rain movie. He left a bit of curiosity/mystery about himself in the early days to his audience. All that in and of itself peeked an interest in fans.

[Edited 1/17/14 18:43pm]

[Edited 1/17/14 19:21pm]

OldFriends4Sale said:

2elijah said:

Many fans seem to think he wouldn't have been that popular without the Revolution band members during the 80s, but don't you think it was the Purple Rain movie that gave those band members their recognition and popularity, and their association with Princel? You have to admit, that most who attended the movie, went to see Prince. The film, propelled his success, because it exposed his talent worldwide. It was his stage performances in the movie that won most fans over, like when he sang the 'Beautiful Ones', 'Darling Nikki', 'Computer Blue', 'Purple Rain', and the last half of the movie where it exposed his dancing skills, as a performer. Of course, the emotional parts of the movie pulled the audience in, that doesn't go without saying. Thereafter, he pretty much introduced the Minneapolis sound/style to the world, and had other artists trying to copy that sound, Prince's hairdo, and dress styles during that era. It was a fun and memorable era, but maintains its legacy in that 80s era.

About the W2A. He had the Time and Sheila E open several shows for him during the Musicology tour. Sheila E was also part of some of the W2A shows as well. So it wasn't too long ago, that he worked with former members of the Revolution and the Time, not to mention W&L joining him at the Brit Awards and then Wendy showing up at the show at the Target Center in Minneaopolis in 2007 as well. So it really hasn't been that long since he's worked with many former, band members of his 80s crew.

Over all he had the right people throught his camp. It was magic, from engineers, WB managers proteges etc

.

Purple Rain of course took things to a whole different level. Prince himself wouldn't have been as big as he is without it.

.

I guees it would depend on the person viewing it, on who or why they went to see the movie. I was following the Uptown scene so I and many fans were looking for the Time Prince and his band, because Prince did always push that part of image. His band prior to PR was known by those following him.

.

Actually Susannah and Wendy did some songs with him on the Musicology tour, Wendy with Prince on Tavis Smiley W&L did a show here and there, then some songs on Planet Earth, I think Lisa was pregnant or something on her not being able to make the Minneapolis shows, yep Target Center and 1st Avenue

.

But I thought your question was about those bands working together not with Prince...

Again, to your last sentence...that was my question, but also based on many saying Prince wouldn't be popular or successful, without some former band members, mainly the Revolution band members. The other part of my question was how successful would they (Revolution band members) be today if they reunited, along with other, former band members of the 80s era, minus Prince? You already answered that question in your posts though. As far as Planet Earth, with W&L involved why wasn't the album a success? Again seeing how some fans gloat about W&L basically being 'hitmaking songwriters'? My opinion? I think too many fans wish for the Prince era of the 80s to show up in 2013, in a present-dayy era where the sound of music is not the same, especially with a younger generation claiming their own types/sounds of music.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

2elijah said:

I hear you. The Purple Rain era remains in its own legacy. It was something new back then, that's why the excitement was there. Back in those times, music was being revolutionized all the time. Now in present day, there really isn't any new, type of sound revolutionizing music, the way it used to before the mid 90s, because everything is being sampled or 'We've heard it before' kind of thing. The music industry and radio doesn't seem to be interested in artists that 'sound different' or and don't seem to have much interests in promoting older artists/musicans at this point. So much has changed in the music industry, and lacking so much at the same time. Anyway, getting back to Morris Day, didn't someone point out that Morris Day has a new song coming out? Was it you that stated that? Will be interesting to hear what it sounds like. It's too bad the O7 didn't continue without Jesse. I think they should have at least gave it a try for a year, and hired someone to take Jesse's place..

No it wasn't me who said that.. I wouldn't have liked 2 c the 07 without Jesse. I saw their debut show before Jesse left and it was incredible! Wouldn't be the same without Jesse.....

That's too bad. I bet there are other Jesse's just as good as Jesse out there. Even if fans would have missed Jesse's presence, I still think they should have continued to tour, but that's not for me or anyone else who was not part of that band to decide, so it is what it is.

[Edited 1/17/14 19:23pm]

Uh duh! Who didn't already know that?

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

funksterr said:

Sorry, dude, but here in Detroit, at that time, Morris Day was the bigger star. Nobody really started caring about Prince until the 1999 tour and even then The Time and Vanity 6 were the draw. We dressed like Morris. We talked like Morris. We danced like Morris. People came away from the 199 tour digging Prince too, but it was Morris and Vanity who had the attention of Detroiters before that. Without Morris and Vanity and to a lesser extent Andre Cymone, Prince never makes enough relate-able music to justify staying on WB. Just as he molded them, they influenced and inspired him and contributed the key performances in the studio, onstage and onscreen that led to Prince's pop star fame.

Morris called Prince a genius and he is absolutely right, in some respects. It doesn't mean that Morris Day isn't the drummer on a lot of Prince's best songs. At the time of recording, do you think Prince or Morris planned that MD's performance would be uncredited? I don't think so. Prince decided to leave him uncredited, most likely because he was building a false narrative for himself and in the end he failed to credit dozens of people of dozens of releases over the years. Prince is still a genius for drawing inspiration from those musicians and putting all of it together to make great music out of it.

It's been said before, but Prince is only as good as the best ideas of those closest to him at the time of recording.

I disagree! Maybe Morris cool swagger did get a lot of attention from Detroiters. But Prince's biggest fans have always been in Detroit with or without Morris & still is! Eye know "The Time" did steal a lot of his shine in a lot of urban cities on those tours. Because they were more real & peeps identified with them more. But Prince downplayed his urban side too capture a more pop audience. His creation of The Time was to release his more urban muziq through them. But he was just as funky as any of them and still is!

Eye'm not downplaying Morris's talent. But U DEAD WRONG on Prince was only big only from drawing inspiration from them! Prince's biggest hits have always been his ONE MAN BAND cuts. Prince is gifted at taking others ideas and creating them into his own unique sound, but most musicians do get inspiration from others musicians. But that doesn't mean Prince still can't go in the studio as a one man band and create a song all by himself from scratch! Who U think created the funky bassline to 777-9311!? Morris drum patterns is nothing that Prince couldn't do himself! Its just he was able to record faster with them.

So sorry dude U are wrong!!!!

Detroit first responded to Morris and Vanity. Prince became cool as it became clear that he was behind those records. Prince lost Detroit as he drifted away from the Minneapolis Sound, and the only interest people had in him since was the desire for him to return to the Minneapolis Sound. That's it. People buy his records looking for the Minneapolis Sound, discover it's not there then discard it. Prince doesn't care, a sale is a sale, but it's the passion for the direction his music had in 1982 and 1983 that generates interest in him right up to this day. Morris Day is a key part of Prince's output from that period, really in more ways than we can count. They are like that Keeye and Peele sketch where one plays President Obama and the other plays Luther, Obama's translator. That's what Morris did for Prince. He indirectly translated for Prince. He co-signed for Prince. Later, to an extent Tony M. took on the role, but he couldn't attract a fanbase. He couldn't fill Morris's Stacey Adams, lol. Then Prince decided he could translate for himself and, well, it just doesn't play as well. The records don't feel right. It's one of the biggest flaws with the NPG era. Prince is better as our nasty, ehtereal, new-age funk and roll band leader. He can write the straight-talker role, given proper inspiration, but he's terrible at playing it. He's better when he leaves it to us to read between the lines.

I hear you about Prince as a one man band, and I know he has the musical skills. But I've been around musicians my entire life. I can tell you, the best, those that have conquered the musicianship side of their skill-set, especially after they hit their commercial peak in some fashion, struggle mightily with inspiration. They are always looking for it. Always looking for some fresh ideas from those around them. For whatever reason, those that play the best, tend to write the worst. Prince seemed to be the one guy who could excel at everything. In reality, though, he was never much different from everyone else. Yes, he can come up with his own ideas. But he is limited in doing so, primarily due to lack of formal musical education. He has one lane and one lane only. Take him outside of that and the results are poor. It is not an insult to say he relies on strong supporting players in his inner circle to feed him something he can vibe off of, or in some case finish the track completely if needed. It is not an insult to say he copies, or re-purposes songs by other people to create something of his own. THEY ALL DO IT. The difference with Prince is that he has never really owned up to it, and if anything gone out of his way to hide the true contributions of his role players.

Yes, Prince is an incredible one man band at times, but it's hard to know if those are the songs with which we are the most impressed with the final product. To this point it appears not. And when you look back through the decades, it is awfully suspicious that folks are missing producer credits, songwriting credits, performance credits. Who knows? Some deceit may have been necessary at the time to build his brand, but it's a shame. It's our loss as fans, it's a loss for some of those that worked with Prince at the time, that to this point, even after pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars and acheiving everything there is to acheive as a celebrity, Prince hasn't been more forthcoming about how he put together a lot of those great songs from the early days of his career.

2elijah said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Over all he had the right people throught his camp. It was magic, from engineers, WB managers proteges etc

.

Purple Rain of course took things to a whole different level. Prince himself wouldn't have been as big as he is without it.

.

I guees it would depend on the person viewing it, on who or why they went to see the movie. I was following the Uptown scene so I and many fans were looking for the Time Prince and his band, because Prince did always push that part of image. His band prior to PR was known by those following him.

.

Actually Susannah and Wendy did some songs with him on the Musicology tour, Wendy with Prince on Tavis Smiley W&L did a show here and there, then some songs on Planet Earth, I think Lisa was pregnant or something on her not being able to make the Minneapolis shows, yep Target Center and 1st Avenue

.

But I thought your question was about those bands working together not with Prince...

Again, to your last sentence...that was my question, but also based on many saying Prince wouldn't be popular or successful, without some former band members, mainly the Revolution band members. The other part of my question was how successful would they (Revolution band members) be today if they reunited, along with other, former band members of the 80s era, minus Prince? You already answered that question in your posts though. As far as Planet Earth, with W&L involved why wasn't the album a success? Again seeing how some fans gloat about W&L basically being 'hitmaking songwriters'? My opinion? I think too many fans wish for the Prince era of the 80s to show up in 2013, in a present-dayy era where the sound of music is not the same, especially with a younger generation claiming their own types/sounds of music.

I think a lot of the foundation of who Prince is was developed in the 1979-1989 period. I think his most prolific time just happened to be the noituloveRevolution years. a few of us have discussed this in a thread or 2 just looking at the output of music during the 1982/3-1986 years was just off the chain. As well as the cohesive connection of the proteges, vs any other period. I think that solidified him as a Pop icon, rock starr and cult figure. And of course we know that most of the 'Revolution' where in the band before that name was actually used. Being a part of the building of his 'principality' from the start and before fame took.

.

I think in 2014 they would be really successful.

.

Planet Earth was just not a cohesive album. I like a lot of the songs on there. I like the songs they added too. But the recording of how they did this was far different from they way they worked with Prince in 1985. I LOVE the title track. Also Planet Earth wasn't 'sold' it was given away in a news paper in Europe. So Prince's access of media and getting the music out at this time is not so good. He was never the best at Promo.

.

I don't think most of it is on the fans. Prince's erratic release of music after Diamonds & Pearls 1991 and the fight with WB the changes he went through, which I don't fault him for everything. I think Prince doesn't build on his own legacy outside of playing most of the music from his golden period. Most fans or would be fans cannot access Prince full catalogue or music and videos /concert footage in a way that could expose him more.

funksterr said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

I disagree! Maybe Morris cool swagger did get a lot of attention from Detroiters. But Prince's biggest fans have always been in Detroit with or without Morris & still is! Eye know "The Time" did steal a lot of his shine in a lot of urban cities on those tours. Because they were more real & peeps identified with them more. But Prince downplayed his urban side too capture a more pop audience. His creation of The Time was to release his more urban muziq through them. But he was just as funky as any of them and still is!

Eye'm not downplaying Morris's talent. But U DEAD WRONG on Prince was only big only from drawing inspiration from them! Prince's biggest hits have always been his ONE MAN BAND cuts. Prince is gifted at taking others ideas and creating them into his own unique sound, but most musicians do get inspiration from others musicians. But that doesn't mean Prince still can't go in the studio as a one man band and create a song all by himself from scratch! Who U think created the funky bassline to 777-9311!? Morris drum patterns is nothing that Prince couldn't do himself! Its just he was able to record faster with them.

So sorry dude U are wrong!!!!

Detroit first responded to Morris and Vanity. Prince became cool as it became clear that he was behind those records. Prince lost Detroit as he drifted away from the Minneapolis Sound, and the only interest people had in him since was the desire for him to return to the Minneapolis Sound. That's it. People buy his records looking for the Minneapolis Sound, discover it's not there then discard it. Prince doesn't care, a sale is a sale, but it's the passion for the direction his music had in 1982 and 1983 that generates interest in him right up to this day. Morris Day is a key part of Prince's output from that period, really in more ways than we can count. They are like that Keeye and Peele sketch where one plays President Obama and the other plays Luther, Obama's translator. That's what Morris did for Prince. He indirectly translated for Prince. He co-signed for Prince. Later, to an extent Tony M. took on the role, but he couldn't attract a fanbase. He couldn't fill Morris's Stacey Adams, lol. Then Prince decided he could translate for himself and, well, it just doesn't play as well. The records don't feel right. It's one of the biggest flaws with the NPG era. Prince is better as our nasty, ehtereal, new-age funk and roll band leader. He can write the straight-talker role, given proper inspiration, but he's terrible at playing it. He's better when he leaves it to us to read between the lines.

I hear you about Prince as a one man band, and I know he has the musical skills. But I've been around musicians my entire life. I can tell you, the best, those that have conquered the musicianship side of their skill-set, especially after they hit their commercial peak in some fashion, struggle mightily with inspiration. They are always looking for it. Always looking for some fresh ideas from those around them. For whatever reason, those that play the best, tend to write the worst. Prince seemed to be the one guy who could excel at everything. In reality, though, he was never much different from everyone else. Yes, he can come up with his own ideas. But he is limited in doing so, primarily due to lack of formal musical education. He has one lane and one lane only. Take him outside of that and the results are poor. It is not an insult to say he relies on strong supporting players in his inner circle to feed him something he can vibe off of, or in some case finish the track completely if needed. It is not an insult to say he copies, or re-purposes songs by other people to create something of his own. THEY ALL DO IT. The difference with Prince is that he has never really owned up to it, and if anything gone out of his way to hide the true contributions of his role players.

Yes, Prince is an incredible one man band at times, but it's hard to know if those are the songs with which we are the most impressed with the final product. To this point it appears not. And when you look back through the decades, it is awfully suspicious that folks are missing producer credits, songwriting credits, performance credits. Who knows? Some deceit may have been necessary at the time to build his brand, but it's a shame. It's our loss as fans, it's a loss for some of those that worked with Prince at the time, that to this point, even after pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars and acheiving everything there is to acheive as a celebrity, Prince hasn't been more forthcoming about how he put together a lot of those great songs from the early days of his career.

Are you just speculating or do you actually know something about credits not given than the rest of us don't know (i.e the credits for drums that you so freely gave to Morris Day)?

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Speak 4 yourself.....

oh - so you DO know him!!?
Well that changes things. Please...please, tell us all you know from your personal time spent with Prince.

thought so.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Man U R really Princed out

.

No I don't think Morris knew the Prince who lived in his home was the going to be the Prince who fired Terry & Jimmy and then lied in 1990 and said Morris did it...

.

Sheila probably did not know he was like that either, Prince obviously changed over time. Especially from the Prince of 1986 vs 1989

.

Why is Sheila E not living her life like she wants too??

I mean as far as in the muziq business. I feel Prince has more control to do as he pleases, compared to most artist. He really doesn't have to answer to anyone...Usually when he wants a reunion with them. They are a there at his command lol. Whether Morris thinks he is a A hole or not goes out the window.

Thank god, you didn't say "Morris working w/ Prince was a MASTERPEACE"

2elijah said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I think it was timing, people went their different ways, tried to regroup, create their own identity. Most would get pigeonheld as Prince Proteges no matter what. Wendy & Lisa went thru that. Also a lot of them started families and did that part of life.

.

I don't believe in that Prince would not have achieved fame with them in the 80s but I do know that Prince of course would not have been as big as he got on his own. He would have been a 1 man piano or accoustic band.

.

the people in his bands back then, believed in Prince and his vision, took it and made him shine. Sheila E the Time the Revolution Jill etc and I find that one difference between them and the 90s group is that they weren't seeing Prince as a stepping stone or trying to steel the spot light or just their to make their money and then move on.

.

Prince starting in 1989 was having problems selling out arenas in the states too, he had ups and downs. But I think they could make something big. Sheila E the Family/FDelux and the Time do well

.

I would have loved it if Prince had Original7/the Time open during that segment of the Welcome 2 tours

Many fans seem to think he wouldn't have been that popular without the Revolution band members during the 80s, but don't you think it was the Purple Rain movie that gave those band members their recognition and popularity, and their association with Princel? You have to admit, that most who attended the movie, went to see Prince. The film, propelled his success, because it exposed his talent worldwide. It was his stage performances in the movie that won most fans over, like when he sang the 'Beautiful Ones', 'Darling Nikki', 'Computer Blue', 'Purple Rain', and the last half of the movie where it exposed his dancing skills, as a performer. Of course, the emotional parts of the movie pulled the audience in, that doesn't go without saying. Thereafter, he pretty much introduced the Minneapolis sound/style to the world, and had other artists trying to copy that sound, Prince's hairdo, and dress styles during that era. It was a fun and memorable era, but maintains its legacy in that 80s era.

About the W2A. He had the Time and Sheila E open several shows for him during the Musicology tour. Sheila E was also part of some of the W2A shows as well. So it wasn't too long ago, that he worked with former members of the Revolution and the Time, not to mention W&L joining him at the Brit Awards and then Wendy showing up at the show at the Target Center in Minneaopolis in 2007 as well. So it really hasn't been that long since he's worked with many former, band members of his 80s crew.

Prince would have gained success with or without any of other musicians. People who went to see Purple Rain went to see Prince, not Morris Day, ha! Morris Day may have had moments in the movie, but I GUARANTEE you if you ask anyone TODAY what/who they remember about Purple Rain; they will say Prince!!

[Edited 1/21/14 2:30am]

2elijah said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I thought you were talking about the other bands making music together outside of Prince, not them working with Prince...??

That is what I meant, but I was responding to your 2nd and 3rd paragraphs. You said you don't think Prince would have been successful alone, but he was known prior to the official Revolution band makeup, as the guy who played many instruments, and the way he acted during that Dick Clark interview, after his performance on that show. He had a totally, different image then. With the introduction of the Purple Rain movie, the advertisement of the movie showed him in a different image, which was a change from the pre-official Revolution association. Not all fans were familiar with the Revolution Band members, until the movie came out. I think he would have been successful without the Revolution band members, but not just as a 1 man or acoustic act, as I based that on his 'shock and awe' appearance, sexed-up song lyrics, and his sexual stage performance moves, and not speaking much when interviewed, during that time period before the Purple Rain movie. He left a bit of curiosity/mystery about himself in the early days to his audience. All that in and of itself peeked an interest in fans.

[Edited 1/17/14 18:43pm]

[Edited 1/17/14 19:21pm]

Friends in my circle do not know Wendy, Lisa, Morris, Sheila etc. It is not until I associate them with Prince. And my friends are avid music listeners.

funksterr said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

I disagree! Maybe Morris cool swagger did get a lot of attention from Detroiters. But Prince's biggest fans have always been in Detroit with or without Morris & still is! Eye know "The Time" did steal a lot of his shine in a lot of urban cities on those tours. Because they were more real & peeps identified with them more. But Prince downplayed his urban side too capture a more pop audience. His creation of The Time was to release his more urban muziq through them. But he was just as funky as any of them and still is!

Eye'm not downplaying Morris's talent. But U DEAD WRONG on Prince was only big only from drawing inspiration from them! Prince's biggest hits have always been his ONE MAN BAND cuts. Prince is gifted at taking others ideas and creating them into his own unique sound, but most musicians do get inspiration from others musicians. But that doesn't mean Prince still can't go in the studio as a one man band and create a song all by himself from scratch! Who U think created the funky bassline to 777-9311!? Morris drum patterns is nothing that Prince couldn't do himself! Its just he was able to record faster with them.

So sorry dude U are wrong!!!!

Detroit first responded to Morris and Vanity. Prince became cool as it became clear that he was behind those records. Prince lost Detroit as he drifted away from the Minneapolis Sound, and the only interest people had in him since was the desire for him to return to the Minneapolis Sound. That's it. People buy his records looking for the Minneapolis Sound, discover it's not there then discard it. Prince doesn't care, a sale is a sale, but it's the passion for the direction his music had in 1982 and 1983 that generates interest in him right up to this day. Morris Day is a key part of Prince's output from that period, really in more ways than we can count. They are like that Keeye and Peele sketch where one plays President Obama and the other plays Luther, Obama's translator. That's what Morris did for Prince. He indirectly translated for Prince. He co-signed for Prince. Later, to an extent Tony M. took on the role, but he couldn't attract a fanbase. He couldn't fill Morris's Stacey Adams, lol. Then Prince decided he could translate for himself and, well, it just doesn't play as well. The records don't feel right. It's one of the biggest flaws with the NPG era. Prince is better as our nasty, ehtereal, new-age funk and roll band leader. He can write the straight-talker role, given proper inspiration, but he's terrible at playing it. He's better when he leaves it to us to read between the lines.

I hear you about Prince as a one man band, and I know he has the musical skills. But I've been around musicians my entire life. I can tell you, the best, those that have conquered the musicianship side of their skill-set, especially after they hit their commercial peak in some fashion, struggle mightily with inspiration. They are always looking for it. Always looking for some fresh ideas from those around them. For whatever reason, those that play the best, tend to write the worst. Prince seemed to be the one guy who could excel at everything. In reality, though, he was never much different from everyone else. Yes, he can come up with his own ideas. But he is limited in doing so, primarily due to lack of formal musical education. He has one lane and one lane only. Take him outside of that and the results are poor. It is not an insult to say he relies on strong supporting players in his inner circle to feed him something he can vibe off of, or in some case finish the track completely if needed. It is not an insult to say he copies, or re-purposes songs by other people to create something of his own. THEY ALL DO IT. The difference with Prince is that he has never really owned up to it, and if anything gone out of his way to hide the true contributions of his role players.

Yes, Prince is an incredible one man band at times, but it's hard to know if those are the songs with which we are the most impressed with the final product. To this point it appears not. And when you look back through the decades, it is awfully suspicious that folks are missing producer credits, songwriting credits, performance credits. Who knows? Some deceit may have been necessary at the time to build his brand, but it's a shame. It's our loss as fans, it's a loss for some of those that worked with Prince at the time, that to this point, even after pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars and acheiving everything there is to acheive as a celebrity, Prince hasn't been more forthcoming about how he put together a lot of those great songs from the early days of his career.

Opinion.. because I know you are not speaking on behalf of all of Detroit.

[Edited 1/21/14 2:31am]

kgarcia863 said:

2elijah said:

Many fans seem to think he wouldn't have been that popular without the Revolution band members during the 80s, but don't you think it was the Purple Rain movie that gave those band members their recognition and popularity, and their association with Princel? You have to admit, that most who attended the movie, went to see Prince. The film, propelled his success, because it exposed his talent worldwide. It was his stage performances in the movie that won most fans over, like when he sang the 'Beautiful Ones', 'Darling Nikki', 'Computer Blue', 'Purple Rain', and the last half of the movie where it exposed his dancing skills, as a performer. Of course, the emotional parts of the movie pulled the audience in, that doesn't go without saying. Thereafter, he pretty much introduced the Minneapolis sound/style to the world, and had other artists trying to copy that sound, Prince's hairdo, and dress styles during that era. It was a fun and memorable era, but maintains its legacy in that 80s era.

About the W2A. He had the Time and Sheila E open several shows for him during the Musicology tour. Sheila E was also part of some of the W2A shows as well. So it wasn't too long ago, that he worked with former members of the Revolution and the Time, not to mention W&L joining him at the Brit Awards and then Wendy showing up at the show at the Target Center in Minneaopolis in 2007 as well. So it really hasn't been that long since he's worked with many former, band members of his 80s crew.

Prince would have gained success with or without any of other musicians. People who went to see Purple Rain went to see Prince, not Morris Day, ha! Morris Day may have had moments in the movie, but I GUARANTEE you if you ask anyone TODAY what/who they remember about Purple Rain; they will say Prince!!

[Edited 1/21/14 2:30am]

Well....that pretty much goes without saying.

G3000 said:

Q: Morris, since this is obviously your "day" job and how you make a living, do you ever get sick and tired of playing the same songs, over and over over and over over and over again?

(I'm sure the paying public is entertained, but from MD's POV, this must get old)

Chubby Checker has been singing The Twist since 1960. Here's a performance from January 4, 2014.

kgarcia863 said:

2elijah said:

That is what I meant, but I was responding to your 2nd and 3rd paragraphs. You said you don't think Prince would have been successful alone, but he was known prior to the official Revolution band makeup, as the guy who played many instruments, and the way he acted during that Dick Clark interview, after his performance on that show. He had a totally, different image then. With the introduction of the Purple Rain movie, the advertisement of the movie showed him in a different image, which was a change from the pre-official Revolution association. Not all fans were familiar with the Revolution Band members, until the movie came out. I think he would have been successful without the Revolution band members, but not just as a 1 man or acoustic act, as I based that on his 'shock and awe' appearance, sexed-up song lyrics, and his sexual stage performance moves, and not speaking much when interviewed, during that time period before the Purple Rain movie. He left a bit of curiosity/mystery about himself in the early days to his audience. All that in and of itself peeked an interest in fans.

[Edited 1/17/14 18:43pm]

[Edited 1/17/14 19:21pm]

Friends in my circle do not know Wendy, Lisa, Morris, Sheila etc. It is not until I associate them with Prince. And my friends are avid music listeners.

in 2014 people around the world and in various parts of the music industry are very familiar with Wendy Lisa Sheila E and Morris Day from young to old

.

When Morris Day and the TIme had Rhianna perform with them/her not doubt that the audience knew who the Time was.

.

When people have W&Lisa doing music scores for shows and winning awards, when Madonna, Pharrell, Questlove of the Roots and many other know who they are you bet they are well known.

.

And none of this takes away from their varied origins with Prince. They are the 1sts to shine the light on it.

.

Let's not also take away from the talent and hard work of these people who adore Prince

kgarcia863 said:

2elijah said:

Many fans seem to think he wouldn't have been that popular without the Revolution band members during the 80s, but don't you think it was the Purple Rain movie that gave those band members their recognition and popularity, and their association with Princel? You have to admit, that most who attended the movie, went to see Prince. The film, propelled his success, because it exposed his talent worldwide. It was his stage performances in the movie that won most fans over, like when he sang the 'Beautiful Ones', 'Darling Nikki', 'Computer Blue', 'Purple Rain', and the last half of the movie where it exposed his dancing skills, as a performer. Of course, the emotional parts of the movie pulled the audience in, that doesn't go without saying. Thereafter, he pretty much introduced the Minneapolis sound/style to the world, and had other artists trying to copy that sound, Prince's hairdo, and dress styles during that era. It was a fun and memorable era, but maintains its legacy in that 80s era.

About the W2A. He had the Time and Sheila E open several shows for him during the Musicology tour. Sheila E was also part of some of the W2A shows as well. So it wasn't too long ago, that he worked with former members of the Revolution and the Time, not to mention W&L joining him at the Brit Awards and then Wendy showing up at the show at the Target Center in Minneaopolis in 2007 as well. So it really hasn't been that long since he's worked with many former, band members of his 80s crew.

Prince would have gained success with or without any of other musicians. People who went to see Purple Rain went to see Prince, not Morris Day, ha! Morris Day may have had moments in the movie, but I GUARANTEE you if you ask anyone TODAY what/who they remember about Purple Rain; they will say Prince!!

[Edited 1/21/14 2:30am]

No way possible he would have gained the level of success he has without any other musicians. He would have been a folk guitarist / pianist. Known and with success but not the Purple rain success.

.

Anyone familiar with the 1999 Triple Threat tour, Vanity 6-Nasty Girls, the Time-the Walk, 777-9311, Cool, Wild n Loose etc having scene the trailer would automatically be ready to see the movie for the whole thematic. Only women would be goo goo gah gah of just going to see Prince.

I went to see the movie for the whole concept of what I saw in the trailer. And all the music I was exposed to coming out of his camp. That's a + for the work Prince put into building that part of his extension of proteges. Saying no one went to see anyone but Prince takes away from the work they all put in to get to that point.

.

And you better read reviews became most say Morris Day & Jerome saved the movie outside of the music scenes. I believe the whole movie was good, the home scenes to me actually caused the movie to be much deeper with issues of abuse, multiracial families, tragedy, suicide. The actors that played his parents were really good. I think Prince did well in those scenes too. The brooding dark Prince(I prefered over Christopher Tracy) The reason Prince even took on that gigolo ie Morris Day character w/Jerome(Tricky) is because of the applause Morris Day & Jerome received for their parts in Purple Rain.

Prince Got the Girl in Purple Rain, but Movie Rival Morris Day Is Stealing Some of His Thunder

While the film focuses on Prince, Morris steals his every scene. Even New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael was charmed: "Morris Day does his vain, lecherous routines with the ease of the top vaudeville artists of decades past," she wrote. "Almost everything he does gets laughs."

[Edited 1/21/14 12:50pm]

http://www.people.com/peo...70,00.html

Prince Got the Girl in Purple Rain, but Movie Rival Morris Day Is Stealing Some of His Thunder

By Lisa Russell

UPDATED 09/03/1984 at 01:00 AM EDT • Originally published 09/03/1984 at 01:00 AM EDT

Saturday, March 9, 2013

It's Morris Day Time

It’s a sure sign I’m aging when the music I grew up with is now classified as “oldies.” Yet, I always seem to slip back into my youth when I hear the sounds of my teen years, particularly from the early ’80s Minneapolis funk rock era, the heyday of Prince, The Time and their cohorts.

The film “Purple Rain” was a right of passage for me. It was sexy, rocking and a bit dangerous. Because of its success, Prince was firmly placed on his rightful throne, and the soundtrack will go down as one of my all-time favorites.

But it was someone else who arguably stole the show from Prince in the movie. That was Morris Day, frontman for The Time. It’s a performance that still holds up to today.

His image of a primping, sometime-comedic gigolo with mike in hand and a glide in his step helped solidify ’80s R&B hits (“Jungle Love” and “The Bird”) into crossover pop successes.

These days he’s still performing and recording, and I had a chance to talk with him before one of his Atlanta stops several years ago.

Q.: So what’s the difference between your onstage persona and the real Morris Day?

A.: The onstage image is a culmination of everything energized and shrunk down to an hour-and-fifteen-minute package. ...I like to think that that side of me is the up side and the side that likes to have a good time. ...But of course as with anybody, there’s all the personal facets and other sides. A lot of people get disappointed when they see me in public because I’m not sliding sideways into the room and doing “The Bird.” That’s the person they want to see. They don’t want to see a person who’s got something on their mind and on a mission to get the car serviced.

Q.: Could you ever have imagined that “Purple Rain” would be remembered as an ’80s pop culture classic?

A.: It was such an innocent effort on everybody’s part. Prince was like, “We’re going to make a movie.” And everybody was like, “OK.” He started lining up acting classes and dancing classes. ...And I got kicked out of acting classes for always cutting up just like back in my school days when I’d get kicked out of class for the same kind of thing. And it turned out that that kind of cutting up is what worked for me in the film. So that was kind of my revenge to the acting teacher who kicked me out of class.

Q.: How did your life change after the movie?

A.: For us it was just a complete life-changing experience from the way people treated us. You hear that probably a lot from musicians who get a hit record. In a town like Minneapolis where nobody knew who you were and you were broke and everything costed you money, all of a sudden everybody’s letting you in for free and giving you free drinks. And when you finally have a little money in your pocket, you don’t need free stuff anymore. Then everybody’s trying to give you free stuff. We had hundreds of extras on the movie. I did alright meeting women, but I had to work to get a girl interested. Then all of a sudden we walked past all of the extras and folks are going crazy. The whole game just kind of flipped overnight from the start of the movie to the finish of the movie when it took off and was a hit. Then all of a sudden our songs are all over pop radio around the clock. The whole thing was a life-changing experience.

Q.: Looking back would you have done anything differently?

A.: Had I known it was going to be a big hit, I would have asked for more money. I didn’t get paid much. And most of the money I got paid, I ended up paying my band in salary to keep them. So I think contractually I would’ve definitely done some things differently, but other than that it was a good time and just a segment of my life. I’m an individual who believes things go as they should go. And I think I’m on a course, and I feel like there’s still great things to come.

http://jon-waterhouse.blo...chive.html

OldFriends4Sale said:

No way possible he would have gained the level of success he has without any other musicians. He would have been a folk guitarist / pianist. Known and with success but not the Purple rain success.

Anyone familiar with the 1999 Triple Threat tour, Vanity 6-Nasty Girls, the Time-the Walk, 777-9311, Cool, Wild n Loose etc having scene the trailer would automatically be ready to see the movie for the whole thematic. Only women would be goo goo gah gah of just going to see Prince.

I went to see the movie for the whole concept of what I saw in the trailer. And all the music I was exposed to coming out of his camp. That's a + for the work Prince put into building that part of his extension of proteges. Saying no one went to see anyone but Prince takes away from the work they all put in to get to that point.

And you better read reviews became most say Morris Day & Jerome saved the movie outside of the music scenes.

I believe she said "with or without". 'Without', probably because of his determination and dedication towards/for his music at a young age, and getting recognized for the amount of instruments he played, long before working any of the Revolution band members. So either or eventually he would have become known at some popular level.

I agree with you, that all the main characters in 'Purple Rain' other than Prince, i.e., Morris, Jerome, Appolonia, W&L, and the 2 backups, etc., played their parts well, but come on, you have to admit the curiosity for the movie goers were mainly to see Prince, because there was a curiosity there, and the promotion of the movie, lured a large audience. You said somehwere in your posts that Morris Day upstaged Prince during the 80s, but what about now? Can Morris Day upstage him now, and in what way? Can Morris Day and the current members of his band, fill an arena? Morris played his character well in the Purple Rain movie and during his stage performances with the original Time, and with the current band members performing with him in present-day, but I feel like he is still playing the character in the movie, and the the lead man of The Time that Prince created for him.

So don't you think that it's time (no pun intended) to leave the character on the screen? Prince left the black jacket, pants, purple costume and motorcycle on film, back in the 80s, sometime after the movie was no longer in the theatre, and has changed his image 100 times over. It's 2014, and Morris Day is still playing the comedic character of Purple Rain in his performances. Don't get me wrong, I have much respect for Morris Day, but even one of the reviewers, in the article you posted referred to his character and his acting in the Purple Rain movie as 'vaudeville'. I think he deserves better than that. He is a gifted musician, plays drums well, and its too bad we didn't really get to see him display more of that skill. I still say he would make a good actor, and could benefit from it, if of course if that was something he wanted to do. Regardless of my opinion, ad I hope it wasn't too harsh, I still respect Morris Day as a musician.

2elijah said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

No way possible he would have gained the level of success he has without any other musicians. He would have been a folk guitarist / pianist. Known and with success but not the Purple rain success.

Anyone familiar with the 1999 Triple Threat tour, Vanity 6-Nasty Girls, the Time-the Walk, 777-9311, Cool, Wild n Loose etc having scene the trailer would automatically be ready to see the movie for the whole thematic. Only women would be goo goo gah gah of just going to see Prince.

I went to see the movie for the whole concept of what I saw in the trailer. And all the music I was exposed to coming out of his camp. That's a + for the work Prince put into building that part of his extension of proteges. Saying no one went to see anyone but Prince takes away from the work they all put in to get to that point.

And you better read reviews became most say Morris Day & Jerome saved the movie outside of the music scenes.

I believe she said "with or without". 'Without', probably because of his determination and dedication towards/for his music at a young age, and getting recognized for the amount of instruments he played, long before working any of the Revolution band members. So either or eventually he would have become known at some popular level.

I agree with you, that all the main characters in 'Purple Rain' other than Prince, i.e., Morris, Jerome, Appolonia, W&L, and the 2 backups, etc., played their parts well, but come on, you have to admit the curiosity for the movie goers were mainly to see Prince, because there was a curiosity there, and the promotion of the movie, lured a large audience. You said somehwere in your posts that Morris Day upstaged Prince during the 80s, but what about now? Can Morris Day upstage him now, and in what way? Can Morris Day and the current members of his band, fill an arena? Morris played his character well in the Purple Rain movie and during his stage performances with the original Time, and with the current band members performing with him in present-day, but I feel like he is still playing the character in the movie, and the the lead man of The Time that Prince created for him.

So don't you think that it's time (no pun intended) to leave the character on the screen? Prince left the black jacket, pants, purple costume and motorcycle on film, back in the 80s, sometime after the movie was no longer in the theatre, and has changed his image 100 times over. It's 2014, and Morris Day is still playing the comedic character of Purple Rain in his performances. Don't get me wrong, I have much respect for Morris Day, but even one of the reviewers, in the article you posted referred to his character and his acting in the Purple Rain movie as 'vaudeville'. I think he deserves better than that. He is a gifted musician, plays drums well, and its too bad we didn't really get to see him display more of that skill. I still say he would make a good actor, and could benefit from it, if of course if that was something he wanted to do. Regardless of my opinion, ad I hope it wasn't too harsh, I still respect Morris Day as a musician.

Well said 2elijah and thank you! There is no need for me to elaborate because you have done a wonderful job as always. Drive, dedication and determination is what has my respect. Prince has that and that is what matters to me.

2elijah said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

No way possible he would have gained the level of success he has without any other musicians. He would have been a folk guitarist / pianist. Known and with success but not the Purple rain success.

Anyone familiar with the 1999 Triple Threat tour, Vanity 6-Nasty Girls, the Time-the Walk, 777-9311, Cool, Wild n Loose etc having scene the trailer would automatically be ready to see the movie for the whole thematic. Only women would be goo goo gah gah of just going to see Prince.

I went to see the movie for the whole concept of what I saw in the trailer. And all the music I was exposed to coming out of his camp. That's a + for the work Prince put into building that part of his extension of proteges. Saying no one went to see anyone but Prince takes away from the work they all put in to get to that point.

And you better read reviews became most say Morris Day & Jerome saved the movie outside of the music scenes.

I believe she said "with or without". 'Without', probably because of his determination and dedication towards/for his music at a young age, and getting recognized for the amount of instruments he played, long before working any of the Revolution band members. So either or eventually he would have become known at some popular level.

I agree with you, that all the main characters in 'Purple Rain' other than Prince, i.e., Morris, Jerome, Appolonia, W&L, and the 2 backups, etc., played their parts well, but come on, you have to admit the curiosity for the movie goers were mainly to see Prince, because there was a curiosity there, and the promotion of the movie, lured a large audience. You said somehwere in your posts that Morris Day upstaged Prince during the 80s, but what about now? Can Morris Day upstage him now, and in what way? Can Morris Day and the current members of his band, fill an arena? Morris played his character well in the Purple Rain movie and during his stage performances with the original Time, and with the current band members performing with him in present-day, but I feel like he is still playing the character in the movie, and the the lead man of The Time that Prince created for him.

So don't you think that it's time (no pun intended) to leave the character on the screen? Prince left the black jacket, pants, purple costume and motorcycle on film, back in the 80s, sometime after the movie was no longer in the theatre, and has changed his image 100 times over. It's 2014, and Morris Day is still playing the comedic character of Purple Rain in his performances. Don't get me wrong, I have much respect for Morris Day, but even one of the reviewers, in the article you posted referred to his character and his acting in the Purple Rain movie as 'vaudeville'. I think he deserves better than that. He is a gifted musician, plays drums well, and its too bad we didn't really get to see him display more of that skill. I still say he would make a good actor, and could benefit from it, if of course if that was something he wanted to do. Regardless of my opinion, ad I hope it wasn't too harsh, I still respect Morris Day as a musician.

I know, but like I said, a solo musician he would have success, but lots of artists play multiple instruments. He would need a band to become bigger and do more, no matter that band. Becoming succesful was not doubt, to whatever degree.

.

I said Morris upstaged Prince in the movie. I'm not nor have I ever said Morris is bigger or could be bigger than Prince. But any twist of fate in a timeline could have changed anything. If Britney Spears could be as big as she was, why not Morris... But my comment was about the movie role. I think Morris today probably would still be better at acting than Prince.

.

Yes, even Morris admitted he got stuck in that role. He should join up with someone else/others to do some co-writing.

.

I'm not trying to get Prince to relive anything. That's not what this thread or any of my posts were about. We were talking about that time period. Alone. I'm not trying to get Prince to relive that period. Prince plays the music from those years the most. He even has imitated or used those periods especially in his 2000s years like imitating the PR kiss with Tamar, at the Coachella when he had Morris & Jerome -Sheila E (open) the show he said "This is how the Purple Rain tour should have been" and many other things, so Prince plays with that, also since LotusFlower till 3rd Eye Girl Prince has used a lot of Parade era imagery/photos etc for various reasons.

But there was one thing that Prince criticized Morris Day for doing in an interview that he himself has done and still does, which is run from and 'pretend' he doesn't have a past. And there are many different ways he does it

.

I agree, he should do some stuff like Sheila E on drums, expand himself.

OldFriends4Sale said:

2elijah said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I believe she said "with or without". 'Without', probably because of his determination and dedication towards/for his music at a young age, and getting recognized for the amount of instruments he played, long before working any of the Revolution band members. So either or eventually he would have become known at some popular level.

I agree with you, that all the main characters in 'Purple Rain' other than Prince, i.e., Morris, Jerome, Appolonia, W&L, and the 2 backups, etc., played their parts well, but come on, you have to admit the curiosity for the movie goers were mainly to see Prince, because there was a curiosity there, and the promotion of the movie, lured a large audience. You said somehwere in your posts that Morris Day upstaged Prince during the 80s, but what about now? Can Morris Day upstage him now, and in what way? Can Morris Day and the current members of his band, fill an arena? Morris played his character well in the Purple Rain movie and during his stage performances with the original Time, and with the current band members performing with him in present-day, but I feel like he is still playing the character in the movie, and the the lead man of The Time that Prince created for him.

So don't you think that it's time (no pun intended) to leave the character on the screen? Prince left the black jacket, pants, purple costume and motorcycle on film, back in the 80s, sometime after the movie was no longer in the theatre, and has changed his image 100 times over. It's 2014, and Morris Day is still playing the comedic character of Purple Rain in his performances. Don't get me wrong, I have much respect for Morris Day, but even one of the reviewers, in the article you posted referred to his character and his acting in the Purple Rain movie as 'vaudeville'. I think he deserves better than that. He is a gifted musician, plays drums well, and its too bad we didn't really get to see him display more of that skill. I still say he would make a good actor, and could benefit from it, if of course if that was something he wanted to do. Regardless of my opinion, ad I hope it wasn't too harsh, I still respect Morris Day as a musician.

I know, but like I said, a solo musician he would have success, but lots of artists play multiple instruments. He would need a band to become bigger and do more, no matter that band. Becoming succesful was not doubt, to whatever degree.

.

I said Morris upstaged Prince in the movie. I'm not nor have I ever said Morris is bigger or could be bigger than Prince. But any twist of fate in a timeline could have changed anything. If Britney Spears could be as big as she was, why not Morris... But my comment was about the movie role. I think Morris today probably would still be better at acting than Prince.

.

Yes, even Morris admitted he got stuck in that role. He should join up with someone else/others to do some co-writing.

.

I'm not trying to get Prince to relive anything. That's not what this thread or any of my posts were about. We were talking about that time period. Alone. I'm not trying to get Prince to relive that period. Prince plays the music from those years the most. He even has imitated or used those periods especially in his 2000s years like imitating the PR kiss with Tamar, at the Coachella when he had Morris & Jerome -Sheila E (open) the show he said "This is how the Purple Rain tour should have been" and many other things, so Prince plays with that, also since LotusFlower till 3rd Eye Girl Prince has used a lot of Parade era imagery/photos etc for various reasons.

But there was one thing that Prince criticized Morris Day for doing in an interview that he himself has done and still does, which is run from and 'pretend' he doesn't have a past. And there are many different ways he does it

.

I agree, he should do some stuff like Sheila E on drums, expand himself.

Okay, I get that most musicians work with band members to get the sound they desire/or type of music they want to present to their audiences, but I don't think any band member is responsible one’s determination/desire for music, especially if that desire was obviously there from childhood. I would think, if anything his (Prince) parents were his greatest music influences, since both his parents were involved in some form of music/entertainment, regardless of his relationship with either of them. So if that determination/desire was already instilled in you as a child, no matter the relationship with your parents, and it appears he pursued that dream from a young age, long before he hooked up with any band members , then he already had the talent/gift he pursued as a music career later in life. Not saying that future band members/associates were not a contribution to some of his music later on, but I don’t think they(mainly Revolution members) should get credit as though they created his music gift/talent/desire for music/or were responsible for his dream to become a musician/artist in the first place. I find often, that many fans go on as though they (Revolution members) were.

Also, I don't think Morris has run from his past, because he's still performing in the ‘likeness’ of his Purple Rain character, which has pretty much pigeon-holed him as a musician/artist. It has become his reality for his livelihood it seems, since the mid 1980s to present day. I think if it was just a matter of him reuniting with the Original members of the Time to perform as Morris Day & The Time or was a Purple Rain or Revolution reunion, then I could see him performing in that likeness, but in present day, he is pretty much still performing as Morris Day & The Time, as a live act, without all the original members, because it seems it was his choice to do so.

There of course, may not be anything wrong with that, but I do think it would have made a big difference if he was a bit more creative, by writing/singing some new songs, in his performances with current band members. I think that would have helped to change the current setlist of the same songs from the mid-1980s that he sang with the original Time members, and possibly change up the image somewhat, making his present-day performances less predictable.

I believe that could have made a difference, as he definitely has the skill and potential to create new songs, as evidenced by the ‘Condensate’ cd when he reunited with the original Time members for a short time, under the name of the ‘Original 7’. Just saying, that the mid-1980s to present day, left enough room for him to be more creative with his current group. Time (again, no pun intended) changes things, as well as the music industry, music lovers tastes, and with younger generations coming into the world. In all, Morris Day is still a talented musician/performer, but it’s too bad his Purple Rain character sort of pigeon-holed him to the point he continues to make a living performing in the likeness of that character in a predictable fashion, when I think he has so much more to give as a musician/artist.


Edit: It's to It has

[Edited 1/22/14 9:14am]

2elijah said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I know, but like I said, a solo musician he would have success, but lots of artists play multiple instruments. He would need a band to become bigger and do more, no matter that band. Becoming succesful was not doubt, to whatever degree.

.

I said Morris upstaged Prince in the movie. I'm not nor have I ever said Morris is bigger or could be bigger than Prince. But any twist of fate in a timeline could have changed anything. If Britney Spears could be as big as she was, why not Morris... But my comment was about the movie role. I think Morris today probably would still be better at acting than Prince.

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Yes, even Morris admitted he got stuck in that role. He should join up with someone else/others to do some co-writing.

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I'm not trying to get Prince to relive anything. That's not what this thread or any of my posts were about. We were talking about that time period. Alone. I'm not trying to get Prince to relive that period. Prince plays the music from those years the most. He even has imitated or used those periods especially in his 2000s years like imitating the PR kiss with Tamar, at the Coachella when he had Morris & Jerome -Sheila E (open) the show he said "This is how the Purple Rain tour should have been" and many other things, so Prince plays with that, also since LotusFlower till 3rd Eye Girl Prince has used a lot of Parade era imagery/photos etc for various reasons.

But there was one thing that Prince criticized Morris Day for doing in an interview that he himself has done and still does, which is run from and 'pretend' he doesn't have a past. And there are many different ways he does it

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I agree, he should do some stuff like Sheila E on drums, expand himself.

Okay, I get that most musicians work with band members to get the sound they desire/or type of music they want to present to their audiences, but I don't think any band member is responsible one’s determination/desire for music, especially if that desire was obviously there from childhood. I would think, if anything his (Prince) parents were his greatest music influences, since both his parents were involved in some form of music/entertainment, regardless of his relationship with either of them. So if that determination/desire was already instilled in you as a child, no matter the relationship with your parents, and it appears he pursued that dream from a young age, long before he hooked up with any band members , then he already had the talent/gift he pursued as a music career later in life. Not saying that future band members/associates were not a contribution to some of his music later on, but I don’t think they(mainly Revolution members) should get credit as though they created his music gift/talent/desire for music/or were responsible for his dream to become a musician/artist in the first place. I find often, that many fans go on as though they (Revolution members) were.

Also, I don't think Morris has run from his past, because he's still performing in the ‘likeness’ of his Purple Rain character, which has pretty much pigeon-holed him as a musician/artist. It has become his reality for his livelihood it seems, since the mid 1980s to present day. I think if it was just a matter of him reuniting with the Original members of the Time to perform as Morris Day & The Time or was a Purple Rain or Revolution reunion, then I could see him performing in that likeness, but in present day, he is pretty much still performing as Morris Day & The Time, as a live act, without all the original members, because it seems it was his choice to do so.

There of course, may not be anything wrong with that, but I do think it would have made a big difference if he was a bit more creative, by writing/singing some new songs, in his performances with current band members. I think that would have helped to change the current setlist of the same songs from the mid-1980s that he sang with the original Time members, and possibly change up the image somewhat, making his present-day performances less predictable.

I believe that could have made a difference, as he definitely has the skill and potential to create new songs, as evidenced by the ‘Condensate’ cd when he reunited with the original Time members for a short time, under the name of the ‘Original 7’. Just saying, that the mid-1980s to present day, left enough room for him to be more creative with his current group. Time (again, no pun intended) changes things, as well as the music industry, music lovers tastes, and with younger generations coming into the world. In all, Morris Day is still a talented musician/performer, but it’s too bad his Purple Rain character sort of pigeon-holed him to the point he continues to make a living performing in the likeness of that character in a predictable fashion, when I think he has so much more to give as a musician/artist.


Edit: It's to It has

[Edited 1/22/14 9:14am]

I didn't anything about others being responsible for his desire?

We are talking about success/fame/ etc As a 1 man band he could only go so far, that's goes for anyone. a singer that will just do acapella every album and live show, will only go so far, same with someone who just plays piano or/and guitar.

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They all were in similar boats, if you look at their backgrounds 99% came from musical backgrounds and families. and as soon as Prince was old enough he was playing with other musicians ie Andre Cymone and Morris Day (he lived with both of their families for a period)

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I give Prince and those in his camp during the 1982-1986 years credit for working together in a way that created the best and most diversly extensive catalogue of music

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I don't think so either but Prince said it felt Morris was. But Prince said a lot of things in that interview that didn't tell the truth about him firing Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and why the Time broke up

.

"I'm playing the bad guy," says Prince, "but I didn't fire Jimmy and Terry. Morris asked me what I would do in his situation. Remember, it was his band." -1990

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At thirteen, he formed Grand Central, his first band, with some high school friends. Grand Central often traveled to local hotels and gyms to band-battle with their black competition: Cohesion, from the derided "bourgeois" South Side, and Flyte Time, which, with the addition of Morris Day, would later evolve into the Time. -1985

.

Why did Morris say such negative things about you after he left the band?

People who leave usually do so out of a need to express something they can't do here. It's really that simple. Morris, for example, always wanted to be a solo act, period. But when you're broke and selling shoes someplace, you don't think about asking such a thing. Now, I think Morris is trying to create his own identity. One of the ways of doing that is trying to pretend that you don't have a past.- 1985

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Even though the Family didn't have the 3 album period the Time did, the Family/FDelux shows a level of diversity with song writing and experimentation, that I wish Morris Day would take. That's why Jellybean loves working with the Family now over the Time, he has involvement and layers with this group. lol maybe they need a woman or 2 to join the band. But look what Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis did via Janet Jackson, the SOS band a many others, lots of diversity in writing and such. Maybe that's why this Condensation album is so much better than a lot of Morris solo stuff, Jesse Johnson was really good and layered song writing and many different topics. As a group they kill, and they have that life long friendship thing that makes magic.

[Edited 1/22/14 10:48am]

kgarcia863 said:

2elijah said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I believe she said "with or without". 'Without', probably because of his determination and dedication towards/for his music at a young age, and getting recognized for the amount of instruments he played, long before working any of the Revolution band members. So either or eventually he would have become known at some popular level.

I agree with you, that all the main characters in 'Purple Rain' other than Prince, i.e., Morris, Jerome, Appolonia, W&L, and the 2 backups, etc., played their parts well, but come on, you have to admit the curiosity for the movie goers were mainly to see Prince, because there was a curiosity there, and the promotion of the movie, lured a large audience. You said somehwere in your posts that Morris Day upstaged Prince during the 80s, but what about now? Can Morris Day upstage him now, and in what way? Can Morris Day and the current members of his band, fill an arena? Morris played his character well in the Purple Rain movie and during his stage performances with the original Time, and with the current band members performing with him in present-day, but I feel like he is still playing the character in the movie, and the the lead man of The Time that Prince created for him.

So don't you think that it's time (no pun intended) to leave the character on the screen? Prince left the black jacket, pants, purple costume and motorcycle on film, back in the 80s, sometime after the movie was no longer in the theatre, and has changed his image 100 times over. It's 2014, and Morris Day is still playing the comedic character of Purple Rain in his performances. Don't get me wrong, I have much respect for Morris Day, but even one of the reviewers, in the article you posted referred to his character and his acting in the Purple Rain movie as 'vaudeville'. I think he deserves better than that. He is a gifted musician, plays drums well, and its too bad we didn't really get to see him display more of that skill. I still say he would make a good actor, and could benefit from it, if of course if that was something he wanted to do. Regardless of my opinion, ad I hope it wasn't too harsh, I still respect Morris Day as a musician.

Well said 2elijah and thank you! There is no need for me to elaborate because you have done a wonderful job as always. Drive, dedication and determination is what has my respect. Prince has that and that is what matters to me.

G3000 said:

http://www.pressofatlanti...f887a.html

By ROBERT DiGIACOMO, At The Shore

When Morris Day takes the stage, he still likes to party like it’s 1984. That’s the year the frontman for The Time burst onto the national scene, through his role as Prince’s musical and personal nemesis in “Purple Rain” and biggest hit “Jungle Love.”

*

“It’s almost like, irregardless of how I’m feeling, once the band fires up the first note, we just go there,” says Day, who performs 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City.

Tickets are buy one, get one free at the following link:

http://www.ticketmaster.c...653D41A4AF

*

“It’s hard to not be in a good mood once the music starts playing.”

Over the past 30 years, Day has gone mostly solo, with brief reunions with the original seven members of The Time, including for the 2011 album “Condensate.”

*
Throughout, he has built up a catalog of dance-fueled hits, including The Time’s “Get It Up,” “Cool” and “Jerk Out,” and solo hits such as “Color of Success,” “Fishnet” and “Daydreaming.”

Day also has appeared in movies with Prince (“Graffiti Bridge”) and without (“Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”), while mostly focusing on his live performances.

Before coming back to Atlantic City, Day talks about how “Purple Rain” changed his life and gets real about what it was like to know — and work with — Prince.

*

Q: You’re performing with two other original members of The Time — Monte Moir and Jellybean Johnson — but not the rest of the lineup. Are there any plans to get back together with the remaining four members, who last toured as The Original 7ven?

A: I kind of like doing what I do with Morris Day and The Time. We bring the party. That’s how I’d rather roll these days. It’s a little painful working with all the original members. We have a lot of chiefs.

*

Q: This year marks the 30th anniversary of “Purple Rain.” What was it like for you to make the movie and experience the hype that went along with it?

A: It was an incredible time. It was all innocent. It was like, “Hey guys, we’re going to make a movie.” We looked up and we were doing a movie. We had no expectations about it. We had never done anything like that before. It all kind of took off and it went crazy.

*

Q: How much of the flamboyant character you play is really you and how much is fictional?

A: I was definitely like him back then. But you know things have changed, and I don’t necessarily live the life like I did back then. I was living, eating, breathing and sleeping it.

Now I can turn it on and off — now I have the off switch.

*

Q: Prince, with his various alter-egos and public stances, is still a bit of a mystery. As someone who was a member of his band and knew him from the beginning, how would you describe him?

A: He’s a musical genius and he’s an a--hole, and back then he was a friend, so he was all of those wrapped in one package. It was really great to see how he could create back then. We would sit up in the studio and fire up a drumbeat — I used to play drums on almost everything. We would start with bass and drums, and at the end of the day, we would have a great song. It was pretty amazing to see how he could come up with stuff. He’s a complicated individual to know as a friend, but it was all good. It was a great experience in my life — I learned a lot.

*

Q: What’s next for you — do you want to do more acting or stick with your music?

A: Life has taught me that I’m not an actor. I didn’t like the work part of it. I didn’t like getting up at 4 or 5 in the morning, and getting on set, and hurry up and get ready. It’s a lot of work — I don’t like to work. If somebody calls me and wants to do something in particular, and it sounds good, and it’s not too time-consuming, I’ll do it. I’m a musician — that’s what I love and that’s how I got in this whole game. I’m fortunate to be out here and people still dig what I do.

© 2014 pressofAtlanticCi...stributed.

[Edited 1/15/14 18:45pm]

Interesting how everything Morris says in regard to their friendship is past tense.

OldFriends4Sale said:

2elijah said:

Okay, I get that most musicians work with band members to get the sound they desire/or type of music they want to present to their audiences, but I don't think any band member is responsible one’s determination/desire for music, especially if that desire was obviously there from childhood. I would think, if anything his (Prince) parents were his greatest music influences, since both his parents were involved in some form of music/entertainment, regardless of his relationship with either of them. So if that determination/desire was already instilled in you as a child, no matter the relationship with your parents, and it appears he pursued that dream from a young age, long before he hooked up with any band members , then he already had the talent/gift he pursued as a music career later in life. Not saying that future band members/associates were not a contribution to some of his music later on, but I don’t think they(mainly Revolution members) should get credit as though they created his music gift/talent/desire for music/or were responsible for his dream to become a musician/artist in the first place. I find often, that many fans go on as though they (Revolution members) were.

Also, I don't think Morris has run from his past, because he's still performing in the ‘likeness’ of his Purple Rain character, which has pretty much pigeon-holed him as a musician/artist. It has become his reality for his livelihood it seems, since the mid 1980s to present day. I think if it was just a matter of him reuniting with the Original members of the Time to perform as Morris Day & The Time or was a Purple Rain or Revolution reunion, then I could see him performing in that likeness, but in present day, he is pretty much still performing as Morris Day & The Time, as a live act, without all the original members, because it seems it was his choice to do so.

There of course, may not be anything wrong with that, but I do think it would have made a big difference if he was a bit more creative, by writing/singing some new songs, in his performances with current band members. I think that would have helped to change the current setlist of the same songs from the mid-1980s that he sang with the original Time members, and possibly change up the image somewhat, making his present-day performances less predictable.

I believe that could have made a difference, as he definitely has the skill and potential to create new songs, as evidenced by the ‘Condensate’ cd when he reunited with the original Time members for a short time, under the name of the ‘Original 7’. Just saying, that the mid-1980s to present day, left enough room for him to be more creative with his current group. Time (again, no pun intended) changes things, as well as the music industry, music lovers tastes, and with younger generations coming into the world. In all, Morris Day is still a talented musician/performer, but it’s too bad his Purple Rain character sort of pigeon-holed him to the point he continues to make a living performing in the likeness of that character in a predictable fashion, when I think he has so much more to give as a musician/artist.


Edit: It's to It has

[Edited 1/22/14 9:14am]

I didn't anything about others being responsible for his desire?

We are talking about success/fame/ etc As a 1 man band he could only go so far, that's goes for anyone. a singer that will just do acapella every album and live show, will only go so far, same with someone who just plays piano or/and guitar.

.

They all were in similar boats, if you look at their backgrounds 99% came from musical backgrounds and families. and as soon as Prince was old enough he was playing with other musicians ie Andre Cymone and Morris Day (he lived with both of their families for a period)

.

I give Prince and those in his camp during the 1982-1986 years credit for working together in a way that created the best and most diversly extensive catalogue of music

.

I don't think so either but Prince said it felt Morris was. But Prince said a lot of things in that interview that didn't tell the truth about him firing Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and why the Time broke up

.

"I'm playing the bad guy," says Prince, "but I didn't fire Jimmy and Terry. Morris asked me what I would do in his situation. Remember, it was his band." -1990

.

At thirteen, he formed Grand Central, his first band, with some high school friends. Grand Central often traveled to local hotels and gyms to band-battle with their black competition: Cohesion, from the derided "bourgeois" South Side, and Flyte Time, which, with the addition of Morris Day, would later evolve into the Time. -1985

.

Why did Morris say such negative things about you after he left the band?

People who leave usually do so out of a need to express something they can't do here. It's really that simple. Morris, for example, always wanted to be a solo act, period. But when you're broke and selling shoes someplace, you don't think about asking such a thing. Now, I think Morris is trying to create his own identity. One of the ways of doing that is trying to pretend that you don't have a past.- 1985

.

Even though the Family didn't have the 3 album period the Time did, the Family/FDelux shows a level of diversity with song writing and experimentation, that I wish Morris Day would take. That's why Jellybean loves working with the Family now over the Time, he has involvement and layers with this group. lol maybe they need a woman or 2 to join the band. But look what Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis did via Janet Jackson, the SOS band a many others, lots of diversity in writing and such. Maybe that's why this Condensation album is so much better than a lot of Morris solo stuff, Jesse Johnson was really good and layered song writing and many different topics. As a group they kill, and they have that life long friendship thing that makes magic.

[Edited 1/22/14 10:48am]

Nope, I didn't say you specifically, mentioned anything about others being responsible for his desire for music and becoming a musician. I was stating that often times, many of his fans tend to give credit, especially to the Revolution band members as though, they were all responsible for his creative, music vision/desire, and the reason he became known, when he was a talented/gifted musician long before he performed with the Revolution members. I do however, believe that the Purple Rain movie, helped to propel him to a specific level of fame, because the movie gave the audience an inside, front row seat into his talent as a musician/performer on screen. His stage performance in the movie and how he presented his talents musically/performance-wise, won a lot of people over and had them in awe.

As far as Morris Day's character in the Purple Rain movie, I think his character assisted in balancing and steering the mood of the movie--from the emotional scenes of Prince's character, including that of the characters of the actors who played Prince's, fictional parents--towards moments of laughter, which helped to keep the audience in an 'up' mood. You mentioned that Morris, also came from a musical background, which is odd that for the past 20 years, he has pigeon-holed himself into performing the same way for over 20 years, with the same 10 songs.

I get what you're saying though, about what some of the former, associated band members are doing now with their music career. And yes I agree that it would be cool if Morris Day did the same and free himself, from the chains of the Purple Rain character, that he is currently living out in his present-day performances. He is much too talented to limit his potential as a musician/artist. Anyway, not much more to be said.

[Edited 1/22/14 18:46pm]

OldFriends4Sale said:

kgarcia863 said:

Well said 2elijah and thank you! There is no need for me to elaborate because you have done a wonderful job as always. Drive, dedication and determination is what has my respect. Prince has that and that is what matters to me.

What is that supposed to mean?