i'm not nostalgic ,as a matter of fact i always liked npg more then the revolution.
i know prince moved on so was wendy and lisa and brown mark ,bobby,dr fink.
but wouldn't it be great for that ansamble to do a reunion album and tour so we can hear where they are now music wise.

i mean the revolution sound came a long way from cold electro funk rock to the organic soulful jazzy parade sound in just 3 years.

cream reunited after 37 years of not playing together,led zeppelin also,many other bands so why not the revolution.

p.s.
in the year 2000 during celebration prince jammed with the revolution(minus wendy and lisa) on only one song "america" and prince was very rude to bobby z when he missed kick drum.

I would have liked to see a Revolution reunion performance at the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame induction (in 2004). That would have been a nice kickoff to the year, and also celebrated Purple Rain's 20th anniversary.

I wouldn't really care to see a whole TOUR though ... but a newly-recorded album would be fun.

I hope not. I've heard enough of Lisa and Wendy bitchin'. Rock on without'em P.

Never!

why not - couldnt hurt

who knows what would come of it - hey maybe a hit album - lol

I wouldn't complain if they did. It would be nice but I'm not holding my breath.

thebanishedone said:

Yeah. Prince was an ass to Bobby Z that night.

I would be great, maybe like in a a great theater,(no in the round crap) with the full Clair Fisher Orchestra and Sheila E somewhere too, doing like long versions of everything

we can only dream

I hope not.

I know that some people on here are Revolution fans/loyalists, but I am sorry they were arguably Prince's weakest band. There is no reason for him to reunite with them on any serious level. It would be a huge step back/down in terms of musicianship.

Since disbanding the Revolution, Prince has formed backing bands made up of some of the most talented musicians in the game. With regard to musicianship and live performance he has surpassed anything that the Revolution could dream of achieving. Why go back to having a drummer like Bobby Z (no disrespect) after spending years having Sheila E., Michael B. and John Blackwell keep time for you? Why return to Lisa (again no disrespect) on keys when Renato Neto is at your disposal, no to mention the Tommy Barbarella years? With regard to guitar and bass the musicans that followed (and preceded) the Revolution have been stellar - Rhonda Smith, Larry Graham, Sonny T, Miko Weaver, Levi Seacer, Mike Scott. Finally, vocals are a no-brainer. The addition of such gifted singers as Boni Boyer, Rosie Gaines, Marva King and now Shelby J. also helped to take Prince's music in new directions. The Revolution era never had strong backing vocals, and it really showed in the live performances.

The Revolution period was a moment in time that, like so many others in life, had its expiration date. I have no interest in seeing Prince - the musician or performer - regress to that time.

With all 5 original members NO

I totally agree! Well said!

bellanoche said:

we all have our own opinions - thats what makes us all so UNiqUE - im no loyalist

to be honest i dont think he/they would, purely because Prince only appears to look forward - that said, he has delved into the past for studio/rehearsal releases

I believe the Revolution period was one of his, if not the most prolific/creative period(s) throughout his career...Sublime..... and i am certain the revolution band (espec. W&L) we're major contributors to his output/vision during that period - it truly worked...As far as full band names go, 'the revolution' are probably the only band that the world (the non-prince world) will associate with prince. but for it to work today i dont know -

The problem I have with todays sound, is that its too polished. Lenny Kravitz put it perfectly in a recent interview - he said prince lacked the rawness he used to ooze, and it all apears a bit overcooked, plastic....but hey, I'm up for anything.....who knows what will happen!!!

NatePerk said:

bellanoche said:

revolution was not a weak band and bobby z is not weak drummer at all.
its urban legend that bobby z was a weak drummer.

bobby z had missfortune to play drums when live drums
were almost out of the 80s music,
but if you want to hear what bobby can do with drums i suggest you to find prince live in atlanta omni 1980.

prince was a warm up act for rick james on that concert,gayle chapman was still keyboard player ,bobby z kick ass on drums on that concert.

bobby was never virtuoso drummer but he definetly knows what to do with drums.

all of the revolution members were/are good musicians.

lisa is no renato neto but she added classical element to prince's music(listen to the breaks during songs on purple rain tour.

brown mark is great groovy bass player,matt fink is killer keyboard player,wendy have her own touch on guitar.

i bet that only in one month prince could get in shape revolution members and as result
we can get ultimate versions of some of the songs from that golden period in prince's music.

its not about nostalgia its about where are they now in music.

for instance on cream 2005 reunion concert eric clapton ginger backer and jack bruce didn't sound nostalgic they rather sounded like cream in todays world,not 60's.

I love the 'feel' Lisa and Wendy had. Mark was funk. We all know Dr Fink is SICK on keys! Bobby I don't think when I saw them live he played at all I heard the Linn the whole time.
I think they would sound great

The Revoultion was O.K. but that was then this is now. Going back to the Revolution is like asking a 40 year old man to put on his tux he wore for the prom. It was nice then but it is out of date and not as good as it was then. Prince is like his idols James Brown and Miles Davis. They knew when to move on for a new sound and new musical challenges and not stay stagnant. If he would have kept the Revolution all these years people would be begging for him to do something new

jstar69 said:

Let me preface this comment by saying that I completely agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so please don't think that I am attacking your or your opinion. I just feel that needs to be said on this site where differences of opinion quickly disintegrate into personal attacks, insults and bashing.

That said, this quote is laughable to me coming from Lenny Kravitz. Whose music, though I have two of his albums, is quite contrived and plastic to me. His "rawness" is often forced. Again, that's just my opinion.

Out of pure curiosity, what about the Revolution "period" do you attribute to that band? I agree that they inspired some of Prince's music during that time and W&L contributed as well. However, the only albums that they seem to have had the most "influence" on were ATWIAD and Parade (two albums that are good, but certainly not among my favorites). From what I understand, the Purple Rain album was basically done by Prince w/o the Revolution save for a bit of garnish at the end. By the time W&L and the Revolution were gone and SOTT was released their contributions to his music for that album were pretty much scrapped (thank goodness) in favor of the funkier interpretations of his songs and the new songs that he added to the album. For me this difference in his sound is evident when contrasting Dream Factory with SOTT. SOTT is one of my favorite Prince albums, Dream Factory is not.

So, while I am not trying to diminish the impact that the Revolution had on his career (for example, the look of the band was very instrumental in breaking him into the mainstream), I have never quite understood why so much is attributed to them. I think Prince would have been as creative and prolific during that era no matter what band he had. That time of his life corresponds with the time that most great musicians hit their stride. Yes, they are influenced by their surroundings, but their surroundings do not make them who they are.

shortberrystrawcake said:

I completely agree with this. I love your prom tux analogy as well. I remember reading the liner notes of Santana's Dance of the Rainbow Serpent compilation and he talked about how after recording "Song of the Wind" with his band at the time he was sad because as great as the song was he knew that lineup had reached its apex and that it was time, once again, for him to change his lineup. Musically there was nowhere else for them to go. So, as you said, great musicians know when to say when.

----

Also, I wanted to clarify that I did not say that Bobby Z or the Revolution were a weak band. However, I did say that they were probably Prince's weakest band. There is a difference. Prince like Santana, Zappa, Miles, etc. has had some amazing bands, and in careers that have spanned decades it becomes clear that some were better than others.

bellanoche said:

U are being kind. The Revolution was CLEARLY the weakest of all of the bands Prince has had over the years. Nothing left 2 say.

Graycap23 said:

"I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS I GOT THE BADDEST BAND IN THE UNIVERSE!!!!"

Prince at his birthday concert, Detroit in 1986.

Graycap23 said:

Come on Graycap23, I am trying to be diplomatic here.

NWF said:

That was BEFORE the NPG or Lovesexy band existed. Check the date.

bellanoche said:

I'm glad that u are. I don't have time 4 such things.....

NWF said:

And by 1987 he had the SOTT/Lovesexy band. I'm just sayin'...

--Edited to comment to GrayCap23 - we're on the same page about that date. You beat me to the comment.
[Edited 3/6/08 6:56am]

bellanoche said:

Lol.....they were so good they were all FIRED less than a year later.

The Revolution was awesome! Anyone who knows and understands great music would know that they had an incredible sound. Especially during the "Parade" era, when musically the sky was the limit for them. Also, Prince and the Revolution had this incredible energy onstage. Once they played, you knew you were in for a musical adventure.

Plus, THEY FUCKING ROCKED!!!!! They were the best Rock/Pop band that Prince had. They had the funk too, but they knew how to crank up the volume too.

A reunion would be amazing, but realistically, I can't see that happening. Considering Prince's erratic behavior and him being in a different place than the others, it doesn't look like it. But never say never.

Graycap23 said:

But I can't recall Prince saying that about any of his subsequent bands.