The drumming on there is incredible, especially when played very loud. So was it Bobby, P or programmed drums?.

Shame on me for not knowing this, I thought I was hardcore!.

The Linn drum machine.

motherfunka said:

No, it was Bobby. Let's Go Crazy was a live studio recording done at the Warehouse. Any Linn-like sounds were triggers.

TwiliteKid said:

On the Purple Rain tour, about all Bobby did was hit cymbals.

RodeoSchro said:

Exactly.

TwiliteKid said:

That doesn't mean Bobby drummed on it. I would imagine the symbols, and the ending were what was live from Bobby, just like on tour. That drum machine was firmly planted at Bobby's side. Watch the Warehouse video.

funkyhead said:

You will never get an answer that all will agree upon on here.
Check the liner notes and just believe what they tell you on it.

HonestMan13 said:

Right
If this is one of the live recordings used for the album then bobby was the drummer let's leave it at that

RodeoSchro said:

Absolutely true!!!

thecloud said:

I doubt that, I have recordings and that isn't true

But I guess some of you have been to all the PR shows, so you know

And 4 all we know maybe Prince want a lot of cymbal
[Edited 8/6/09 6:55am]

It's the drum machine people. Get your ass out of your ears and listen. This means you O.F.4.S.

cb70 said:

I am listening, thanks. Obviously, I can't be certain, as I wasn't there, but given the reports of it being a live band recording, I still think its Bobby playing drums with some triggers.

The version that made it 2 the 'Purple Rain' album was recorded with The Revolution at the St Louis Park warehouse.

I'm not sure whether it was triggers, or a pattern playing live from the LM-1. If it were, it would have been started and stopped via a trigger... Stopped where, at the end, it's the power rock ending... I think that ending is played live.

they could be triggered sounds but that is the LM-1.

im guessing it was purely programmed. (aside from the cymbals, although those could be as well)

OldFriends4Sale said:

I went to three of the five Houston shows. For one of them, I was almost at the side of the stage. I remembered two things:

1. Up on the amp, where Prince did the "Baby I'm a Star" guitar orgasm, there was this reflective tape that said, "PRINCE STEP HERE".

2. Bobby Z was standing behind the drum kit, not sitting, all I ever saw him do was hit cymbals.

RodeoSchro said:

Prince had sheila playing a lot of programmed drumming too during the SOTT & Lovesexy tour a lot of Linn programming was used

One of my favorites was the 1st Avenue open rehearsal for SOTT Strange Relationships that songs rocked, but sheila was on percussion up front

cb70 said:

Please don't take things personally and direct anything at me like that your breaking Org rules

TwiliteKid said:

I agree

ernestsewell said:

Not like you to go making spelling errors....

It is live and a drum program at the same time. Bobby played over the Linn Drum (because of course no one can hit that rimshot that perfectly in 5 minutes in sequence all the time).

TwiliteKid said:

Not true. It's a programmed drum pattern, with Bobby playing live fills
and percussion over the top.

Just like most of the songs from around that time.


.
[Edited 8/7/09 11:38am]

OldFriends4Sale said:

I'm hoping ears aren't big enough for ass anyway

connorhawke said:

lol

err, thanks, I think!.

BorisFishpaw said:

How someone doesn't know the vast influence of the Linn in Prince's music hasn't been listening and reading.

TwiliteKid, do you think Bobby played drums on The Beautiful Ones, or When Doves Cry, or Computer Blue? Hellz no!

And we know Prince and Bobby used the Linn in concert. So the question then becomes (since we saw Bobby playing very little drums sometimes on the PR tour), did Prince program the Linn to sound like Bobby's playing, or did Bobby perfectly mimic everything he heard coming out of the Linn? See, that theory about triggers and gates doesn't quite hold up.

funkyhead said:

the drummer

I'd guess that the combination live playing with Linn triggers theory is correct--just like how the song "Purple Rain" was recorded, as detailed in this article:
http://mixonline.com/reco...rple-rain/

-
[Edited 8/9/09 7:43am]

PicassoFace said:

I agree, Sheila E during the SOTT & Lovesexy years did the same, because there are some songs that you need that album sound that no one can really duplicate on drums live: Computer Blue, the Beautiful Ones, the Strange Relationship preview at 1st Avenue and a few other songs on Computer Blue & the Beautiful Ones are very straight forward and any detour from the sample beat just changes the song. I actually appreciate the combination of the Linny and Live drumming,

Prince's music (mainly in the 78-89) years has a very simple drum beat to it, meaning it doesn't do a lot of fancy showoff looping. Which is also why most of his concerts from those years the songs sound much closer to the album cuts. Prince definately has his own sound.

Purple Rain and even 1999 but PR even moreso was very 'technical' very 'digital' in feel. the Parade tour was much more organic and live in drumming, a bit of the linn was used, but most of the songs during that tour didn't depend on the linn sound. So we hear Bobby Z plus the Parade tour had more impromptu changes and jazzy interludes.

the Lovesexy probably more than the SOTT tour used a lot of drum programming and linn usage, especially when Sheila showcased up front on the percussion or stage antics

It was definately the Linn Drum Machine. Yea Bobby had some "input", but the Linn was the bulk of the drums.