I have mixed feelings about the Symbol album.

The musicianship by the NPG is great, but many songs 'lack' in the songwriting department. Its a very diverse album stylewise, just like Sign of the Times: but while 'Sign' is eclectic in a good way, I think the Symbol album is rather messy in a not so good way.

I dig My Name is Prince, Sexy MF, The Morning Papers and 7. IMO he (or WB?) did choose the best songs to be the singles. The rest of the material (despite the great musicianship) suffers in comparison.

to SoulAlive, and Gargangsta:

wow I disagree, the Morning Papers, the song itself is a Prince classic imo.

the video is beautiful too, Prince & Mayte in the zoo,

the live performance, Prince jumping up on the piano, stage diving....

great choice for a single, it's one of the "best" songs on the album imo.

"And God Created Woman" is brilliant too though... would have been a great 6th single, after Sexy MF, My Name Is Prince, 7, The Morning Papers, Damn U.

but 6 singles from 1 Prince-album - was maybe too much ???
[Edited 2/4/10 11:13am]

OldFriends4Sale said:

I think there was a discussion of this earlier in this thread? Prince looked like that during 1992-1993. He cut his hair short in Nov. 1993.

Funky 4resh 4 the 90s

thedance said:

lol..yeah 6 singles may have been too much This album is filled with songs that could have easily been hits.

I think the main problem with the album was simply that it followed too
quickly on Diamonds And Pearls' heels. Certainly in the UK, "Thunder" was barely
out of the charts when "Sexy MF" was released. I know WB had wanted to delay
the release of the album by a year, as they thought there was still plently
of life in Diamonds And Pearls, but Prince didn't want to, and only allowed WB
to release Thunder as a limited edition so that it wouldn't hang around in the
charts very long.

It was the conditions of Prince's new contract and his desire to move on to the
next project before the old one had expired that really caused his problems with
WB. As far as the public went, Prince had really oversaturated the market, there
was no gap in the release schedule. Sexy MF was released while Diamonds And Pearls
was still riding high in the album chart. So people naturally wondered why it
wasn't on that album. confused the public, and it was seen as Diamonds And
Pearls part 2, or something. It was just too much at once for Joe Public to
digest, so it's no surprise it that context that the album didn't do as well as
it deserved.

OldFriends4Sale said:

They're the same thing, as all the photos used for the come album were
actually taken on the symbol album tour.

During the time that the come album was released, Prince was actually
promoting The Gold Experience, and had the 'Gold' look.

My greatest album and also a number 1 album in the UK.

When it was released it was haled as an album 10 years ahead of its time. Proof being if u listen 2 it, u wont hear anything like it. It indeed sophisticted and unique.

Sam 8)

While like any Prince album there are a number of nice moments there but this could be the worst album of the first "Prince" era.

It is here where his gangasta hip hop poses went from just silly embarrassing to frightening (a gun mic??? seriously?). His "rock" bits sound as if done by rote and there is no need to argue about the horrible rap segments that ruin perfectly good songs like "Love 2 the 9s." Then on top of all that you have the absurd framing/linking segues with Alley which are just painful.

Where in D&P, Prince tried to reclaim some R&B cred through some references to 70s soul, Symbol tries to co-opt rap in a transparent, commercial way. Its not till Gold that he almost makes it pay off but here its just plain old bad.

BorisFishpaw said:

There is some difference between "Act 1" and "Act 2". To me, 1992 is more the Love Symbol era than 1993.

skywalker said:

There was a difference in the set list, but the look was the same. He toured for the Symbol cd from Mar to Sep 1993.

Sacrifice of Victor:photos by Terry Gydesen














[Edited 2/9/10 11:02am]

[Edited 2/9/10 9:03am]

June 7.1994
Glam Slam Miami
prince 36th birthday concert
1.Endorphinmachine
2.Space
3.Interactive
4.Days Of Wild
5.Now
6.The Most Beautiful Girl...
In The World (Mustang Mix)
7.Video"Love Sign"
8.The Ride
9.Get Wild
10.Acknowledge Me
11.Race
12.The Jam
13.Shhh




[Edited 2/9/10 9:04am]
[Edited 2/9/10 9:06am]

March 15. 1993 Act-Ⅰ Tour
"Patriot Center" Fairfax
1.My Name Is Prince
2.Sexy MF/Love 2 The 9's
3.Damn U
4.The Max
5.The Mornig Paper
6.Peach
7.Blue Light
8.The Continental/Get On Up
10.The Flow
11.Johnny
12.I Wanna Melt With U
13.And God Created Woman
14.3 Chains O' Gold
15.7
16.Let's Go Crazy
17.Kiss
18.Irresistible Bitch
19.She's Always In My Hair
20.Insatiable
21.Scandalous
22.Gett Off
23.Gold Nigga
24.Purple Rain
25.Partyman-Loose!
26.1999/Baby I'm A Star/Push

FNAC Etoile Record Store 9.1.1993



9.1.1993 Act-Ⅱ Tour
Palais Ominport Paris,France
Soundcheck
1.The Question Of U
2.Venus De Milo
3.Under The Cherry Moon
4.Somewhere Over The Rainbow
5.I Love U In Me
6.Dolphin


[Edited 2/9/10 10:30am]

funky.

Very nice thread,

some unseen pics for me

OldFriends4Sale said:

TheVoid said:

I don't know if I entirely agree with you saying that 'Sexy MF' did poorly as a single as compared to '7'. In the US, sure but 'Sexy MF' got to no.4 in the UK charts and 'My Name Is Prince' at no. 7. '7' only charted at no.27 over here.

I find the album a bit like a rich chocolate cake. Delicious and enjoyable initially but a bit overbearing and hard to swallow after a few bites. The ACT II was amazing though and happened to be the first time I ever saw Prince. It remains the best gig I've ever seen.

JDInteractive said:

Just remembering back then Sexy MF got serious air play on the 'rnb' stations, Prince lucked out on that one because of the James Brown vibe...

yes, back then Sexy MF got airplays on danish radio P3 as well, I loved it... I relly think it was a great leading single, imo. Sexy MF is classic Prince.

I think the best/ right songs from were chosen as singles.

Meadowbank Studium, Edinburgh

Prince & The New Power Generation
Prince
Mayte Garcia (dancer)
Levi Seacer Jr, (g)
Sonny Thompson (b)
Morris Hayes (key)
Tommy Barbarella (key)
Michael Bland (dr)
The Game Boyz
Kirk Johnson (dancer, Percussion)
Tony Mosley (dancer, Rapper)
Damon Dickson (dancer)
NPG Horns
Michael B, Nelson
Brian Gallagher
Kathy Jensen
Dave Jenson
Steve Strand





Act-Ⅱ TourSeptember
1 . Palais Omnisport, Paris
3 . Flugplatz, Luneburg
4 . Flanders Expo. Ghent
-Aftershow The Mirano
5 . Flughafen Finthen, Mainz
7 . Wembley Arena, London
-Aftershow Bagley's Warehouse

Get Blue
Using the same instrumentation from the "Open Book" outtake, this ballad was given to Louie Louie for their 1993 Let's Get Started album. In the song, Prince pleads to his lover to not hesitate and listen to others in regards to their relationship.

Hold Me
Falsetto vocals by Prince, this song was eventually given to Jevetta Steele for her 1993 Columbia Records (2nd edition) album Here It Is and released as a US single. The song is quite an ordinary ballad, which Prince initially offered to Anita Baker.

Honky Tonk Women
On October 8, 1993, the The Undertaker mini-concert film featured this jam and showcased , Sonny T. and Michael B. Only 1,000 copies of the video were sold. This Rolling Stones cover features improvised lyrics and segues into "Bambi".

Open Book
Prince's version is superior to Jevetta Steele's cover on her 1993 Here It Is album. Originally offered to Martika, this beautiful ballad speaks of a possible failed relationship. It features piano and synth.

The Ride
premiered this blues number during the Act II tour aftershows. On October 8th 1993, the The Undertaker mini-concert film featured this jam and showcased , Sonny T. and Michael B. Only 1,000 copies of the video were sold. This is the studio version, whereas the Crystal Ball version is live.

Super Hero
Originally given to Earth, Wind & Fire for their 1993 Millennium album and then re-recorded by The NPG for the 1994 Blankman soundtrack, this version features on vocals. Another version exist with Sonny T. on vocals.

The warm up show:

18 Feb 1993 Minneapolis MN Glam Slam

My Name Is Prince
Sexy MF
Love 2 The 9's
Damn U
The Max
The Morning Papers
Blue Light
The Continental
Everybody Get On Up
The Flow
Peach
Instrumental
7
Let's Go Crazy
Kiss
Irresistable Bitch
She's Always In My Hair
Insatiable
Scandalous
Gett Off
Goldnigga
Purple Rain
Cream
Partyman
Loose
1999
Baby, I'm A Star
Push

I will always love the album! I'll never forget staying up way past my bedtime to watch the "ABC In Concert" special on TV. I really dug every song that was featured, and I was especially intrigued by the movie-like "storyline" that ran through the album and videos. (To this day, I still have not seen the entire "3 Chains o' Gold" film, only the snippets/vids that were shown on the TV special.) Mayte had me totally (an effect she still has on me) and I could not believe Prince could get a girlfriend so HOT and so much younger than him! The moment I saw he was with Mayte, Prince became Yoda to my Luke Skywalker.

Like many on the Org, I am not a big fan of Tony M. However, I have to say his rap on "My Name Is Prince" is FIERCE, and far and away his shining moment as a part of the NPG. The rap is one of the best things about that song, IMO. I also don't mind the "questions" part on "Love 2 the 9s," since I love the way Mayte delivers her responses!

My favorite song on the album is definitely "The Morning Papers." I can really connect with the passion in Prince's vocal, and I like the story being told in the lyrics. The guitar work (can the one section technically be labeled a "solo?") is stunning and sweeps me up in its emotion. And I LOVE the little spoken "OK" at the end; it's as though he's talking to the sound engineer at the end of a take, and the take was left intact accidentally.

Since the COME album is kinda meshed with the 0-+> era I'm including these pics





rel August 16.1994
1.Come
2.Space
3.Pheromone
4.Loose!
5.Papa
6.Race
7.Dark
8.Solo
9.Letitgo
10.Orgasm
[Edited 2/18/10 6:16am]

"a polaroid taken by Nicole Nodland, during a photo shoot for
a Prince and the NPG single called, "The Max".
I don't remember if the song ever came out as a single."-Michael Bland

http://www.michaelbland.org/

A BRIEF HISTORY...
michael bland was born march 14, 1969 in mpls, minnesota.
his church-dedicated family started michael out on the piano at age six, an he quickly advanced to the baritone horn at age seven. michael took to the instruments his father introduced him to quickly, but by age nine, he found his passion playing the drums. his father contributed his talents to the church, where one of his sisters also played. he decided at fourteen to take the drums seriously and devoted all of his spare time to honing his skill. at age sixteen, he won the "twin cities' best drummer" contest. it was just the beginning of a rewarding career.

with his recognition as a prodigy, michael was actively sought by many local acts. at seventeen, hiram bullock snagged him up, and took him to pittsburgh and new york to do some one-nighters. in that same year, he joined dr. mambo's combo, a house band at bunker's music bar and grill, a local club where many minneapolis musicians cut their teeth. bunker's is where prince first spotted michael, after hearing other musicians rave about how great a drummer he was. prince went down to bunker's one night to see what the hype was all about, and after two or three songs got up to sit in with the band. he decided that michael was the element his new group needed. thus, michael joined prince in 1989.

the prince camp welcomed michael with open arms as he toured, recorded, and performed with the new power generation for seven years. in 1996, immediately after his tenure with prince, michael went on tour with paul westerberg, which led to tours and recordings with other national acts, such as chaka khan, maxwell, dionne farris, george benson, phil upchurch, and howard hewitt. more recently, you might have seen michael's name on albums by evan and jaron, shannon curfman, har mar superstar, kyle riabko, and many others. in 2004, michael began playing on film scores, such as "anchorman", and the soon to be released film, "alot like love". also in recent months, he has found himself putting his musical attributes into producing artists and bands, as well. michael's free time consists of writing, producing, and recording with his gospel-rock group, sons of almighty... a group which also involves some of michael's former bandmates from his earlier days with prince, lending his talent to news from the jungle, a jazz-fusion trio on the universal france jazz label. in 2005, michael toured with paul westerberg in support of his album, "folker". he also started recording an album with soul asylum, their first in 8 years, entitled "the silver lining". during the process, he joined the band, and has been a member, ever since. in 2006, michael recorded "turn around" with jonny lang. it won a grammy for best gospel album, that year. in 2007, michael started his production company, sonic matrimony. his first artist, mayda, released her EP, "stereotype", later that year. mayda will release a full length LP entitled "the interrogation" in march 2009. michael is working on an instructional dvd, hopefully to be released this summer. michael bland is endorsed by yamaha, remo, zildjian, and vic firth

prince and the new power generation- diamonds and pearls
prince and the new power generation- the symbol album
prince- come
prince- the gold experience
prince- chaos and disorder
prince- emancipation
new power generation- exodus


[Edited 2/18/10 6:48am]
[Edited 2/18/10 12:03pm]

OldFriends4Sale said:

No, The Max was never released as a single.

There were several singles planned from the album that were shelved...
"The Continental", "The Max" & "Blue Light".

.