Play New Position LOUD on a good stereo!

Maybe you will get it!?

Amazing produced - very crisp for a 25 year old thing.

And the bridge to "I wonder U" is unbelievable.

Starting from the cover art, almost everything else

Short Answer, Because it has Mountains on it.

Long Answer

Because it was so different to anything else he had made to that point. A lot of the material was more funk and soul orientated and he had shed some of the white rock sound to replace with melodic jazz, pounding dancefloor anthems and catchy funk pop tunes. Also it added to his repertoire as pops chameleon and almost mirroring David Bowie in his golden period with each album being an evolution from the last. Plus the fact its just so enjoyable and he had really shed some of the clunky over production of the ATWIAD, and lost that whole Purple Rain/Paisley look, to the critics they had seen Prince could evolve and innovate.

Christopher Tracys Parade, New Position, I wonder U are all great openers, the upbeat starter, tight taut funk of position and haunting vocals on Wonder U (Wendy) are all more amazing considering Prince has the same drum track running through them. Under the Cherry Moon is a tender and moving ballad and was possibly Prince's first song that showed being in Love was more important than sex, the song shows maturity. Girls and Boys is a good party starter and dance floor filler (Again the jump between genres also showcased his musical genius). This is followed by the campy "Life can be so nice" also catchy, it features again his clever use of lyrics and metaphors "No one plays the clarinet the way you play my heart" wow thats deep for frothy 80s pop. Venus De Milo is not as strong but its pleasant enough and fits into the movie score. Then we get Mountains, one of his finest dance/pop/ballads he has ever done, he sings it in a falsetto and adds a dancy beat to it, and a very memorable chorus, then its the slowed down jazzy crooner feel of Do U lie (Which really a Christopher Tracy number) a cheeky little song, it flows into the very accessible and catchy funky pop tune, Kiss which is just pure Prince Genius, cheeky, fun, bashful and funky to death, its easy to see why it hit number one. This is followed up the superior rock like number Anotherloverholenyohead, again with a catchy chorus and danceable melody. Finally this album is ended by the tender Piano ballad Sometimes its snows in April, a tender piano ballad about the Protagonist in Under the Cherry Moon, it seldom fails to generate a tear.

So why do I like it.

1. The number of styles and genres it crosses (The shifts between single songs are breathtaking), Prince's ability to move between them is really only noticed from here, earlier albums had less genres (PR had mostly rock, some funk and a couple of ballads, 1999 was mostly keyboards and funk, great albums but nowhere near as many genres as here) and He would develop this skill further with SOTT

2. The band input, a lot of WendynLisa on this album, many of the songs had musical input, Wendy's vocals on I Wonder U, Lisa plays the guitar through Kiss.

3. The killer tour that accompanied the album

4. The tie in to Under the Cherry Moon

5. The new look, the shorter hair, revealing coats the change to black and white and the red and yellow zoot suits from all the purple paisley and dressing up in his grandmothers curtains.

So thats what is so great about parade. I also suggest any doubters watch Under the Cherry Moon (I am really loving it at the moment) and see how it ties in with the Music off Parade

[Edited 3/20/11 13:42pm]

[Edited 3/20/11 13:44pm]

ive been listening to this record a lot lately.. since i made this thread.

i always loved mountains and sometimes it snows in april, but now that ive gotten more used to the album, i love anotherloverholenyohead, under the cherry moon, and venus de milo too.

christopher tracys parade/new position/i wonder u is like one song.. but i think it goes downhill. i like ctp. new position is ok. but the music in i wonder u sounds weird so i dont really like that one.

i like girls and boys, but i hate that high pitched, silly sounding.. whatever instrument that is. it sounds like a duck trying to sing.

i like life can be so nice too... but it seems like girls and boys part 2, cause its got a similar high pitched thingee in it.. sorry i dont know the names of the instruments but i dont think its as bad because it doesnt sound as silly.

i dont really like do u lie because of the french sound of it, but i can tolerate it.

unlike kiss. but im not going there again.

one of the few albums i NEVER skip a track

every track is a work of art-it works as one cohesive work of art

indeed as someone once said "a mess"

dyvrdown said:

ive been listening to this record a lot lately.. since i made this thread.

i always loved mountains and sometimes it snows in april, but now that ive gotten more used to the album, i love anotherloverholenyohead, under the cherry moon, and venus de milo too.

christopher tracys parade/new position/i wonder u is like one song.. but i think it goes downhill. i like ctp. new position is ok. but the music in i wonder u sounds weird so i dont really like that one.

i like girls and boys, but i hate that high pitched, silly sounding.. whatever instrument that is. it sounds like a duck trying to sing.

i like life can be so nice too... but it seems like girls and boys part 2, cause its got a similar high pitched thingee in it.. sorry i dont know the names of the instruments but i dont think its as bad because it doesnt sound as silly.

i dont really like do u lie because of the french sound of it, but i can tolerate it.

unlike kiss. but im not going there again.

That might be my fav from Parade , but everyone has different tastes. Glad you like it more

jonasjonas said:

Play New Position LOUD on a good stereo!

Maybe you will get it!?

Amazing produced - very crisp for a 25 year old thing.

And the bridge to "I wonder U" is unbelievable.

I just listen to New Position loud with earphones, loved feeling the drum loud

dyvrdown said:

ive been listening to this record a lot lately.. since i made this thread.

i always loved mountains and sometimes it snows in april, but now that ive gotten more used to the album, i love anotherloverholenyohead, under the cherry moon, and venus de milo too.

christopher tracys parade/new position/i wonder u is like one song.. but i think it goes downhill. i like ctp. new position is ok. but the music in i wonder u sounds weird so i dont really like that one.

i like girls and boys, but i hate that high pitched, silly sounding.. whatever instrument that is. it sounds like a duck trying to sing.

i like life can be so nice too... but it seems like girls and boys part 2, cause its got a similar high pitched thingee in it.. sorry i dont know the names of the instruments but i dont think its as bad because it doesnt sound as silly.

i dont really like do u lie because of the french sound of it, but i can tolerate it.

unlike kiss. but im not going there again.

I like your thread.

Don't sweat it. We all like different things. And even though I love it, I can definitely see why some would not like it.

No big deal. And for heavens sakes do not do what some here do and try and brainwash yourself into liking it.

I don't like pickles. But many do. That's just the way it is.

V10LETBLUES said:

I like your thread.

Don't sweat it. We all like different things. And even though I love it, I can definitely see why some would not like it.

No big deal. And for heavens sakes do not do what some here do and try and brainwash yourself into liking it.

I don't like pickles. But many do. That's just the way it is.

yeahh but i want to like it. i love prince, and i wanna get into as much of his music as i can, as long as i can tolerate it in the first place. im not even gonna bother forcing myself to like kiss, but the rest isnt unbearable like that one. so i think i can get used to it.

dyvrdown said:

V10LETBLUES said:

I like your thread.

Don't sweat it. We all like different things. And even though I love it, I can definitely see why some would not like it.

No big deal. And for heavens sakes do not do what some here do and try and brainwash yourself into liking it.

I don't like pickles. But many do. That's just the way it is.

yeahh but i want to like it. i love prince, and i wanna get into as much of his music as i can, as long as i can tolerate it in the first place. im not even gonna bother forcing myself to like kiss, but the rest isnt unbearable like that one. so i think i can get used to it.

Ok, nevermind.

Didn't see that bolded sentence coming. Nope. Not in a million years.

dyvrdown said:

..most people would be lying if they said that the first song they think of isnt kiss when they think of parade. thats what i meant. i cant think of the album without being reminded of that song.

and i was just giving examples, replace tge with d&p then. whatever, it makes no difference.

Kiss may have been the big hit of Parade, but it's not the first song I think of. Life Can Be So Nice is the song that comes to my mind first. I listened to that more than all the rest. Also I think Mountains is a better song than Kiss.

V10LETBLUES said:

dyvrdown said:

yeahh but i want to like it. i love prince, and i wanna get into as much of his music as i can, as long as i can tolerate it in the first place. im not even gonna bother forcing myself to like kiss, but the rest isnt unbearable like that one. so i think i can get used to it.

Ok, nevermind.

Didn't see that bolded sentence coming. Nope. Not in a million years.

mind = blown

sarcasm or no sarcasm?

Under The Cherry Moon – Music

1. Under The Cherry Moon: Outro - Piano Instrumental (Intro Voice over)
2. An Honest Man - Piano Instrumental (Titles)
3. Christopher Tracy’s Parade (Nice)
4. Incidental Strings (Mirror, Mirror, 17 fold)
5. Incidental Sax & Strings (That Bela Lugosi look)
6. Incidental Sax & Strings (Bath phone call)
7. Do U Lie? (Mary’s party)
8. Planet Rock (Party Jam)
9. Incidental Drums (Christopher & Mary’s eyes meet)
10. Mia Bocca: Intro (Mary reappears)
11. New Position (Party Conga)
12. Happy Birthday (Jonathan calls)
13. Incidental Strings (Mary & Christopher)
14. Do U Lie? – Piano Instrumental (Mrs Wellington’s phone message)
15. Incidental Organ (Christopher & Mrs Wellington)
16. I Wonder U (Mary thinks of a retort)
17. Alexa De Paris (Dance on the veranda)
18. Do U Lie? – Instrumental (Isaac’s car at Mrs Wellington’s)
19. Incidental Drums & Bass (Mary wants to take the boat out)
20. It’s A Wonderful Day – Instrumental (Butterscotch, Chocolate)
21. Incidental Chamber music (Restaurant)
22. Girls & Boys (making a scene at the restaurant)
23. I Wonder U (Mary in bed)
24. Love Or Money (I know, let’s spend it!)
25. Life Can Be So Nice (Waiting at the Hippodrome)
26. Junk Music (Car race at the Hippodrome)
27. Under The Cherry Moon – Instrumental (Christopher & Mary)
28. Venus De Milo (Phone booth)
29. Old Friends 4 Sale – Strings only (Tricky confronts Christopher)
30. Mountains – Part 2 (Let’s run away, for a couple of hours)
31. Incidental Drums & Bass (Tricky says something he shouldn’t)
32. Incidental Strings (Mrs Wellington & Christopher)
33. Anotherloverholenyohead (Race to the airport)
34. Incidental Sax (Isaac gets to the plane)
35. Kiss (Define ‘Love’)
36. Incidental Sax (Isaac on the phone)
37. Kiss – Part 2 (Tricky on the run)
38. Venus De Milo (Mary wakes up in the grotto)
39. Incidental Strings (Tricky fights back)
40. Sometimes It Snows In April (Miami)
41. Mountains (End Titles)

[Edited 3/21/11 7:29am]

While you could say that every Prince album sounds unique, I think the production on Parade stands farthest away from almost everything he's ever done.

And compared to SOTT and later material, it's so much crisper and has aged particularly well.

A re-master on this will be heavenly.

(and whoever said New Position needs to be heard on a nice stereo couldn't be more right)

OldFriends4Sale said:

Under The Cherry Moon – Music

1. Under The Cherry Moon: Outro - Piano Instrumental (Intro Voice over)
2. An Honest Man - Piano Instrumental (Titles)
3. Christopher Tracy’s Parade (Nice)
4. Incidental Strings (Mirror, Mirror, 17 fold)
5. Incidental Sax & Strings (That Bela Lugosi look)
6. Incidental Sax & Strings (Bath phone call)
7. Do U Lie? (Mary’s party)
8. Planet Rock (Party Jam)
9. Incidental Drums (Christopher & Mary’s eyes meet)
10. Mia Bocca: Intro (Mary reappears)
11. New Position (Party Conga)
12. Happy Birthday (Jonathan calls)
13. Incidental Strings (Mary & Christopher)
14. Do U Lie? – Piano Instrumental (Mrs Wellington’s phone message)
15. Incidental Organ (Christopher & Mrs Wellington)
16. I Wonder U (Mary thinks of a retort)
17. Alexa De Paris (Dance on the veranda)
18. Do U Lie? – Instrumental (Isaac’s car at Mrs Wellington’s)
19. Incidental Drums & Bass (Mary wants to take the boat out)
20. It’s A Wonderful Day – Instrumental (Butterscotch, Chocolate)
21. Incidental Chamber music (Restaurant)
22. Girls & Boys (making a scene at the restaurant)
23. I Wonder U (Mary in bed)
24. Love Or Money (I know, let’s spend it!)
25. Life Can Be So Nice (Waiting at the Hippodrome)
26. Junk Music (Car race at the Hippodrome)
27. Under The Cherry Moon – Instrumental (Christopher & Mary)
28. Venus De Milo (Phone booth)
29. Old Friends 4 Sale – Strings only (Tricky confronts Christopher)
30. Mountains – Part 2 (Let’s run away, for a couple of hours)
31. Incidental Drums & Bass (Tricky says something he shouldn’t)
32. Incidental Strings (Mrs Wellington & Christopher)
33. Anotherloverholenyohead (Race to the airport)
34. Incidental Sax (Isaac gets to the plane)
35. Kiss (Define ‘Love’)
36. Incidental Sax (Isaac on the phone)
37. Kiss – Part 2 (Tricky on the run)
38. Venus De Milo (Mary wakes up in the grotto)
39. Incidental Strings (Tricky fights back)
40. Sometimes It Snows In April (Miami)
41. Mountains (End Titles)

[Edited 3/21/11 7:29am]

You're a maniac. I love you.

bonatoc said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Under The Cherry Moon – Music

1. Under The Cherry Moon: Outro - Piano Instrumental (Intro Voice over)
2. An Honest Man - Piano Instrumental (Titles)
3. Christopher Tracy’s Parade (Nice)
4. Incidental Strings (Mirror, Mirror, 17 fold)
5. Incidental Sax & Strings (That Bela Lugosi look)
6. Incidental Sax & Strings (Bath phone call)
7. Do U Lie? (Mary’s party)
8. Planet Rock (Party Jam)
9. Incidental Drums (Christopher & Mary’s eyes meet)
10. Mia Bocca: Intro (Mary reappears)
11. New Position (Party Conga)
12. Happy Birthday (Jonathan calls)
13. Incidental Strings (Mary & Christopher)
14. Do U Lie? – Piano Instrumental (Mrs Wellington’s phone message)
15. Incidental Organ (Christopher & Mrs Wellington)
16. I Wonder U (Mary thinks of a retort)
17. Alexa De Paris (Dance on the veranda)
18. Do U Lie? – Instrumental (Isaac’s car at Mrs Wellington’s)
19. Incidental Drums & Bass (Mary wants to take the boat out)
20. It’s A Wonderful Day – Instrumental (Butterscotch, Chocolate)
21. Incidental Chamber music (Restaurant)
22. Girls & Boys (making a scene at the restaurant)
23. I Wonder U (Mary in bed)
24. Love Or Money (I know, let’s spend it!)
25. Life Can Be So Nice (Waiting at the Hippodrome)
26. Junk Music (Car race at the Hippodrome)
27. Under The Cherry Moon – Instrumental (Christopher & Mary)
28. Venus De Milo (Phone booth)
29. Old Friends 4 Sale – Strings only (Tricky confronts Christopher)
30. Mountains – Part 2 (Let’s run away, for a couple of hours)
31. Incidental Drums & Bass (Tricky says something he shouldn’t)
32. Incidental Strings (Mrs Wellington & Christopher)
33. Anotherloverholenyohead (Race to the airport)
34. Incidental Sax (Isaac gets to the plane)
35. Kiss (Define ‘Love’)
36. Incidental Sax (Isaac on the phone)
37. Kiss – Part 2 (Tricky on the run)
38. Venus De Milo (Mary wakes up in the grotto)
39. Incidental Strings (Tricky fights back)
40. Sometimes It Snows In April (Miami)
41. Mountains (End Titles)

[Edited 3/21/11 7:29am]

You're a maniac. I love you.

ME TOO

Parade is Susan Rogers favorite album from the period they worked together....BTW

I think he can do Parade straight through today without need to worry about offending his religious beliefs. It goes to show that some of his best 80's music had no curse words or otherwise offensive themes.

I only mention this because some are under the assumption that if you like 80's Prince, it is mostly because we dig his more risque material. But It's always been about the quality of his music, whether it had risque themes or not.

For me anyway. Just the music. Great music.

Just watching "Under the Cherry Moon" again, it really is a great movie. Those lines get me everytime. The amount of pouting and narcissicm makes it a camp classic.

Adorecream said:

Just watching "Under the Cherry Moon" again, it really is a great movie. Those lines get me everytime. The amount of pouting and narcissicm makes it a camp classic.

I was in Ozark Arkansas when this was released to the one screen movie theater in the little town my grandma lived in. It would have been a death sentence to go see it!

The question is : what isn't great about Parade ?

1986 found him at his most ambitiously creative. And with a great confidence. Writing and recording a song like "All My Dreams" takes balls.

The Detroit Birthday Concert video testifies of its state of grace during that period, along with the 10' live version of Love Bizarre, the Sheridan premiere, the London shows...

The first time I put the needle and heard the garage snare, the Sergeant Pepper's horns and the Brat scream with a symphonic orchestra jumping in, I stood mesmerized. The production was ferociously bold, even though at the age of fourteen all I could think of is : "This sounds like nothing I've ever heard".

Everyone was using that 80's clinical sound that has poorly aged. If the 80's had been the 60's, Parade would have topped the charts on both sides of the atlantic for some time.

In my case, Purple Rain didn't make me a Prince fan. Same for ATWIAD.

Parade immediately did the trick. It was the first Prince album I bought, but before SOTT was out I had already bought all the previous ones.

That's another example of what's SO great about Parade.

Spinlight said:

bluefish said:

Parade, as released, is a very unsatisfying album to me. I can't explain what it is, but some of the tracks just leave me cold. I am another of the Org's playlist geeks, so I decided to make my own configuration, which I vastly prefer to the released version. That said, I still wouldn't put either version in my Top Ten Prince albums.

Prince and the Revolution - Under the Cherry Moon

1. Girls and Boys (version from Work it 2.0 with clean ending - no segue into Life Can Be So Nice)

2. New Position (doubled to create a longer track)

3. or $ (Extended Version)

4. Alexia de Paris (Extended Version)

5. Under the Cherry Moon (abum version)

6. Mountains (12" version)

7. Kiss (album version)

8. Anotherlover... (12" version)

9. naM tsenoH nA (segue - "An Honest Man" from Crystal Ball, played backwards)

10. Old Friends 4 Sale (original version)

11. Sometimes It Snows In April (album version)

why put 1.5 mins of him singing backwards? that would get extremely boring and annoying.

It isn't 1.5 mins...I used 45 seconds of it at most.

OldFriends4Sale said:

bluefish said:

Thanks!

Now if u were making that cd 4 me or someone what Parade era pic(s) would u use?

I have no idea!

2funkE said:

One thing I have come to understand over the years is that much of Prince's best material is not easily appreciated.

Some of his commercial hits are likeable upon first listening - funky as all heck, beautifully melodic etc. but many

other releases take a mature ear, and lots of listens before you "get it".

All of Prince's 80's material sounded like it came from another planet when originally released. Nobody was putting out anything like it and it took a while to get your head around it.

Certainly worth the investment in time.

sooooo true!! couldn't of said it myself!!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Adorecream said:

Just watching "Under the Cherry Moon" again, it really is a great movie. Those lines get me everytime. The amount of pouting and narcissicm makes it a camp classic.

I was in Ozark Arkansas when this was released to the one screen movie theater in the little town my grandma lived in. It would have been a death sentence to go see it!

I can empathise, seeing it in 1987 at a budget re release theatre in Hornby, New Zealand (Which honestly could pass for our version of Topeka Kansas. and everyone walked out except me, and then the projectionist came out and said "You'll have to go as we can't play it to one 11 year old kid because of fire regulations - I was still glued to the screen, my 13 year old brother had left.

dyvrdown said:

..most people would be lying if they said that the first song they think of isnt kiss when they think of parade. thats what i meant. i cant think of the album without being reminded of that song.

and i was just giving examples, replace tge with d&p then. whatever, it makes no difference.

first song I think of is christopher tracys parade and how vivid it sounded to me as a kid. it must be the same way people felt when they first heard sgt. pepper, I never heard anything like it at the time, the strings, the psychadelic arrangment and the playful vibe it had to it. I think parade still holds it's ground to this day, and it's not just Kiss.

Meloh9 said:

dyvrdown said:

..most people would be lying if they said that the first song they think of isnt kiss when they think of parade. thats what i meant. i cant think of the album without being reminded of that song.

and i was just giving examples, replace tge with d&p then. whatever, it makes no difference.

first song I think of is christopher tracys parade and how vivid it sounded to me as a kid. it must be the same way people felt when they first heard sgt. pepper, I never heard anything like it at the time, the strings, the psychadelic arrangment and the playful vibe it had to it. I think parade still holds it's ground to this day, and it's not just Kiss.

I agree with you. I'd go as far to say that it competes favourably as a real competitor to SOTT as his best work. On a sunny day, it wins hands down.

Funny thing about Kiss, is that I almost forget it's on the Album. I usually skip it now, and ALHEYH. Maybe it's because I listened to them to death when I was a kid.

I wonder U playing now. The bass line is

jasontate said:

Meloh9 said:

first song I think of is christopher tracys parade and how vivid it sounded to me as a kid. it must be the same way people felt when they first heard sgt. pepper, I never heard anything like it at the time, the strings, the psychadelic arrangment and the playful vibe it had to it. I think parade still holds it's ground to this day, and it's not just Kiss.

I agree with you. I'd go as far to say that it competes favourably as a real competitor to SOTT as his best work. On a sunny day, it wins hands down.

Funny thing about Kiss, is that I almost forget it's on the Album. I usually skip it now, and ALHEYH. Maybe it's because I listened to them to death when I was a kid.

I wonder U playing now. The bass line is

that's what stood out to me about I wonder you also, the bass line is sick!