I'll throw Chaos and Disorder into the ring.

I'm not entirely sure if the riff from Rebirth of the Flesh is guitar, bass, or a combination of one of those and synth...But, Rebirth of the Flesh.

I've always loved that rhythm guitar that kicks in for the short ending to the song "Bob George" after he says "I'll kick your ass...", so short that maybe it could be considered a riff.

If we're gonna start including rhythm guitar then that's a whole other story....

Prince may not be a master riff-writer, but he's second to none with his rhythm work IMO.

Another vote for Bambi.

The Cross

Electric Chair

The Ride

just to name a few that have not already been mentioned...

ufoclub said:

I've always loved that rhythm guitar that kicks in for the short ending to the song "Bob George" after he says "I'll kick your ass...", so short that maybe it could be considered a riff.

That is a nice little lick. Super simple but cool

Has anyone mentioned Let's Go Crazy?

thebanishedone said:

I cant believe nobody mention When U Were Mine it is a very strong classic guitar riff.

I always associate that riff with the keyboard/synth, then the bass...then the guitar.

Byron said:

thebanishedone said:

I cant believe nobody mention When U Were Mine it is a very strong classic guitar riff.

I always associate that riff with the keyboard/synth, then the bass...then the guitar.

No,the basic is built around guitar riff.there is a part at the end where Prince stripps down everything except his voice and guitar.In my opinion When U Were Mine guitar riff is one of the best and most memorable hooks in pop ,rock music.it is very simple but instant recognisable and a true classic.

Dreamer, Temptation, and Batdance

thebanishedone said:

I cant believe nobody mention When U Were Mine it is a very strong classic guitar riff.

Yeah, that's a good one, but I've never personally considered it to be so much a riff as I've always thought it's just a very catchy rhythm guitar part.

Come to think of it, the part that's been referred to as "riff" here on Bambi could be classified as a lead guitar part instead.

For that matter, Many of the other songs mentioned have the guitar part either doubled with keyboards or are based on some sort of interplay with the keyboards.

Conclusion: Prince doesn't really do straightforward guitar riffs!

novabrkr said:

thebanishedone said:

I cant believe nobody mention When U Were Mine it is a very strong classic guitar riff.

Conclusion: Prince doesn't really do straightforward guitar riffs!

Ermm..Irresistable Bitch. Not u...song.

Eh, sorry, I just meant that he seldom does them in a "pure" way. The "conclusion" was a bit of an exaggeration, of course.

Oh yeah, the Bambi one certainly qualifies as a "hook", as the title suggest.