feeluupp said:

Sry this album aint for the 40 years and up u all just won't get it... Just keep listening to ur 80's catalouge... It's a new era for the youth...

[Edited 9/2/15 9:40am]

[Edited 9/2/15 9:40am]

What a seriously naive, narrow-minded and juvenile thing to say!

I compose and produce techno, trance, drum'n'bass, dubstep, dub, ambient and all manner of dance and electronica styles.....and I'm 43. I get to play my music live all over the world to people young and old (the oldest fan I've met at a gig of mine was 75!). Age has nothing to do with musical taste - in fact, if anything, age and experience allows a greater depth of understanding and appreciation. Click on my link and see whether or not I might "get it".

My first experience of electronica was in the late 70's with Jean Michel Jarre and Vangelis when I was 7, then moved on to electro in the early-80's and have been loving all sorts of dance and electronica ever since. This has not diminished with age and I'm a huge fan of artists like Squarepusher - if you don't know him (probably the finest producer of music that really pushes the envelope and certainly the best bass-player in the world right now), check him out for incredibly experimental and innovative music and incredible musicianship.

I'm thoroughly looking forward to the new album and age will not be a factor in people's reaction to it - you are either moved by certain genres of music, or you're not.

I swear that pic of Josh reminds me of TI.


Smokey Fontaine is very good at what he does so there's a lot of good info in this well written article. It's pretty lengthy and I'm surprised that with all that was said people are so focused a single line about the Revolution?

Who acutally read the article? Did y'all miss where Smokey mentioned prince.org?

Anyhoo, this is the most informative, candid and lucid I've heard from Prince in quite a while and it's much appreciated. Smokey managed to get a good talk going without the creepy Tavis Smiley fawning. His approach in talking with Prince is what I personally found to be true when I briefly met him.

"if you treat Prince awkwardly, he will respond awkwardly. If you give him too many ooohs and aaahs and melt from the disbelief of being in his presence, then he will likely retreat from you behind a far-away stare and a few whispered, one-word answers. But if you talk to him normally — and that’s really hard to do considering all the times you’ve danced and cried and…done all types of things to his songs — a smart, funny, and super passionate music head will reveal itself. One who just happened to have written “Purple Rain” (and “Adore” and “Kiss” and “Joy In Repetition” and…)"




I may not be thrilled if there are more than two remixes on the album since I generally don't much care for remixes. My pattern throughout Prince's career has been to alternate between liking one album, but not the one that follows it and I loved AOA, soooo...we shall see.

Getting back to that one line, I completely agree with Prince and somehow I doubt that the Revolution are lying somewhere curled up in a ball about it. I wonder if it ever occurs to people clamoring for a reunion that some of those former band members might just be saying to themselves privately, "good riddance?"

I really appreciated a lot of Josh's efforts on AOA but since I approach each album on it's own merits without regard to what came before I will withold judgement till I actually hear the thing.

Mindflux said:

feeluupp said:

Sry this album aint for the 40 years and up u all just won't get it... Just keep listening to ur 80's catalouge... It's a new era for the youth...

[Edited 9/2/15 9:40am]

[Edited 9/2/15 9:40am]

What a seriously naive, narrow-minded and juvenile thing to say!

I compose and produce techno, trance, drum'n'bass, dubstep, dub, ambient and all manner of dance and electronica styles.....and I'm 43. I get to play my music live all over the world to people young and old (the oldest fan I've met at a gig of mine was 75!). Age has nothing to do with musical taste - in fact, if anything, age and experience allows a greater depth of understanding and appreciation. Click on my link and see whether or not I might "get it".

My first experience of electronica was in the late 70's with Jean Michel Jarre and Vangelis when I was 7, then moved on to electro in the early-80's and have been loving all sorts of dance and electronica ever since. This has not diminished with age and I'm a huge fan of artists like Squarepusher - if you don't know him (probably the finest producer of music that really pushes the envelope and certainly the best bass-player in the world right now), check him out for incredibly experimental and innovative music and incredible musicianship.

I'm thoroughly looking forward to the new album and age will not be a factor in people's reaction to it - you are either moved by certain genres of music, or you're not.

And I'm almost an ancient 47-yrs-old, yet I can still recognize uninspired/subpar music when I hear it.

dadeepop said:

Mindflux said:

What a seriously naive, narrow-minded and juvenile thing to say!

I compose and produce techno, trance, drum'n'bass, dubstep, dub, ambient and all manner of dance and electronica styles.....and I'm 43. I get to play my music live all over the world to people young and old (the oldest fan I've met at a gig of mine was 75!). Age has nothing to do with musical taste - in fact, if anything, age and experience allows a greater depth of understanding and appreciation. Click on my link and see whether or not I might "get it".

My first experience of electronica was in the late 70's with Jean Michel Jarre and Vangelis when I was 7, then moved on to electro in the early-80's and have been loving all sorts of dance and electronica ever since. This has not diminished with age and I'm a huge fan of artists like Squarepusher - if you don't know him (probably the finest producer of music that really pushes the envelope and certainly the best bass-player in the world right now), check him out for incredibly experimental and innovative music and incredible musicianship.

I'm thoroughly looking forward to the new album and age will not be a factor in people's reaction to it - you are either moved by certain genres of music, or you're not.

And I'm almost an ancient 47-yrs-old, yet I can still recognize uninspired/subpar music when I hear it.

But you haven't heard it yet.

NouveauDance said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Do you think there is some music that he couldn't release without them, like when he wanted to do the Roadhouse Garden album?

Not at all. Was that the reason RG wasn't released? You'll have to refresh my memory if it was. I don't believe Prince would leave himself in that position tbh, he has money and lawyers even if he did - so I don't think it would be a barrier to him.

.

I do believe his main motivator more than anything like I said is being a contrarian, so I would never rule out him doing/not doing something just because it's expected/not expected. He would do it for no other reason than it would give the finger to someone who said he wouldn't do it - and of course there was a silver lining ($).

I didn't see that anyone else responded--if I remember correctly, someone (in an online Q&A maybe--again, I'm working from memory) asked if/when Roadhouse Garden would be released, and his response was "Ask Wendy and Lisa."

I don't know what that means, but does seem to suggest that he did not plan to release without some sort of input beyond what he already had on tape--even if it were just their approval of the release. Not because it was legally required--if there were any tie-ups there, I assume they involved Warner, not the members of the band--just feeling somehow that he should involve them in a release with the Revolution name. Though of course he released 1999: The New Master with the name (but without the people), so who knows.

starkitty said:

the revolution is not nostalgia. purple rain-->atwiad-->parade-->sott there was no settling or formulaic sound. let me back up - I can't speak for the revolution in its entirety, but Wendy and Lisa pushed and inspired and produced amazing, new, fresh content. that's a triad that would keep going.

This is true

funksterr said:

Does anybody in The Revolution play Pro Tools? Seriously. Anybody?? I mean if we have a contest, and give The Revolution some stems and, like, 1 hour... Will the track be funky?? I dunno.

NouveauDance said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Do you think there is some music that he couldn't release without them, like when he wanted to do the Roadhouse Garden album?

Not at all. Was that the reason RG wasn't released? You'll have to refresh my memory if it was. I don't believe Prince would leave himself in that position tbh, he has money and lawyers even if he did - so I don't think it would be a barrier to him.

.

I do believe his main motivator more than anything like I said is being a contrarian, so I would never rule out him doing/not doing something just because it's expected/not expected. He would do it for no other reason than it would give the finger to someone who said he wouldn't do it - and of course there was a silver lining ($).

In the 1998/99 period when he was going to do the album with them, he seemed ready to go and when he told Lisa & Wendy he was not going to pay them, it axed the project.

I believed that there was a good chunk of that music that was way more collaborative with the group, that he could not release without actually having them involved.

OldFriends4Sale said:

starkitty said:

the revolution is not nostalgia. purple rain-->atwiad-->parade-->sott there was no settling or formulaic sound. let me back up - I can't speak for the revolution in its entirety, but Wendy and Lisa pushed and inspired and produced amazing, new, fresh content. that's a triad that would keep going.

This is true

I look at Prince & The Revolution the way I look at other bands. Stevie Nicks is great. But when Fleetwood Mac come together its special. Paul Simon is great. But put him with Art Garfunkel and you get something special. The same with the Beatles. Together they had something special. But all of them also had turbulent working relationships. They pushed each other. Often it wasn't comfortable. From what Wendy & Lisa have said in the past they would challenge him. We all know how he hates to be challenged. So no surprise he wouldn't want to work with them again. In the interviews posted on line after the First Ave reunion fundraiser. Wendy said that Prince holds no value for any member of the revolution. But they do. I think Prince is afraid that if he did bring them back, the world would sit up and pay attention. Because on his own its a big snooze. He says over and over again that Purple Rain is not auto biographical. Ok... So it wasn't art imitating life. But it sure became life imitating art.

Prince doesn't appreciate nostalgia and what it means to many longtime fans.He doesn't like to look back and celebrate career milestones.That's why we still haven't gotten the Purple Rain remaster yet.

LEATHRSAIL said:

I look at Prince & The Revolution the way I look at other bands. Stevie Nicks is great. But when Fleetwood Mac come together its special. Paul Simon is great. But put him with Art Garfunkel and you get something special. The same with the Beatles. Together they had something special. But all of them also had turbulent working relationships. They pushed each other. Often it wasn't comfortable. From what Wendy & Lisa have said in the past they would challenge him. We all know how he hates to be challenged. So no surprise he wouldn't want to work with them again. In the interviews posted on line after the First Ave reunion fundraiser. Wendy said that Prince holds no value for any member of the revolution. But they do. I think Prince is afraid that if he did bring them back, the world would sit up and pay attention. Because on his own its a big snooze. He says over and over again that Purple Rain is not auto biographical. Ok... So it wasn't art imitating life. But it sure became life imitating art.

I think that's part of it,too.If Prince were to announce a Revolution reunion tour,it would be bigger and get much more attention than any other 'new' project he's working on now.That's what he's really afraid of.

NorthC said:

What I found MUCH more interesting when he said,"my assistent is from Ethiopia and when you go there, you hear special things". Has he actually been to Ethiopia?! Music from that country is unique, I would love him to put some African flavor in his music. As for HitnRun, looks like it is going to be a dance record... Not really my style, but I can hope for an Ethiopian jazz style album. [Edited 9/2/15 10:42am]

Prince doing Afrobeat? I'd be down for some Fela-esque Prince music any day!

OldFriends4Sale said:

NouveauDance said:

Prince would work with the Revolution again just because people expect him not to - he's a contrarian.

.

I don't really see peopl asking for this though, does anyone really care about it? I know some people would like to see him collaborate (as in REALLY collaborate) with Wendy & Lisa again, but I don't see what benefit is gained by playing with the Revolution as a band other than nostalgia. And we all know the real reason is Prince's vanity - he doesn't want to be fronting a band with people his own age range.

Do you think there is some music that he couldn't release without them, like when he wanted to do the Roadhouse Garden album?

Hmmm, I was under the impression that he couldn't do Roadhouse when he wanted without WB involvement. Why would he not be able to release something without the Revolution?

EddieC said:

NouveauDance said:

Not at all. Was that the reason RG wasn't released? You'll have to refresh my memory if it was. I don't believe Prince would leave himself in that position tbh, he has money and lawyers even if he did - so I don't think it would be a barrier to him.

.

I do believe his main motivator more than anything like I said is being a contrarian, so I would never rule out him doing/not doing something just because it's expected/not expected. He would do it for no other reason than it would give the finger to someone who said he wouldn't do it - and of course there was a silver lining ($).

I didn't see that anyone else responded--if I remember correctly, someone (in an online Q&A maybe--again, I'm working from memory) asked if/when Roadhouse Garden would be released, and his response was "Ask Wendy and Lisa."

I don't know what that means, but does seem to suggest that he did not plan to release without some sort of input beyond what he already had on tape--even if it were just their approval of the release. Not because it was legally required--if there were any tie-ups there, I assume they involved Warner, not the members of the band--just feeling somehow that he should involve them in a release with the Revolution name. Though of course he released 1999: The New Master with the name (but without the people), so who knows.

babynoz said:

Smokey Fontaine is very good at what he does so there's a lot of good info in this well written article. It's pretty lengthy and I'm surprised that with all that was said people are so focused a single line about the Revolution?

Who acutally read the article? Did y'all miss where Smokey mentioned prince.org?

Seriously!!

"Could it be that the master notorious for controlling every part of the mix and playing every instrument, the genius musician who, in a 30+ year career, has only been heard on a song he didn’t produce completely himself three, maybe four times (prince.org members — pls check my stats!) now has a creative partner?"

Anyone up for this challenge?

Ego101 said:

The Revolution made Prince a household name!

Never before or since has Prince been as perfectly 'framed' as he was

with-

Wendy on his Left and Brownmark to his right..

With Matt & Lisa on Keys

& Bobby Z crashing away whist hitting the dance steps on drums.

.

It was Black.. White.. Gay..Straight.. Weird..Fun.. Experimental... Middle America & The South of France... Always Passionate sounding..Urgent!

This is why i think the Revolution WILL ALWAYS MEAN SOMETHING!

[Edited 9/2/15 14:49pm]

bashraka said:

NorthC said:

What I found MUCH more interesting when he said,"my assistent is from Ethiopia and when you go there, you hear special things". Has he actually been to Ethiopia?! Music from that country is unique, I would love him to put some African flavor in his music. As for HitnRun, looks like it is going to be a dance record... Not really my style, but I can hope for an Ethiopian jazz style album. [Edited 9/2/15 10:42am]

aaahahahaa, that's SO optimistic.

djThunderfunk said:

babynoz said:

Anyhoo, this is the most informative, candid and lucid I've heard from Prince in quite a while and it's much appreciated. Smokey managed to get a good talk going without the creepy Tavis Smiley fawning. His approach in talking with Prince is what I personally found to be true when I briefly met him.

"if you treat Prince awkwardly, he will respond awkwardly. If you give him too many ooohs and aaahs and melt from the disbelief of being in his presence, then he will likely retreat from you behind a far-away stare and a few whispered, one-word answers. But if you talk to him normally — and that’s really hard to do considering all the times you’ve danced and cried and…done all types of things to his songs — a smart, funny, and super passionate music head will reveal itself. One who just happened to have written “Purple Rain” (and “Adore” and “Kiss” and “Joy In Repetition” and…)"

Yeah those bits were good but there was also all the usual unquestioned nonsense about not being paid enough and his semi-coherent rambling about the evil record companies...

[Edited 9/3/15 0:58am]

EddieC said:

I didn't see that anyone else responded--if I remember correctly, someone (in an online Q&A maybe--again, I'm working from memory) asked if/when Roadhouse Garden would be released, and his response was "Ask Wendy and Lisa."

I don't know what that means, but does seem to suggest that he did not plan to release without some sort of input beyond what he already had on tape--even if it were just their approval of the release. Not because it was legally required--if there were any tie-ups there, I assume they involved Warner, not the members of the band--just feeling somehow that he should involve them in a release with the Revolution name. Though of course he released 1999: The New Master with the name (but without the people), so who knows.

I think him saying "ask W&L" was just an easy way of wriggling out of answering the question.

Matt Thorne actually asked Wendy and Lisa in his book and if i recall correctly they mainly rolled their eyes and said he was probably just upset at their sexuality. Was there also the issue that he wanted to pay them nothing for it? Or was that something else?

I think the real reason that Prince chooses to surround himself with twentysomethings and not musicians his own age is not vanity, but complacency. People like Josh and 3redeyegirl fawn over Prince, whereas W&L were there back in the day when Prince was genuinely at the top of his game. There is no way they would be doing press interviews fawning over the subpar output Prince has put out in recent years. Prince is too comfortable and content in his position as a legendary elderstatesman of the industry to want to be genuinely challenged as a musican and songwriter and would rather surround himself with twentysomethings who will be in awe of his legend and status and will bascially blow smoke up his ass till the cows come home.

babynoz said:

I swear that pic of Josh reminds me of TI.

If he got The Revolution back together, and released an entirely new album (not just Vault tracks with them promoting), it would probably still outsell anything that Prince has done in the last 20 years.

.

Quality of music aside - the nostalgia and press coverage of a Revolution reunion/project would be unavoidable.

.

Now, having said that, do you think Prince wants his most successful album in 20+ years to appear to be with an "old" band? Somehow admitting that he needed them?

I think it is hilarious that Prince has put a end too a Revolution Reunion. Russell some feathers on this place.

antonb said:

I think it is hilarious that Prince has put a end too a Revolution Reunion. Rustle* some feathers on this place.

He hasn't put an end to anything - saying one thing and doing another is Prince's M.O.

* FTFY btw.

antonb said:

I think it is hilarious that Prince has put a end too a Revolution Reunion. Russell some feathers on this place.

I don't think anyone's feathers are ruffled

* I had to read your post a few times, 'Who is Russell?' lol

Most of us don't expect anything from Prince in that respect...