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Thread started 12/06/16 1:12pm

BillieBalloon

Was the NPG more than just Princes band?

According to an original band member, Tommy, Prince wanted the NPG to be more than just his band, he wanted it to be a movement that included his fans. Did you feel he achieved this?
Baby, you're a star.

Meet me in another world, space and joy
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Reply #1 posted 12/06/16 1:26pm

justAmeda

No I don't think he accomplished that, because before Tony M and Rosie's involvement I was too young to be a Prince fan and when Tony M and Rosie were no longer in the band, is when I stopped listening to his music until after he passed away. I still have a great fondness for the "orginal" NPG but am indifferent to the ones Prince called NPG after their depature.

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Reply #2 posted 12/06/16 1:27pm

BillieBalloon

Oh dear..I've posted it in the wrong forum can it be move to PM&M please.
Baby, you're a star.

Meet me in another world, space and joy
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Reply #3 posted 12/06/16 1:28pm

BillieBalloon

justAmeda said:

No I don't think he accomplished that, because before Tony M and Rosie's involvement I was too young to be a Prince fan and when Tony M and Rosie were no longer in the band, is when I stopped listening to his music until after he passed away. I still have a great fondness for the "orginal" NPG but am indifferent to the ones Prince called NPG after their depature.



OK. Thanks for your perspective.
Baby, you're a star.

Meet me in another world, space and joy
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Reply #4 posted 12/06/16 1:29pm

kepurplehunter

BillieBalloon said:

According to an original band member, Tommy, Prince wanted the NPG to be more than just his band, he wanted it to be a movement that included his fans. Did you feel he achieved this?
I Feel It Was Just It Of Prince Was Trying To Accomplish N Include Every Band Members Lyrics,Scales On Forth Becoming The Best Band Possible If On The Egos N Money N Vaginas Didnt Clash With The Movement Purpose It Would've Worked Plus Still Be That Till This Day!!!!P.S U Damm Skippy!!!
hammer
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Reply #5 posted 12/06/16 3:05pm

BillieBalloon

kepurplehunter said:

BillieBalloon said:

According to an original band member, Tommy, Prince wanted the NPG to be more than just his band, he wanted it to be a movement that included his fans. Did you feel he achieved this?
I Feel It Was Just It Of Prince Was Trying To Accomplish N Include Every Band Members Lyrics,Scales On Forth Becoming The Best Band Possible If On The Egos N Money N Vaginas Didnt Clash With The Movement Purpose It Would've Worked Plus Still Be That Till This Day!!!!P.S U Damm Skippy!!!
hammer


Word salad?

Sorry, cant make head nor tail of this.
Baby, you're a star.

Meet me in another world, space and joy
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Reply #6 posted 12/06/16 3:36pm

rogifan

justAmeda said:

No I don't think he accomplished that, because before Tony M and Rosie's involvement I was too young to be a Prince fan and when Tony M and Rosie were no longer in the band, is when I stopped listening to his music until after he passed away. I still have a great fondness for the "orginal" NPG but am indifferent to the ones Prince called NPG after their depature.


Wow that's interesting. I'm the complete opposite. I don't much care for the 90s NPG (not denying their talent as musicians).
Paisley Park is in your heart
#PrinceForever 💜
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Reply #7 posted 12/06/16 5:53pm

callimnate

avatar

BillieBalloon said:

kepurplehunter said:
I Feel It Was Just It Of Prince Was Trying To Accomplish N Include Every Band Members Lyrics,Scales On Forth Becoming The Best Band Possible If On The Egos N Money N Vaginas Didnt Clash With The Movement Purpose It Would've Worked Plus Still Be That Till This Day!!!!P.S U Damm Skippy!!! hammer
Word salad? Sorry, cant make head nor tail of this.


If they concentrated on their grammar instead of their Capital letters.................. confused

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Reply #8 posted 12/06/16 5:56pm

callimnate

avatar

justAmeda said:

No I don't think he accomplished that, because before Tony M and Rosie's involvement I was too young to be a Prince fan and when Tony M and Rosie were no longer in the band, is when I stopped listening to his music until after he passed away. I still have a great fondness for the "orginal" NPG but am indifferent to the ones Prince called NPG after their depature.


So you were a Prince fan for what... 2 years? confused

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Reply #9 posted 12/06/16 6:20pm

luvgirl

NPG= Baddest band in the universe. headbang

Maybe stylistic wise they could have rocked it a little better, but as musicians they were amazing. All the members were. They were the real deal, and in my opinion his best band. As for his fans being in the NPG movement, I'm not sure that all of his fans felt like they were a part of a movement. Just too many distractions, but respect them they did...

[Edited 12/8/16 5:07am]

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Reply #10 posted 12/06/16 6:38pm

morningsong

BillieBalloon said:

According to an original band member, Tommy, Prince wanted the NPG to be more than just his band, he wanted it to be a movement that included his fans. Did you feel he achieved this?



Yeah, I picked up on it. I think it had influence on his fans, perhaps it didn't quite become the wildfire he wanted but it had it's affects.

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Reply #11 posted 12/07/16 8:09am

Telecaster5

avatar

[Edited 12/8/16 8:07am]

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Reply #12 posted 12/07/16 11:06am

Noodled24

BillieBalloon said:

According to an original band member, Tommy, Prince wanted the NPG to be more than just his band, he wanted it to be a movement that included his fans. Did you feel he achieved this?


I'm not sure what you mean by a "movement". He made zero effort to make it some kind of social movement. It was more like the #PurpleArmy of it's day. But the NPG being the band and his fans.

It's reflected in some lyrics.

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Reply #13 posted 12/07/16 11:14am

rogifan

I loved this version of NPG. Prince looked very happy and healthy here.

NPG.jpg
Paisley Park is in your heart
#PrinceForever 💜
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Reply #14 posted 12/07/16 11:35am

Rimshottbob

I thought the whole idea of the New Power GENERATION was that it was a movement. Even before it became a band, the lyrics to the song of that name on Grafitti Bridge were very much sung as if the listener was part of the 'we' in 'we are the New Power Generation'.

It seems like the idea was movement first, band second. Then, that idea clearly being hard to implicate, it became more of a band idea, with a loosely held ideology behind it (kind of like an updated version of the Uptown ideology from his early days).

There were several moments where listeners could or did become members of the New Power Generation... so the idea was always a movement, for me.

And from that it expanded into a style and ideology of its own.

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Reply #15 posted 12/07/16 11:38am

Noodled24

I had a one of those NPG Hocky Jerseys. Not gonna lie.

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Reply #16 posted 12/07/16 11:48am

OperatingTheta
n

callimnate said:



justAmeda said:


No I don't think he accomplished that, because before Tony M and Rosie's involvement I was too young to be a Prince fan and when Tony M and Rosie were no longer in the band, is when I stopped listening to his music until after he passed away. I still have a great fondness for the "orginal" NPG but am indifferent to the ones Prince called NPG after their depature.




So you were a Prince fan for what... 2 years? confused



This is the same person who allegedly believed that the NPG was Tony M's band and that Prince was merely making guest appearances - see the Tony M thread wink
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Reply #17 posted 12/07/16 12:10pm

NorthC

Noodled24 said:



BillieBalloon said:


According to an original band member, Tommy, Prince wanted the NPG to be more than just his band, he wanted it to be a movement that included his fans. Did you feel he achieved this?


I'm not sure what you mean by a "movement". He made zero effort to make it some kind of social movement. It was more like the #PurpleArmy of it's day. But the NPG being the band and his fans.

It's reflected in some lyrics.


Ever since he introduced the term on Lovesexy, it felt (to me anyway) that he really would have loved it if there was a New Power Generation of Girls And Boys who love God Above and form a commune like the old hippies. A bit like a new version of Paisley Park. Prince always had this idealistic side to him. But he never was anyone's guru or prophet and of course he realized that. It was a (vague) ideal, a dream of a better world. All very nice, but he had bills to pay, so he set out to make a commercial record and give that name to his band, but "Prince and The New Power Generation" never had the same magic that "Prince and The Revolution" had. It turned into a brand name and a record label, in other words, a business.
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Reply #18 posted 12/07/16 5:41pm

luvgirl

Rimshottbob said:

I thought the whole idea of the New Power GENERATION was that it was a movement. Even before it became a band, the lyrics to the song of that name on Grafitti Bridge were very much sung as if the listener was part of the 'we' in 'we are the New Power Generation'.

It seems like the idea was movement first, band second. Then, that idea clearly being hard to implicate, it became more of a band idea, with a loosely held ideology behind it (kind of like an updated version of the Uptown ideology from his early days).

There were several moments where listeners could or did become members of the New Power Generation... so the idea was always a movement, for me.

And from that it expanded into a style and ideology of its own.

valid point. nod

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Reply #19 posted 12/07/16 6:42pm

TrcikyChristop
her

BillieBalloon said:

According to an original band member, Tommy, Prince wanted the NPG to be more than just his band, he wanted it to be a movement that included his fans. Did you feel he achieved this?

It was his intention. Back in the early 90's, I remember receiving a letter directly from Paisley (with the whole logo letterhead and all) stating to be prepared for new merchandise and music coming directly from prince (this was right after the name change) and a few months later or maybe even sooner I received the first 1-800-New-Funk Catalogue in the mail with merch including the chain hat, Cloud Guitar, the NPG albums, NPG and 10,000 Magazine, as well as the Hornheadz album. I ended up buying Hornheadz and Exodus (which I had to wait for since it han't been manufactured yet) directly from them after someone from Paisley called to tell me they were out of the Goldnigga album.

The letter did end with "U are now an official member of the New Power Generation. Welcome 2 The Dawn". Years before the Gold Experience dropped.

So, yes, I believe it was his full intention.

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Reply #20 posted 12/07/16 6:54pm

benni

BillieBalloon said:

According to an original band member, Tommy, Prince wanted the NPG to be more than just his band, he wanted it to be a movement that included his fans. Did you feel he achieved this?


I don't think he achieved it to the depth that he wanted to. I always knew that it was intended to be a movement that included more than his band, just by the name alone. The same as The Rainbow Children. He wanted to inspire people to greater heights, not just band members, and I sincerely believe that was what a lot of his music was meant to achieve for him. If you listen to a lot of his lyrics, it was always about improving oneself, reaching for the stars, making the world a better place, being the best that we can be. He wanted to spread a message of how to live in harmony with one another, with love for one another, and that is what NPG was about - loving your neighbors (and a neighbor doesn't mean someone living right next door, but our neighbors here on Planet Earth), and loving a higher power (whatever you called that higher power).

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Reply #21 posted 12/07/16 7:01pm

benni

Noodled24 said:

I had a one of those NPG Hocky Jerseys. Not gonna lie.


I've still got one.

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Reply #22 posted 12/08/16 1:32am

darkroman

I think he certainly succeeded in making the NPG an evolution.

.

Sadly the NPG could never extend out to the fans because of his tratment of them, however prince's use of social media from 2012 to 2016 was awesome and very engaging. If he had continued this this decade would have been one of his most prolific.

.

neutral

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Reply #23 posted 12/08/16 1:47am

thedance

avatar

callimnate said:

justAmeda said:

No I don't think he accomplished that, because before Tony M and Rosie's involvement I was too young to be a Prince fan and when Tony M and Rosie were no longer in the band, is when I stopped listening to his music until after he passed away. I still have a great fondness for the "orginal" NPG but am indifferent to the ones Prince called NPG after their depature.


So you were a Prince fan for what... 2 years? confused

I agree with you CallImNate:

oh no, so many socalled newbies, so many dumb comments lately. disbelief

there were so many different versions of the NPG, so many excellent and skilled musicians during the years, during all those eras 1991-2016....

cool


Prince 4Ever. heart
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Reply #24 posted 12/08/16 3:52am

rogifan

NPG rocks. 😎

Paisley Park is in your heart
#PrinceForever 💜
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Reply #25 posted 12/15/16 11:24am

wavesofbliss

dez dickerson said that prince always wanted to start a movement with his fanbase.

Prince #MUSICIANICONLEGEND
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Reply #26 posted 12/15/16 11:35am

OldFriends4Sal
e

wavesofbliss said:

dez dickerson said that prince always wanted to start a movement with his fanbase.

He had it happening in the 80s

Remember the New Breed fan club?

They really were starting a Musical Revolution... Revolutionary Rock n Roll

.

but the possibilities fell away really after 86, and once he started just changing bands, it was possible

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Reply #27 posted 12/15/16 11:54am

coldasice

I think there should be a Princenewbie.org & the OG Prince.org for all of us
That were here since waaaay before he passed. Just so we can have a place for all
The newbies to learn the stuff we've rehashed since the 90's...lol
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Reply #28 posted 12/15/16 6:49pm

wavesofbliss

coldasice said:

I think there should be a Princenewbie.org & the OG Prince.org for all of us That were here since waaaay before he passed. Just so we can have a place for all The newbies to learn the stuff we've rehashed since the 90's...lol

isn't that in the FAQ? if not i agree. we should dig up some of the threads that have the basic info and make them stickys. 40yrs is a lot of ground to cover.

Prince #MUSICIANICONLEGEND
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Reply #29 posted 12/16/16 12:38pm

kepurplehunter

callimnate said:



BillieBalloon said:


kepurplehunter said:
I Feel It Was Just It Of Prince Was Trying To Accomplish N Include Every Band Members Lyrics,Scales On Forth Becoming The Best Band Possible If On The Egos N Money N Vaginas Didnt Clash With The Movement Purpose It Would've Worked Plus Still Be That Till This Day!!!!P.S U Damm Skippy!!! hammer

Word salad? Sorry, cant make head nor tail of this.


If they concentrated on their grammar instead of their Capital letters..... confused

Ha! I'm not in formation of all commenting the n typing the same CAN CAPS OR WORLD SCRUMPTIOUS WORLD SALAD HOW I WANT TO I DONT NEED YOUR APPROVAL OR PRASIES (Teacher College Degree Chicago State University 4 Year Scholarship Graduated With Honors lol Eat Your Words) @anyways lol
[Edited 12/16/16 12:41pm]
[Edited 12/16/16 12:46pm]
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