There's a fairytale that says
Once upon a time
Funky music belong 2 people who
Drink cheap wine

Brown Mark the Shadow, Prince David Z Jill Jones Sir Casey Terry Tony Christian Romeo Screamer Kevin Patricks Marr Starr Aaron Paul Keith Marvin Gunn

Micki Free, Coke Johnson

Under the Cherry Moon movie premiere, Parade aftershows, the style the vibe the Minneapolis funk

Coco Boys vs Mazarati
When the Dawn of the Morning Comes

0. Jerk Out

1 1/2. Kiss

1. Player's Ball

1b. Champagn Saturday
2. Lonely Girl On Bourbon Street

3, 100 MPH
3b. Don't Leave Me Baby

4. She's Just That Kind Of Lady
5. Stroke
6. Suzy
7. Strawberry Lover
8. I Guess It's All Over

Possessed: the Rise & Fall of Prince

p 88

Of all of Prince's band members, the one most ripe for defection was Mark Brown, a prospect that troubled Prince. He appreciated what Brown's unique, percussive style of playing brought to the Revolution's live sound and even asserted, in an interview with Rolling Stone, that if Brown were not in the band, he would not even use bass in his music.

In 1984, unbeknownst to Prince, Brown took under his wing a 7 piece rock funk outfit called Mazarati that he had discovered in the Minneapolis clubs. Soon he became essentially a member of the group, regularly jamming with them onstage. Because he worried that Prince would frown upon such extracurricular activities, Brown performed wearing a mask and identified himself onstage as "The Shadow." I thought he was going to be pissed at me because I had kept it a secret from him," Brown recalled.

But as this double life became more stressful, Mazarati guitarist Terry Christian urged Brown to let Prince know about the project. "Just tell him," Christian advised one evening as the 2 musicians were driving around Los Angeles. "The worst he can do is want a piece of it or tell you to stop."

1. Player's Ball
2. Lonely Girl On Bourbon Street

3. 100 MPH
4. She's Just That Kind Of Lady
5. Stroke
6. Suzy
7. Strawberry Lover
8. I Guess It's All Over

the Mazarati album is excellent.I enjoy the entire album.By 1986,Prince was moving further and further away from the synth-based Minneapolis Sound,so I was happy that the Mazarati album still had that "sound" that I love so much.My favorite tracks are "She's Just That Kinda Lady","Player's Ball" and "I Guess It's All Over".

there's a great outtake from this album,it's called "Don't Leave Me Baby".I think it was the B-side of one of the singles from the album.Very good song!

It's also on the Mazarati 2 album - pretty much a subtle longer alternate mix of the original version.

Tony Christian seemed to be closer to Prince camp w/ Brown Mark. He was friends with Prince too. And he was in the movie Purple Rain during the Taste Club:Sex Shooter scene

3. What Time Is It?

In late December 1981, during a break at his "Controversy"-Tour, [Prince] starts the recording sessions for THE TIME's second album. He recorded Gigolos get lonely too and Jerk out at his home studio again. The last mentioned song didn't make it on this album, but a reworked version surfaced on THE TIME's 1990 reunion-album [Pandemonium].

Jerk out #2 (lead vocals by Mazarati) (7:07)
reworked April/May 1985 by [Prince] with Mazarati at Sunset Sound [7] during the "Mazarati" Album sessions • performed by [Prince] (all instruments) with Sir Casey Terry (lead & background vocals)
written by [Prince]
previously unreleased (but circulating on bootlegs)

I got real bored on a Friday night,

I couldn't find a damn thing to do.
So I pulled out a suit about the same color as my BMW.
I drove to the party and I pimped on in, just to see what I could see.
Everybody knew what I was lookin' for, I was lookin' for some company.

I saw a real fine thing sittin' by the bar.

She looked kinda all alone.
So I pimped on over and I asked her name.

The child was bad to the bone.
I showed her my stash and I kissed her cheek. The only kind of rap it takes.
She knew I was bad when I pulled out a leash, she said "How much money you make?"

Jerk it, jerk it. Talkin' 'bout the jerk out.
Jerk it, jerk it. Talkin' 'bout the jerk out.

I took her to my crib and I tied her up. I figured that's what she liked.
Maybe I was wrong but what the hell, it didn't matter to me. She was white.
I said "How come people in your neighborhood, don't like it when a brother's rich?
Ain't my blood the same color as yours? Answer that question, bitch!"

It just pisses you off to see me drivin' that fancy car, don't it?
Bet you'd rather see me drivin' one of those ester grate ones.
Like the one your daddy drives, wouldn't you?
Let me tell you one thing. That's dead!
About as dead as you'll be if you don't rearrange your brain.
Catch my drift. Turn it up!

Oh, nasty me!

Girl, you think you want to turn it up? Where's my checkbook?
That's right, check it out. An awful lot of O's, wouldn't you say?

mmm hmmm

Hit it. Cross over, uh!
Turn it up.

Jerk out, jerkin' everything in sight.
Jerk out, got to make some love tonight.

Jerk out.
Don't ya all just hate it, when we walk into y'all's joint?
And just jerk out everything in sight?
Don't it make you mad?
Jerk out, don't it make you mad?
Jerk out, it'd make me mad!

Everybody in the house say "Jerk out", Jerk out!
"Ow!", Ow!
Say "Jerk out", Jerk out!
"Ow!", Ow!
Everybody say "Jerk out", Jerk out!
"Ow!", Ow!
Everybody say "Jerk out", Jerk out!
"Ow!", Ow!

People, let me turn it up. Which coat should I wear tonight?
If you think I'm vain, you're right.
Look out, somebody say "Vanity", Vanity!
"Jerk out", Jerk out! ...
"Ow!", Ow!

Everybody jerk out and do it right.
I'm talkin' 'bout the jerk out.
Oh Lord, hey yeah. Got to make some love tonight.
I'm master of the jerk out, oh Lord. Jerkin' everything in sight.
I'm talkin' 'bout the jerk out, oh Lord. Got to make some love tonight.

Turn it up, uh! Jerk out, oh yeah! Jerkin' everything in sight.
Wait a minute, talkin' 'bout the jerk out. Jerkin' everything in sight.
Jerk out. Jerkin' everything in sight.
I'm talkin' 'bout the jerk out, oh Lawd. Got to make
I got to make a little love tonight.
Jerk out!

In 1985, the track was given to Mazarati (along with 100 MPH) for use on their album Mazarati; lead vocal overdubs were recorded by Sir Casey Terry in April 1985, at Sunset Sound and Prince worked on the track further in May 1985, also at Sunset Sound. The song was ultimately rejected by Mazarati, however, probably due to the song's lyrics containing overt references to sexual violence and racism.

-PrinceVault

Mazarati

Sir Casey Terry (Vocals)
Jerome "Romeo" Cox (Bass)
Craig "Screamer" Powell (Lead guitar)
Kevin Patricks (Drums)
Tony Christian (Rhythm Guitar)
Marr Starr (Keyboard)
Aaron Paul Keith (Keyboard)
Marvin Gunn (Keyboard & vocals)

Not too long after the Mazarati album was released,the lead singer Sir Casey Terry abruptly left the band.Prince immediately tried to get his friend,Shalamar guitarist Micki Free,to become the new leader of Mazarati.

SoulAlive said:

Not too long after the Mazarati album was released,the lead singer Sir Casey Terry abruptly left the band.Prince immediately tried to get his friend,Shalamar guitarist Micki Free,to become the new leader of Mazarati.

Yep, he would be a perfect replacement by Prince

Posted by Micki Free 22nd April 2016

Posted below is my "official statement" regarding the passing of Prince requested by the numerous press that has been contacting me...here and now;

This is Micki Free....I am numb as the world is, I loved Prince and the times we hung, when we ruled Hollywood hanging at Tramps with Eddie & Charlie Murphy in Beverly Hills....and all the fantastic jams at Sunset Sound, I will never forget when you flew me to Minnesota to hang and audition for your group Maserati with Brown Mark, how you teased when you saw my then wife actress "Teri Copley" pregnant with my daughter Anastasia; "What's that under your dress, a basketball"!? you joked!...and when you asked me to be in your new movie "The Coco Boy's", when I recorded your song "We Can Funk" for you, and the infamous Dave Chappelle skit....ALL TRUE AS WE KNOW MY BROTHER!.....to many memories to state, and wishing today was just a bad dream....let's play basketball in heaven. RIP PURPLE ONE....Micki Free

Prince was alone in this room with this microphone when he recorded ‘Kiss’. Fortunately, he told engineer David Z about it, and he told Dan Delaney, who wrote a brilliant Mix magazine article about it:
1) ‘Kiss’ was originally a country song. Prince recorded it on cassette and gave it to a band he was developing. They were called Mazerati. The tape was just a verse and chorus with Prince singing and playing acoustic guitar. Mazerati weren’t impressed.
2) The band worked on the track for a day, trying to make it work. They still weren’t impressed.
3) Early the next morning, Prince came into the studio and listened to what they’d done. He recorded the electric guitar part and his vocal. Then he threw the band out of the studio and stripped off most of what they’d recorded.
4) Like ‘When Doves Cry’, ‘Kiss’ has no bass line. Instead, the kick drum from a Linn 9000 is put through a backwards reverb patch on an AMS RMX 16, an early digital reverb.
5) There are just nine tracks of music and vocals on the record. It didn’t take long to mix.
6) Prince recorded the vocal in Studio B control room at Paisley Park studios, on a Sennheiser MD441 microphone. Why? Because Stevie Nicks had recommended it to him.
7) The record company were horrified by the track, saying it was too minimal, with no bass and no reverb. Prince was so powerful at the time that he forced Warner Brothers to put the record out, and it went to Number One in the US. That convinced him he was always right, and less than a decade later, he was walking round with ‘Slave’ written on his face.

http://musicthing.blogspo...-kiss.html

On Sunday April 28, 1985, Prince was recording the tracks “In All My Dreams” and “Evolsidog” at Sunset Sound in Studio 3, and David Z. and BrownMark were working on songs for Mazarati in Studio 2. “We were in the studios next to each other, checking each other’s progress,’ recalls engineer Susan Rogers. “And at some point they said that they needed a song. Prince stopped what he was doing, I remember this very clearly, he had a little boom box, a little pale green, Sharp one which he had to record ideas on, and he took it and an acoustic guitar to the next room, put it down, put in a blank cassette and he pressed record. On the acoustic guitar he then played "Kiss". It took a few minutes to get the lyrics; he recorded the guitar on one track and the vocals on the other track. He then took out the cassette and said: 'Here, finish this off.'"
“Prince gave us this straight version with just one verse, an acoustic guitar and voice, no rhythm’, explained David Z. ‘It was almost a folk song.”
“Nobody liked the song,’ recalled Mazarati member Tony Christian. ‘It sounded like a country version of something else.’
“I had that song for a long time,’ Prince would later claim. “Changed it around a lot.” The lyrics about confidence and extra time reflected Prince’s affection for Joni Mitchell’s track “Jericho”.
The song was transferred to 24 track and engineer Coke Johnson went to work. “I took that to studio 2’, recalled Johnson. ‘We started fiddling around with it. We used the same changes, but instead of using that acoustic guitar, we ended up gating that guitar and the hi-hat. That is the weird sound you’re hearing. It’s playing the same rhythm the hi-hat’s doing, but it’s doing the changes the acoustic guitar did. That is one of the biggest hooks with it. David thought of the idea, and I hooked up the gate. He was flipping the switch to throw the delay in and out, and actually created that sound for ‘Kiss’.”
Musically, the piano part was lifted from Bo Diddley’s 'Say Man,' and the backup vocals from Brenda Lee's 'Sweet Nothings.' Terry Casey’s vocals were added and most of the band left after 11pm. David Z., BrownMark, Johnson and Tony Christian stayed until the following morning adding depth to the song.
The following morning David Z. wasn’t happy with the results. “We were trying to build a song out of nothing, piece by piece. It was just a collection of ideas built around the idea of a song that wasn't finished yet. We didn't know where it was going. We were getting a little frustrated, and we were exhausted.”
Eventually, the results were revealed. Coke recalled the reaction. “We played it for Prince, who went ballistic, went out to the basketball court playing it loud on the ghetto blaster. He pretty much said: ‘This is too good for Mazarati.’ It pissed us off as we had been up all night working on it.”
Prince took the tape back into Studio 3 and began making his own changes. He quickly eliminated BrownMark’s bass (“It fills up the bottom so much you really don't miss the bass part, especially if you only use it on the first downbeat,” says Z.) and added the James Brown/Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag style electric guitar riff as well as his vocals, which he recorded an octave higher than Terry’s. David Z. asked him what was going on and Prince confirmed his earlier position on the song. “He said to me, ‘this is too good for you guys. I'm taking it back.’”
The track was completed on Monday April 29, 1985.
11 years later, Prince reflected on the song’s origin, but ignored the input from those in the studio. “You go to a higher plane (of creativity) with that. “’Kiss’ doesn’t sound like anything else. They aren’t conscious efforts; you just have to get them out. They’re gifts. Terence Trent D’Arby asked me where “Kiss” came from, and I have no idea. Nothing in it makes sense. Nothing! The hi-hat doesn’t make sense.”
In the end, the basic song was written by Prince, but without David Z., Coke Johnson, and BrownMark, the track probably wouldn’t have gone to #1 on the charts.
It would be the first (and possibly only) Prince track that he shared ‘co-producer’ credit with anyone, which reflects how much he respected the work done without his input.
(Info from early draft of PRINCE: The Studio Sessions by Duane Tudahl)

http://musicthing.blogspo...-kiss.html

Posted by Tom Whitwell.

Arranged By - David Z.

Mazarati – backing vocals and additional instrumentation on "Kiss"

U don't have 2 be beautiful 2 turn me on
I just need your body, baby, from dusk till dawn
U don't need experience 2 turn me out
U just leave it all up 2 me, I'm gonna show U what it's all about

CHORUS:
U don't have 2 be rich 2 be my girl
U don't have 2 be cool 2 rule my world
Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with
I just want your extra time and your... kiss

U got 2 not talk dirty, baby, if U wanna impress me
U can't be 2 flirty, mama, I know how 2 undress me (Yeah)
I want 2 be your fantasy, maybe U could be mine
U just leave it all up 2 me, we could have a good time

CHORUS

Yes, oh
I think I wanna dance, uh
Gotta, gotta, oh
Little Girl Wendy's Parade
Gotta, gotta, gotta

Women, not girls, rule my world, I said they rule my world
Act your age, mama, not your shoe size, maybe we could do the twirl
U don't have 2 watch Dynasty 2 have an attitude, uh
U just leave it all up 2 me, my love will be your food (Yeah)

U don't have 2 be rich 2 be my girl
U don't have 2 be cool 2 rule my world
Ain't no particular sign I'm compatible with!
I just want your extra time and your... kiss

I was pissed when the Mazarati thing fell apart.I enjoyed their album all throughout 1986 and I wanted them to stay together,at Paisley and continue to make more albums.The Family and Mazarati are great projects but the fact that they both fell apart after only one album....it shows that,as time wore on, Prince was having a diffcult time keeping his empire together.His artists were getting restless and eager for big success.*"Many of them felt that they had the right to leave,since they weren't making alot of money",says one insider."But Prince said he told them that's how it's gonna be in the beginning".

Maybe this is why,after these two bands,Prince mainly focused on female solo artists Maybe it was easier for him to deal with one female act as opposed to an entire band of different personalalities and egos?

*quote is from a 1986 article in Black Beat magazine

SoulAlive said:

I was pissed when the Mazarati thing fell apart.I enjoyed their album all throughout 1986 and I wanted them to stay together,at Paisley and continue to make more albums.The Family and Mazarati are great projects but the fact that they both fell apart after only one album....it shows that,as time wore on, Prince was having a diffcult time keeping his empire together.His artists were getting restless and eager for big success.*"Many of them felt that they had the right to leave,since they weren't making alot of money",says one insider."But Prince said he told them that's how it's gonna be in the beginning".

Maybe this is why,after these two bands,Prince mainly focused on female solo artists Maybe it was easier for him to deal with one female act as opposed to an entire band of different personalalities and egos?

*quote is from a 1986 article in Black Beat magazine

Well with the Time, there was definately much more to it.

.

I think by their 2nd album they proved they were dedicated to the purple vision and could start doing some songs on their own. I think overall if the bands had at least 3 songs they did on the album in connection with the direction Prince wanted, their would have been more artistic satisfaction.

.

With the Family, they were ready for it, but according to St Paul 5-6 months were going by and they weren't doing anything. And some of these people were already married and needed to be able to send money home. I think if Prince followed a similar pattern like Purple Rain and had the bands in the movie, it would have filled that space. If the Family was in France too, then they would have been able to do shows.

.

With Mazarati I think it was something else, with Sir Casey Terry. They sure gave the energy to what was happening. They were a great addition. I think Prince should have toned down their look though. Maybe something like a stripped down version of the Purple Rain look and a little Parade.

What are the guys from Mazarati doing these days? Are they still in the music business? I wish they would reform. Their album still sounds fresh. I deserves a re-issue on CD.

brown mark once complained that "he made them look like that" about the look.

jungleluv said:

What are the guys from Mazarati doing these days? Are they still in the music business? I wish they would reform. Their album still sounds fresh. I deserves a re-issue on CD.

the reformed for a First Avenue reunion in 2005ish or something. the Revolution, the Family(when they reformed) some NPG members etc did a show or two.

According to Tony Christian(Mazarati guitarist) they along with Sheila E may end up touring with the Revolution after this 'trial' run.

Tony and a few other were at the Sept First Avenue Revolution shows

PeteSilas said:

brown mark once complained that "he made them look like that" about the look.

I would love more background info on Prince's idea 4 them.

I wonder why the look he styled them in...

The style not such an issue, it sorta meshed with the rest of the scene, but the patterns are extremely wild.

The outfit Sir Casey Terry wore, Prince was wearing during the Lovesexy period.

There's a one-off Los Angeles Mazarati concert making the rounds. Does anyone have any background information on this?

OldFriends4Sale said:

PeteSilas said:

brown mark once complained that "he made them look like that" about the look.

I would love more background info on Prince's idea 4 them.

I wonder why the look he styled them in...

The style not such an issue, it sorta meshed with the rest of the scene, but the patterns are extremely wild.

The outfit Sir Casey Terry wore, Prince was wearing during the Lovesexy period.

they didn't stick together very long, not enough money probably. Brown Mark didn't have a good word to say about Prince in those days, this was in the dave hill book pop life. Mark was easliy the bitterest of the revolution and probably with good reason, he was playing with Mazerati and they were his proteges until Prince took them over. I don't know much about them, they don't seem all that great from what little I've heard. Prince wrote kiss, had them work on it, took it back when his ear for a hit gave him the inclination and turned it into what we know today. The Mazerati version, haven't heard it in awhile, was nothing special.

purplethunder3121 said:

There's a one-off Los Angeles Mazarati concert making the rounds. Does anyone have any background information on this?

the one with Sheila E & Eddie M?

It seems there were a few 'after shows' a few where Prince and a few Revolution members joined them on stage, and Brown Mark and a few Revolution members

PeteSilas said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I would love more background info on Prince's idea 4 them.

I wonder why the look he styled them in...

The style not such an issue, it sorta meshed with the rest of the scene, but the patterns are extremely wild.

The outfit Sir Casey Terry wore, Prince was wearing during the Lovesexy period.

they didn't stick together very long, not enough money probably. Brown Mark didn't have a good word to say about Prince in those days, this was in the dave hill book pop life. Mark was easliy the bitterest of the revolution and probably with good reason, he was playing with Mazerati and they were his proteges until Prince took them over. I don't know much about them, they don't seem all that great from what little I've heard. Prince wrote kiss, had them work on it, took it back when his ear for a hit gave him the inclination and turned it into what we know today. The Mazerati version, haven't heard it in awhile, was nothing special.

Ive seen them live and it was worth every penny!

OldFriends4Sale said:

purplethunder3121 said:

There's a one-off Los Angeles Mazarati concert making the rounds. Does anyone have any background information on this?

the one with Sheila E & Eddie M?

It seems there were a few 'after shows' a few where Prince and a few Revolution members joined them on stage, and Brown Mark and a few Revolution members

Yeah, this is a grainy clip of Sheila E getting the band to perform Hollyrock. Definitely looks like an aftershow.

[Edited 3/17/17 16:26pm]

paisleypark4 said:

PeteSilas said:

they didn't stick together very long, not enough money probably. Brown Mark didn't have a good word to say about Prince in those days, this was in the dave hill book pop life. Mark was easliy the bitterest of the revolution and probably with good reason, he was playing with Mazerati and they were his proteges until Prince took them over. I don't know much about them, they don't seem all that great from what little I've heard. Prince wrote kiss, had them work on it, took it back when his ear for a hit gave him the inclination and turned it into what we know today. The Mazerati version, haven't heard it in awhile, was nothing special.

Ive seen them live and it was worth every penny!

haven't watched a lot but they seem to be missing something as a group to me, just don't sound like a solid band.

PeteSilas said:

paisleypark4 said:

Ive seen them live and it was worth every penny!

haven't watched a lot but they seem to be missing something as a group to me, just don't sound like a solid band.

Maybe it was because Prince didn't take the time like with the Time Vanity 6 Sheila E & the Family (along with Madhouse) to formulate the direction for the band. Which is probably why the frustration came about.
Just the name of the band and the look, causes confusion.

PeteSilas said:

"Lonely Girl On Bourbon Street" love that song!

Paisley Park ‎– 0-20438,

Bside: Champagne Saturday instrumental 4 the 45 some rel have I Guess It's All Over w/the long version of Players Ball

{over applause} [1, 2, 3…]

I bet you think I want you for my slave
But not all musicians play stupid games
I bet you think the way I look – I’m gay
Don’t be afraid, I just dress this way

Now everybody thinks that I’m a sneaky young man
Who’s out for someone’s lady friend
But you’re that kind of girl and baby after all
I am your only ticket to the Players’ Ball

Put on your lace and your button down pants
Terry’s gonna teach you a brand new dance
Don’t be afraid of the trip or fall
Everyone’s in love at the Players’ Ball

Do your parents work at night or day?
I will stop by and we’ll go out and play
There’s other girls but they’re all the same
If I had you everything would change

Now everybody thinks that we take off our clothes
Get high and make love all night long
But all we do is sing and dance ‘til morning light
And if the feeling’s groovy, we can kiss all night

Put on your lace and your button down pants
Terry’s gonna teach you a brand new dance
Don’t be afraid of the trip or fall
Everyone’s in love at the Players’ Ball

I’ve been accused of a hit and run
Come take a chance and we’ll have some fun
Hey…ho
Da, da, da, da, da, oooh

How’d you like to take a ride?
Come here, girl and get funky

Put on your lace and your button down pants
Terry’s gonna teach you a brand new dance
Don’t be afraid of the trip or fall
Everyone’s in love at the Players’ Ball

Put on your lace and your button down pants
Terry’s gonna teach you a brand new dance
Don’t be afraid of the trip or fall
Everyone’s in love at the Players’ Ball

Players' Ball (Extended Version)

Engineer – Brown Mark*, Coke Johnson

Paisley Park ‎– 0-20438

Co-producer – David Z.

Photography By – Nancy Bundt Producer, Written-By – Brown Mark*