Batman has some of seriously good guitar playing. Partyman, Batdance, Lemon Crush, Electric Chair. Even the bits in Vicki Waiting. The songs are produced in such a minimalist way that it makes the guitar/vocals stand out.

The look at the time was pretty good too, Maybe the most normal Prince has ever looked, while still being alluring, With the look I could picture Prince contending with mainstream artists at the time.

The lyrics on many of the songs are good too. Trust, Electric Chair, The Future, all have good lyrics. Even when you hear Lemon Crush it's an innuendo that gets you thinking what is this guy talking about, but in a good way that catches your curiousity. Plus there are little hidden bits that add so much to the seemingly simpler sound of the album, like the two little notes in Trust (I could listen to that flanged guitar all day too). The haunting sounds in The Future and so on.

Then there's Batdance, which has some of the sickest/intense guitar solo playing that you wouldn't hear anything like untill a few albums down, and an entire switch in mood only Prince can pull off. Batman is certainly a unique piece of work, in terms of his usual work. And personally, it's the first I ever heard of Prince.

I think it's a masterpiece. Not for any of the reasons the author in the article is saying though, who doesn't seem to be saying much about the actual music, rather some symbolism.

[Edited 6/10/17 20:33pm]

sampling is hip hop,anyone sampling in their music,is obviously influenced by hip hop. if u dont agree you dont know what hip hop is.

herb4 said:

Laydown said:

But he kinda inverts the sampling and instead of using music he samples the Batman film,its a genius move,in that sense the album is hip hop.

No it isn't. Not even close

Laydown said:

sampling is hip hop,anyone sampling in their music,is obviously influenced by hip hop. if u dont agree you dont know what hip hop is.

herb4 said:

No it isn't. Not even close

Zappa was sampling more than a decade before hip-hop even existed, as were the Beatles. Funkadelic a few years later, as well. I'm sure there are more examples.

I just relistened to Batman after a whole day listening to Prince's 80s output, and I think it holds up with some of the lesser "masterpieces." Scandalous, marvellous.

mtlfan said:

Laydown said:

sampling is hip hop,anyone sampling in their music,is obviously influenced by hip hop. if u dont agree you dont know what hip hop is.

Zappa was sampling more than a decade before hip-hop even existed, as were the Beatles. Funkadelic a few years later, as well. I'm sure there are more examples.

I just relistened to Batman after a whole day listening to Prince's 80s output, and I think it holds up with some of the lesser "masterpieces." Scandalous, marvellous.

Which Beatles song has a sample in it or Zappa,give me one example from each band?

Laydown said:

mtlfan said:

Zappa was sampling more than a decade before hip-hop even existed, as were the Beatles. Funkadelic a few years later, as well. I'm sure there are more examples.

I just relistened to Batman after a whole day listening to Prince's 80s output, and I think it holds up with some of the lesser "masterpieces." Scandalous, marvellous.

Which Beatles song has a sample in it or Zappa,give me one example from each band?

Funkadelic NEVER sampled. Beatles and Zappa didnt sample,what they did is called interpolation. Sampling and Inerpolating are different and they have different uses. When u dispute something Ive written,know what it is youre talking about or just shut the fuck up.

Sly interpolated Eleanor Rigby on Plastic People.

Laydown said:

Laydown said:

Which Beatles song has a sample in it or Zappa,give me one example from each band?

Funkadelic NEVER sampled. Beatles and Zappa didnt sample,what they did is called interpolation. Sampling and Inerpolating are different and they have different uses. When u dispute something Ive written,know what it is youre talking about or just shut the fuck up.

I don't think that sampleing automatically equals hip hop. I know it's a core element of the genre and essential to its roots but Prince simply sampling elements of dialog from the filmsoesn't qualify it as "hip hop' album to me.

Here's an article from 1987 mentioning Zappa's use of sampling:

http://wiki.killuglyradio...mple_This!


The results of this meeting of mind and machine are quintessential Zappa, and yet they are as unpredictable as anything he has done before. By making full use of the Synclavier's sampling, sequencing, and keyboard assignment capabilities, he finds new sources of inspiration and gains greater control over his resources than in any previous project.

"Fame" by Bowie and Lennon was sampled by James Brown and I would hesitate to call what JB did "hip hop". There's also countless examples of bands like the Stones and Zeppelin "sampling" riffs (and sometimes straight up ripping off tracks) and no one argue that the RS and Zep were "hip hop". Unless I guess you're arguing in the simplest, strictest sense, hip hop = tunrtables and remixing others songs - than I'll reluctantly concede.

But you seem to have a weird axe to grind about the subject and come off really defensive about it for some reason and telling people to "fuck off" is kind of aggressive. I wouldn't categorize the Batman album as hip hop in any sense whatsoever.

Here's a "top ten" list of songs that use sampling that no one would ever consider hip hop:

https://blackcongolese.co...to-sample/

So I maintain that the definition extends beyond "borrowed sounds from other sources" but good luck with your masters thesis or whatever it is that's got you so worked up about it.

As far as the album itself:

I played it a lot when it came out. When I heard the first two songs I thought we were in for a real killer but then it kind of loses steam. I'll keep "The Future", "Electric Chair", "Vicki Waiting", "Lemon Crush", "Scandalous" and "Batdance" (just for brevity's sake). Batdance is interesting in Prince's catalog because, prior to that, I can't think of a song he'd ever done that was quite like it. It's an interesting experiment even if it's not a great track. So there's like half a good record there.

I never confused it with Paul's Boutique, Fear of a Black Planet or Let the Rythym Hit Em though, which is what I think of when I consider "hip hop" from that era.

James came out with that riff before bowie.Synclavier is a synthesizer. check your facts people.

Herb4 i agree its not hip hop but IMO the sampling is a influence from hip hop

herb4 said:

Laydown said:

I don't think that sampleing automatically equals hip hop. I know it's a core element of the genre and essential to its roots but Prince simply sampling elements of dialog from the filmsoesn't qualify it as "hip hop' album to me.

Here's an article from 1987 mentioning Zappa's use of sampling:

http://wiki.killuglyradio...mple_This!


The results of this meeting of mind and machine are quintessential Zappa, and yet they are as unpredictable as anything he has done before. By making full use of the Synclavier's sampling, sequencing, and keyboard assignment capabilities, he finds new sources of inspiration and gains greater control over his resources than in any previous project.

"Fame" by Bowie and Lennon was sampled by James Brown and I would hesitate to call what JB did "hip hop". There's also countless examples of bands like the Stones and Zeppelin "sampling" riffs (and sometimes straight up ripping off tracks) and no one argue that the RS and Zep were "hip hop". Unless I guess you're arguing in the simplest, strictest sense, hip hop = tunrtables and remixing others songs - than I'll reluctantly concede.

But you seem to have a weird axe to grind about the subject and come off really defensive about it for some reason and telling people to "fuck off" is kind of aggressive. I wouldn't categorize the Batman album as hip hop in any sense whatsoever.

Here's a "top ten" list of songs that use sampling that no one would ever consider hip hop:

https://blackcongolese.co...to-sample/

So I maintain that the definition extends beyond "borrowed sounds from other sources" but good luck with your masters thesis or whatever it is that's got you so worked up about it.

As far as the album itself:

I played it a lot when it came out. When I heard the first two songs I thought we were in for a real killer but then it kind of loses steam. I'll keep "The Future", "Electric Chair", "Vicki Waiting", "Lemon Crush", "Scandalous" and "Batdance" (just for brevity's sake). Batdance is interesting in Prince's catalog because, prior to that, I can't think of a song he'd ever done that was quite like it. It's an interesting experiment even if it's not a great track. So there's like half a good record there.

I never confused it with Paul's Boutique, Fear of a Black Planet or Let the Rythym Hit Em though, which is what I think of when I consider "hip hop" from that era.

Laydown said:

James came out with that riff before bowie.Synclavier is a synthesizer. check your facts people.

Herb4 i agree its not hip hop but IMO the sampling is a influence from hip hop

herb4 said:

Nope:

https://en.wikipedia.org/...ed,_Loved)

http://forums.stevehoffma...ot.180386/

Nope. Not even close,if u knew your stuff Id argue,but the truth is you dont have 1 idea about music at all.

herb4 said:

Laydown said:

James came out with that riff before bowie.Synclavier is a synthesizer. check your facts people.

Herb4 i agree its not hip hop but IMO the sampling is a influence from hip hop

Nope:

https://en.wikipedia.org/...ed,_Loved)

http://forums.stevehoffma...ot.180386/

"Hot (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)", also known as "Hot (I Need to Be Loved, Loved, Loved)", is a funk song by James Brown. Released as a single in December 1975, it reached #31 on the R&B chart.^[1][2] It uses the main riff from the David Bowie song "Fame", released earlier the same year.

Also the article I posted flat out says the synclavier has sampling capabilities. I'll admit I'm not certain if Zappa ever used it though.

Thank you for conceding that the point though. I swore you said Batman WAS a hip hop album but i missed the part where you said "in that sense" so now I feel kinda dumb. Point taken (except about the bowie/james brown thing). Appraently the guy that played the riff worked for both artists.

Laydown said:

Nope. Not even close,if u knew your stuff Id argue,but the truth is you dont have 1 idea about music at all.

herb4 said:

Oh. Good to know you're the final authority on music, specializing in the hip hop genre. I'll look forward to your book that tells us all what to think. Moving forward, I'll check with you first before I form an opinion on anything. Every post you've made in this thread has lectured everyone else and advised them to "check their facts". I can't find where you've added anything to the discussion at all but probably I'm just too stupid to find it. Then, when proven wrong - or even if someone cedes a point - you just double down and say something arrogant and hypocritical like "I'd post about it but you don't know what you're talking about so I'll just post anyway to tell everyone how stupid they are and explain why I won't post". Maybe share your knowledge, oh wise one, and educated us peons.

Best of luck though moving forward being smarter than everyone else, I guess, and the ultimate arbiter of all things hip hop. You seem like a really fun guy. Must be a big hit at parties telling the DJ he's playing the wrong shit and letting people know what's cool to like and what sucks. Org note me when your book comes out so I can read it and be sure I'm liking the right shit and forming correct opinions about everything.

Did you even read what I wrote? Because you've addressed none of it beyond "I know way too much about music to engage with you idiots regarding the subject." Cool then. Get lost and let us idiots talk about the Batman album if it's not too much hassle and quit shitting up the thread.

Regards.