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Thread started 01/16/19 7:58am

SoftSkarlettLo
visa

Does the Diamonds & Pearls album sound 70s to you?

Yes, here's another Diamonds and Pearls topic.

I read some reviews made at the time of the 1991 release. One review said that Prince is returning to his 70s roots, musically.

The most 70s sounding song on that album was "Strollin'" - largely due to the roots guitar, a common sound in Eric Clapton tunes. Other than that, the rest of the songs have a late 80s sound.
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Reply #1 posted 01/16/19 8:41am

skywalker

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SoftSkarlettLovisa said:

Yes, here's another Diamonds and Pearls topic. I read some reviews made at the time of the 1991 release. One review said that Prince is returning to his 70s roots, musically. The most 70s sounding song on that album was "Strollin'" - largely due to the roots guitar, a common sound in Eric Clapton tunes. Other than that, the rest of the songs have a late 80s sound.

Like everything Prince did, it is not easy to put the Diamonds and Pearls album in a box. It sounds like a lot of things and like nothing else really. Yes, Prince moved towards more organic instruments/organs/etc that individually sounded more 70's, but overall the album wasn't "retro" in that Lenny Kravitz sort of way.

[Edited 1/16/19 8:42am]

"New Power slide...."
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Reply #2 posted 01/16/19 9:23am

NorthC

No, if there's one Prince album that has a 70s zou d, it's HitnRun 2.
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Reply #3 posted 01/16/19 9:32am

SchlomoThaHomo

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I think Money Don't Matter 2night sounds like 70s Fleetwood Mac. I hear Sly in Daddy Pop. Cream reminds me of Get It On (Bang A Gong) by T. Rex. The live drums give it a retro feel, as drum machines started to take over in the 80s. There are obviously modern (at the time) touches as well, but I get 70s comparisons.

"That's when stars collide. When there's space for what u want, and ur heart is open wide."
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Reply #4 posted 01/16/19 9:37am

KoolEaze

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SchlomoThaHomo said:

I think Money Don't Matter 2night sounds like 70s Fleetwood Mac. I hear Sly in Daddy Pop. Cream reminds me of Get It On (Bang A Gong) by T. Rex. The live drums give it a retro feel, as drum machines started to take over in the 80s. There are obviously modern (at the time) touches as well, but I get 70s comparisons.

Those are some great examples, I was thinking of exactly those songs you mentioned when I saw this thread´s title, especially Cream and Get It On Bang A Gong.

I think Insatiable is a little bit reminiscent of some 70s songs. It reminds me a little bit of Smoky Robinson.

" I´d rather be a stank ass hoe because I´m not stupid. Oh my goodness! I got more drugs! I´m always funny dude...I´m hilarious! Are we gonna smoke?"
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Reply #5 posted 01/16/19 10:12am

IstenSzek

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well, u know the style they were sportin', the ladies and the fellas, was godfather 3 meets barbarella.

which was like late late 60s, pre 70s. so there is that.



and true love lives on lollipops and crisps
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Reply #6 posted 01/16/19 10:48am

luv4u

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Nope. Does not sound 70s

canada

Ohh purple joy oh purple bliss oh purple rapture!
REAL MUSIC by REAL MUSICIANS - Prince
"I kind of wish there was a reason for Prince to make the site crash more" ~~ Ben
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Reply #7 posted 01/16/19 12:26pm

bonatoc

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Oh Lawd, here goes the "Bang A Gong" comparison again.
The only thing "Cream" has in common with it, is the very first wah-wah guitar gimmick,
which is rhytmically similar to the main riff in the T-Rex song. That's all.
In which wannabe-musicologist deranged mind has this correlation originated and why,
I dunno. Probably one too many a bong.

"Diamonds & Pearls", a 70's album? The individual who came up with this
ignoramus crap must have gone through the decade in suspended animation.
"Willing and Able" is more like 60's. You could argue, with a stretch, that "Money Don't Matter 2 Night"
has a Steely Danish je-ne-sais-quoi.

Poor culture. Every day it drowns a little deeper in the sewers,
shitted on by daddy's boys who didn't know what to do with their lives.
Oh, hey, I know! Rock critic! I got to meet the babes!
Lester Bangs is severely missed.



[Edited 1/16/19 13:31pm]

The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure
Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams
Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose
Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams
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Reply #8 posted 01/16/19 1:21pm

embmmusic

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To me it sounds like badly dated 90s music. I know some people love it but it's in my 5 least favourite Prince albums.

Check out The Collector's Guide to Prince on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/p...4ldzxwlEuy
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Reply #9 posted 01/16/19 2:03pm

TheFman

No. The only album that sound 70's, is For You lol

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Reply #10 posted 01/18/19 9:10pm

recordmanben

bonatoc said:

Oh Lawd, here goes the "Bang A Gong" comparison again.
The only thing "Cream" has in common with it, is the very first wah-wah guitar gimmick,
which is rhytmically similar to the main riff in the T-Rex song. That's all.
In which wannabe-musicologist deranged mind has this correlation originated and why,
I dunno. Probably one too many a bong.

"Diamonds & Pearls", a 70's album? The individual who came up with this
ignoramus crap must have gone through the decade in suspended animation.
"Willing and Able" is more like 60's. You could argue, with a stretch, that "Money Don't Matter 2 Night"
has a Steely Danish je-ne-sais-quoi.

Poor culture. Every day it drowns a little deeper in the sewers,
shitted on by daddy's boys who didn't know what to do with their lives.
Oh, hey, I know! Rock critic! I got to meet the babes!
Lester Bangs is severely missed.



[Edited 1/16/19 13:31pm]

Wrong song. Cream is a nod to Jeepster, musically less but rhythmically and the way the lyrics are delivered are in total Marc fashion.

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Reply #11 posted 01/18/19 9:23pm

alandail

NorthC said:

No, if there's one Prince album that has a 70s zou d, it's HitnRun 2.

what agbout his two albums he released in the 70s?

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Reply #12 posted 01/19/19 1:49am

databank

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bonatoc said:


In which wannabe-musicologist deranged mind has this correlation originated and why,
I dunno. Probably one too many a bong.


I believe you are French, too? IDK in other countries but in France it felt like every critic felt they had to point that out back then.

Why? IDK, I hear more resemblance than you do but that's besides the point, the point being that the vast majority of pop critics back then were literally obsessed by mid-60's to late 70's rock, and interpreted everything thru that lense. As a teenager grown in the 80's, a decade filled with drum machines and synthezisers, it was hard for me to connect with those critics who based their judgement on a long gone "golden age" of rock, and seemed to have a hard time realizing the significance of later musical movements. Now that I'm older I understand the nostalgia factor better, but I still feel many rock critics back then were way too biased by their 70's rock obsession. You can still feel it a little when you look at those "best albums of all times" lists in music magazines, even in the US: the golden age of rock is ridiculously overrepresented. It's time for this generation of critics to retire.

So yeah, Cream sounds a tiny bit like that T-Rex track, no big deal, but those nostalgic critics had to make a big point out of it, like "you see, our 70's rock is everywhere". Except, in 1991, no one our age remembered who fucking T-Rex was lol

A COMPREHENSIVE PRINCE DISCOGRAPHY (work in progress ^^): https://sites.google.com/...scography/
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Reply #13 posted 01/19/19 1:49am

RODSERLING

Money Don't Matter definitely sounds like a 50 s or 60 song.
Daddy Pop always makes me think of the Beatles because of the chorus.
Willing and able is very "roots"
.
So yes, definitely
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Reply #14 posted 01/19/19 3:48am

jaawwnn

bonatoc said:

Oh Lawd, here goes the "Bang A Gong" comparison again.
The only thing "Cream" has in common with it, is the very first wah-wah guitar gimmick,
which is rhytmically similar to the main riff in the T-Rex song. That's all.
In which wannabe-musicologist deranged mind has this correlation originated and why,
I dunno. Probably one too many a bong.



You could lift the chorus from one and neatly put it in the other, the similarities are there. A great big rip off it ain't and it may well have been coincidental but there is a similarity in groove and delivery. TBH i get angrier at people calling it Bang a Gong when the the song is called Get it On no matter what Marc's US marketing team tried to do with it.


[Edited 1/19/19 3:49am]
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Reply #15 posted 01/19/19 10:31am

NorthC

alandail said:



NorthC said:


No, if there's one Prince album that has a 70s zou d, it's HitnRun 2.


what agbout his two albums he released in the 70s?


Touché. But I was thinking about albums from later years that have a retro sound.
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Reply #16 posted 01/19/19 11:01am

luvsexy4all

thats what u get for listening to reviewers ...misdirection

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Reply #17 posted 01/19/19 3:47pm

bonatoc

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recordmanben said:

bonatoc said:

Oh Lawd, here goes the "Bang A Gong" comparison again.
The only thing "Cream" has in common with it, is the very first wah-wah guitar gimmick,
which is rhytmically similar to the main riff in the T-Rex song. That's all.
In which wannabe-musicologist deranged mind has this correlation originated and why,
I dunno. Probably one too many a bong.

"Diamonds & Pearls", a 70's album? The individual who came up with this
ignoramus crap must have gone through the decade in suspended animation.
"Willing and Able" is more like 60's. You could argue, with a stretch, that "Money Don't Matter 2 Night"
has a Steely Danish je-ne-sais-quoi.

Poor culture. Every day it drowns a little deeper in the sewers,
shitted on by daddy's boys who didn't know what to do with their lives.
Oh, hey, I know! Rock critic! I got to meet the babes!
Lester Bangs is severely missed.



[Edited 1/16/19 13:31pm]

Wrong song. Cream is a nod to Jeepster, musically less but rhythmically and the way the lyrics are delivered are in total Marc fashion.



Mmm. "Jeepster"? If we really have to stretch it, I would say "Mambo Sun".
Whatever, Electric Warrior is an absolute masterpiece and a great life companion.

One thing with Bolan and this album, he really has a knack for starting his phrases before the one,
and some of his melodies go 5th-6th-1st, which is how the "Cream" verses start ("This is it", "You will hit", "It's your time"),
but also Jackson's "Heal The World" chorus, and of course the "Get It On" chorus the "Mambo Sun" and "The Motivator" verses.
But this 5-6-1(8va) is to be found in lot of other places.
Pop music copies itself all the time.
The framework is just too simple not to be subject to constant rehashes.



[Edited 1/19/19 15:52pm]

The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure
Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams
Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose
Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams
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Reply #18 posted 01/19/19 6:37pm

206Michelle

SoftSkarlettLovisa said:

Yes, here's another Diamonds and Pearls topic.

I read some reviews made at the time of the 1991 release. One review said that Prince is returning to his 70s roots, musically.

The most 70s sounding song on that album was "Strollin'" - largely due to the roots guitar, a common sound in Eric Clapton tunes. Other than that, the rest of the songs have a late 80s sound.

Strollin’ doesn’t really scream any decade. It has a timeless sound to it. The rest of the album is very distinctly early 90s.
Live 4 Love ~ Love is God, God is love, Girls and boys love God above
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Reply #19 posted 01/19/19 6:53pm

bonatoc

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I think one of the albums that has one the most 70's ethos is 20Ten.
Songs revolving about peace and love, and also a kind of homemade Stevie Wonder approach,
a sort of 8-tracks recording feel to it (the notable exception being the ultra-layered "Future Soul Song").


[Edited 1/19/19 18:55pm]

The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure
Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams
Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose
Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams
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Reply #20 posted 01/20/19 8:16am

purplethunder3
121

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No.

"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." --Plato

https://youtu.be/CVwv9LZMah0
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Reply #21 posted 01/23/19 7:37pm

Mikado

It has some straight up R&B like the title track, and Prince didn't really do straight up R&B up to that point. I can kinda get what OP is saying. Still has that 90s polish that a lot of MJ's stuff did as well.

A certain kind of mellow.
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