OldFriends4Sale said:

violetcrush said:

OldFriends4Sale said: I never got a “folk” vibe from his songs. I know he always loved Joni and covered A Case of You many times, but his sound to me is mainly funk, rock, pop and later jazz. * Give me some songs with the folk sound so I can listen again

Crazy You

Baby

Blue

those 3 sound like they came right off of a 1970s Joni album

and of course she wasn't straight folk either

Listen to Down To You, by Joni, it sounds like the Parade album

Prince did a natural job of mixing genre, some of my favorite songs throught his career give me the folk underneath R&B Funk or Rock, or the folkish ballads.

Crazy You, Baby, and Blue are not from Prince albums released in the 80s.

Genesia said:

violetcrush said:

Genesia said:

Crazy You, Baby, and Blue are not from Prince albums released in the 80s.

OF4S response was related to his opinion that Prince's songs had a “folk” sound and many on the first album had a “Joni” sound. I hear mainly R&B and funk though.

The thread topic is about 80s albums.

Genesia said:

Genesia said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Crazy You

Baby

Blue

those 3 sound like they came right off of a 1970s Joni album

and of course she wasn't straight folk either

Listen to Down To You, by Joni, it sounds like the Parade album

Prince did a natural job of mixing genre, some of my favorite songs throught his career give me the folk underneath R&B Funk or Rock, or the folkish ballads.

Crazy You, Baby, and Blue are not from Prince albums released in the 80s.

Of couirse they aren't

Totally agree about the Joni. Was listening to some 1978 -79 stuff this week and there were Joni style chords and vocal runs all over it. He never really gave them up, they're assimilated into parts of his underlayering in lots of tunes.

Genesia said:

You weren't alive in the 70s, were you?

hahaha Genesia, you are on point.

Hey OP it depends on whether Prince was listening to mainstream radio in Minni in the 70s. And it depends on whether it was the early 70s, or late 70s.

Prince was probably listening to Eagles, Elton John, Bee Gees (until your eyes bleed), Abba (ugh), Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Queen, Stevie Wonder, Led Zepplin, Al Green, Aerosmith, Stones, and the best song of all, Kung Fu Fighting (dont remember which band)!

Nope.

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

poppys said:

Totally agree about the Joni. Was listening to some 1978 -79 stuff this week and there were Joni style chords and vocal runs all over it. He never really gave them up, they're assimilated into parts of his underlayering in lots of tunes.

Yes!!!

violetcrush said:

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

hahaha Genesia, you are on point.

Hey OP it depends on whether Prince was listening to mainstream radio in Minni in the 70s. And it depends on whether it was the early 70s, or late 70s.

Prince was probably listening to Eagles, Elton John, Bee Gees (until your eyes bleed), Abba (ugh), Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Queen, Stevie Wonder, Led Zepplin, Al Green, Aerosmith, Stones, and the best song of all, Kung Fu Fighting (dont remember which band)!

Don’t forget Sly, Rufus and Chaka, Santana, Joni, and Fleetwood Mac - some of his biggest influences. From what has been written, the only station playing black music in his town had limited air time, so most of the stations were playing rock/folk/pop genres. Prince has said he would go to the record store to buy and listen to the latest James Brown or Earth Wind & Fire records. Dez and Jelly Bean also confirmed most of the music they listened to as kids was rock and pop.

Not true. Top 40 AM Radio nationwide played lots of black artists that were all over the map, ala the Alan Freed model. Music was not as slotted as it is now in the '60s-70s. And the '50s superstars were still around.

Sammy Davis Jr, Nat King Cole, Lena Horne, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Temptations, The Drifters, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Martha (Reeves) and the Vandellas - just a few.

[Edited 5/17/19 8:00am]

violetcrush said:

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

hahaha Genesia, you are on point.

Hey OP it depends on whether Prince was listening to mainstream radio in Minni in the 70s. And it depends on whether it was the early 70s, or late 70s.

Prince was probably listening to Eagles, Elton John, Bee Gees (until your eyes bleed), Abba (ugh), Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Queen, Stevie Wonder, Led Zepplin, Al Green, Aerosmith, Stones, and the best song of all, Kung Fu Fighting (dont remember which band)!

Don’t forget Sly, Rufus and Chaka, Santana, Joni, and Fleetwood Mac - some of his biggest influences. From what has been written, the only station playing black music in his town had limited air time, so most of the stations were playing rock/folk/pop genres. Prince has said he would go to the record store to buy and listen to the latest James Brown or Earth Wind & Fire records. Dez and Jelly Bean also confirmed most of the music they listened to as kids was rock and pop.

This is one of the things that always made me feel a real affinity with Prince: we grew up at the same time in (almost) the same place. I know the songs I listened to on the radio are the songs he listened to on the radio. That's why, when he busted out covers of Whole Lotta Love, Just My Imagination, Rollercoaster, Long Train Runnin' (the Doobie Brothers) or Let's Go (the Cars), I just loved it. It was like, "Yeah - we both listened to that as kids. Go, Prince."

We would have been in high school at the time - and I've always said I totally would have made out with him under the bleachers.

^^ I feel the same way, being his age and a music freak.

The cool thing is it kept happening over and over, even when I moved to New York in 1980 and beyond. People have some wrongheaded notions about what music was like then, what his influences were. But that's just because they weren't there. They will be the same way someday with younger people saying stuff they knew didn't go down that way.

Genesia said:

violetcrush said:

Genesia said:

This is one of the things that always made me feel a real affinity with Prince: we grew up at the same time in (almost) the same place. I know the songs I listened to on the radio are the songs he listened to on the radio. That's why, when he busted out covers of Whole Lotta Love, Just My Imagination, Rollercoaster, Long Train Runnin' (the Doobie Brothers) or Let's Go (the Cars), I just loved it. It was like, "Yeah - we both listened to that as kids. Go, Prince."

We would have been in high school at the time - and I've always said I totally would have made out with him under the bleachers.

I don’t think they were playing much Led Zeppelin there though. It’s been written that in the early 80’s Wendy, Lisa and Susannah were playing one of their albums. Prince walked in and said “what is this? It’s awful!” Susannah said, “one day...”. Seems he eventually cane around to their sound though

Trust me - they were playing Led Zeppelin in Minneapolis. We'd go to visit my uncle's family in Eden Prairie back in the 70s and we'd hear Led on the radio there.

And there is no damn way Prince did not feel up a girl (or several) during Stairway to Heaven at a school dance.

Genesia said:

violetcrush said:

Genesia said:

Trust me - they were playing Led Zeppelin in Minneapolis. We'd go to visit my uncle's family in Eden Prairie back in the 70s and we'd hear Led on the radio there.

And there is no damn way Prince did not feel up a girl (or several) during Stairway to Heaven at a school dance.

Okay. Prince may not have listened to it though. I was a child of the 70’s and they only played LZ on our hard rock stations. They were not played on the Top 40 or pop stations. I see Prince jamming to the funk at his high school and the R&B ballads for any “under the bleachers” action more than Zeppelin * Matt and Bobby have told a similar story about The Beatles. They said they were on the tour bus listening to the White album, and Prince walked in and said, “what is this?” I’m sure he knew of the Beatles at that time, but he was not familiar with that album.

I'm pretty sure Prince was yanking their chains on a lot of this. It is possible that he had not heard the White Album in its entirety (it is 30 tracks, after all - an enormous album by the standards of the day), but he definitely heard the hits from the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and a lot of other bands.

They did play Led Zeppelin on pop stations. They had some huge hits - Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Immigrant Song - that absolutely, positively were played on more than just album rock stations. If Prince was listening to the radio or attended a record hop (which was a kind of dance) at school, he heard Led Zeppelin. Period.

Genesia said:

jdcxc said:

Genesia said:

I'm pretty sure Prince was yanking their chains on a lot of this. It is possible that he had not heard the White Album in its entirety (it is 30 tracks, after all - an enormous album by the standards of the day), but he definitely heard the hits from the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and a lot of other bands.

They did play Led Zeppelin on pop stations. They had some huge hits - Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Immigrant Song - that absolutely, positively were played on more than just album rock stations. If Prince was listening to the radio or attended a record hop (which was a kind of dance) at school, he heard Led Zeppelin. Period.

Agree...with his encyclopedic musical brain and curiosity, there is no way he didn’t hear FM white rock in MPLS. Those Wendy quotes about his musical naivety are ridiculous. They also said he had no exposure to Jazz, with two Jazz artists parents from Louisiana. Where did he hear Joni Mitchell or Weather Report?

That is not even what was said. Where did they say he had no exposure to jazz?

Even Prince said Wendy has always turned him on to stuff, she played Public Enemy for him and told him, this is what's coming) Prince said even as late as 2004 that Wendy turns him on to stuff, in connection to the Reflection(Tavis Smily performance)

.

By the time Mattie was having babies she had turned Seventh Day Avent, she probaby wasn't playing that stuff in the house for the years Prince lived with her. Especially when she remarried. It's not like Prince's home life was soundly stable. And Prince said that his father kept a lot of his music away from him. That 'competitive' angle from PR was reflective of Prince's relationship with John. Sadly being shuffled around from home to home and then being put out focusing on where to lay your head and get your next meal, did not give a lot of time for discovering music.

.

I always felt that the less exposed, even the stuff he heard, is why his music style was so unique in the 1979-1988 period . Purple music wouldn't have happened if he was acutely tuned into everything.

.
Hearing stuff in the 70s and 80s was definately a harder journey than it is today where we have internet.

OldFriends4Sale said:

jdcxc said:

Genesia said: Agree...with his encyclopedic musical brain and curiosity, there is no way he didn’t hear FM white rock in MPLS. Those Wendy quotes about his musical naivety are ridiculous. They also said he had no exposure to Jazz, with two Jazz artists parents from Louisiana. Where did he hear Joni Mitchell or Weather Report?

That is not even what was said. Where did they say he had no exposure to jazz?

Even Prince said Wendy has always turned him on to stuff, she played Public Enemy for him and told him, this is what's coming) Prince said even as late as 2004 that Wendy turns him on to stuff, in connection to the Reflection(Tavis Smily performance)

.

By the time Mattie was having babies she had turned Seventh Day Avent, she probaby wasn't playing that stuff in the house for the years Prince lived with her. Especially when she remarried. It's not like Prince's home life was soundly stable. And Prince said that his father kept a lot of his music away from him. That 'competitive' angle from PR was reflective of Prince's relationship with John. Sadly being shuffled around from home to home and then being put out focusing on where to lay your head and get your next meal, did not give a lot of time for discovering music.

.

I always felt that the less exposed, even the stuff he heard, is why his music style was so unique in the 1979-1988 period . Purple music wouldn't have happened if he was acutely tuned into everything.

.
Hearing stuff in the 70s and 80s was definately a harder journey than it is today where we have internet.

No, it fucking was not. You could just turn on the radio in the 70s and hear a much wider variety of music than you can today. And you could hear records everywhere - even neighborhood drug stores and five-and-dimes had record departments where you could ask them to play a record. People had house parties where they played records and there were record hops (dances) at school where they'd hire local DJs to spin. Kids who had stereos would put the speakers in the windows of their houses and blast the music outside, to listen while they were playing basketball or washing the car or whatever.

You didn't have to be in a "stable home" to hear music. Prince was hanging out with his friends, going to dances, and riding around in cars like every other kid his age. Music was everywhere - and radio stations were a lot more democratic in what they played because there were fewer of them and the formats were less segmented.

I grew up in the 70s. In the American midwest, not even a five-hour drive from where Prince grew up, in a city with almost identical demographics. I know these things.

Genesia said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

That is not even what was said. Where did they say he had no exposure to jazz?

Even Prince said Wendy has always turned him on to stuff, she played Public Enemy for him and told him, this is what's coming) Prince said even as late as 2004 that Wendy turns him on to stuff, in connection to the Reflection(Tavis Smily performance)

.

By the time Mattie was having babies she had turned Seventh Day Avent, she probaby wasn't playing that stuff in the house for the years Prince lived with her. Especially when she remarried. It's not like Prince's home life was soundly stable. And Prince said that his father kept a lot of his music away from him. That 'competitive' angle from PR was reflective of Prince's relationship with John. Sadly being shuffled around from home to home and then being put out focusing on where to lay your head and get your next meal, did not give a lot of time for discovering music.

.

I always felt that the less exposed, even the stuff he heard, is why his music style was so unique in the 1979-1988 period . Purple music wouldn't have happened if he was acutely tuned into everything.

.
Hearing stuff in the 70s and 80s was definately a harder journey than it is today where we have internet.

No, it fucking was not. You could just turn on the radio in the 70s and hear a much wider variety of music than you can today. And you could hear records everywhere - even neighborhood drug stores and five-and-dimes had record departments where you could ask them to play a record. People had house parties where they played records and there were record hops (dances) at school where they'd hire local DJs to spin. Kids who had stereos would put the speakers in the windows of their houses and blast the music outside, to listen while they were playing basketball or washing the car or whatever.

You didn't have to be in a "stable home" to hear music. Prince was hanging out with his friends, going to dances, and riding around in cars like every other kid his age. Music was everywhere - and radio stations were a lot more democratic in what they played because there were fewer of them and the formats were less segmented.

I grew up in the 70s. In the American midwest, not even a five-hour drive from where Prince grew up, in a city with almost identical demographics. I know these things.

Yes it Fucking was.

Are you serious? internet gives people access to music and things they wouldn't get so easily when moma and daddy had control of the radio or you had to go searching for stuff. The discovery is still exciting, but much more difficult. Getting bootlegs back in the day was way harder, today way easier. Not to mention you don't have to buy most of it today to own/hear it like you did back then.

hearing something at the corner store is not the same as having albums/lps/45s

'I know these things'

I grew up in the 70s and 80s too, and it is way easier to hear music you never would have before. Music access is way easier now. That is one good thing about technological progress.

Genesia said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

That is not even what was said. Where did they say he had no exposure to jazz?

Even Prince said Wendy has always turned him on to stuff, she played Public Enemy for him and told him, this is what's coming) Prince said even as late as 2004 that Wendy turns him on to stuff, in connection to the Reflection(Tavis Smily performance)

.

By the time Mattie was having babies she had turned Seventh Day Avent, she probaby wasn't playing that stuff in the house for the years Prince lived with her. Especially when she remarried. It's not like Prince's home life was soundly stable. And Prince said that his father kept a lot of his music away from him. That 'competitive' angle from PR was reflective of Prince's relationship with John. Sadly being shuffled around from home to home and then being put out focusing on where to lay your head and get your next meal, did not give a lot of time for discovering music.

.

I always felt that the less exposed, even the stuff he heard, is why his music style was so unique in the 1979-1988 period . Purple music wouldn't have happened if he was acutely tuned into everything.

.
Hearing stuff in the 70s and 80s was definately a harder journey than it is today where we have internet.

No, it fucking was not. You could just turn on the radio in the 70s and hear a much wider variety of music than you can today. And you could hear records everywhere - even neighborhood drug stores and five-and-dimes had record departments where you could ask them to play a record. People had house parties where they played records and there were record hops (dances) at school where they'd hire local DJs to spin. Kids who had stereos would put the speakers in the windows of their houses and blast the music outside, to listen while they were playing basketball or washing the car or whatever.

You didn't have to be in a "stable home" to hear music. Prince was hanging out with his friends, going to dances, and riding around in cars like every other kid his age. Music was everywhere - and radio stations were a lot more democratic in what they played because there were fewer of them and the formats were less segmented.

I grew up in the 70s. In the American midwest, not even a five-hour drive from where Prince grew up, in a city with almost identical demographics. I know these things.

Co-sign.

In that group talk they had in Soho shortly after Prince passed, Toure tried to say that Prince didn't have a variety of musical influences growing up (ie radio etc). He was shut down immediately by the old school. It's here somewhere in a thread.

poppys said:

Genesia said:

No, it fucking was not. You could just turn on the radio in the 70s and hear a much wider variety of music than you can today. And you could hear records everywhere - even neighborhood drug stores and five-and-dimes had record departments where you could ask them to play a record. People had house parties where they played records and there were record hops (dances) at school where they'd hire local DJs to spin. Kids who had stereos would put the speakers in the windows of their houses and blast the music outside, to listen while they were playing basketball or washing the car or whatever.

You didn't have to be in a "stable home" to hear music. Prince was hanging out with his friends, going to dances, and riding around in cars like every other kid his age. Music was everywhere - and radio stations were a lot more democratic in what they played because there were fewer of them and the formats were less segmented.

I grew up in the 70s. In the American midwest, not even a five-hour drive from where Prince grew up, in a city with almost identical demographics. I know these things.

Co-sign.

In that group talk they had in Soho shortly after Prince passed, Toure tried to say that Prince didn't have a variety of musical influences growing up (ie radio etc). He was shut down immediately by the old school. It's here somewhere in a thread.

what are you cosigning? That it was easier in the 70s and 80s to get access to wide varieties of music?

Who is denying he had a wide variety of musical influences growing up? How about you go back and reply to my post and see what it is.

OldFriends4Sale said:

poppys said:

Co-sign.

In that group talk they had in Soho shortly after Prince passed, Toure tried to say that Prince didn't have a variety of musical influences growing up (ie radio etc). He was shut down immediately by the old school. It's here somewhere in a thread.

what are you cosigning? That it was easier in the 70s and 80s to get access to wide varieties of music?

Who is denying he had a wide variety of musical influences growing up? How about you go back and reply to my post and see what it is.

I am co-signing Genesia who I replied to. Including about hearing Led Zeppelin. I gave the Toure example because he said Prince did not hear a variety of music on the radio growing up.

Very little air-conditioning, including cars with the windows down and radios blasting. Limited television, no on demand, no internet to keep you in the house, people lived out on the porch, with speakers. And radios playing everywhere.

It was not harder to access music in the 70s-80s than it is now. The grapevine was very effective. The only difference now is there are middlemen and influencers making a buck off that aspect of it besides the record companies and corporations. And the genres are more compartmented.

[Edited 5/17/19 17:07pm]

jdcxc said:

Genesia said:

I'm pretty sure Prince was yanking their chains on a lot of this. It is possible that he had not heard the White Album in its entirety (it is 30 tracks, after all - an enormous album by the standards of the day), but he definitely heard the hits from the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and a lot of other bands.

They did play Led Zeppelin on pop stations. They had some huge hits - Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Immigrant Song - that absolutely, positively were played on more than just album rock stations. If Prince was listening to the radio or attended a record hop (which was a kind of dance) at school, he heard Led Zeppelin. Period.

Agree...with his encyclopedic musical brain and curiosity, there is no way he didn’t hear FM white rock in MPLS. Those Wendy quotes about his musical naivety are ridiculous. They also said he had no exposure to Jazz, with two Jazz artists parents from Louisiana. Where did he hear Joni Mitchell or Weather Report?

Joni Mitchell wasn't specifically jazz, and her home base wasn't far from MN, so I'm sure she was played quite a lot on their stations back in the day. Weather Report was a more well known jazz group because they had funk and rock infused music, appeared on shows like Midnight Special and Teen Town, and also the popularity of Jaco Pastorius and his record with Joni. Yes, Prince's parents were jazz player/singer, but remember, his Dad did NOT spend time with Prince on music and would not let him touch his Piano while he lived in the house. He has also said his Mother did not want him to follow in his Father's footsteps. His Mother was out of the music business and working full time by Prince's early years. I don't think they were bonding over jazz or anything with music. It seems he and Tyka were left on their own quite a bit. Prince did it all on his own in the beginning, and it seems he and his Father began bonding once he hit it big with Purple Rain.

*

Even in Prince's teenage years - yes he would have had access to the various radio stations and genres, but by that time he was spending endless hours learning the instruments, working on his voice, and writing his own songs. He was taking what had inspired him as a younger child (Stevie, Jimi, Santana, Sly, Joni, etc) and working that into his early music. When he was in his early highschool bands they were playing R&B, Funk and Pop songs. During his 2004 show at Webster Hall he played I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man, and he said to the crowd, "remember that from highschool?" Then he said, "this is what I remember from highshcool", and he played Sweet Thing by Chaka. Whether he had heard the name Led Zeppelin or not, I don't think he was spending time listening to or getting to know their music. I think it's absolutely feasible that he didn't know what Susannah was listening to at the time she was playing their record, and I don't think there would be a reason for her to invent that story.

*

Regarding my comment on another post about Matt's story on Prince not recognizing the White album - someone responded that Prince was "just yanking their chain" Nah, I don't think he would have acted like he didn't know the record. Matt said he walked on the bus during the song with the animal noises - one of the more abstract tracks, so he may have recognized it if another song had been playing. Interestingly, I watched a good documentary (done by the BBC back in the late 90's I think) where they interviewed one of the journalists who worked for Rolling Stone back in 1984/85, and he said that one day out of the blue Prince called him and asked him to send him every issue and/or article they had on the Beatles. So, that would indicate that Prince had not spent much time in his earlier years getting to know them or their music.

*

Wendy, Lisa, and Susannah grew up in the music business. Their Fathers played on all of the big records in the 60's and 70's. Lisa's Father has a web site listing his contributions on all of the records, and it's astounding. Susannah told the story of Wendy playing the Bass with Leon Russell at their house when she was 8 yrs old. Lisa said Rita Coolidge used to babysit her. They had famous musicians coming in and out of their houses all the time. They would sneak into the Starwood club at 13 yrs to watch live shows of upcoming bands like Devo, and then dance on the Disco side. By the time they met Prince they had been exposed to everything. It's not a stretch to believe that they would have informed Prince on some records or artists. Lisa has stated that she would play Jazz and Classical pieces for Prince and his Dad when she lived at Prince's house in the early days. During Prince's first P&M show at PP when he was talking about first meeting Lisa he said she told him her favorite Pianist was Bill Evans. Then he paused and said, "I know, right?!" as in who the heck is Bill Evans. I have no doubt that Lisa introduced him to players and music that he was not familiar with prior to meeting her.

*

I think it's naive to believe that Prince never had music brought to his attention - that he just knew and heard everything from the start.

I can't speak for Prince about who he specifically knew of, but I'm from a small town in Ohio and I knew who Bill Evans was. My Dad was a jazz lover. Prince's dad was a jazz musician, mom was a singer. It's not out of the question.

poppys said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

what are you cosigning? That it was easier in the 70s and 80s to get access to wide varieties of music?

Who is denying he had a wide variety of musical influences growing up? How about you go back and reply to my post and see what it is.

I am co-signing Genesia who I replied to. Not denying, agreeing with her. I gave the Toure example because he said Prince did not hear a variety of music on the radio growing up, and was shut down in the group talk.

Very little air-conditioning, including cars with the windows down and radios blasting. Limited television, no on demand, no internet to keep you in the house, people lived out on the porch, with speakers. And radios playing everywhere.

It was not harder to access music in the 70s-80s than it is now. The grapevine was very effective. The only difference now is there are middlemen and influencers making a buck off that aspect of it besides the record companies and corporations.

[Edited 5/17/19 14:44pm]

Genesia replied to me. You cosigned. What are you cosigning.

Toure has nothing to do with what I said, and I never said Prince did not hear a variety of music. Of course he did.

Yes we can discuss, what Minni radio was like, a lot of people from the camp who grew up in Minni said the radio stations were limited, to variety and coiuld be heard only at certain times. Now I know a lot of radio stations were like that back then.

Now that can still mean hearing a wide variety of music, in 1970something.

But hearing something blaring from someones radio or over a stores intercom is different from having a radio station that played genres of music constantly, or having albums.

Sorry but that is not reasonable to say it was not harder to access music then vs now. The fact that I could share every song I have release or unreleased with u via IM, Email, Fileshares, Cloud, Dropbox etc

In the 1970s and 80s we did not have accessible information to albums, singles, long version, unreleased songs etc whereas today I can do a google search or click on PrinceVault and get access to things I never had or heard of. To say the 70-80s was not harder is not timezone reasonable.

My first time knowing of Horny Toad(Bside) was going into a bar/poolhall with my dad and there was a juke box, I saw Prince's name and a song called Horny Toad, never heard of it, missed the single etc. In the 80s Prince released songs in the UK that he did not release in the USA. How would you get it back then? vs how you could get it today? Easier or harder? You know it would be harder back then. Look I loved the chase, the search for music back then. I loved going from record store to record store, searching thru boxes etc. But it was still harder then vs now. Just click on Youtube and download, Amazon and download etc Ask and download.

Unreleased Prince music back then, harder to come buy, most of the time you had to pay. If you lived in an area that was not more urban, you probably had less access to music.

I used to go south every year growing up. We had music in New York way before they did in many places. Harder yes, wonderful time that will never be again yes.

poppys said:

I can't speak for Prince about who he specifically knew of, but I'm from a small town in Ohio and I knew who Bill Evans was. My Dad was a jazz lover. Prince's dad was a jazz musician, mom was a singer. It's not out of the question.

I would agree with you IF we didn't know the history, which is that Prince's Dad did not share music with Prince at a younger age, nor did he teach him to play songs. It was not a Father-Son bonding situation with his music or music in general. I think the scene in Purple Rain - with Prince sitting behind his Father playing piano and the dialogue exchanged - was probably the most 'real" dynamic of his relationship with his Father portrayed in the film.

This is what Genesia said that I was co-signing. Is it better if I say agree with? It's just an expression.

.... You could just turn on the radio in the 70s and hear a much wider variety of music than you can today. And you could hear records everywhere - even neighborhood drug stores and five-and-dimes had record departments where you could ask them to play a record. People had house parties where they played records and there were record hops (dances) at school where they'd hire local DJs to spin. Kids who had stereos would put the speakers in the windows of their houses and blast the music outside, to listen while they were playing basketball or washing the car or whatever.

As far as I can tell from reading this thread, she is close to Prince's age. I am his age, and what she said above resonated with me too.

violetcrush said:

poppys said:

I can't speak for Prince about who he specifically knew of, but I'm from a small town in Ohio and I knew who Bill Evans was. My Dad was a jazz lover. Prince's dad was a jazz musician, mom was a singer. It's not out of the question.

I would agree with you IF we didn't know the history, which is that Prince's Dad did not share music with Prince at a younger age, nor did he teach him to play songs. It was not a Father-Son bonding situation with his music or music in general. I think the scene in Purple Rain - with Prince sitting behind his Father playing piano and the dialogue exchanged - was probably the most 'real" dynamic of his relationship with his Father portrayed in the film.

Yes, this is an element people are missing.

I'm looking up radio station in Minneaoplis in the 60s and 70s now.

There was one specific popular on KUXL the one that helped sponser his first performance at the Capri played everything from jazz, gospel, rnb etc depending on who the dj was. I also believe the radio station was off after a certain hr