Ronny said:

Hmm that's odd I have a video of Jesse Johnson "I want my girl", on the video it stated that Prince directed the video. I'm not really sure if it's true about Prince directing the video is said it on the video title. If Jesse really did said what was mention in the interview from 1985, and If Prince directed the video for him I wonder why he would say such a thing maybe a big falling out happen after the video was made, and that's if Prince really directed. I shall be posting up that video up on housequake soon.

JesseDezz said:

I can dig what you're saying JesseDez. I was just schooling one of our fellow orgers on that fact previously in the thread. Man, you are right. Back in the day, that was when music was music b/c we had Isley's, P-Funk , Cameo among other groups doing some hellified guitar solos and funkin.
[Edited 4/20/05 1:52am]

JQuad said:

You ma as well stop right there. Jesse plays the same instrumentS that Prince does. Guitar is not his only instrument.

BlaqueKnight said:

Tell'em BK b/c somebody needs to be schooled. JQ don't know the deal about my boy Jesse.

kstrat said:

-----
I'll cut you some slack because you may be a newbie. If you read DMSR or Possessed loads of people talk about Morris and his drug problem. Plenly of people have talked about Mr. Johnson and his drug problems as well. I wish I was making it up shit I wish P had never tried E but, it all has happen.

According to Eric Leeds he was sent to Morris house everyday to pick him up and bring him to the set. P did not think he would show up. I am sorry just that bit of information makes Morris account of things a little unreliable.

I am not defending P by all accounts he was a real ass in his young years. He only appears to have mellowed out in last 10 years or so. However, it must have been real frustraing to be such a hard worker and in to your music and surrounded by druggies.
[Edited 4/20/05 4:41am]

blackguitaristz said:

-----
I am glad to hear that.

laurarichardson said:

But, that's what it looks like. You also conviently forgot to mention that P was getting treated on Psychiatric type of medication for either depression or suicidal tendenicies during that time. So, if you ask me, P and his crew back in the 80's all were not w/out faults.

Hotlegs said:

-----
No I said he was an ass. I figured he had issues why before the stories started to come out. Let's face it nobody works like he does unless they are trying to run from something. I figured he finally got the dose right on meds.

But even depressed people have their side of the story. All of them really appear to have been off the rails back in the day. I mean Jesse held his wife hostage.

None of their antics were mild.

laurarichardson said:

There is no sense in trying to glace things over like donuts b/c creating true good Funk ain't a pretty picture when done right and it will start to smell.

At the end of the day, you got to be realist and face facts. In order to work around Prince you had to be some what of a crazy fucker to tolerate him. So in others, the working environment was more like a Funky dysfunctional family.

Ronny said:

You ma as well stop right there. Jesse plays the same instrumentS that Prince does. Guitar is not his only instrument.

Tell'em BK b/c somebody needs to be schooled. JQ don't know the deal about my boy Jesse.
1st off ma's I'm quite schooled on Jesse than the average poster on this joint.
I was into dude back when he was the "Black Beat" poster boy every month.I'm trying to locate the tapes I got with his interviews and specials on BET after I send this. I'm still trippin nobody has mentioned the "got 2 get to know ya" joint from the "pretty in Pink" sdtk or the score he did for Bet's "video lp" show!!!! But hey when folks are ready to move up to JJ 102 and discuss the music instead staying on JJ 101 the basic drama let me know.

But because I dig his music doesn't mean I'm deaf or blind. Just cause he has a basic knowledge on certain instruments doesn't mean he can play them. Jesse, as much as I like his music and style, wasn't/isn't about to sit behind no keyboard and crank out some tunes that make keys players in awe!!!! He can probably play at the drums be he isn't about to do no "Madhouse 8" style drumming, a great deal of his and side project work was programmed. His bass lines were funky....no "let's work,777-9311 or corleen baconskin" but funky.I've shedded on quite a few. 90% of his side projects had his sound. daKrahsh may have been the exception. But TaMara....different story. He could at best...play @ the other instruments to either get the demo ideas down or do what was needed for the song. Either way work for me....I bought the stuff.

I just wanna see/hear him play some kick-ass guitar!!!

MsLegs said:

JesseDezz said:

JQuad said:

I guess you didn't really listen, I MEAN REALLY LISTEN to his "Bare My NAked Soul" CD. Also, check the bass on "Undress Me" by Vanity. Guess who? That is on point with Corleen Baconskin without a doubt. You fambots trip me out talkin' bout Prince's bass playing like he's Marcus Miller or Victor Wooten. Pick up one of their CDs. "Silver Rain" or "A Show Of Hands" and get back to me about bass playing. To pop ears, his bass lines may be incredible but bass players know that Prince's lines are usually simplistic. Some are cool, but its nothing all that challenging. Just because you don't think Jesse is playing at Prince's level doesn't mean he's not. Anyway, Jesse 'll wear Prince's ass out on guitar. When I listen to Jesse, I wanna hear a hellified guitar solo because that's what I like about Jesse. He's dropped some funky ass tracks and he kicks some serious lead. As far as I'm concerned, that's all I ask of him.

BlaqueKnight said:

You got that right BK baby tell'em. Let'em know what time it is.

I need me a personal cheerleader like Hotlegs.

BlaqueKnight said:

Thanks, BlaqueKnight. I am really that you recognize my contributions here at the org. Re-educating the masses of the org on real music hasn't been easy but I am glad that you have a sista's back.

sigh - does it actually matter who is the better bass player or keyboard player or guitarist? isn't it enough to say that both Jesse and Prince and great musicians in their own right - and that because they both know it both their egos are as big as their talent?

you know, and this might be controversial, whenever i think of what defines the Minneapolis sound that some of us have loved for years the album I always pull out is Jesse Johnson's Revue - tight ass bass lines, great guitar, and - good gawd - those 'horns'. ok - it might not technically be his best album, it might not be as good as some of the other minneapolis musicians work, and it's certainly not as groundbreaking as what prince was putting out at the time, but for me it defines the genre. and that's cool.

but let's face it, all good musicians come unstuck every so often - nobody can tell me that the second Ta Mara LP or the Kool Skool LP deserve repeated listens!!

"You fambots trip me out talkin' bout Prince's bass playing like he's Marcus Miller or Victor Wooten. Pick up one of their CDs. "Silver Rain" or "A Show Of Hands" and get back to me about bass playing. To pop ears, his bass lines may be incredible but bass players know that Prince's lines are usually simplistic. Some are cool, but its nothing all that challenging. Just because you don't think Jesse is playing at Prince's level doesn't mean he's not."

Well since I am a bass player I don't have to listen to Marcus or Vic I already know about them and many more. I would like to think I have a vast knowledge of music other than Prince's recordings. After yrs of gigging I think my ears are waaay developed past "pop" ears. Whether a person thinks Jesse is playing at a certain level is debatable. What is not is the catalog of material. Prince was able to crank out the Time,Madhouse,the Family and Vanity 6 all which sound differently,yet aren't that complex. The fact that Jesse did "bare my naked soul" doesn't diminish his musicianship nor raise it. I mean he used to play in rock bands so naturally he would want to express that.Prince's dad was jazz musician, he wanted to express that. Like I said earlier Jesse's side projects were funky but it was easy to tell he had some involvement. Why does 'bare my naked soul" have to validate his skills? I knew he was the man on axe back in 82-88. BK...you appear to have a vast knowledge of music but bruh, you alone, are not the only musician on this site. Just because a person doesn't play axe, or dig people shredding doesn't mean they have pop ears.

Hotlegs said:

JQuad said:

yeah but you also have to keep in mind that a lot of those tunes were creating with the help of andre, dez, jesse, wendy, lisa, dr. fink and others..

housequake has two very important and must read interviews with dez and dr. fink. they both talk about how prince would give them a demo and ask for them to contribute guitar or synth lines. yet when you look at the credits it all says, "arranged, written and produced by prince".

another example of this is wendy and lisa's interview on the Purple Rain DVD. on it wendy explains that, yes, prince wrote purple rain. but when it came to their individual parts they were all allowed to freestyle their instruments and added their own personal touches.

if prince went it alone, would he have created that back catalog? IMHO, no.

sosgemini said:

Very Well Said Sosgemini!

But didn't Miles do that with his band for the "kind of blue " sessions? If Prince wrote the basic "demo" version of the tune and their "embleshment" added to it....it all would come down to what's best for the song.

I don't doubt he had input from band members but a majority of stuff was all him. Miles,Duke,James,Sly all had embleshment at some point. That's all a part of making music.

All-n-All i Dig both Prince and Jesse's music. Fact is one has a more diverse catalog than the other. To create that catalog assistance was needed. No 1 man is an island. Hell Q. Jones didn't do all he has alone. He can write his tail off. But he knew who to call to get the job done. Prince has said at times it was easier to do it himself than call someone in. Jesse may be a better guitar player. But the verdict is still out on that one. Prince is still churning out tunes....Jess is m.i.a.

BlaqueKnight said:

5!
I love Jam and Lewis. Some of my favorite VINYL LPs were produced by Jam and Lewis, Oneal, Cherrell, SOS, Janet, they were BAD. If I was trying to start out in the music industry... I would have wanted to get the Johnnie Cochrane of music world, Jam and Lewis. As far as producers go, sorry but Prince is good producing himself and that is all. .
You can't count the Vanity/Apollonia, the Family and the Time projects since he wrote EVERYTHING, played EVERYTHING and sang EVERYTHING then had those groups reproduce his every move, every note.

JesseDezz said:

dayum, me too!

Well dang how tall was Andre?? Puleeze tell me HE was over 6 foot.

prodigalfan said:

Me too.

JesseDezz said:

LOL!!
The boy I dated in high school not only dressed like a Michael/Prince mix, but tried to imitate prince's mannerisms IN VIDEOS!
He had the Jreri curl, the MJ beat it jacket, would use gel to create the Prince sideburns, WORE EYELINER!!! (no heels, he was over 6', he would dress like this then wear zippo sneakers. LOL!)
you know that scene in LRC where Prince does that deep breathing then sings "girl's got an azz...". Well my boyfriend would do that little breathing bit, lick his fingers and run it thru his hair like p. The whole coy eye look. It was ridiculous, more so because I must have liked it since I was his girlfriend.

laurarichardson said:

Damita Jo was produced by Janet Jackson, Scott Storch, Kayne West, Bobby Ross Avalia, Babyface, Bag, in addition to Jam & Lewis. So it was not just a Jam/Lewis Production like the earlier albums were. Maybe that had something to do with the dismal results.