i basically just want 2 order this cd that Michael B is on.....
I need 2 know where 2 stick my credit card and where 2 put my info and such and how much money the cd is gonna cost???

7

Just wanted to check back in and say that my copy of The Great Tribulation arrived from Electric Fetus nice and swiftly.
Great disc - well worth picking up!

pld71 said:

i WAS there.. that guitar was signed in memphis, which is where they chose to have voodoofest, because of hurricane katrina.


michael b.
[Edited 3/19/06 12:57pm]
[Edited 3/28/06 0:54am]

Sifi said:

We'd like whatever info is needed to purchase the "News from the Jungle" cd from the Universal Jazz France site...if you can help us out, it would be appreciated. That cd seems very hard to get!

Please: French folks, help us out![/quote]


thank you, myrto!!!

michael b.

gsh said:

thanx for the plug, gsh!!

michael b.

Michael B
Do U have a favorite track 2 peform live?

What song R U most proud of that U did in the studio?

The album sounds like the most band collaborative album that was released. Most trax have a very live feel 2 them. How much influence were U and the rest of the NPG allowed?

Can live drums be recorded after a song is finished? 4 example, could u replace a lame drum machine with live drums or R bass and drums always recorded first?

I know U don't want 2 get in2 "digging up dirt" but R there any interesting stories from thee road or the studio U would like 2 share with us?

as always thanx 4 ure time.....

7

Hi Michael, what's up? Hope everything's well with you. I read somewhere on the internet a few months ago that "319" derives from a track composed by Prince circa 1989 or the "Batman" sessions. Fact or fiction?

Just out of curiosity, do you drum on the non-acoustic version of "Welcome 2 the Dawn"? Could you possibly describe that version of the song?

Thanks and may God bless you.

MB, firstly, thanks so much for checking in here and responding very graciously to people's questions. I met you a couple of times years ago (not that there would be any reason for you to remember) at the NPG Store in Camden Town, and the year before that at a Tower Records signing in London, and you were really friendly both times. Nice to know that you're keeping up with the Prince fans...

A question about the 3121 session you did - you mentioned that you recorded a bunch of stuff that night. Have you had a chance to hear the 3121 album yet? I'm wondering if you and Sonny had played on any of the other tracks, but Prince chose to use different versions.

When Prince releases songs you've worked on, sometimes years after the fact, does anyone from the Paisley camp let you know they've been released? Do you get any extra royalties from it, or do you just get paid for the session? I'm thinking especially in cases like the tracks on the Crystal Ball set, or some NPG Music Club downloads, which appeared many years after you stopped working for Prince on a regular basis.

MB is such a nice guy. I remember during the 95 shows in mami me and zel were in a diner and he came in sat down at the next table and was as friendly as could be.


Ill bet the remaining 3121 tracks kick ass over the final release.

thaCONcept said:

1. anyone who knows me will tell you i'm really obsessive about my work, and extremely critical. i really wasn't in the mindset of separating one song from the next, during live performances.. i guess i looked at it like how people who participate in martial arts tournaments never focus on the person they're fighting at that moment.. they focus on the next opponent.. that was my approach to the gig.. always think ahead.. which obviously cuts into your enjoyment time..
2. i don't know if it's fair to say we had an influence. prince used us like duke ellington used his band.. he knew our strengths, and would play to them... so, he was conducting, more or less, but giving us some room for interpretation.

3.yes, live drums can be added afterwards. i've done it several times..
an example which you would be familiar with is "baby knows"-
prince had already finished the track, using a drum machine. morris hayes suggested to him to call me, cause the song would rock harder with real drums. so, i played along to the electronic drum track, and then he removed it.

4. i'm not really one for sharing random stories. every once in a while, one of you will ask a question that hits a nerve, or jars a memory. when that happens, i usually share more.. but i'm not gonna just start blabbing.. sorry.

michael b.

zxcvbnmmnbvcxz said:

the earliest i heard of the idea for "319" was during the gold experience sessions..

i don't know what other versions exist of "welcome 2 the dawn".. the only one i've heard is the one from the acoustic record..

michael b.

booyah said:

- i haven't heard the record in it's entirety, so i don't know..

- no.. no one ever let's us know what's gonna be released, or when..

- conditions of payment vary.. earlier on in this thread, i talked a little bit about it.. that's about as far as i wanna go with it..



michael b.
[Edited 3/24/06 14:41pm]

JesseDezz said:

Hell yeah, it would. I can see that shit.

ebonyrhythmbuddha said:

DID Morris lose Ure number or something because he really should have called U 2 lay down drums 4 "FURY" (off of the new CD)

Levi Has been working with a local (mpls) Gospel/pop group AVA & Noelle. Have U spoken with Levi at all or heard the girls? http://www.avaandnoelle.com/main.htm

I was listining 2 "3121" and the drumming sounds amazing. Its real simple but U just hit the drums SO HARD. its like a signature, I love it.

A long time ago (1992) 2 be exact I met U (Webster Hall NYC 7/Damn U release party). U were telling me (at the time at least) that that U guys (the NPG) were usually THE last 2 hear about anything. The example U gave me was this:
U said "do U remember the Nude tour Warm up gig we did at the St. Paul Civic Center?" I said yea of course. Then U told me, "U know how i found out we were playing that gig? I read it in the Paper!"

Is that how things usually went down?

Do U keep in touch with maxwell or was it just 4 that one tour? I believe U R on the songs he recorded for "the best man soundtrack"? He supposedly has a record the label is holding back.

R there any drummers current or otherwise that U reccomend or R in2?

Michael B - as I type I just have such appreciation 4 tracks like "Dark", "Shhh", "Calhoun Square", "3 Chain O' Gold", "What's My Name", "Hide the Bone", "saviour" - It's such a great sound. I know it sounds geeky but just lettin U know ure work does NOT GO unappreciated! As a fan of music in general your drumming really stands out. Sitting in Bunkers i still remember how the drums feel in ure gut. BTW HOW SAFE IS IT 2 EAT A BUNKER BURGER? : )

7

thaCONcept said:

-i haven't heard of the girls you speak of..
- we were never given more information than we needed, about anything..
- i am on "let's not play the game" or something like that.. i haven't talked to maxwell since the holiday season of 2000, i think.. he left a voice message, wishing me a merry christmas and a happy new year..
-nope.. i don't really follow drummers, so much.. i mean, i play the drums, but i'm not really an enthusiast.. one of those guys who is all about it..
that's just not me. the typical cats influenced me though.. ringo, charlie watts, bonham, gadd, john robinson, bernard purdie, etc.

-it is totally safe to eat a bunker burger.. i have at least one a week..

michael b.

Hi MICHAEL
just wanna say u r my favourite drummer hands down
i still watch the beautiful experience
and the part on ''the jam'' when prince introduces you as the MASTER
just blows me away
truly AWESOME

Wow! Mike, thanx 4 giving us some of ur time & 4 all ur answers ! How i'd like 2 chat with u

I wanted 2 say how much i respect u & ur work! Here's a few questions...

1- I remember the 94-96 era as being the most innovative era Prince had on stage, having this kinda rough underground sound & all that insane, revolutionnary work with samples. U say that was a rough time because of all the stuff that surrounded the music, but was it as exciting, musically speaking, 4 u as it was 4 us? Or did u prefer, musically, the 90-93 era?

2- From all the innerviews i read, it's hard 2 say weither u & Prince were what could b considered "friends" or just people making music 2gether. 7 years playing 2gether as intensively just have 2 tie people on some level, so would u say that u really "know" Prince as a person?

3- Since u were around at that time- Do u know what was Prince's exact role on the recently released Rosie Gaines "Try Me" album? The MP3 release contains no credit at all: did Prince write a lot of these songs, did he play on them or just produced them?

4- Would u say that the name change really was about mystical reasons as stated then, or was it just about the conflict with WB?

5- Don't u think that, properly released, "Goldnigga" could have had the critical success of Guru's "Jazzmataz": it was, after all, an innovative jazz/funk/hip-hop in the same vein as Guru's project?

Many, many thanx Micheal, may God bless u

.
[Edited 3/25/06 4:40am]

ebonyrhythmbuddha said:

thank you, myrto!!!

michael b.[/quote]

YO! French people
any luck helping us find and order this cd?
at the very least can U help me figure out how much it costs in good ole american dollars?

http://www.surseine.com/story.html

http://www.allaboutjazz.c...on2002.htm

http://www.sefronia.com/R...the-jungle

http://www.amazon.co.uk/e...48-0126251

hey - I think I found a loophole
Amazon UK

what language do they speak over there in the UK????

pound/euros 2 dollars any1?

*update* ok I ordered it. I think it comes 2 about $25 US dollars - delivered
I hope its fonkey

7
[Edited 3/25/06 9:03am]

Michael Bland is Great! LOVED the Days of BIG OLE CHICKEN HAT BLAND NPG. I LOVE his Playing. Saw him with MAMBO COMBO....Bland is SO COOL and was always easy to talk to.

thaCONcept said:

1.00 EUR = 1.20335 USD
or
1.00 GBP = 1.74230 USD

ebonyrhythmbuddha said:

Hi Michael. Nice to have you here... welcome!

Back around 1995-96, when prince.org was an email discussion list called the "Paisley Park Mailing List," Michael B. Nelson of the NPG Hornz and St. Paul Peterson would occasionally post to the list. Other than that and your online chat a few years ago with Sonny T., I can't think of any Prince associates who have directly participated on the site. Of course, there's always the possibility that someone has posted under a pseudonym, and we really have no way of knowing if a particular person has merely lurked. (I'd be very surprised, though, if Prince hasn't visited this site at least once.)

JAYJOE said:

.. and thank you, jayjoe!!

michael b.

shaomi said:

1. it was more stressful cause we were trying to compensate for losing a rhythm guitar player, two strong singers, and a five piece horn section.
but, it was exciting coming up with solutions. however, the increased reliance on electronics, sampling and technology, made it possible for a whole lot more to go wrong. so there was increased anxiety and complication.

2. we were, and are, friendly.. we have mutual respect as musicians, but he's like 13 years older than me. i'm sure he looked at me like a kid brother, or something. hanging around, asking stupid questions..
plus, i would maintain that prince probably keeps professional distance so he can do what he needs to when he needs to do it. as you know, he's famous for firing members of his bands. sometimes doors close, and having personal ties could make it difficult to remove people you've outgrown, or just no longer have any use for.

3. i don't know anything about rosie's new record..

4. i would say there were more reasons for the name change than just business..

5. who knows?

michael b.

Hi Michael
The Gold Experience is my favourite album of all time
you being a player on that album may be able
to shed some light on one of my most sought after items
the original ''Gold Experience'' CD
as seen on david letterman & the sunday show (backstage at wembley)
you know the one with the gold foil booklet
do you own a copy?
if you do would there be any chance of showing me some photo's
i know it's the music that counts but its just something
i always wanted (and it contained days of wild!!!!!)

peace & highest respect

Jay

JAYJOE said:

sorry, jayjoe... i don't currently own the gold experience, the released or unreleased version..

michael b.

Many thanx 4 ur answers

Just wanted 2 add that i don't only love what u did with P, but also ur collaboration with Michel Portal. That was great & innovative jazz.

Peace & God bless u.

LONG LIVE THE NPG (1993 -1996)!!!!

MICHAEL - YOUR THE BEST DRUMMER "P" ever had!!!

Could you share your thoughts/memories about the era of the Gold Experience? That is my favorite album of all time. What was it like recording it and trying to get the album released???

shaomi said:

thank you , shaomi!!

michael b.

avasdad said:

if you check the middle of page 6 on this thread, you can read my comments about this period, and some of the confusion that surrounded the making of the gold experience..

if it doesn't suffice, maybe i'll elaborate..

michael b.