I don't play drums so I can't comment on whether or not he was Prince's best drummer but I must say he had a very cool stage presence, very handsome, probably should have trademarked his stage name. Anybody ever buy his cd? He seems to be the most elusive of the Revolution band mates, flying below the radar so to speak. His brothers David Z, fellow musician who produced for Fine Young Cannibals, and Stephen (film editor worked on POTC) seem to be more recognizable.

Share your thoughts on the and any pics of his cutie pie ass.

1) Agree that he's a dapper fellow, and still is today.

2) Not the best drummer, but not at the bottom of the list either.

3) The comparison w/ the brother is noteable. The same could be said for Paul Peterson. His brother had a lot of name checking in production with Prince and other people. However, he also had a lot of popularity based solely on his last name. The Peterson's are a well known and big family in MPLS, well before anyone hooked up with Prince. Paul's mom is a bad ass on the piano! The same can be said for Bobby and David. Both have done their own thing in music, with and without Prince.

4) I do have the CD. I found it in a used bin for a couple of bucks. His voice isn't bad. The one thing that gnaws at me though is that the sound is very dated. It's firmly planted in 1989 when music really started to change again. It has that Taylor Dayne/Rick Wakeman type sound to it that carried into the early 90's. Wendy and Lisa's albums have a bit more of an original sound to them, lending them to good relistening sessions. Bobby's doesn't, unfortunately. But his songwriting on the album is strong, and he has a very, almost-ethereal-begging, version of "River Run Dry" on his record.

^ I've heard River Run Dry alone is worth the purchase.

DesireeNevermind said:

River Run Dry is on the Family album Bobby wrote and produced it, is it on Bobby's album too?

River Run Dry's drive and beat reminds me some of IT(SOTT)

OldFriends4Sale said:

supposed to be on his album also and I've heard it's a much better version musically.

His version is on it. I have the cassette.

OldFriends4Sale said:

Yes. Bobby Z's solo record has a revised version of River Run Dry. It's far more dated sounding than the version on The Family. It's really the only reason to get the CD - completists only. And I wouldn't pay a lot.

squirrelgrease said:

I paid like $3 or something for it.

And yes for those who don't know, "River Run Dry" is on the album, and is his own version of the song, not Prince/Family's version.

CRAP

Somebody else told me about this thread which reminded me of this because I've been asked this a lot.... Some folks on here have thought that the reason I use the letter "z" is because of Bobby. Not true at all. As a little kid, I always liked the letter z because of the way it looked and it was the last letter of the alphabet. And also, as a kid in the 70's, I used to skateboard in Venice Ca. Home of Dogtown and Zephyr. Better known as Z-Flex. The cats that skated for the team were nicknamed "Z Boys". Those are the reasons for the "z". Bobby though, he was a cool drummer. MANY don't realize how in the pocket of a drummer Bobby was because for most on here it seems, they didn't get to see him untill the PR tour. Which for the most part of those shows, he was operating triggers and programmed drum patterns. Although he was showing his skills on "Possesed" & "I. Bitch". But on the earlier tours, he was definately right for where P was at THAT stage.

Nice to see his name pop up here finally.
I loved what he and Matt Fink did with Ana Voog!
xxx

not the best pic but still a pic. everybody gets old right? and fat.

DesireeNevermind said:

Does him being fat make him less interesting?

ernestsewell said:

nope, just less attractive than he used to be.

He did some really good producing for Boy George's album "High Hat" too

DesireeNevermind said:

To you. Betcha his wife still thinks he's handsome as ever. Not sure why folks think fat or chunky = unattractive. It's a bit of a narrow view of human beings.

benjaminira said:

I LOVED that fucking CD!!!!!

ernestsewell said:

Of course to me. What the hell I care whether somebody else likes him fat. I'm not sure if people generally feel fat or chunky is unattractive since so many people are actually fat and chunky according to statistics. I mean if you are chunky to begin with and you are attractive then that's different from being fit and slender then all of a sudden getting chunky or even vice versa.

I just found the slender Z more attractive and when he got fat, not so much. People like what they like. Not a narrow view at all. Physical attraction exist in the animal kingdom too. Why do think the lion with the biggest mane, loudest roar and sharpest claws gets all the females in the pride? The old fat lion with a stump aint getting no parts of the you know what.


okay back to Bobby Z aka Robert Rivkin which is a hot name now that I think about it. RIV like riveting.

How long I cry till the river run dry?
How long I cry till the river run dry?

U used 2 see me
But U don't see me no more
U used 2 touch me
But U don't touch me no more

How long I cry till the river run dry?
Oh, how long I cry till the river run dry?

Our love affair I thought would be
6 4evers and a week
Stick pin jab in the middle of a dream
No love at the end of the rainbow

How long I cry till the river run dry?
Oh, how long I cry till the river run dry?

When U would hold me
Circles my heart danced
U never told me
That our love, it had no chance

300 tears crystaline
Each one contaning a memory it seems
Stick pin jab in the middle of a dream
No love at the end of the rainbow

How long I cry till the river run dry?
Oh, how long I cry till the river run dry?
No, how long I cry till the river run dry?
Oh, oh why must I till the river run dry?
Oh, till the river run dry
Oh

BEAUGARDE said:

really??!!! I'm shocked at your comment

YUMMY
!!!!

OldFriends4Sale said:

What a great song. It fit perfectly on the LP. One of my faves from that record.

squirrelgrease said:

I agree, aside from Screams of Passion it was a stand out song that showed another side of music coming out of the Prince camp, as well as the talent within Prince's band

Wow, I didn't realize how far back Bobby went with Prince, I didn't know he drummed for 94East...

I'll post the whole thing in a thread I'm creating called 'the 1976-1980 years Uptown'









Here's an extra treat for all you Prince fans. Listen to the beginning of I'll Always Love You. You can hear Prince saying, "Wait a second" before the song begins. (We guess he wasn't ready, yet.) The rhythm guitar licks are impressive to say the least.
We know you'll love Better Than You Think not only for the beautiful ballad that it is, but also the melotron string parts by Teddy Randazzo, the solo lead guitar by Prince and Pepé's acoustic guitar. When you listen to the solo lines Prince plays at the middle and the end of Better Than You Think, it's so full of feel that it sends chills up and down your spine. If you listen real carefully in the last verse, you'll hear the special effect Prince adds on guitar. It sounds like a light switch. Was he thinking that at the time? Who knows.
With the completed Cookhouse songs in his possession, Pepé and Wendell, the bass player for 94 East, flew to New York in April of 1976 and literally beat the pavement until 94 East was signed with Polydor. 94 East had to prepare to go in to the studio and record a single. By this time, Dale Alexander had lost his position as drummer with 94 East and was replaced by Bobby "Z" Rivkin. Bobby later became the drummer for Prince's first band, the Revolution. When Prince began working on his own demo recordings at Sound 80, André Lewis, Pierre Lewis' younger brother was given the task of learning all of Prince's guitar parts.