Hey Purple People.

Long time reader, first post. Let me give you the back story. One of the first 45's I got was "Uptown", to let you know how far back I go. Prince has always been the front man in a bad ass band. I know he wrote and played all the instruments during the recording, but so what. It is about the presentation. And I think early on, that is the way he wanted it. We came to know the folks in the band (kind of), and they had their own personalities, abilities, etc. And we liked it. The change from the Revolution to the N.P.G. was an understandable one, but the band persona was not the same. I think a lot may have had to do with the movie. Anyway, flash forward to modern times. I am in a band in China (The tour is a year long, but we have been here for 10), and we decided to crank things up for 2011. So last summer I started looking around for a new bass. I went to the Internet and watched a butt-load of Prince videos. Rhonda on her Fender (that is a boring bass, but she can play the hell out of it), some dude I could not identify playing a left-handed Warwick, then I saw a video of Prince on a French Television show. The bass player was smokin and had the coolest bass I had ever seen. Josh Dunham on a custom made Ritter Cora. The bass was named after Dunham's wife who was the drummer for Prince. I was getting good vibes all over this. I run down the luthier that built it in Germany. I tell him what I want and he gives me the quote...."When I woke up the next morning..." I said what the heck, I can't take the money with me. So I sell a kidney and go to the bank and wire the deposit. Ok, just 6 months to wait. (Mary J.Blidge gets hers built first). To keep from gassing (guitar acquisition syndrome) myself to death, I put it out of my mind. Did not think about it, look at pictures etc. So she finally gets here, beautiful. So I start looking for pictures of Josh and Prince on stage. Learned the hard truth that he is not the bass player anymore, and there have been a few bass players since him. My question is why all the shuffling? Could it be that since he tours so randomly that it is not worth keeping musicians on retainer? The glamour wears off and they realize they are playing for scale? Folks use it as a stepping stone and don't want to stick around? (I don't think this is the case for most). He just likes to changes things up often? He just keeps it business, never personal because of the pain of the past? What do you think? Of course he can carry it by himself, but it is a lot more fun with a jamming band that you know. Think Mick Jagger without the Stones, Axel Rose without Guns and Roses, Steven Tyler without Areosmith, Boy George without the Culture Club, (scratch that last one) "Frankie Beverly without Maze". Just not the same is it. Tell me why people.

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Well I believe it's just that Prince, and most likely even the bandmembers themselves, realize that every player has a certain style about their musicianship that Prince needs at the time, and when he is ready to move on to something else new and fresh, they're dropped (and I say this in a neutral sense).

Prince is constantly changing players to keep the sound movin and fresh. He may revert back to those who's mark lent a fine hand in his live songs, like Renato, Sheila E., a little etc, but other than that, uh uh

excellent!

vitriol said:

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Are.

Fun.

leonche64 said:

Hey Purple People.

Long time reader, first post. Let me give you the back story.

One of the first 45's I got was "Uptown", to let you know how far back I go. Prince has always been the front man in a bad ass band. I know he wrote and played all the instruments during the recording, but so what. It is about the presentation. And I think early on, that is the way he wanted it.

We came to know the folks in the band (kind of), and they had their own personalities, abilities, etc. And we liked it. The change from the Revolution to the N.P.G. was an understandable one, but the band persona was not the same. I think a lot may have had to do with the movie.

Anyway, flash forward to modern times. I am in a band in China (The tour is a year long, but we have been here for 10), and we decided to crank things up for 2011. So last summer I started looking around for a new bass. I went to the Internet and watched a butt-load of Prince videos.

Rhonda on her Fender (that is a boring bass, but she can play the hell out of it), some dude I could not identify playing a left-handed Warwick, then I saw a video of Prince on a French Television show. The bass player was smokin and had the coolest bass I had ever seen. Josh Dunham on a custom made Ritter Cora. The bass was named after Dunham's wife who was the drummer for Prince. I was getting good vibes all over this.

I run down the luthier that built it in Germany. I tell him what I want and he gives me the quote...."When I woke up the next morning..." I said what the heck, I can't take the money with me. So I sell a kidney and go to the bank and wire the deposit. Ok, just 6 months to wait. (Mary J.Blidge gets hers built first).

To keep from gassing (guitar acquisition syndrome) myself to death, I put it out of my mind. Did not think about it, look at pictures etc. So she finally gets here, beautiful. So I start looking for pictures of Josh and Prince on stage. Learned the hard truth that he is not the bass player anymore, and there have been a few bass players since him.

My question is why all the shuffling? Could it be that since he tours so randomly that it is not worth keeping musicians on retainer? The glamour wears off and they realize they are playing for scale? Folks use it as a stepping stone and don't want to stick around? (I don't think this is the case for most). He just likes to changes things up often? He just keeps it business, never personal because of the pain of the past? What do you think?

Of course he can carry it by himself, but it is a lot more fun with a jamming band that you know. Think Mick Jagger without the Stones, Axel Rose without Guns and Roses, Steven Tyler without Areosmith, Boy George without the Culture Club, (scratch that last one) "Frankie Beverly without Maze". Just not the same is it.

Tell me why people.

vitriol said:

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Yep, and some of us know how to write them.

ecstasy said:

Well I believe it's just that Prince, and most likely even the bandmembers themselves, realize that every player has a certain style about their musicianship that Prince needs at the time, and when he is ready to move on to something else new and fresh, they're dropped (and I say this in a neutral sense).

Prince is constantly changing players to keep the sound movin and fresh. He may revert back to those who's mark lent a fine hand in his live songs, like Renato, Sheila E., a little etc, but other than that, uh uh

Good points, thanks for the reply. I think at this point, the sound does not change that much from band to band. So I guess a fresh face is the next best thing.