During their creative and commercial peak in 1984/5, there was no band

alive that was bigger—or better—than Prince’s touring ensemble, known

simply as “the Revolution”. Though the group had been around for

awhile—they served as the backing band during Prince’s 1999 tour—it

wasn’t until Purple Rain that they began contributing to Prince’s

songwriting and recording endeavors. A good deal of songs from Purple

Rain, in fact, were recorded live and in one-take, the band so in sync

with each other that you wouldn’t even be able to tell that they were

live recordings (with a few studio overdubs) unless you listened very,

very closely. There was bassist Mark Brown, longtime Prince drummer

Bobby Z., keyboard maestro “Dr.” Matt Fink, and the immortal

guitar/keys duo known as Wendy Melvoin & Lisa Coleman, and together,

they played on (and sometimes even co-wrote) some of the biggest songs

of the ‘80s, tracks that still hold up remarkably well to this very

day.

Yet the more that you read about the Revolution, the harder it is to

determine fact from fiction, as so much of the Revolution’s dynamic

has been hyperbolized and dramatized to the point of caricature. Many

people cite that band’s role in the Purple Rain movie was somewhat

indicative of what was really going on behind the scenes: each member

wanted to make their own songwriting contributions, but Prince

wouldn’t have any of it, leading to in-fighting and even an

unnecessary (though interesting) rivalry between the Revolution and

Prince’s other band, Morris Day & the Time. Yet is any of this true?

According to the people who were there: not really.

Over the course of three albums (Purple Rain, Around the World in a

Day, and Parade), the Revolution wound up expanding Prince’s creative

reach by introducing him to new bands and styles, providing ample room

for jam-based improvisation and more, all leading His Royal Badness to

some of the greatest pop singles ever made ("Kiss", “Raspberry Beret”,

“Let’s Go Crazy”, etc.) Following the dissolution of the band after

Parade, Prince would eventually try and recapture that same energy by

forming the New Power Generation, who—despite playing on one of

Prince’s most commercially successful ‘90s albums (Diamonds &

Pearls)—simply didn’t have the same creative dynamic that the

Revolution had, the NPG ultimately becoming more of a glorified

backing outfit than a cohesive group of musicians.

So it’s no wonder we’re still fascinated with the Revolution over

decades later: their myth and their music still live on, so many

critics often holding up Prince’s latest work to his time with the

Revolution for comparison, as, truly, his time with the band was a

time when he was truly untouchable. To celebrate the 25th anniversary

of Purple Rain, PopMatters got a chance to talk with two of the most

instrumental figures to the Revolution’s success: longtime keyboardist

and “Computer Blue” co-writer Matt Fink and Prince’s manager of 20

years Alan Leeds. Together, they share their stories, insights, and

personal experiences as to what made the Revolution as groundbreaking

as it was, and why—25 years later—we still adore them as much as we

do.

+++

First off: wow, it’s been 25 years since Purple Rain first came out.

What are your initial reactions to this? Are you surprised the film’s

legacy has lasted as long as it has?

FINK: Am I surprised by that? Yes and no. I mean, I think it’s a

wonderful thing that people are still remembering it and still

influenced by it and still watching it. It’s still being played

regularly on stations like VH1 and other cable on a fairly regular

basis; ‘cos no matter what, every year it’s played several times. So

it’s a wonderful thing: it’s become a classic from that period of

time, much like other movies of the day—like The Wizard of Oz, they

air that every year, no matter what ... Casablanca—ya know: classic

movies. So yes, in that respect, I’m not surprised. I’m grateful that

it was so successful and still is in people’s minds.

LEEDS: Initial reaction is purely personal: time flies! I suppose the

film’s legacy standing is a bit unexpected given the normally brief

shelf life of pop art. But the long term impact of Purple Rain may be

abetted some by the fact that youngsters playing “real” music on

traditional instruments is so less common than it was twenty five

years ago. In my lifetime, the idea of a bunch of young hopeful

musicians getting together and starting a band was almost cliché-ish.

Today, it’s almost unheard of. Youngsters with musical ambitions today

concentrate on computer skills and the entire process of writing and

recording music has become completely masturbatory. I suppose, in the

sense that he played all the parts on many of his recordings, Prince

was a precursor to that which makes the impact of Purple Rain all the

more ironic.

In the chronology of things, you were brought in at a very interesting

time in Prince’s life: right at the tail-end of the 1999 tour when

relations between the touring band (and the Time and Vanity 6) weren’t

exactly ideal. What events transpired that lead this spat of

internally bickering musicians to become one of the most powerful,

cohesive bands of the ‘80s?

LEEDS: I don’t think the so-called rivalries between Prince’s groups

had any meaningful bearing on the Revolution’s accomplishments. The

Revolution and the original Time were both outstanding bands comprised

of unusually talented individuals. Prince, of course, egged on the

rivalry. He sensed, correctly, that fostering a competitive

environment would motivate both bands when on tour together and, at

times, keep things interesting for himself as well. What’s important

to remember is that The Time was, if anything, Prince’s own alter-ego,

notwithstanding the talents within that group. The Time’s concept,

songs, style and records were all Prince.

Any real bickering was more about the members of The Time wanting to

stretch the boundaries and assume more creative control over their

careers - something that was greatly exacerbated when Jimmy Jam and

Terry Lewis famously missed a gig, stranded in an airport after

spending an off-day working on an outside project.

What were the early days like? How would you compare those experiences

to your times “officially” with the Revolution?

FINK: It was a very creative time. I mean, there was a lot of

influence and input from band members towards what he was doing. Even

thought he was doing most of the recording and writing on the first

two albums, there was still influence there and still a lot of ideas

being thrown around that he could draw from. He was always open to

anybody trying to contribute creatively to the process of writing. It

wasn’t really until Dirty Mind that he brought in myself to perform on

that record. I’m trying to remember: I think the first two albums he

really did all himself; I don’t believe he had any other people

involved from the band at that point. Then going forward from there,

he kept bringing in group members, to do some session work or have

some co-writes here and there.

What were your first impressions of him? Did you think he was an

avant-garde genius or a pompous asshole or something inbetween?

FINK: I thought he was an extremely gifted and talented hardworking

artist. I think, of course, he had the abilities there to develop his

talent, which he obviously did—like all of us. Some of us are born

with that innate ability, so obviously he had that and was in a

musical family, growing up with a musician father. I’ve always found

that people born into musical families tended to grow faster and are

able to tap into their talent in a better way because they’re exposed

to it so early and groomed for it so early on the way Prince was. In

my case, I came from more of a musical theatre and theatrical

background with my family ‘cos my parents were both actors. They

studied acting in college and performed in the theatre once they

graduated from college and even though my father had a separate

business that he ran to make a living at here locally in the Twin

Cities, he was very active in community theatre and was doing

professional voiceover work as well as my mother, and my mom even had

her own consortium of actors that she booked for talent work here on

the local scene—so there was a lot of that going on in my family. I

participated in theatre growing up as well and did musical theatre and

learned a great deal from that and then also started playing in bands

by the time I was about 12, 11—somewhere in there. So they had me

studying piano around the age of 7 or so and then also bringing me in

for theatrical work at the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis

and doing some educational recording work—it was sort of a combination

of the two.

I feel like if you got the innate talent, you’re born with it, and

then you have someone there to nurture it, it can really bring that

out like someone like Prince, who obviously has oodles of the talent

and then started early with it. So as far as being a genius? Yeah, you

could say that. He also worked very hard—just like all of us—to

achieve what he needed to achieve. It takes dedication and work and

discipline to get to where he is, and learn all the instruments and be

self-taught, primarily. I know he had some other people around him

growing up that his father knew that helped him to learn some of the

instruments, and I’m sure his father was an integral part of that, as

far as teaching him piano and things like that.

When the whole “Revolution era” started up, it opened up a lot of

possibilities for Prince’s sound. How did the writing process work

with him? For example, how did you got about writing a song like

“Computer Blue”?

FINK: Well “Computer Blue” really grew from a seed, so to speak, that

took place during a jam session. We’d always warm up before rehearsals

doing free-form improv rock/jazz music jams, and someone would start a

chord progression (or Prince would or one of us would) or in this case

on that day, I started playing that main bass groove which was the

main bass part for “Computer Blue” which was later brought into that.

So the band started grooving on it, next thing you know we’re all sort

of joining in, doing some jam on that. Prince started coming up with

some stuff we recorded a rough version of it and he took it into the

studio and just incorporated it all and made it fly that way. Lisa &

Wendy came in and they did some of the stuff on it. Prince borrowed

the bridge/portal section from his own father who had given him some

music over the years to play around with. So that particular song was

a real mixture of different people and influences. So that’s how that

one came about. So I kind of germinated the beginning of it—the

bassline, the main groove, Bobby Z. was there to play the drums, of

course—and that’s how it evolved. Prince, ya know, he really was the

main lyricist and melody maker for the songs and I’m pretty sure very

rarely took or did not take any lyrical content from people. He was

really the main guy on that.

I find that interesting ‘cos in the books upon books I have about

Prince’s life, a lot of times he comes off as standoff-ish and

introverted—but in talking to you, it sounds like he was much more

open than a lot of people gave him credit for.

FINK: Yeah, he was more open than people gave him credit for. He’s

also not as introverted as people claim either, ‘cos when you get to

know him and get to be friends with him, he opens up quite a bit.

You’re able to speak with him on a regular basis and he also had a

very gregarious nature to him and a great sense of humor. Very funny

guy. I mean, he could really put you on the floor with his humor

sometimes.

How about you, Alan? How collaborative was Prince during this time?

Who did he play best off of in the ever-changing Revolution lineup?

LEEDS: Wendy and Lisa particularly brought Prince a musical

camaraderie he was unaccustomed to. During the course of the Purple

Rain Tour, his posse of musicians swelled to include Sheila E. and

horn players Eric Leeds and (Atlanta) Matt Blistan. Prince spent

scores of hours jamming and recording with various combinations of

these musicians—sometimes also including Levi Seacer and Matt Fink.

While much of this activity was just jamming for fun, Prince was

unusually open to learn from those around him. Lisa, a wonderfully

talented keyboardist, brought a sophisticated arsenal of chordal

ideas. Wendy brought a Joni Mitchell-inspired melodic sense. Sheila

brought her rich variety of rhythms and Eric brought his background in

jazz and arranging. Their frequent jams casually brought these things

out. It’s also been well documented that Wendy, Lisa, and Eric were

exposing Prince to musics he was unfamiliar with by regularly turning

him onto albums by a wide variety of artists including Miles Davis and

Duke Ellington. In short, it was probably Prince’s most curious phase

of his evolution as a musician and thus he was the most open to

“outside” influences. On the other hand, most of the wealth of

material recorded during this phase remains officially unissued. So

the songs that Prince did choose to include on his albums were more

often those he had written himself.

After the film and soundtrack went on to garner huge profits and

incredible acclaim, all reports that I’ve read indicated that Prince

became more introverted and secluded during this time, almost as if he

was deliberately shying away from the spotlight even after he designed

Purple Rain to be the very thing to turn him into a superstar. In your

view, how did the success of the project alter Prince’s personality?

Additionally, how did it change the fabric of the Revolution?

LEEDS: I don’t think it changed Prince much ... maybe just exaggerated

who he already was. His increased seclusion was more a result of the

degree of his popularity/notoriety than any changes within himself.

Thanks to avid fans and media attention, it simply became more

complicated for him to appear in public. Trading his “freedom” for the

spotlight was a “deal with the devil” that he willingly made way

before Purple Rain.

As for his professional “personality”, Purple Rain doubtlessly

increased his self-confidence. While he always had decided what was

best for his career, NOW he KNEW what was best. All the skeptics who

thought a black wanna-be rock star with but a couple mild hit albums

under his belt could never succeed in the film world had to eat a lot

of crow.

The Purple Rain phenomenon may have ultimately had more of an effect

on the five core members of the Revolution than on Prince himself.

There were indications that they felt the significance of their unit

was more than that of simply Prince’s back-up band. Prince’s

post-Purple Rain quest to enlarge his band to include additional

musical elements and input put that theory quickly to rest. Without

speaking for anyone, I suspect there were some members of the

Revolution who would have preferred the band remain the same and

intact with a somewhat inflated sense of self-importance.

FINK: It became a little bit more business-oriented relationship , but

there was still socializing that took place. He wasn’t 100% divorced

from playing in the group at all.

During his time with the Revolution, a lot of people argue that this

was Prince’s most prolific and creative period. Of course, you were

there for those three major Revolution albums (four if you count

1999), so what do you feel the Revolution’s greatest challenges were,

and—conversely—what were its greatest successes were as a band?

FINK: Well, obviously the Purple Rain album was the most successful

and we got the most creative input on the record as far as some

co-writes and playing on the album. Around the World in a Day—I really

didn’t really participate in very much. That one was another one of

Prince going in and doing what he wanted to do away from the band

except for maybe a little bit of input from Wendy & Lisa on that

record. After that, same thing. Going forward from there, he really

had his own vision. By the time Sign ‘O’ the Times rolled around, I

was fortunate to have, again, a co-write on the song “It’s Gonna Be a

Beautiful Night”, but that was also primarily a Prince-induced song.

It was taken from my influence of musical jam much in the way that

“Computer Blue” was germinated. Lovesexy: another Prince production

all the way through.

So, as a band, you had less input over the years.

FINK: Yeah, but Wendy & Lisa, I’d say from Purple Rain through Parade,

were pretty integral to the session work on those records.

How would you describe your own relationship with the Time during that period?

FINK: Oh I was always good friends with those guys.

Jammed with ‘em?

FINK: A little bit. Not too much jamming, but just when we were on

tour with them, we were all good friends for the most part. Until the

big food fight

The food fight?

FINK: Oh yeah the food fight. The famous food fight at the end of the

1999 tour. We had a two-day food fight with them backstage,

off-and-on. A food-fight war, culminating in a full-bore cream pie

fight backstage. It was kind of fun.

I can imagine Jerome having one helluva arm for some reason.

FINK: It was pretty fun, actually. It turned into sort of a

competition. That’s gonna be coming out in a book someday.

A quick hit: what’s your favorite song from Purple Rain?

LEEDS: Maybe “Father’s Song” which wasn’t on the album. Seriously,

probably “Let’s Go Crazy”. Purple Rain was a brilliantly crafted album

of pop music but the songs didn’t lend themselves to much flexibility.

As a result the shows, except for the extended jams on “Baby I’m A

Star”, pretty much all seemed the same and the songs got “old” about

half way through the tour. For whatever reasons, songs on other Prince

albums seemed to better lend themselves to various interpretations so

arrangements could change from year to year and keep the songs fresh.

Purple Rain just is what it is—such a perfect album that nothing

should change and it’s almost difficult for me to separate the songs.

I honestly hear it more as an album, one solid piece of music with

nine different parts.

FINK: That’s really a tough one. That’s a tough question, and I’ve

been asked that before—I’d have to say I like “The Beautiful Ones”,

‘cos artistically it’s a really beautiful song, followed by “Darling

Nikki” maybe. Right in there.

So it’s kind of the sexual/soul duo though. The one that always gets

me is “Take Me With U” ‘cos that’s such a pure pop song.

FINK: I almost said that one. That’s what I mean: it’s really

difficult for me to pick those, to choose the tracks that are my

favorite. Those are my Top Three.

In rewatching Purple Rain, I find it surprising how many real-life

details were brought into the script, ranging from Morris Day and the

Time promising that they were going “to kill” the Kid performance-wise

on stage during a given night right to Wendy & Lisa arguing over the

Kid’s refusal to hear any of their songs. For someone as often

closed-off as Prince, why was he so ready and open to reveal some of

his less-pleasant mannerisms in a format as broad-reaching as a movie?

LEEDS: Perhaps naively, I think Prince felt that by altering some

aspects of the “Kid’s” biography from his own, he bought himself a

smokescreen for the traits that more accurately reflect the real

Prince. His “aversion” to interviews never hid the fact that his

meticulously devised media campaigns revealed an artist that very much

wanted fans to know and understand certain things about him as long as

he could maintain control over the flow of information. One can argue

that Prince was remarkably ahead of his time in recognizing the boom

in media attention that international cable television and the digital

age was going to thrust on the entertainment business. He understood

“branding” and what aspects of an image were most likely to retain

media’s attention. Along with Michael Jackson and just a bit later

Madonna, Prince helped create what has become a template for the

marketing and promotion of young celebrities.

The Revolution were around for three of Prince’s most important

albums, given full credit on the album covers (and partial-credit on

1999). In your opinion, why was bringing in a full backing band

important during this stage in Prince’s artistic development? Or to

put it another way: what did the Revolution allow Prince to do that he

wasn’t able to accomplish on his own before?

LEEDS: Coming from the world of James Brown where spontaneity in the

studio was paramount to his genius accomplishments, I personally

prefer music that embraces the rapport between an artist and his or

her collaborators and accompanists. Like jazz, most R&B music had

traditionally depended on this kind of musical interaction. Stevie

Wonder, and then Prince became the notable exceptions. Of course

without the advancements in studio technology and the development of

synthesized musical instruments, none of this would have been

feasible. Like Stevie, Prince uniquely combines the skill sets of

writer, producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist. Unlike Stevie,

Prince is actually more than good at every instrument he plays. So his

recording needs simply never depended on other musicians. That he

chose to record with various members of his bands said more about the

flavors and individual voices that Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Eric

Leeds and Sheila E. brought to the table. The caliber of musicianship

in his band grew during the Purple Rain period and I think it was

simply a case of Prince recognizing the elements that these musicians

could contribute to his palette.

Of course the very plot of Purple Rain required Prince to have a band

that was heavily involved. I suspect Prince wanted the “spirit” of

having certain songs recorded with the band for the film and album.

And for authenticity sake, he encouraged the band on tour to carry

themselves with the appearance and presence of their roles in the

film. The fact is that the band was never as close to a “democratic”

unit as the film hints at. Everyone in the Revolution deep down knew

they were “hired hands” and, as time has demonstrated, could all be

replaced with little hindrance to Prince’s box office appeal.

Looking back at your tenure during the Revolution, were there any

moments that stick out to you, especially during the Purple Rain era?

FINK: Well the process for getting ready for the film during the

summer of 1983 leading up to actual filming, we were basically in

“Boot Camp”—a disciplined regimen of dance class, acting class, and

band rehearsing throughout that whole summer for about three months

straight leading up to the start of the filming process. Prince had an

acting coach brought in, a dance instructor brought in—it was just day

after day filled with all those elements taking place six days a week.

I think we usually had Sunday off, sometimes Saturday. For the most

part it was a standard work week, morning ‘til early evening filled

with all that stuff.

Exhausting slightly.

FINK: Not too bad. I didn’t find it to be exhausting. Actually, I

really thrived on that because it brought back my days of studying

with the Children’s Theatre again when I was studying dance and

acting, so it was kind of fun to get back into it again, and, also,

you know, sharpen up my old skills which had fallen by the wayside.

I was watching the film the other night, and there were the scenes

where the band was arguing over their input on the songs. I can only

imagine how many portions of that were taken directly from real life

experiences …

FINK: None of that was really true to life—and if it was, nobody

voiced those sorts of thoughts to Prince Even if they maybe thought

them inside, no one ever in real life would say something like that

because the reality is that this was his career, and we were just

allowed to fortunately be along for the ride as his sidemen. In 1978

he was signed to Warner Bros. as a solo artist—he had no band, and

much like a Madonna or someone doing that sort of thing, they had to

hire a backup band. Now with Madonna, her main collaborator was

Patrick Leonard in the early days, her keyboardist, and he co-wrote a

lot of material but the rest of the band members didn’t—they were just

there to play. They were touring musicians in that sense. Fortunately

for us, we were at first brought in as strictly sidemen—touring/live

players—and then allowed to be brought in on the creative process as

well, which was really nice of him to do that. He didn’t have to do

that, really. He could’ve had his pick of just about any great sidemen

that were around out in L.A. or New York. He could’ve hired people out

of town but he choose to go with primarily Minneapolis people to begin

with, and then later he brought in Wendy & Lisa who were based out of

Los Angeles.

You were also there during the time that he made the transition from

the Revolution to right before he formed the New Power Generation.

FINK: Exactly yes. Then he incorporated a lot of Shelia E.’s people

into the NPG and the Sign ‘O’ the Times/Lovesexy-era, and then by

1990, he had brought in Michael Bland on drums and Rosie Gaines on

keyboards and vocals by then.

Was there a different vibe that you felt with the NPG in contrast to

the Revolution?

FINK: Whole different vibe. Completely different.

Good different or bad different?

FINK: All good, for the most part. Some of the newer people that were

involved were a little green and were making some demands that maybe

weren’t all that realistic. They wanted star treatment when they

really hadn’t paid their dues yet. That kind of stuff: there were just

some people who hadn’t paid their dues and were asking for certain

things and they were coming to me as the “senior member” to go to

management to ask for favors or ask for special things to come along

their way. I said “You know, that’s really not my place guys: I think

you should address that yourselves”—and I’m not naming names!

Unless it’s Tony M. That’s the only exception.

FINK:

Alan, how would you equate the Revolution to the New Power Generation

later on? Are they even comparable?

LEEDS: For my personal taste, the most exciting Prince bands were the

expanded Revolution on the European Parade tour and the band with

Sheila E. on drums for the Sign ‘O’ the Times tour. Sonny Thompson and

Michael Bland may have, in some ways, been Prince’s best ever rhythm

section simply because they play so extremely well together. But I

never felt the music recorded during the NPG era was as interesting as

the 1980’s albums. Unfortunately, the format of Prince’s heavily

produced tours, and even his increasingly predictable after-shows,

didn’t consistently afford the band members much opportunity to

display all their abilities. It was, after all, Prince’s show. But I

never felt he got everything he could have out of players with such

diverse vocabularies as Sheila and Eric.

For you, what was the hardest part of managing Prince and co. during

the Purple Rain era?

LEEDS: It wasn’t hard. I had youth, compassion and commitment on my

side, all of which easily overcame any adversity. In retrospect, the

only difficult aspect was finding time to rest.

Finally, taking your whole career into consideration, so far, what has

been your biggest regret, and—conversely—what’s been your proudest

accomplishment?

FINK: I have a few regrets about leaving Prince after working with him

for 12 years. It was a very difficult decision for me at the time.

Do you mind if I ask why did you?

FINK: Well, it’s a bit personal. So I can’t really get into that. I

mean, I parted in good company with Prince. Regardless of that, I was

looking to get into other things at that time and stay off the road. I

was in 12 years of a lot of travel and touring …

It takes its toll.

FINK: Yeah, and I was kind of looking to get married and have kids and

all that stuff. I had met somebody: the woman who I’m married to now

and have a family with. I really wanted to stay off the road and raise

my family and not miss out on being there for my kids—so that was part

of the reason. Later on down the road, 10 years after leaving Prince

and then reconnecting with him again, expressed my interest in working

with him again, but he really did not seem to care about that at that

time and did not really want to go there. Other members of the

Revolution have also tried to see if he’d be interested in a reunion

of sorts—and not necessarily usurp his current band members, but just

to do a separate side-project or possible live dates with the

Revolution or a side-album as a reunion effort—but so far, with

several of those offers being made to him by each band member, he’s

those them down, pretty much—or totally—since about 2000 and then

other points during this current decade. There’s been overtures made

to him. So, that I regret. I have some regrets about that and wish

that he would work with us again in some capacity, because the desire

is there on the part of the band members. Also there’s a few regrets

about leaving maybe too soon, maybe not. I don’t know. Over the years

I thought “Oh, maybe I should’ve stayed on longer”, so I don’t know.

I’ve had some of those thoughts, but I don’t use sleep over them.

And you, Alan?

LEEDS: Biggest regret is not having followed D’Angelo’s ground

breaking 2000 Voodoo tour with a follow-up show. The table was set for

what easily could have been for this decade what James Brown was for

the 1960s and Prince was for the 1980s. Coitus interuptus is never

fun.

Proudest accomplishment is having played however modest a role in

spreading these artist’s wonderful music around the globe—from the

smiles tour shows put on fans faces to, in more recent years, the CD

reissues I have been fortunate enough to be involved in producing.

As you can see, when it comes to the Revolution, there’s still quite a

bit to talk about all these years later

These guys tell the same story in increasingly complicated syrupy language every 5 years or so. I wish other people would talk more to the press, because a lot of what they say is becoming fact for some FAMS, when in reality they had limited knowledge of many things. On the plus side, they really big up Prince in these interviews.

funksterr said:

These guys tell the same story in increasingly complicated syrupy language every 5 years or so. I wish other people would talk more to the press, because a lot of what they say is becoming fact for some FAMS, when in reality they had limited knowledge of many things. On the plus side, they really big up Prince in these interviews.

Limited knowledge of WHAT?

Alan Leeds and Matt were around for a lot of the Revolution daze. Matt from the get go- them Alan for a long ass time. Don't forget that dude was with James Brown and knows his sh!t when it comes to music... and I suspect... ego.

Who is you imagine talking that would reveal new info?

Plus this interview has been a round for a while.

It is the same old stuff because it IS the same old stuff.

It started out softshoe, but Fink came through.

Prince could really benefit from doing another Revolution project. I think that the NPG is composed of very talented musicians, but they don't have that same *organic* quality that he had with the Rev. NPG sound like they're being paid and whatever the boss says is what happens even if it might not be the best thing for him. In my opinion, that's more of a commment on Prince's control freak tendencies than anything else. It comes off as if NPG's entire reason for existence is to prove that Prince doesn't need anyone and can do it no matter who is in the band.

Life is too short, Prince. Don't do it for the fans. Do it for yourself.

[Edited 2/12/11 15:09pm]

9037355 said:

During their creative and commercial peak in 1984/5, there was no band

alive that was bigger—or better—than Prince’s touring ensemble, known

simply as “the Revolution”.

Etc....

If you are going to cut and paste someone else's work, at least show the courtesy of giving credit:

This is an article written by PopMatters Interview Editor, Evan Sawdey, published on the PopMatters website.

Here it is from June 2009, complete with the first line of the piece:

http://www.popmatters.com...evolution/

Zannaloaf said:

funksterr said:

These guys tell the same story in increasingly complicated syrupy language every 5 years or so. I wish other people would talk more to the press, because a lot of what they say is becoming fact for some FAMS, when in reality they had limited knowledge of many things. On the plus side, they really big up Prince in these interviews.

Limited knowledge of WHAT?

Alan Leeds and Matt were around for a lot of the Revolution daze. Matt from the get go- them Alan for a long ass time. Don't forget that dude was with James Brown and knows his sh!t when it comes to music... and I suspect... ego.

Who is you imagine talking that would reveal new info?

Plus this interview has been a round for a while.

It is the same old stuff because it IS the same old stuff.

That is exactly what he wants you to think. That's why he choses his words carefully and lays on the hyperbole extra thick. He constantly references Duke Ellington and Miles Davis, to try and make the average person thinks he's on some kind of next level when he's not. As though you are eavesdropping on some deep azz conversation, but it's all bs. He wants to be seen as the powerbroker behind the scenes when he really was the guy that made reservations at the hotel. He wasn't making moves. Oh and I'm an idiot for thinking this interview was recent.

funksterr said:

Zannaloaf said:

Limited knowledge of WHAT?

Alan Leeds and Matt were around for a lot of the Revolution daze. Matt from the get go- them Alan for a long ass time. Don't forget that dude was with James Brown and knows his sh!t when it comes to music... and I suspect... ego.

Who is you imagine talking that would reveal new info?

Plus this interview has been a round for a while.

It is the same old stuff because it IS the same old stuff.

That is exactly what he wants you to think. That's why he choses his words carefully and lays on the hyperbole extra thick. He constantly references Duke Ellington and Miles Davis, to try and make the average person thinks he's on some kind of next level when he's not. As though you are eavesdropping on some deep azz conversation, but it's all bs. He wants to be seen as the powerbroker behind the scenes when he really was the guy that made reservations at the hotel. He wasn't making moves. Oh and I'm an idiot for thinking this interview was recent.

Hm...wel I talked to Alan a bit here and there at various events at PP and at a D'Angelo show..and I never got that impression. He has a vast wealth of musical knowledge. He loves music and it shows. He didn't talk that much about Prince either (I was talking JB primarily - tho we did talk Princes latest output at the time...and we both agreed...lol). I also knew people who worked at PP in the late 80s and early 90s and no one knocks what any of these guys have said. It seems like a lot of what goes on is the same story different decade.

Zannaloaf said:

funksterr said:

That is exactly what he wants you to think. That's why he choses his words carefully and lays on the hyperbole extra thick. He constantly references Duke Ellington and Miles Davis, to try and make the average person thinks he's on some kind of next level when he's not. As though you are eavesdropping on some deep azz conversation, but it's all bs. He wants to be seen as the powerbroker behind the scenes when he really was the guy that made reservations at the hotel. He wasn't making moves. Oh and I'm an idiot for thinking this interview was recent.

Hm...wel I talked to Alan a bit here and there at various events at PP and at a D'Angelo show..and I never got that impression. He has a vast wealth of musical knowledge. He loves music and it shows. He didn't talk that much about Prince either (I was talking JB primarily - tho we did talk Princes latest output at the time...and we both agreed...lol). I also knew people who worked at PP in the late 80s and early 90s and no one knocks what any of these guys have said. It seems like a lot of what goes on is the same story different decade.

He's a salesman who knows how to play the game. But he doesn't know everything. And some of his conclusions are simply wrong. He may not have bad intentions, but he is the primary source on so many of these Prince biographies and his perspective, which is limited, is now becoming fact for most people.

funksterr said:

Zannaloaf said:

Hm...wel I talked to Alan a bit here and there at various events at PP and at a D'Angelo show..and I never got that impression. He has a vast wealth of musical knowledge. He loves music and it shows. He didn't talk that much about Prince either (I was talking JB primarily - tho we did talk Princes latest output at the time...and we both agreed...lol). I also knew people who worked at PP in the late 80s and early 90s and no one knocks what any of these guys have said. It seems like a lot of what goes on is the same story different decade.

He's a salesman who knows how to play the game. But he doesn't know everything. And some of his conclusions are simply wrong. He may not have bad intentions, but he is the primary source on so many of these Prince biographies and his perspective, which is limited, is now becoming fact for most people.

No one knows EVERYthing. Jeez did he bite your dog or something?

What conclusions?

langebleu said:

9037355 said:

During their creative and commercial peak in 1984/5, there was no band

alive that was bigger—or better—than Prince’s touring ensemble, known

simply as “the Revolution”.

Etc....

If you are going to cut and paste someone else's work, at least show the courtesy of giving credit:

This is an article written by PopMatters Interview Editor, Evan Sawdey, published on the PopMatters website.

Here it is from June 2009, complete with the first line of the piece:

http://www.popmatters.com...evolution/

If and if and if and if

your attitude is stiff

....oh well

this texture was sent to me by Jamie ★R some years ago.

Jamie did not include the actual writer, so I never had a clue.

However, now that you so 'kindly' have informed us....let's credit:

The article is written by Evan Sawdey

Lisa Coleman is very straight forward when it comes to information. She say 'only Prince' did this and will say who else contributed that she knows of.

Some songs Prince actually had a full band recording, but the band didn't record the song 'together' Brownmark & Bobby Z might come in on drums and bass, then later Dr Fink on synth, Lisa & Wendy, Eric & Susannah etc etc

I have a recorded interview with Lisa & Wendy and she talks about the recording of the Purple Rain album and how it developed. That was largely a full band project. With everyone contributing lyrics sounds instrumentation etc

the Dream Factory music was even more so, which say a lot about the mass production of music

I agree with Alan that the 'extended' Revolution was one of the best. To be honest the extended Revolution started on the Purple Rain tour: because Eric Leeds & Mico & Sheila E and band jammed with the Revolution regularly. And from there the ATWIAD album music even though the majority of writing consisted of Prince Lisa Coleman & Wendy that album was a Prince Camp album featuring David Coleman Taj Sevelle Jill Jones Eddie M Sheila E the Revolution etc etc and from there it kept expanding.

I think the Revolution break was probably one of the top 5 worst decisions Prince has made for his career.

Once that break happend, the music output dropped because no one else had the writting chemistry Prince had with Lisa & Wendy. And he's had that with Lisa since she came into the band in 1980. We also had a drop in protege music because the 'vision' focus changed Sheila E Jill Jones Madhouse, none of was really put out there to keep his 'purple' influence

Susan Rogers had one of the best engineering relations with Prince and she left during 1987

I'd like to hear more from her

2002 "Susan Rogers, for the record, doesn't know anything about my music. Not one thing. The only person who knows anything about my music (pause for pointed effect).... is me." Prince talks about Susan Rogers

2006 "Yes, Prince is correct on this, but only in one sense. In another sense, namely the experience of listening to music created by another, Prince knows his music the least. Because creating music and consuming music are two distinct processes." Susan Roger's response about Prince saying she doesn't know anything about his music)

Susan Rogers: We talk in music production class about the three crowns a musician or
band can earn - the popular crown (slips off the minute you think you'll
wear it for life), the critical crown (as heavy as the head that wears
it), and the peer crown - maybe the most secretly coveted because it's the
only one that has the potential to stay put.

Wendy & Lisa have been wearing this third crown since the beginning of
their careers. I haven't known a musician who, upon getting to know their
work, hasn't stood humbled or at least astonished. I've seen jaws drop a
couple of times. Their work is more than craft - the assemblage of parts
or maneuvers - it incorporates the genius of reinvention and original
thought. This is music that is best appreciated with a level of knowledge
but getting to know it is like learning about sculpture or painting.
Visits to the art museum become not just pleasurable but necessary for
re-inspiration. Someone without an art education might look and say, "my
kid could draw that." An artist would reply, "yes, but when Jackson
Pollack drew it, it stayed drawn."

Wendy & Lisa's music is deceptively simple in this way. They push the bell
curve forward by making music that musicians take inspiration from and
listeners cherish. I'm so happy to have a new Wendy & Lisa album to visit
and to hear life (our lives, not just theirs) interpreted musically as
only they do.

OldFriends4Sale said:

2002 "Susan Rogers, for the record, doesn't know anything about my music. Not one thing. The only person who knows anything about my music (pause for pointed effect).... is me." Prince talks about Susan Rogers

2006 "Yes, Prince is correct on this, but only in one sense. In another sense, namely the experience of listening to music created by another, Prince knows his music the least. Because creating music and consuming music are two distinct processes." Susan Roger's response about Prince saying she doesn't know anything about his music)

I loved Susan's reply to this. Not only was it factual and succinct, it was classy and completely side-stepped Prince's, all to frequent, cattiness.

NouveauDance said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

2002 "Susan Rogers, for the record, doesn't know anything about my music. Not one thing. The only person who knows anything about my music (pause for pointed effect).... is me." Prince talks about Susan Rogers

2006 "Yes, Prince is correct on this, but only in one sense. In another sense, namely the experience of listening to music created by another, Prince knows his music the least. Because creating music and consuming music are two distinct processes." Susan Roger's response about Prince saying she doesn't know anything about his music)

I loved Susan's reply to this. Not only was it factual and succinct, it was classy and completely side-stepped Prince's, all to frequent, cattiness.

NouveauDance said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

2002 "Susan Rogers, for the record, doesn't know anything about my music. Not one thing. The only person who knows anything about my music (pause for pointed effect).... is me." Prince talks about Susan Rogers

2006 "Yes, Prince is correct on this, but only in one sense. In another sense, namely the experience of listening to music created by another, Prince knows his music the least. Because creating music and consuming music are two distinct processes." Susan Roger's response about Prince saying she doesn't know anything about his music)

I loved Susan's reply to this. Not only was it factual and succinct, it was classy and completely side-stepped Prince's, all to frequent, cattiness.

She's sharp. This woman saw and heard things I could only dream about. She heard music that hasn't even been leaked from the Vault yet.

She was his most faithful engineer and during the most creative period of Prince's career, she officially left Blue Tuesday 12.1.1987... Prince was just responding out of bitterness

...

At about 1:30am ...
At about the same time that night, Susan Rogers also got a phone call from Prince, asking her to come to Paisley Park. After four years as Prince's engineer, she had resigned that post shortly after the completion of the Black Album i October 1987. But she agreed to go to the studio. Arriving in the rehearsal room, she found it dark, save for a few red candles that cast ominous shadows across the walls. Out of the gloom she heard a woman's voice.

"Are you looking for Prince?"
Rogers, who would later learn this was Chavez, answered, "Yes."
"Well, he's here somewhere," Chavez replied.
Abruptly, Prince emerged out of the darkness, looking unlike she had ever seen him before. "I'm certain he was high," Rogers said. "His pupils were really dilated. He looked like he was tripping."
As he had with Krattinger, Prince struggled to connect emotionally with Rogers. "I just want to know one thing. Do you still love me?" Rogers, startled, said she did, and that she knew he loved her.
"Will you stay?" Prince asked.
"No, I won't," she said, and left the complex.
"It was really scary," she recalled of the evening.

OldFriends4Sale said:

NouveauDance said:

I loved Susan's reply to this. Not only was it factual and succinct, it was classy and completely side-stepped Prince's, all to frequent, cattiness.

She's sharp. This woman saw and heard things I could only dream about. She heard music that hasn't even been leaked from the Vault yet.

She was his most faithful engineer and during the most creative period of Prince's career, she officially left Blue Tuesday 12.1.1987... Prince was just responding out of bitterness

...

At about 1:30am ...
At about the same time that night, Susan Rogers also got a phone call from Prince, asking her to come to Paisley Park. After four years as Prince's engineer, she had resigned that post shortly after the completion of the Black Album i October 1987. But she agreed to go to the studio. Arriving in the rehearsal room, she found it dark, save for a few red candles that cast ominous shadows across the walls. Out of the gloom she heard a woman's voice.

"Are you looking for Prince?"
Rogers, who would later learn this was Chavez, answered, "Yes."
"Well, he's here somewhere," Chavez replied.
Abruptly, Prince emerged out of the darkness, looking unlike she had ever seen him before. "I'm certain he was high," Rogers said. "His pupils were really dilated. He looked like he was tripping."
As he had with Krattinger, Prince struggled to connect emotionally with Rogers. "I just want to know one thing. Do you still love me?" Rogers, startled, said she did, and that she knew he loved her.
"Will you stay?" Prince asked.
"No, I won't," she said, and left the complex.
"It was really scary," she recalled of the evening.

Just finished reading "Possessed"- I'm still digesting all of it. It's sobering as well as depressing on many levels how awful some of the history is of this mans decisions and treatment of others. I love Prince's music & art- can't say the same for his character. He has a massive wake of bad in his path that haunts him to this day as far as his career goes...

dantronix said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

She's sharp. This woman saw and heard things I could only dream about. She heard music that hasn't even been leaked from the Vault yet.

She was his most faithful engineer and during the most creative period of Prince's career, she officially left Blue Tuesday 12.1.1987... Prince was just responding out of bitterness

...

At about 1:30am ...
At about the same time that night, Susan Rogers also got a phone call from Prince, asking her to come to Paisley Park. After four years as Prince's engineer, she had resigned that post shortly after the completion of the Black Album i October 1987. But she agreed to go to the studio. Arriving in the rehearsal room, she found it dark, save for a few red candles that cast ominous shadows across the walls. Out of the gloom she heard a woman's voice.

"Are you looking for Prince?"
Rogers, who would later learn this was Chavez, answered, "Yes."
"Well, he's here somewhere," Chavez replied.
Abruptly, Prince emerged out of the darkness, looking unlike she had ever seen him before. "I'm certain he was high," Rogers said. "His pupils were really dilated. He looked like he was tripping."
As he had with Krattinger, Prince struggled to connect emotionally with Rogers. "I just want to know one thing. Do you still love me?" Rogers, startled, said she did, and that she knew he loved her.
"Will you stay?" Prince asked.
"No, I won't," she said, and left the complex.
"It was really scary," she recalled of the evening.

Just finished reading "Possessed"- I'm still digesting all of it. It's sobering as well as depressing on many levels how awful some of the history is of this mans decisions and treatment of others. I love Prince's music & art- can't say the same for his character. He has a massive wake of bad in his path that haunts him to this day as far as his career goes...

P.S.- Everyone and anyone who is interested in Prince, I can't say enough about the book "Possessed", it's a real barn burner...

dantronix said:

JCinNYC2003 said:

This stuff is fascinating to me as a social worker. I'm very curious about the stories behind creative people....is this book easy to find? Amazon, B&N, etc?

Easy as pie: http://www.amazon.com/Pos...823077497/

NouveauDance said:

JCinNYC2003 said:

This stuff is fascinating to me as a social worker. I'm very curious about the stories behind creative people....is this book easy to find? Amazon, B&N, etc?

Easy as pie: http://www.amazon.com/Pos...823077497/

Thanks!! Looking forward to reading it

this post flat out blows. The facts arent even straight.

purplenuts said:

this post flat out blows. The facts arent even straight.

Care to correct the inaccuracies?

OldFriends4Sale said:

2002 "Susan Rogers, for the record, doesn't know anything about my music. Not one thing. The only person who knows anything about my music (pause for pointed effect).... is me." Prince talks about Susan Rogers

2006 "Yes, Prince is correct on this, but only in one sense. In another sense, namely the experience of listening to music created by another, Prince knows his music the least. Because creating music and consuming music are two distinct processes." Susan Roger's response about Prince saying she doesn't know anything about his music)

This is where Prince doesn't understand anything beyond his skin. If you are in the room with a chef, you are going to learn about how the chef cooks. If you are the painter's assistant, you'll see how they blend colors and hide mistakes. If you are in the room with Prince while he is recording, you'll see his mood, his urgency, his anger, his peace, his joy, his talent, how he hides his mistakes, how he changes lyrics, how he dances, how he builds the song from scratch into something eternal. To say that his engineers don't know 'one thing' about his music is just plain dumb. You don't spend years sitting with someone and not learn 'one thing'. You just don't. I hope that one day Prince gets his head out of his ass and understands that there is a support team around him that enables him to do what he does, and they learn what he needs/wants/demands so that he can continue to make the music he does. If she didn't know anything about his music, he would have fired her after a very short period when she wasn't able to supply what he needed.

Susan's era with Prince rocked.

phonzarelli said:

purplenuts said:

this post flat out blows. The facts arent even straight.

Care to correct the inaccuracies?

madhouseman said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

2002 "Susan Rogers, for the record, doesn't know anything about my music. Not one thing. The only person who knows anything about my music (pause for pointed effect).... is me." Prince talks about Susan Rogers

2006 "Yes, Prince is correct on this, but only in one sense. In another sense, namely the experience of listening to music created by another, Prince knows his music the least. Because creating music and consuming music are two distinct processes." Susan Roger's response about Prince saying she doesn't know anything about his music)

This is where Prince doesn't understand anything beyond his skin. If you are in the room with a chef, you are going to learn about how the chef cooks. If you are the painter's assistant, you'll see how they blend colors and hide mistakes. If you are in the room with Prince while he is recording, you'll see his mood, his urgency, his anger, his peace, his joy, his talent, how he hides his mistakes, how he changes lyrics, how he dances, how he builds the song from scratch into something eternal. To say that his engineers don't know 'one thing' about his music is just plain dumb. You don't spend years sitting with someone and not learn 'one thing'. You just don't. I hope that one day Prince gets his head out of his ass and understands that there is a support team around him that enables him to do what he does, and they learn what he needs/wants/demands so that he can continue to make the music he does. If she didn't know anything about his music, he would have fired her after a very short period when she wasn't able to supply what he needed.

Susan's era with Prince rocked.

Yes indeed, Susan Rogers rocked!

Wow, how did I miss this thread? An awesome read...expecially the stuff on Susan Rogers.

"Within the 1st 45seconds I knew he was beyond gifted My 1st
impression was that it was genius at work He played the piano like
no one I had ever seen It sounded like he had 4 hands; he was just
playing chords and filing out more chordal information on the piano
than I've ever heard. It was the first time I think I'd seen anyone
who could really really compose without trying. He was very
mysterious and very quiet. I knew from the 1st second that this
person was worth dedicating my entire career to." -Bobby Z 1976