Just 'cos you know I love to type, here's the accompanying text from the Q Magazine's 100 Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Photographs Ever. Besides, I think the text is more interesting than the pic itself...

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Prince
Andy Earl

[Hotel du Paris, Monte Carlo, 1996]

For 12 years, all photos of Prince had been reigidly supervised by his own Paisley Park corporation. But in 1996, after he'd changed his name to , and encouraged by his PR, he agreed to a magazine photo shoot. Q (alongside Germany's "Max") was the lucky recipient. Or so it thought.

Andy Earl: "We arrived on Sunday, were due to shoot on Monday, and eventually got the shot on Friday. He kept changing his mind about when to do it - mind games, relaly. On Thursday night he did a little impromptu gig for Prince Albert. He came offstage at 4am, not a bead of sweat on him, and said, I'm ready. I replied, You may be, mate, but I'm not!

agreed to Friday, 5pm, on the hotel roof. At six, a live satellite link was to follow. "Five minutes past six, he turns up. I went over to say hello, and tripped over one of the cables, and my light went flying and smashed!"

For the cover shot, Earl chose a pose with Prince's hand out in front. "Rather than having him look too iconographic and stand-offish, I wanted him to draw you into the picture, as if he's trying to greet you, so there's a physical response to it. From a magazine point of view, he's coming out the page."

The shot was taken on the balcony, overlooking the sea. "There's a very powerful look from him, really concentrated, like he's looking straight through the lens. As it happens, I had another flash there, but as I shot him, the sun came out and caught his eye. He could see me flinch, at which point I said, You're taking the piss, or words to that effect, just to get some eye contact with him. He looked up and said, And you just got your shot. The sun provided beautiful colouring; the picture is very golden. A flash would have made it too harsh, so perhaps it was Prince's divine intervention!"

The session lasted three minutes, and Earl got 13 shots. One was of the band, and that was that. But " returned, shook my hand and said, Thanks, I enjoyed that, and left." MA

For more information go to www.andyearl.com