I've heard that they have some sort of beef going on - apparently once was playing Emancipation at an award ceremony, they cut to a shot of Jay Kay and he had this really sour expression. Has either ever acknowledged the other? There's a definite influence that can be heard in tracks like The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, Dear Mr. Man, and Do U Lie. Dear Mr. Man particularly - if you told me it was written by Jay Kay, I wouldn't have questioned it for a second.

nonsense, the awars were the BPI awards in the UK ['96?], Jay looked as if he was well into the performance.

MrSquiggle said:

Jay Kay, not a patch on Prince, don't think there is any issues. As for influence, possibly on Musicology but not a chance for anything in the early days

Jay Kay is just an arrogant twat who's made a handful of half decent songs.
Majority of the crap he's made is just fluffy, uninspiring, background jazz funk that all sound
pretty much the same.

Best thing I've ever seen of Jay Kay is when he came out of a club and took offence to some tabloid papparazzi taking pictures, he went straight for the smallest cameraman and started acting all hard, only for the cameraman to give him the best headbutt ever caught on film.

I doubt Prince even knows the guy exists.
(Apologies to any Jamiroquai fans, just my opinion u understand)

javed said:

No way. If I'm thinking of the same performance you are, then one of us is wrong! From what I remember, Jay looks bored stiff, almost arrogantly during the performance. He just sits there blowing smoke. I was a hige Jamiroquai fan before I even got into Prince. Their last two albums have been OK, but slightly dissapointing. Their first 3 albums are classic funk albums.

MrSquiggle said:

And that's it? One cut away shot amounts to a beef?


To the best of my knowledge. Prince has never referred to Jamiroquai in any interview.

As for Jamiroquai Prince is not listed as ever being mentioned as a significant influence by band members here:

http://funkin.com/faq/?section=music#18

but perhaps Prince has been cited along the way?


'The Ballad of Dorothy Parker' and 'Do U Lie?' were both recorded in 1986 at the latest, whilst the band, Jamiroquai, were founded 6 years later!!
.
[This message was edited Fri Jul 2 4:25:30 2004 by langebleu]

toejam said:

I know I'm in the minority,but I think Jamiroquai's last two albums are superior to their first three albums (which are considered classics among Jamiroquai fans).2001's 'A Funk Odyssey' is the best CD that I've heard in this decade so far (by any artist).But anyway,I started a Jamiroquai thread in the 'Music:Non Prince" forum,so get your asses over there!

langebleu said:

I mean that the two of them influenced each other.

Jay Kay and Jamiroquai and influence on Prince?

Don't know where you're from, but NOT IN THIS UNIVERSE.

mrdespues said:

I'm sure Prince would be down with 'em. And you've gotta admit that Dear Mr. Man sounds exactly their style.

MrSquiggle said:

I don't gotta and I won't.

It sounds nothing like Jamiroquai. I think you're really reaching, dude.

mrdespues said:

Why doesn't it sound like them? Political but not over-the-top lyrics ala Virtual Insanity and Too Young To Die, similar vocal stylings, same sorta blissful electric piano intro, horn licks, bassline. Okay, Jamiroquai would never use a biblical reference, but still.

MrSquiggle said:

Okay.

Dear Mr Man, although I think it is one of Prince's weaker songs, is leagues beyond anything that Jamiroquai have done. Jamiroquai would have that dickhead singer over-singing all over it until your eardrums packed up and left your head. Or something.

Dear Mr Man's funk is SUBDUED, soulful and TASTEFUL, something which Jamiroquai doesn't know how to do with their blase Stevie Wonder ripoffs. On top of that, Prince has Maceo, Jay Kay doesn't. If it were a Jamiroquai song, it would have OTT strings all over it and Jay Kay would be wanking on about the environment and his love and respect as an English boy for the Iroquai Native Americans. In short, Prince's song is good, Jamiroquai suck and can't touch Prince's sound even if they wanted to.

Nikeze said:

you understate my sentiments here. there ain't even a handful of songs, imo.
i'll leave it at that, and hold off on going off on that twat, OOHH BUT IT AIN'T EASY!!

Oh boy i can`t stand this guy. His singing is just awful - it hurts my ears.
So funny people compare him to Stevie Wonder for example.
But yeah, i understand why people like him. Sure, some songs had a nice groove. But that`s about it.
Somebody said that Prince hasn`t any idea who he is. I liked that, and it`s probbably true. You cannot tell me you honestly believe JayKay influenced any - (any!) Prince song. Now don`t.
[This message was edited Sat Jul 3 8:20:51 2004 by TonyWilliams]

mrdespues said:

Y'all are too hard on Jamiroquai. They've had 2 really, really good albums (Emergency on Planet Earth and Return of the Space Cowboy), and three albums with some good tracks but not as impressive on the whole (Travelling Without Moving, Synkronized, and A Funk Odyssey). They're not a funk band. They're more disco/r&B than pure soul, but they're good in their own right.

So what if they sound like Stevie Wonder or EWF or other bands? I don't elevate them to that level, so it doesn't matter to me. Their music is listenable, and Jay Kay can write some good songs.

If neither Prince nor Jamiroquai acknowledge each other, so be it. But Jamiroquai is one of my favorite bands of the last 10 years or so.

fave tracks include:

Too Young To Die
Blow Your Mind
Return of the Space Cowboy
Stillness In Time
Manifest Destiny
Light Years
Morning Glory
Alright
Do You Know Where You're Coming From
Butterfly
Picture of My Life


[This message was edited Fri Jul 2 10:12:40 2004 by namepeace]

Jamiroquai is sexy!!

I remember when my cousin thought Jamiroquai was Prince. Weirdo!

MrSquiggle said:

C'mon pleez
Prince has probaly never heard of them

I'll never understand the Stevie Wonder comparisons.

Jamiroquai is cool -- but I don't understand the comparisons to Prince. Jamiroquai's music is basically focused at paying homage to 70s disco with a touch of reggae thrown in here and there. I like "A Funk Odyssey" a lot, but I don't think I could compare it to a Prince album in any way.

Prince and Jamiroquai should never appear in the same sentence. There's no connection other than they're short musicians. (My brother did think Jamiroquai was Prince though )
Prince and Jamrioquai both make music DISTINCTLY different from Stevie Wonder's so the comparisons there are ludicrous.

Having said that I like some of Jamiroquai's music and I pull out that cd with Virtual Insanity on it from time to time and I always enjoy it. That didgeredoo (I know I butchered that word) does wear on me after a while but it's still a very good album.

I think we scared MrSquiggle off his own thread!

namepeace said:

Exactly! But they are a funk(y) band in a broader sense: pop/funk/disco/r&b/jazz/soul/classical/psychedelic/avant garde/latin...
bits and pieces it's all in their music you know.



Same here, Jamiroquai is a tight band and Jay Kay has written some really cool songs.
I really like funky bands from England like Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Young Disciples, Jhelissa
and stuff like that. Much better than most of that american rap crap/hiphop/whateva 'soul' crap on Mtv!

Just my

mrdespues said:

Yeah.

I don't think there is an influence on Prince, but perhaps the other way? Don't really see it though.

As for Jamiroquai, I liked the first album. That is a cool, funky piece of work and sounds just as great today. Nice instrumentation and very tightly played - this cannot be refuted, like or dislike the music.

After that? Going through the motions, some truly bland and uninspired disco/funk-lite tracks.

Not really much of a comparison here. No real influence either way.

I remember watching this preformance and I think JKay was enjoying the show, watching the master in action???? Can't see how any other conclusion cou be drawn from the images?

PaisleyPark said:

I feel ya. Funk purists, and I don't call myself one, have vehemently disagreed in the Non-Prince Music form.



Same here, Jamiroquai is a tight band and Jay Kay has written some really cool songs.
I really like funky bands from England like Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Young Disciples, Jhelissa
and stuff like that. Much better than most of that american rap crap/hiphop/whateva 'soul' crap on Mtv!

Just my [/quote]

I like J-quai, BNH, and other newer soul acts. I agree with fauxnewbie that the Prince comparisons are just not warranted.

MrSquiggle said:

DUMB THREAD!!!!!