Having listened to 3121 for the first time over the weekend I find myself thinking back to several comments made by Prince and/or band members about the need to teach the kids about real music played by real musicians. The first instance I can recall was Michael Bland speaking on behalf of the NPG and Tora Tora on the Sunday Show interview at Wembley in 1995 and then subsequently on the BBC2 TV special for NPS etc. and so on.

Certainly part of the concept of Musicology tour was to help to promote the teaching of children the art of playing instruments [before music becomes totally computerised].

Now Musicology, the album, did go part way down this path [although it was a backward step from recent albums such as TRC] but we were still left with computerised linn drums and synthetic hornz on several tracks but for the most part it had a live feel to it. Nevertheless it did leave me feeling it was a little hypocritical to say we must “teach the kids about REAL music” and not back this up with an album played by real musicians with no programmed computerised elements.

Now, two years hence, with the release of 3121 Prince seems to have turned-face again with a predominately electronic sounding album. Does this mean the kids no longer need teaching? No. So why the change?

IMO I considered it a noble act that, in the face of so much popular music today, Prince was going to promote real music played by real musicians, regardless of chart positions, because it was something he believed in.
[Edited 3/13/06 5:50am]

if Prince even has real drums on only one track on the album
and the rest is completely computer driven songs, he will do
an interview and still insist that people should

"listen to 'get on the boat' and hear what real musicians
sound like"

There are a lot of real instruments on 3121. Even Lolita has real drums.

I guess he was talking about concerts. Liveconcerts today is not always "live". I don`t care if he use live drums or linn drums as long as it sounds exiting. The problem with Rave and Emanctipation was the production and the boring drumsounds. The songs I have heard from 3121 (3121, Lolita, Word, Love, BS) sounds promising. People are raving about Rainbow children and Gold experience because of the real drums and so. The most important for me is exiting music and that has been lacking on the most of his records the last 10-15 years including RC and TGE. But when he comes up with stuff like 3121 (the title track) I`m with him again.

3121 is very much a musicians album. Just because there may be a bit of drum programming on a few trax doesn’t make it something anyone with a computer can do. There is very little sampling, and any sampling there is, is merely sampling something he has played. Electronic synths etc still need to be played on a keyboard by a musician who can play such an instrument. I doubt very much any of the music was made by placing dots and dashes on a grid in a piano roll in Fruity loops!

“real music by real musicians” doesn’t mean you cant be electronic… Look how electronic 1999 was. All the synths in purple rain or lovesexy… I doubt anyone would accuse the creator of those albums to be a non-musician bedroom producer.

The man has been doing the real instruments, jazzy sound for ages now. Way too many horns… I for one am glad he is plugging the synths back in… At least it aint bland like Emancipation…

Rebeljuice said:

I really like that aspect of Prince's recordings. if there are samples
he usually takes something he played himself and than samples that

Like I said - hypocritical.

"We play the instruments live but when we get home we record them and copy 'n' paste them onto an album." [aka the synth hornz on 3121, the track].

I'm not against synths but when you combine these with programmed drums and bass then the result is a million miles from real musicians playing music.

I guess I just I can't understand why, given the talent he has at his disposal [Michael and Sonny, Rhonda and John Blackwell], he wouldn't want to use their considerable talents in creating beautiful music. Plug in the synths by all means just back them up with real bass and drums.

And no 3121 isn't bland and infact I quite like it.

KAB said:

It's not hypocritical at all, especially if you understand where Prince was coming from. What's considered "real" music is ultimately up to the listener.

KAB said:

Because he's already done it. If he's looking for something in a completely opposite direction, perhaps he'd rather not use the same musicians and create something completely different than what he did the last time.
Just because one uses electronics does not mean there's no "soul" in the music or that it's not "real". The real artist/musician is perfectly capable of putting the "soul" into it. People always misconstrue Prince's quote about "real music". He wasn't saying that everything needed to be played by a live band. He was merely pointing out the wackness of having to rely on electronics without musicianship. So many musicians are relying on technology to create their music for them instead of using their own imagination and creativity to do something really cool with the electronics. There's a huge difference there, and that's what Prince was talking about.

He was talking about being completely live in concerts. Besides, he's proved over and over he can do it live - what he was commenting on were artists that have never done it completely live, they just go straight to the easy non-challenging pre-recorded sound - learn to walk before you can run, sort of thing.

After all, he'll perform at least some of the 3121 songs live - using synths with real keyboard players, not pre-recorded backing tapes.

but what's wrong with synths in the first place?

i never hear anyone complain about the synth solo
in "Head"

or are there differences?

Thing is, Prince changes his band around quite frequently. The last band with Renato, John Blackwell et al had been together a fair amount of time and released quite a bit of music. Personally I was getting tired of that sound like he had worked it for everything he could.

Also, usually between putting together a new set up Prince will go off and do an album which is pretty much exclusively him. A guest player here and there like Maceo, but by and large it is just him doing everything. Those albums are mainly synth based. The synths may sound different to the old days and the production crisper using much better equipment (sometimes to the detriment of the music), but essentially he has always done it throughout his career. 3121 is no different.

If there is anything to complain about in terms of the sound and instrumentation then I would lay blame in the production. P often tends to throw way too much into the mix these days rather than leave it minimal and raw (Black Sweat notwithstanding).

But P’s output over the years has been very much a balance between Band albums and one-man-band albums. I guess it could be argued his one-man-band albums of old are much better affairs than of more recent times. But his band albums have been very diverse and different to each other. Lovesexy or TRC… Dirty Mind or 3121…

Live performances are a different matter...

As far as the record goes, all I care about is whether it sounds good or not... I couldn't care less whether it's all done on a computer or with real instruments...

coolcat said:

Now that's fair enough - you'll probably love 3121 then.

I personally like any genre of music Prince plays: rock, jazz, blues, r'n'b etc. as long as its played with real instruments so I have to work alot harder to appreciate albums like 3121. Which is not to say I can't or won't just takes time...

metalorange said:

I can live with this argument - he has proved time and time again he can play.

But I still say shouldn't he practise what he preached???

OdysseyMiles said:

But it was Prince who wanted fans to bring their children: "bring the kids they can even bring their instruments" and "teach the children about real music before music is just a bunch of computers" etc. So HE thought there was a difference.

I can understand him not wishing to repeat himself but I'm unsure as to how using the same musicians contributes to this. Besides which according to sources Michael and Sonny played on the track 3121.

Computers, synthesizers and drum machines ARE instruments.

NouveauDance said:

No they aint, what would u rather see? Someone on stage playing guitar?... or someoneon stage playin' computer?

NouveauDance said:

Exactly. It's what an artist does with them that matters.

If Prince really wants to teach kids about music... then he should actually teach... give actual lessons... or come out with an instructional DVD or something... Tons of musicians do this and it actually helps music students learn...
[Edited 3/13/06 7:54am]

coolcat said:

The point of Musicology was too make money and to inspire. Not to actually TEACH!

GoldenGlove said:

Can't say I'm hot for either to be honest


Imagine, for example, the '1999' LP without synths and drum machines..... Now tell me they're not instruments.

NouveauDance said:

I think, in this example, computers and drum machines are machines.

Anyway there's nothing wrong with synths. What I dislike is when they are used instead of an instrument - a bit like the [unecessary] synthetic horns on the track 3121.
[Edited 3/13/06 9:28am]

the whole "REAL" musicians thing is elitist and snotty.

Some of my favorite music is written and played by people who can barely play a note.

Prince is much better when he concentrates on writing a good tune or a good lyrical hook rather than trying to show off how many different styles he can play.
[Edited 3/13/06 9:30am]

coolcat said:

Thank you! That's all I care about too.

KAB said:[quote]

NouveauDance said:

Well, it's a staple of the Minneapolis Sound to use synths where the hornline should be... this goes back to 'For You'... Prince didn't use horns on record until, what, ATWIAD/The Family.

KAB said:

Agreed.

KAB said:

he fucked up with musicology
his assumption that real music can only b played on 'real instruments' was wrong
mayb he realised that

real music...

* increases the self-awareness of the listener. inspires invokes ascends. bends linear thinking n2 cubical spiral twinkling. has no price tag. suffers no jet lag. doth not behave itself unseemly. is absolutely spiritually humble. invites delights sets its sights on the truth in u. gets your attention with the everlasting intention of meta-morph-ing u n2 an unconditional lover. is a frog. is a prince-ss. doesnt want or need u 2 judge it. harsh tones serve u in their purpose. real music is the source of all births all worths while smiles trials and tribulations of the earth god generations present the flip-side upside down-side open-wide free-ride no mortal restrictions. is distinct magnetix harmonizing the source of revitalizing sonix thru and thru as new signature signals suited 2 every occasion solution new constitution of the logos cosmos heiros gamos...can u really comprehend its true power...

real musicians...

* are grateful 2 the source of the flight-path course. reverent 2 the creator of all creations. seek not fame nor fortune. do not behave themselves unseemly. offer the music freely. embrace the brother-sisterhood warmly openly adoringly honestly drop the charade the parade. its all about the truth resonating divinating transmitting receiving believing hearing what eye'm seeing. xpressing it 4 all the world as a free agent of facts. radio signal retriever. true make-believer. dreamer. realtor of realtones specifically suited 2 your every need. universal doctors of song melody harmony heavenly earthly galactic romantic shining the light fantastic from inside u. bang boom sshh slip dip slide glide. gimme a beat. 2gether we can defeat all the worlds illusionz.

http://www.pbphonehome.com/real.html

Rebeljuice said:

shamefully though, he omitted Renato Neto's presence from those albums
by and large. and now he releases a synth dominated album which i find
to be a bit of a slap in the face since Renato could have contributed,
if not on all songs at least on some, a few amazing solo's.

oh well.

I remember a review of SOTT back when it came out. one line stuck out to me, "Prince proves drum machines can have a soul in the right hands".

i and i'm sure a few others on here listen to a lot of Stevie Wonder, damned if i've ever heard these 'real music' criticisms levelled at him. I dare say he uses a load more electronics in his stuff and has done for far longer than P.

Who says music has to be "live" to be real? I love the sound of 3121