I'm just wondering: is there any recording artist out there whose vocal tracks for songs are as dense as Prince's? I mean, it's not just a simple three or even four voices a lot of the time.

Listen to "7" or "319" or "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" or a host of other songs. He's insane!

Only other band that comes to mind that gets close is Queen, but even then their vocal tracks are nowhere near as thick as Prince's.

Anyone know of any other artist who can get close?

HELL NO!!!! Prince's multitracking is horrible..utter-crap...ughhh, there are not enough words in the dictionary for me to express how much i can not stand prince's multi-tracking...


if you want to hear someone do it right take a listen to any of Seal's albums...Or Daniel Lanouis (sic?)...or Ray Charles...

Prince's is too obvious...they harmonies are not subtle at all and they work against the songs....


horrible..ughh!! i wish the man would better understand this...

Agreed. Or the Backstreet Boys. Caught in the Act (does anyone outside Europe know them?).

You serious, sosgemini?

Prince hasn't got a great lead voice in my opinion - a bit too thin sounding. But his backing vocal arrangements are superb. Lewis Taylor also does this kind of thing extremely well.

sosgemini said:

you've got to be kidding

Dewrede said:

yes im being serious...and im not the only one that feels this way..anytime a new album is released its the most common complaint...

jjam said:

he does too have an effective lead vocals when he thinks outside the boxs (the entire truth album....sometimes it snows in april..)

but its okay if you like his arrangments..i just find them very undramatic, heavy, syrupy at times and hectic at others...

OK , to each their own
His vocal multitracking is one of the reasons why i like his music so much in fact
[Edited 4/8/06 17:24pm]

7

Violet the Organ Grinder

Scarlet Pussy


Bob George


His multitracking is the SH*T! love it!

I remember over ten years ago listening to "I Love U In Me" in a dorm office at college. A music major came in and couldn't believe how tight the vocals were. . .He was impressed when he heard that it was all Prince, but then understood how the blend worked so well. . .I love his multitracking vocals.

Ice9sFine said:

im the opposite. Queen are the best at this (and did it in 75 to a quality hard to match today). The 3 individual voices and timbre (May, Mercury and Taylor) mixed perfectly.

Prince is great at the perfection in timing, expression (gospel influences) and ideas that can only be communicated within (and is one of great things in his recordings) but i think the multitracking of his voice (no matter his range in the individual recording) is too similar to the other voices and the effect/diversity in timbre is lost in comparison to Queen, although still very impressive.

Marvin Gaye, y'all, Marvin Gaye.....

the extended version of Theieves In The Temple is out of this world.

People who know little about how music is done should not speak about it. Even our mods have lint in the their bellies. I think Robert Christgau said it best, in describing P's vocals and multi-vocals:

"Prince-the-harmony-group can show off vocal chops that make Stevie Wonder sound like a struggling ventriloquist. Yet the voices put over real emotions."

Amen.

Prince sounds like a choir sent from heaven.

I think he's creative with his multi tracking.

The best multitracking vocalist is David Gilmour!!

Gilmore sounds like he is sleeping with aliens.

Prince sounds like he's sleeping with everything.

Sting used this quite a bit with the Police, especially on "Ghost in the Machine" lots of Sting singing on that one.

2freaky4church1 said:

im sorry but why are you making this discussion personal? am i not free to my opinion? and why judge my statement by throwing in a slam about your perception of my musical intellect? 1) does it make you feel better about your own opinion and 2) does it add to the discussion at hand?

look...i communicate my opinion because i want to participate in discussion..disagree with me all you want..but instead of slamming others views why not contribute by communicating why it is you disagree?

for starters....

It's the buisiness!I can't believe anyone doesn't like it. It's so dense and has obviously been painstakingly done to achieve the desired effect.

Quite partial to Marvin G's take on multitracking too..though I think he mainly sticks to two lines.

spoida said:

I can see where the timbre of voices is important. Queen does have a very nice fit with the three tone qualities.

I just think that Prince's sheer layering of voices (just like in "I Love U in Me") is astounding.

Oh, I forgot one guy who may rival Prince: Danny Elfman, in his soundtrack for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He did ALL of those Oompa Loompa voices! He even did his own version of Camille and Bob George voices!

I wonder if Elfman and Prince get along. I thought I heard somewhere that there was some resentment because of the whole Batman thing, where there were two "soundtracks."

Ice9sFine said:

Marvin Gaye from "What's Going On" forward, particularily on "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You"

Only he come close to Prince, In my opinion.

sosgemini said:

I think Prince used to do a much better job at this than he has in recent years but I still think that he can do a masterful job when truly inspired.

I would absolutely agree with the listen to Seal comment. The vocal arrangements and overall production on his albums are matchless. Funny thing is he doesn't get nearly the amount of love that he deserves for such sparkling output.

Someone else who has historically done a fantastic yet understated job of vocal multi-tracking is Ms. Sade Adu. Her work is brilliant, particularly in the context of what they do as a band to create and maintain their signature sound. Always first class arrangements and production.

The chorus from "The Word" is another great example. Blows me away every time.
Satisfied also.

doeineffect said:

its soo funny how personal taste works..that part almost ruins the song for me...

More recently his mutlitracking has annoyed me but a couple of examples I really love are 'Comeback' on The Truth and "Goodbye" on Crystal Ball.

sosgemini said:

I have almost never heard this complaint before. I'd like to see the evidence of this. I think it might be your most common complaint.

sosgemini said:

Wait a minute, you're NOT kidding? And I thought I'd jump in on your joke. Still not convinced you're not kidding.... PROVE!

I don't know sh*t about him being the "best", but I find this part of his musicality surely the most impressive.

Ice9sFine said:

I'd say Prince and Dangelo do it for me.

bkw said:

well, the post above yours for starters...