Ive been watching an excellent new serious called "Music Behind the Scenes" on Bravo (the cable channel that is slowely taking the place as the home for quality tv from A&E). Well, this show allows the masters of film scoring to get in front of the camera and explain their work...

Marvelous discussions from Wings of Dove (Ed Shearmur), Dangerous Liaisons (George Fenton), Dr. Zhivago (Maurice Jarre), Love Story (France Lai), Titanic (James Horner) and others...

For the most part the composers talked about how they thought of the main themes... but what really got me interested and what took up the majority of the discussions dealt with quiet nuances within their scores and how these momments are equal in importance...Example: in Emma the composer discussed how she picked a clarinet to specify a womans fluttering emotions...Well, this got me to thinking...has Prince, with his lack for subtlely these days become the equivalent of John Williams (or to a lesser degree, James Horner)...

I submit as my first piece of evidence: Lovesexy...while a superior album it almost falls over due to being top heavy (see Eye Know, ending segue out of Glam Slam). The arrangments are cluttered at times and forced at others. Just like a John Williams score (see Jurassic Park, AI)...both have shown that they understand less in some cases can be better for dramatical weight (see Sometimes It Snows In April or The Truth CD for Prince or Schindler's List for Williams) yet the showman in them tends to win over the artisti dramatic story teller...

Both have huge fanboy like followings but just as many detractors...And both seem far too concerned about their musical legacy without realizing its the *work* and not the actions that create a worthwhile legacy...

both have an ear for writting great hooks and melodies (see Rasberry Beret and Witches of Eastwick)...but then tarnish it with shlock like Man O War and The Patriot. And most importantly, both get slammed by the mainstream media and by some of their peers...

So I ask the question...are John Williams and Prince the same person?

John Williams music is pompous & empty (he has plagiarized Prokofiev (listen to Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet: you'll see the master)

no

No. John Williams can still make breathtaking, emotionally charged music. Prince cannot.

uh, who is John Williams??
Can he play? Is he fine?
Tell me, does JW have an ass like
mine?
Prince is the greatest music man EVER,
so i understand that u compare a lot
of people to him, but John Williams?
what has he done?
[This message was edited Tue Aug 6 6:04:20 PDT 2002 by Revolution]

I've heard Prince called the Liberace of Rock...lol

I've heard Prince being called:

The Imp Of The Perverse

The Erotic Pope Of Pop

The Reincarnated Soul Of Gypsy Rose Lee

Nijinski With His Ass On Fire

The Soul Proclaimer Of Sexual Liberation

Sun King In A Time Warp

The Anais Nin Of Rock N' Roll

His Royal Badness

An Intriguing Little Bastard

Revolution said:

ohhh poor child...you must get out of the purple box now and then. John Williams is considered by many to be the greatest film composer around...He wrote the theme to Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and its sequels and many many other tunes...You can tell a John Williams score because it tends to have a strong memorable hook..but like someone mentioned earlier, his music can be pompous and empty...laking of emotions..

which, im my opening has been missing in a lot of Princes current work...hence the comparison...JMHO

Kee, I don't mean any harm, you're cool and all, but this is the DUMBEST comparison I've ever seen...these two are TOTALLY like nigh and day, they shouldn't even mentioned in the same sentence, musically.

no but prince is definitely the JW of funk

you stupid larvae

LadyCabDriver said:

im not talking musically though...im talking about the technical aspects of creating art. Both tend to go for the showy all balls out approach...they both lack subtlty...

i dont think it is a dumb comparison at all...get my drift?

besides, i'd rather engage in a new conversation then having to debate the merrits of TRC for the uptenth time...hehehehehe

What happen to that leisure suit photo, Shelton, hee hee?

SkletonKee said:

LOL!!! Ok, I see your point, then. So uh, why didn't you just SAY THAT in your initial post, hmmm?

LadyCabDriver said:

well, many O ex-boyfriends have crapped on about the same thing...i guess im a lil like prince in that my cryptic speech always gets in the way of what im point im trying to get across..

Astasheiks said:

i deleted it when i decided to take a break from the org...didnt want my beautiful face to be lingering as I boycotted this camp..