Chris Gaines is a fictional rock singer, created as an alter ego by Garth Brooks. Gaines appeared in the album Garth Brooks In ... The Life of Chris Gaines, released in October 1999 and in a television mockumentary and on Saturday Night Live at around the same time. VH1 even went so far to create an episode of their series "Behind The Music" around the fictional character. A film named The Lamb, which was also to feature Gaines, was cancelled.
As the story goes, Gaines (who is similar in appearance to Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis or Trent Reznor) was born August 10, 1967 in Australia to a pair of Olympic swimmers. He dropped out of his high school to form a band called Crush, which released a popular song called "My Love Tells Me So," being inspired by, not surprisingly, the work of Garth Brooks. After a band member died in a plane crash, Gaines was dormant for several years before releasing a solo album, Straight Jacket, which remained in the Billboard Top 40 for 82 weeks and won four Grammys. Gaines then was involved in a serious car accident and required numerous plastic surgeries over the next two years, before releasing two more solo albums and being declared "the new Prince."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w...ris_Gaines



Amazon members compared the music to Prince. So I was curious, what Prince fans thought of it? Is there any connection between Garth and Prince? What do Prince fans think of the album also? (I don't personally from the few songs I have heard on the album, see how it compares to Prince's music at all.) Any thoughts gang....?

Visually, Garth Brooks looks like Prince on the album art. He's kinda got a Dave Navarro/Prince look (as much as Garth brooks could).

Garth Brooks releasing an album under a completely different name/theme is VERY Prince-like. I'm sure others have done it, but I am hard-pressed at the moment to think of any.

Music: I have the Chris Gaines album - it is good. Very good. The song "Way Of The Girl" is so Prince it's crazy. Prince-like guitar, vocals, and lyrics. There are several other songs on that CD that have a Prince vibe, but not as much.

Otherwise, I do not think there is any REAL connection. I don't think Prince and Garth Brooks have collaborated.

Might have 2 have a listen.

looks like PRINCE? i think not
[Edited 10/29/06 17:22pm]

it was a good cd
made me respect garth a helluva lot for venturing into pop rock funk music
i dig it

I've never heard any of the Chris Gaines material, but I'd heard it was good and always thought the alter-ego was a really fucking cool idea.

On the other hand, it's sort of a pity that Brooks couldn't have just released the music under his own name. He's got the country label so firmly glued to his ass that an alter-ego was probably more of a necessity than strictly for fun.

SlamGlam said:

I wrote He's kinda got a Dave Navarro/Prince look (as much as Garth brooks could).

I think he's TRYING to look like Prince, but again for a 200+lb white guy, that's about as close as he can get!

It was really awkward seeing him go through that phase. The alter ego thing might work for people like Bowie or Prince, but for someone like him it just seemed weird. I think that album might have received a better response if he didn't freak everyone out with the multiple personality stuff and simply released it as a new Garth Brooks album explaining that he is trying out a new sound.

It has to be said..Chris Gaines is a whole of a lot cooler then Garth any day!

also many non-country fans were not willing to give it a chance either. and for those that think garth was not a great performer...must have not seen him live. he put on a hell of a show. that little fat man can rock!

Tom said:

Exactly. That album kinda got overlooked BECAUSE of the gimmick. As a Garth Brooks album, I'm sure it would've been #1.

I think that was the direct cause of Garth's decline in popularity and subsequent "retirement".

That album was beautiful.

I know the album was done a while ago but I still want to listen to it.

I think Garth looks sexy in this pic.


M

I didn't see the connection to P back then and I still don't see the connection.

I loved the single "Lost in You" that came out during that time. It was a very pretty love song. Not very Prince, but lovely just the same.

It's a great showcase for the genius who is Tommy Simms.

One of the ballads on the Chris Gaines album later turned up on a Cece Winans album.

Going from pop-country to gospel, the song switches contexts but still works. Tommy Simms is the man, lemme tell ya...

I think the public might have bought into the project a bit more if Garth had waited until AFTER doing the movie. Then, it would have seemed like a cool tie-in. As it was, most people just assumed Garth had lost his mind. Many country fans couldn't wrap their brains around such a Bowie-eque concept. Non-country fans couldn't really process the idea of Garth creating a new persona.

As for a Prince connection, there was mention on the Love41another site at this time that Garth had been recording at Paisley Park. Whether it was for this album, and whether or not Prince had anything to do with the sessions, I cannot say.

JediMaster said:

I was wondering when someone would bring that up. The rumors were (from L4OA) that Prince and (if I remember correctly) Steven Tyler had written songs for Chris Gaines - but then, by the time the album came out, it was believed that those tracks weren't used. I wonder if there's more to this story...

booyah said:

I had forgotten that Tyler was also rumoured to have a hand in the project. Hard to say if there is any truth to any of this. Still, the fact that L4OA mentioned it does give it a bit of legitimacy.

So what songs beyond "Way of the Girl" have a Prince "vibe?"

OMG this is so strange just bought this album 2 days ago and was about 2 make a thread about this same topic 2. Anyway really like this album though don't know any other Garth Brooks material. It would have been cool 2 c a movie about the fictional Chris Gaines character.

JediMaster said:[quote]I think the public might have bought into the project a bit more if Garth had waited until AFTER doing the movie. Then, it would have seemed like a cool tie-in. As it was, most people just assumed Garth had lost his mind. Many country fans couldn't wrap their brains around such a Bowie-eque concept. Non-country fans couldn't really process the idea of Garth creating a new persona.

As for a Prince connection, there was mention on the Love41another site at this time that Garth had been recording at Paisley Park. Whether it was for this album, and whether or not Prince had anything to do with the sessions, I cannot say.[/quote]


I was talking about the discussions at that time (and now) that were bascially saying Gasrth as Chris Gaines looked like P and such and such. Not about the recording at Paisley aspect. Heck as you well know a lot of people rented the Paisley recording studios and P had nothing to do with recording with them.

Unreal

Ifsixwuz9 said:[quote]

JediMaster said:

Right, but I brought it up because 1: Garth recording there was mentioned specifically on the L4OA site, and the implication was that Prince was working on it with him, and 2: Jasonstar specifically asked if there was any connection between the two.