Ok, My roommate loves indie rock and bands such as Arcade Fire and The Pixies. He hates prince, but only because he is a contrarian who thinks Prince is a lame pop-star who "sold out" (yes, what a stupid argument, prince's career has been "selling out") and makes music that all sounds the same (probably cause he's only heard the songs I've played in the car, which are songs to my likeing but don't represent prince's versatility). Yet, he's never listened to prince and doesn't realize that the bands he likes so much revere prince as a genius and an influence.

My question: For you indie fans out there, what Prince songs can I put on a CD to give to my roommate to open his eyes to Prince's musical genius. He hates R&B and rapping.

Thank y'all!

easy - give him Planet Earth

Jatrig said:

I think you're looking at a lot from the 'Prince' album right up to and including the black album. A handful could of cause be picked from 'Dirty Mind', 'Controversy','1999' 'Purple Rain' and maybe even 'Around The World In A Day'. To my mind, these are the albums where Prince was at his most edgy and urgent.

The good thing is that P is so versitile that one is bound to find something in his catalog that will suit just about any taste. If you have it i would recommend "The Undertaker". It'd be hard for your friend based on his said tastes to dislike this unless his aversion to Prince is indeed more persona based. Just my two cents...

perhaps include the following

When U Were Mine
Bambi
Loose
Electric Chair
Fury
Don't Play Me
Computer Blue
DMRS
Guitar
All the Critics Love U in NY
Why U Wanna Treat Me So Bad
Darling Nikki
4 The Tears in Your Eyes
Pheromone
Head
The 1 U Wanna C
The Cross
Lady Cab Driver
The Question of U
Sometimes it Snows In April

try some of the more out-there/obscure symbol-era stuff...like the "come" album, "the undertaker", even "chaos and disorder".

this one's easy;

1. Let's Go Crazy
2. She's Always in My Hair
3. 17 Days
4. When Doves Cry
5. Pop Life
6. Dinner With Delores
7. The Question of U
8. Peach
9. Computer Blue
10. Darling Nikki
11. Don't Play Me
12. The Cross
13. Paisley Park
14. Erotic City
15. Starfish And Coffee
16. When You Were Mine
17. The Ride (Undertaker Version)
18. Annie Christian
19. Gotta Stop (Messin' About)
20. Forever In My Life
21. Sometimes It Snows In April

just give him a copy of: Dirty Mind".

If you have a copy make him watch the SOTT DVD. If he is indie, live works best

Anxiety said:

he doesn't want to turn him off for good.

Give him the classic 80s stuff with written info (reviews etc) to put into context. Also quotes from other respected musicians help.

Funkmeimfamous said:

i only say that because outside of prince, my tastes run more to the indie/alternative and i think the symbol era work is fascinating because it's the closest he's ever come to embracing that whole scene/asthetic....other than maybe the dirty mind/controversy period.

and hold up...are you saying "the undertaker" is a TURN-OFF???

Anxiety said:

- Well, Anx. Most indie fans usually dont care for great musicianship or long guitar solos. I don´t know many tracks to recommend, because Prince does a very different kind of music from the indie bands like Strokes and White Stripes. I think he got a little closer with ´The One u wanna C´ because of the effects on the guitar.

You should go for the lyrically or musically weirder depths of his back catalogue, rather than anything you may deem as being typically "rock" just because it has guitars...

I'd say...

When Doves Cry
I Wonder U
Starfish & Coffee
America
Annie Christian
Irresistible Bitch
Bob George
If I Was Your Girlfriend
Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)
101
The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker
Girl
Automatic
Tamborine
Had U

Something like that.

Anxiety said:

The Undertaker not so much, but most indie fans would laugh at C&D etc. I work in a record store and from my experience more and more hipsters are starting to ride the Prince train. They recognise that he was creative, prolific, boundary-less force that just happened to become a 'pop star' (Don't shy away from the classic material because it was mainstream pop... it's what made him genius. But explain WHY if you have to). The nature of his music making is very much bound in the cult artist aesthetic - and as a result the mainstream crowd he appealed to during parts of his career could not keep up in the long haul.

And I think the Dirty Mind period is a far better measure of his 'indieness'. He was a cult artist through and through then. He drew crowds from all walks of life. He single handedly fused the worlds of black and white music (the then new alternative music of the day), in an effortless sweep. And he took chances... BIG ONES, which any serious music lover should at least respect IMO.

I think it comes down to working past the perceptions people have of Prince in order for them to respect him in some way shape or form. I've converted many-a indie fan onto his music, and I've down this by establishing some historical context (what made his work so groundbreaking... what makes his work a blueprint for 80% of the stuff you hear on radio... don't just give them When Doves Cry and be done with it, but tell them about the omission of the bassline, draw attention to the vocal phrasing that is almost impossible to replicate, draw attention to the guitar licks and gorgeous classic keyboard outro etc... do this with every song if you can). Tell them about all their favourite 'hip' artists that have mad respect for Prince (i.e. Yo La Tengo did a tribute album, Patti Smith covered When Doves Cry, Daft Punk have sampled him and on and on... his reach is extradinary!!). Also, make them fully aware that almost everything to do with him, is ALL him. He ain't no manufactured pop act. The music, the vision, the performing, the chances etc... all the product of one man who was destined to become the greatest all around package rock 'n' roll has ever seen and will likely ever see. All IMO.

GustavoRibas said:

indie fans don't care for great musicianship or long guitar solos? white stripes? dungen? hello?

you know what, never mind.

The One U Wanna C? come on, what's indie rock about it?

my suggestion - go the acoustic rock trail -
The Truth album,
Sometimes It Snows In April, Forever In My Life live, Seven, by all means the acoustic sets from his latest shows (like the Musicology tour opener in LA).

this includes P solo (or almost solo) on piano as well where u got Condition Of The Heart, How Come U Don't Call Me, Under The Cherry Moon, even Somewhere Here On Earth.

The Art Of Musicology tv show (was it on VH1?) included a mind-blowing acoustic set with Cream and ICNTTPOYM, so if you could lay your hands on this you'd have a powerful argument.


basically anything that shows P in a more toned-down, subdued, intimate mood would work wonders, i'm sure of that.
Don't go straight for any DMSR! avoid any funk/dance grandeur and sex-ooxing slow jams - there'll be time for all this later.
First you have to convince the friend that P got soul, and that he's a serious artist even without the big band and dancers.
good luck.

If he hates Prince you can give him anything...

Invite over darling nikki

Anxiety said:

- Well, the indie fans I know don´t like long guitar solos or complex arrangements, for example. They don´t care about bands like Deep Purple, for example.

But somebody here is right. If a person hates Prince, it will be very hard to convince him/her that he is great, specially in a genre that he doesn´t play much.
[Edited 7/29/07 9:22am]

I like alotta indie/college rock, and most of my friends who like the same, love Prince. Maybe we're just weird

Though if your room mate is one of those crazy Bright Eyes fans who thinks banging a spoon against a fan is good music, try:

Starfish and Coffee
Computer Blue
Black Sweat
Sexy M.F.
Little Red Corvette
Uptown
Kiss (and like, all of Parade)
and of Course, Purple Rain


oh yeah, p.s. 1999! that alone like, does the trick.
[Edited 7/29/07 9:31am]

give him deep odd original ones. No pop friendly ones. Also don't go for fret "rock" ones. No conservative R&B ones. There are a few exceptions:

Try:

Joy in Repetition
Crystal Ball
Avalanche
Bob George
If I Was your Girlfriend
Sign O' The times
Family Name
What Do you Want Me to Do
Planet Earth
Chelsea Rogers (it has that ska and live analog muscle)
Shockadelica
Irresistible Bitch
Soul Psychodelicide (the final studio version)
The Undertaker
3121 (friends of mine that couldn't give shit about Prince, liked this one)
Come On (check out how this is similar to Beck's Guero track)
[Edited 7/29/07 9:52am]