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Thread started 03/01/08 2:34pm

Scorpion

BEST SONG VOCALLY

I think Prince is underrated as a singer, the guy can really sing. He sounds very soulful and his live renditions often trump the studio recordings. I don't think other ppl really get it because he has used alot of falsetto & that distorted 'Camille' vocal on many of his recorded songs. But Prince can sing & he sounds especially good in full voice. Heck yeah.
tho' I battled blind
love is a fate resigned
memories mar my mind
love it is a fate resigned

Over futile odds
and laughed at by the Gods
and now the final frame
Love is a losing game
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Reply #1 posted 03/01/08 2:56pm

Flowerz

i wrote out a whole post and lost it lol ... machinegun @ the Org... ok... brb.. crap..
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Reply #2 posted 03/01/08 3:05pm

mplsmike

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Flowerz said:

i wrote out a whole post and lost it lol ... machinegun @ the Org... ok... brb.. crap..
comfort Remember Copy and Paste wink
Love Life,
Love God,
And Only Do Drugs You Need
smoker

... wave
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Reply #3 posted 03/01/08 3:26pm

Flowerz

mplsmike said:

Flowerz said:

i wrote out a whole post and lost it lol ... machinegun @ the Org... ok... brb.. crap..
comfort Remember Copy and Paste wink


yeah.. i have to do that from now on i see.. Prince has a distinctive type voice.. he's not a Howard Hewitt, but his voice is charismatic.. i like his voice in 'Something in the Water'..something else i put in the other post, crap, it'll come back to me...
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Reply #4 posted 03/01/08 3:36pm

Snap

Damn U
the song, that is wink
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Reply #5 posted 03/01/08 5:02pm

FlamingRaindro
p

I agree Scorpion, very under-rated as a vocalist: as super talented a musician as he is, i really believe his vocals are his best instrument.

Funny enough, I've just been clearing out some old magazines and one was a copy of Rip It Up (NZ music magazine), an issue from late 2004 which had their "The Best 50 Singers Of All Time" list. Now clearly, lists like these in magazines are always highly debatable and at the end of the day pretty worthless and meaningless as they're just the opinions of a bunch of music critics - but since this thread is about Prince's vocal ability I thought the fact that he made a list of 50 top vocalists might be of some interest, especially considering where they placed him on the list (I could scan the 5 pages of the total diverse list of the top 50 but I'm unsure about how to post them here, sorry)

Anyways, in their 50 Best Sets Of Vocal Chords In Music, Prince came in at number 5 (in doing so knocking Freddy Mercury to 6th place, which I personally thought was a pretty big call - proving these list to be just opinions)...

For what it's worth, here's what they wrote:

5 - Prince
Fluent in 27 instruments, writer of over 1000 songs, and proud owner of a five octave range, Prince has lent his voice to funk, soul, jazz, R&B, hip hop and pop music for 25 years. Seen by many music critics as one of world's best musicians, Prince spent his late teens and early 20's blurring the boundaries between genres. Famously reclusive and extremely volatile, Prince has used and abused many backing bands to create his vision and spent most of the 90's at odds with his record company. Now back on form with Musicology, Prince proves that his voice is just as phenomenal now as it was in 1979.
Essential album: Sign O' The Times (1987)


Personally it bugs me when certain 'stock comments' get constantly brought up by music critics when mentioning Prince - things you always get "fluent in 27 instruments" (that's a lazy old chest-nut, that one) "reclusive" (he's no Brian Wilson, wacko Jacko or Sid Barrett - & just cause he doesn't do a britney & cruise LA every 20 minutes for coffee followed by a hundred TMZ paps doesn't mean he's hides in the bathroom for years on end looking at the walls and making bread for yoko - I mean seriously, in the last 30 years he's released more albums and done more tours than ANY other human on the planet, how the hell is that "reclusive"??...).

At least there were no Purple Midget comments, no wacky squiggle name change comments or talk of removed ribs and candle-lit sex in cemetery's... wink
.
[Edited 3/1/08 17:02pm]
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Reply #6 posted 03/01/08 5:20pm

lottielooloo19
68

prince's voice is bliss 2 my ears...
i remember hearing some kind of remix tht someone did with one of his songs....it's actually pretty good.
mediocre until u hear prince chime in..

he's always sounded excellent, but i believe he sounds better thn ever at this stage in his life.
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Reply #7 posted 03/01/08 5:23pm

Genesia

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I am always blown away by the way his voice sounds on The Love We Make. He sings it in his natural register, for one thing (which I sense is more difficult for him than falsetto)...and conveys tremendous emotion.

I think Pink Cashmere is a damn fine effort, too - probably one of the best multi-track vocals he's done. He goes from the highest high falsetto into a really nice baritone. His range is pretty amazing.
We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.
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Reply #8 posted 03/01/08 5:23pm

pennylover

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FlamingRaindrop said:

I agree Scorpion, very under-rated as a vocalist: as super talented a musician as he is, i really believe his vocals are his best instrument.

Funny enough, I've just been clearing out some old magazines and one was a copy of Rip It Up (NZ music magazine), an issue from late 2004 which had their "The Best 50 Singers Of All Time" list. Now clearly, lists like these in magazines are always highly debatable and at the end of the day pretty worthless and meaningless as they're just the opinions of a bunch of music critics - but since this thread is about Prince's vocal ability I thought the fact that he made a list of 50 top vocalists might be of some interest, especially considering where they placed him on the list (I could scan the 5 pages of the total diverse list of the top 50 but I'm unsure about how to post them here, sorry)

Anyways, in their 50 Best Sets Of Vocal Chords In Music, Prince came in at number 5 (in doing so knocking Freddy Mercury to 6th place, which I personally thought was a pretty big call - proving these list to be just opinions)...

For what it's worth, here's what they wrote:

5 - Prince
Fluent in 27 instruments, writer of over 1000 songs, and proud owner of a five octave range, Prince has lent his voice to funk, soul, jazz, R&B, hip hop and pop music for 25 years. Seen by many music critics as one of world's best musicians, Prince spent his late teens and early 20's blurring the boundaries between genres. Famously reclusive and extremely volatile, Prince has used and abused many backing bands to create his vision and spent most of the 90's at odds with his record company. Now back on form with Musicology, Prince proves that his voice is just as phenomenal now as it was in 1979.
Essential album: Sign O' The Times (1987)


Personally it bugs me when certain 'stock comments' get constantly brought up by music critics when mentioning Prince - things you always get "fluent in 27 instruments" (that's a lazy old chest-nut, that one) "reclusive" (he's no Brian Wilson, wacko Jacko or Sid Barrett - & just cause he doesn't do a britney & cruise LA every 20 minutes for coffee followed by a hundred TMZ paps doesn't mean he's hides in the bathroom for years on end looking at the walls and making bread for yoko - I mean seriously, in the last 30 years he's released more albums and done more tours than ANY other human on the planet, how the hell is that "reclusive"??...).

At least there were no Purple Midget comments, no wacky squiggle name change comments or talk of removed ribs and candle-lit sex in cemetery's... wink
.
[Edited 3/1/08 17:02pm]

Very nice post FlamingRaindrop. I totally agree with u. They placed him in the right spot on that list. I would have placed him right up there also. I love Prince singing voice. He does so much with it. Bottom line o'boy can lol sang lol
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Reply #9 posted 03/01/08 5:37pm

FlamingRaindro
p

^^
cheers

Anyone here heard the falsetto acoustic version of Thieves In The Temple? Just that tortured vocals and acoustic guitar, sounds like it was recorded on an old tape deck in an echo y toilet?

That vocal gives me chills - it really sounds like he's feeling what he's singing - it's haunting - I fricken love that version bow
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Reply #10 posted 03/01/08 5:44pm

Bishop31

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"Gotta Broken Heart Again" from the 'Alladin' DVD showcases his Falsetto voice very nicely.

The "Truth" song really showcases his Mid-Voice. This is his natural tone. Sounds soulful.

Prince is underrated as a Vocalist because in my opinion his natural voice(not including his Falsetto) is not a "Pretty" sounding voice. It would be a more Gospel/Soulful inspired sound. While the average listener will say that singers like Stevie Wonder, George Michael, Michael Jackson have beautiful voices. Prince just doesn't have THAT type of voice. So, this may be the reason for this underrated responce he gets.
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Reply #11 posted 03/01/08 5:47pm

Bishop31

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FlamingRaindrop said:

^^
cheers

Anyone here heard the falsetto acoustic version of Thieves In The Temple? Just that tortured vocals and acoustic guitar, sounds like it was recorded on an old tape deck in an echo y toilet?

That vocal gives me chills - it really sounds like he's feeling what he's singing - it's haunting - I fricken love that version bow


That song hurts me everytime. How about "Grand Progression"? Try listening to that & not tear up a bit.
touched
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Reply #12 posted 03/01/08 6:28pm

FlamingRaindro
p

Bishop31 said:

"Gotta Broken Heart Again" from the 'Alladin' DVD showcases his Falsetto voice very nicely.

The "Truth" song really showcases his Mid-Voice. This is his natural tone. Sounds soulful.

Prince is underrated as a Vocalist because in my opinion his natural voice(not including his Falsetto) is not a "Pretty" sounding voice. It would be a more Gospel/Soulful inspired sound. While the average listener will say that singers like Stevie Wonder, George Michael, Michael Jackson have beautiful voices. Prince just doesn't have THAT type of voice. So, this may be the reason for this underrated responce he gets.

Agree totally. [side-note: just checked the list I mentioned earlier for the 3 artists you named above: George Michael - not in their top 50 (which is crazy, one thing that guy has is top-rate vocals), Michael Jackson placed 27th and Stevie Wonder 8th - again, means nothing, it's just a list, but interesting none the less]

Personally I love Princes natural voice, especially when rocking and raw. His Super bowl Watchtower/Best of You vocal delivery is one of my favorites. I'd love nothing more than a focused rock album with THAT vocal style (throw in a dash of that Still Would Stand All Time (from the half-way point on) soulful/gospel-type pleading vocal and some of that impassioned Beautiful Ones desperation squeal like he did during Best Of You, just before he opened up on the howling guitar - and there's vocal heaven, right there!) cool

ps Grand Progression: LOVE IT (pity the quality of my boot is none too flash).
.
[Edited 3/1/08 18:30pm]
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Reply #13 posted 03/01/08 7:17pm

joyinrepetitio
n

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Snap said:

Damn U
the song, that is wink


Co-sign this one with blood! Damn U is the best vocals Prince ever laid down on a track.
__________________________________________________
2 words falling between the drops and the moans of his condition
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Reply #14 posted 03/01/08 7:23pm

Whitnail

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it is amusing this thread has voiced its opinion razz

only Sinatra has a better vocal range lol
If it were not for insanity, I would be sane.

"True to his status as the last enigma in music, Prince crashed into London this week in a ball of confusion" The Times 2014
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Reply #15 posted 03/01/08 7:27pm

famous

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okay cool ima go out on a whim here and say that I appreciate Man'O war. I'm not expressing that it is the absolute greatest vocal however it sounds pretty nice 2 me. U?
Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead.
Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow.
Do not walk beside me, either. Just leave me the hell alone rolleyes
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Reply #16 posted 03/01/08 7:52pm

Tame

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I can't say enough about..."For You," until the present...We are blessed to have our lives filled with the spirit of Prince.
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight...
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Reply #17 posted 03/01/08 8:51pm

FlamingRaindro
p

famous said:

okay cool ima go out on a whim here and say that I appreciate Man'O war. I'm not expressing that it is the absolute greatest vocal however it sounds pretty nice 2 me. U?


Although I think the song is somehow lacking something, there's a Princely Magic Moment in there - from the 0:35 mark - the vocal delivery of "I need to get out of this city, I need to get you outta my head" that is purely sublime - it's one of those Moments in music that's as good as anything I've ever heard.

Again, it seems he was feeling those words - I can't help but think that whoever that person was (Mayte?), she was focused in his mind while he was singing that line.

He's got so many of those magic 'moments' in his career. Putting aside all the frustrating negative aspects he creates (and realistically, theres been plenty, especially in recent times), it's the magic moments that keeps me coming back, waiting for the next Moment.

Since that day back in '85 when I put the needle on the new record, and soaked in the glorious paisley mind-fuck that was Around The World In A Day, I knew that this was gonna be more than just some flavor of the month pop-star singing Purple Rain. This could well be an interesting ride...

And how!

Through all the Ups and Downs, and strange tangents and directions, it's been one hell of an interesting journey... music
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Reply #18 posted 03/02/08 12:47am

purplepolitici
an

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surprised no one has mentioned adore yet. don't know if it's his best, but it's my personal favorite vocal performance of his, perfection worship love. especially when he backs away from the mic and's like "ill be there for ya baby" towards the end touched. he doesn't go all overboard like you would expect him too, screaming and whatnot, also, which is why it's so effective. so awesome mushy.
For all time I am with you, you are with me.
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Reply #19 posted 03/02/08 10:16am

bjt57

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Solo
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Reply #20 posted 03/02/08 10:19am

mplsmike

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purplepolitician said:

surprised no one has mentioned adore yet
nod
Love Life,
Love God,
And Only Do Drugs You Need
smoker

... wave
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Reply #21 posted 03/02/08 10:54am

Imago

I've always liked two: The Beautiful Ones--it's raw, unashamed, and desperate. Not meant to sound pretty, but it ends up with a beauty all its own.

And "God Created Woman" from prince, one of his most underrated albums and ballads ever. The song has an over-the-top orchestral vibe to it, but the vocal treatment is great. I normally hate Princes overuse of layering vocal tracks, but in this one, it has a certain power to it that propels the plot--though a silly plot, I admit. I love the "If I never see you again, it's alright.." part of the song. So powerful, sensual, and moving.
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Reply #22 posted 03/02/08 7:32pm

Bishop31

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FlamingRaindrop said:

Agree totally. [side-note: just checked the list I mentioned earlier for the 3 artists you named above: George Michael - not in their top 50 (which is crazy, one thing that guy has is top-rate vocals), Michael Jackson placed 27th and Stevie Wonder 8th - again, means nothing, it's just a list, but interesting none the less]

Personally I love Princes natural voice, especially when rocking and raw. His Super bowl Watchtower/Best of You vocal delivery is one of my favorites. I'd love nothing more than a focused rock album with THAT vocal style (throw in a dash of that Still Would Stand All Time (from the half-way point on) soulful/gospel-type pleading vocal and some of that impassioned Beautiful Ones desperation squeal like he did during Best Of You, just before he opened up on the howling guitar - and there's vocal heaven, right there!) cool

ps Grand Progression: LOVE IT (pity the quality of my boot is none too flash).
.
[Edited 3/1/08 18:30pm]


I agree with all U said. That Superbowl performance stunned me!
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Reply #23 posted 03/02/08 8:46pm

ejnbmore

I have to say 'Adore' because I love the delivery of his vocals...not to mention the lyrics are pure Prince poetry. I still marvel at the range and dexterity of his voice considering how deep his speaking voice is...
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Reply #24 posted 03/03/08 4:20pm

JoeTyler

The beautiful ones
International Lover
Adore
Endorphinmachine (his best rock performance, hands down)
tinkerbell
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Reply #25 posted 03/03/08 5:29pm

JimmyNothing

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Still Would Stand All Time
Put yourself on the worldwide org map! www.frappr.com/princeorg
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Reply #26 posted 03/03/08 5:46pm

TheMightyCeles
tial

I'm glad that he sings his songs.
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Reply #27 posted 03/03/08 10:56pm

hueynewton

ADORE
IN MY OPINION IS HIS BEST VOCALLY
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Reply #28 posted 03/04/08 10:09am

notrealmat

By far, Do Me, Baby!
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Reply #29 posted 03/04/08 10:30am

roodboi

When You Were Mine is pretty solid vocally...so much so, that it could get airplay today as a "new song" and receive fair amounts of praise, imo...
I think Reflection is above average vocally as well....
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