The Words and Music of Prince (The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection) (Hardcover)
by James E. Perone (Author)

Review
In this revealing study author James Perone highlights the complexities and ambiguities of Prince's life work, while at the same time clarifying why it is that Prince remains such a widely popular figure in American music. After a brief introductory biographical treatment, Perone goes on to analyze all of Prince's musical output-both as specific pieces, and as part of a larger body of work. Perone doesn't allow any of the elements of Prince's entertainment career (including his early contractual problems, his series of protegees, his name change, and his views on gender and race) to pass without reflection, and as a result The Words and Music of Prince operates as a sort of creative biography for both the man and the artist.

Product Description
Prince's early albums Dirty Mind, 1999, and Purple Rain, established him as a major force in American pop music. His combination of rock and funk was unique, and drew both critical praise and commercial attention. The 1990s found Prince forming a new group, moving back in the direction of R&B, and eventually adopting an unpronounceable symbol as his moniker. By the end of the millennium, he was again exploring an eclectic collection of musical styles and enjoying a resurgence of interest in his well-known song "1999." Prince is one of the few artists of the entire rock era who successfully bridged the gap between traditional R&B and rock audiences with his musical eclecticism. He now stands among the best-selling pop musicians of the rock era. In this revealing study, author James Perone highlights the complexities and ambiguities of Prince's life work, while at the same time clarifying why it is that Prince remains such a widely popular figure in American music. After a brief introductory biographical treatment, Perone goes on to analyze all of Prince's musical output-both as specific pieces, and as part of a larger body of work. Perone doesn't allow any of the elements of Prince's entertainment career (including his early contractual problems, his series of proteges, his name change, and his views on gender and race) to pass without reflection. As a result The Words and Music of Prince operates as a sort of creative biography for both the man and the artist. The work also includes six illustrations, a bibliography, a discography, and an index.

# Hardcover: 224 pages
# Publisher: Praeger Publishers (April 30, 2008)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0275994740
# ISBN-13: 978-0275994747
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Source: amazon.com

Discussed here:

http://prince.org/msg/7/267816

This is a different one from the London book!!!! This book has the publish date of April 30th, which is at the end of this month(LOL), whereas the London Book is published in September!!!

Desire2006 said:

Apologies - they are two different publications.

Housequake has all the info on this book, including a scan of the cover, cos I dont know how 2 post pics on postings!!!!

raveun2thejoyfantastic said:

its a princey book fest

I bet the author just read The Vault.

SquirrelMeat said:

I have not read the book...That is a nice picture of Prince in my eyes...however, I would not have chosen that photo for a cover.

interesting

All I can say is that these books better be available where I live. Unless I'm sure they're the best and are just what I'm looking for, I ain't getting my Prince lit online
Edit: also, it had better take him in a positive light. We don't need another "Possessed" roaming the streets

Otherwise...
if I can't find what I like, I'll just make up my own.

I'll see, though, if DanceMusicSexRomance changes my mind. That one I probably will get online just because my hometown doesn't carry any Prince lit, let alone any good ones
[Edited 4/18/08 6:42am]

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

DMSR is the best book for the time period it covers

thanks for posting

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