I really dig the work Prince has done with orchestral arranger Clare Fisher. Especially from 1985 - 1987 those two have created some wonderfull arrangements.

Its almost amazing to know those two have never met in real life, because their contributions fit so perfectly together.

What are you favourite Prince / Clare Fisher collaborations? This is my top five (in nno particular order).

1. Screams of Passion (The Family)
The way those baroque strings interact with the drummachine and the psychedelic synthsounds works splendidly. Especially during the second half of the song.

2. Nothing compares to you (The Family)
The use of orchestra on this version is almost moving into melodramatic territory, but it stays on the 'good' side of the edge. Especially the swelling strings right before the saxophone solo give me shivers everytime i hear them.
(one minor complaint: after the saxophone solo its mostly Princes' synth-strings you hear in the mix, there should have been left more real orchestra in that segment of the song).

3. Christopher Tracey's Parade
I don't know if Prince purposely asked for that, but the elements Clare did put in the orchestral arrangement remind me a lot of the Beatles collaborations with arranger George Martin, especially their song: Magical Mystery Tour.
Especially on the vinyl-version of Parade you can hear those different elements quite clearly: woodwinds, copper instruments, strings, mixed with Princes sound effects. Yep, Parade sure needs a remastered version.

4. Crystal Ball
I am talking here about the original version from 1986, with Wendy and Lisas' vocals clearly in the mix, the speech near the end about 'Brothers and sisters of the purple underground', the swelling orchestra and the womens scream just before the song returns to its original 'groove'.
I still think its a shame Prince edited this song for the release on the Crystall Ball-set. In its original form its probably one of the most daring and experimental songs he has ever done.

5. Mia Bocca:
I think this is one of the most wonderfully arranged songs i know. The way those dry, hard beats mix with the meandering orchestra remains breathtaking. And the 'cocky' vocals of Jill make it even more enjoyable.
The way its arranged is almost like a classical piece, with several segments using a different approach and instrumentation: First the rising orchestra with Jills acapella singing in the intro, silence, then suddenly the 'rude' sounding drummachine coming in, going into electro-funk territory, and during the song certain groups of classical instruments (woodwinds, copper horns, strings) are used on and off, the drummachine going 'bezerk' near the end, a trombone solo and then full orchestra (horns to the front) going into a climax. Audioheaven!

Next to those, i would like to note that i really love the arrangement for Violet Blue from Jill Jones, with those 'french' accents (next to the strings, an accordeon, and a classical soprano in the outtro) that song wouldnt have sounded out of place on Parade.
And, the best part of Te Amo Corazon is the orchestral intro IMO. A shame the rest of the song is quite 'plain' compared to it.
[Edited 5/5/08 16:42pm]

Could U list the collaborations? I keep hearing "Play in the Sunshine" playing in my head...however I don't know if this was a shared collaboration with Clare Fisher.

Is Claire Fischer responsible for that killer string section on Violet The Organ Grinder???

"The One"

The Screams of Passion 12" version
Crystal Ball
Mia Bocca

... I could listen to the strings on those three tracks for hours and hours.

to be honest, i like all of his contributions. all of the songs he's
done work on are great. even the later songs, like "the one", listen
to that ending with all the pluckings and stuff, that's lush! parade
is probably my fav though. and the track crystal ball.