I love how his rehearsel sound has SO mellowed out over the years. Lots of long funky jamming, now the somewhat more mellow sound of his jazz/bossa nova -infused sound. Well, during his last public sound checks during the ONA tour.

I looooove him fooling around, being silly, or working long hours to get a certain song right, like Another Lonely Christmas or The Screams Of Passion.

In what way do you like listening in on Prince fucking around during rehearsels, or just jamming a bit on either guitar or piano?

Do you like Prince giving directions or him doing band rehearsels or do you like the long meandering jamming?

I don't know that I have a favorite.

I LOVE hearing the soundcheck/rehearsal stuff. LOVE it.

i like the osaka lovesexy tour rehearsals that are floating around. the runthrough is so tight, it's like listening to a studio version of the lovesexy tour, tracked, with no audience noise other than the occasional delighted squeals of a few lucky kids who apparently got to sneak in for a few songs. a couple of songs really sound like they could be demos or re-recordings of the original. it's nice to hear the meandering, noodly stuff with all the conversation, but i love how on the money this soundcheck recording is.

Love rehearsals. I love hearing prince instruct his band or work on a new musical moment. The 1st rehearsal i ever heard was 'Now's The time'. It blew me away, for many of the same reasons that Anx previously mentioned about Lovesexy. I love that opening guitar part that opens the cd, before SOTT kicks in, he is talking to a sound tech while just noodling on the guitar. Also, 'it's gonna be a beautiful night' is tight ad it is apparent that the band are having alot of fun - they know how good the performance was. At the end of the take Levi immitates Prince and enthusiastically shouts "hit me in the back".. Prince then Laughs as he replies but i am unsure what he says. The quality of the CD is immense.

Also, the boot 'an honest man' the band rehearse 'anotherloverholenyohead'. during one of the many breaks to work out the piece prince just plays the most beautiful refrain on the piano whilst the band are chattering amongst themselves. Its so beautiful.

I love hearing him instruct the band, too, because it puts me in mind of my own rehearsals.

I'm an actor who enjoys rehearsing almost more than performing - it's wonderful having a director's attention.

I love hearing Prince, as a director, say, "Put the cigarette down. You missed one" and "The 'woo' is on the one." Makes me smile every time.

3121 said:

You inspired me to listen to Now's The Time . . . it had been too long! You're right, the quality of this CD is really good.

In fact, the quality is better than my official SOTT!

Se7en said:

Good stuff. Can he make out what Prince says at the end of 'Beauiful Night'? sounds like "levi trying to hang on" if i recall correctly.

Awesome rehearsal - "talking 'bout the SIX"

The Bird/When Doves Scream/ White Girls/Screams of Passion...Billy,Noon Rendezvous (84), Dream Factory, Go, Soulpsychodelicide (86), Baby Go-Go/The sex Of It (87), Lovesexy 80's Medley (88), all essential

Billy's Sunglasses!!!

Let me put it this way:

If I were in Prince's band, I would hate those long, pointless jams at rehearsals and soundchecks. Not that I have anything against playing music or being spontaneous, but when you have a rehearsal, you're there to rehearse. To me, it's about being professional.

I would prefer time-efficient rehearsals with clear and specific instructions. On stage is where you have fun!

RealMusician said:

Ok, I'm not a musician, (although I used to be a dancer so I have some idea about rehearsals - when we rehearsed until we nearly dropped over and over again, that's when it all really came together when we were actually on stage, and when we actually improved our technique and abilities as dancers!) I thought it was all about the music, not clear and specific instructions, that sounds like being an accountant!! I think to him 'rehearsals' are all about everyone stretching themselves, or improving themselves as musicians, so they can do anything at the drop of a hat on stage, because as he's said music should be 'organic'!!? And, isn't being on stage more about giving the audience 'fun', and the absolute best performance you're capable of? Just my thoughts but it's late

RealMusician said:

I would suggest that long spontaneous jamming is carried out to gel the band. They would learn each others nuances, likes and commands. In affect making them ready for any possible musical eventuality that could occour on stage. Practising a 'set list' by the letter at every oppourtunity would give you exactly that - a static, over rehearsed set with little room for manouverability. In my mind, Knowing the material is one thing, being able to manipulate the piece effectively at the drop of a hat is a magnificent skill and far more interesting to witness than an over rehearsed set.

3121 said:

Sure, you have a point. Although I would also say that the better the musicians, the easier they can adapt to different situations.
Of course, a band sounds good if they have played together for 20 years, but you shouldn't need that time.

My experience is that in most rehearsals, it takes way too long before you end up with the desired result.
Some possible (and common) reasons:

a, you (the bandleader, or the band collectively) don't actually know what kind of result you want, so you have to jam for hours to find out.

b, you know the result you want, but not how to get there, so you just play until you find something that works.

c, you know the result you want and have an idea of how to get there, but you can't communicate this information to the others in the band. So you just play and play until they get it.

I know my opinions might seem a bit extreme in this case, but it's just the way that I'm used to making music. It's not that I don't like to have fun and be spontaneous, but nine times out of ten, I have a very clear vision of what I want to do, and how to present it. I don't need to spend time looking for answers that I already have.

When I'm in someone else's band, I expect the same from them. Sure, I might have ideas and make suggestions, but I really think a bandleader should have some of his own to begin with. I don't have the same respect for people who don't know what they're doing, and must rely on the creativity of others.

3121 said:

The way I see it, there is really no such thing as "over-rehearsed" music. The better you know something, the more alternatives you have, and the more you can focus on actually being creative instead of spending all your energy trying to remember chord changes.

Unless by "over-rehearsed" you mean something that's very tightly arranged?

Jeffiner said:

Music is energy, emotion, and intuition. It's communication and interaction. But it's also knowledge, skill, and awareness. Usually they develop together.

What comes out can never be clearer than what's on the inside.

HamsterHuey said:

Bossa Nova? When?

I love watching his rehearsels, they mess around some and get serious some, it's a good way to come up with some new ideas too.I've got a lot of his rehearsel stuff.

I love the rehearsals in alot of ways. Prince's adlibing, calling out directions and changes to the band. Then saying some funny shit on the side. Also getting the chance to hear songs in a different light and sound. Like Desire, the rehearsal has a whole different sound than the studio version. It's soulful, slow and bluesy with a guitar solo. I find it way better than the studio version.

I saw the one where he was singing 'Just my imagination', it is wonderful