Flo6 said:

wtf????

whats the the whole european obssesion? lol

He's always changing we'll see!

sarkozyiszeman said:

I wouldn't be surprised either.

I'd vote for Me'shell Ndgecello a thousand time as the new Bass player. She's just as crazy as Prince & would bring a creative spark as well as kick ass technique.

Farfunknugin said:

That union would last 4 about 10 minutes.

Graycap23 said:

I like your optimism. I was thinking more like 8 minutes.

Larry G. in a 2-piece would be a fun surprise

sarkozyiszeman said:

Yes, they were a very good band, but from all the audio I've heard from the last few years, whoever has been in the band, the sound hasn't changed that much. It's just gotten even more laid back, if anything.

Time for something new, I think.

Giovanni777 said:

that was 6 years ago.

I'd rather see P get back with Micheal Bland and Sonny T. and crank out another power trio joint. Do a selected small tour and play the songs stripped down and loose.

I'd like to be in his new band.

purplecam said:

I hope Esperanza DOES NOT. She should remain independent, and continue to be the leader of her own work and career.

Bring back Tony.M

Indeed 'wtf????' - the CIS countries I mentioned [Uzbekistan, etc] are in Central Asia.

RumAndRaisin said:

SPYZFAN1 said:

YUP

SPYZFAN1 said:

Seconded.

Please Prince, no more Renato. He's the reason why your live shows musically come across in parts as smooth jazz fests. Let's have a keyboard player with an attacking style. Morris is good though - not flashy, but always compliments the band well.

Mong said:

Having some one like renato around gives prince a more "mature" feel to it,and plus prince has done wore out all the funk stuff anyway,there aint nothin wrong with funk,but i feel prince is more grown up now musicaly and i like having bothe the funk and jazz that prince has to offer.

CJBabyDaddy said:

Bash W&L all you want..... the bottom line is Prince's biggest hits represent his collabos with them. Thus...the poster's original point that regardless of how "taletended" they are or are not, the combination of Prince, W and L created some of his best and most popular and successful music.

SPYZFAN1 said:

GaryMF said:

GaryMF said:

The combination of Prince + Sheila E + Miko Weaver or Prince + Michael B and Sonny T or prince + John Blackwell + Renato Neto offered some music as good as anything done with W&L.
Cut the crap please. Their collaboration was great but stop with the myth.

sarkozyiszeman said:

Oh really? Name a top 10 song..... damn even a top 40 song he made with Michael, Sonny, John B, Renato???

I'm going by facts dude. You're the one drinking purple Kook Aid.

Of couse I don't include Sheila cuz she can do no wrong! Seriously, at least she and P did Love Bizarre and Glam life which were both top 40.

GaryMF said:

Preach it

Hell imho, his music and popularity went downhill after W&L. Look at now even.

myth???? wtf??? Is what I wanna know.

GaryMF said:

Please... not this shite again...

CJBabyDaddy said:

Ha, I'd still take 8 minutes of that then 8 years of rhonda/larry any day.

lezama said:

It's not "shite".... it's called "facts".

Listen, I'm not one of the W&L magenta-flavored Kook Aid drinkers either. I bought their albums but really never play them anymore, I do really like them as people etc.... but I'm not gonna go on a rampage about them or credit Prince's success to them.

I'm just stating facts: some --not all-- of Prince's biggest hits and successes came from his collabos with them. NONE came from collabos with the male sidemen listed above. Period.

I know most people on here are fanatical in one way or the other but I'm able to see nuance and shades of grey. Try it sometime.

GaryMF said:

Name a single top 10 song by W&L in their ENTIRE career.

Graycap23 said:

Really like that matters, at least they got ON the charts, like Shiela did. Did anyone else get on the charts as the one who YOU are pushing for(Chris Dave)?
[Edited 1/10/09 13:07pm]

GaryMF said:

Yes, but the W&L with Prince is over now. Maybe that's why some artists from back in the day are obsolete now, because they didn't try to move past their era and take risks and collaborate with other artists, add new members to their band or change their style a bit.

Now without sounding like a fam, and quite frankly I don't really give a sh*t if anyone thinks that's what I sound like, and I've been called worse here, but still standing and breathing, so anyway.....

...Prince still fills stadiums, with or without W&L. He's a one man music icon, a household name in the music industry, and apparently knows they'll never be another one like him because he's always had his own unique style and takes risks--not saying that no artist doesn't copy a bit of another artist's style/music, but it's how that artist takes their own creativity, mix it with other artists who were influences to them, and make it their own style, own it, and use it to attract their own fan base. That's why he's survived for so long. Doesn't mean everyone likes every single song that he sang or wrote. I surely don't, but I have my favorite tracks and just focus and play the ones I like, and give the ones I may not like much a listen or to.

I have to say though, I definitely enjoyed the time W&L spent with Prince and their classics with him will remain classics forever, to Prince fans and W&L fans, but you have to move on and take risks sometimes, even if it means there's a chance it will fail, but at least you tried, and if you didn't, then you would never know what changes you need to make to make it better, the next time. Didn't W&L work on his Planet Earth album and everyone thought it was going to knock the socks off of fans because W&L was involved somehow? Apparently it didn't have as much as an impact on many of P's fans or W&L fans, but life goes on, and he could have choose to try again and go for the challenge or give up. I doubt we see him give up anytime soon though, and he shouldn't have to for something he loves doing until he decides to end it himself.
[Edited 1/10/09 13:43pm]

Giovanni777 said:

Agree. We can all quibble about his songwriting and albums since RC/ONA era, but his live bands have been amazing. The musicianship of Neto, Blackwell, Sheila E, Mike Scott, Greg Boyer and Prince have elevated his live performances to places the Revolution could never reach.