Prince Unveils Plan to Release Three LPs Via Lotusflow3r Website at Private Gig

http://www.rollingstone.c...ivate-gig/

The e-mail invitation was vague but intriguing: spend Saturday night at Prince’s mansion in Beverly Hills for “a journey through the galaxy” and a live performance by the man himself.

As the first to arrive, I’m greeted by Scott Addison Clay, the bearded young developer behind Prince’s new Website, lotusflow3r.com. He wears a tweed jacket and sits behind a widescreen computer monitor to show off a bit of the new site, launched just minutes earlier. Leaning against a nearby couch is a sparkling metal cane, with Prince’s “love symbol” etched into the handle.

Clay notes that 10 years before, Prince helped revolutionize the relationship between music and the Internet by being the first major artist to debut music exclusively on the Web. And lotusflow3r.com is where Prince will release three new albums in 2009, including MPLSound, Lotus Flow3r and the unveiling of his newest female protégé Bria Valente.

Then there is a voice behind us: “Can I use my computer?” It’s Prince, smiling in a blue shirt decorated with a stylized drawing of his own image, and shoes with heels that blink colored lights. “It’s OK, I just want to check my e-mail.”

This is his home office, just one corner on a large estate in the exclusive gated community of Beverly Park, in the hills above Los Angeles. In another room is a space-age grand piano with liquid curves and framed snapshots of Chris Rock, Spike Lee, Quincy Jones and other friends. Outside on a pedestal amid the reflecting pools, recording studio and a beach volleyball court is a metal sculpture of his symbol. This is could only be one man’s house.

Downstairs in the home theater, Clay gives a deeper glimpse of what’s coming on the site, set to slowly unfold in coming months. For now, it is limited to a home page with a barren cliff beneath a night sky and three new songs: “Another Boy,” “Colonized Mind” and “Discojellyfish,” which flow from a boombox that glows purple. Fans will eventually be asked to pay a subscription fee to open up other areas of the site, with music, lyrics, animation, photographs and video (including Prince’s cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” at Coachella last year).

Guests are led down the hall, past the pool table and a pair of motorcycles that look like they just rolled off the cover of Purple Rain, toward the sound of a band tuning up in a small room. It’s a crowd of barely 30 people: three invited fans, a few journalists, soul singer Anita Baker, DJ Kat Corbett from KROQ-FM and Miss Valente, tall and elegant in a low-cut dress.

Prince is in the corner with a guitar and the first song is a shimmering cover of the Cars’ “Let’s Go,” followed by “Crimson & Clover” (by Tommy James and the Shondells), before erupting into the Troggs’ “Wild Thing” as Prince raises his guitar, singing like Hendrix himself: “Baby, I think I love you . . . sock it to me!”

He calls harmonica player Frédéric Yonnet up to blow through the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” following a tough, sexy groove as Prince announces: “Come on out on the dancefloor, come on!” It’s just the first of two sets he’ll lead tonight, and it’s a purely musical performance, without the big production of a tour date, playing vivid originals going all the way back to 1979’s “I Feel for You” and surprising cover tunes, including several Sly Stone hits (”Everyday People,” “Stand,” etc.).

You could see when Prince was especially moved by an emotional vocal from Baker or one of his three backup singers (Marva King, Shelby Jackson and Olivia Warfield), whose solos are epic performances unto themselves. Baker joins him for several duets, including a new song called “Guitar.”

“Real music by real musicians,” Prince announces, slipping into another funky psychedelic groove, leaving room for big solos from the band and his own guitar.

Near the end of the second set, it’s nearly 3 a.m. as Prince and bassist Josh Dunham jump into a sticky groove that’s instantly recognizable as a 1976 riff from Wild Cherry. Prince points directly at Clay, his Internet guru, by now pealed out of his tweed at the edge of the dancefloor. He calls him over to the microphone, and Clay immediately begins singing, reading from an ovesized lyric sheet: “Play that funky music, white boy! Play that funky music right!”

Prince leans back against drummer Cora Dunham, still slashing at his guitar, eyebrows rising, as if he can’t believe what he is witnessing. But it’s a kind of unbelievable, brilliant moment, one of many during more than three hours of live music. Clay is still dancing behind the microphone, his dress shirt soaked, and for one moment the baddest white dude on the West Coast. “That’s pretty funky, right?” he asks. With Prince and the band behind him, it could hardly be anything else.

Thanks! I am feeling overwhelmened, with all this Prince stuff over the weekend, I was down sick with a cold..I come online this morning..and damn!!!!

"New song "guitar"?????

mdn7 said:

Thank you

"slowly unfold in the coming months"
Dayyumm...

Yeah new song Guitar, guess they have that wrong.

BlackAdder7 said:

Sounds like the RS guy spent more time looking around P's house than taking note of the music being played.....i'm not impressed

i guess that's the album cover too.



[Edited 2/2/09 11:10am]

^ me 2!
Looks nice

Milty said:

LOVE the cover!

Milty said:

Yep looks like it is - it does make for a nice CD cover

Can't believe a reporter doesn't know Guitar is not new...oh waithe works for Rolling Stone so that makes more sense

Kinda disappointed that we will have to pay yet again. Although it sounds like this new site is super bad-ass so it will be worth it.

NouveauDance said:

mdn7 said:

Fans will eventually be asked to pay a subscription fee to open up other areas of the site, with music, lyrics, animation, photographs and video (including Prince’s cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” at Coachella last year).

Now we all know why he did not want to "Creep" cover on YOUTUBE.
Some of the content will be for sale so we will see if people are interested in paying for music instead of listening for free.

laurarichardson said:

Yeah, and not 2 mention that it will have been professionally filmed and recorded!

BOOO!!!! After NPG Music Club fiasco, I will not be paying another subscription fee. I've changed my status from hard-core fan to "pre 2000" Prince fan. I don't even care to hear the new stuff.

This is wonderful! I can't wait for this site to open up so I can get at all the goodies on the site! That album cover looks badass too. 2009 going to be a great year for us!

Milty said:

It would very nice as the album cover. It relays a path... inter-connectivity... but is also iconic. Interestingly, it reminds me a bit of my favourite Santana album... 'Lotus'.

All I keep thinking about is that he wanted to check his email. I wish he and I could email back and forth.

What frightens me is when the reporter stated the site would open "within the upcoming months"!! Months??? I hope they were mistaken and meant this month...

So nothing was mentioned about being able to order concert tickets when the site unfolds...
Wonder if they just cannot mention it, or if he is not going to do a tour.
Before the site changed it mentioned ordering tickets....
Hhmmmmm...
Inquiring minds want to know Fo SHO!

dartluv5 said:

Actually, I think it will be in March...
Remember the FIRST purple ticket before the site changed?
It had Section 3, row 7, seat 7 (or something along those lines)
I think that was and IS the original date for the site to launch (fully launch).
All those numbers on that ticket had a meaning...
I think March 7th is the date to look at...
Of course the site fee is obviously going to be $77.00
Anyway...Just my
[Edited 2/2/09 12:05pm]
[Edited 2/2/09 12:05pm]

BlackAdder7 said:

The article on rollingstone.com has been edited... It says nothing about a "new song" anymore.

I like the albumcover (if that's what it is) Futuristic and bright, but not cheesy. Colorful..

It'll be months. Why would he rush it.

I'm down for paying a subscription fee, but then, I never joined the NPGMC, so maybe that's why I'm a tad more willing? Though, I'll say - there's the concern that all the DRM music will wind up useless if Prince gets fickle again and cuts the world off like he did last time.

But then, some of us will take precautions against that

Oh, and I love the album cover - just with "lotusflow3r" wasn't so small or in such a weird font.

Still don't get why he gave away 4 tunes from LF back in december to eventually release it later this year.

I doubt the new music will be online when the site opens.

Moreover I'm surprised that the major retailer is not mentionned anywhere. They should have seen the logo on the site like the LA Times journalist did.

.
[Edited 1/2/10 0:43am]

hmm.....do you think this could be the reason bhind it all? Deleting footage off YouTube, closing housequake.....so he could take the stuff we previously had 4 free and charge us for it?


Damn Shame..

majic said:

Not exactly.....

.
[Edited 1/2/10 0:43am]

The cover is fantastic, love it!

So does it mean everything will be released via the site and there's no "major retailer" after all?