do you think new band will contain all the new players or he will bring some old friends?

I would love to see John Blackwell back again, and I hope Renato stays.

We will find out soon enough, it will be interesting.

Above all else though, bring your new band to Australia please Prince.

thebanishedone said:

Yes 2 one of those.
[Edited 1/8/09 21:15pm]

i Like the Twinz i mean their singing is just fine but they add a lot of entertainment and show to the whole scene making it more interesting not just because their good looking but their co-ordinated dancing etc

The Twinz are out like a thighmaster from the 80's. Have been 4 over a year. MJ has a better chance of being number one on the singles charts again b4 the Twinz return.

I am not a musician... actually far from it. I know there are several musicians here.

I am just curious as to what goes into putting a band together. Is there a lot of practice? Do band members have to memorize all the songs?

jseven said:

Them girls helped me fully appreciate the gift of eyesight.

They put a twitch in my Twinzicles.

You tellin me they're gone?

I'm gonna need a moment of silence.

I read a while back that Prince was working with John Blackwell and Tal Wilkenfeld on some music.

IMHO, a band with Prince, B. Well, Tal, and Renato would be incredible!!!

I saw Tal when she was Jeff Beck's bass player, and she was awesome. Just the thought of her in Prince's band, with Blackwell and Renato Neto would make my head explode as a music geek!!!

pplrain said:

I imagine that due to his reputation he can pretty much head hunt the best musicians in the world, so I don't think 'playing' the music would be particularly hard for most of them. I think the hardest part would be finding people who are committed. Many of his former band members have said that working for Prince is a 24/7 commitment.

As for the amount of 'practice', I guess it depends on what he has in mind for the live show. He could easily just hand them a CD from London and say "learn this", or he might come with a completely revitalised set list and arrangements. Too early to say, really.

As far as memorisation, I notice he has become a little more relaxed about that in recent years. The horn players often have a music stand, and I recall seeing a show where Renato was reading off a stand also. Prince himself often has the lyrics to his songs printed in a big book next to his guitar rack nowdays. But I'd say it's a given that his band would be extremely familiar with the material before they tour.
[Edited 1/8/09 22:44pm]

Bring back Dr Fink and those Oberheims synthesizers.
Please no more Las Vegas.
/peace Manki

at this point, i really hope it's an all-new band, but comprised of musicians who are going to push and inspire him.

he's had lazy, uninspired bands for too long. and bringing in the long time associates has gotten stale, because he always brings back the same ones (Morris Hayes, Mike Scott, background/duet singer of the moment #586, Eric Leeds - as much as I love him, etc.

but if he ends up with an all new band, i hope he rehearses them a little more than he did the all-new 1997 version of the NPG that he toured with. egads.

Paris9748430 said:

Yes, that was posted on here a while back.

manki said:

The dream we all dream of...

My ideal band? Here:

Dr. Fink - keyboards
Sonny T. - bass
John Blackwell - drums
Morris Hayes - keyboards
Sheila E. - percussion
Marva King - vocals
Prince - whatever

errant said:

I totally disagree with you. His band from the One Nite Alone Tour was amazing and inspired him big time in a very positive way.
especially John Blackwell and renato neto.

I would not be surprised if Esperanza Balding (Bass) and Blackwell (Drums) were part of the new band.

Lovesymbol2 said:

Even though the twinz were nice to look at,i dont think he needs them, only for the vegas shows.
I will say this,he dont put on a show like he use to back in the day,but i will still go see him for the great musicians he hires and his great guitar playing.

pplrain said:

I am a musician and i will tell you he only hires the best.
I think that since he hires great musicians,there is just mabey several rehearsals,just for set list rehearsals and special things that go on during the show like break downs ,changes like when they go into a lil jazz break, ect ,ect.

errant said:

The 30+ concerts and aftershows I've been to over the last six years give me plenty proof that he's pushed and been pushed by the ONA, Musicology, 3121 & Planet Earth ensembles. We each might prefer some idealized fantasy ensemble, since the grass is always greener, right? We might find recent/current band members, like all other musicians (including the bandleader) to have limitations. But "lazy" and "uninspired"?

Surely, you were searching for other words to describe them.

+ Greg Boyer and Mike Philips, please:)

Sophianestesia said:

I'm glad those automated plastic dolls are gone - waaaayyyy too artificial looking for me. He needs some sexy girls-dancers from Russia/the former Soviet bloc: a beauty that's sensual but natural.

And if he likes butterscotch/caramel, he can go for girls from Uzbekistan, Tadzhikistan, Armenia, Georgia, etc. Nothing fake, pure, undiluted beauty, and let's not forget that their countries are often considered the cradle of belly dancing [at least, those sensual dances are very popular all over the region].
All these girls can be found in Moscow.

I hope I'm not sounding 'anti-Western women', but my argument applies to the women when see on stage/in shows/the entertainment business in the US mostly, who I think are made up and decorated to death.

jseven said:

sarkozyiszeman said:

EXCELLENT point.

He very inspired musically, and the result was new and fresh.

it has to be all new and ideally multi-ethnic to absord a wider range of influences. Wouldn't it be great if he got members that could challenge and inspire him as much as W&L clearly did?.

funkyhead said:

This notion that Wendy and Lisa set the standard 20 years ago for challenge and inspiration is hilarious to me.

Numerous subsequent band members have proven to be considerably more talented as musicians, pushing him to play better than he could before, and have helped him broaden his palette at least as much.

Heck, Wendy and Lisa 20 years ago were nowhere near as good as they are now, and nobody regards them as exceptional, particularly gifted or influential today.

Yes, they had some influence on him way back when. And yes, we were all young and impressionable back then. But let's maintain some perspective.

CJBabyDaddy said:

I know that the whole W&L thing has been highly contentious BUT whilst on their own may not be ground breaking [although they make gorgeous music] the fact is that when the 3 of them get together something fantastic & creative happens. Can you honestly compare ANY NPG band that has inspired him to be as creative compared to his 80's output.
Think of it this way, Lennon and McCartney on their own = excellent, but together they were the best.

funkyhead said:

Lyrical content aside, TRC represents a considerable expansion of his musical palette that bears no W&L influence. Renato and Greg have stretched his understanding of the confluence between pop and jazz in recent years and it shows up in a positive way. We don't know what, if anything "fantastic" would happen if middle-aged grumpsters Prince, Wendy & Lisa got together today (other than some heated discussion of the New Yorker article.)

I hope they aren't as internalized as the last one.

errant said:

i totally have a hard on for you

lets run a scam. NOT! ...

I've been pushing 4 Chris Dave on drums.....2 no avail.