It's been said by some of you on the Org that Prince's music in the 90s up till the present has, to paraphrase, "lacked something". Do you believe that "something" is Wendy and Lisa? Would Prince's music really be nowhere without them? Did they really make the positive difference in his music some people on here claim they did? How has Prince's music fallen short since they left? (if at all?)
When you say that Prince's music with the Revolution is better than his work from the 90s and the present, are you sure you aren't speaking from a nostalgic POV? Or have you honestly given his recent work the thorough listen it deserves? If so, can you come to the same conclusion?
And finally, does Prince really deserve the "genius" designation, if his greatest work (from the 80s) was shared with two other people?

I wouldn't say they were his saviors but they definitely added an influence that produced a very special sound. One that I really miss.

After groovin to ONA Live, I'd say definitely not.
By the way, Eric Clapton isn't God, Prince is.

chickengrease said:

But why do you miss it? Is it nostalgia?

shygirl said:

Who told you that lie? Neither Eric OR Prince is God. God, is God. Period.

FirstAvenue said:

When Wendy & Lisa released their debut CD, I was immediately ready to write it off as their imitation of Prince. But a few years later after I REALLY listened to that album (and their latter recordings) without being biased, I really noticed some elements from their music that Prince only used during Around the World in a Day and Parade. I can't quite put my finger on what IT is but the only tracks I can use for reference are :

Around the World in a Day
Mountains
Strange Relationship
In All My Dreams

I really don't think the arrangements would have been the same (or as good for that matter) without Wendy & Lisa.

Prince doesn't make songs like Power Fantastic, Splash or In a Large Room With No Light since they left. They definitely promoted and contributed to a very expressive period in Prince music.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Yeah! What you said.

Hmmm...

If they are you've been waiting a very long time for them to save him...

Prince just hasn't made fully arranged songs that sounded effortless since they've been gone.

chickengrease said:

Specifically the intricacy and flair of "In A Large Room"!! The whole arrangement is fantastic and leaves you begging for more.
[This message was edited Thu Dec 5 16:23:05 PST 2002 by SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy]

This again?Listen goddammit...W&L did some good things..but everyone creams over 1999, SOTT and Love-fuckin-Sexy. Those were made without carpet munchers inc. Now Parade is jammin too, but this W&L being Princes "saviour" shit is silly. Super you even said Lovesexy saved your life...W&L were not part of that life support team. They were great for what they did but believe me, Prince can still play piano with or without them. Some may like the sounds they made and only feel that is what is deemed as worthy but others in the know realize that Prince has made great songs before and after their "legacy".

Prince did great stuff before, with, and after Wendy and Lisa. It's just a matter of taste.

rdhull said:

Calm down Hull...Here's some chicken and a hug.

I'm not saying that they are saviours BUT they did contribute something that left a mark with a lot of fans. I'm not saying that Prince isn't as good without them but he doesn't create the same kind of music as he did when they were around, particularly music like ATWIAD & Parade.

I love Wendy & Lisa's work & I wish that new work could come forth between the three,however Prince was and still is one of the all time greats !People give these two more credit than what they really should get.Look at their releases since the break up in 1986 & look at Prince's.

Nuff'said !

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

yes he does--I'll explain later--

muleFunk said:[quote]People give these two more credit than what they really should get.





---
Um, excuse me? What do you mean? They get more credit with Prince's work (85-86) or they're own stuff?
[This message was edited Thu Dec 5 17:03:33 PST 2002 by lovebizzare]

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

To play devil's advocate here, how about songs like Dolphin? Or Strays of the World? These are big, lush expressive post-Revolution pop songs that Prince composed, w/o Wendy and Lisa's help.

rdhull said:

I'll give it to him for When the Lights Go Down, One Night Alone, God Created Woman, Saviour, Come, Truth CD, Eye Love You BIDTYA.

FirstAvenue said:

OK Satan

You have a great point there but those are 2 songs vs 2 seriously artistic albums.

I'm not saying Prince only had it with these girls but ATWIAD and Parade really do stand alone and is it a coincidence that W&L were there at the time?

rdhull said:

Whoa Kimosabi...did this open up a wound for ya
I know Prince was/is a bad ass with and without them. But when they were together Prince finally became truly experimental. Think about it, when he collaborated with them he damn near abandoned the synth dominated Minneapolis sound he created and moved into something different. Not completely different. But different. Ironically, that is period when the whole "black people say I've strayed from my roots" things started. I don't know if it was Lisa's classical piano training or Wendy's Beatles collection, but Wendy and Lisa turned him onto something between 84 and 86.

What "saves" Prince is that he is constantly reinventing his band and his sound. If he had stayed with Wendy & Lisa for the past 20 years, Prince and us probably would have gotten bored, and I doubt that he would have gotten to the sound that he's putting out today (TRC, ONA Live).

I think that Sheila E. and Eric Leeds added something amazing to his band, a more "live" sound to his studio recordings.

And Michael B's drumming was part of Prince's experimentation with "maximalism" in the early 90's, creating a lot of loud melodramatic music that could have fit into a loud brassy musical easily. I can't imagine Wendy (Beatles) and Lisa (classical) being a conducive part of that experiment. Yes, the rappers were a BAD idea, and I think Prince knows that (based on "Freedom, Pt. 1"). But it was a sound that Prince needed to explore, and I think it was fantastic.

If you are looking for a specific kind of arrangement, then you'll be disappointed because Prince is constantly re-inventing his sound and his bands. I doubt that this jazz-influenced music that he's doing lately will last much longer. So, don't grow too attached to John Blackwell or Maceo Parker!


I wonder what he'll do next...

geminito said:

Geminito, you are my hero! Exactly what you said...

germinito

lovebizzare said:[quote]

muleFunk said:

What I mean is that Prince was already recognized as a major player on the music scene based upon strong efforts like Dirty Mind.
Some on this site would lead you to believe that W&L invented the "Prince" sound.W & L has had very good albums since the break up but many ,including yours truly, became disciples of Prince during the SOTT/LOVESEXY period.This was post W & L .

FirstAvenue said:

That's the funny thing: I didn't *need* to listen thoroughly to hear how great those collaborations were -- it was evident. I was hooked and found deeper gems with repeated listening.

"Hot wit U" just doesn't have the same quality as, say, a "Mountains."

ThreadBare said:

ah, you bring up a good point. Even I will admit that it's become harder work for me to really get into his stuff from the 90s, than it did the 80s...in fact, the 80s stuff took no work at all...all you did was just close your eyes and get taken away..

FirstAvenue said:

Yeah, man. Those were cool days.

ThreadBare said:

I don't know. You get out what you put in, so if you work a little harder, you reap bigger rewards.

muleFunk said:[quote]

lovebizzare said:

Oh, okay

ThreadBare said: