PARADE

The first time I heard Parade I was sooo excited. I was 14 years old and having heard “Kiss” on the radio felt that this was going to be a return to the funky side of Prince. Hearing the album I knew I was right. There was a sense of energy and excitement that had been missing from the more laid back and mid tempo Around the World in a Day. It also sounds like a more complete Band album – and the last marked with The Revolution. More organic and natural sounding each track has a sense of humanity and warmth that wasn’t present in some of the earlier more synth based recordings.

With that snare bass drum thumping intro of Christopher Tracy’s Parade I’m immediately transported to the studio, and see Prince on the drums who it is asserted laid down the drum tracks for the first 4 songs in the studio in one sitting, one after the other. That would have been a joy to see. CTP is a hi-energy funk groove that just bursts from the speaker and takes you over. The swirling instrumentation and the vocals all add to the playful nature and celebration of the song. An immediate pick me up track if ever there was one.

I love the kettledrum clink of New Position. I love how Prince will mix up the funk focus of a song and supplement it with something you won’t expect, yet make it sound logical to have included. This song just pumps along, and I love the pleading lyrics trying to convince a lover to try something new to spice up the relationship, including Prince’s laugh after the line “without a shot of new spunk”. It’s almost like he is laughing at what he can get away with, without deliberating pushing the boundaries or trying to shock for just shock’s sake. Such a sexy, sexy song that makes you H A P P Y.

There is something so trippy about I Wonder You that almost sends me into a trance, I loved it from the moment I heard it, and reminded me of some of the Beatles work on Magical Mystery Tour. Check out that slithering bass line, how cool is that. And with Wendy and Lisa’s vocals in the mix, this dreamy song is just true bliss to listen to. My only complaint is that it is too short, and as a kid I had to stop the record and listen to it a few times before I could move onto Under the Cherry Moon.

There is a grand sense of romance in the structure of UTCM. It’s like the blues meets ballad. The beautiful piano, the plodding drum beat, the slow build of the oboe, and the twirling of the strings. With such sad lyrics there is a sense of optimism and hope still present in the song.

Prince’s sense of humour shines through in Girls & Boys, (who can sing “she had the cutest ass he’d ever seen, he did too they were meant to be” without having a wry smile – don’t we all wish we were secretly this cool). With a similar backing arrangement of Raspberry Beret, this song is a quirkier take on pop. The twanging guitar and the up note down note horn section. What I love about this song is the progression of the chorus, and how with each repeat the backing vocals come more and more into the front taking us from the male (Prince) point of view to the female. As if trying to explain the different sides on what is destined to be a doomed relationship.

Life Can Be So Nice is an awesome song, and one I wish I had heard live just once. The line breaks in the vocal delivery are so cool, letting lines run over and not be complete. This song just gallops along with a vibrant energy. And once again Prince’s drumming reminds me a bit of Tambourine a flurry of bass drum and snare rolls punctuated by cymbal crashes here and there. Brilliant.

Venus De Milo is a beautiful piece, and placed maybe to remind people this was a soundtrack to a film (not that I think it helped the film that much).

If I am going to list my all time top 5 prince songs, Mountains will be in there. Everything in this song is done to perfection. The cantering shuffle of the main groove, the exuberance in Prince’s vocals, the whimsical nature of the lyrics mixed with a social message and that hook in the chorus. Probably the most expansive musically, Mountains has all the elements of a band feel, supplemented by the new addition of horns. I just adore this song. It’s one of the tracks I place on cds for people who want a sample of Prince. And the girls say…

Do u Lie? I would be lying if I said I like this song. It just doesn’t do it for me. A little too quirky it feels throwaway to me. But maybe you love it, if so let me know.

Kiss was my introduction to Parade, and what an introduction. Originally written for Mazaratti who needed a hit, Prince changed his mind and claimed it as his own. I mean, come on it is too good to give away. That groove, the shuffling hi-hats, the falsetto vocals, and the guitar hook. No to mention the funky breakdown – aaaowww! I love that he kept the line “little girl wendy’s parade” in it, even though he had renamed that song Christopher Tracy’s. A continually evolving song live this song always sounds fresh.

And to go from Kiss to Anotherloverholenyohead is going from the sublime to the sublimer, lol. With that classic prince drum pattern you know I’m gonna love it. So funky, this always gets your head bopping. And once again Prince uses the backing vocal arrangement to really create another melody line especially during the second verse. And the beautiful string arrangement gives the song an added degree or warmth. One of Prince’s finest moments on record – shame it wasn’t as big a hit as it deserved to be.

I remember hearing Sometimes it Snows in April and thinking , yeah, so –so. It wasn’t until years later that I rediscovered the real beauty in the softness of the arrangement and delivery. And then shortly after that my best friend passed away, and it was this song as well as “still could stand all time” and “purple rain” that helped me get through it. It’s the kind of song that sparks memories and lets you find the comfort in the sadness of loss.

And while the film never blew many minds, I’m sure the album still does. One of his best works, Parade is often underrated but will always be on heavy rotation at my place.

Tomorrow we look at the masterpiece that is Sign of The Times. But for today I’d love to know what you all think of Parade.

Swa

Top three for me, definitely (and that rhymes!).

It captured the UTCM style, innovative chord progression, untypical instrumentation, wonderful lyrics and a great album cover, tour and band.


LONG LIVE PARADE

I think its his 3rd best album after Sign and 1999, all the songs are satisfying, its a good precursor to Sign, the first three songs get the groove going and don't let up, then you have the clever piano pieces, funky songs like Girls and Boys and Another....head along with the yearning ballads Under the Cherry Moon and Sometimes it snows in April. This was total brilliance. And then you have lyrics like "No one plays the clarinet, the way you play my heart" from Life can be so nice. And then there is Kiss, his funkiest single ever. This album is a playboys fantasy, it suits Chriistopher Tracy so well.

Easily an A here

You can see why most the critics went ballistic when it came out. One even called it "Godlike" and another said it "eclipses anything else you have heard this year" (1986). I was 10 years old at time, and went nuts over Kiss as I recall

Christopher Tracy's Parade is an OK track. It's got a sort of exotic vibe that is not too unlike ATWIAD (the song), but this one's cheerier, obviously. It's pleasant-sounding, but it really doesn't grab my attention the way an album-opener should. For this I count it among the weakest album-openers Prince has done.

New Position is just pure funk-pop bliss! Irresistibly infectious...sexy and cool. But it's criminally brief! I've always hoped that there's an 8-minute megamix of this locked away in the Vault somewhere.

I Wonder U is bland and uninteresting; it sounds like nothing more than a glorified segue, IMO.

UTCM is an above-average ballad, though not one of P's absolute best. Musically, the piano is breathtaking on this song. This song sounds like the forefather of the far superior "Question of U."

Girls & Boys is another slice of pop perfection. I agree with Swa that Prince's cocky playfulness is a big part of what makes this song great. Every vocal part, from Prince's, to Wendy's, to the french boys' dialogue is executed PERFECTLY. And the music? Awesomeness!

Life Can Be So Nice sounds like a hot frantic mess. I just don't "get" it. The way it just abruptly stops at the end irks the hell out of me. I skip it every time I play this album.

Venus De Milo is pretty, albeit quite boring. To me, it kills the flow of the album. I'm not a big fan of P's instrumentals, but one of the few I DO love is "Alexia de Paris." I can't understand why Prince didn't put "Alexia" on there in place of "Venus."

Mountains is pure genius. I really wish the 12" was on the album though; that is the BOMB!

Do U Lie? IS quite "cutesy," yes, but I don't mind it nearly as much as some others do. I appreciate it's cheekiness and charm.

Kiss and Anotherloverholeinyohead are about as strong of a one-two punch as you'll find on ANY Prince album, period. Both are insanely funky and infectious, absolute gems of songs that get into your head and don't leave for days on end. Prince is in top form on both of these tunes.

Sometimes it Snows In April is a haunting masterpiece that showcases P's ability to convey sincere emotion in his vocals. On some songs, Prince's emotions sound contrived and forced...but not here. This is as real and as raw as it gets, folks.

If "Life Can Be So Nice" wasn't on there, it'd be a 10. But for that, it's a 9.

ernestsewell said:

" or $" should've taken its place.

I love, "Do U lie."

bluefish said:

That's a good choice.

I've been listening to Parade a fair bit recently, I'm no fan of Summer, but the Sun always makes me want to play this LP.

I love, love, love the sequencing of this album, I think it's his best sequenced album, it flows magnificently.

It's difficult to pick favourites since I usually listen to it the whole way through, although Kiss is sometimes skipped - overplayed hits and all that. But I'd have to pick out 'Do U Lie?' and 'Life Can Be So Nice' as two upmost favourite picks, as well as the first 3 tracks.

I'm always surprised to read others' reactions to Parade because I think it's the peak of Prince's official output (the honour that's usually given to SOTT). And what I consider brilliance is regarded as toss-off or fluff by others - Already in this thread I've gasped at comments re: I Wonder U, and the two tracks I mentioned above

I could gush about Parade all day.

ernestsewell said:

"Life can be so nice" - I can see why some don't enjoy it, but for me it is the flurry and cacophony that sweeps you up and swirls around you. It's a standout for me for the pure raw energy it has.

Nice to see a flip side point of view though.

Swa

Damn," Life Can Be So Nice" is a banger to me..i listen to it everyday when i work out..something about the energy..but i can see why many dont like it..The whole album works for me..u see alot of people talk about "The Parade Era"..it was that small pocket when Prince incorporated oboe.french horns and other woodwind instruments with funk..also clare ficher's orchestration was more prominent. Mountains extended version is also another fav..Alexa De Paris and Luv Or Money was great B sides also...

I will get worried when you have to review lesser albums like Chaos and Disorder and Newpowersoul

Swa[/quote]

Parade is my favorite Prince album of all. The music (with the addition of Alexa de Paris) is far and away the happiest-sounding music Prince has ever written. The entire album is sunshine and skittles. You can feel the sun on your face and the breeze in your hair.

I have a little ritual associated with this album. There is a winding two-lane road that runs from the town I work in to another small town about 20 miles to the north. It runs past Taliesen (the ancestral farm of Frank Lloyd Wright) and over the Wisconsin River. (It's one of the prettiest drives in Wisconsin, I think.) Every spring, on a day that's sunny and warm enough to have the sunroof open, I make that drive with Parade blasting from the car stereo.

And I smile the whole way.

Parade would have to be my third favorite by Prince as well. The music is so free-flowing and smooth, but it still has that edge and flair that his previous works had. This would also have to be my favorite period because Prince was doing so much outside work during this point. It seemed as if he could do no wrong and he just expanded his musical foundations, which was another plus. As other orgers have posted, Parade flows wonderfully like no album I have ever heard before and it doesn't linger like Around The World did.

And of course, he would eclipse this with his epic masterwork, Sign O The Times a year later, but Parade remains a highlight for Prince as it showed another part of his musical evolution. I think it's important...
[Edited 6/23/09 19:55pm]

Genesia said:

Sounds like a great way to enjoy the album. And your observation that this is far and away the happiest sounding music Prince has ever written is spot on.

Swa

^ There is one thing that makes that album sunshine and skittles, though. CLARE FISHER! When you hear the early versions of the first four songs, they're good, but it's just another PRince record, done slightly differently (all four recorded at once). But when those strings and other orchestra pieces start chiming in here and there, it's damn near perfect. I think "Alexa De Paris", and "Love or $" should have been on there somewhere. Even "Mia Bocca" had some great strings on it, and in the party scene you can hear that over just the drum track.

Those liner notes "Thanks 2 Clare Fisher for making brighter the colors of black and white" is spot on.

bluefish said:

I agree completely.

Swa said:

Thanks, love.

I'll go a step farther and say Alexa de Paris is the single happiest song he's ever written. It is wild, unbridled joy from start to finish.

An ecstatically happy man wrote that.

bluefish said:

The best thing about that song is the creaking of the stools, the fingers on the guitar strings, the breathing between words or phrases. It's almost like they just recorded it in their bedroom or something. Love it.

ernestsewell said:

Those moments are the best. He's used them to great effect on elsewhere, too. Working the pedal (using it almost like percussion) on How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore and Young and Beautiful...the breathiness of his voice..."put down the needle...put down the spoon." Almost like he's the voice in your head.

best. album. ever.

the Parade masterpiece is in my Top 5


01. Purple Rain (10)
02. Sign "O" The Times (10)
03. 1999 (10)
04. Lovesexy (10)
05. Parade (10)

I love Parade deeply

BUT I remember when Parade was released in '86 I was missing "4 The Tears In Your Eyes", I was a little disappointed this great track wasn't included, later I found the (crappy) "USA For Africa" vinyl... memories from back then.....

I LOVE the PARADE vinyl inner sleeve.....




credits: from Sleevographia.

Kiss


U don't have 2 be beautiful
2 turn me on
I just need your body baby
From dusk till dawn
U don't need experience
2 turn me out
U just leave it all up 2 me
I'm gonna show u what it's all about

U don't have 2 be rich
2 be my girl
U don't have 2 be cool
2 rule my world
Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with
I just want your extra time and your

Kiss

U got to not talk dirty, baby
If u wanna impress me
U can't be 2 flirty, mama
I know how 2 undress me (Yeah)
I want 2 be your fantasy
Maybe u could be mine
U just leave it all up to me
We could have a good time

U don't have 2 be rich
2 be my girl
U don't have 2 be cool
2 rule my world
Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with
I just want your extra time and your

Kiss

Yes
I think I wanna dance
Gotta, Gotta
Little girl Wendy's parade
Gotta, gotta, gotta

Women not girls rule my world
I said they rule my world
Act your age, mama (Not your shoe size)
Not your shoe size
Maybe we could do the twirl
U don't have 2 watch Dynasty
2 have an attitude
U just leave it all up 2 me
My love will be your food
Yeah

U don't have 2 be rich
2 be my girl
U don't have 2 be cool
2 rule my world
Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with
I just want your extra time and your

Kiss

©1986 Controversy Music - ASCAP

Swa said:

Brilliant song.....
but I prefer the studio version to any live version...
[Edited 6/24/09 10:40am]

To me, Parade eclipses Sign O' the Times as an album. Most of the songs on SOTT are unbelievably fantastic, but the whole project, to me, seems like a random collection of songs, not a thematic album. I know many will disagree.

I love Parade. I'll write more later, only got a minute right now.

coltrane3 said:

One's a soundtrack, one isn't. Apples and oranges.

Parade is an incredible album from beginning 2 end... I have 2 disagree with many complaints of "Life Can Be So Nice" and "Venus De Milo"... those R 2 great songs, especially "Life"... It has a lot 2 do with the raw energy of the track... The only song I am really moody with is "Under The Cherry Moon"... it clicks some days and others I'm just not in the mood 4 anything slow

^ I actually think UTCM is a weaker song, but I like it because it's part of the four songs recorded together. LOVE Venus, hate Life Can B.

ernestsewell said:

Agree. The piano is great though

coltrane3 said:

Ohhh I love a big call. Look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on this.

Swa