The hell if I know.

What makes PARADE great?

Everything.

NouveauDance said:

word!

Imago said:

I totally love everything about this album. The sound quality is outstanding, the songs r so well crafted and each song falls nicely in2 the next one. This classic album makes me love it more 2day than yesterday. Great thread Imago

Yeah really great album and I agree that there is such contrast on there from bare boned minimalism (Kiss, New Position) to tunes that are really dense and complex (Life Can Be So Nice, Mountains)

I think that Clare Fischers arrangements are crucial they give the tunes he worked on real depth. I love those versions of [b]I Wonder U that surfaced a couple of years ago where he was demonstrating how he approached the tune. [/b

Umm... let me try to explain

Parade is great because...

The sheer stylistic diversity that could have been a mess (according to many, it IS), but somehow 'works' very well (according to me... lol)
He is going from: 'Magical mystery tour' - Calypso funk - 'I am the Wallrus' - a Brecht / Weill-like ballad - goofy, minimalistic 'avantfunk' - a cacaphonic burst of joy - to a sugarsweet 'Pet Sounds' instrumental on side one.
On side two, he moves from a surreal take on Sly and the Family Stone - a Parisian jazz chanson - minimalistic electro-funk and an overproduced slice of bombastic funk-rock to an acoustic Joni Mitchell-ballad.

Even though some songs are rather 'sketch-like' and not really developed, the mixture of 'sketches' and fully 'worked out songs' works magically IMO.
Why? Probably because Prince and The Revolution don't sound pretentious about it. Its not like you hear some symphonic rock band or a band like Tool, 'shoving' all kind of rhythem changes and patterns into their music in a way like they are saying: Hear how clever I am!.
It sounds more like Prince and the Revolution are simply trying out new things in the studio, and they just have fun expressing their creativity without making a 'big deal' about it.
Its like Prince said to his engineer 'just push the record button', and that they put those tapes right unto an album without much afterthought (Maybe it didnt really happen that way, but Parade just gives me that 'vibe').

There is just something very carefree / joyfull about this album that makes the music 'breathe'.
Something that is empathized by the production: playfull, breezy, 'springlike'.
Like the songs have been produced right on spot, at the moment of recording. I know this may sound a bit weird, because Prince did send the demo's to Clare Fisher to put orchestral arrangements unto it, but EVEN these sound like Prince did cute and paste them rather quickly and intuitively, instead of trying out for months and months what the best arrangement could or would be.

Its this combination of stylistic variety, playfullness, intuition, 'laissez fare' and breezy production that makes Parade so great IMO.
[Edited 8/4/09 12:33pm]

Riverpoet31 said:

Wow such a beautiful review.. thank you Riverpoet31..
[Edited 8/4/09 14:47pm]

The best parts of Parade:

the transitional drumming from New Position to I Wonder U to UTCM. He supposedly did all the drumming for three songs in one take.

The bass on New Position..sweet

The slow groove of I Wonder U..and the ending of it with that heaviness...and that muted horn throughout..and the girls laid back vocal...and the geetar picking at the very end

In UTCM where Prince goes "thats alright" in the breakdown bridge..and U can hear the horns having a field day with headphones

How Girls and Boys has that push me pull you rubbery bottom like Bowies Fame. When the girls sing I Love U Baby, I Love U so Much--damn!The kazoo keyboard and the linn drum "kuhh!" sound at the end

how Life Can Be So Nice starts up real fast and has that "kah" sound at the beginning with the keyboard lines..then it stops when Prince starts to sing...when he says "Kisses never lie" it all starts up again--this is Roadhouse Garden material--really.
Then near the end it all comes crashing together with the vocals going wild! the drums live being played furiosly, then it ends

how Venus just pops up giving the sense of having just reached climax and now your laying there letting it happen....and the mournful horns polaying near the end--I picture an overcast dock when they play..and that last piano key played

then the very best part is the opening of Mountains..that linn drum making it like rubber and the "puhc puck' sounds interlaces throughout the fake heavy drums...the falsetto--nice and "dry"...the part that says "the sea would one day overflow with all your tears, and love will always leave ya lonely"..the ethereal choir (or is it synth) that gets higher in register...the horn blasts like staccato keyoard synths..the break fucking down...the part where he says "guitar and drums on the one, huh!"..then the guitar strumming..slurp..then part where he goes "and the girls say/sing"...

the bass seprated in Do U Lie...when he says "mama mama" or something like that..and when he comes back for the bridge and says "when I lie..."

the JB geetar lick that opens Kiss..almost like a reverse of when Venus starts, inside out..the push push sound like moving furniture...the denseness of the production..sounds like its "air tight"...the drum sound and that synth tha spounds like nothing else...the wah wah geetar part..saying Dynasty, one of the only few pop culture references hes ever used..the ending geetar licks like its being strangled

the droning strains of Anotherlover..and the drums beating like they're waitng for something..then the boom of the piano and sludge...the bottomness of the whole song..his lackadaisical singing..(this song is POP Life inside out btw)...how the girls etc sing with Prince a few beats behind then it all comes together for the chrous after the second verse...the geetar strains in th e bridge..and when he says "baaad"...thers gonna be a riot and when they say that thers that piano key rise real quick


Sometimes Snows In April..The "ahs ahs oh ohhhs", the tuba sounding Prince singing with that first ones..then the real horn blwoing...the strumming of the acoustic...the chorus voices mixed on the title part and when they sing "sometinmes I feel so bad"...when he says "now looking at his picture I realize"...

Umm... let me try to explain

Parade is great because...

The sheer stylistic diversity that could have been a mess (according to many, it IS), but somehow 'works' very well (according to me... lol)
He is going from: 'Magical mystery tour' - Calypso funk - 'I am the Wallrus' - a Brecht / Weill-like ballad - goofy, minimalistic 'avantfunk' - a cacaphonic burst of joy - to a sugarsweet 'Pet Sounds' instrumental on side one.
On side two, he moves from a surreal take on Sly and the Family Stone - a Parisian jazz chanson - minimalistic electro-funk and an overproduced slice of bombastic funk-rock to an acoustic Joni Mitchell-ballad.

Even though some songs are rather 'sketch-like' and not really developed, the mixture of 'sketches' and fully 'worked out songs' works magically IMO.
Why? Probably because Prince and The Revolution don't sound pretentious about it. Its not like you hear some symphonic rock band or a band like Tool, 'shoving' all kind of rhythem changes and patterns into their music in a way like they are saying: Hear how clever I am!.
It sounds more like Prince and the Revolution are simply trying out new things in the studio, and they just have fun expressing their creativity without making a 'big deal' about it.
Its like Prince said to his engineer 'just push the record button', and that they put those tapes right unto an album without much afterthought (Maybe it didnt really happen that way, but Parade just gives me that 'vibe').

There is just something very carefree / joyfull about this album that makes the music 'breathe'.
Something that is empathized by the production: playfull, breezy, 'springlike'.
Like the songs have been produced right on spot, at the moment of recording. I know this may sound a bit weird, because Prince did send the demo's to Clare Fisher to put orchestral arrangements unto it, but EVEN these sound like Prince did cute and paste them rather quickly and intuitively, instead of trying out for months and months what the best arrangement could or would be.

Its this combination of stylistic variety, playfullness, intuition, 'laissez fare' and breezy production that makes Parade so great IMO.
[Edited 8/4/09 12:33pm]

wow

So many others have said so much that's true to the heart of this project

Parade had a kind of maturity to it, I call it Purple Chic
like the time leading up to Purple Rain with all that was happening
the proteges:Vanity 6 the Time Sheila E

Parade era had the same thing that made the album so great
there was a lot of creativity happening w/the Family Mazarati Sheila E
+ Around the World in a Day ... the sojourn in France
the connection with the musicians from the Revolution and other band just had a kenetic energy that really helped Prince bring this album to completion

http://prince.org/msg/7/306081 Prince's Parade Procession 1986