Would we have songs like Diamonds & Pearls,TMBGITW,Insatiable,Fury,Future Baby Mama,I Hate U even Adore?

I'm sure they would've kept making good songs throughout the 80's but,this is the best break up ever.

Diamonds & Pearls would definitely not exist.
The female vocalists he ran with back in the 80's couldn't touch Rosie vocals.
Jill Jones & Taja Sevelle were the two best female vocalists he discovered and they would have given the track a different vibe entirely.

Seeing as how Prince writes a lot of his tracks for his women or in reference to them it would've gotten stale singing to Susannah every album. assuming she'd have lasted like the Revolution. Wendy & Lisa would have been big contributors to his sound and I could see them melding some of their best post-Revolution tracks into a great album or two. (I actually would love to hear Prince cover 'Balloon' from White Flags of Winter Chimneys).

We'd have "Adore" because it was written in 1986. Same goes for most of SOTT.

And thank GOD we wouldn't have Musicology or The Rainbow Children or Lotusflow3r

JarviusLovesexy said:

JahPrince? Prince17days?.. is that you?! (fuck.. RIP Housequake & AMP)

to my ears it's been a big long mistake, thinking he needed the best of musicians around him to create the best music.

for example, Bobby Z is known primarily as a great cymbalist - but since prince replaced him with a string of world class drummers I couldn't be less interested in his music. Whereas the Revolution's music really said something. Or maybe it just made me want to dance or rock out, often in the same song.
[Edited 10/30/09 6:16am]

As a Prince music lover, I have loved the music all along. I guess the sentimental part is that there are always feelings behind the people in a band. It has all been Prince's personal decision making, and I respect all musicians working on their "gig," their "love."

abigail05 said:

I think he just likes working with great musicians that he has a lot of respect for, it's got to be more fun for him that way

If the Revolution would have stayed, we would not be waiting for the vault. I think we'd have got the same songs later. I think for whatever reason the Rev music was more upbeat, and fun.. outside of Play in the Sunshine, which may have been a original Rev song, i don't know.
[Edited 10/30/09 8:31am]

abigail05 said:

I totally agree, because it takes away the shine of Prince and the entertainment factor. Not only Prince but earlier 1978-1988 bands also served as visual attractions. They were all interesting

Bobby Z used a lot of cymbals mainly during the 1999-Purple Rain years because Prince wanted to duplicate the heavy linn drum sounds prominent on those albums.
But there were a good number of songs that he played fully or played partially with the linn. But prior to that Bobby worked full drum use from 94 East -Controversy and the Parade tour(linn use didn't drive the music as it did on the 1999-Purple Rain tour)

As great a drummer as Sheila is she was subject to similar drum work, on some songs she just wasn't on the drums because the linn use ie Strange Relationship dominated so she would be upfront on the percussion: Erotic City(Lovesexy tour) and other songs as well.

Again I totally agree with your post, and with Prince there is something about the people starting out with him who actually caused his shows to shine brighter. Shows now, it's just Prince: if Sheila Wendy Lisa Rhonda join then it causes him to shine more, the interest level goes up

HonestMan13 said:

Balloon is one of my favorites, I can listen to that over and over. I too would love to see/hear Prince perform this song with Wendy & Lisa. And electric guitar to that and blow it up. I can listen to this song over and over, so much depth and emotion.

But to respond to a few of your comments. Rosie was always going to be a solo, and she can sing, but I think that her voice is much too big for Prince music, I've always prefered Prince's screeching and howling with subtle female background vocals and blends via Jill Taj Lisa Wendy Sheila Cat Susannah

Agree: Taj & Jill-especially picked right up on Prince's vibe and work/looked beautifully with it.

JarviusLovesexy said:

Those songs you listed for the most part aren't all that, there are unrelease Revolution era tracks that blow most of those above out of the water.

Diamonds & Pears can't touch Power Fantastic(released)

I love Insatiable but Do Me Baby, International Lover, the Beautiful Ones, Girl...it's out of the same line

When he wrote Adore he was still high on the creative energy of the Revolution/Parade W&L connection.

renkitsune said:

Where that seems to loose the luster to his music, is that he is not high on 'Purple Music' but James Brown or any other idol of his, who's work doesn't enhance his. The only other that I love the coming together of the sound was Miles Davis.

I think HIS desired directions would have stayed the same for the most part. Of course the sound would have been a little different, which would have most likely been a good thing.
The only things I can say that probably would NOT have happened are.. The Symbol album, The Gold Experience, and The Rainbow Children.
Now, I can also contradict myself on this by saying the whole dispute with Warner may never have escallated to the level it did. Wendy and Lisa helped keep Prince grounded. I believe they would have talked some sense into Prince during that whole fiasco. So...if this were the case, then things would have been A LOT different. No name change, no contract filler such as Chaos and Disorder and Old friends 4 sale, the video for 7 would have been different and the list goes on and on.
With the exception of possibly not having the Gold Experience, I wish he would have kept the Revolution.

his 90s catalog would have sucked a lot more.

minneapolisFunq said:

Yeah, and we might not have gems like Exodus, The Gold Experience, or Come.

I think its pure speculation to say Prince music would have been better in the nineties and 00's if he had kept the Revolution (as some here seem to think).

Dont forget the period in which Prince and the Revolution reached their momentum / peak 'only' lasted 5-6 years (1980 - 1986). You cant expect a band to stay at the same peak for years and years. Look at the Rolling Stones for example, they exist since the early sixties, but the common view seems to be that (allthough their are a great live-band) they havent released any 'essential' albums in the last 20 - 25 years or so.

If he had kept the Revolution together, the band might also have reached points were their musical output began to suffer from things as diverse as: personal vows between bandmembers, 'creative differences', Prince starting to sing lyrics where some bandmembers dont agree with all, one part of the band wanting to play it safe (repeating their succes-sound), while another part of the band wanting to get far more experimental...etc.

Riverpoet31 said:

Prince and the Revolution, in the form we all love the most, wasn't from 1980-1986. It was 1983-1986, and they only released 3 albums, plus a few one off tracks like "4 The Tears In Your Eyes", and "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night". People give it a longer person because 1986 is when Prince dismissed ALL his former players except Fink, however, with changes like Andre, Gayle, and Dez, the group didn't have a solid line up until 1983 after Dez.

The second part was already happening by 1980. Gayle left because of things like "Head". Dez had tried to rally support from Matt and Bobby about confronting Prince to say they wouldn't play if Prince kept playing the overtly sexual material. When Prince showed up and Dez did the confrontation, Bobby and Matt didn't play into Dez's plan. Dez got so mad, he threw a stool at them and chased them off. Dez was really struggling w/ the content back then. I think you can see that in his face in videos to "1999" and "Little Red Corvette". He just LOOKED unhappy, and conflicted. So that stuff was already happening just a couple of years into Prince's career, with his band, yet what became The Revolution, continued on to make a few great albums.

I think the biggest question perhaps is "Did The Revolution end TOO soon?" The answer is yes. It could have went through probably 1989. Go through Crystal Ball or Dream Factory, and maybe one more, then end it when Batman came along. Hell, we could have avoided the disaster of Graffiti Bridge had his mind been elsewhere. I also think that if the Revolution had continued another 3 years or so, that people like Wally, Greg, etc, that Wendy and Lisa hated being in the band with, would have been let go. Just keep it to musicians, and cut the minstrel show loose. But alas....here we are with a rotating group of jazz musicians that are probably better suited for a Yanni album (except Morris Hayes, cuz that brother is bad ass).

Riverpoet31 said:

that's the thing about the 1980-1986 years, they were just scratching the surface of the music, then the Purple Rain music was so far beyond it's years and the Family/Parade/Dream Factory music was so settled and you could hear and feel the explosion beneath, the creativity was just being explored. He had the right people around him including engineers singers friends band members etc

Riverpoet31 said:

I'd have to go along with you here Riverpoet.

ernestsewell said:

I was gonna say the same thing. And recorded in 1986.

Ah yes, the whole "coulda, woulda, shoulda" thing. We will never know, unfortunately. I think that Prince's ego got in the way, because with the Revolution, the quality of music would have been superior than what it was without them (sorry, Prince, that's how I feel). They brought in another perspective, a fresh set of eyes. If you listen to Prince without the Revolution, you can tell that his music seems one-dimensional. At least to me, it does. But, it wasn't meant to continue, because I believe that they posed a possible threat to him (just like everyone else that he's afraid of).

kenlacam said:

Agreed...Wendy and Lisa were very creative an played a huge part in that area of the 80's MPLS sound. Not to say P didnt have some INCREDIBLE sounds after them, but as you said, the EGO took over. I doubt very seriously Michael B, Tommy Barberella, Candy Dulfer, John Blackwell or any others afer the Revolution challenged him or his opinions the way Wendy and Lisa did.

ronnwinter said:

For me, there's a bit of different between the classic Minneapolis Sound we know, like "DMSR" or "1999" or "Controversy", opposed to the more colorful sounds that W&L injected. W&L can be heard more on ATWIAD and Parade albums, and a lot of the B-sides from those two albums. Things like "Alexa De Paris", "Paisley Park", "ATWAID", "Pop Life", "Anotherloverholenyohead" are W&L-esque songs. Yet those songs aren't really the Minneapolis Sound. The great thing about the Revolution, and that 3 year era, was that it was a blend of the two styles. You had more artistic stuff like "ATWIAD", yet you also had funk like "Automatic", all in the same show. They complimented each other.

Listen to "All My Dreams" from Prince and the Revolution, then listen to "Honeymoon Express" or "Sideshow" from Wendy & Lisa. That will show the W&L type material/sound/whatever they had w/ Prince, and on their own. Whereas you can cue up "DMSR" and "Housequake" together, and they both work as bookends.

One more thing we wouldn't have if Prince had kept the Revolution.....

.....this thread.

ernestsewell said:

to add to what you posted, let's all remember that Lisa joined the band around the Dirty Mind/the Time/Controversy era and started working closely with Prince back then so her influence is really early on

OldFriends4Sale said:

True, but I think it was W&L as a team that had the great influence in colorful sound.

ernestsewell said:

How could you not like Lotusflow3r?!
Oh..Okay I get it, you must be a bon jovi fan?!

andykeen said:

No, I'm a Prince fan. But I've not heard Prince music in years. Just a bunch of religious based, generic nonsense.

ernestsewell said:

For real man, i mean pshhhhh Dreamer? Last December!? C'mon can't get anymore horrible than that! Talk about God awful cringeworthy cold songs!

ernestsewell said:

fixed.