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Best Studio Arrangement Of A Song What I think Prince does best is arranging songs. Even when the chords and melody are simple, he makes a song sound so unique and special by his arrangements.
Personally, I will go with the following: I Hate U, Shhh: The sound is crisp clear and there are thousands of little things happening in every corner of the headphones when you listen closely, still I'd never call them overproduced or plastic. Sometimes It Snows In April: Very natural, "one-take"-like. It has that light, heavenly feeling to it. I love how he creates little various rhythm patterns by laying the acoustic guitar over the piano and mixing it so well. Shockadelica: So many funky licks going on there and so many crunching sounds. Great work! Call My Name: I love the little slap bass parts in between. It has so much style because he doesn't overdo anything. Again it sounds very "wide" and full of space, although it's still so perfect. I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore: His singing may be a bit over the top sometimes (especially when he's swapping between chest voice and falsetto), although I think it fits the passionate, resigning lyrics, but what I love most about this song is the background "noise". All the sounds recorded backwards that stand for passing time and the past, the violins, the acoustic guitar and the non-special, discreet, electric bass. Great arrangement. What are some songs you would like to mention on this thread? | |
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In This Bed Eye Scream has always blown me away. There's no rhythm part at all. Everything comes in and out, every instrument is orchestrated.
Awesome. | |
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RodeoSchro said: In This Bed Eye Scream has always blown me away. There's no rhythm part at all. Everything comes in and out, every instrument is orchestrated.
Awesome. 
I love how he re-entered the "synth over guitar" sound on Emancipation. He back the had not done that since 1999! He also did that on Damned If Eye Do and One Of Us, of course. | |
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Power Fantastic [ it feels like the full band recording that it is, you can still feel the electricty...it was recorded in 1 take]
Condition of the Heart Sometimes It Snows in April the Beautiful Ones [part studio part live] the Ballad of Dorothy Parker | |
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Sometimes It Snows In April: Very natural, "one-take"-like. It has that light, heavenly feeling to it. I love how he creates little various rhythm patterns by laying the acoustic guitar over the piano and mixing it so well.
I like the squeaking (of the chair or guitar strings). It gives a natural sound to the song. (much like say the drum peddle squeak in Zeppelin's "houses of the holy"(SONG) ) "Keep on shilling for Big Pharm!" |
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From the top of my head (in chronological order):
When you were mine New wave pop stripped to the bone with very cool sounding background vocals. Still the best version of this song. Automatic Offering the essence of the original Minneapolis sound in all its glory. Around the world in a day Mixing world-music with 'pop' before it became really popular (Paul Simon). A very colourfull take on the MPLsound. Crystal Ball Princes attempt at a multi-styled suite-like composition like The Beatles and Pink Floyd, but way more 'funky' and rather nightmarish. Sign of the Times Less is more. A lesson in 'economically efficient' arranging. If I was your girlfriend Again 'less is more', but this time it also sounds strangely dense and hypnotic, like some weird dream Jill Jones - Mia Bocca My all-time favourite Prince (and Clare Fisher) arrangement! The combination of the meandering orchestra and the dry, hard beats works fantasic on this song. Its very cleverly arranged, not overdone, and the built up of the arrangement is really brilliant. Lovesexy A total 'mindfuck' of an arrangement! Princes incorporates so many styles in this song (funk, jazz, dancebeats, gospel-like chants, a hardrock guitar solo) and spices it up with synthstrings, by twitching and turning the vocal speed and adding George Clinton-esque 'gnome' voices. Its all over the place, so busy and manic, so layered, but he is also able to give the song such a 'swoop' of energy and excitement, that it almost leaves you breathless after listening to it. | |
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Great thread.
I will agree with all of them, mostly Shockadelica, If I was Your Girlfriend, The Beautiful Ones, Crystal Ball and Sometimes It Snows In April. I will add Adore When Doves Cry Bob George [Edited 12/4/09 9:35am] | |
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An arrangement i would like to ad:
The Question of U Again usin the stripped down / minimalistic approach. The first minutes of this song almost sound like a demo, very 'bleak'. The guitar-solo (one of his best ever, because he uses just a few notes and plays them as 'moving' as he can) sounds warm and full in contrast, its like the song is 'opening up' immediately. Next to that: who else can go from stripped down 'electro-blues' to a waltz within the course of 4 minutes?  | |
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And while I am unto it:
When Doves Cry (introducing the stripped down approach to the masses) The Beautifull Ones ('campy', over the top, but gripping nonetheless) Raspberry Beret (the string-quartet being the icing on the cake) New Position (caribian funk) In All my dreams (see: Crystal Ball) The Ballad of Dorothy Parker (an eighties take on Sly during his 'druggy years') Adore (very 'warm' sounding for a Prince-arrangement) Shockedelica (stripped down hard funk-rock at its best) Alphabet Street (funk meets dance meets reggae meets pop meets Sly Stone) The Future (the XTC-version of Sign of the Times, bleak funk for the 90's) Willing and Able (traditional R&B meeting south-african Jive) and Seven (acoustic folk meets hip-hop beats and gospel) have great arrangements too. I more and more realise that what attracts (attracted?) me in Princes music are (were?) his arranging qualities. IMO he was at his peak in this field in the eighties, while in the first half of the nineties he occasionaly did get it 'right' on about a handfull of songs on each album. | |
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I have to add 2 bootlegs:
"There's others here with us" and "All My Dreams" Find a good quality version and good headphones listen a 700 times hear something new each time. "Keep on shilling for Big Pharm!" |
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some of best arrangements are with the linn drum machine,
- and - from the 1999 album to Lovesexy  
(I can't pick songs.... too hard) [Edited 12/4/09 13:37pm] Prince 4Ever. | |
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Some of the descriptions of songs here are absolutely beautiful. | |
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"Susannah's Pajamas" !!!
I actually had to pull the car over yesterday and let it play out! Eric is saxin' away and Prince sparingly compliments him on a fuzzy-sounding guitar. And where the bass is placed! Prince on the drums, too?!! To have that much forsithe<-(howthehelldoyouspellthat?) SICK!!!  Prost!"Whatever skin we're in
we all need 2 b friends" |
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Prince is the master of this type of love hook...Prince's charm is all over the place in his records.  "The Lion Sleeps Tonight... | |
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I say that covers about 90% or more of his output.
What's a 'bad' studio arrangement of a label release? I don't want you to think like me. I just want you to think. |
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SUPRMAN said: I say that covers about 90% or more of his output.
What's a 'bad' studio arrangement of a label release? See: Planet Earth & Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic. The albums, that is. [Edited 12/4/09 21:35pm] Chili Sauce. | |
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PopcornFetus said: SUPRMAN said: I say that covers about 90% or more of his output.
What's a 'bad' studio arrangement of a label release? See: Planet Earth & Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic. The albums, that is. [Edited 12/4/09 21:35pm] ...anything from the 90's | |
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PopcornFetus said: SUPRMAN said: I say that covers about 90% or more of his output.
What's a 'bad' studio arrangement of a label release? See: Planet Earth & Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic. The albums, that is. [Edited 12/4/09 21:35pm] So my 90% is safe. I definitely agree on 'Planet Earth.' But Rave . . . I don't see it as a series of arrangement missteps. I'm not going to listen to 'Planet Earth' to review I don't want you to think like me. I just want you to think. |
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Ingela said: PopcornFetus said: See: Planet Earth & Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic. The albums, that is. [Edited 12/4/09 21:35pm] ...anything from the 90's But New Power Soul is in my Prince Top Ten Album list. So is Graffiti Bridge, another 90's album. 1. Crystal Ball 2. SOTT 3. Parade 4. Graffiti Bridge 5. Purple Rain 6. New Power Soul 7. 1999 8. Dirty Mind 9. Prince 10.Emancipation I don't want you to think like me. I just want you to think. |
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-Anna Stesia: I love the layering in this song as well as the sparse beginning, buildup and then return to the very same intro as the outro. Very powerful lyrics also.Love the guitar playing throughout, as well as the keys and vocals.
-Gotta Broken Heart Again: Feels like it's being performed in a small club. Great vocals and excellent guitar work add to the heartfelt lyrics. -The Beautiful Ones: Very dramatic song. Love the piano and keyboards and incredible vocals on this. Great use of distorted guitar toward the end. -Little Red Corvette: Great song! Incredible lyrics and singing on top of smooth keyboards and bass and nice guitar, especially on the chorus and solo. -The Question Of U: I can just reitterate what someone already wrote about the value of this song. Great use of sparseness and with vocals and powerful use of guitar with keyboards during the ending of the song. "Even if I hit the wrong notes, she's always in my boat." | |
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violetblues said: Great thread.
I will agree with all of them, mostly Shockadelica, If I was Your Girlfriend, The Beautiful Ones, Crystal Ball and Sometimes It Snows In April. I will add Adore When Doves Cry Bob George [Edited 12/4/09 9:35am] . [Edited 12/21/09 13:24pm] | |
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Thanks for all the interesting replies so far!
I would also like to add: Pop Life: The bass is so funky and clear, but still buried deep in the mix so that it gives the song time to breathe. I also love the panned echo in the vocals. It works so well! She's Always In My Hair: Drums, Bass, Guitar and Keys ae mixed together so well. I love the double-bass after the last chorus. The synth sound is also very MPLS sound like and so is the drum arrangement, but this song still has so much "flesh" somehow. Sexual Suicide: That squaking synth sound is so brilliant. And the bass playing in there is just  ! Too funky. So are the horns. Again, there are so many things going on in this groove and still it's all crisp clear and endlessly funky!
And, most of all: Automatic: Do I need to say more? I love it from start to finish. The synth sounds are sick (I especially find the idea of that "train-steam"-sound very creative. I also love how the panned, almost whispering voice is buried so deep in the mix. This is a song I looove listening to at night with my headphones on, as loudly as possible, because there are just so many things going on there and everything sounds so "convincing" and natural. Classic Prince. | |
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Riverpoet31 said: From the top of my head (in chronological order):
When you were mine New wave pop stripped to the bone with very cool sounding background vocals. Still the best version of this song. Automatic Offering the essence of the original Minneapolis sound in all its glory. Around the world in a day Mixing world-music with 'pop' before it became really popular (Paul Simon). A very colourfull take on the MPLsound. Lovesexy is an incredible recording! One of the most unique songs ever! Very funky, very fun, very creative! Crystal Ball Princes attempt at a multi-styled suite-like composition like The Beatles and Pink Floyd, but way more 'funky' and rather nightmarish. Sign of the Times Less is more. A lesson in 'economically efficient' arranging. If I was your girlfriend Again 'less is more', but this time it also sounds strangely dense and hypnotic, like some weird dream Jill Jones - Mia Bocca My all-time favourite Prince (and Clare Fisher) arrangement! The combination of the meandering orchestra and the dry, hard beats works fantasic on this song. Its very cleverly arranged, not overdone, and the built up of the arrangement is really brilliant. Lovesexy A total 'mindfuck' of an arrangement! Princes incorporates so many styles in this song (funk, jazz, dancebeats, gospel-like chants, a hardrock guitar solo) and spices it up with synthstrings, by twitching and turning the vocal speed and adding George Clinton-esque 'gnome' voices. Its all over the place, so busy and manic, so layered, but he is also able to give the song such a 'swoop' of energy and excitement, that it almost leaves you breathless after listening to it. | |
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