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 dink dink 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 U 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.

"I'm not human I'm a dove, I'm ur conscience. I am love"

jdcxc	Perfect album. One of Pop music's all-time greatest.
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MikeyB71	Probably one of my favourite Prince albums. Fantastic stuff, great outtakes and long versions too. I was 16 when this came out, and it was when i really started to get into music in a big way and started collecting music. It was with Parade that i knew i was gonna be into Prince for the long run. [Edited 9/20/10 16:59pm]
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emesem	His most "timeless" album. Perfect production. Sonically, a total gem.
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jcurley	jaybendy said: Swa said: Perfect! He's sooo perfect here! I ADORE this entire era seriously! I agree. The G&B and Mountains Cover just made me wanna be Prince. The white coat he wore in this era made him look like God.
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jcurley	This album is perfect! In my opinion it is not just Prince's only complete album but one of 3 ever that I have in my record collection that I consider complete albums the other 2 being The Hounds of Love-Kate Bush Heaven or Las Vegas-Cocteau Twins
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