That is if he needs one.

Flying Lotus.

- That dude went balls to the wall on Prince music, and it was as awesome from 1993-1996 as it was exactly 10 years before.

Robert Mutt Lange - seriously, the dude can whip anyone into shape. Can you even imagine?!?!

Rick Rubin - why not.

Justin Timberlake - he's been hijacking Prince's old sound anyway, so why not let JT truly take him back and remind him what he used to do.

The guys from Toto. Such a great history of songwriting and producing with those guys. I'd also love to hear Prince do a Toto produced version of "Africa".

Oh Lawd, JT a slap in the face! Lol!

ernestsewell said:

- That dude went balls to the wall on Prince music, and it was as awesome from 1993-1996 as it was exactly 10 years before.

Robert Mutt Lange - seriously, the dude can whip anyone into shape. Can you even imagine?!?!

Rick Rubin - why not.

Justin Timberlake - he's been hijacking Prince's old sound anyway, so why not let JT truly take him back and remind him what he used to do.

The guys from Toto. Such a great history of songwriting and producing with those guys. I'd also love to hear Prince do a Toto produced version of "Africa".

All great ideas. If at least one JT/Prince collab ever happened, I would be a happy happy camper.

=0P

ernestsewell said:

Robert Mutt Lange - seriously, the dude can whip anyone into shape. Can you even imagine?!?!

YEEES!

Justin Timberlake isn't a bad option as well.. not sayin Prince won't throw a cow..

ernestsewell said:

- That dude went balls to the wall on Prince music, and it was as awesome from 1993-1996 as it was exactly 10 years before.

Robert Mutt Lange - seriously, the dude can whip anyone into shape. Can you even imagine?!?!

Rick Rubin - why not.

Justin Timberlake - he's been hijacking Prince's old sound anyway, so why not let JT truly take him back and remind him what he used to do.

The guys from Toto. Such a great history of songwriting and producing with those guys. I'd also love to hear Prince do a Toto produced version of "Africa".

ernestsewell said:

Robert Mutt Lange - seriously, the dude can whip anyone into shape. Can you even imagine?!?!

Mutt is the mentor of my two multi-platinum selling producer cousins (One of whom is the leader of the band I'm in).

They lived with him and Shania for a year in Switzerland, as they produced the "Blue" disc of Shania's "Up!" album. They produced all of that disc, and also worked on the main "Red" version of the album which Mutt produced.

My cousins were already very successful prior to that, obviously, since Mutt could have chosen any producers in the world to work on that record. But they definitely learned a lot from him. So often when we're in the studio, I hear anecdotes along the lines of "When we were in Switzerland...." or "Mutt says.....", "Mutt would say that...", "One time, Mutt...."

They were pretty much given full creative control on that record, and an unlimited budget to fly to India and work with the best session players on the planet.

I don't know if you're familiar with that record, but here's a couple of the songs from that album (The Blue disc of 'Up!' that my cousins produced)

My cousins have a great deal of respect for Mutt and they do still keep in touch every now and then.

ernestsewell said:

Butch Vig or Rick Rubin. Prince lacks an edge a lot of the time in his own producing, sometimes it's to glossy, it gets to be to pretty even if it's guitar heavy. I feel this would be the critieria for finding a producer for him, really IMHO, this would be the only reason why he needs someone else to produce his music.

Bill Laswell.

I have to also go with Rick Rubin. He would keep the sound simple and basic, and maybe he would let Prince know when something sounds like crap.

I'm ready for the job. I would let him free to create anything he wants.

But I will teach him the art of the final cut.

Remind me to shave my head if Prince ever asks someone else to produce his music anyway, i think that 4 him it would be like asking someone to have sex with his wife/girlfriend

Rick Rubin would have been great for Chaos & Disorder, or even Lotusflower.

ernestsewell said:

- That dude went balls to the wall on Prince music, and it was as awesome from 1993-1996 as it was exactly 10 years before.

Robert Mutt Lange - seriously, the dude can whip anyone into shape. Can you even imagine?!?!

Rick Rubin - why not.

Justin Timberlake - he's been hijacking Prince's old sound anyway, so why not let JT truly take him back and remind him what he used to do.

The guys from Toto. Such a great history of songwriting and producing with those guys. I'd also love to hear Prince do a Toto produced version of "Africa".

Despite his getting credit on his second album as "co-producer", I wouldn't consider Timberlake a producer at all. His sound is all Neptunes - they're who you should be calling if you wished such a thing.

For me, it would be someone far more progressive - Tom Jenkinson (aka Squarepusher). You know, so we could actually hear something NEW!

Sa-Ra Creative Partners.

ernestsewell said:

- That dude went balls to the wall on Prince music, and it was as awesome from 1993-1996 as it was exactly 10 years before.

Robert Mutt Lange - seriously, the dude can whip anyone into shape. Can you even imagine?!?!

Rick Rubin - why not.

Justin Timberlake - he's been hijacking Prince's old sound anyway, so why not let JT truly take him back and remind him what he used to do.

The guys from Toto. Such a great history of songwriting and producing with those guys. I'd also love to hear Prince do a Toto produced version of "Africa".

I have come to agree that as much as I think Prince could do with a producer now, it would not be a "real" Prince album without him as the dictocrat. Its just too late in the game to change. I would like him to slow it down and take his time and release a well thought out carefully crafted album again. Its been 25 years of half ass crap, its past time for him to make a quality album again.

Having said that. I love the work of Rick Rubin and think he would be a good choice. Other than maybe Daniel Lanois, but Prince's work of late and state of mind lately is too crass now to involve someone as talented as Daniel to taint his hands on.

Timberlake?.....Toto?.......its too early in the day to hit the strong stuff to even try and comment on that aspect.

How about Jam and Lewis

JBK said:

I'm ready for the job. I would let him free to create anything he wants.

But I will teach him the art of the final cut.

Lets get you on the job, but dont be so hands off. Teach him how to play guitar and sing too. After Prince having spent more than 35 years in the music biz among the giants of the trade, I'm sure someone on a fansite can teach him a lot.

vi0letblues said:

I have come to agree that as much as I think Prince could do with a producer now, it would not be a "real" Prince album without him as the dictocrat. Its just too late in the game to change. I would like him to slow it down and take his time and release a well thought out carefully crafted album again. Its been 25 years of half ass crap, its past time for him to make a quality album again.

Having said that. I love the work of Rick Rubin and think he would be a good choice. Other than maybe Daniel Lanois, but Prince's work of late and state of mind lately is too crass now to involve someone as talented as Daniel to taint his hands on.

Timberlake?.....Toto?.......its too early in the day to hit the strong stuff to even try and comment on that aspect.

25 years? So everything since ATWIAD is half-assed? That'd be quite wrong. He was just getting hot at that point, musically. REALLY hot. For me, 1996 was the beginning of the decline in music. It was slight at first, then a steep fall.

Toto is a solid band, solid production, and it would be fucking dreamy to hear Prince sing "Africa", or even "Hold The Line". They wrote songs like "Human Nature", that is one of the most beautiful melodies ever put to tape ("Africa" taking the first spot, for me and a lot of critics and fans).

The problem w/ Prince being a dictator is that ....well it's a "Prince production". There's no variance, or anything interesting anymore, and you said as much. It's like the same cup of water from the same unfiltered pond. No influx or outlet for freshness.

It's like Morgan Spurlock when he ate McDonald's for 30 days. He just got fat, lazy, and listless near the end. That's what Prince's music is like now.

Having said that, just about any long-term and well established producer would be welcome. Prince is scared of that though. God forbid someone crack his faux-mystique as a genius. Yes, he's genius, but genius works on inspiration. He's long lost his muse in life.

carlluv said:

How about Jam and Lewis

Naw, It defeats the purpose of a producer to have someone who couldnt expand his horizons to have someone dig you deeper in your rut.

ernestsewell said:

vi0letblues said:

I have come to agree that as much as I think Prince could do with a producer now, it would not be a "real" Prince album without him as the dictocrat. Its just too late in the game to change. I would like him to slow it down and take his time and release a well thought out carefully crafted album again. Its been 25 years of half ass crap, its past time for him to make a quality album again.

Having said that. I love the work of Rick Rubin and think he would be a good choice. Other than maybe Daniel Lanois, but Prince's work of late and state of mind lately is too crass now to involve someone as talented as Daniel to taint his hands on.

Timberlake?.....Toto?.......its too early in the day to hit the strong stuff to even try and comment on that aspect.

25 years? So everything since ATWIAD is half-assed? That'd be quite wrong. He was just getting hot at that point, musically. REALLY hot. For me, 1996 was the beginning of the decline in music. It was slight at first, then a steep fall.

Toto is a solid band, solid production, and it would be fucking dreamy to hear Prince sing "Africa", or even "Hold The Line". They wrote songs like "Human Nature", that is one of the most beautiful melodies ever put to tape ("Africa" taking the first spot, for me and a lot of critics and fans).

The problem w/ Prince being a dictator is that ....well it's a "Prince production". There's no variance, or anything interesting anymore, and you said as much. It's like the same cup of water from the same unfiltered pond. No influx or outlet for freshness.

It's like Morgan Spurlock when he ate McDonald's for 30 days. He just got fat, lazy, and listless near the end. That's what Prince's music is like now.

Having said that, just about any long-term and well established producer would be welcome. Prince is scared of that though. God forbid someone crack his faux-mystique as a genius. Yes, he's genius, but genius works on inspiration. He's long lost his muse in life.

Well how ever many years since SOTT

Human Nature is a great song, i didnt know they were involved in that.

[Edited 8/18/10 16:21pm]

vi0letblues said:

carlluv said:

How about Jam and Lewis

Naw, It defeats the purpose of a producer to have someone who couldnt expand his horizons to have someone dig you deeper in your rut.

I agree. Prince spawned Jam and Lewis in a lot of ways, but those guys obviously had talent on their own whether they worked for Prince or not. Learning from him was super bonus though, and lent to their future work, of course. It'd almomst be going backwards for that to happen at this point. Maybe one song, sure. But an album? Eh, not sure about that.

I wouldn't go there, seriously.

Either you'd get some boring rock producer, or some even more tedious R&B/hip-hop producer - either way, we lose.

Prince would be my first choice. Justin Timberland? Please. If I have to explain, well, there is no explanation for this lunacy. Jam & Lewis? well...as background co-producers...fine. Rick Rubin? He hardly really produces anyway...he just listens, it seems from stories I have read. So if Jam, Lewis, Rubin, and Quincy Jones all wanted to be "consultants," I would say not a bad idea, but doubt Prince would go for it. Hell, if he would listen to anybody, I would want to do it myself. If I had been a "consultant," Tony M would have been somewhere else in 1992 rapping about "Manure." I can dream, right?

My edit...Timberlake...right? I was thinking of how Timberland spiced up Duran Duran's last CD, and it also featured Timberlake. Probably 2 many Timbers 4 1 album if you ask me. THe result was insulting to Andy Taylor, as he left the band again. The CD wasn't dreadful, but some of it was too forced, and was trying too hard. Most Duranies will say the comeback album "Astronaut," was at least more focused, and had better songs. The thing is, they had a new album in the can, but the label wanted more "modern pop," on it, so the scrapped the entire thing. I would hate for Prince to suffer the same fate. Letting a label run you can ruin you.

[Edited 8/18/10 23:04pm]

John Mayer

Jack White

stillwaiting said:

Prince would be my first choice. Justin Timberland? Please. If I have to explain, well, there is no explanation for this lunacy. Jam & Lewis? well...as background co-producers...fine. Rick Rubin? He hardly really produces anyway...he just listens, it seems from stories I have read. So if Jam, Lewis, Rubin, and Quincy Jones all wanted to be "consultants," I would say not a bad idea, but doubt Prince would go for it. Hell, if he would listen to anybody, I would want to do it myself. If I had been a "consultant," Tony M would have been somewhere else in 1992 rapping about "Manure." I can dream, right?

My edit...Timberlake...right? I was thinking of how Timberland spiced up Duran Duran's last CD, and it also featured Timberlake. Probably 2 many Timbers 4 1 album if you ask me. THe result was insulting to Andy Taylor, as he left the band again. The CD wasn't dreadful, but some of it was too forced, and was trying too hard. Most Duranies will say the comeback album "Astronaut," was at least more focused, and had better songs. The thing is, they had a new album in the can, but the label wanted more "modern pop," on it, so the scrapped the entire thing. I would hate for Prince to suffer the same fate. Letting a label run you can ruin you.

[Edited 8/18/10 23:04pm]

But that's not why Andy Taylor left Duran Duran the 2nd time, lol.