I had always assumed it was Prince on lead guitar on the recording of Alex De Paris from the b-side of Mountains. But after seeing the Parade Hit & Run warm up gig at First Ave from March 3, 1986 I now have my doubts. Wendy took the lead as the Revolution played it live (very rare performance of the song) as Prince was backstage for a costume change. Now she didn't play it as smoothly as the record but it was close enough for me to ask the question: Is there any proof out there that Prince actually played the lead guitar on the recorded version?

Prince played everything but the drum solo (Sheila E) and the string arrangement (Clare Fischer).

squirrelgrease said:

Prince played everything but the drum solo (Sheila E) and the string arrangement (Clare Fischer).

Do you mind revealing your source for this info? Not that I don't believe you but I'm curious.

Anyone else here seen the footage from the First Ave warm up gig? Isn't is concievable that Wendy played it on the record? I have to admit I doubt she did but it is possible.

bigben07 said:

squirrelgrease said:

Prince played everything but the drum solo (Sheila E) and the string arrangement (Clare Fischer).

Do you mind revealing your source for this info? Not that I don't believe you but I'm curious.

http://www.princevault.co...a_De_Paris

i am sure i read that this was a band effort with P on lead guitar. It is easily one of my fave trax of all time.

Taurus said:

bigben07 said:

Do you mind revealing your source for this info? Not that I don't believe you but I'm curious.

http://www.princevault.co...a_De_Paris

Ah, who could argue with a wiki? It seems likely parts of the Revolution are on the recording, as with most songs of the era. Is there a more definitive source than PrinceVault.com?

...could we ask Wendy?

bigben07 said:

Anyone else here seen the footage from the First Ave warm up gig? Isn't is concievable that Wendy played it on the record? I have to admit I doubt she did but it is possible.

No it's not. I've seen the gig. You seem to forget that part of being in a band is having the ability to play anything youv'e put on record the exact same way in concert. Wendy didn't play on "When Doves Cry", but she sure played that fucking intro and solo with not hotness everytime they played it from 1984-1986. Prince did the keyboard solo on "Head", but Fink pretty much knocked it out of the park every time he played it live for the next 10 years.

Wendy playing it live and making you think she played it on the record is more of a testament to her strong musicianship, not a case for her being on the record. Even if the song was a band effort on record, by logical default, it'd be Prince on guitar solo/lead like that. It's totally his style of playing, too.

ernestsewell said:

bigben07 said:

Anyone else here seen the footage from the First Ave warm up gig? Isn't is concievable that Wendy played it on the record? I have to admit I doubt she did but it is possible.

No it's not. I've seen the gig. You seem to forget that part of being in a band is having the ability to play anything youv'e put on record the exact same way in concert. Wendy didn't play on "When Doves Cry", but she sure played that fucking intro and solo with not hotness everytime they played it from 1984-1986. Prince did the keyboard solo on "Head", but Fink pretty much knocked it out of the park every time he played it live for the next 10 years.

Wendy playing it live and making you think she played it on the record is more of a testament to her strong musicianship, not a case for her being on the record. Even if the song was a band effort on record, by logical default, it'd be Prince on guitar solo/lead like that. It's totally his style of playing, too.

I thought that was Finks solo on Head

He was called in to do the keys and solo and Prince finished up the album ??

OldFriends4Sale said:

I thought that was Finks solo on Head

He was called in to do the keys and solo and Prince finished up the album ??

Not sure. You might be right. Such a long time ago. I need book and verse on this. Someone get on it!

bigben07 said:

squirrelgrease said:

Prince played everything but the drum solo (Sheila E) and the string arrangement (Clare Fischer).

Do you mind revealing your source for this info? Not that I don't believe you but I'm curious.

The Vault book:

Alexa De Paris - RELEASE DATE: 7 MAY 1986 - RELEASE FORMAT: SINGLE TRACK

Featured in Under The Cherry Moon, the instrumental “Alexa De Paris” was the B-side of “Mountains.” The song was recorded at the Washington Avenue warehouse in July 1985. It appeared in some of the 1986 “Hit & Run” concerts but was dropped for the European and Japanese Parade tours.

A complex and dramatic piece of music, “Alexa De Paris” is an ambitious medium-paced instrumental rock number that recalls the “symphonic” rock of Mike Oldfield or such groups as Genesis and Yes. Prince improvises on guitar around a basic theme, which is played on synth. The music is calm and unhurried but intensity builds as the instrumentation expands, with Clare Fischer’s orchestra adding an element of danger. An arpeggiated synth and string part leads into a second section of the song. The tempo increases as the bass becomes more driving and the drumming more active. Prince rips into a guitar solo and Sheila E. plays a brief drum solo, before everything returns to the main theme again.

ernestsewell said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I thought that was Finks solo on Head

He was called in to do the keys and solo and Prince finished up the album ??

Not sure. You might be right. Such a long time ago. I need book and verse on this. Someone get on it!

Also from The Vault:

The album was basically another one-man job by Prince, but this time two band members guested on the record. Matt Fink plays synth on “Head” and “Dirty Mind,” having come up with the main keyboard part for the latter song. The music of “Dirty Mind” is credited to Fink, while Prince was responsible for the lyrics. New band member Lisa Coleman also appears on “Head,” delivering the female vocal lines.

squirrelgrease said:

ernestsewell said:

Not sure. You might be right. Such a long time ago. I need book and verse on this. Someone get on it!

Also from The Vault:

The album was basically another one-man job by Prince, but this time two band members guested on the record. Matt Fink plays synth on “Head” and “Dirty Mind,” having come up with the main keyboard part for the latter song. The music of “Dirty Mind” is credited to Fink, while Prince was responsible for the lyrics. New band member Lisa Coleman also appears on “Head,” delivering the female vocal lines.

Still could be any synth part, not necessarily the solo. If he weren't such a weiner, I'd email him and ask who did the solo on the record.

Matt recorded 3 different takes of Head soo,prince mixed it in one solo.

Matt Fink did the solo on Head. He also did the synth solos on The Time's first album.

After the 1st 2 album, he started using individual band members for parts more often.

Lisa Colemen probably had the most 'studio' time with Prince

but Dez Dickersons guitar and vocals are on a good number of songs too

And we all know who did what when and where wasn't always recorded.

According to Lisa Purple Rain was a huger band collaboration than people think

She talked in an interview about countless nights the band members coming up with parts and lines, writing and jamming out songs late into the night

squirrelgrease said:

Prince played everything but the drum solo (Sheila E) and the string arrangement (Clare Fischer).

U mean she dosn't play ALL the drums on the track?

love the song anyway

Alexa de Paris is very similar 2 God the Love Theme

databank said:

squirrelgrease said:

Prince played everything but the drum solo (Sheila E) and the string arrangement (Clare Fischer).

U mean she dosn't play ALL the drums on the track?

Ya know, she probably did play the skins on the entire song (PrinceVault says "drums"), but The Vault was sorta vague in it's description, so that's all I could go by. Sheila may be credited somewhere on a sleeve for "drums".

squirrelgrease said:

databank said:

U mean she dosn't play ALL the drums on the track?

Ya know, she probably did play the skins on the entire song (PrinceVault says "drums"), but The Vault was sorta vague in it's description, so that's all I could go by. Sheila may be credited somewhere on a sleeve for "drums".

Sheila's website says she plays drums on the entire song:

Alexa De Paris (b-side of 7" and 12" single Mountains, drums by Sheila E. - 1986)

Efan said:

squirrelgrease said:

Ya know, she probably did play the skins on the entire song (PrinceVault says "drums"), but The Vault was sorta vague in it's description, so that's all I could go by. Sheila may be credited somewhere on a sleeve for "drums".

Sheila's website says she plays drums on the entire song:

Alexa De Paris (b-side of 7" and 12" single Mountains, drums by Sheila E. - 1986)

Cool. Thanks for setting the record straight. It makes sense. But we all know Prince has done stranger thing in the studio than using just portions of percussion, so it's hard to narrow things down to facts.