Okay, let’s say Prince has found himself so bored with his personal music collection that he’s looking for some insight and inspiration. In an effort to gain some self enrichment and a perspective from ‘the outside’, he’s agreed to sit down and participate in a personal listening session with you where you could play him one complete album start to finish.

Any style, any time period… What would you play and why?

Of course you don't want to bore him or have him puke stain his purple couch. Maybe you just want to come out this alive and at best, receive a humble 'thank you' at the runout grooves. That being said, choose wisely and pick something really good and compelling that he probably hasn’t heard.

Hope this will be fun, foster discussion and turn everybody on to music we may not have known about otherwise. If we’re into Prince, we’re probably open minded enough to dig (or at least appreciate) ‘your choice’ too…

I’d play him Lyle Lovett’s ‘Joshua Judges Ruth’. (yeah, I know)

Why? Well the first association that anyone who might make with Lovett would be country music. The good news is that it is anything but. There are elements of Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Folk, Rock, and Country. The musicianship, orchestration, and the recording itself is extraordinary. The lyrics mainly of life, love, loss and death are deeply personal and reflective. Subject matter from start to finish takes the listener through a variety of emotions. There’s humor, sadness, regret, hope, despair, irony, joy and celebration. (Therefore, in so many respects I think it's good enough to float Prince's boat for 45 minutes.)

But most importantly, from every nuance in Lovett’s voice to every song choice, the interplay between instruments, the quality of musicianship and the clarity of the recording - this record seems to culminate to a perfect storm that represents every moment that has transpired since Lovett had first decided to pick up a guitar and sing.

It was, is and will always be the pinnacle of Lovett’s career as an artist. And ‘ALL THAT’ is where I think Prince is feeling a void. Having (IMO) starved himself through authoritative control and isolation, I don’t think he’s come anywhere near an artistic peak as this since ‘Love Symbol’ (and as much as I love that one, on some levels it doesn’t even come close to JJR).

Looking forward to see 'the what and why' from other orgers.

nothing to deep just cause i feel like it

or

I would play Let's Go Crazy for him, and let him see that there are not multiple saxaphone parts(see Musicology Tour), let him see that there are ACTUAL LYRICS for this song. I would let him see that there is no section where he chants Go Go Go about 45 times. I would let him see that the lame "Shave and A Haircut Bit" is not in the song.

I would then play a bunch of songs start to finish, and explain to him that if he toured with this setlist, that he could make tons of money, maybe opening for U2 a few nights, which he would blow them off the stage, to the point where U2 would kindly ask him to quit kicking their ass. After the talk with U2, Prince would change his show to have a bunch of female singers singing I'll Take You There, Come Together, Let's Go, Down By The Riverside, Ring My Bell, and then Prince would sing a medley of 45 hits in 10 minutes, and ruin the whole thing.

I am starting my own thread based on this idea. To see my setlist, and other ideas, Go look for it. If not...no worries.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...mp;ob=av2e

I don't know why, but I want Prince to cover "Starlight"...like really bad.