All this talk about a "new cd" MAYBE in the works has me thinking... What if Prince did an album with a Co-Producer? I just wanna get a general consensus of what every1 thinks of the idea. Who whoud make a good fit. Is it a good idea why or why not? I put together a list of producers that just come to mind that i think could stimulate P. You don't have to pick a producer from my list, I just wanna pick your brains a little. Please don't just put "No!" if you dont like the idea try to back it up. I wanna try to get a debate going on.

Andy Gill

Rick Rubin

Danger Mouse

Jon Brion

Brion Eno

Tony Visconti

Quincy Jones

2uestlove

rdhull said:

2uestlove

Thats a good one, i think that might actually be awesome how did i forget about ?uest

ARock said:

rdhull said:

2uestlove

Thats a good one, i think that might actually be awesome how did i forget about ?uest

If not him, then I'd choose Rubin, as you aleady suggested. 2uest and Rubin have a way of getting artists back to their basics imo.

rdhull said:

Somebody funky, subdued is nice, but bring the FONK.

ARock said:

Andy Gill

Rick Rubin

Danger Mouse

Jon Brion

Brion Eno

Tony Visconti

Quincy Jones

Dmouse would be great for taking him out there like ..Others Here With Us vibe. I see it akin to a lot of the Dark Night Of The Soul release from last year

Brion would also be excellent, bringing a Clare Fischer of now orchestral element. Baroque or cabaret style?

Eno..the god of atmosphere. A really interesting outcome.

Q...a clean sheen, slick production. Not sure how Quincy has held up lately but I see it as a 3121 era type of production that would be the less interesting to me.

I can't see Prince recording an album with a co-producer.

He just won't do it. Prince isn't someone who "collaborates", he usually just does his own thing and put other people in it if/when they can fit.

The only time Prince got an external producer was 4 Times Squared, and that meant giving the tapes to Eric Leeds and letting him finishing the tracks on his own. That says it all, I think.

We know he wont get a producer. Were just playing with the idea of if he did.

rdhull said:

We know he wont get a producer. Were just playing with the idea of if he did.

Then I think it would have to be a non-R&B artist. I really don't think that Questlove, André 3000 or anyone else from the funk/hip-hop/R&B could add anything new to Prince's music. What they do is things Prince can do anytime. The only one who could maybe add something really special would be Me'shell Ndegeocello, cuz she's the only real "freak" in the afro-american music industry nowadays.

What would be interesting would be a producer from another musical field: someone with an electronic background such as Flying Lotus, someone with a background in more experimental stuff such as Bill Laswell or Ryuichi Sakamoto, someone from the reggae-dub scene such as Sly & Robbie, someone from the free-jazz scene such as John Zorn, etc.

But more than having someone producing HIS music, which in my sense just wouldn't work, I'd rather have Prince engaged in collaborative efforts with any of the artists I mentionned above (or any other significant artist): you know something like "let's go in the studio and jam and just make a record with whatever comes out of it!". Now THAT would be cool!

you may as well ask who prince will hire to sing lead vocals on his next album.

Teddy Riley !!!

He injected new life and swagger in2 Michael Jackson's sound with "Dangerous"

Imagine a project combining Minneapolis Sound with New Jack Swing !!!

Of course the ULTIMATE fangasm would b bringing in Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis !!!!

ChadNPG69 said:

Teddy Riley !!!

He injected new life and swagger in2 Michael Jackson's sound with "Dangerous"

Imagine a project combining Minneapolis Sound with New Jack Swing !!!

Of course the ULTIMATE fangasm would b bringing in Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis !!!!

now you're just being silly. Although, Terry is the one who turned him onto Protools for lotusflower/mplssound.

databank said:

rdhull said:

We know he wont get a producer. Were just playing with the idea of if he did.

Then I think it would have to be a non-R&B artist. I really don't think that Questlove, André 3000 or anyone else from the funk/hip-hop/R&B could add anything new to Prince's music. What they do is things Prince can do anytime. The only one who could maybe add something really special would be Me'shell Ndegeocello, cuz she's the only real "freak" in the afro-american music industry nowadays.

What would be interesting would be a producer from another musical field: someone with an electronic background such as Flying Lotus, someone with a background in more experimental stuff such as Bill Laswell or Ryuichi Sakamoto, someone from the reggae-dub scene such as Sly & Robbie, someone from the free-jazz scene such as John Zorn, etc.

But more than having someone producing HIS music, which in my sense just wouldn't work, I'd rather have Prince engaged in collaborative efforts with any of the artists I mentionned above (or any other significant artist): you know something like "let's go in the studio and jam and just make a record with whatever comes out of it!". Now THAT would be cool!

Prince desperately tried a collaborative album to get back in the public eye, and it didn't work out so well. Does anyone remember "Rave"?

That said, Danger Mouse would be interesting, but his sound is everywhere these days. You don't want DM to do to Prince what Timbaland did to his collaborations with Bjork, M.I.A. and Madonna (meaning he drowned their sound in Timbalandishness). Rick Rubin is an awesome idea. The biggest stamp he leaves on an album is a sound of clarity. He 's excellent at making sharp, bare-bones, voice-forward productions. And Prince needs to find his voice again.

But I'm gonna go out on a limb here and pair Prince up with a producer who has made no secret of his love for Prince... The Dream. That man made Umbrella and Single Ladies into bona-fide classics and then he turns out the best Prince dance track that Prince never wrote ("Yamaha").

Yup, I think The Dream knows how to get Prince back into the zone.

[Edited 9/6/11 0:09am]

^ I wasn't talking about a Prince album with plenty of guests but about a collaborative album, like "Prince and [...] spend one week in a studio and record a FULL album together".

Also, the last thing I'd want is Prince taking a commercial producer and obtain a commercial success outta it. Like I said, I'd rather have him explore more oscure musical territories with adventurous musicians. But I'm getting outta topic here anyway

U make a few good points, though

"Prince desperately tried a collaborative album to get back in the public eye, and it didn't work out so well. Does anyone remember "Rave"?"

yeah, he couldnt quite bring himself to actually make it collaborative.

Mark Ronson or William Orbit. Okay I'm taking the piss with the latter. Prince just ain't with it enough to cope with Orbit.

Questlove, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Van Hunt, the guys who did Janelle Monae, Keith Crouch, Chuckii Booker , forgot about George Clinton!

friend2001 said:

now you're just being silly. Although, Terry is the one who turned him onto Protools for lotusflower/mplssound.

Protools is just recording software. It dont change ur sound.

[Edited 9/6/11 2:26am]

Markus Dravs;

Worked on: Björk's Homogenic, Arcade Fire's Neon Bible , The Suburbs. Coldplay Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, and on the Mumford & Sons album Sigh No More.

[Edited 9/6/11 3:19am]

iloveannie said:

Mark Ronson or William Orbit. Okay I'm taking the piss with the latter. Prince just ain't with it enough to cope with Orbit.

Batdance, The Future & Electric Chair.

Orbit worked on those remixes. With Prince's approval i assume.

William Orbit will be very interesting.

bobbyperu said:

Who wants a Prince album that doesn't sound like Prince?

why wouldn't it sound like prince

databank said:

rdhull said:

We know he wont get a producer. Were just playing with the idea of if he did.

Then I think it would have to be a non-R&B artist. I really don't think that Questlove, André 3000 or anyone else from the funk/hip-hop/R&B could add anything new to Prince's music. What they do is things Prince can do anytime. The only one who could maybe add something really special would be Me'shell Ndegeocello, cuz she's the only real "freak" in the afro-american music industry nowadays.

What would be interesting would be a producer from another musical field: someone with an electronic background such as Flying Lotus, someone with a background in more experimental stuff such as Bill Laswell or Ryuichi Sakamoto, someone from the reggae-dub scene such as Sly & Robbie, someone from the free-jazz scene such as John Zorn, etc.

But more than having someone producing HIS music, which in my sense just wouldn't work, I'd rather have Prince engaged in collaborative efforts with any of the artists I mentionned above (or any other significant artist): you know something like "let's go in the studio and jam and just make a record with whatever comes out of it!". Now THAT would be cool!

Im sticking with production and niot going to another collab route. We've done that a million times already. On the Flying Lotus vibe though, how about Taz from Sa-Ra?

friend2001 said:

you may as well ask who prince will hire to sing lead vocals on his next album.

Good one.

rdhull said:

databank said:

Then I think it would have to be a non-R&B artist. I really don't think that Questlove, André 3000 or anyone else from the funk/hip-hop/R&B could add anything new to Prince's music. What they do is things Prince can do anytime. The only one who could maybe add something really special would be Me'shell Ndegeocello, cuz she's the only real "freak" in the afro-american music industry nowadays.

What would be interesting would be a producer from another musical field: someone with an electronic background such as Flying Lotus, someone with a background in more experimental stuff such as Bill Laswell or Ryuichi Sakamoto, someone from the reggae-dub scene such as Sly & Robbie, someone from the free-jazz scene such as John Zorn, etc.

But more than having someone producing HIS music, which in my sense just wouldn't work, I'd rather have Prince engaged in collaborative efforts with any of the artists I mentionned above (or any other significant artist): you know something like "let's go in the studio and jam and just make a record with whatever comes out of it!". Now THAT would be cool!

Im sticking with production and niot going to another collab route. We've done that a million times already. On the Flying Lotus vibe though, how about Taz from Sa-Ra?

Now that would be an experience and a great album.

mzsadii said:

rdhull said:

Im sticking with production and niot going to another collab route. We've done that a million times already. On the Flying Lotus vibe though, how about Taz from Sa-Ra?

Now that would be an experience and a great album.

Taz was at one of those home concert nights so maybe something transpired?

Impossible

but I can imagine a co-produced album by a rock or funk star, like Clinton...

Jamie Starr.