OldFriends4Sale said:

madhouseman said:

Great thread. I was listening to this CD again over the weekend and it was cool how varied and experimental it was. Looking back, I don't know why Prince didn't like it other than it may have been a bad time for him in his career and with his relationships, but I think it is a solid album and to me, Parade was the FU album after Purple Rain. ATWIAD was a slight difference, but Parade showed that he wasn't a 1 trick pony.

I think Prince was blaming the album because the movie flopped.

The music wasn't the problem, it was the bad directing, and the ego tripping,

I like the movie, but he just put his middle finger up to every seasoned director on this one

He should have let the original director go with it, and he should have had "live" music performances in this one either by him & his band or protege bands Sheila E Jill Jones the Family

I agree that it was tainted by a bad movie, but I don't think he liked the album much. His quote was "Parade was a disaster. Apart from ‘Kiss’, there’s nothing on it I’m particularly proud of." I seriously think this was from the chaos in his life around then, which is sad because he was making some incredible music during that era.

madhouseman said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I think Prince was blaming the album because the movie flopped.

The music wasn't the problem, it was the bad directing, and the ego tripping,

I like the movie, but he just put his middle finger up to every seasoned director on this one

He should have let the original director go with it, and he should have had "live" music performances in this one either by him & his band or protege bands Sheila E Jill Jones the Family

I agree that it was tainted by a bad movie, but I don't think he liked the album much. His quote was "Parade was a disaster. Apart from ‘Kiss’, there’s nothing on it I’m particularly proud of." I seriously think this was from the chaos in his life around then, which is sad because he was making some incredible music during that era.

True and that chaos he had going on back then along with the admiration of the band members and proteges just made some of his best quality music...

I wonder how much of a 'dislike' was because of people questioning him along racial lines as far as the music he started putting out.

23. I Wonder U (Mary in bed)

Neon Telephone
This is Prince's version he later gave to Three O'Clock (after The Jets turned it down) for their 1988 Vermillion album. Recorded during the Parade sessions, the song inspired the neon telephone in Under The Cherry Moon, used by Mary to speak with Christopher. The lyrics are about a woman who refuses to call Prince on account of her pride.

Maybe she'll call me (Neon telephone)
Maybe she won't (Maybe she won't)
And if she don't (Neon telephone)
I'm gonna lose my mind (This time I'm gonna lose my mind)

It's kinda dark in here (Neon telephone)
I need a light (It's 2 bright)
I could use a sexy situation that would do my body just right
2night I'm gonna lose my mind

Sometimes her pride is like a big tall building
It hides the street that leads 2 a sweet mystery
(Sometimes) Sometimes we blow the chance 2 be so happy (Happy)
If we could only make up our minds
We could have such a good time

I know she wants me (Neon telephone)
I know she cares (I don't care)
Tell me what's stoppin' me (I don't care 2 know)
From runnin' right over there and runnin' my fingers through your hair

I'm goin' crazy, yes I am (Neon telephone)
Why can't U understand? (He needs 2 change)
I can't stop (can't stop) thinkin' about U, baby
This time I'm gonna lose my mind (This time I'm gonna lose it)

Why can't U call me, baby? Pick up the phone
U know your little Prince can't be alone
I need some of your sweet, sweet... oooh!

(Neon telephone)
(I don't care)
(Neon telephone)

Hello
How come U didn't call?
What, U think U're 2 good or something?
Can I talk 2 U?
Are U alone?
Good God

Initial tracking took place on 10 July, 1985 at the Washington Avenue Warehouse in Eden Prairie, MN, USA (the day after ♥ Or $). It was initially considered for use on Parade and/or Under The Cherry Moon but was instead saved for later use (it did, however, inspire the use of a neon telephone in Christopher Tracy's apartment in the movie Under The Cherry Moon). It was sent to Three O'Clock for consideration along with Girl O' My Dreams, We Can Funk, Teacher, Teacher and Can't Stop This Feeling I Got, but the band decided to use only this track. Three O'Clock's vocal overdubs and instrumentation was recorded in 1987 - early 1988 at American Recording, Woodland Hills, CA, USA, retaining only Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman's background vocals from the original recording.

Honey, we been 2gether
Honey, 4 2 long
Honey, we got 2 make it better
Honey, ‘fore we go wrong

Got 2 try a new position, yeah
Somethin' that'll make it all right, uh
New position, yeah
Let's go fishin' in the river, the river of life

Honey, we can't last, uh (We can't last)
Without a shot o' new spunk, huh
Honey, forget your past (Forget your past)
U got 2 try my new funk

U got 2 try a new position, yeah
Somethin' that'll make it all right
Oh, a new position, yeah, yeah
Let's go fishin' in the river, the river of life

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah!
Come on and let me do ya
Come on and let me do ya, do ya
Come on and let me do ya
I wanna, I wanna do ya, do ya
Honey, I can make U happy (I can make U H. A. P. P. Y.)
Ooh, I can make it real good (So good)
Honey, I won't be your pappy (P. U. S. S. Y.)
But I'll do ya, I'll do ya, do ya, do ya, like a...
Do ya, do ya like a good man should
I'll do ya, do ya like a good man should
Honey, let's try a new position

Initial tracking took place in Spring-Summer 1982 at Prince's Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA, along with several other tracks that would re-appear over the next several years. This original 1982 recording remains unreleased. The track was re-recorded on 17 April, 1985 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA, with Prince recording the drum track in sequence of Little Girl Wendy's Parade, New Position, I Wonder U and Under The Cherry Moon, all in one take. He then layered other instruments over all four tracks. Clare Fischer arranged and recorded orchestration for the song at some point in mid-late 1985 at Monterey Sound Studios, Glendale, CA, USA, but Prince preferred the track without orchestration, and chose to use the track without orchestration for the final release.

Thanks as always Love this era

madhouseman said:

DETROIT FREE PRESS

Published: Thursday, July 3, 1986
Section: FTR
Page: 13A

NERVY PRINCE RETURNS WITH A STYLISTIC SMASH

It takes a lot of nerve to set a picture on the French Riviera and then shoot it in black and white.

And Prince, bless him, has a lot of nerve.

"Under the Cherry Moon," his second film (the first, "Purple Rain," won him an Oscar and grossed more than $80 million), is a stylistic smash.

Its substance leaves something to be desired, true. But fine-looking fun backed by choice music by Prince and the Revolution is quite enough to guarantee most audiences a couple of good hours.

BASICALLY, "Cherry Moon" is the story of a gigolo who falls in love with an heiress and gives it all up for love.

Shot in France around Nice and Cap d'Antibes, some of the world's priciest and most beautiful scenery backgrounds this story of nightclub pianist Christopher Tracy (Prince), his best friend Tricky (Jerome Benton) and a couple of Miami boys in Nice for a little discreet gold-digging.

When Tricky spots a newspaper photo of Mary Sharon (Kristin Scott-Thomas) -- and the story of her 21st birthday inheritance -- he and Christopher crash the party. After that, it's a battle of love, with the couple opposed by Christopher's favorite client (Francesca Annis), Mary's nervous mother and nasty father, and the combined forces of Nice's police and coast guard.

PRINCE IS apparently as hardheaded as filmmaker Barbra Streisand about getting his way. When original director, Mary Lambert, left the picture a few weeks into the shooting, Prince took over her chores. After the film wrapped, unhappy with some of the scenes, Prince returned to Nice and reshot them. He has done respectable work: He finished the picture; he produced an entertainment that, while limited, is as good as much of the stuff cranked out by longtimeprofessionals, and he got to do it the way he wanted.

But, you may ask, can Prince act?

Not yet, at least not on a regular basis. But whenever he's not pouting or vamping a la Valentino, he's infinitely better than he was in "Purple Rain."

The look of the picture is its biggest strength -- contemporary, yes, but with a distinct feel for the '40s. For that, audiences can again thank Prince, who had the good sense to hire cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, a Werner Fassbinder graduate who worked with John Sayles and Martin Scorsese. Ballhaus also filmed Volker Schlondorf's stunning television version of "Death of a Salesman." Backing Ballhaus is production designer Richard Sylbert, the man responsible for the visual style of "Chinatown" and "The Cotton Club."

Kristin Scott-Thomas, the English actress plays the heiress Christopher tames (Prince has not yet entirely outgrown his bad-boy attitude toward women.). She does very nicely in her film debut, so long as she doesn't have to look dreamy and recite Christopher's poetry. And Prince's pal Benton is bearable, albeit slightly less than three-dimensional, as Tricky.

The plot gets embarrassingly over-dramatic near the end -- this isn't supposed to be Shakespeare, for heaven's sake -- but, all things considered, Prince deserves to take a bow. And, no doubt, he will.

hls2000 said:

Wondering why the woman dancer in "Kiss" is under a veil? Never thought about it before - just thought it was cool, but maybe there's a reason?

Allegedly Prince didn't think she was pretty enough.

She is credited as being in Eddie Murphy's Coming To America

You can make up your own mind

that's her at 1:30

Here's an interview:

http://www.thebottomend.c...rtists.php

S.N: Your career has been outstanding. You have produced 50 or so recordings under you own name, earning you two grammys for the albums, "Free Fall" and "Clare Fischer And Salsa Picante Present 2+2 - Latin Jazz And Voices" (and deservedly so).

You have written, arranged, and performed on several other recordings, but what is so exceptional is your success in the pop world. You have worked with Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Robert Palmer, Spike Lee, The Jacksons, Tony Toni Tone, Vanessa Williams, Paula Abdul, The Family (producing some great string arrangements on their album) and contributed on over 100 albums.

For me, it has been your work with Prince that is the highlight of your pop collaborations. How did you first get connected with Prince?

C.F: Someone who is a jazz fan and working with Prince at the time, suggested my name to him when he was looking for a string arranger.

S.N: Your first film credit was for the Prince movie, "Under The Cherry Moon", and an interpretaion of one of your arrangements was used in the first "Batman" movie, where Prince did the Soundtrack.You have also worked with him on the albums, "Parade", "Graffiti Bridge", O (+>, "Crystal Ball", and several singles ("Goodbye", "The One", "Te Amo Corazon" etc...) How was your experience working with such a genius?

C.F: Prince is indeed a smart man. He sends me what he has recorded, and I add on my orchestra. He may occasionally give me a suggestion of some kind at the beginning of a project, but mostly leaves it up to me.

Special thanks 2 Clare Fischer 4 making brighter the colors Black & White

How did you first begin working with Prince?

There was a group called Chaka Khan and Rufus of which my nephew was the drummer. This put me into a kind of different orbit in the pop world and I utilized it to the nth degree.

What instruments do you typically use in your arrangements for Prince? Anything unusual that you recall over the years?

My favorite instrumentation as a writer is that of the symphony orchestra, although I have written for many different types of things, my preference lies here. My relationship with Prince is that he heard of my writing through Rufus and Chaka Khan and although I was not basically what you would call a rock musician, here again my classical training came to the front.

So the rumor is that you and Prince have never met in person. Is this true? Have you even seen him perform live?

I’ve never met Prince, and I was informed by people who had been with him that when asked about meeting me, he said, “I don’t want to meet him. It’s going just fine as it is." I saw him perform at the Grammy opening ceremonies in January 2004 when he performed using one of my arrangements.

Describe the process of a typical collaboration with Prince. Does he send you a finished track and you simply add your arrangement or is there discussion beforehand? What kind of guidance or instructions, if any, does he provide?

First of all he has left me completely free. It is a wise man who after he hires someone, does not interfere with his product. Prince was very open in this area. I think besides being a jazz writer, I have written for classical instrumentations, and that’s how unlike most jazz writers, who have a non-classical concept of tone, I was orchestrally well versed. He sends me a cassette tape of his recording, and then I have my son, Brent, transcribe it. Then I write my arrangement in conjunction with this transcription.

What was your most challenging collaboration with Prince? Was there a certain track or album that was especially challenging?

Not really. One of the good features at the beginning especially was that he allowed me freedom and space to make value judgments.

What’s your favorite work of all that you’ve done with Prince?

I have a great joy in writing for strings and one of the problems with this in the recording studio is money to pay musicians, so people are given such low budgets that you can’t hire a large string section. Prince spends money and so I was able to write string sections as opposed to writing for a small string ensemble.

You’ve worked with many pop / rock musicians over the years including Paul McCartney, Tori Amos, Michael Jackson and Natalie Cole. When you think about your working relationships with other artists, how is Prince unique or different?

The open space that he provides. Most people want to tell you exactly what they want for an arrangement but then again they are not the writers so there is always a superimposition of their limited scope on what they conceive. A writer has to fight to get what he does. The worst person in conjunction with this is the producer who thinks that he has a special orientation toward what it should be. That’s like comparing apples and bananas. I think that I was accepted by Prince because of that fact the fact that my writing was of a professional level through years of experience.

What do you find most interesting about working with Prince?

The fact that he allows me complete freedom in what I do.

From your perspective as a collaborator, is there anything about Prince that might surprise his fans to know?

One would think that he would have a tremendous ego which would interfere with your relationship. Prince does have a strong ego but he is not the kind who tries to superimpose that on you.

What in Prince’s music do you tune into when working on an arrangement for his music? The music, the lyrics, something else?

Mostly the structure of the song, because that’s what I fit my arrangement to.

You’ve worked with Prince for a long time through many albums. How do you think his music has changed or evolved over the years? Has the way you approach or contribute to his music changed over time?

No. My music is still the same as when I started because I have always maintained a high professional standard. I think the reason that I got writing for pop artists in the first place is the fact that they felt I added a layer of sophistication to their music.

Prince is not known for working with the same musicians for long periods, but his collaborations with you have lasted many years. Why do you think you and Prince have worked together for so long?

Because we haven’t met personally.

What are you currently working on?

Mostly writing for myself. I have just released my latest album, A Family Affair featuring a complete choir of clarinets, with added woodwinds and brass for color, that I’m quite proud of. That makes over 40 albums of my own that are out there now.

To find out more about Clare Fischer, his music and his career, please visit http://www.clarefischer.com

Prince songs and albums that Clare Fischer has contributed to:
Parade (album credit)
Slow Love
Pink Cashmere
Screams of Passion
Crystal Ball
Old Friends 4 Sale
2 name a few

Parade grew on me, didn't appreciate it at first. I was a little kid when it came out, and shocked that all the other songs didn't sound like "Kiss". Though I really dug the live version of "Anotherloverholeinyohead". MTV used to play that video to death.

It wasn't until my teens did I recognized the album's brilliance.