Spinlight said:

Any Lovesexy show, "We Can Funk 86", "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night", Small Club.

go ahead, I dare aNYONe to tell me that if right before the solo in "We Can Funk 86" P. hadn't sang "Miko" you wouldn't think that was a Prince guitar solo. that MF'r BECAME Prince when he played with him, almost completely subjugated his own style in service of the gig. much respect for Miko...

OldFriends4Sale said:

datdude said:

can someone cite some songs where Miko's funky skills are clearly displayed. i admit post revolution the band members seemed to be somewhat interchageable for me (i wasn't paying that much attention anymore). apart from these bandmembers, Boni, Rosie, Michael B, Alan Leeds, and Tommy Barbarella: i'd confuse the assortment of guitarists he's had. so i'm intrigued by the thread. i'm sure i've heard Miko and Levi on stuff (doesn't he name drop Levi on Sexy MF?) but didn't know who was who. I don't have any concert boots, so please reference songs on "official (non NPGMC) releases" please. thanks!

Honestly I don't know what outside of the extended version of Mountains, that Miko is actually playing on.

the Sign o the Times album is Prince & the Revolution the Black album & Lovesexy I don't know what Miko actually played on.

Wendy is the guitar player on the Family album so we can hear more of her style there too.

Miko was a sessions musician for Prince mostly but I don't know on what. He was live 4 Sheila E. & the Family and the Parade shows

She is? Which songs apart from Yes?

miko by a mile and then wendy, then levi. Andy is horrible on the gtr

robertgeorgeakabob said:

imo perfection does not equate to good music. levi was a much more technically gifted musician than wendy or miko, but his clean jazzy licks bored me to tears during the 90s shows.

Levi mad you cry? awwww...

Levi was probably the best technically and musically, I agree.

I also agree that his 'clean' and 'jazzy' style of guitar playing didn't fit Prince as good as Miko's or Wendy's did.

But damn he was FUNKY!

TheEnglishGent said:

Tremolina said:

sheesh when it says 87 live how hard can it BE???

It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night.

Bingo!

Riverman37 said:

IMO

Apart from Prince himself, who offers the best 'chicken grease', Miko is his funkiest guitar player ever, and this is what this thread is about, right? lol

Yes

Wendy is a decent player, but not the funkiest, and i appreciate her first of all for her co-songwriting / co-composing input then for her guitarplaying.

I don't know really, how many songs she co-wrote, but I LOVE how Wendy supported Prince on guitar on the PR tour.

I never did get the praise for Dez: a competent player, but nothing special to my ears (i aint no guitarplayer myself, so i might be missing something here).

Check out some vids from the Controversy tour. Dez carried the music easily and could outplay Prince on the rock licks and solo's. Funkwise tho' I don't think he was the best.

And Andy is just holding that guitar, right? lol

There is debate about whether she is just holding "that" guitar. Could be something else too

jilljones said:

Miko by a mile was the funkiest & sounded the most like Prince

Wendy was/is a suprisingly funky rhythm player

Mike Scott is the most thorough guitar player Prince ever had, he's a bad, bad man...but I agree Mike's style/sound wasn't really 'princely'. Mike, Eric Leeds, John Blackwell. Michael Bland and Sheila are for me the standout musicians, from a technical standpoint Prince has toured with. (Ricky P. is bad too but he didn't tour)

Dez was solid, man. A great foil for prince at that point in his career.

Agreed on all points.

I don't dig Levi's guitar playing much a'tall. serviceable/nondescript. But he was a great bassist for Prince and he's a great musician! I preferred Levi to Sonny, but thats another thread I guess

Interesting idea

joyinrepetition said:

Let's look at it this way...

Dez-pure rock, a shredder.

Yeah but we were looking at it from a different, funk point of view.

Miko-smooth and funky, able to mirror Prince. Caused a lot of anger in Wendy as she knew Miko was a better player and that she was eventually going to be replaced.

lol... don't make things up now

I find Miko is the best overall guitarist Prince has had. He could play the FUNK, Jazz it up, the Do Me Baby Smooth Intro, rock out with the cock out, Chicken Grease, you name it, Miko did it.

Agreed.

datdude said:

can someone cite some songs where Miko's funky skills are clearly displayed.

Like Spinlight said: We Can Funk ('86 version), any SOTT or Lovesexy concert or aftershow, like Small Club. Nude tour too but less of a role.

WonderU said:

pald1 said:

Miko Weaver, easy. I saw him live with P a few times. Wendy's good (and continues to get better) but she's not in his league. Fact.

Finishing your opinion with "fact" doesn't make it so lol

Wendy and Miko getting funky together side by side on the Sheila E Live Romance 1600 show they were matching each other lick for lick, too funky.

I seen Miko with Prince too and there was nothing he ever played that made me think, wow, Wendy couldn't have done that. Miko is awesome, but he never left me in awe of his playing like Wendy did (does). Irresistible Bitch/Possessed from the Purple Rain tour ALONE proves her funk.

Well, I like them both...I'm just trying to judge based on what I've seen (I've seen them both at concerts too and my experience has told me that Miko is the more fluid, assured, and experimental player - funk or rock or whatever).

AND I have no allegiance. You, though, I'm not so sure...one glance at your avatar and I can tell this 'aint gonna be a discussion. Pointless really.

jilljones said:

Spinlight said:

Any Lovesexy show, "We Can Funk 86", "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night", Small Club.

go ahead, I dare aNYONe to tell me that if right before the solo in "We Can Funk 86" P. hadn't sang "Miko" you wouldn't think that was a Prince guitar solo. that MF'r BECAME Prince when he played with him, almost completely subjugated his own style in service of the gig. much respect for Miko...

I don't have WCF '86, is it vastly different from the version on GB (which i LIKE btw) which i assume Miko isn't on. IGBABN is the only clunker on SOTT so I haven't heard it in a while

datdude said:

jilljones said:

go ahead, I dare aNYONe to tell me that if right before the solo in "We Can Funk 86" P. hadn't sang "Miko" you wouldn't think that was a Prince guitar solo. that MF'r BECAME Prince when he played with him, almost completely subjugated his own style in service of the gig. much respect for Miko...

I don't have WCF '86, is it vastly different from the version on GB (which i LIKE btw) which i assume Miko isn't on. IGBABN is the only clunker on SOTT so I haven't heard it in a while

we can funk '86 is the only version i listen to. apart from miko's playing it doesn't have that irritating "testing positive 4 the funk" malarkey in it.

datdude said:

jilljones said:

go ahead, I dare aNYONe to tell me that if right before the solo in "We Can Funk 86" P. hadn't sang "Miko" you wouldn't think that was a Prince guitar solo. that MF'r BECAME Prince when he played with him, almost completely subjugated his own style in service of the gig. much respect for Miko...

I don't have WCF '86, is it vastly different from the version on GB (which i LIKE btw) which i assume Miko isn't on. IGBABN is the only clunker on SOTT so I haven't heard it in a while

The arrangement is entirely different. Many lyrics are different as well. WCF86 is a slow funk jam recorded live in the studio (as were most of the WCF takes, I guess).

jilljones said:

Spinlight said:

Any Lovesexy show, "We Can Funk 86", "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night", Small Club.

go ahead, I dare aNYONe to tell me that if right before the solo in "We Can Funk 86" P. hadn't sang "Miko" you wouldn't think that was a Prince guitar solo. that MF'r BECAME Prince when he played with him, almost completely subjugated his own style in service of the gig. much respect for Miko...

Yep that's right forgot about that one

bobbyperu said:

All of this has shown me one thing and that is that Tremolina's question is impossible to answer. What is "funky" anyway? The one man who should know, George Clinto, wasn't helping when he said that funk is anything you want it to be. Peace & hair grease, I'm out!

Morris Day defined it in Grace

WonderU said:

pald1 said:

Miko Weaver, easy. I saw him live with P a few times. Wendy's good (and continues to get better) but she's not in his league. Fact.

Finishing your opinion with "fact" doesn't make it so lol

Wendy and Miko getting funky together side by side on the Sheila E Live Romance 1600 show they were matching each other lick for lick, too funky.

I seen Miko with Prince too and there was nothing he ever played that made me think, wow, Wendy couldn't have done that. Miko is awesome, but he never left me in awe of his playing like Wendy did (does). Irresistible Bitch/Possessed from the Purple Rain tour ALONE proves her funk.

Wendy's 1st debute & 1st Avenue shows her funk, 2 this day my favorite & most funky version of DMSR was at that show, they totally nailed it.

The Revolution actually came in on the Love Bizarre video song and took it over, totally twanged that song out

OldFriends4Sale said:

WonderU said:

Finishing your opinion with "fact" doesn't make it so lol

Wendy and Miko getting funky together side by side on the Sheila E Live Romance 1600 show they were matching each other lick for lick, too funky.

I seen Miko with Prince too and there was nothing he ever played that made me think, wow, Wendy couldn't have done that. Miko is awesome, but he never left me in awe of his playing like Wendy did (does). Irresistible Bitch/Possessed from the Purple Rain tour ALONE proves her funk.

Wendy's 1st debute & 1st Avenue shows her funk, 2 this day my favorite & most funky version of DMSR was at that show, they totally nailed it.

The Revolution actually came in on the Love Bizarre video song and took it over, totally twanged that song out

I can't stand the Irresistible Bitch/Possessed stuff on the PR tour (not a good tour for me, but I don't really have an exemplary show), however Wendy did some funky licks on the birthday show!

Miko Weaver and Wendy Melvoin..........

[Edited 10/22/11 18:01pm]

Riverman37 said:

Sometimes i feel people here making certain choices based on the 'skin-colour' of the ones involved.

Wendy couldn't be that 'funky', because she is white?

People are pushing a moderate guitar-player like Dez because he is black, and therefore he should be considered better then Wendy?

From both sides, black and white, you see these kind of remarks, often subtly disguised, but why?

Nah to me color doesnt matter when it comes to giving props. Teena Marie is funky guitar player and her little-known band she produced called Ozone are funkier (and Mis Jill Jones even sang backup for them and appeared cover on that band). Teena Marie she was better than Wendy in my opinion. And other non-white funkier players that I admired are Carlos Santana and Janis Joplin is good for her early funk influence. But I love Wendy contribute of adding color to the Revolution. I also like her work during Revolution and her scoring as well but I am indifferent about majority of her solo work with Lisa.

Spinlight said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Wendy's 1st debute & 1st Avenue shows her funk, 2 this day my favorite & most funky version of DMSR was at that show, they totally nailed it.

The Revolution actually came in on the Love Bizarre video song and took it over, totally twanged that song out

I can't stand the Irresistible Bitch/Possessed stuff on the PR tour (not a good tour for me, but I don't really have an exemplary show), however Wendy did some funky licks on the birthday show!

I didn't care 2 much 4 Prince's "James Brownish" jams. I love Possessed at the 1st Ave Birthday show 84 though, that whole show was electric

I love all forms of Computer Blue though, Wendy opens it up with those guitar screeches