What are some of your favorite songs that highlight Prince’s ability/command in the recording studio? I don’t want to focus so much on the actual song (harmonies, chords lyrics etc.), but the recording/arrangement of the song. It can be anything from instrumentation, cool subtle things you have to listen for, delays/reverb, use of compression or other effects, double tracking, unique/weird things he does that work, anything!

Le Grind is a masterful mix of crazy stuff. So is Bob George.

Something like "The 1 U Wanna C" shows how he can switch gears and make a very commercial sound outside of his usual box.

The 2nd verse of Anotherloverholenyohead is just amazing vocal arrangement and production.

The subtle keyboard and synth strings in the background of the court room scene in I Hate U.

In fact, the whole of TGE and Emancipation are full of brilliant production and arrangements.

If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life (that wah guitar)

I Would Die 4 U (mulit layered and staccato synths)

Pop Life (the out-of-time panning of the vocals)

Beginning Endlessly (having a wah-guitar in the left channel and the clean one in the right with subtle differences in rhythm)

This is a great thread and something I could discuss all day long.

Dave1992 said:

The subtle keyboard and synth strings in the background of the court room scene in I Hate U.

In fact, the whole of TGE and Emancipation are full of brilliant production and arrangements.

If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life (that wah guitar)

I Would Die 4 U (mulit layered and staccato synths)

Pop Life (the out-of-time panning of the vocals)

Beginning Endlessly (having a wah-guitar in the left channel and the clean one in the right with subtle differences in rhythm)

This is a great thread and something I could discuss all day long.

Dave I have to forcefully disagree here.

The courtroom junk on I Hate U is so heavy handed and cornball that I feel it ruins a great song. I love and listen to the Eric Leads mix of that song instead.

And people can love on Emancipation and TGE all they want, but the production on these two is spectacularly atrocious. It's like Prince was not Prince anymore but a hack off the street. So heavy handed and cheesy. I am sure i could like those two albums if the goofy production and heavy lipstick was wiped clean.

[Edited 11/16/11 0:31am]

V10LETBLUES said:

Dave1992 said:

The subtle keyboard and synth strings in the background of the court room scene in I Hate U.

In fact, the whole of TGE and Emancipation are full of brilliant production and arrangements.

If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life (that wah guitar)

I Would Die 4 U (mulit layered and staccato synths)

Pop Life (the out-of-time panning of the vocals)

Beginning Endlessly (having a wah-guitar in the left channel and the clean one in the right with subtle differences in rhythm)

This is a great thread and something I could discuss all day long.

Dave I have to forcefully disagree here.

The courtroom junk on I Hate U is so heavy handed and cornball that I feel it ruins a great song. I love and listen to the Eric Leads mix of that song instead.

And people can love on Emancipation and TGE all they want, but the production on these two is spectacularly atrocious. It's like Prince was not Prince anymore but a hack off the street. So heavy handed and cheesy. I am sure i could like those two albums if the goofy production and heavy lipstick was wiped clean.

[Edited 11/16/11 0:31am]

I get the drift and understand that many people (especially those who know Prince since his "stripped-down" Dirty Mind, Controversy etc era) don't appreciate the over-clean, pompous production of TGE.

To me, both are trade-mark Prince and I love them both for what they are. Still, TGE gives me more to listen closely to and makes the impression that it is exactly how Prince wanted it to sound like and not what the dirty amp, strings, one-take made the final version sound like (which is also charmful, don't get me wrong!).

But yeah, that's the production part.

Arrangement is something completely different. I doubt there can be any serious denying that Emancipation and TGE are breathtakingly arranged (you may not like the sounds used, which does sometimes make parts sound "corny", but that's what I personally love about Prince), but the musical ideas in the arrangements on TGE are second to none compared to everything he has ever recorded.

V10LETBLUES said:

Dave1992 said:

The subtle keyboard and synth strings in the background of the court room scene in I Hate U.

In fact, the whole of TGE and Emancipation are full of brilliant production and arrangements.

If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life (that wah guitar)

I Would Die 4 U (mulit layered and staccato synths)

Pop Life (the out-of-time panning of the vocals)

Beginning Endlessly (having a wah-guitar in the left channel and the clean one in the right with subtle differences in rhythm)

This is a great thread and something I could discuss all day long.

Dave I have to forcefully disagree here.

The courtroom junk on I Hate U is so heavy handed and cornball that I feel it ruins a great song. I love and listen to the Eric Leads mix of that song instead.

And people can love on Emancipation and TGE all they want, but the production on these two is spectacularly atrocious. It's like Prince was not Prince anymore but a hack off the street. So heavy handed and cheesy. I am sure i could like those two albums if the goofy production and heavy lipstick was wiped clean.

[Edited 11/16/11 0:31am]

He wasn't Prince. He was , remember?

Pick one...........

Some of the stuff on TRC is pretty incredible, particularly the seemless journey through so many styles on The Everlasting Now.

Also:

Crystal Ball

Old Friends For Sale (any version of it)

When Doves Cry

etc.

phunkymunky said:

Some of the stuff on TRC is pretty incredible, particularly the seemless journey through so many styles on The Everlasting Now.

I was just going to post the exact same.

IMHO the entire TRC album is production wise, perfect.

Also Lovesexy ir really good too.