Which songs have some of his best bass drum work?

You can choose because of bass drum pattern (loop), technical ability, sound, effective use in a song etc.

My choices:

She's Always In My Hair - listen to the whole song and concentrate on the bass drum. It drives the whole song forward and there are little changes everywhere. And that double bass drum part at the end is amazing, of course!

The bass drum patterns in Hot Thing and Housequake are so powerful.

Calhoun Square has amazing bass drum work. No drum machine could ever execute it the way Michael B did.

What else?

"Housequake" and "Shockedelica" come to mind, as they're basically the same.

I'd have to go listen to a lot of songs to find other bass drum patterns that stand out. There's a great fill towards the end of "Endorphinmachine" that is a great tom-tom/bass drum mix. And it's Michael Bland, too.

Good question, and I really like it because now I'm going to listen to a lot of Prince music with a different ear! And "Calhoun Square" will be the first one I listen to.

speaking as a drummer, the bass pattern in sign o the times. the powerful 16th notes followed by swung 8th notes are locked in with the bass loop. also days of wild is a stomper to play.

Dave1992 said:

Which songs have some of his best bass drum work?

She's Always In My Hair - listen to the whole song and concentrate on the bass drum. It drives the whole song forward and there are little changes everywhere. And that double bass drum part at the end is amazing, of course!

Darling Nikki kills me too.

New Position

I LOVE the kick drum pattern in Anotherloverholenyohead. I also have 2 give honorable mention 2 "Come On" (NPG), although more 4 the hard, well-accentuated kick drum itself moreso than the pattern.

kenkamken said:

Kiss and When Doves Cry have the same drum pattern

So do Housequake and Anotherloverholenyohead if you take out one hit on the triple kick on Housequake.

Jughead has the same musical structure as Housequake. It even has the triple beat stomp sound converted to voices.

i drum too and i think my favourites are:

sign o' the times

hot thing

housequake

controversy

shockadelica

when doves cry

the sounds are always killer and the programming is just top notch.

i've never seen the purple one play live, so i always wonder how those really crazy machined beats are done live. do they just use a machine or does someone play the actual beats? or is it split with some being machine and live drums over the top?

i can't play them, but i am pretty sure the types of players prince rolls with could be up for the job!

figital said:

i drum too and i think my favourites are:

sign o' the times

hot thing

housequake

controversy

shockadelica

when doves cry

the sounds are always killer and the programming is just top notch.

i've never seen the purple one play live, so i always wonder how those really crazy machined beats are done live. do they just use a machine or does someone play the actual beats? or is it split with some being machine and live drums over the top?

i can't play them, but i am pretty sure the types of players prince rolls with could be up for the job!

It depends on the tour/drummer/songs/sound. Most of the time he triggers sounds through pads in addition to the standart drum kit (there are pads next to the drum set and the back-up singers usually have a pad or two too). When I saw him play Hot Thing live, he sampled and looped the drum beat live and John Blackwell played along and basically made the beat heavier and supported to snare hits and the most important bass drum hits etc.

But that was during his "sampler set". Usually, everything is completely live and a combination of the standart drum set and triggered pads played by the drummer and the background singers.

Oh, and the bass drum work in the heavy fills in Shhh are amazing too! Of course, Michael B killed the world a couple of times on his own by everything he did on the drums during that song, but the bass drum work is particularly mind-bending there!

Irresistible Bitch.

kenkamken said:

Kiss and When Doves Cry have the same drum pattern

as does "it".

Money Don't Matter Tonight

Thieves In The Temple.

For me the kick pattern and sound IS what makes that song brilliant.

When doves cry also but there it is the whole drumpattern and esp. the flangers/delays etc

I also agree with paisley2002 regarding come on: fantastic kick sound!