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Compilation to convert a Prince non-believer... When I told my friend I love Prince, he said the following: 'I don't think he's that good. He's made so many songs, but I only like Purple Rain. And Kiss.' So I asked: 'How about When Doves Cry..??' 'I don't know that one', he said, and that's when I realised he doesn't know shit about Prince at all... This is a true honest to God story. Now, I told him that I would make a compilation CD that he can play in his car, and I assured him that after listening to it, he would never be able to claim Prince was bad again... This friend is pretty mainstream oriented musically, so I don't want to throw in any complex songs that take a few listens to really get into... It need to be songs that have an immediate hook... I was thinking of the following compilation:
1. When Doves Cry 2. Thieves In The Temple 3. Gold 4. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man 5. Sign O The Times 6. Money Don't Matter 2Night 7. Letitgo 8. Come On 9. Curious Child 10. Love
What do you guys think, what would you add or delete from this..? | |
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Youve seemed to have4 missed out on the most important songs of his career. Purple Rain Rasberry Berret Kiss Contoversy These songs defined Prince | |
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Your friend sounds like a douche. | |
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Yeah, he already knows PR and Kiss, that's why I didn't add them. I expected Rasberry Beret to be a bit too jolly for him, and Controversy I may add..! Thanks..! | |
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I'd stick with 12-15 of the big hitters and leave it at that - if they can't get into When Doves Cry, Alphabet St and Cream, they're a lost cause for the rest. | |
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My opinion don't bother, people who don't like Prince don't bother with them. His music should be reserved for the true believers. Got some kind of love for you, and I don't even know your name | |
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Found out the hard way that its not worth it.
Eric Clapton's quote about him fits how people view his music; either they like him or don't, there's no between.
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ditch curious child and gold.
Lovely but raucus... Empty Room (95 version)
throw in a rarity... All Day, All Night (absolute classic, epitomises sweaty purple funk circa 84) | |
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Trying to "convert" someone is a wrong attitude to begin with. But since your friend sounds like he/she doesn't really know a lot about Prince's music in general, I guess it's nice to introduce them to his music and see if they're intrigued or not. I'd say add The Beautiful Ones ( I've personally never seen anyone who doesn't like this song!), Nothing Compares 2 U and maybe Cream. [Edited 8/26/12 4:43am] | |
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Give them a copy of the hits, or that other one....Ultimate (or whatever it's called).
[Edited 8/26/12 5:20am] | |
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This is actually an area I'm a bit of an expert. I used to try and do this all the time, and I've made mistakes and knocked it out of the park. NouveauDancer is right. I used to try to give people SOTT and 1999 but that doesn't work until they are already a fan. Just give him the poppy stuff
Literally just stick to hits between 82'-92.' Don't mess around with any of this Curious Child stuff (i'm not even sure if I like that song very much). IMO it's tough to beat The Very Best Of for a single CD to get people on the Prince band wagon.
Remember, your friend will never drink the coffee, unless you serve him cream. Don't start off with ANY obscure tracks. I LOVE Automatic, but if you put that one on a compilation for a Prince noob there's a decent chance it'll turn them off. Stick to the beaten path and go with the Hits "Prince doesn't have verbal diarrhea, he has studio diarrhea...." Allen Leeds | |
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My approach is usually about 2 discs of material (hardly matters in the iPod/iPhone playlist era) of the biggest and best hits, a few universally acclaimed tracks, a couple of my personal favorites, and filling up the rest with material that caters to their own, already-established musical taste. I mean I wouldn't normally think to use a track like Incense & Candles to woo someone to Prince, but it and stuff like Valentina worked a few years ago when a 25 year old kid I work with started asking me about Prince, whereas The Very Best Of Prince kind of left him cold. However, it wasn't long before he was really into stuff like The Beautiful Ones and Erotic City and She's Always In My Hair and Adore and Pink Cashmere and Colonized Mind, etc. | |
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Off the top of my head:
Little Red Corvette DMSR Lady Cab Driver Let's Go Crazy 12" mix When Doves Cry Pop Life Girls and Boys SOTT Housequake Joy in Repetition Gett Off 319 Days of Wild (either the bootleg studio version or the first live version from the live bootleg) Bob George Le Grind Sexual Suicide Come On Family Name Musicology What do U Want Me 2 Do? 3121 Black Sweat Crystal Ball Hot Thing (live version from the movie) Beginning Endlessly The 1 U Wanna c
________ Jungle Love Glamorous Life Love Bizarre Return of the Bump Squad 101 Sugar Walls
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VIDEO WORK: http://sharadkantpatel.com MUSIC: https://soundcloud.com/ufoclub1977 | |
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I'd stick Dreamer in there, a non-fan friend heard it and said he didn't know Prince could play guitar like that, and he really liked it. | |
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The only people I ever think are worth converting are the true music lovers who value musicianship and could care less about popularity or charts.
With that audience in mind, The Undertaker is powerful, Parade & the Madhouse LPs do well, and maybe a mixed selection of cuts with their individual tastes in mind.
Don't hate your neighbors. Hate the media that tells you to hate your neighbors. | |
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Great point! And if that's the case, just cater the mix to whatever kind of music that person prefers. Prince has something for just about everybody.
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If they're into guitar, play them clips of Fury from SNL or the All-Star George Harrison tribute from R&RHOF. They never fail to impress.
Don't hate your neighbors. Hate the media that tells you to hate your neighbors. | |
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i agree with just about everybody else.. just stick with the hits, then if he likes what he hears, then introduce him into the more complex things..
Little Red Corvette
Sign O The Times
I Wanna Be Your Lover
You Got The Look
Cream
I Would Die For You
Purple Rain
Kiss
1999
Controversy
Lets Go Crazy
Pop Life
things like that,
when i became a prince fan around 2010, i started off with Purple Rain, Kiss, Money dont matter tonight, Little Red Corvette.. and thats all it took for me. | |
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I think you should definately add "guitar" to the CD. I think it's a very easy listen and it's so catchy! White, Black, Puertorican, everybody justa freakkkkkin'! | |
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purple medley ext version lets go crazy extended 1999 little red corvette when doves cry kiss u got the look housequake bob george dead on it sexy mf 7 endorphine machine purple rain gold
I would leave off raspberry beret as most guys who dont like him always say that song is gay and prince is gay. Its a great song dont get me wrong but working in a music store thats the song haters always make fun of him with(at least here). Newbies ALWAYS like Bob George and Dead on it!! It never fails. | |
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I tried this playlist, not sure if it worked though. I went the obscure arty route rather than any old song they could hear on the radio:
Adonis & Bathsheeba Desire Mountains Play In The Sunshine Our Destiny/Roadhouse Garden I Wonder U Under The Cherry Moon Allegiance Get Blue Splash Father's Song I Wonder Alexa De Paris Soul Sanctuary Curious Child Dreamin' About U All My Dreams The Love We Make
Then I did a "Girlsongs" compilation:
Manic Monday ~The Bangles I Wanna Be Your Lover ~Corinne Bailey Rae And God Created Woman ~Prince & The New Power Generation In A Large Room With No Light ~Prince Moonbeam Levels ~Prince Power Fantastic (Intro) Power Fantastic ~Prince Eternity ~Chaka Khan Noon Rendezvous ~Sheila E. In A Word Or 2 ~Monie Love Love Song ~Madonna w/ Prince I Guess I'm Crazy ~Mavis Staples When You Were Mine ~Cyndi Lauper How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore ~Stephanie Mills If I Love U 2 ~Mica Paris With This Tear ~Céline Dion Baby You're A Trip ~Prince Adore ~Prince The Plan Love... Thy Will Be Done ~Prince
I'm not sure she even got that he wrote these songs, or if it was just a random compilation, but I did label it clearly "Prince". It's probably only something a hard core fan could appreciate, but I dug it lol "So fierce U look 2night, the brightest star pales 2 Ur sex..." | |
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Her tastes are more conservative so I avoided the Bob Georges, Scarlet Pussys, and Sexy Motherfuckers... is that OK with you? Cripes "So fierce U look 2night, the brightest star pales 2 Ur sex..." | |
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I would give him my personal 3CD set I made spanning Prince's Career
Disc 1 Soft and Wet I Wanna Be Your Lover (Single Edit) Dirty Mind (Single Edit) When You Were Mine Uptown (Single Edit) Head Controversy (Album Version) Do Me, Baby (Single Edit) 1999 Little Red Corvette Delirious (Single Edit) Let's Go Crazy Erotic City (12' Version) When Doves Cry (Album Version) I Would Die 4 U Purple Rain
Disc 2 Rasperry Beret Kiss (Single Edit) Sign O' the Times (Single Edit) I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (Single Edit) U Got the Look If I Was Your Girlfriend (Single Edit) Adore (Single Edit) Alphabet St. Scandalous! Batdance Theives In The Temple Diamonds and Pearls (Single Edit) Cream Gett Off Money Don't Matter 2 Night Nothing Compares 2 U (Live)
Disc 3 My Name Is Prince (Single Edit) Sexy M.F 7 Endorphinmachine (Raw Unreleased Version) The Most Beautiful Girl In the World (Single Version) I Hate U (With 'Please acess another experience' ending) The Holy River Sleep Around (Edit) Come On The One (Edit) The Greatest Romance Thats Ever Been Sold She Loves Me 4 Me Musicology Call My Name Black Sweat Somewhere Here On Earth Dreamer
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Yea this looks great, If you gave me this it would of worked with the first set alone! CCMCC Graduate.... | |
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Things to take into account for most outsiders listening to Prince in my opinion based on experience:
They don't generally like the raw falsetto unless it's on a song as strong as Kiss. So ALL OF "DIRTY MIND" IS OUT.
Most think Prince is very rated G, so anything by Prince that seems rated X but doesn't fall into the falsetto range explained above is good eye opening material. "Head" would have been a contendor but the falsetto is gonna bug.
They generally don't like drippy soul ballads unless it's polarizingly unique like "condition of the heart" or completely retro like "Somewhere Here on Earth" or "On the Couch".
They think of Prince in a mainstream Diamonds and Pearls way so, anything that seems as far away from that album as possible is a good eye opener. This pretty much rules out almost 85% of an album like Emancipation.
To an ousider it has to hit on a first listen. It's not about "keep listening until you get it", or "look at the lyrics"...
If it could be considered generic R&B... don't push it! My art book: http://www.lulu.com/spotl...ecomicskid
VIDEO WORK: http://sharadkantpatel.com MUSIC: https://soundcloud.com/ufoclub1977 | |
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The Rainbow Children Crystal Ball Musicology 3121 Dreamer Get on the boat Love Let's go crazy We march Damn u The dance No justice, No peace | |
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You need to pick songs that would weaken them, a nice cocktail of mainstream hits, sexuality and spirituality tracks will do the trick
suggestions include
Gold Darlin Nikki When Doves Cry 1999 Kiss Alphabet Street Batman Around the World In a Day Greatest Romance Ever Sold Temptation Wanna Be Your Lover Controversy Bambi | |
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^
you should delete the last 2 songs, otherwise great list. Prince 4Ever. | |
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I have converted MANY with Joy in Repetition. That is a must in any compilation.
Off the top of my head I also think Housequake, DMSR, Adore, Anotherloverholenyohead, Lets Go Crazy 12", Girls & Boys, Strange Relationship, $, & Erotic City are good at converting the non-believers. | |
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