While performing on Prince's hugely successful Musicology Tour, Renato was featured in the August 2004 issue of Keyboard Magazine. Here is what Prince had to say about Renato on tour:

"Renato brings a very accomplished technique with him, and a sense of harmony that’s informed by where he grew up and what he was exposed to musically. It’s a cool flavor to add to my music. One really cool thing about Renato: Unlike other keyboard players, I’ve never heard him work in licks he’s learned from somewhere else, and I listen for that. Every night it’s something new."
- Prince, Keyboard Magazine, August 2004

1.Musicology

February 26. 2004
NBC Studio Los Angeles
The Tonight Show

Season 12, Episode 37

Episode #12.37

Band

Prince (vox),

John Blackwell (drums),

Rhonda Smith (bass),

Renato Neto (keyboards),

Chance Howard (keyboards, vox),

Candy Dulfer (saxophone),

Maceo Parker (saxophone),

Greg Boyer (trombone)

Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance – 4:46

Initial recording dates are unknown, but it is likely that the track was recorded in 2003 at Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA.

A few lyrics from the song are included in a segue following the previous track on the album, Musicology.

She knew which fork 2 use but she couldn't dance
So he hipped her 2 the funk in xchange 4 the finance
Who's pimpin' who if nobody gets a second chance?
This is the story of illusion, coma, pimp & circumstance

She was older but rich beyond compare
She'd drop a thousand dollars at the saloon just 2 get her hair did
He was good at compliments, better in the bunk
She laced him with a crib in Paris, he hipped her 2 the funk

Way 2 fine he was 4 her
A dirty dog in expensive fur
As long as she's providing chips and whips
We can do this funky thang
As long as she was playing the host
He figured he would make the most of them hips and lips
He hooked her up, rocked her coast 2 coast

Ugly...
So ugly, rich beyond compare
She's dropped a couple hundred thousand dollars on a silver whip
Just 2 match the color of her hair
She said "Eye got plenty of what U need.
Put the spoon down honey, c'mon, let mama feed U"

She knew which fork 2 use but she couldn't dance
So he hipped her 2 the funk in xchange 4 the finance
Who's pimpin' who if nobody gets a second chance?
This is the story of illusion, coma, pimp & circumstance

Where was Eye? Oh yeah...
A gentleman he was
He never spoke about her nose
So prominent because in the dark it'd glow
If she was only tan instead of so lily white
Her name was Doris but he called her "Fluo"
As in "-Rescent" - That ain't right
Fluorescent every night
A situation bound 2 fail
As sure a Doris' skin was pale

Money might talk, but what does it say?
U better get busy if U wanna get paid
"Boy, Eye was fine back in the day"

She knew which fork 2 use but she couldn't dance
So he hipped her 2 the funk in xchange 4 the finance
Who's pimpin' who if nobody gets a second chance?
That's the story of illusion, coma, pimp & circumstance
Now, dance

Dance

He spent her money oh so well
Take a bath in cold Kristal
He took a trip 2 burn an old flame in 'Frisco, like wow
But Doris caught him in her arms
She shrugged her shoulders and said "No harm"
Just put Ur name on this pre-nup and we can all hit the disco

She knew which fork 2 use but she couldn't dance
So he hipped her 2 the funk in xchange 4 the finance
Who's pimpin' who if nobody gets a second chance?
This is the story of illusion, coma, pimp & circumstance

She knew which fork 2 use but she couldn't dance
So he hipped her 2 the funk in xchange 4 the finance
Who's pimpin' who if nobody gets a second chance?
This is the story of illusion, coma, pimp & circumstance
Now, dance

Dance

OldFriends4Sale said:

1.Musicology

February 26. 2004
NBC Studio Los Angeles
The Tonight Show

I really love this interview, esp. the awkwardness of Mel Gibson, he's really not sure what to make of P! P shows his fun sense of humour as always!

EBONY September 2004
Prince reclaims his throne
by Lynn Norment


PRINCE has reclaimed his throne. After years of self-imposed semi-exile from the constant glare of cameras, the artist formerly and currently known as Prince is enjoying a resurgence in popularity and attracting an enormous amount of media and fan attention. His Musicology CD has sold millions of copies, and he is a constant on radio and music video channels, He's also reclaimed his perch in higher echelons on Billboard's music charts, and his Musicology tour is selling out arenas around the country.

That was then. "I call myself a musician and a child of God," the new Prince says in a calm, serene manner when asked how he'd describe himself. "Others call me what they want to call me."

He smiles warmly as he settles comfortably before an SSL 8000 G+ film-ready console in Studio A at his famed Paisley Park Studios outside Minneapolis. Dressed in a white Chinese silk shirt over a red t-shirt emblazoned with NPGMC and white pants with buttons lining the side seams, he projects an everyday casualness. Four years ago, he became a Jehovah's Witness and consequently a changed man.

As he talks about his music, renovations at Paisley Park and his spiritually enhanced life, Prince appears to be at peace with himself and the world. No longer is slave scrawled across his handsome face, as it was years ago during his pro-test against music industry royalty rules. And no longer is he distant and elusive, as he was in earlier years when he was probably trying to find himself. Today, Prince is at peace with himself and the world. He has evolved into a caring, informed, well-read, history-conscious and spiritually enriched artist and businessman who is determined to keep making music and directing his career as he sees fit.

During an hour visit that lasts almost three hours, he is animated and often leaps from his chair and dances around the studio to make his point. At times he leans in close and whispers as he shares a bit of knowledge from experience, He does not dwell on his controversial exit from the contract he had with Warner Brothers, the company front which he launched his career in 1978 and achieved fame and riches during the 1980s. He fulfilled his contract by releasing music on Warner Brothers under the name Prince; but during this same period in the 1990s the prolific music maker also released music under his New Power Generation label. He referred to himself as an unpronounceable glyph. Most just called hint The Artist.

Once he satisfied his legal obligations to Warner Brothers, he reclaimed his moniker Prince (his given name is Prince Rogers Nelson) and continued to release music through his NPG label and music club Web site. Occasionally he would do live performances, and in 1999 he teamed with Arista Records to release Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. For the most part, Prince stayed below media radar though he was ever present to his ardent fans who staved in touch via his Web site.

And he was very industrious. For a one-time $25 fee, subscribers to his NPG Music Club (npgmusicclub.com) have access to music downloads and advance notice and discounts on concert tickets. He has sold millions of records through the club. At Paisley Park, he creates and records his music; he contracts out the pressing of the discs, then oversees distribution. Consequently he retains ownership--and the profits--of his music. It is a model for independence he encourages other artists to consider.

"When I went back to the name Prince and independently released Rainbow Children in 2001, that was the beginning of where I am now," he says. "But you have to do the work ... That's what independence is. It's my catalog, my dynasty. I'm selling hundreds of thousands of records. I'm the Record Company now." (And he makes $7 on a $10 CD, rather than pennies he received in traditional record contract.)

This is a subject about which the new Prince, as was the old Prince, is passionate. He is an advocate for artists' rights and feels that the powerful "corporations" should not own aim artist's music. He talks about the compulsory license law, "where anybody can take my song and sing it, against my will. I'm a writer. Stephen King is a writer. Can I take a page out of his book and call it Prince's Shining? Can I take a scene out of a movie and call it my own? They say the law, helps the writers. I don't need help; I don't need your money. Let us steward our own music.

"Sister Lynn, look at all this!" He jumps up and bounces in a 360-degree turn as he points to various pieces of equipment and musical instruments in the studio. "We don't own any of this. We can buy it, but we don't make it. We want to start making our own instruments."

Prince made waves in the music industry when he launched his Musicology tour in March without attaching an end date. He can perform under the banner of the Musicology tour over the next several years, and Billboard is required to attribute the sales to this one tour. Another point of contention is the fact that Prince's concert ticket price includes a Musicology CD, and those sales must be counted for Billboard's chart rankings. Record sales will increase as long as the tour continues. "We have sold more than 3 million CDs worldwide, and it will continue," he says. (In response to Prince's innovation, Billboard and SoundScan, which compiles the charts, quickly changed the method for counting album sales, but it does not affect Musicology.)

"We do this out of necessity;" Prince says. "We are not trying to one-up anybody else. We are not mad at anybody. God expects us to work for ourselves. We can't sit back and wait for reparations. We've been waiting for 400 years. Are the politicians going to repeal these laws? Are they going to put music back in the schools?"

Prince also is disturbed by what he calls "processed music, corporate produced music" that proliferates the airwaves. "Machines calm do about anything to music," he says. "Corporations are trying to turn music into media, into bits and numbers, into binary codes so it can be controlled like they control the media. Before long, we won't have real music," he says, picking up one of the several guitars nearby. "This is real music." He plays a melody. "I control it. It's not a machine ... That's why artists like Alicia Keys are so loved. People feel her, and she doesn't have to take her clothes off."

The days of taking his clothes off onstage are in the past for Prince. So are the raunchy lyrics and antics, and the parade of women through his life. There are songs he will no longer perform. Prince has changed, and his audiences have changed. ("You get the audience you deserve. When I played freaky music, I got freaky audiences. I finally straightened it out"). He always has expressed a spiritual side, and he says he's always felt that sexuality and spirituality were intertwined. Now he says that he practices monogamy, and he encourages others to do the same. In December 2001, Prince married Manuela Testolini, who formerly worked at Paisley Park.

On this visit to Paisley Park, Manny (as Prince refers to her) serves her husband, a long-time vegetarian, and their guest roasted pepper soup she made that morning. ("I've been roasting peppers all day," she says.) He agrees that the soup, heavy with garlic and other healing spices, is delicious. In the dining area of the studio, Manny shows their guest a sampling of the home products, including fragrant and beautifully packaged incense, they plan to market under the NPG Home brand. Later, when Prince gives a tour, he points out more of Manny's tasteful decorative art.

"We plan to have interns in here working and learning every aspect of the music business," he says during the tour of the 65,000-square-foot Paisley Park. In addition to the reception and atrium seating area, there are four recording studios (two new, two upgraded) that are technological marvels. They are outfitted with Bryston high-performance amplifiers and custom-made BMDI monitoring systems. By updating to the newest digital technology, combined with high-speed connectivity and efficient workflow, Prince says Paisley Park Studios is in a position to offer musicians an ideal environment in which to make music.

There is also a huge soundstage that has been used to make movies and music videos; in the past it has been the scene of memorable parties. (It now some times hosts community and religious meetings.) There are also several dance and rehearsal rooms, one in particular with granite walls and floor that houses an expansive drum set on which Prince demonstrates the "loudness" of the sound. In a room nearby is a grand piano, and again he sits (if only for a moment) and tickles the ivory keys melodically.

Prince bemoans the fact that super producers Jimmy (Jam) Harris and Terry Lewis have relocated their Flyte Time Studios to California, leaving Paisley Park as the sole major recording studio in the area.

The times are changing, the music industry continues to go through upheavals, and Prince is a changed man, though one who is still devoted to making good music. "I was always different," he says. "I continued to grow continued to evolve, thank God."

To young people and other artists in the music business, he advises revolution and independence. "Stay out of the music industry stay out of the system," he advises. "Be revolutionary. Some of these young kids say they want to follow me. Well, if you do, then get your spiritual life together if you want your relationships to go right, and it will happen."

Prince Interviewed on NBC's Today Show 3.15.2004

Prince relaxes with ex-wife Manuela Testolini during an awards ceremony at the NAACP Image Awards 3.6.2004 Universal City, Calif

March 15. 2004
Club Black New York
Aftershow

1.Jazz Instrumental
2.Musicology
3.Shhh
4.D.M.S.R
5.House Party (Fred Wesley)
6.Love Bizarre/Glamorous Life
7.I Feel of U
8.Controversy
9.The Beautiful Ones
10.Nothing Compares 2 U
11.Insatible
12.Sign "O"the Times
13.The Question Of U
14.The One/Fallin' Vo-Candy Dulfer
15.Let's Work
16.U Got The Look
17.Life O' The Party
18.Soul Man/Kiss

July 2 , 2004 Musicology Tour
Superdome New Orleans
10th Anniversary Essence Music Festival

OldFriends4Sale said:

Prince Interviewed on NBC's Today Show 3.15.2004

So sexy!!!

OldFriends4Sale said:

July 2 , 2004 Musicology Tour
Superdome New Orleans
10th Anniversary Essence Music Festival

---

Olds - If i'm not mistaken isn't this from an earlier time, just that it appeared in the Musicology sleeve didn't it? That only came out a month later, surely not enough turn-around time was it?!

TheFreakerFantastic said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Olds - If i'm not mistaken isn't this from an earlier time, just that it appeared in the Musicology sleeve didn't it? That only came out a month later, surely not enough turn-around time was it?!

I'll post some more, I thought so too, but I have a lot of these with him in red during the Musicology period

It's weird though because a lot of times you can tell by the hair lol ONA/Rainbowchildren he had same length but wore his hair straight, Musicology it was usually curly like this straight again for 3121 curly for Planet Earth

i'll post some more in a bit, but if you have the info please share it it's outside of the musicology period

^ No I don't know but i'd go as far to say it would have to be early 2004 even maybe 2003 as there is usually quite a bit lead time from when they do all the printing of the CD inlay and covers to when it gets released.

TheFreakerFantastic said:

^ No I don't know but i'd go as far to say it would have to be early 2004 even maybe 2003 as there is usually quite a bit lead time from when they do all the printing of the CD inlay and covers to when it gets released.

I do have a pic of him, wear similar suite shirt hair @ the Clive Dais pre Grammy Award part 2.7.2004

is this the one you're refering too?

February 8. 2004
House of Blues Los Angeles
After Grammy Jam

1.Jazz Instrumental
2.Shhh
3.D.M.S.R
4.A Love Bizarre/Glamorous Life/I Feel of U
5.Controversy
6.The Beautiful Ones
7.Nothing Compares 2 U
8.Sign "O"the Times
9.The Question Of U/The One/Fallin' (with Matt Phillips)
10.Let's Work
11.U Got The Look
12.Life Of The Party/Funky For No Reason (W-AngieStone, Macy Gray, Nikka Costa) /NPG In The House Of Blues
13.Soul Man (Sam & Dave)
14.Kiss
15.Take Me With U
16.The Everlasting Now

2nd Encore 1st Encore
17.Down by the Riverside
18.Pass The Peas/Tom's Diner
19.Purple Rain
20.The Ride( with changed lyrics)
21.America/All The Critics Love U In LA
22.America
23.No Diggity

^ That could the right date

I just recall that pic of him dancing being used in the Musicology liner pics....(isn't it under the page for What Do U Want Me 2 Do?)if I'm wrong it may have been a pic accompanying the release of What Do U Want Me 2 Do? If so then it would have had to be from 2003.

[Edited 10/19/12 10:56am]

TheFreakerFantastic said:

^ That could the right date

I know the album was released 3.29.2004 but you can tell the Musicology period had started by late 2003 he shot the Musicology video in 2003 and started performing the songs prior to the release too

July 12. Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden NYC

20.Sign O' The Times
19.The Question Of U
20.The One/Fallin'
21.Let't Work
22.U Got The Look (Prince & Sheila E)
23.Life O'The Party
24.Soul Man
25.Kiss
26.Take Me With U
27.The Beutiful Ones
28.Nothing Compares 2 U
29.Purple Rain

(Acoustic Set)
11.Little Red Corvette
12.Cream
13.Raspberry Beret
14.Prince & The Band
15.Alphabet Street
16.12:01
17.Adore
18.I Could Never Take PlaceOf Your Man
19.71.Musicology
2.Let's Go Crazy
3.I Would Die 4 U
4.When Doves Cry
5.Baby, I'm A Star
6.Shhh!
7.D,M,S,R/A Love Bizarre/The Glamourous Life/D,M,S,R
8.I Feel 4 U (Vo-Chaka Khan)
9.Controversy Jam
10.What A Wonderful World

OldFriends4Sale said:

TheFreakerFantastic said:

^ That could the right date

I know the album was released 3.29.2004 but you can tell the Musicology period had started by late 2003 he shot the Musicology video in 2003 and started performing the songs prior to the release too

Agreed, like with 3121 (rel. 06, rec. 05) I would speculate most of the content was recorded in the previous year...

Part of the reason being that it's likely he hawked the completed album around various record companies before striking a deal, then he'd have to wait through all the release lead times that record companies have....

[Edited 10/19/12 11:11am]

TheFreakerFantastic said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I know the album was released 3.29.2004 but you can tell the Musicology period had started by late 2003 he shot the Musicology video in 2003 and started performing the songs prior to the release too

Agreed, like with 3121 (rel. 06, rec. 05) I would speculate most of the content was recorded in the previous year...

Part of the reason being that it's likely he hawked the completed album around various record companies before striking a deal, then he'd have to wait through all the release lead times that record companies have....

yeah, a lot of music from 05-09 has a similar feel like they are outtakes from a different album

True, never thought about it that he was going 2 different companies for a deal

Jay Leno rehearsal

April 7. 2004 Musicology Tour
Qwest Center Omaha.Nebraska

Cost: $78

1.Musicology
2.Let's Go Crazy
3.I Would Die 4 U
4.When Doves Cry
5.Baby, I'm A Star
6.Shhh
7.D.M.S.R.
8.I Feel For You
9.Controversy
10.God (Piano Instrumental)
11.The Beautiful Ones
12.Nothing Compares 2 U
13.Insatiable
14.Sign 'O'The Times
15.The Question Of U
16.The One/Fallin Vo- Candy
17.Let's Work
18.U Got The Look
19.Life 'O'The Party
20Soul Man (Sam & dave)
21.Kiss
22.Take Me With U
(Acoustic Set)
23.Little Red Corvette
24.12:01
25.On The Couch
26.Sometimes It Snows In April
27.I Could Never Take ThePlace Of YourMan
28.7 ( Acoustic/Band)
29.Purple Rain

I am a big fan of this era.

A Million Days (unreleased video)

The american singer Prince, famous for his album Purple Rain, is currently in Panama shooting a music video in which musicians from Panama are featured as well. Prince arrived in Panama the week before, and is located in a central hotel, where he is composing the lyrics to the songs he will record together with the local musicians. The video will feature a "local star" but no nameshave been given. It has been mentioned Prince has been visiting the nightclubs of the metropol.

Article in Spanish:
http://www.elimparcial.co...108408.asp

starring: Prince & Liza Hernandez