Hi,

I never read info about the n.e.w.s. session (when they did it, where, the editing...). Interview, question, nothing. I remember a Eric Leeds interview some years ago, but there was nothing about it.

Do you know something about this?

Thank you.

f.

This is what I remember reading about the project (that is posted on Wiki).

N.E.W.S. is the twenty-seventh studio album by Prince, containing four tracks of 14 minutes duration each. Recorded at Prince's Paisley Park Studios over a single day, the album was initially available through Prince's NPG Music Club website on May 26, 2003 before becoming widely commercially available on July 22. The album can be seen as a modern incarnation of Madhouse, but this time as a Prince release. Original Madhouse member Eric Leeds lends his talents, as well as The New Power Generation members John Blackwell, Rhonda Smith and Renato Neto. The album is reportedly the lowest-selling Prince album released to date, with just 30,000 copies sold, but it did become a top ten hit on the Billboard Internet sales chart, and garnered a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance".

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I remember Eric in a live chat, back then, saying (I'm paraphrasing here) that he liked the sound of what was going down in the studio, and that he was looking forward to hearing the finished result. But that's all I got.

Love this album, by the way.

This is absolute hearsay, as I can't recall the source of this assertion, but I believe Eric Leeds was somewhat upset at the presentation of this as a solus "Prince" recording, and that this caused something of a rift between them.

This was, at least as far as I am aware, the last recording they worked on together.

Which is a damn shame, as Eric Leeds is the quintessential Prince accompanist - no-one, in my estimation, brought quite such a singular and funky "voice" to Prince's music - certainly not over such a long period.

Which also made me sad that Prince was not at the Carnegie Hall thing, as this might have pressaged a bit of a reconcilliation between the two.

I like this album but it doesn't even come close to the fun of Madhouse or Eric Leed's cool solo albums.

fabriziovenerandi said:

Hi,

I never read info about the n.e.w.s. session (when they did it, where, the editing...). Interview, question, nothing. I remember a Eric Leeds interview some years ago, but there was nothing about it.

See: http://www.princevault.com/

See album page for N.E.W.S.

"The album was recorded all in one day, 6 February, 2003, as indicated on the packaging, although it is likely that additional work took place later in February, 2003"

Was a new fan when this came out, had no internet at the time, iirc and was uber- at what I bought then. A vanity project if there ever was one from this man. Hell I need with 4, 14-minute instrumentals that all end or succomb to unmotivated keyboard tinkering. Gonna bump it later though, thank you.

And whoever mixed or whatever this could'a did something to take out my estranged cousin Eric's fingering. Shit is annoying the whole way through.

i like the fingering (on the sax) it gives it a real feeling like your in the studio with them. "real music by real..."

I liked N.E.W.S. The music was esoteric, funky and sensual spread across the four tracks, but the dead space at the end of tracks should have been done away with. As a producer, he failed to just keep the best stuff and leave it at that. Madhouse on the other hand, I rank up there with Prince's best work under his own name. Also, the music of Madhouse had some great Blue Note post bop rhythms and Prince and Eric's synergy was in peak form.

purplepolitician said:

And whoever mixed or whatever this could'a did something to take out my estranged cousin Eric's fingering. Shit is annoying the whole way through.

Wha?

I love N.E.W.S. and Xpectation! Both of those albums demonstrate the true genius of Prince. The ambient sound scaping at the end of the N.E.W.S. tracks is quite breathtaking as is the sound production and overall composition.

After hearing N.E.W.S. I had to search out the Madhouse albums and was thoroughly disappointed with them. The music was nowhere near as interesting and the sound production was cursed with that sterile, plastic 1980s sound production.

I can't believe it's already been ten years since N.E.W.S. and Xpectation were released. Hopefully there's more like this in the vault!

TheBoneRanger said:

I love N.E.W.S. and Xpectation! Both of those albums demonstrate the true genius of Prince. The ambient sound scaping at the end of the N.E.W.S. tracks is quite breathtaking as is the sound production and overall composition.

After hearing N.E.W.S. I had to search out the Madhouse albums and was thoroughly disappointed with them. The music was nowhere near as interesting and the sound production was cursed with that sterile, plastic 1980s sound production.

I can't believe it's already been ten years since N.E.W.S. and Xpectation were released. Hopefully there's more like this in the vault!

Wow, u must be a youngster.

Nothing wrong with u not liking the Madhouse work, but u have to understand that Madhouse's direction was totally different than what Prince has ever done. It was meant to be a "garage" band. That is why it is a mix of jazz, funk, etc.

Later instrumental albums/projects were not intended to go in that direction (per se).

meejaboy said:

daPrettyman said:

Wow, u must be a youngster.

Nothing wrong with u not liking the Madhouse work, but u have to understand that Madhouse's direction was totally different than what Prince has ever done. It was meant to be a "garage" band. That is why it is a mix of jazz, funk, etc.

Later instrumental albums/projects were not intended to go in that direction (per se).

Haha! Oh, man, how I wish......getting old sucks green donkey balls.

But, no...you're right. I sincerely respect that he was stretching out into uncharted territory, not only with Madhouse, but also with his main albums of the same time period (85-88).

TheBoneRanger said:

I think one of the more fascinating things about Prince music and being a Prince fan, is the diverse opinions on songs and albums, even within myself. There was a time when I smashed The Gold Experience with a hammer because I didn't like it. I usually find however, when I don't like Prince music, I in reality, just don't "Get it". Sometime, years later, I hear it again. Either in a new environment more suited to the style or message of the muisc (ex, P Control at a strip club), or I mature and change and am more suited to the style or message of the music (Ex. NEWS).

When I first heard this album I threw it away as a smelly turd and an insult.

A decade later. This is no doubt my number 1 favorite Prince album. This music paints a picture of Prince like nothing else I have heard. It is smooth and classy, yet raw and raunchy all at the same time. The more I listen to it the more I love it. Hooks, and rythm's that at first seemed second teir and out of place now ring and ring in my head until I listen to the song again. It grows and grows on you. GREAT Album.

I also love Xpectation. I don't mean to sound like a crazy fanboy, but I would gladly pay 100 bucks for another disc of music that I would like as much as these two albums. I have listened to them so much, that it would be worth every dollar.

For me comparing NEWS to Madhouse is comparing Apples to Oranges. I can't stand it when I read reviews that do so. It's like the reviewer is trying to give himself some sort of street cred for knowing Madhouse existed. But the music is no where near the same. Other than the fact that Eric Leeds is involved, I think the similaritites pretty much stop right there.

daPrettyman said:

This is what I remember reading about the project (that is posted on Wiki).

N.E.W.S. is the twenty-seventh studio album by Prince, containing four tracks of 14 minutes duration each. Recorded at Prince's Paisley Park Studios over a single day, the album was initially available through Prince's NPG Music Club website on May 26, 2003 before becoming widely commercially available on July 22. The album can be seen as a modern incarnation of Madhouse, but this time as a Prince release. Original Madhouse member Eric Leeds lends his talents, as well as The New Power Generation members John Blackwell, Rhonda Smith and Renato Neto. The album is reportedly the lowest-selling Prince album released to date, with just 30,000 copies sold, but it did become a top ten hit on the Billboard Internet sales chart, and garnered a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance".

[edit]

Proud to be one of the 30k. .....if that's true. I like NEWS.

meejaboy said:

This is absolute hearsay, as I can't recall the source of this assertion, but I believe Eric Leeds was somewhat upset at the presentation of this as a solus "Prince" recording, and that this caused something of a rift between them.

This was, at least as far as I am aware, the last recording they worked on together.

Which is a damn shame, as Eric Leeds is the quintessential Prince accompanist - no-one, in my estimation, brought quite such a singular and funky "voice" to Prince's music - certainly not over such a long period.

Which also made me sad that Prince was not at the Carnegie Hall thing, as this might have pressaged a bit of a reconcilliation between the two.

It's common in the jazz and jazz-fusion end of things to attribute the entire album to the band leader (Miles Davis hardly wrote most of his music). Whatever sells the record.

Of course, Eric's saxophone parts on his 80s output were great, but I haven't been that impressed with them on the later records. I feel that he's maybe the weakest link on N.E.W.S. and what he plays on Emancipation is quite mundate too. Maybe that's how Prince wanted him to play on those records, but I'm not really hearing the same type of approach as when he was a stable in the band.

I still often play that "compass disc." Total toe jam with funk.

Heard long back, all of the musicians would come in and drop some sounds.

If that's true or close to truth, drop in more often folks. Everyone did.