2elijah said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I like the fake GB musician more than Tony M

Band members said he didn't think Prince was black enough and he was going to make him blacker...sorry can't respect that. Worthless band member

Maybe Tony M meant 'not black enough' in a music sense, moreso than culturally. If Tony M meant 'not black enough' in a cultural sense, he could have been referring to Prince growing up in a town in Minnesota, where there were few Black families at the time (according to what his sister Tyka said in a radio interview a few years back) and so he probably wasn't exposed to a large population of Blacks from various ethnic groups, but at the same time, not saying he wasn't exposed to some form of Black culture at all. I remember his sister stated their family was among the few Black families that lived in the town in Minnesota where they grew up. I am not sure how many or how much of Black musicians/artists' music he was exposed to at the time, but Prince did say in an interview a while back, that Chuck Berry, Ike Turner, Little Richard, and many other Black musicians/artists were an inspiration to him. It's pretty clear that James Brown, Larry Graham, Sly Stone, and Jimi Hendrix certainly were. You're the Org Prince music historian, so maybe you would know that.

Not exactly sure what Tony M meant by that statement, but isn't it clear that during the Purple Rain/Revolution eras, Prince's soul/funk/r&b side were emulated through the (Morris Day and) The Time group he created, as an extension of his funk/soul/r&b side/persona? Not to mention, during the Lovesexy/Sign of the Times era, and thereafter, Prince's music was inclusive of funk/r&b/soul/jazz/gospel, etc., which those forms/styles of music has always been familiar within much of the Black population. Not generalizing of course, and also not saying everyone within general, Black population embraces it or that those particular forms/styles of music are limited to which part of the human population embraces it.

[Edited 2/15/14 7:14am]

I don't think it mattes what sense he meant. It was disrespectful. Prince is Prince, all of his background culturally musically or whatever made him. Prince music had strong foundations of funk/folk/soul/new wave/r&b/rock-metal/classical and that is why many Prince fans just call it Purple Music:the unreleased 1982 track where he talks about creating a style hisown. Prince's style is Purple. What is Black enough, not black enough, who decides that. Some people think if you don't talk a certain way you're not black enough, dress a certain way, if you don't live in a certain area etc (ok this is about to go way off topic.) I'm just saying that is one of the bigger reasons I don't like Tony M

MrNorway said:

I don`t know if this guy is considered a band member exactly, but he sure has worked with Prince, so I choose to include it here. I think Ricky Peterson did a remarkable job as co-producer and keyboardist (I guess) on songs like I hate U, The Most beautiful girl... and Gold. To me it seems like those songs benefited heavily on that Prince brought him along as a producer. (at least according to my taste regarding production)

I was thinking about David Z who worked on Prince music throught his 80s was heavily involved with the creation of Kiss and worked on many of the protege albums too.

But no they weren't technically band members. But definately worth the mention

OldFriends4Sale said:

I don't think it mattes what sense he meant. It was disrespectful. Prince is Prince, all of his background culturally musically or whatever made him. Prince music had strong foundations of funk/folk/soul/new wave/r&b/rock-metal/classical and that is why many Prince fans just call it Purple Music:the unreleased 1982 track where he talks about creating a style hisown. Prince's style is Purple. What is Black enough, not black enough, who decides that.

If you were alive, and in the US at the time, it's impossible to take this comment out of context.

For fans of the 79-87 era, he had started to lose his edge, and he was slipping in an emerging "urban market" (another stupid sounding phrase) including BET that was more interested in playing an old "Round and Round" video than anything Prince put out. It was supposed to allow him to focus on US audiences again, so he could go on Arsenio rapping, appearing Blacker than the Black album, with his bling microphone, and comically gangster crew. He was just trying a younger version of the Morris Day schtick. The most racial element was surroudning himself by more people of color on stage, none of whom, sorry to say, were Purple or played Purple Music. That era has a pretty distinct sound. Hate to break it to you, but Prince never said "Hey guy, I'm not a Gold****a, I'm Purple!".

So noting that, Tony M.'s idiotic comment was really just about rebranding, and marketing.

[Edited 2/15/14 9:41am]

OldFriends4Sale said:

2elijah said:

Maybe Tony M meant 'not black enough' in a music sense, moreso than culturally. If Tony M meant 'not black enough' in a cultural sense, he could have been referring to Prince growing up in a town in Minnesota, where there were few Black families at the time (according to what his sister Tyka said in a radio interview a few years back) and so he probably wasn't exposed to a large population of Blacks from various ethnic groups, but at the same time, not saying he wasn't exposed to some form of Black culture at all. I remember his sister stated their family was among the few Black families that lived in the town in Minnesota where they grew up. I am not sure how many or how much of Black musicians/artists' music he was exposed to at the time, but Prince did say in an interview a while back, that Chuck Berry, Ike Turner, Little Richard, and many other Black musicians/artists were an inspiration to him. It's pretty clear that James Brown, Larry Graham, Sly Stone, and Jimi Hendrix certainly were. You're the Org Prince music historian, so maybe you would know that.

Not exactly sure what Tony M meant by that statement, but isn't it clear that during the Purple Rain/Revolution eras, Prince's soul/funk/r&b side were emulated through the (Morris Day and) The Time group he created, as an extension of his funk/soul/r&b side/persona? Not to mention, during the Lovesexy/Sign of the Times era, and thereafter, Prince's music was inclusive of funk/r&b/soul/jazz/gospel, etc., which those forms/styles of music has always been familiar within much of the Black population. Not generalizing of course, and also not saying everyone within general, Black population embraces it or that those particular forms/styles of music are limited to which part of the human population embraces it.

[Edited 2/15/14 7:14am]

I don't think it mattes what sense he meant. It was disrespectful. Prince is Prince, all of his background culturally musically or whatever made him. Prince music had strong foundations of funk/folk/soul/new wave/r&b/rock-metal/classical and that is why many Prince fans just call it Purple Music:the unreleased 1982 track where he talks about creating a style hisown. Prince's style is Purple. What is Black enough, not black enough, who decides that. Some people think if you don't talk a certain way you're not black enough, dress a certain way, if you don't live in a certain area etc (ok this is about to go way off topic.) I'm just saying that is one of the bigger reasons I don't like Tony M

I'm going to agree with you that Prince's music has always been a style of his own, never allowing himself or anyone for that matter, to pigeon-hole him into one category of music, because he was more than about one genre of music. I grew up with all kinds of music from Calypso, salsa, r&b/soul ballads(motown), the Beatles' music, listening to my father play his jazz/latin jazz records, etc., you name it, it was played in my house. The same was for the friends I grew up with. We were exposed to many variations of music-no limits. Never allowed anyone to tell me what type of music I should listen to because of my racial background/culture. It's not anyone's place to say or do that.

As far as those who have the belief one is 'not black enough', I would have to question what their definition of being Black enough is. I believe that iindividuals who have that type of perception of what it is to be Black, have not had much exposure to the various, ethnic groups that exists with the Black community 'as a whole' or in the world for that matter, who have cultures of their own. So like I said, I'm not sure what Tony M meant, but it could only lead me to believe then, that he meant musically and culturally, based on your explanation. I do think it is sad when people in general believe they can 'limit' or 'define' what/who a person should be or act like, based on their racial background/culture/language, etc. I believe people are 'cultured' by their environment, how they are raised, not so much as assuming because they are from a particular racial group/or identify with a specific racial group, that it is 'expected' they should act/speak a particular way. I've run across that type of ignorance over the years. It's good that Prince maintained that stance over the years of not allowing anyone to pigeon-hole his creative, music skills or limit his potential as a musician/artist.

I prefer those who've contributed style to his music rather than being the best musicians. W&L are the clear personification of this. In fact, I think the entire Revolution is the worst group of musicians he ever had (not that Fink and Brownmark are bad, of course), but IMO the most stylish.

Style is what the best rock bands have, as opposed to the technical prowess of a Quincy Jones lineup. I always thought the early 90s sound of the NPG was closer to Quincy Jones' sound, and while it was beautiful, I thought it lacked style.

Renato is the prime example of those incredibly talented players who just didn't really suit Prince's blend of styles, other than Prince's love for latin sounds.

The Lovesexy lineup was a nice compromise of style and technique

3rdEyeGirl seems to be an attempt to get back to a more specific style, but so far I am not convinced of the results

treehouse said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I don't think it mattes what sense he meant. It was disrespectful. Prince is Prince, all of his background culturally musically or whatever made him. Prince music had strong foundations of funk/folk/soul/new wave/r&b/rock-metal/classical and that is why many Prince fans just call it Purple Music:the unreleased 1982 track where he talks about creating a style hisown. Prince's style is Purple. What is Black enough, not black enough, who decides that.

If you were alive, and in the US at the time, it's impossible to take this comment out of context.

For fans of the 79-87 era, he had started to lose his edge, and he was slipping in an emerging "urban market" (another stupid sounding phrase) including BET that was more interested in playing an old "Round and Round" video than anything Prince put out. It was supposed to allow him to focus on US audiences again, so he could go on Arsenio rapping, appearing Blacker than the Black album, with his bling microphone, and comically gangster crew. He was just trying a younger version of the Morris Day schtick. The most racial element was surroudning himself by more people of color on stage, none of whom, sorry to say, were Purple or played Purple Music. That era has a pretty distinct sound. Hate to break it to you, but Prince never said "Hey guy, I'm not a Gold****a, I'm Purple!".

So noting that, Tony M.'s idiotic comment was really just about rebranding, and marketing.

[Edited 2/15/14 9:41am]

Actually, I think it was more of a shock to his Purple Rain/Revolution members' fans during the 90s, when Prince changed direction with his music to a more r&b/soul/funk side. He surrounded himself more with persons of color, as he is one himself. I think what happened during the Purple Rain era is that Prince pretty much surrounded himself with more White musicians/artists/females, and his fans got used to viewing him that way. So when the Revolution members were disbanded, and the Purple Rain era ended, maybe Prince did try to get into some rap music, which rap did dominate the American music industry, and took it by storm in the late 80s/through the 90s era. Rap was a threat to the music careers of many, well-known, established musicians/artists like Stevie Wonder and others, many rock groups, r&b singers, etc., who were having a hard time getting their music sold, once rap made its way in the industry. Rap was primarily dominated by Black rappers at the time, but managed to attract a diverse audience. One could say Prince did add more persons of color to his new band after the Revolution breakup, and his music direction changed to a more funkier, r&b/soul side, but he still kept the pop/rock/ballads portion of his music as well. So I believe it was hard for some fans of the Purple Rain era to embrace that side of Prince, because they accustomed themselves to the Purple Rain/Revolution era Prince, whose music direction at the time bordered more on 'rock-pop/pop' flavored tracks.

Honestly, though, I don't think we should pretend that the r&b/soul/funk part of Prince's creaive side musically, never existed, especially when he had 'The Time' members portraying an extension of himself through that type of music, while he was benefitting from his Purple Rain/Revolution era success. That r&b/funk/soul side was always there, and apparently when he brought in Tony M, I could only think it was to help attract part of the diverse audience that rap music, believe it or not, was able to attract. Quite frankly, there were quite a few established musicians/artists that did the same, who tried to stay relevant at the time, in fear of their music careers going belly-up and losing money. Also, prior to the Revolution era, Black radio stations were playing Prince's songs like 'I Wanna Be Your Lover', and 'Soft and Wet' moreso than mainstream, white radio stations at the time. So technically, the r&b/soul/funk side of Prince was always there, with or without his adding more persons of color to his future bands.

[Edited 2/15/14 12:55pm]

NDRU said:

I prefer those who've contributed style to his music rather than being the best musicians. W&L are the clear personification of this. In fact, I think the entire Revolution is the worst group of musicians he ever had (not that Fink and Brownmark are bad, of course), but IMO the most stylish.

Style is what the best rock bands have, as opposed to the technical prowess of a Quincy Jones lineup. I always thought the early 90s sound of the NPG was closer to Quincy Jones' sound, and while it was beautiful, I thought it lacked style.

Renato is the prime example of those incredibly talented players who just didn't really suit Prince's blend of styles, other than Prince's love for latin sounds.

The Lovesexy lineup was a nice compromise of style and technique

3rdEyeGirl seems to be an attempt to get back to a more specific style, but so far I am not convinced of the results

(Bolded part) I don't want to say he's going back to the Revolution era with 3rdeyegirl, but for the moment, it kind of seems a bit like it, although not too sure. Kind of seems like he's focusing more on displaying his 'rock guitar' skills.

treehouse said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I don't think it mattes what sense he meant. It was disrespectful. Prince is Prince, all of his background culturally musically or whatever made him. Prince music had strong foundations of funk/folk/soul/new wave/r&b/rock-metal/classical and that is why many Prince fans just call it Purple Music:the unreleased 1982 track where he talks about creating a style hisown. Prince's style is Purple. What is Black enough, not black enough, who decides that.

If you were alive, and in the US at the time, it's impossible to take this comment out of context.

For fans of the 79-87 era, he had started to lose his edge, and he was slipping in an emerging "urban market" (another stupid sounding phrase) including BET that was more interested in playing an old "Round and Round" video than anything Prince put out. It was supposed to allow him to focus on US audiences again, so he could go on Arsenio rapping, appearing Blacker than the Black album, with his bling microphone, and comically gangster crew. He was just trying a younger version of the Morris Day schtick. The most racial element was surroudning himself by more people of color on stage, none of whom, sorry to say, were Purple or played Purple Music. That era has a pretty distinct sound. Hate to break it to you, but Prince never said "Hey guy, I'm not a Gold****a, I'm Purple!".

So noting that, Tony M.'s idiotic comment was really just about rebranding, and marketing.

[Edited 2/15/14 9:41am]

Good recount of the period. I lost interest in Prince overall in the 1990s. I watched from a distance, I listened I looked. It was a let down to me, some nice songs here and there, but but what was slick and coy became vulgar and overblown.

.

Prince always had that Prince song or 2 that reminds you of "HIS" style:Money Don't Matter 2Night, Tangerine for example. Thank GOD Tony M was gone by ACT II? but definatey GOLD

2elijah said:

treehouse said:

If you were alive, and in the US at the time, it's impossible to take this comment out of context.

For fans of the 79-87 era, he had started to lose his edge, and he was slipping in an emerging "urban market" (another stupid sounding phrase) including BET that was more interested in playing an old "Round and Round" video than anything Prince put out. It was supposed to allow him to focus on US audiences again, so he could go on Arsenio rapping, appearing Blacker than the Black album, with his bling microphone, and comically gangster crew. He was just trying a younger version of the Morris Day schtick. The most racial element was surroudning himself by more people of color on stage, none of whom, sorry to say, were Purple or played Purple Music. That era has a pretty distinct sound. Hate to break it to you, but Prince never said "Hey guy, I'm not a Gold****a, I'm Purple!".

So noting that, Tony M.'s idiotic comment was really just about rebranding, and marketing.

[Edited 2/15/14 9:41am]

Actually, I think it was more of a shock to his Purple Rain/Revolution members' fans during the 90s, when Prince changed direction with his music to a more r&b/soul/funk side. He surrounded himself more with persons of color, as he is one himself. I think what happened during the Purple Rain era is that Prince pretty much surrounded himself with more White musicians/artists/females, and his fans got used to viewing him that way. So when the Revolution members were disbanded, and the Purple Rain era ended, maybe Prince did try to get into some rap music, which rap did dominate the American music industry, and took it by storm in the late 80s/through the 90s era. Rap was a threat to the music careers of many, well-known, established musicians/artists like Stevie Wonder and others, many rock groups, r&b singers, etc., who were having a hard time getting their music sold, once rap made its way in the industry. Rap was primarily dominated by Black rappers at the time, but managed to attract a diverse audience. One could say Prince did add more persons of color to his new band after the Revolution breakup, and his music direction changed to a more funkier, r&b/soul side, but he still kept the pop/rock/ballads portion of his music as well. So I believe it was hard for some fans of the Purple Rain era to embrace that side of Prince, because they accustomed themselves to the Purple Rain/Revolution era Prince, whose music direction at the time bordered more on 'rock-pop/pop' flavored tracks.

Honestly, though, I don't think we should pretend that the r&b/soul/funk part of Prince's creaive side musically, never existed, especially when he had 'The Time' members portraying an extension of himself through that type of music, while he was benefitting from his Purple Rain/Revolution era success. That r&b/funk/soul side was always there, and apparently when he brought in Tony M, I could only think it was to help attract part of the diverse audience that rap music, believe it or not, was able to attract. Quite frankly, there were quite a few established musicians/artists that did the same, who tried to stay relevant at the time, in fear of their music careers going belly-up and losing money. Also, prior to the Revolution era, Black radio stations were playing Prince's songs like 'I Wanna Be Your Lover', and 'Soft and Wet' moreso than mainstream, white radio stations at the time. So technically, the r&b/soul/funk side of Prince was always there, with or without his adding more persons of color to his future bands.

[Edited 2/15/14 12:55pm]

Naw, I don't think it can be narrowed down to PR/Revolution fans, because those people were only there for that PR era. When he changed to ATWIAD that were gone or so. the 'Revolution' band overall consists of the 1999 PR ATWIAD Parade period. Which no album sounded anything alike. Most of Princes 1990s work sounds more dated than anything. vs his 1980s music. And I don't think people overall had a problem with anyones race. Prince always pushed racial diversity so Prince fans had no big issue. I agree with what someone else said. It was style.

.

Prince music was very distinct:the Minneapolis sound (including the Time)

Prince didn't 'surround' himself with more white people during the PR era, outside of Wendy most in that band was with him since the early days 1978, outside of the addition of Wendy that band was there in since 1980/81 Controversy. If Wendy wasn't in the camp at the time and Dez didn't leave it would have been BrownMark Prince Dez outfront, Fink Z and Lisa in back like it always has been as far as 'color' since 1978.

.

And by the SOTT shows it had 7 "persons of color" I hate that term like Euro people don't have color. But 7 "persons of African ancestry" and only 3 'white' people. So race was probably not an issue because most fans of SOTT/Lovesexy were also PR fans.

.

I don't think anyone pretends the funk/RnB side of Prince never existed. Everyone overall knows Prince has alway incorporated those style with many other styles. It's always been like that. Prince was just more about being on the edge and creating something unique vs 'following' a trend already started.

.

Like NDRU said, it was more the style, the presentation. Just following a lot of the background of those in the 1979-1989 bands they were very much like Prince (unorthodox) they were there pre 'Fame' and most were there emulating Prince, Including the proteges. After 1989 a lot of the band members just came to get a jump start thru Prince, or to get a temp paycheck then leave or had another agenda.

One of my favorites of the latter 90s though is Rhonda Smith

OldFriends4Sale said:

2elijah said:

Actually, I think it was more of a shock to his Purple Rain/Revolution members' fans during the 90s, when Prince changed direction with his music to a more r&b/soul/funk side. He surrounded himself more with persons of color, as he is one himself. I think what happened during the Purple Rain era is that Prince pretty much surrounded himself with more White musicians/artists/females, and his fans got used to viewing him that way. So when the Revolution members were disbanded, and the Purple Rain era ended, maybe Prince did try to get into some rap music, which rap did dominate the American music industry, and took it by storm in the late 80s/through the 90s era. Rap was a threat to the music careers of many, well-known, established musicians/artists like Stevie Wonder and others, many rock groups, r&b singers, etc., who were having a hard time getting their music sold, once rap made its way in the industry. Rap was primarily dominated by Black rappers at the time, but managed to attract a diverse audience. One could say Prince did add more persons of color to his new band after the Revolution breakup, and his music direction changed to a more funkier, r&b/soul side, but he still kept the pop/rock/ballads portion of his music as well. So I believe it was hard for some fans of the Purple Rain era to embrace that side of Prince, because they accustomed themselves to the Purple Rain/Revolution era Prince, whose music direction at the time bordered more on 'rock-pop/pop' flavored tracks.

Honestly, though, I don't think we should pretend that the r&b/soul/funk part of Prince's creaive side musically, never existed, especially when he had 'The Time' members portraying an extension of himself through that type of music, while he was benefitting from his Purple Rain/Revolution era success. That r&b/funk/soul side was always there, and apparently when he brought in Tony M, I could only think it was to help attract part of the diverse audience that rap music, believe it or not, was able to attract. Quite frankly, there were quite a few established musicians/artists that did the same, who tried to stay relevant at the time, in fear of their music careers going belly-up and losing money. Also, prior to the Revolution era, Black radio stations were playing Prince's songs like 'I Wanna Be Your Lover', and 'Soft and Wet' moreso than mainstream, white radio stations at the time. So technically, the r&b/soul/funk side of Prince was always there, with or without his adding more persons of color to his future bands.

[Edited 2/15/14 12:55pm]

Naw, I don't think it can be narrowed down to PR/Revolution fans, because those people were only there for that PR era. When he changed to ATWIAD that were gone or so. the 'Revolution' band overall consists of the 1999 PR ATWIAD Parade period. Which no album sounded anything alike. Most of Princes 1990s work sounds more dated than anything. vs his 1980s music. And I don't think people overall had a problem with anyones race. Prince always pushed racial diversity so Prince fans had no big issue. I agree with what someone else said. It was style.

.

Prince music was very distinct:the Minneapolis sound (including the Time)

Prince didn't 'surround' himself with more white people during the PR era, outside of Wendy most in that band was with him since the early days 1978, outside of the addition of Wendy that band was there in since 1980/81 Controversy. If Wendy wasn't in the camp at the time and Dez didn't leave it would have been BrownMark Prince Dez outfront, Fink Z and Lisa in back like it always has been as far as 'color' since 1978.

.

And by the SOTT shows it had 7 "persons of color" I hate that term like Euro people don't have color. But 7 "persons of African ancestry" and only 3 'white' people. So race was probably not an issue because most fans of SOTT/Lovesexy were also PR fans.

.

I don't think anyone pretends the funk/RnB side of Prince never existed. Everyone overall knows Prince has alway incorporated those style with many other styles. It's always been like that. Prince was just more about being on the edge and creating something unique vs 'following' a trend already started.

.

Like NDRU said, it was more the style, the presentation. Just following a lot of the background of those in the 1979-1989 bands they were very much like Prince (unorthodox) they were there pre 'Fame' and most were there emulating Prince, Including the proteges. After 1989 a lot of the band members just came to get a jump start thru Prince, or to get a temp paycheck then leave or had another agenda.

One of my favorites of the latter 90s though is Rhonda Smith

Well, I'm very much aware he always pushed racial diversity in his music and socially, which is why I stated more than once, that he didn't like being pigeon-holed to one genre of music or basically labeled as just another r&b artist, because of who he was by his racial identity. I stated that because many Black musicians/artists back in the day, whose music focus was r&b, were being labeled in that way, and their creative music skills/potential limited, by record execs/labels, who wanted them to cater to a specific audience. Then when they were able to reach a specific level of that particular audience, then the record execs would steer some groups towards changing the direction of their music to attract, for example, a different demographic. It happened to the Supremes and the Temptations, among other groups. Today, many new artists and record execs/labels are smarter, because most of the music today, can basically attract a wide, variety of fans from various racial/ethnic groups, without the stereotypical view that only a specifc demographic will appreciate or purchase specific, types of music. Also, it would be very unfair to say that some fans didn't question the racial makeup of Prince's band, as when his music changed direction to r&b/funk/jazz/rap back in the 90s, he had a larger number of Black American band members in comparison to the racially-diverse bands, during and prior to the Purple Rain era. The same curiosity/questions also arose from some fans during 2006-2012, where his music direction seemed to focus more on r&b/funk/jazz/latin music/gospel, moreso than pop-flavored tunes, and his band consisted of more Black American band members. So yes, some fans did question the racial makeup of his bands during those eras, as discussions of that can be found in old threads here. But that was then. Today, it is clear he has a more, racially-diverse NPG band along with the addition of the 3rdeyegirl trio.

Also, regardless of whether Prince's music was about racial diversity or using his music to push for racial diversity, he also never shyed(?sp) away from singing about societal issues such as racism/economic injustices, and other societal/political issues.

Of course, there were many other musicians/artists before him, that did the same, i.e., Joan Baez, the Temptations, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, just to name a few, whose music had messages related to societal issues, such as, poverty, race, etc. It's clear Prince had made it known through his music, even recent music, of his awareness of the existence of many societal issues of the past and present, which could be hear in songs like 'Don't Play Me', 'Family Name', etc. Some of those songs which some fans did not embrace, not all had a problem with it, but some did state they'd prefer he didn't sing about such issues, and just play the music or believed he was 'influenced' by someone else, and some went further to suggest, that the societal issue(s) Prince sang/sings about, wasn't truly how he felt about those issues, as their way of denying that their favorite artist was/is in fact aware of such matters. Even the lyrics in his song 'Dreamer' received criticism from some fans as well. So basically, his music has a little bit of something for everyone, even if it involves societal/political or religious issues some fans don't feel comfortable with. All in all, I guess he is who he is, a musician/artist who can't be pigeon-holed into any genre of music, and I believe that is why he has kept the interest of many fans all these years, and continues to attract a new and younger generation of fans, regardless of the various band member changes over the years, and which band member, according to fans, is considered more beneficial/or less.

Oh and about your comment regarding the reference to the term 'persons of color' that I used to identify those past/present band members that were/are in Prince's band, well I used that term in the American, societal context to reference those band members who don't represent or identify as 'White or European' on a racial/ethnic basis. But I'm pretty sure you are aware of the context in which I used the term, but I will leave it at that, as I guess we agree/disagree on some points.

[Edited 2/16/14 5:00am]

Best.......Sonny T.

Honorable mention goes to the brilliance of Clare Fisher, RIP.

Worst.....Tommy Barbarella,

2elijah said:

Actually, I think it was more of a shock to his Purple Rain/Revolution members' fans during the 90s, when Prince changed direction with his music to a more r&b/soul/funk side.

We agree 100%....and you're right, the funk, and r&b was there, no matter who backed him up, but I think, ironically around the same time he started bringing out Rosie Gaines, Larry Graham, and went in a kind of smoother jazz, overproduced direction, is when he lost a lot of the Controversy, Dirty Mind era fans.

I guess you could go from R. Kelly to Luther, to Prince's "Most beautiful girl in the world", but somehow Prince would end up seeming the most candy of the bunch.

You're also right to mention that something like Sexy MF'er, or any of the rap stuff, was at a time when some big names went from calling Hip Hop a fad, to suddenly trying to cash in.

OldFriends4Sale said:

And I don't think people overall had a problem with anyones race. Prince always pushed racial diversity so Prince fans had no big issue.

.

Very true - and Sly Stone had already laid the foundation.

Still, there was still a big divide in those days. Black Radio was a real thing. It's around the time Spike Lee made School Daze, and people were walking around with Africa medallions.

Meanwhile, Prince was debuting videos on Entertainment Tonight (no joke), and by that point people were already thinking in terms of Prince returning to form.

That period is also considered the Golden Era of rap, for goodness sakes, and Tony M. was a cornball.

babynoz said:

Best.......Sonny T.

Honorable mention goes to the brilliance of Clare Fisher, RIP.

Worst.....Tommy Barbarella,

Don't like Tommy's looks?

"Most useless" he certainly wasn't. The guy had his hands full replicating the dense productions of the early-90s era Prince & the NPG records on stage. Tommy did his job and he could play well, regardless.

novabrkr said:

Tommy did his job and he could play well, regardless.

Don't know. Apparently he had good taste in porn. Some ham fisted sequencing work though.

To be fair, some of that started with Sign of the Times, namely the title track.

Maybe we can thank him for the genius behind 7? Probably not.

It also occurs to me nobody mentioned Kristie Alley yet.

[Edited 2/16/14 0:49am]

novabrkr said:

babynoz said:

Best.......Sonny T.

Honorable mention goes to the brilliance of Clare Fisher, RIP.

Worst.....Tommy Barbarella,

Don't like Tommy's looks?

"Most useless" he certainly wasn't. The guy had his hands full replicating the dense productions of the early-90s era Prince & the NPG records on stage. Tommy did his job and he could play well, regardless.

I wasn't impressed....I detested him.

Best: John Blackwell

Worst: Andy Allo - what's with the ridiculous art interludes? Total waste of space!

How come no one else has mentioned Greg and Wally, they were just dancing cardboard cut out bodyguards.

Adorecream said:

How come no one else has mentioned Greg and Wally, they were just dancing cardboard cut out bodyguards.

Because U already mentioned them in at least 2 other posts

Adorecream said:

How come no one else has mentioned Greg and Wally, they were just dancing cardboard cut out bodyguards.

I will add 2 yours though, BrownMark being placed behind them on the Parade shows, that by itself puts them on the most useless list

OldFriends4Sale said:

Adorecream said:

How come no one else has mentioned Greg and Wally, they were just dancing cardboard cut out bodyguards.

Because U already mentioned them in at least 2 other posts

Can't help it, I just look at those fools and get upset. And then Prince put Mark behind them, did he owe them money or something.

If nothing else, its hows that Prince did not always hit a home run when choosing band members.

Adorecream said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Because U already mentioned them in at lea st 2 other posts

Can't help it, I just look at those fools and get upset. And then Prince put Mark behind them, did he owe them money or something.

If nothing else, its hows that Prince did not always hit a home run when choosing band members.

I always wonder what the Parade shows/band set would look like if the Family continued.

Because Jerome/Wally/Gregory were a part of the Family live band w Jonathan Melvoin Eric Leeds Mico Weaver etc

I wonder would Prince have gotten his own sax player since Sheila E had Eddie M. Eric tried for her band but Eddie got it first.

Maybe Prince would have played more guitar, Atlanta Bliss may have still been a part of the band

the Revolution definately would have handled it well without the 3 dancers of course. Maybe Jill Jones would have come back for back up vocals.

Where is the line between contribute and ride?

BEST: Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin, & Shelia E.

WORST: The Twinz

TonyVanDam said:

WORST: The Twinz

They were my first thought, but then I pictured Damaris Lewis' "contribution".

chocolate1 said:

TonyVanDam said:

WORST: The Twinz

They were my first thought, but then I pictured Damaris Lewis' "contribution".

I didn't pick the Twinz, because it's my belief that Prince needs some eye candy in the band. Prince I don't care what anyone says is very much about the look style as the music, and the band just didn't have the style. He needed the Twinz lol

OldFriends4Sale said:

chocolate1 said:

They were my first thought, but then I pictured Damaris Lewis' "contribution".

I didn't pick the Twinz, because it's my belief that Prince needs some eye candy in the band. Prince I don't care what anyone says is very much about the look style as the music, and the band just didn't have the style. He needed the Twinz lol

shoulda never let go of the twins, they gave him a spark

chocolate1 said:

TonyVanDam said:

WORST: The Twinz

They were my first thought, but then I pictured Damaris Lewis' "contribution".

But than again, who in the hell is Damaris Lewis?!?

TonyVanDam said: