There, I said it.

The solos He played in the 5 or 6 versions that we can still hear floating around bootleg space have to be the greatest ever played on the instrument.

I am a guitar player and fan of guitar players.

I like all the great ones for all the usual reasons.

But I have never heard ANYTHING like those chops.

EVH can "fall down the stairs and land on his feet," JH can take 500 mics of lysergic acid and still stay inside the lines, Clapton can be God (and he was recently asked "what it is like to be the best guitarist alive?" and he supposedly answered "I don't know, ask Prince") and SRV can spank the plank harder than anybody to be sure.

All of that is true.

But nobody other than Miles (and only rarely even for him) could get the MELODY so perfect for so long and never fall back into filler, riffs or scales.

I just had to get that off my chest.

Now I can go back to my own on again off again relationship with the damned thing.

Was anybody here actually at any of those shows?

I would love any impressions.

The "Glory Years" minute and a half notwithstanding.

Las Vegas.

Amazing how many people don't know how good Prince is on guitar.

[Edited 3/27/14 12:17pm]

Stimpy, you done said well. I love the kind of review where the enthusiasm of the reviewer is transmitted to you the reader as by an electric current. I have never heard that live. I'll have to relisten to the version on 2nd Show... but I just wanted to chime in, because your post reminded me of another bit, which I did hear live, and once had on tape from another show. It was the Symbol tour, I saw him at the Forum in Montreal, and it was during She's Always In My Hair - at one point he segues off into a repetitive guitar riff that's like moebius circle or a looping, dancing pattern. Dead simple, not many notes, a lot of echo or some other pedal effect. It was a minimalist guitar masterpiece - how much beauty can you squeeze out of how few notes, repeated with the littlest variation, over and over again? I figure it lasts a minute or so, 90 seconds tops. Maximum feeling. For me, the electric guitar is the ultimate instrument, and Prince the ultimate electric guitarist, even though his recorded work doesn't highlight it much. Thanks for your post. That's what true fandom is about - enthusiasm. Awe.

Stimpy said:

Clapton can be God (and he was recently asked "what it is like to be the best guitarist alive?" and he supposedly answered "I don't know, ask Prince")

That wasn't recently. I know this quote for at least ten years, if not 15 years.

I really love the energy in the guitar solo at Camden 88. Trojan is good, but Camden is where it's at for me.

fbueller said:

Amazing how many people don't know how good Prince is on guitar.

[Edited 3/27/14 12:17pm]

That is Prince's fault. His albums don't exactly have great guitar work on them.

It's pretty fucking amazing.

I remember picking up the vinyl "Small Club '88" disc and School Kids Records in Chapel Hill, NC and racing home to my place outside of Fort Bragg, NC and playing through that record and loving all of it, but the one track that really completely blew me away was "Just My Imagination." It was the first time I had heard Prince do a cover song and the solo was other worldly.

On a side note, has anyone else ever imagined how cool a finished version of "people without" woudl be. I love it on the boot but you an just feel the improved nature of the song. Anyone know if Prince ever went back to that track?

Great post, thanks for bringing up such a wonderful musical memory.

kalelvisj said:

I remember picking up the vinyl "Small Club '88" disc and School Kids Records in Chapel Hill, NC and racing home to my place outside of Fort Bragg, NC and playing through that record and loving all of it, but the one track that really completely blew me away was "Just My Imagination." It was the first time I had heard Prince do a cover song and the solo was other worldly.

On a side note, has anyone else ever imagined how cool a finished version of "people without" woudl be. I love it on the boot but you an just feel the improved nature of the song. Anyone know if Prince ever went back to that track?

Great post, thanks for bringing up such a wonderful musical memory.

I remember hearing a demo of "people without" yrs ago & was left unimpressed but it was cool to hear. I believe it was just him , a keyboard & the linn drum machine. It was also sped up tempo wise if i remember correctly

Just My Imagination is beautiful, I can listen to it over and over.

bluegangsta said:

I really love the energy in the guitar solo at Camden 88. Trojan is good, but Camden is where it's at for me.

THIS.

But that said, ever since seeing that clip of him performing a more "delicate" version at a soundcheck in LA circa 1988 with this beautiful, gentle, guitar-line in that BBC documentary many years ago, i've been obsessed with hearing that soundcheck.

All the bloody gigs/aftershows and soundchecks I want to hear don't seem to exist though!

#Standard.

One time long ago, I listened to it in the subway. As people kept pouring in the car, I was transfixed by what I was hearing and realized I couldn't listen to that song in public -- just too mind blowing.

iZsaZsa said:

Prince's mic turned up, the keyboard volume turned down, then it would be perfect for me. It's my song of the day though.

im wondering if this is "fixed" like the sacrifice of vicor video of The Ride