CharismaDove said:

... He also gave his dad writing credits on "The Ladder" and "Scandalous" (how it's possible to write a sex song with your dad, I don't know )

Scandalous, I think he - Prince's father - contributed in the music of this song. It is such an enormous heavy bunddle of chords.

SmearMrTroof said:

CharismaDove said:

... He also gave his dad writing credits on "The Ladder" and "Scandalous" (how it's possible to write a sex song with your dad, I don't know )

Scandalous, I think he - Prince's father - contributed in the music of this song. It is such an enormous heavy bunddle of chords.

It's commonly believed (by those who were around at the time) that Prince's dad did not contribute any musical input to these songs. Neither, it is asserted, did he contribute to "Christopher Tracy's Parade" nor "Around the World in a Day" - two other pieces for which he is co-credited. The longheld belief is that Prince credited John as means to generate automatic recurrent income for him.

kenkamken said:

Are there any recordings of his father's music? I'd like to hear what John's music was like, and of his mother's singing.

I'm not sure if his father did actually record music that he made in the past. The things we know of, where Prince credits his father, are a few.

On a certain disc like medium, tittled The Inner Sanctum - An Egyptian Connection, there are at least 4 tracks called John L. Nelson tracks:

15. YES AGAIN 4:33

16. THERE'D BE NO WAY FOR YOU AND I 5:42

17. AS I RECALL 3:15

18. FALLIN' DOWN 5:48

These are sort of funk repetitional tunes, hardly any bridges, with a couple of fusion-like piano chords, those maybe original recordings sampled from his father (a bit like Easy Mo Bee used the samples of Miles Davis), I don't think anyone played these from sheet music. It sound very original and sincere.

Thick funk bass slapping and much use of sequencing. The last song, FALLING DOWN, features a synthesizer tune that always remind me of that George Clinton chant. Anyway.

SmearMrTroof said:

kenkamken said:

Are there any recordings of his father's music? I'd like to hear what John's music was like, and of his mother's singing.

I'm not sure if his father did actually record music that he made in the past. The things we know of, where Prince credits his father, are a few.

On a certain disc like medium, tittled The Inner Sanctum - An Egyptian Connection, there are at least 4 tracks called John L. Nelson tracks:

15. YES AGAIN 4:33

16. THERE'D BE NO WAY FOR YOU AND I 5:42

17. AS I RECALL 3:15

18. FALLIN' DOWN 5:48

These are sort of funk repetitional tunes, hardly any bridges, with a couple of fusion-like piano chords, those maybe original recordings sampled from his father (a bit like Easy Mo Bee used the samples of Miles Davis), I don't think anyone played these from sheet music. It sound very original and sincere.

Thick funk bass slapping and much use of sequencing. The last song, FALLING DOWN, features a synthesizer tune that always remind me of that George Clinton chant. Anyway.

I know an elph who knows an elph who knows an elph, who just told me that there's another compilation called Platinum, an Excelent 77:53 minutes Studio Outtakes collection, that features the same 4 tracks by John L. Nelson, only the second song is spelled differently:

JOHN L. NELSON TRACKS
18. Yes Again

19. There'll Be No Way For You And I

20. As I Recall

21. Fallin' Down

Will of Would, tiny difference. Who does the writer refers to?

Who's the fool singing 'Will' it's 'Would'?

Well this thread is reliving its self.

CHEERS 4 FATHER & SON RELATIONSHIP!!!!

[Edited 7/29/14 4:09am]

hopefularranger said:

It's commonly believed (by those who were around at the time) that Prince's dad did not contribute any musical input to these songs. Neither, it is asserted, did he contribute to "Christopher Tracy's Parade" nor "Around the World in a Day" - two other pieces for which he is co-credited. The longheld belief is that Prince credited John as means to generate automatic recurrent income for him.

This sounds right.

NinaB said:

Aerogram said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

How can u just leave me standing?
Alone in a world that's so cold? (So cold)
Maybe I'm just 2 demanding
Maybe I'm just like my father 2 bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
She's never satisfied (She's never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry

At least one author thinks WDC is written with his mother subliminally in mind.

If that were the case (and I don't know if it is), I'd say it has a lot to do with how black women take a disproportionate responsibility compared to black men. A black man straying and leaving? Oldest tale in America, but for his mother to remarry to a man he did not like -- Prince may have expected his father to be a certain way, but my theory is that he resented his mother more because she remarried to a guy he could not stand in any way -- and he so identified with his father. There are two standards here, and John L. got the best, Mattie got the worst.

I don't thank divorce situation are unique to any particular race. Women in general take more responsibility (or are given more) when a couple divorces -the woman usually get's the kids.

But I agree he probably had issues with his mother for the man she remarried.

hopefularranger said:

Vannormal said:

hopefularranger said:

It's not Prince. He had nothing to do with this project and took no part in the sessions.

Whoops ! I found this information here on the org... I didnt know Prince didn't have anything to do with it. Thanks. Strange though i have these songs on the aforementioned bootleg...

It would seem the "Gemini" credit was used purposefully to draw Prince fans' attentions to the project and give it some "sales legs". From what we later learned, Prince, his dad and step sis were on this outs at the point in time this project was put together.

[Edited 7/29/14 12:51pm]