wonder505 said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

I didn't ask for a prediction. Base it purely on what happened, just like you did in your question, "How come these minds could not produce their own quality work outside of the Revolution like Prince has?"

If Prince's career had began in the '90's sans The Revolution era, where exactly from that point on in all that he's done since, would he have become the super star that he is?

That's fair enough but how far would the Revolution band members have taken him to that level without the movie?

[Edited 2/10/15 19:07pm]

No predicting, remember? So I don't know but basing it purely on what actually happened before the movie, I'd say pretty damn far considering the fact that the album 1999 which was a Prince AND The Revolution album was the 5th best selling album of 1983 and was certified multi-platinum. It also gave Prince his first top ten hit outside of the United States.

Oh and there's also these little fact based cited tidbits of information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...e_album%29

According to the Rolling Stone Album Guide, "1999 may be Prince's most influential album: Its synth-and-drum machine-heavy arrangements codified the Minneapolis sound that loomed over mid-'80s R&B and pop, not to mention the next two decades' worth of electro, house, and techno."^[5] In 2003, the TV network VH1 placed 1999 49th in its list of the greatest albums of all time. The album was also part of Slant Magazine's list "The 50 Most Essential Pop Albums"^[12] and the magazine listed the album at #8 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s".^[13] The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.^[14] In 2003, the album was ranked number 163 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.^[15]

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

wonder505 said:

That's fair enough but how far would the Revolution band members have taken him to that level without the movie?

[Edited 2/10/15 19:07pm]

No predicting, remember? So I don't know but basing it purely on what actually happened before the movie, I'd say pretty damn far considering the fact that the album 1999 which was a Prince AND The Revolution album was the 5th best selling album of 1983 and was certified multi-platinum. It also gave Prince his first top ten hit outside of the United States.

Only in name.

NO REUNION PLEASE!

If they did it'd only give half the dicks on here something else to moan about "can't belive they didn't play that" - "Wendy's guitar was slightly out of pitch half way through Computer Blue" - "Prince's hair looked terrible" - "Why is it in MP3 and not AVIWAV3000000000MHZ"

paulludvig said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

No predicting, remember? So I don't know but basing it purely on what actually happened before the movie, I'd say pretty damn far considering the fact that the album 1999 which was a Prince AND The Revolution album was the 5th best selling album of 1983 and was certified multi-platinum. It also gave Prince his first top ten hit outside of the United States.

Only in name.

Really? I don't seem to recall only seeing and hearing Prince on anything regarding 1999. Hell nor Controversy nor Dirty Mind neither, for that matter. There was always a certain group of very talented people who are recorded on every one of those tracks and in performances and videos, were always the ones playing their asses off WITH Prince and FOR Prince, all the while when he would be sliding down fire poles, mugging for the audience, doing his splits, jumping off speakers, grinding on floors and whatnot. I'm pretty certain the majority of them were the members of The Revolution. Unless of course, you're trying to tell me that Prince somehow was able to magically do all that, all by his lonesome little self?

funksterr said:

paulludvig said:

To average person on the street there's only Prince, not W&L, The Revolution, The Time, A6/V6.

You are right. The Time tour relentlessly. People come to their shows because they know Morris Day is actually Prince is disguise. That's Prince in Jay and Silent Bob, not Morris Day.

Sorry, I just noticed this and had to

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

paulludvig said:

Only in name.

Really? I don't seem to recall only seeing and hearing Prince on anything regarding 1999. Hell nor Controversy nor Dirty Mind neither, for that matter. There was always a certain group of very talented people who are recorded on every one of those tracks and in performances and videos, were always the ones playing their asses off WITH Prince and FOR Prince, all the while when he would be sliding down fire poles, mugging for the audience, doing his splits, jumping off speakers, grinding on floors and whatnot. I'm pretty certain the majority of them were the members of The Revolution. Unless of course, you're trying to tell me that Prince somehow was able to magically do all that, all by his lonesome little self?

What on earth are you talking about? 1999 was practically recorded solo. Of course he had a touring band, if that is what you mean?

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

funksterr said:

You are right. The Time tour relentlessly. People come to their shows because they know Morris Day is actually Prince is disguise. That's Prince in Jay and Silent Bob, not Morris Day.

Sorry, I just noticed this and had to

Well, me too. Because it's actually illustrates a good point. The band touring is not the Time, but Morris Day with an assorted group of musicians. Prince could tour with any group of players and call them The Revolution

bashraka said:

If they were to reunite and RECORD NEW MUSIC-then BRING IT ON!

It won't work. (if it would even happen)

They will never do a comparable job.

paulludvig said:

Well, me too. Because it's actually illustrates a good point. The band touring is not the Time, but Morris Day with an assorted group of musicians. Prince could tour with any group of players and call them The Revolution

It also conceivable that they had the option to re-form after they separated from Prince and have their own band under whatever name.

That's what WAR had to do when Lonnie Jordan and Jerry Goldstein formed a cover band because Goldstein owned the name WAR. The original members had to rename themselves the Lowrider Band and keep it moving.

If they had really wanted to remain a group the could have done so. They already do one off shows occasionally. I don't know if it occurs to people that perhaps they aren't all that keen for a reunion either?

I betcha Lisa would have a whole lot to say about that...

Well, I've witnessed plenty of Prince & The Revolution live, and plenty of 3rdeyegirl live.

3rdeyegirl are the better band and Prince is now the better musician.

Sure the material in the 80's was superior, but thats not a reflection on the band performance.

The Revolution again? No thanks. I loved them back in the day, but I don't need to witness a band that would be a shadow of their former selves, when their former selves were not as tight as the current band to begin with.

Onwards and upwards. Don't blame the current band for the quality of Prince's direction. Bringing back the good old days won't mean Prince will be able to turn back the clock, and nor do I want him to.

SquirrelMeat said:

Well, I've witnessed plenty of Prince & The Revolution live, and plenty of 3rdeyegirl live.

3rdeyegirl are the better band and Prince is now the better musician.

Sure the material in the 80's was superior, but thats not a reflection on the band performance.

The Revolution again? No thanks. I loved them back in the day, but I don't need to witness a band that would be a shadow of their former selves, when their former selves were not as tight as the current band to begin with.

Onwards and upwards. Don't blame the current band for the quality of Prince's direction. Bringing back the good old days won't mean Prince will be able to turn back the clock, and nor do I want him to.

I call B.S. on this post for a number of reasons, but chief among them... Who the F goes to a concert to hear how tight the band is? Nobody that matters, that's for sure. A concert is about a vibe. It's about date night. It's about having fun and reliving your favorite songs, in realtime with the artist(s) that created them. What kind of nerd azz fool is in there with a notebook or some shit critiquing the band and checking for tightness? People come to have a good time. That's what I do anyway. Most other people to. That's why every other backing band is pretty much fradulent on the biggest hits. I want Wendy and Lisa chiming in on vox. I want Dr Fink to solo on "Head". I'm at the concert looking to have a good time, and it could not be better than hearing the originals.

funksterr said:

SquirrelMeat said:

Well, I've witnessed plenty of Prince & The Revolution live, and plenty of 3rdeyegirl live.

3rdeyegirl are the better band and Prince is now the better musician.

Sure the material in the 80's was superior, but thats not a reflection on the band performance.

The Revolution again? No thanks. I loved them back in the day, but I don't need to witness a band that would be a shadow of their former selves, when their former selves were not as tight as the current band to begin with.

Onwards and upwards. Don't blame the current band for the quality of Prince's direction. Bringing back the good old days won't mean Prince will be able to turn back the clock, and nor do I want him to.

I call B.S. on this post for a number of reasons, but chief among them... Who the F goes to a concert to hear how tight the band is? Nobody that matters, that's for sure. A concert is about a vibe. It's about date night. It's about having fun and reliving your favorite songs, in realtime with the artist(s) that created them. What kind of nerd azz fool is in there with a notebook or some shit critiquing the band and checking for tightness? People come to have a good time. That's what I do anyway. Most other people to. That's why every other backing band is pretty much fradulent on the biggest hits. I want Wendy and Lisa chiming in on vox. I want Dr Fink to solo on "Head". I'm at the concert looking to have a good time, and it could not be better than hearing the originals.

Thats not what I said. I don't go to monitor the band, but of course you end up appreciating good musicianship while you are there. See them enough and you get a good idea of their ability.

Equally, I don't go to relive favourite songs. I've been there, done that. I enjoyed Dr Fink solo on Head when he did it. I don't need it again, especially when it would be a shadow of its former self.

I would much rather go to a Prince gig tomorrow and hear the two new albums performed than try to relive some youth fantasy and hear Raspberet Beret for the millionth time.

The originals were great, when they were original. I still enjoy hearing the likes of Purple Rain, but I'd be much more excited to hear Clouds.

SquirrelMeat said:

Well, I've witnessed plenty of Prince & The Revolution live, and plenty of 3rdeyegirl live.

3rdeyegirl are the better band and Prince is now the better musician.

Sure the material in the 80's was superior, but thats not a reflection on the band performance.

The Revolution again? No thanks. I loved them back in the day, but I don't need to witness a band that would be a shadow of their former selves, when their former selves were not as tight as the current band to begin with.

Onwards and upwards. Don't blame the current band for the quality of Prince's direction. Bringing back the good old days won't mean Prince will be able to turn back the clock, and nor do I want him to.

So, none of the folks from The Revolution would have progressed at all in 29 years? Idiots. Ageist idiots.

Dogsinthetrees said:

So, none of the folks from The Revolution would have progressed at all in 29 years? Idiots. Ageist idiots.

Thats a good point. Wendy and Lisa has grown for sure. But you only have to look at the reunion at the Brit awards to see that they dropped back into old submissive habits when they did get together with Prince again.

When you have an old boss that ruled with an iron fist, its hard to change the dynamics, regardless of the growth. I think everyone takes their old roles to some extent.

I don't think its ageist, I just think Prince has grown more, and ultimately, being the old boss isn't going to change.

SquirrelMeat said:
Thats not what I said. I don't go to monitor the band, but of course you end up appreciating good musicianship while you are there. See them enough and you get a good idea of their ability.

Equally, I don't go to relive favourite songs. I've been there, done that. I enjoyed Dr Fink solo on Head when he did it. I don't need it again, especially when it would be a shadow of its former self.

I would much rather go to a Prince gig tomorrow and hear the two new albums performed than try to relive some youth fantasy and hear Raspberet Beret for the millionth time.

The originals were great, when they were original. I still enjoy hearing the likes of Purple Rain, but I'd be much more excited to hear Clouds.

"Youth Fantasy"? Very odd choice of words. I go see artists all the time whose songs I love, regardless of whether they recorded them recently or long ago. When I said "relive", I meant that in the sense that a recording is probably what draws a person to the live show. So you relive the recording as a live experience and the more originals in the live band the more exciting the experience usually.

As for "Clouds", uhm, the SNL performance proved it's a weak track live. Just like LoveSign. After the recent release of 2 new albums, and songs on more protoge acts than even the hardcore Prince fans are truly aware of and keeping up with..... Prince is playing a Purple Rain heavy greatest hits throwback live show. Just as he was before AOA came out. That speaks volumes about 3EG and AOA, imo. Nobody is checking for any of those songs or albums, the people only care about The Revolution. That's why Prince commented on them in the Essence Magazine interview. He ain't have to say squat about NPG, cause don'tnobodycur!

funksterr said:

SquirrelMeat said:
Thats not what I said. I don't go to monitor the band, but of course you end up appreciating good musicianship while you are there. See them enough and you get a good idea of their ability.

Equally, I don't go to relive favourite songs. I've been there, done that. I enjoyed Dr Fink solo on Head when he did it. I don't need it again, especially when it would be a shadow of its former self.

I would much rather go to a Prince gig tomorrow and hear the two new albums performed than try to relive some youth fantasy and hear Raspberet Beret for the millionth time.

The originals were great, when they were original. I still enjoy hearing the likes of Purple Rain, but I'd be much more excited to hear Clouds.

"Youth Fantasy"? Very odd choice of words. I go see artists all the time whose songs I love, regardless of whether they recorded them recently or long ago. When I said "relive", I meant that in the sense that a recording is probably what draws a person to the live show. So you relive the recording as a live experience and the more originals in the live band the more exciting the experience usually.

As for "Clouds", uhm, the SNL performance proved it's a weak track live. Just like LoveSign. After the recent release of 2 new albums, and songs on more protoge acts than even the hardcore Prince fans are truly aware of and keeping up with..... Prince is playing a Purple Rain heavy greatest hits throwback live show. Just as he was before AOA came out. That speaks volumes about 3EG and AOA, imo. Nobody is checking for any of those songs or albums, the people only care about The Revolution. That's why Prince commented on them in the Essence Magazine interview. He ain't have to say squat about NPG, cause don'tnobodycur!

Fair point, but I don't think Prince continually playing the hits is a reflection of his lack of faith in new material, but more the advice he took from Larry Graham in regards to giving the audience what they want.

Ever since he admitted in an interview that Larry pointed out what did Prince want to hear at a James Brown gig, the hits have taken over from the new material.

Personally, I loved being at the SOTT gigs, where you could almost feel that Prince didn't like doing the Purple Rain medley.

That said, I can be a total hypocrite, because when I saw him two weeks ago and he broke out 'Forever In My Life' in full, I was in second heaven.

SquirrelMeat said:

funksterr said:

I call B.S. on this post for a number of reasons, but chief among them... Who the F goes to a concert to hear how tight the band is? Nobody that matters, that's for sure. A concert is about a vibe. It's about date night. It's about having fun and reliving your favorite songs, in realtime with the artist(s) that created them. What kind of nerd azz fool is in there with a notebook or some shit critiquing the band and checking for tightness? People come to have a good time. That's what I do anyway. Most other people to. That's why every other backing band is pretty much fradulent on the biggest hits. I want Wendy and Lisa chiming in on vox. I want Dr Fink to solo on "Head". I'm at the concert looking to have a good time, and it could not be better than hearing the originals.

Thats not what I said. I don't go to monitor the band, but of course you end up appreciating good musicianship while you are there. See them enough and you get a good idea of their ability.

Equally, I don't go to relive favourite songs. I've been there, done that. I enjoyed Dr Fink solo on Head when he did it. I don't need it again, especially when it would be a shadow of its former self.

I would much rather go to a Prince gig tomorrow and hear the two new albums performed than try to relive some youth fantasy and hear Raspberet Beret for the millionth time.

The originals were great, when they were original. I still enjoy hearing the likes of Purple Rain, but I'd be much more excited to hear Clouds.

Yet and still this was the set list of the "Old Boss's" most recent concert:

*Credit to Orger Aiden*

Here's the set list that I live tweeted (and gave to Dr funkenberry):


PURPLE RAIN
LETS GO CRAZY
TAKE ME WITH U (with Liv Warfield)
U GOT THE LOOK (with Liv Warfield)
FUNK N ROLL/FUNK N ROLL REMIX
CONTROVERSY
1999
LITTLE RED CORVETTE
NOTHING COMPARES 2 U
KISS (extended)
ONLY LOVE CAN HURT LIKE THIS (Paloma Faith Cover) (with Liv Warfield)

Sampler + Band Set
- "turn the lights off, this is not a country and western show" prince

WHEN DOES CRY (full with new "oh"chant)
SIGN O THE TIMES (full band join in, slightly altered melody in verse)
DARLING NIKKI (intro) (crowd go WILD)
HOT THING
A LOVE BIZARRE (intro)
POP LIFE
I WOULD DIE 4 U
4EVER IN MY LIFE
HOUSEQUAKE (including 3rd Eye solos)
U KNOW (intro)
THE GOLD STANDARD (sample)
IF I WAS UR GIRLFRIEND (short)
GUITAR
PLECTRUMELECTRUM

"Thank you London

Encore 1

"This is dedicated to a friend of mine" - P

THE BREAKDOWN (in full P at Piano)
WHATS MY NAME?
STRATUS
SOMETIMES IT SNOWS IN APRIL (abandoned after 2 lines)
DREAMER

Encore 2
Prince "we gotta go after this one"
LETS WORK
DONT STOP TIL U GET ENOUGH
During this he shouted "You know who wrote this?
COOL

Prince clearly knows what butters his damn bread! Why he's so hell bent on not breaking off that loaf with the other original bakers, is what I have a real serious problem with understanding.

You said: I enjoyed Dr Fink solo on Head when he did it. I don't need it again, especially when it would be a shadow of its former self.

I have no idea what makes you think that, because I'd put down cash money, right now, on Dr. Fink doing that BETTER than he's EVER did it before!

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

SquirrelMeat said:

Thats not what I said. I don't go to monitor the band, but of course you end up appreciating good musicianship while you are there. See them enough and you get a good idea of their ability.

Equally, I don't go to relive favourite songs. I've been there, done that. I enjoyed Dr Fink solo on Head when he did it. I don't need it again, especially when it would be a shadow of its former self.

I would much rather go to a Prince gig tomorrow and hear the two new albums performed than try to relive some youth fantasy and hear Raspberet Beret for the millionth time.

The originals were great, when they were original. I still enjoy hearing the likes of Purple Rain, but I'd be much more excited to hear Clouds.

Yet and still this was the set list of the "Old Boss's" most recent concert:

*Credit to Orger Aiden*

Here's the set list that I live tweeted (and gave to Dr funkenberry):


PURPLE RAIN
LETS GO CRAZY
TAKE ME WITH U (with Liv Warfield)
U GOT THE LOOK (with Liv Warfield)
FUNK N ROLL/FUNK N ROLL REMIX
CONTROVERSY
1999
LITTLE RED CORVETTE
NOTHING COMPARES 2 U
KISS (extended)
ONLY LOVE CAN HURT LIKE THIS (Paloma Faith Cover) (with Liv Warfield)

Sampler + Band Set
- "turn the lights off, this is not a country and western show" prince

WHEN DOES CRY (full with new "oh"chant)
SIGN O THE TIMES (full band join in, slightly altered melody in verse)
DARLING NIKKI (intro) (crowd go WILD)
HOT THING
A LOVE BIZARRE (intro)
POP LIFE
I WOULD DIE 4 U
4EVER IN MY LIFE
HOUSEQUAKE (including 3rd Eye solos)
U KNOW (intro)
THE GOLD STANDARD (sample)
IF I WAS UR GIRLFRIEND (short)
GUITAR
PLECTRUMELECTRUM

"Thank you London

Encore 1

"This is dedicated to a friend of mine" - P

THE BREAKDOWN (in full P at Piano)
WHATS MY NAME?
STRATUS
SOMETIMES IT SNOWS IN APRIL (abandoned after 2 lines)
DREAMER

Encore 2
Prince "we gotta go after this one"
LETS WORK
DONT STOP TIL U GET ENOUGH
During this he shouted "You know who wrote this?
COOL

Prince clearly knows what butters his damn bread! Why he's so hell bent on not breaking off that loaf with the other original bakers, is what I have a real serious problem with understanding.

You said: I enjoyed Dr Fink solo on Head when he did it. I don't need it again, especially when it would be a shadow of its former self.

I have no idea what makes you think that, because I'd put down cash money, right now, on Dr. Fink doing that BETTER than he's EVER did it before!

Not sure what your point is? It was quite obvious he enjoyed the likes of Funk N Roll than rather than U got The Look. He knows how to play an audience, but that doesn't mean the hits are his preference. In fact, he looked in his element when he did the small London gigs last year when many of the hits were dropped.

SquirrelMeat said:

Fair point, but I don't think Prince continually playing the hits is a reflection of his lack of faith in new material, but more the advice he took from Larry Graham in regards to giving the audience what they want.

Ever since he admitted in an interview that Larry pointed out what did Prince want to hear at a James Brown gig, the hits have taken over from the new material.

Personally, I loved being at the SOTT gigs, where you could almost feel that Prince didn't like doing the Purple Rain medley.

That said, I can be a total hypocrite, because when I saw him two weeks ago and he broke out 'Forever In My Life' in full, I was in second heaven.

The audience wants The Revolution and Purple Rain era material. Wendy and Lisa, Fink, Bobby, BrownMark. The audience wants remasters, outtakes, live releases and a tour. Nobody cares about Prince's ability to randomly switch up the setlist with unpopular tracks, and flavor of the moment guest artists.

Ok, sidetrack here... but it seems like a good time to mention how AWFUL Prince's various bands have sounded over the years covering other artists hits when they guest onstage. Cee-lo Green and Lenny Kravitz. A good example of this is Lenny, Larry and Prince on the Rave DVD from 2000, playing Lenny's "Again", in what sounds like the wrong tempo and wrong key. I heard Lenny do that bad boy with his own band, and it was shockingly better. Maceo Parker suffered through that with Prince as well. It had to be humiliating for him, because you know damn well Maceo knew Prince was fukkin up 'Pick Up The Pieces' on the regular, but I guess there was no way for Maceo to comfortably tell him. Wrong tempo, wrong key, wrong chords, wrong everything, but Maceo didn't say nothing. At the end he just took his bows: "Ladies and Gentleman, MACEO PARKERRR!". After the hack job Prince did on his song. Amatuerishly arranged and poorly executed, probably thought his career was over.

To let Prince tell it, though it's The Rev that can't improvise on short notice, but to my ears, tbh, none of his other bands can either. Maybe it's not The Rev, that has a problem. Prince is a great musician, and enormous talent, but what he wants isn't always the best thing. He makes his share of mistakes too.

BTW, I've never in person, heard Prince sing FIML, and your description makes it sound awesome!

funksterr said:

Nobody cares about Prince's ability to randomly switch up the setlist with unpopular tracks, and flavor of the moment guest artists.

Wrong.

I do. It's not just about popular, it's also about good songs perfomed epically well.

It's about music versus just rehash. (because that is what P does the past few years)

udo said:

funksterr said:

Nobody cares about Prince's ability to randomly switch up the setlist with unpopular tracks, and flavor of the moment guest artists.

Wrong.

I do. It's not just about popular, it's also about good songs perfomed epically well.

It's about music versus just rehash. (because that is what P does the past few years)

By nobody I mean there are few people who would be against a Revolution reunion because Prince couldn't improvise enough with them as he claimed in Essence Magazine. Prince's improvisation skills are not that good and the vast majority of the audience isn't expecting it from him anyway.

funksterr said:

Prince is playing a Purple Rain heavy greatest hits throwback live show. Just as he was before AOA came out. That speaks volumes about 3EG and AOA, imo. Nobody is checking for any of those songs or albums, the people only care about The Revolution.

No, actually it doesn't say anything about 3EG or AOA, it has to do with the public wanted to relive their songs they grew up listening to. Prince could record a thousand masterpieces that get zero radio play the rest of his career, and people will still want to hear what they know. Our brains crave nostalgia (or rather positive emotion nostalgia). If a crowd would react the same way to a set of all new music as they would a set of familiar tunes, most anyone who's been around more than 30 years would probably love to play their favorite new tracks. But our brains respond differently to unfamiliar songs. That's no fault of his new band. If the Revolution recorded new music with Prince (as they did for Planet Earth) it'd get equally ignored and shit on as any other thing he's put out since his heyday.

lezama said:

funksterr said:

Prince is playing a Purple Rain heavy greatest hits throwback live show. Just as he was before AOA came out. That speaks volumes about 3EG and AOA, imo. Nobody is checking for any of those songs or albums, the people only care about The Revolution.

No, actually it doesn't say anything about 3EG or AOA, it has to do with the public wanted to relive their songs they grew up listening to. Prince could record a thousand masterpieces that get zero radio play the rest of his career, and people will still want to hear what they know. Our brains crave nostalgia (or rather positive emotion nostalgia). If a crowd would react the same way to a set of all new music as they would a set of familiar tunes, most anyone who's been around more than 30 years would probably love to play their favorite new tracks. But our brains respond differently to unfamiliar songs. That's no fault of his new band. If the Revolution recorded new music with Prince (as they did for Planet Earth) it'd get equally ignored and shit on as any other thing he's put out since his heyday.

Umm, I really can't think that's true. Speaking for myself, being the hardcore Prince fan that I've been for the last 30 something odd freaking years, as much as I love everything about The Revolution era, I crave what's good to me. I'd love nothing more than to see Prince and whomever perform LIVE in their entirety..."Pussy Control" "Sexy MF", "Damn U", "One Kiss At A Time", "Style", "Dear Mr. Man", "Beautiful Loved and Blessed", "Happy Feet", "Dance 4 Me" and "Breakdown"

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

lezama said:

No, actually it doesn't say anything about 3EG or AOA, it has to do with the public wanted to relive their songs they grew up listening to. Prince could record a thousand masterpieces that get zero radio play the rest of his career, and people will still want to hear what they know. Our brains crave nostalgia (or rather positive emotion nostalgia). If a crowd would react the same way to a set of all new music as they would a set of familiar tunes, most anyone who's been around more than 30 years would probably love to play their favorite new tracks. But our brains respond differently to unfamiliar songs. That's no fault of his new band. If the Revolution recorded new music with Prince (as they did for Planet Earth) it'd get equally ignored and shit on as any other thing he's put out since his heyday.

Umm, I really can't think that's true. Speaking for myself, being the hardcore Prince fan that I've been for the last 30 something odd freaking years, as much as I love everything about The Revolution era, I crave what's good to me. I'd love nothing more than to see Prince and whomever perform LIVE in their entirety..."Pussy Control" "Sexy MF", "Damn U", "One Kiss At A Time", "Style", "Dear Mr. Man", "Beautiful Loved and Blessed", "Happy Feet", "Dance 4 Me" and "Breakdown"

Yeah I should clarify that my statement was more meant for casual fans (for whom familiarity with his catalogue would have come from radio) than people who listen to a lot of his catelog perhaps regularly. Of course the average orger will have established memories with songs that may not be well known. But that phenomena of nostalgia craving is fairly well established in brain studies : http://priceonomics.com/t...nostalgia/

[Edited 2/15/15 18:22pm]

Also, let us consider the sampler set. Why does the band not play these (snippets of) songs? Because only The Revolution could do them justice.

Dogsinthetrees said:

Also, let us consider the sampler set. Why does the band not play these (snippets of) songs? Because only The Revolution could do them justice.

I think the sampler set its more a platform for Prince to skim through hits that work better electronically and he doesn't have a desire to play in full.

When Doves Cry is a good example. He's shunned it live for years. Plus, its so Iconic, its never sounded very good with a band.

I don't think its anything to do with the Revolution. WDC was probably the worst sounding song on the Purple Rain Tour, even with Bobbys drums electronically patched through.

Dogsinthetrees said:

Also, let us consider the sampler set. Why does the band not play these (snippets of) songs? Because only The Revolution could do them justice.

Huh? More than haf the songs in the sampler set were never performed with TR

When Doves Cry

funksterr said:

SquirrelMeat said:

Well, I've witnessed plenty of Prince & The Revolution live, and plenty of 3rdeyegirl live.

3rdeyegirl are the better band and Prince is now the better musician.

Sure the material in the 80's was superior, but thats not a reflection on the band performance.

The Revolution again? No thanks. I loved them back in the day, but I don't need to witness a band that would be a shadow of their former selves, when their former selves were not as tight as the current band to begin with.

Onwards and upwards. Don't blame the current band for the quality of Prince's direction. Bringing back the good old days won't mean Prince will be able to turn back the clock, and nor do I want him to.

I call B.S. on this post for a number of reasons, but chief among them... Who the F goes to a concert to hear how tight the band is? Nobody that matters, that's for sure. A concert is about a vibe. It's about date night. It's about having fun and reliving your favorite songs, in realtime with the artist(s) that created them. What kind of nerd azz fool is in there with a notebook or some shit critiquing the band and checking for tightness? People come to have a good time. That's what I do anyway. Most other people to. That's why every other backing band is pretty much fradulent on the biggest hits. I want Wendy and Lisa chiming in on vox. I want Dr Fink to solo on "Head". I'm at the concert looking to have a good time, and it could not be better than hearing the originals.

Anybody who gives a shit about the music.

jasminejoey said:

Anybody who gives a shit about the music.

Which is no one. I remember when I first realized Joshua Whelton was a major player in Prince's music, and neither of them knew what the hell they were doing. I heard a fanmade clip of "She's Always In My Hair" at a 3EG concert. Which was all types of sample laden fuck-ery. Fans that attended the show were head over heels bragging about how great the music was. When I asked about the fuck-ery, they said they couldn't tell at the time of the live show, because they were in the moment. Nobody is truly paying attention at a live concert. Even if you were, due to room acoustics, you still wouldn't be able to say with a lot of accuracy anything about the performance. I believe that's why Prince doesn't like cellphones and bootlegs revealing to the world the true nature of the event. The people that were at the show perceive something different.

I think the Revolution are plenty tight and capable a band. I don't remember them having any problems the last few times they played charity shows for Bobby Z and Sheila E. Even is they weren't though, I'd still want them over any other Prince band.