wow thanks 4 taking the time 2 do this for everyone I will be setting aside some read time later today | |
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so 10 pages in of the Gold Experience, the album is officially released on September 26, 1995
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Tuesday, September 26, 1995
ON MUSIC
LATEST ALBUM FROM THE ERSTWHILE PRINCE IS GOOD THEATER
By Tom Moon
We start where we left off last time: Trying to decide what to call this sometimes confused, sometimes brilliant musician-singer-savant. Once Prince, then a symbol, he's identified by Warner Brothers Records as "AFKAP," the Artist Formerly Known as Prince.
That shouldn't matter much to the people formerly known as his audience, except right now he's creating music that doesn't really reflect any name change. The Gold Experience, which arrives in stores today, is a Prince record. Through and through.
It's naughty. It does, at times, objectify women - but then the 37-year-old Prince never could resist putting his scantily clad heroines on a pedestal. It's got the most potent hip-hop-rock hybrid jam to hit the streets in years. It is unrepentantly sexy. It's got a few of those big production-number ballads, a specialty that he hasn't attempted since Diamonds and Pearls. (These include "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," the only previously released Gold Experience track.)
Mostly, though, it's theater. And at his best and worst, Prince always was dramatic. The author of both a modern rock opera (Purple Rain) and one of the most indulgent vanity projects of modern film (Graffiti Bridge), Prince has envisioned himself as a storyteller-slash-philosopher, a sage whose job is more than just songwriting. He's tried, over and over again, to wrangle larger themes out of smallish songs, and to make his music say something, spiritual or otherwise. Sometimes the songs cooperate; just as often, the concept feels overblown and contrived.
For The Gold Experience, his songs are connected by a dispassionate computer voice prompt that guides the listener through a menu of "experiences" - love, hate, revenge.
But like multimedia computing and so much modern art, these songs are not always linear: There's no attempt to link them into a conventional unifying theme. They're a series of atmospheres, celebrating lust one minute and rapping about virtue the next. The contradictions could fill a psychologist's journal: The opening selection (whose un-PC title is not printable) champions female sexual power, but "Shhh" finds the male in control of every aspect of lovemaking. One track is an ode to a tough woman named "Billy Jack Bitch," while another, "We March," contains this surprisingly enlightened advice to gangsta rappers:
The adolescent computer fantasy scenario will no doubt bring Prince more ridicule: He's just using new media to let his twisted, one-track mind roam free. Why, goes one line of thinking, doesn't he just get into the pornography business? Because even when he veers off color, when his lyrics take you to intimate places you might not want to go, his creative music tests the edges of pop like nobody else's, taking the music to places it needs to go.
It's chops in the service of raunch, and as has been the case throughout Prince's career, the raunch tends to obscure the compositional advances underneath. Unlike the nervous and audience-obsessed Michael Jackson, whose new album was heralded with a lyric controversy that smelled like a publicity stunt, Prince follows his gut, marketplace be damned. He then supports his impulses with taut, fiery music that defies quick categorization, effortless music that recalls his confident Purple Rain stride. After a long stretch of mostly unfruitful experimentation, The Gold Experience shows that this is one fallen mega-star who is still in touch with the simple truth of a slamming backbeat.
At a time when pop music (and black pop, in particular) seems stuck on rote expressions of devotion, this renewed attention to the visceral side of music, to how things feel rather than what they mean, is welcome. Prince sounds like he's enjoying it, too: Comfortable paying homage to a powerful woman, he raps with a rhythmic dexterity that shames Snoop Doggy Dogg. At home with a rock- funk pocket ("Endorphinmachine") that rivals "1999," he plays enough ferociously inventive guitar to send Eddie Van Halen back to the practice room.
Though his writing is more direct than in the recent past, Prince still finds ways to flesh out his songs with imaginative musical touches: The syncopated "Shhh" is punctuated by the work of drummer Michael Bland. He plays the most riveting drum solo to hit pop music since Steve Gadd's trip through Steely Dan's Aja, while "319" contains some of the most taut, restrained guitar playing Prince has committed to tape in years.
And, of course, he sings. Passionately. Despite its campy courtroom interlude, "I Hate U," the breathtaking ballad that is Gold's first single, captures Prince essaying vividly on the feeling of betrayal. Unafraid to pour his heart into what would, in other hands, be a commonplace plea, he phrases with a hurt powerful enough to stop time. Elsewhere, he creates a chorale of gently cooing voices to celebrate physical love on "Shhh," and then turns that choir loose on a political pursuit, for the new-jack shuffle "We March."
So he's back doing what he's good at. That's a relief. The Gold Experience may not be the deepest collection of songs Prince has offered, but it's certainly the loosest - and the most accessible - in quite some time. It most certainly won't benefit from a "King of Pop" $30-million marketing campaign, but with music this compelling, that hardly matters: When he says, on the opening track, "I need another piece of your ear," give it up. This time old-what's-his-name has earned it. | |
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9.1.1995 @ Paisley Park 1. Get Loose 2. Pussy Control 3. Days of Wild 4. We March 5. Love, Thy Will Be Done 6. Funky 7. Honky Tonk Women 8. Jailhouse Rock 9. the Ride 10. M'Lady 11. Now 12. Funky Stuff 13. Sex Machine 14. the Cross
9.8.1995 @ Paisley Park 1. Shy 2. People Get Ready 3. the Jam 4. You Have the Love 5. instrumental 6. Sweet Thing 7. Heaven Must Be Like This 8. Hide the Bone 9. Funky Design 10. Santana medley 11. the Undertaker 12. instrumental 13. Sometimes It Snows In April
9.9.1995 @ Paisley Park 2. Endorphinmachine 3. Shhh 4. Now 5. Funky Stuff 6. Days of Wild 7. Pussy Control 8. LetitGo 9. Pink Cashmere 10. Return of the Bump Squad 11. 777-9311 12. Get Wild 13. Race / Girls & Boys
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12.3.1995 tv VH-1 Fashion & MusicAwards
P Control (House Mix)
Prince performs with Mayte and other dancers during the VH1 Fashion & Music Awards show in New York on Dec. 3, 1995. ADAM NADEL / ASSOCIATED PRESS | |
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Tuesday, September 26, 1995
NEW DISC IS A WINNER FOR PRINCE
by Jonathan Takiff, Daily News Staff Writer
THE GOLD EXPERIENCE
What in blazes were those Warner Brothers Records executives thinking when they gave the Artist Formerly Known as Prince a hard time over the release of "The Gold Experience"?
Anyone with ears to hear, a sense of history, and more than a passing appreciation of Prince should be delighted by this new set hitting stores today. Richly referenced to golden soul, folk and rock influences - chock-full of memorable tunes, imagery and invigorating arrangements - it's a veritable pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And guaranteed, the set will help you forgive and forget his recent spate of one-dimensional, beat-centered musical disappointments that tried too hard to be "street"-wise.
While he's never going to be accused of being a saint, some of his new raunchy stuff (like the rap-pounded show opener "P**** Control" ) rises above the lascivious by slipping in lines designed to put tough guys in their place and women back on a pedestal: "Hooker, bitch, 'ho/I don't think so."
And the Princely one stretches out in new/old directions with songs like "Dolphin," a haunting reverie about reincarnation, and the moralistic title track, "Gold," which asks, "What's the use of money if you're not gonna break the mold?"
Both are more than a little reminiscent of Crosby, Stills and Nash's best folk-pop, and reveal a previously repressed side.
Also harking back to the golden age of progressive album music is the potent "We March," a dynamic, gospel-tinged soul funker in the protest vein of Sly and the Family Stone: "If this is the same avenue my ancestors fought to liberate, how come I can't buy a piece of it even if my credit's straight?"
Classic '70s soul is evoked with ballads like "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" - successfully released as an independent single last year during the artist's falling out with Warners. It harks back to the testifying soul of Al Green and Teddy Pendergrass.
The theme tying these elements together is the recurring sound of His Royal Badness tapping away on a computer, accessing elements of a program called The Gold Experience in search of "courtship, sex, commitment, fetishes, loneliness, vindication, love and hate."
Love and hate come together in the standout "I Hate U," a comically twisted, yet heart-grabbing ballad set in a courtroom. It's a song so vivid that no music video is needed to unfold the plot. In an angelic voice, our hero bemoans his cheatin' girlfriend, and then gruffly calls her to the stand. "If it pleases the court," he intones with a slightly veiled smirk, "I'd like to have the witness place her hands behind her back so I can tie her up tight and get into the act."
Dirty minds will also delight in a visit to hotel room "319," where the randy one is shooting pictures of a model-for-hire and marveling at her attributes.
Rich polyphonic keyboard lines and fiery, jazz- and rock-flavored guitar breaks are abundant throughout. In sum, the man's hungry again, snapped out of his lethargy and living up to the credo, "Write about what you know best." | |
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Rock 'N' Roll Is Alive! (And It Lives In Minneapolis) was released as the b-side of the single Gold, the second commercial single to be released from The Gold Experience, released worldwide. In 1996, the song was also included in the TV movie Love 4 One Another. Initial tracking took place on 12 September, 1995 at Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA (on the same day Hate U was released as a single), incorporating an audience chant of "Rock 'n' roll is alive! And it lives in Minneapolis" from the 9 September, 1995 show at Paisley Park Studios, and the song premiered on KDWB-FM radio in Minneapolis the following day. A separate instrumental version, containing the audience chants and the DJ's voiceover sampled from the initial broadcast, premiered on KDWB-FM two days later. The song was recorded in direct response to Lenny Kravitz's song Rock And Roll Is Dead (from the 1995 album Circus, also released as a single), which had just been released, and received some press coverage as a result. A lyric sheet given to attendees at a listening party for The Gold Experience (where this song was also played), ended with the credit "Thanx Lenny, call me in Minneapolis". -PrinceVault
(Rock 'n' roll is alive!) Rock 'n' roll is alive and it lives in Minneapolis From all over the world the people came Rock 'n' roll is alive and it lives in Minneapolis Sure as the drive around Lake of the Isles is cool I know Rock 'n' roll is alive and it lives in Minneapolis Rock, rock Rock 'n' roll is alive and it lives in Minneapolis Rock, rock Rock 'n' roll is alive and it lives in Minneapolis
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GUITAR WORLD NOVEMBER 1995
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February 17. 1996
1.Purple Medley (PA)
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2.17.1996 Gold Tour
1.Purple Medley (PA)
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OldFriends4Sale said:
February 17. 1996
1.Purple Medley (PA)
Newlyweds. What? | |
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1. 8. 1996 @ the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo Japan Gold Tour 1. Purple Medley (PA) 6. Funky Stuff From the S&S archives: Ex-Prince treats Japan to royal concert of past and present hitsSpecial to Stars and Stripes
Published: January 12, 1996
http://www.stripes.com/ne...ts-1.74180 If the spectacular musical performance of The New Power Generation music group is any indication of what to expect from concerts for 1996, hold on to your hats for a refreshing and heart rocking year. The NPG, led by its lead singer, "The artist formerly known as Prince," will clearly be a hard act to follow as they opened their five-night Japan concert tour to an enthusiastic and near capacity crowd at the Nippon Budokan Hall. During the event, sponsored by concert promoter UDO Artist Inc., "The artist formerly known as Prince" was exhilarating, while displaying sense of being born again. He announced with great vengeance that Prince is dead! He also went on to express his displeasure with record companies by saying "they have no place in his equation." His new equation as he put it involves only him and his fans. The New Power Generation lead singer graced the stage looking better than ever. The band opened with a medley of past and present hits, highlighted by a high-tech laser and light show. In addition to the glitter, NPG showed why it has secured an everlasting place among the Pop, Rock, Rhythm & Blues and Funk musical giants. Unlike the new bands, many of which rely heavily on looped computer sequencing to produce an average sound, NPG showed that it is composed of accomplished musicians with years of experience. The band played several hits from its current release entitled "The Gold Experience," some of which will prove to be timeless. But it also kept the audience dancing in the aisles with some of its funky, old-school hits such as "Seven," "If I Was Your Girlfriend" and the very popular "The Most Beautiful Girl."
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Yep and I guess the Japan / Hawaii Gold tour was their honeymoon and the end of the Gold Experience but still the Slave
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Glam Slam ReopeningBy Staff
Miami Herald, May 10, 1996 The biggest news of the week is that Glam Slam — the exceedingly grand South Beach club that was closed by the state in January after a police raid — looks like it will reopen soon. We can't tell you how psyched we are. Warsaw & Les Bains owner Yves Dilena says he is quietly taking over management of the three-story Art Deco-era club as soon as the state reinstates the liquor license; the target is Memorial Day. Still owned by rock star Prince [sic], Glam Slam will focus on live entertainment, including an as-yet-unbooked concert by the newlywed musician, says Yves. In the works for Saturday is a gay night [used to be Friday] says general manager Maxwell Blandford, who, along with GM Gary Santis, Yves and new promotions specialist Kevin Crawford (from the club's previous management group) will form the team. "People will be happy to see the Beach back to the way it was, says Yves. We couldn't agree more.
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February 19 1996
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February 14. 1996 | |
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It is a really cool image | |
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