Don't know if cover versions belong into the Associated Artists forum, but as the artist in question is in no way associated with Prince, i post it here:

On Bonnie "Prince" Billys new album, "Pond Scum", there is a cover version of Prince's "The Cross". I read that the recording itself is quite old and was made for a BBC session for John Peel's radio show, but the cd was just released. I like the whole set a lot, but unfortunately "The Cross" is the low point. I woud say, this version is for completists only.

I don't know anything about Bonnie "Prince" Billy except he usually comes up in my "Prince" searches on eBay!

fms said:

I don't know anything about Bonnie "Prince" Billy except he usually comes up in my "Prince" searches on eBay!

Samr here... Some weird album covers.

Thanks for the heads up--BPB is someone I'm slowly working my way through (he's insanely productive), and it's easy to miss a release (at least for awhile), so I might not have gotten even noticed this came out until much later if you hadn't mentioned it. So I've snagged a copy, though I still probably won't listen until later on.

pretty bad cover version

Well, not bad at all.

It became, as expected, a typical Bonnie Prince Billy song.

I like it.

But let's not forget it's just a two chord song, and indeed Prince did a lot more with it in the studio.

Bonnie Prince Billy created sort of a pastiche and very short version of the original.

Another lollipop who took the name Prince

She (or is it a he?) should have covered What's My Name instead.

Some people need some musical education?

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is no lollipop... he's an incredibly talented and by all accounts very intelligent writer and perfomer, who's been around since the early 90s if not before...

His name is Will Oldham, and he uses Bonnie 'Prince' Billy as his nom de plume most of the time these days...

His stuff isn't for everyone, but he has a fanbase, he's excellent live, and he's prolific. I can't keep up with all the albums he releases. He's not widely known, but he manages to put out (seemingly) as much music as he wants, in decent releases (including nearly always a vinyl release, which are the ones I collect).... he's an indie artist who maintains a vibrant release schedule and gets his music to the people who want to hear it.

Guess who could learn a thing or two from that model?

I haven't heard Pond Scum yet, but I will pick up a copy soon....

databank said:

Another lollipop who took the name Prince

She (or is it a he?) should have covered What's My Name instead.

Your ignorance is showing.

I just previewed the track on iTunes... not my cup of tea.

Rimshot and Askani the fact that he is talented is totally irrelevant. Maybe it's a homage or maybe it's totally unrelated to Prince but even if u're the geratest artist of your generation, naming yourself after a major player in your discipline is a bit silly if you ask me. I'd say the same if he'd named himself Bonnie "Bowie" Billie or Bonnie "Björk" Billie or Bonnie "Madonna" Billy, or if he was a painter named Bonnie "Picasso" Billie or an actor named Bonnie "Hepburn" Bille. Don't be intellectually dishonest by responding on something else than the single fact I was addressing.

However I don't care, he can name himself as he pleases, I wouldn't even have thought of that if not for a song Prince made about (and I quote) "lollypops using the name Prince", given that about a dozen different musicians have/had the word Prince in their name (Prince Paul, BG the Prince of Rap, Marco Prince, The Fresh Prince, Ian Prince and so on). However I see BPB has taken that moniker in 1998, so the song wasn't about him in particular, but you can bet Prince thought "yet another lollipop" when he first heard his name

Prince Rogers Nelson is no major player in Bonnie "Prince" Billy's discipline except in the very widest of terms. And if we were going on that then Prince Far I was a major player in "music" before Prince Rogers Nelson had even released anything.

jaawwnn said:

Prince Rogers Nelson is no major player in Bonnie "Prince" Billy's discipline except in the very widest of terms. And if we were going on that then Prince Far I was a major player in "music" before Prince Rogers Nelson had even released anything.

Prince Far I had released 3 albums (maybe even 2 depending on when in 78 the third one was released) when Prince released his first album, the first one being from 1975. And I suspect he wasn't very much known outside Jamaica and the circles of reggae afficionados by that point. It's likely that no one in Minneapolis had ever heard of him. So no. + Prince is Prince's real name, it's not a stage name.

Billy's discipline is popular music isn't it? So I can't see how Prince can't be a major player in it. I can't see how Billy could possibly have taken a stage name with the word "Prince" in it without being aware of Prince Nelson.

Now NorthC has provided a satisfactory explaination to the Bonnie Prince Billy stage name that gives it a meaning outside of Prince Nelson, so I'm fine with it

Dupe because Indian connections are shit.

[Edited 2/5/16 6:31am]

NorthC said:

Bonny Prince Charlie (Charles Edward Stuart1720-1788) was a pretender to the English throne who played a role in the Jacobite uprising in Scotland in 1745. He's a pretty famous figure in Scottish history. That's where Billy has the name from. [Edited 2/5/16 5:48am]

Thx for the clarification

i always liked The Cross, very spiritual and gospel inspired song...

This cover, hm...not my cup of coffee...pretty weak, but i assume it's his style, i never listened to this guy

databank said:

Askani said:

databank said:

Prince Far I had released 3 albums (maybe even 2 depending on when in 78 the third one was released) when Prince released his first album, the first one being from 1975. And I suspect he wasn't very much known outside Jamaica and the circles of reggae afficionados by that point. It's likely that no one in Minneapolis had ever heard of him. So no. + Prince is Prince's real name, it's not a stage name.

Billy's discipline is popular music isn't it? So I can't see how Prince can't be a major player in it. I can't see how Billy could possibly have taken a stage name with the word "Prince" in it without being aware of Prince Nelson.

Now NorthC has provided a satisfactory explaination to the Bonnie Prince Billy stage name that gives it a meaning outside of Prince Nelson, so I'm fine with it

Like I said, you were showing your ignorance.

Hey, in databank's defense (not that he needs it, really)--while I never for a moment connected BPB with Prince, if somebody's name were based in either French or Indian history, there's a good chance I'd have no idea where it came from. Or that I'd jump to the wrong conclusion.

I'm sure Will Oldham was aware of Prince when he took the name (he is an American musician)--but naming himself Prince would do him no favors in the genres Oldham works in.

That said, I wanted to like the cover... but I can't say that I do. Ah well, he's got lots of other stuff I do like.

Askani said:

databank said:

Prince Far I had released 3 albums (maybe even 2 depending on when in 78 the third one was released) when Prince released his first album, the first one being from 1975. And I suspect he wasn't very much known outside Jamaica and the circles of reggae afficionados by that point. It's likely that no one in Minneapolis had ever heard of him. So no. + Prince is Prince's real name, it's not a stage name.

Billy's discipline is popular music isn't it? So I can't see how Prince can't be a major player in it. I can't see how Billy could possibly have taken a stage name with the word "Prince" in it without being aware of Prince Nelson.

Now NorthC has provided a satisfactory explaination to the Bonnie Prince Billy stage name that gives it a meaning outside of Prince Nelson, so I'm fine with it

Like I said, you were showing your ignorance.

I can't blame u for being condescending on me, I do it often enough with others

EddieC said:

Askani said:

databank said: Like I said, you were showing your ignorance.

Hey, in databank's defense (not that he needs it, really)--while I never for a moment connected BPB with Prince, if somebody's name were based in either French or Indian history, there's a good chance I'd have no idea where it came from. Or that I'd jump to the wrong conclusion.

I'm sure Will Oldham was aware of Prince when he took the name (he is an American musician)--but naming himself Prince would do him no favors in the genres Oldham works in.

That said, I wanted to like the cover... but I can't say that I do. Ah well, he's got lots of other stuff I do like.

databank said:

Askani said:

databank said: Like I said, you were showing your ignorance.

I can't blame u for being condescending on me, I do it often enough with others

Bonnie Prince Charlie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Edward_Stuart

Kinda uneventful cover.