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The facination with Camille... There have been alot of talk on the Org about Prince's Camille. I must say that I always thought was one of Prince's most intriguing facts about him. Even though the Camille caracter is just a pseudonym, "She/He" is just fascinating.
But when was Camille "born". Where did the idea come from. And what song was the first Camille song? When I read the Per Nilsen book D.M.S.R. (I know this book is NOT the Prince bible..) Susan Rodgers is quoted as saying (I'm paraphrasing here): "When we recorded 'If I Was Your Girlfriend', I mistakingly played the tape too slow when Prince recorded his vocal. So when I played it back, his voice was sped-up and higher. I thought he was going to get pissed, but after hearing it, he said it sounded good and moved on." So was "If I Was Your Girlfriend" the first Camille song? And did it come about as a Studio Mistake?... Sound off peps! I wanna get to the bottom of this! "So strange that no one stayed at the end of the Parade..." - Wendy & Lisa's "Song About" on their 1987 self-titled album.
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By the way, here is the Camille album I made on tape many years ago, and I later transfered it to CD.
Camille: Strange Relationship Disc One: 1. Crystal Ball 2. Love or Money Ex. 3. If I Was Your Girlfreind 4. Feel U Up (unreleased Ex version) 5. Shockadelica Ex. 6. Housequake (unreleased Ex version) 7. Strange Relationship 8. Bob George Disc Two: 1. (Naveh Ni Ecalp A) Dream Factory 2. Rebirth of the Flesh 3. Good Love Ex. 4. La,La,La,He,He,Hee Ex. 5. Witness 4 te Prosecution (1st version) 6. Sex 7. Scarlet Pussy Ex. 8. Rockhard In A Funky Place "So strange that no one stayed at the end of the Parade..." - Wendy & Lisa's "Song About" on their 1987 self-titled album.
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chookalana said: When I read the Per Nilsen book D.M.S.R. (I know this book is NOT the Prince bible..)
no, it's like the annotated prince bible... 
So was "If I Was Your Girlfriend" the first Camille song?
one of the first, methinx... And did it come about as a Studio Mistake?...
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The Camille voice did NOT happen by mistake.
This is a popular misconception that somehow refuses to die. | |
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BorisFishpaw said: The Camille voice did NOT happen by mistake.
This is a popular misconception that somehow refuses to die.  my theory on the voice is that it started out as an mistake...wonderin who the phuc started these types of misconceptions anyway  | |
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I worked as an engineer in a recording studio for
many years, and believe me, there is no way that the 'Camille' voice can be acheived 'by mistake'. This misconception comes from the misunderstanding and misquoting of Susan Rodgers comments about the recording of 'If I Was Your Girlfriend'. What she actually says in DMSR is... When Prince recorded his lead vocal on "If I Was Your Girlfriend", there was something wrong with the microphone and his voice turned out to sound somewhat distorted. "When I came back into the control room and listened to it, I thought he was going to rip my head off", recalls Rodgers. "But he liked the sound of it, I guess. He never said a word about it. But I cringe every time I hear it because it was a horrible mistake". What Susan Rodgers is refering to in this section is not the speeding up of Prince's voice (it IS speeded up, but that's a completely seperate issue), but that the vocals on that particular track are also distorted. It's kinda difficult to describe, but it's very similar to if you were to record a CD onto a tape, but had the recording levels up way too high, so that when you listened back to it, it sounded 'harsh' and 'overdriven'. That's the kind of 'distortion' Susan is talking about. A lot of people confuse 'distortion' with 'vari- speeding', when they're entirely different things. To achieve the 'Camille' voice in the studio is very simple. All you do is play the mastertape back at a slower speed as you're recording the vocals. So when Prince records the vocals to a Camille song, he's singing along to a slowed down version of the song. Then when it's recorded, you just put the speed back up to normal, and voila! 'Camille' or 'Chipmunk' vocals (depending on how slow you recorded them). To do the 'Bob George' vocals, you just do the same thing, except speed the tape up instead of slowing it down. [This message was edited Sun Mar 30 10:58:29 PST 2003 by BorisFishpaw] | |
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ahhh... thanx 4 the input, boris!!  | |
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The following is DEAD ON IT.
BorisFishpaw said: I worked as an engineer in a recording studio for
many years, and believe me, there is no way that the 'Camille' voice can be acheived 'by mistake'. This misconception comes from the misunderstanding and misquoting of Susan Rodgers comments about the recording of 'If I Was Your Girlfriend'. What she actually says in DMSR is... When Prince recorded his lead vocal on "If I Was Your Girlfriend", there was something wrong with the microphone and his voice turned out to sound somewhat distorted. "When I came back into the control room and listened to it, I thought he was going to rip my head off", recalls Rodgers. "But he liked the sound of it, I guess. He never said a word about it. But I cringe every time I hear it because it was a horrible mistake". What Susan Rodgers is refering to in this section is not the speeding up of Prince's voice (it IS speeded up, but that's a completely seperate issue), but that the vocals on that particular track are also distorted. It's kinda difficult to describe, but it's very similar to if you were to record a CD onto a tape, but had the recording levels up way too high, so that when you listened back to it, it sounded 'harsh' and 'overdriven'. That's the kind of 'distortion' Susan is talking about. A lot of people confuse 'distortion' with 'vari- speeding', when they're entirely different things. To achieve the 'Camille' voice in the studio is very simple. All you do is play the mastertape back at a slower speed as you're recording the vocals. So when Prince records the vocals to a Camille song, he's singing along to a slowed down version of the song. Then when it's recorded, you just put the speed back up to normal, and voila! 'Camille' or 'Chipmunk' vocals (depending on how slow you recorded them). To do the 'Bob George' vocals, you just do the same thing, except speed the tape up instead of slowing it down. [This message was edited Sun Mar 30 10:58:29 PST 2003 by BorisFishpaw] My art book: http://www.lulu.com/spotl...ecomicskid
VIDEO WORK: http://sharadkantpatel.com MUSIC: https://soundcloud.com/ufoclub1977 | |
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Handclapsfingasnapz said: ahhh...
thanx 4 the input, boris!! Ditto "So strange that no one stayed at the end of the Parade..." - Wendy & Lisa's "Song About" on their 1987 self-titled album.
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Our beloved Camille Sir Nose first showed his or herself in the song Automatic on the 1999 album.."start the music baby..automatic fool..ohwohooohoo"..on purpose.
edit:-then came back on Erotic City . [This message was edited Sun Mar 30 13:58:50 PST 2003 by rdhull] "Climb in my fur." | |
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do u think P and Camille were ever an item? | |
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JonSnow said: do u think P and Camille were ever an item?
"Climb in my fur." | |
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rdhull said: JonSnow said: do u think P and Camille were ever an item?
I read all above...now I'm confused! | |
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rdhull said: JonSnow said: do u think P and Camille were ever an item?
And I'm wondering what Susannah thought about Camille. The Camille / P/ Susannah triangle, which led to the writing and recording of If I was Your Girlfriend, has always fascinated me... | |
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JonSnow said: rdhull said: JonSnow said: do u think P and Camille were ever an item?
And I'm wondering what Susannah thought about Camille. The Camille / P/ Susannah triangle, which led to the writing and recording of If I was Your Girlfriend, has always fascinated me... Sus accepted camille..she had too. "Climb in my fur." | |
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rdhull said: Our beloved Camille Sir Nose first showed his or herself in the song Automatic on the 1999 album.."start the music baby..automatic fool..ohwohooohoo"..on purpose.
edit:-then came back on Erotic City . [This message was edited Sun Mar 30 13:58:50 PST 2003 by rdhull] You have to remember, Camille is not just the high (or low) voice that Prince uses. It's an attitude. Camille has a "personality". He/She is what you would call chaotic nautral. Out for themselves, cynical, comedic, almost in pain, sometimes evil. By your definition, The voice on TRC would be Camille. And that, would be wrong. The above songs are the only ones that are Camille songs. Plus Camille did not come around until 1986, not 1983. "So strange that no one stayed at the end of the Parade..." - Wendy & Lisa's "Song About" on their 1987 self-titled album.
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chookalana said: By your definition, The voice on TRC would be Camille. .
No, it wouldn't. But I know what you mean by saying Cam didn't show up till later after 1999. Although I dont agree. "Climb in my fur." | |
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After reading comments, I still can't wondering why no one ever mentions the "spiritual" side of Camille... Everyone seems so quick to mention the pitch voice thang... etc...
My thoughts on the whole camille thing is that 2 Prince maybe it had more to do than just a sound... maybe it was more of a feeling, something/someone he identified 2 at the time... the Bob George sound was just the reflection of that course of thoughts... Just trying 2 dig a little deeper... Please feel free to comment... Only Prince knows the true meaning of it anyway... [This message was edited Mon Mar 31 0:28:45 PST 2003 by Justin] | |
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Justin said: After reading comments, I still can't wondering why no one ever mentions the "spiritual" side of Camille... Everyone seems so quick to mention the pitch voice thang... etc...
My thoughts on the whole camille thing is that 2 Prince maybe it had more to do than just a sound... maybe it was more of a feeling, something/someone he identified 2 at the time... the Bob Geoarge sound was just the reflection of that course of thoughts... Just trying 2 dig a little deeper... Please feel free to comment... Only Prince knows the true meaning of it anyway... You're right. There are many sides to Camille but could any of his songs be described as 'spiritual? | |
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BorisFishpaw said: I worked as an engineer in a recording studio for
many years, and believe me, there is no way that the 'Camille' voice can be acheived 'by mistake'. This misconception comes from the misunderstanding and misquoting of Susan Rodgers comments about the recording of 'If I Was Your Girlfriend'. What she actually says in DMSR is... When Prince recorded his lead vocal on "If I Was Your Girlfriend", there was something wrong with the microphone and his voice turned out to sound somewhat distorted. "When I came back into the control room and listened to it, I thought he was going to rip my head off", recalls Rodgers. "But he liked the sound of it, I guess. He never said a word about it. But I cringe every time I hear it because it was a horrible mistake". What Susan Rodgers is refering to in this section is not the speeding up of Prince's voice (it IS speeded up, but that's a completely seperate issue), but that the vocals on that particular track are also distorted. It's kinda difficult to describe, but it's very similar to if you were to record a CD onto a tape, but had the recording levels up way too high, so that when you listened back to it, it sounded 'harsh' and 'overdriven'. That's the kind of 'distortion' Susan is talking about. A lot of people confuse 'distortion' with 'vari- speeding', when they're entirely different things. To achieve the 'Camille' voice in the studio is very simple. All you do is play the mastertape back at a slower speed as you're recording the vocals. So when Prince records the vocals to a Camille song, he's singing along to a slowed down version of the song. Then when it's recorded, you just put the speed back up to normal, and voila! 'Camille' or 'Chipmunk' vocals (depending on how slow you recorded them). To do the 'Bob George' vocals, you just do the same thing, except speed the tape up instead of slowing it down. [This message was edited Sun Mar 30 10:58:29 PST 2003 by BorisFishpaw] Damn, you're good! | |
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okaypimpn said: BorisFishpaw said: I worked as an engineer in a recording studio for
many years, and believe me, there is no way that the 'Camille' voice can be acheived 'by mistake'. This misconception comes from the misunderstanding and misquoting of Susan Rodgers comments about the recording of 'If I Was Your Girlfriend'. What she actually says in DMSR is... When Prince recorded his lead vocal on "If I Was Your Girlfriend", there was something wrong with the microphone and his voice turned out to sound somewhat distorted. "When I came back into the control room and listened to it, I thought he was going to rip my head off", recalls Rodgers. "But he liked the sound of it, I guess. He never said a word about it. But I cringe every time I hear it because it was a horrible mistake". What Susan Rodgers is refering to in this section is not the speeding up of Prince's voice (it IS speeded up, but that's a completely seperate issue), but that the vocals on that particular track are also distorted. It's kinda difficult to describe, but it's very similar to if you were to record a CD onto a tape, but had the recording levels up way too high, so that when you listened back to it, it sounded 'harsh' and 'overdriven'. That's the kind of 'distortion' Susan is talking about. A lot of people confuse 'distortion' with 'vari- speeding', when they're entirely different things. To achieve the 'Camille' voice in the studio is very simple. All you do is play the mastertape back at a slower speed as you're recording the vocals. So when Prince records the vocals to a Camille song, he's singing along to a slowed down version of the song. Then when it's recorded, you just put the speed back up to normal, and voila! 'Camille' or 'Chipmunk' vocals (depending on how slow you recorded them). To do the 'Bob George' vocals, you just do the same thing, except speed the tape up instead of slowing it down. [This message was edited Sun Mar 30 10:58:29 PST 2003 by BorisFishpaw] Damn, you're good!  | |
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Anji said: Boris' skills in the studio are off the hook! Paisley Park should hire him (back...)
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chookalana said: By the way, here is the Camille album I made on tape many years ago, and I later transfered it to CD.
Camille: Strange Relationship Disc One: 1. Crystal Ball 2. Love or Money Ex. 3. If I Was Your Girlfreind 4. Feel U Up (unreleased Ex version) 5. Shockadelica Ex. 6. Housequake (unreleased Ex version) 7. Strange Relationship 8. Bob George Disc Two: 1. (Naveh Ni Ecalp A) Dream Factory 2. Rebirth of the Flesh 3. Good Love Ex. 4. La,La,La,He,He,Hee Ex. 5. Witness 4 te Prosecution (1st version) 6. Sex 7. Scarlet Pussy Ex. 8. Rockhard In A Funky Place I also have Camille compliations: Camille's Revenge Disc 1 1 Crystal Ball 2 Rebirth of the Flesh 3 Housequake 4 SuperFunkyCaliFragiSexy 5 Shockadellica 6 Scarlett Pussy 7 La La La Hee Hee Hee 8 Love or Money 9 Feel U Up (Long Stroke 10 Lovesexy 11 2 Nigs United 4 West Compton 12 Rock Hard in a Funky Place Disc 2 1 Erotic City 2 Sex 3 Tamborine 4 It 5 Hot Thing 6 Sexual Suicide 7 Strange Relationship 8 If I Was Your Girlfriend 9 Ballad of Dorothy Parker 10 She's Always in My Hair 11 We Can Funk 12 Joy In Repetition 13 Lovesexy 14 Love Bizarre I know a couple of tracks aren't credited to Camille but I included them as they are in the same fierce vein. 2010: Healing the Wounds of the Past.... http://prince.org/msg/8/325740 | |
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Anji said: Justin said: After reading comments, I still can't wondering why no one ever mentions the "spiritual" side of Camille... Everyone seems so quick to mention the pitch voice thang... etc...
My thoughts on the whole camille thing is that 2 Prince maybe it had more to do than just a sound... maybe it was more of a feeling, something/someone he identified 2 at the time... the Bob Geoarge sound was just the reflection of that course of thoughts... Just trying 2 dig a little deeper... Please feel free to comment... Only Prince knows the true meaning of it anyway... You're right. There are many sides to Camille but could any of his songs be described as 'spiritual? well any creative process comes from within, that is were spirituality lives... And the outcome of some of the camille era could also be a reflection of "frustration", to me it's nevertheless spiritual in that sense... | |
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Camille was the fun, light character with the high pitched voice.
Spooky Electric was the negative alter ego, with the bass tones yet you always list "Bob George" as a Camille song what's up with that? Some people even refer to the deep voice as being "Bob George" when Bob was just the rockstar manager. | |
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if i was your girlfriend might have been recorded on accident, but you can't tell me the same for Love Or Money, or even Erotic City. | |
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Essence said: Camille was the fun, light character with the high pitched voice.
Spooky Electric was the negative alter ego, with the bass tones yet you always list "Bob George" as a Camille song what's up with that? Some people even refer to the deep voice as being "Bob George" when Bob was just the rockstar manager. "Scarlet Pussy" was attributed to Camille and it features the slowed down "Bob George" vocals... According to the Lovesexy tourbook, Camille was a 'he' and Spooky Electric was not an alter ego but an outside voice trying to influence Camille. You guys can make up and then believe whatever you want, but Prince wrote it all out for you in that tourbook. Whether you pay attention or not is your business... . [This message was edited Mon Mar 31 12:21:34 PST 2003 by Jestyr] | |
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In concert Prince attributed 'Bob George' to Camille. | |
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BorisFishpaw said: In concert Prince attributed 'Bob George' to Camille.
OK, just goes to show there's no hard n fast rules on the difference between "Camille" and any other modulated voice. It's all speculation unless Prince has confirmed it somewhere. | |
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