I was listening to Parliament's Knee Deep, and I was comparing it to Prince's, and thought although it is funky, it just doesn't reach Prince's sound. Seems Prince did something to his music to make it stand out. I don't know what it is about it, but it is different, and sounds so much better, that is why I was so attracted to his music. But I can't figure out why. Do any of you know why Prince's music stood out among everyone else's? Was it the instruments he used?

sharonbell said:

^^^ The vocal arranging was major.

Also, if you ever read DMSR and the like, Prince used to plug the Linn drum machine (or the mics for his drums, or whatever) into guitar pedals, then detune them. It's why some stuff on Controversy, and a lot of things on 1999 sound different. Also, Prince had a good mind of things he liked, from rockabilly, to punk elements, to straight up R&B. He was influenced from Santana to Parliament. That's a heck of a combination, really. I mean, picture Funkadelic trying to cover "Oye como va", or Santana doing The Sex Pistols.

Those studio tricks, with just an indescribable gift of genuis, it's a bit hard to say exactly. In general, to me, it was about that Linn drum machine. Remember, Prince was enamored with it. Even in that Warehouse rehearsal video that's out, half the time Bobby Z. is triggering the drum machine to play.

For me, when I was actively looking for different things 'outside' my usual choice of rock music, it was the vocal arrangements more than anything that caught my attention.

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I'd never heard anything quite like it. Away from the vocals, it was his apparent ability to just throw everything into a song, including the kitchen sink (maybe it was Martika's??) that also appealed to me.

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My first purchase was D&P when it was released, and I know it doesn't get a whole lot of love around these parts, but the variety on that album just blew me away. Prince's uses several different voices by himself (Thunder, D&P, Willing Able etc), while the use the Rosie and Tony M (sorry!!) was the icing on the cake.

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Again, I'm just describing what stood out for me in my own personal early days of being a Prince fan.

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Umm...he could sing and I mean that man could sang!

Prince's sound changed so much because he changed his band and others he worked with very often.

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By changing the influences to his music, kept his music changing.

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However, there is very much a single Prince sound that goes through everything he does.

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The source escapes me right now, but one explaination I heard about the sound of earlier recordings was that Prince grew up listening to AM radio & there was more trebel or high end or whatever because of that.

Someone suggested the use of various musicians, but I think the reason Prince music overall sounds like Prince music is the he was so self contained & more often than not did everything on the recordings. (The basic groundwork for the recordings at least.)

rightbluecheek said:

I know everyone kinda ignores me on this board, maybe 'cause I haven't been around in a long time, but, does anyone know if P has ever had two drummers in concert. I mean two drummers, not a drummer and a percussionist, because that, I know
I'm asking because I think that the thing that made his music (or at least the music he did that I like) very outstanding, apart from the synth sounds and vocals, is the complexity of rhythm patterns, complexity that you can't reproduce with just one drummer. In fact in the PR tour, and in others, he used both a drummer and the Lynn drum machine. Thank you in advance for your kind answer

"Parliament's Knee Deep"...I always thought "Billy Jack Bitch" was a tip to the hat of Funkadelic's "Knee Deep"..The synth bass line, the beat, the vocal melody..it's very close.............."picture Funkadelic trying to cover "Oye Coma Va"....My buddy said he saw Santana open for P-Funk back in the 70's. He said it was one of the best concerts he ever went to.