Yes. But then again, I thought the two tracks on Mvis' album he didn't do sounded more like him than the rest of the album.

Hasn't it been revealed that the instrumental groundwork is mostly Brownmark and Prince (uncreditedly) alone in the Spring/Summer of 1985, with some involvement of Sir Casey Terry and David Z in the studio on many of these tracks? Particularly, 'Player's Ball', 'She's Just That Kind of Lady', and 'Suzy'.

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I know that WB management brought in some experienced session players to round out the rest of Mazarati as a group, but I believe that was mainly for the purposes of eventual touring.

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[Edited 10/30/16 15:03pm]

Poorlovelycomputer said:

I always have suspected prince had more involvement in that album than its revealed tracks like strawberry lover sound like prince throwaways would love to a prince version of that they were talented on their own but does anyone else had those suspicions?

Well you're on a right track. Prince heard two songs, and decided he'd rewrite the lyrics (and subsequently they were renamed) to two songs: "Strawberry Lover" and "I Guess It's All Over". They were previously named"Fear The Shadow" & "We Did Things Our Way" respectively. Prince had no involvement musically on them; just his rewriting the lyrics. PS The Shadow was the band's nickname for Brownmark.

Brownmark released the original versions of one or both of them a few years ago online, it seems. I don't remember exactly.

The album was recorded at Sunset Sound in May 1985, the same time Prince was working on Parade material. The album was released almost a year later (March 1986). That's a long time to sit on something. Prince had no other involvement in the project. The songs were Brownmark's written for the band.

TrivialPursuit said:

Poorlovelycomputer said:

I always have suspected prince had more involvement in that album than its revealed tracks like strawberry lover sound like prince throwaways would love to a prince version of that they were talented on their own but does anyone else had those suspicions?

Well you're on a right track. Prince heard two songs, and decided he'd rewrite the lyrics (and subsequently they were renamed) to two songs: "Strawberry Lover" and "I Guess It's All Over". They were previously named"Fear The Shadow" & "We Did Things Our Way" respectively. Prince had no involvement musically on them; just his rewriting the lyrics. PS The Shadow was the band's nickname for Brownmark.

Brownmark released the original versions of one or both of them a few years ago online, it seems. I don't remember exactly.

The album was recorded at Sunset Sound in May 1985, the same time Prince was working on Parade material. The album was released almost a year later (March 1986). That's a long time to sit on something. Prince had no other involvement in the project. The songs were Brownmark's written for the band.

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Perhaps, most likely even, and this is the official version of events.

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Brownmark did make a comment several years ago that Prince had a larger role in the production of the album than previously understood, although he spoke informally and may have been hyperbolizing. This was around the time of the Revolution reunion in 2012.

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The production here is sharper and more focused than found on his own solo releases, although this may be the product of having Sunset engineers, David Z, P's sound library and Oberheim patches (observe that patch from the 'on the verge of a breakdown. . .' segment of 'Computer Blue' in 'She's Just That Kind of Lady'), the pressure and excitement of having garnered this record deal and producer duties, finely honed musicianship from just coming off of the tour, and a desire to follow quite closely the red-hot Mpls sound, with an approving nod or an occasional suggestion for revision to be found in the Studio next door from time to time.

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[Edited 10/30/16 18:38pm]

imprimis said:

Perhaps, and this is the official version of events. Brownmark did make a comment several years ago that Prince had a larger role in the production of the album than previously known, although he spoke informally and may have been hyperbolizing. This was around the time of the Revolution reunion in 2012.

Well, but that could possibly mean many things. Possibilities:

he found out about the project as it was under wraps before that

he signed them to Paisley Park records

he rewrote the lyrics to both the songs

he contributed three, and they took one (Jerk Out, 100 MPH), and he took another back (Kiss)

he could have given notes about certain elements

he could have helped rehearse them

I wonder if he was referring to the lyric rewriting, not knowing if fans knew that bit or not. Ultimately, I do believe that Prince let Brownmark stretch his legs on his own side project.

TrivialPursuit said:

The album was recorded at Sunset Sound in May 1985, the same time Prince was working on Parade material. The album was released almost a year later (March 1986). That's a long time to sit on something. Prince had no other involvement in the project. The songs were Brownmark's written for the band.

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This is most certainly in large part (although not exclusively) the consequence of the uneasy contrasts between the Parade/UTCM image change and the pseudo-post-PR sound offered on 'Mazarati'. He may have held off until the last possible minute in indecisiveness on what exact role Mazarati would play in 1985-1986 Princeworld.

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Also, possibly, intermeddling by WB management on the newly annointed PP label, P's contractual strangleholds and subservient expectations on his bandmembers, such that Brownmark's efforts would necessarily have to take a sitting-out-in-the-doghouse period, etc.

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It worries me to think that, had Mazarati been an opening act for the Counter-Revolution, an idea that had been half-seriously toyed with very early in 1986, that State-side audiences may have had a more favorable response to the Mazarati set than P's own.

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[Edited 10/30/16 18:46pm]

TrivialPursuit said

Well, but that could possibly mean many things. Possibilities:

he found out about the project as it was under wraps before that

he signed them to Paisley Park records

he rewrote the lyrics to both the songs

he contributed three, and they took one (Jerk Out, 100 MPH), and he took another back (Kiss)

he could have given notes about certain elements

he could have helped rehearse them

I wonder if he was referring to the lyric rewriting, not knowing if fans knew that bit or not. Ultimately, I do believe that Prince let Brownmark stretch his legs on his own side project.

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I believe some of the 'tightness' of the sound is the direct result of having P's and Sunset's engineers and technicians on hand. I believe there are a number of totally nameless individuals who assisted in constructing the effects rack, synth and drum machine programming, etc., whose unattributed input contributed meaningfully to some of the 'signature' elements of the sound.

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[Edited 10/30/16 18:56pm]