Boring is an interesting adjective.

i THInk P uses the NPG name generically. the fact there's
been countless npgs (rosie,tommy b,sonny,micheal,levi-being
the first) doesn't mean much to him. Sort of like Otis
Williams calling his TEMPTs the TEMptations even though
he's the only original member alive!

but on to the question.
his current group is musically GREAT. (i likes jazz-funk-
rock stuff) visually they aren't exciting.
my fave overall visually was the one with DEZ,ANDRE,LISA,
FINK,BObby Z. they looked COOL and were dynamic!

the revolution had character. and were perfect for that TIME. it think it depends on what a fan likes in a band.

john blackwell is AMAZINg but i like sheila more.
and the soot band COULD play the current ONA material just
as well. eric,atlanta,sheila,levi,fink were BAD mothas!!!

Joshy84au said:

I don't believe he did. The SOTT/Lovesexy band didn't have an official name, did they?

Joshy84au said:

I don't think so...

Prince disbanded 'The Revolution' in 1986, and he never
refered to the 87-89 band as having a name. He was just
'Prince' again.

The new NPG is Prince's best band ever, I think they're musically better than the Sign o' Lovesexy band. It's more jazz, you gotta like the jazz though... The 80's band was more pop.

narrominded said:

You're kidding me?!?!?!? Better than the SOTT/Lovesexy band!?? Everyone in that band is better than their counterparts in the current NPG band, including Sheila better than John!! And they're the ones who really helped to bring jazz arrangements to his repertoire. And, the horns and their arrangements kicked so much ass back then that that was the cue for one of the horn arrangements ("Kick some ass"). I'm not knocking the current band though...AT ALL. They're certainly talented!! But as a group, they're still not kicking ass like the Revolution of Lovesexy band! They can't hold the groove or get in the pocket like those cats could! I dunno know...maybe it's the direction Prince has them going in, but it's just not on the same level.

I miss the Lovesexy band! That was Prince's best,most exciting line-up EVER.There was a real chemistry and magic with those players,something that has been missing from Prince's bands for awhile now.And yes,Prince needs to change the name of his band.The whole "NPG" concept is stale and should have been laid to rest about ten years ago.

DavidEye said:

David, just wondering...do we think with the same brain or what? LOL!

Am I the only one who thinks John Blackwell is overrated? Hear him suck the life out of Xenophobia on ONA when he does his turn..

And all this talk of jazz makes you realise that there are so many jazz musicians around who have have the chops AND the soul, drive, imagination etc. etc. NPG don't fare well against those sorts of comparisons...

P.S. I always thought Joey Baron was a great drummer (particularly with Bill Frisell)

sdbm

sdbm said:

Have you heard ole boy do a drum solo? In comparison to Michael Bland John is a rottweiler and Michael is a poodle...don't get me wrong Michael B could drum well...but John is up there w/ Neil Pert/Rush...

No there not boring at all , there all great musician. Of course there not entertaining like the revolution or the lovesexy band , but there r a more mature band 4 a more mature musician...

Ya'll just KILL me with this "which band is better" BS The reality is 98% of the musicians that have played with Prince have been monster players. John (who played with Cameo before Prince) is excellent as is Mike B. as is Shelia E. They could ALL play each other's parts if called upon. It the different flavors that each bring into the project that makes them special - not their individual abilities. Mike Scott can probably PHYSICALLY play every solo Prince/Dez/Wendy/Kat, etc. have ever ripped. Its not about the level of playing. Morris Hayes contributed something different than Fink or Lisa or Tommy and vice versa. Its the coming together of styles that make a unique band. Musicians grow - remember that. I'm sure everybody that played in the band way back in the day can play ALL of Prince's material NOW. They are acomplished musicians. Andre, Levi and Sonny are as tight as Larry and Rhonda. Its about what you bring to the table as an individual. Prince changes musicians for that reason - just as many other band leaders do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there is no difference in their playing abilities; I'm just saying that at the level these musicians play, they could all play the material. Noting Prince has put out has been at virtuoso level. Its ALL playable by seasoned musicians. For all we know Bobby Z could be playing at Mike B's level by now. Its been YEARS.
[This message was edited Mon Apr 7 9:45:41 PDT 2003 by BlaqueKnight]

The current line-up is a musician's band, not a regular-audience's band.

Having said that, it also adds that Prince's 'back-to-real-music-philosophy' makes the stage a somewhat less energetic view, compared to the more choreographed shows.

BlaqueKnight said:

Did ya mention Bobby Z...oh wait he's part of the 2% huh?

It´s obvious that Prince always had great bands and the current NPG is no exception.
In my opinion it´s the 1996-1999 NPG that was not as exciting as the other bands.

I find the Latest version of NPG to Be Polished&Pros but lacking a Spark. they are Really Good but not on Par with the Sign/LoveSexy Era Prince Band were tight&Connected with Prince as a Live Act in His Prime. Revolution were good for the Studio&were around during His Commerical Peak.Andre&Dez were around during His Hungry Years.so you get different Elements with all partys.but as Blaqueknight pointed out all of these Folks can play His Stuff but you are getting different results because I feel that While Prince can still Kick Much Ass Live:Studio Album stuff is Hit&Miss overall since the late 80's till now.also one thing that is lost in this Argument is the Cast He had around on the Side.:Jam&Lewis,Jesse Johnson,Morris,think those Guys didn't inspire Him?it's all about the Supporting Cast.Prince is like Michael Jordan Now: still Really Good but Folks ain't seeing His Greatness fully&the Supporting Cast is around for the Ride but you don't have Rodman or Grant,Scottie& Phil Jackson.IMHO since the NPG came on board Prince got to Polished for His own good.there is a Spark Missing for me in the Studio stuff&also Live.Good but not Great results IMHO.

Prince fans are spoilt with the way he built up past members as personalities. With their Prince-given stage names and personas established through his films the current formation seem more anonomous is all.

I dare any of you to fault any band musician's playing at any stage of his career...

Essence said:

That's a very good point.

Essence said:

Preach it, brutha!

In my opinion the current NPG including Candy, Maceo and Greg Boyer is his best band P ever had.

What the ...???

JohnnyTheFox said:

Damn Right!

Supernova said:

Yeah that's hitting the nail on the head pretty much.

Supernova said:

Yup. The only entertainment to get out of them now is the music, and I guess that isn't enough for folks.

adorable2 said:

I will add on by saying I didn't mention Maceo Parker because I Know that Maceo is A pioneer I would never disrespectwhat he has brought to music
perhaps some of us are used to the personalities that were built up but that has nothing to do with the level of energy put out while performing and each musician vibing off of one another ...that is the missing element it all seems that each plays there part and that's that.I want to know what happen to keepin a groove 4 20 minutes and loving it! talking together with your instuments. the simple fact is they play the music but they are by no means a band that is one.

will some one please the line up of the Lovesexy band please

essence,mistermaxx & blacqueknight are all right on.
not much i can add except that P isn't pushing the current
group as personalities. it is about the music,only.

nobody who's ever backed him didn't have the GOODS as a
musician. whether their styles clicked with his can be
debated by us fans.

think about all of the drummers and bassist he's had:
rhonda,sonny t (larry g...is a funk master...a pioneer.
whether he's a asshole or not ain't the point!) levi,andre
st.paul peterson,terry lewis...

drums john blackwell,kirby j,micheal B,sheila,jellybean,
dale alexander,morris day (cloeen bacon skin & tricky...
solid drumming!) bobby z...maybe bobby z and kirby ain't
on everybody fave list but they weren't scrubs either.

the npg is boring visually. but not musically.
at least to my ears anyway.

Yeah I had similar thoughts, but after 3 months, since I got ONA Live, it has really grown on me. It is a keeper and the band are very very good.

Much better than, say, the band he had for the Rave 2000 DVD. Could they be his worst lineup ever? Someone start a thread about that for me...I'm out of threads today.

mrdespues said:

By saying the Rave 2000 band is the worst all you're really doing is honing in on Kirk's basic (yet never off the beat) drumming. I don't think Larry on bass, Mr Hayes on keys etc would rank in many folks' worst lineup ever.

calldapplwondery83 said:

Yeah, that's right. I didn't stutter! I didn't say they never could, but that they couldn't (or at least haven't shown that they can) like either the Rev or the Lovesexy band could with nastiness!! Plain and simple!

WARNING: The following is a rant...

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE MOOD HAS PASSED:

Rock on Prince!


For me, the NPG is boring. I never have liked that moniker. I have always thought it to be completely lame and agree that it should have disappeared 10 years ago.

That said, for those who say "guess the music alone isn't enough" whatever... If any of you are like me, you were not attracted to Prince just for the music, but the music is the driving force. Prince has it all and I say has because, despite all the "real music for real music lovers" rhetoric, the PERFORMER is still there.

THAT is what set Prince above the rest in my book. He writes the words. He writes the music. He records real music and he performs real music. He is not just a performer, nor is he just a musician. He does both with excellence. If that's not art, I don't know what is.

Do I want the return of the Prince made up personas for the band memebers? No (God please no!). But neither do I want them to be buttoned down as the persona of what real musicians are. And God help me, I'm so tired of hearing them introduced over and over during a performance. I don't know about ya'll but I get it. They are musical legends and real musicians. They are not members of the band, but maybe that is why the so-called spark is missing. Everyone knew who Wendy and Lisa were and Dr. Fink and as much as I am not into who plays with Prince, I was saddened when the Revolution was disbanded. The music kicked and they were fun to watch.

What's so bad about being a performer if the music is as solid as Prince's? I don't get it. Does choreographing some dance steps make stunning music less good?

What am I trying to say? This is a rant. Is it suppose to have a point?

Rock on Prince