I'm not very technical when it comes to music, so just wondering your thoughts as to what Prince did with his music to sound so much better than anyone else's. Even when someone else makes a funky track, it doesn't have that "Prince" touch to it. I know he had a God given gift, but he seemed to create sounds, even with his guitar, that seemed to sound so much better than...anybody else.

The unorthodox recording methods that included Prince and Susan Rogers ability to make do with what they had, where they were, and what Prince wanted.

Combining so many different diverse influences and blending them into something uniquely his own. He also was a real master at layering; overdubbing relatively simple beats and sounds over other ones until they became something more complex. The simplicity of a lot of it hooked you and the complexity kept you coming back.

To this day, I still hear new sounds and dimensions on the 1999 album. SOTT too.

in his rapid rise to superstardom, I'd say it was his very own brand of music which was the minneapolis sound, big, staccato synths, hendrixian/rock guitar lead, sly stone bass playing, shock value sex lyrics, all of it was a great production for great songs. It was fresh, it didn't really sound much like anything else and everything about it stood out from what was out at the time.

However, you do not mention that Prince's 'sound' had many different eras, he radically changed at certain points so in that way, he never really had a 'sound" he also got better at his use of the studio and the perfection and polish of the 90's albums was definitely superior to the 80's, whether that's what people like or not is a matter of taste. It's like pointing out Elvis' later records being way more advanced but most people would prefer his primitive sun session over just about anything else he ever did and he wasn't near his peak as a singer then and the sound equipement was pretty basic. Prince once admitted throwing out his drum machines and synths after everyone started copying his sound, he could not have literally done that because he still sometimes used the linn machine here and there throughout his career. His vocals got better and better throughout his career, his playing improved and he became the best live act of his era after first being a little shaky in that area. After Purple rain, you had to strain more and more to hear the minneapolis sound in his songs, on ATWiad there would be the guitar and the funk bass but the synths only made a couple funky appearances, by the time of parade he was mixing his sound with a classical composer, Sott had a bit more of the old minneapolis sound but it had even more retro-soul with the horns which he'd been previously quoted as hating. Lovesexy was a departure in that he usually had pretty simple arrangements and on lovesexy, there were just layers of stuff going on which a lot of people criticized. Batman was called a color by numbers funk album by Kurt Loder, Graffiti Bridge had some outstanding stuff on it, Diamonds and Pearls was his first commercial maybe since Prince in that it was obviously made to get on radio, the symbol album was a continuation of that but it didn't fare as well. Anyway, he did different things on different albums all the time, too many things like just guitar or just piano or just instrumental stuff to say he had one sound.

His "Golden Age" Period of 1982-87 music to me always had a very present and in-your-face sound to it. I'm gonna sound like I'm crazy but don't care, it felt like I could easily visualize his music. His beats sounded harder than anyone else's and had lots of syncopation. Probably cause I'm a drummer, but with his linn drum beats, I can easily visualize something hitting a surface, creating the noise. Rhythm guitar always "chunky' and rhythmic, mimicking the drum beat. Bass funky as hell, vocals delivered with force and emotion. Always very rhythmic, it sounds like I could grab the groove and hold onto it like it's something tangible. Even a lot of his slow songs have a prominent kick drum or groove. That combined with his production I feel made his sound. He wasn't a Quincy Jones/MJ kind of producer, making sure everything is polished and perfect. He wanted to get his feelings and emotions out of his system in the best way that he would, in the quickest way that he could.

His RHYTHM!