I'm curious, especially with so many hitting the market lately, what is something you want out of a book on Prince that you haven't gotten yet?

The photographer books are interesting, and the stories are fun. They serve a purpose, but they don't truly check that Prince making music box for me.

For me, it'd be more insight from those working on the music with him in the studio. Not so much from a writing perspective, though that would be interesting, but from a production perspective. Sequencing track lists, different choices as far as instrumentation, and so on. A deeper focus on the business side of things, what did and did not work out.

I know some people want the 411 on the love affairs, while others want to know the business side of what was actually going on.

One thing that I feel like is missing from many is the racial context of why Prince was so important in the early '80's. It's something hard to relate eloquently (I've tried on my blog, and always feel like I miss), but he brought the two divergent paths of rock back together. He got that cross-over success that allowed so many other artists of color that came after to achieve the same thing.

I want them to make Prince more human. Don't get me wrong, I'm interested in his music, but one of the reasons why people can't deal with the way he died is, that he kept this mystique up until he died. Mayte's book showed us what kind of father he would've been if his son had lived. Sure she told us about Prince, the boss, but still.

It's just, I don't want to look at him as an alien kind of being, he's more like a machine, not a human being. So it would be great if people like, let's say, Andre writing books about Prince, the guy. I bought the PR era studio sessions and they're an interesting read, but it doesn't tell us much about Prince as a regular guy. It's about Prince the musician. I think we've heard enough stories about that, it's time to shine a light on his human side. I think it would make people deal better with circumstances around his death.

But that's just my 2 cents.

ThatWhiteDude said:

The URL in your signature line and on your profile are invalid or mistyped or both.

TrivialPursuit said:

The URL in your signature line and on your profile are invalid or mistyped or both.

Thank you!

I had to change the blog address months ago and thought I had updated everywhere.

The Listen 2 Prince blog is located at: https://listen2prince.blogspot.com/

I love background information / behind the scenes info

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not drama, but the process of a recording -timeline/rehearsals

I like when Sheila E described how Prince had the studio set up for the recording of Erotic City.
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The disappointing thing about her book and interviews in general is she never goes far into the recording of music or rehearsals etc with the band

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I want something in book form that reminds me of how I felt when I heard the fleshing out of Screams of Passion w/Prince & the Revolution

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Also more information on the shooting of videos

I want more in depth background information on recording sessions for the last 20 or so years of his career.