Due to a current personal infatuation with this album and time period, I am hereby dedicating a thread regarding any and all matters related to Parade/1986 - An Era of Prince & The Revolution.

Feel free to post any memories you may have, reminisce, discuss matters related to the movie (Under The Cherry Moon), talk about a particular song, which songs would you have loved to see make it on the album, the tour that followed, also feel free to post some pictures from around that time so we can get a wonderfully nostalgic atmosphere in this thread!

(My ambition is to continue a dedication of threads for each year in Prince's career, so let's try and make each as one good as possible!)

Thanks, & I look forward to a very enjoyable thread!

For all you fellow fams out there*

I feel that it is a complete travasty that "love or money" was not included on the album.


Just had to get that off of my chest.

Aahhh. It was the summer of 1986 (I think!). I bought my 12" Kiss Single and Parade album from a small wrekastow down the block in SilverLake Los Angeles and walked home with it in between my textbooks.

I remember going to see Under The Cherry Moon with a friend late in the afternoon at a theater on Hollywood Blvd. I remember just having a great time and laughin my buns off. We came out of the theater just it loving it.



Hollywood Blvd. still gives me nostagia for the era because the film reminded me of the old Hollywood glamour and there was and still is a feel for that time amongst the shops and murals and art deco buildings sprinkled around the area, for example the Max Factor building.



There was also a great, great record shop on the blvd, The Rock Shop, it was huge and I remember all the Parade era posters and records. I think I bought a record or single there and then when I went home with it I remember seeing the Bills adverstising Parade with the cover shot posted all over the construction boards.

It was raining that day, yes I guess it was raining around that time. But it added to the feel of the black and white mood of the album.

I also remember me and a friend hearing that Prince and The Revolution were going to play the Wiltern Theater on the corner of Wilshire and Western. My friend, who's still a big fan, we last went to the Hit N Run 2000 show at the Palladium, well he came from Glendale and we dashed on to busses trying to get to the box office! By the time we got there, the tickets of course were sold out. Tear. I REALLY wanted to see them.



That night though on the local news they showed footage from the show! The Wiltern show! They were performing Raspberry Bereet and Prince had on his Kiss outfit in that bright blue color and they showed him dancing and walking around the stage full body shot!



It was a great but brief video footage! I wonder if anyone caught that. I've always been wanting to contact one of the TV news stations about that footage, but never got around it.

I also remember that radio stations, popular ones, like KISS-FM and KDAY were running a promo radio commercial for the Parade album!

Now the fascinating part of this radio commercial was that Wendy & Lisa spoke similar to the Computer Blue monotone exchange between them and they said something like "The new album from Prince and The Revolution, Parade, Soundtrack for the movie Under The Cherry Moon" with "I Wonder U" and other songs playing in the background.

I could tell it was not put together by the actual radio stations, it sounded very Prince like in production, put out by the WB and Paisley Park...very rare radio spot and commercial. Anyone ever record it?!

I also remember loving the Mountains video and seeing it over and over again on MTV on sunny days with the sunset shining through the windows.

And being inspired to pick up a guitar and learn that super funky chicken scratching from the UCM movie premier show, when Prince and The Revolution did Controvercy!



One of the thing I fondly remember is how Prince was everywhere, magazines, MTV, Rolling Stone, Black Beat, American Music Awards, with a new expanded band! it was a fun and exciting time!

All Music Guide has said that if Parade had been a double album as originally planned, it would've rivaled Sign as his best. I don't know if I agree, but it would've been interesting to see how it turned out.

Songs I would've liked to see make the cut:

Love Or Money
Alexa De Paris
Others Here With Us
An Honest Man
Mia Bocca
Neon Telephone
Heaven
Old Friends 4 Sale
Splash
Go
High Fashion
Mutiny
Desire

lovebizzare said:

Agreed. And why was it not on the Hits/B-sides? And whilst we are on the subject, only one Parade track on the entire afore-mentioned 3 CD set!

TheJoker, you must have read my mind. Last night I just got through watching UTCM and this arvo I just listened to the Parade album!

UTCM is a great movie (as long as you don't take it too seriously!) and I just love that sound that the Parade album has, especially the mixture of drum machines, drums and percussion that is used. And then there's Clare Fischer! (enough said ) The album is up there with the greats IMO

Fav song of the '86: LIFE CAN BE SO NICE. Can't get enough of that groove at the end!

Got to be my FAVORITE album! Love the vibe, the feel the whole deal! besides I think Prince looked the sexiest during this period...don't know what it was..but I think he "did" his eyebrows back then...looked so good! and that big hair! loved it!
Flyingcloud that was a geat post! thanx!

The original Old Friends 4 Sale demo is one of the deepest, soulbaring tracks he's done imho. Prince would never put something like that on record unfortunately ;-(

Parade is still pretty cool though.

Another half baked theory I came up with the other day: It is said that Kate Bush' Hounds Of Love (1985) was a huge influence on Prince in that period. I don't see the direct connection, but maybe it was one of the things that inspired him to make those themed 'conceptalbums' with songs segueing into eachother, like Parade and Lovesexy.

I just started a new thread 'What was Prince listening to when he wrote...'. I think Venus The Milo was inspired by Burt Bacharach's April Fools. And Mountains is very close to being a rip-off of Don't Stop Till You Get Enough (Michael Jackson). Don't get mad. I could be wrong.

Anotherloverholenyohead must be one of the unlikeliest singles (yes it was!) ever released by anyone. Love it.

Oh my...Parade was the first P's album that I've bought, in april 86 + see Prince & The Revolution live on the Parade Tour - Paris August 86 - definitively changed my life - will Roadhouse Garden ever be released?

TRON said:

*
[This message was edited Mon Apr 14 12:15:51 PDT 2003 by jn2]

Shorty said:

Thanks! Yes, I just remembered another experience!

Sheila E. at the Universal Ampitheater in '86! Although I didn't go, I heard on the radio about how Prince & The Revolution got on stage for the encore and tore up the joint!

That was exciting! I heard that Prince jumped into the crowd or sang in the aisled and circled back to the stage!

When I got Sheila's live video which was taken from a SF show soon after or before, it helped visualize what might have happened during that show.

I love EVERYTHING about Prince during this ERA!! :worshiP: This is the official ERA I LOVE HIM IN!!! :worshiP: He was sooo cute and sooo fun and sooo carefree and sooo devilish () and sooo classically Prince during this time!!! :worshiP: I LuV LuV LuV LuV LuV LuV LuV LuV LuV LuV This PRINCE TIME PERIOD!!! MAY IT LIVE AND BREATHE ON 4 EVAAA!! :worshiP:
Parade Parade Parade Parade

FlyingCloudPassenger said:

Hey nice pictures! You still live in Silverlake?That's where I live!

i was only 5 at the time, so no testimonial from me

Wow Y'all! Great stuff - thank you so much. Keep it coming, keep it coming!

Peace, Love & Respect*

1986

peterlucas said:

Good point!
What about a connection between "Parade" and Joe Jacksons "Night & Day" (1982)? Just a thought . . .

FlyingCloudPassenger said:

Could you please tell me what show that pic is taken from where Prince is playing the Black Cloud w/ Wendy?

jn2 said:[quote]Oh my...Parade was the first P's album that I've bought, in april 86 + see Prince & The Revolution live on the Parade Tour - Paris August 86 - definitively changed my life - will Roadhouse Garden ever be released?

Quelle chance de l'avoir vu à Paris en 86! Enfin bon le concert de cette année était fabuleux aussi , non?

peterlucas said:

very well spotted sir.

I have 2 say, I thought the Parade shows were the tightest, most awesome shows (musically at least) he ever did. The LoveseXy tour is still THE REAL DEAL 4 me, and holds great memories, but man-O-man, that Parade tour, i get cold sweats just thinkin about it - that band were seeringly hot!

"I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYBODY SAYS - I GOT THE BADDEST BAND IN THE UNIVERSE!"

BTW:
I saw some photos once that were taken by fans in either Paris or the back of Wembley Arena in London in '86, where Prince had come over 2 the fence, and they'd passed him a teddy bear, and he was all smiles - they were GREAT pix, Ive seen them once since - does anybody know the ones Im talkin' about and maybe have them available 2 post 4 all 2 see?

My own version of Parade that I made ages ago...
(most tracks segue into eachother)

1. An Honest Man (1:11)
2. Christopher Tracy's Parade (2:10)
3. New Position (2:20)
4. I Wonder U (1:36)
5. Mia Bocca (instrumental) (2:50)
6. Love Or Money (6:50)
7. Do U Lie? (2:39)
8. Alexa De Paris (4:52)
9. Girls & Boys (5:29)
10. Life Can Be So Nice (3:12)
11. Venus De Milo (1:52)
12. Under The Cherry Moon (2:56)
13. Kiss (6:59)
14. Anotherloverholenyohead (7:03)
15. Old Friends 4 Sale (3:27)
16. Mountains (9:31)
17. Sometimes It Snows In April (6:49)
.

i remember when the album came out, mar 31, 1986. i had just bought a CD player a month earlier, so i was all into digital music. parade came out that day on record and cassette, but no CD!!! which to choose? i bought the cassette so i could listen in the car. well, let me tell u, the poor quality of my car stereo did not do justice to the music. i listened, scratched my head, listened some more...wondered, "what is prince doing here?" why doesn't he just rock out, for crying out loud?" my favorite cut was "mountains", now i realise, 'cause it sounded the most like older prince. anyway, parade didn't come out on CD till maybe june or july, and it seemed like an eternity waiting. i would check the CD section of every record store in town diligently, daily loking 4 it. when i finally got it, took it home and heard the opening drums and strings of "chris tracy's parade", i was floored!!! nothing could prepare me for that. the sound so bold and sophisticated, so rich and majestic. it just HAD to b heard on CD.
needless to say, parade grew on me over the years. i never stopped listening to it, even when i didn't quite get it. it set things up nicely for madhouse 8 and sign o' the times, i think. right around the time that madhouse 6 12" came out, i was really into the mountains re-mix 12" and was thinking, i want more of this jamming stuff...
unfortunatley, i missed the parade tour when it rolled into detroit that year. a liitle too hit n' run, if u ask me. i didn't even hear about it till it was over, and i saw someone at the mall weraing a parade t-shit: i'm like, "where's u get that?" she goes; "at the concert"
duh-oh!!!

I was 4.

I have no memories of Prince at the actual time this was popular, but I remember discovering it about 15 years later... and I couldn't believe my ears. It's an awesome album and movie... nothing else will ever come close to the happy yet bittersweet and carefree attitude it's all conveying.

peterlucas said:

Hounds Of Love definetly inspired Prince, just as much as HOunds was inspired BY Prince though. Kate used a LINN Drum machine on that record, & has been quoted as being blown away with the programming on 1999.

But when Kate & Del Palmer used the LINN on Hounds; they approached it in a different more artsy avant garde way then Prince had. Princes's use of strings, & sparse ambient LINN sounds with effects is definetly spawned by KATE.

And "Mountains"..."Don't Stop.." what are you smoking? Not even similar.

FlyingCloudPassenger said:

Thanks for your post and those WONDERFUL photos!!!

I have a couple UTCM era anecdotes:

I remember my mother & aunt took me to see UTCM, & they would dance in the theater during the music parts...I recall very distincly "I would be emberassed...if there was anyone else in the theater." I was 8 years old, Its still my favorite movie, great tongue & cheek comedy.

The other memory I had was:
My mother felt i was to young to go to a prince concert during the purple rain tour...& she considered taking to me to see Sheila E, a couple years later as a replacment/compensation (this is when Prince was "retired"). I wasn't to interested in her, so she went with my father instead (pops hates Prince, but accepts Sheila E.) Wouldn't you know it-But Prince comes out at the end of Sheila's set to play "A Love Bizarre". You know that famous performance at the Warfield in SF that was on Romance 1600 live video. That show! My mom broke the news to me the next morning, & I remember going in my room & crying like a little baby...hey I was kid. I'll always remember that.

I was 13 when this CD came out and I can only WISH I was into Prince then! DAMN!! I think I discovered Parade in around 1994! I'm with Cherrymoon, This era has got to be my favorite, the look, the feel the whole deal!
I have a video of a parade concert and ooohh weee! the man is on fire! the whole "burnin' up" part
here's a pic from a similar (if not the same) concert. This is where the video gets GOOD!

YO!

Shorty said:

Hey! Where did you get the link for these photos! They're great!