This is my current Holy Grail Unreleased Track (HGUT).

The version released in 1987 has got to be a complete re-recording.

For one, it's got live drums on it. The music that Prince was laying down in 1982 in the studio was almost exclusively Linn Drum/Drum Machine-driven.

Has anyone here heard it? What's it sound like??

soladeo1 said:

This is my current Holy Grail Unreleased Track (HGUT).

The version released in 1987 has got to be a complete re-recording.

For one, it's got live drums on it. The music that Prince was laying down in 1982 in the studio was almost exclusively Linn Drum/Drum Machine-driven.

Has anyone here heard it? What's it sound like??

Researchers so far said it was the same basic tracks. But who knows what was rerecorded. I guess we'll have to wait for Duane's 81-82 book

Um, that's not live drums on the 1987 version. Drum machine all the way.

cb70 said:

Um, that's not live drums on the 1987 version. Drum machine all the way.

I'd always assumed it was live drums but just playing bits of it right now and on a quick listen I couldn't tell for sure. But I'm sure someone can.

If it's confirmed to be a drum machine I'll be so bluffed. 27 years thinking it was a live drum on a song I've listened to hundreds of times

databank said:

cb70 said:

Um, that's not live drums on the 1987 version. Drum machine all the way.

I'd always assumed it was live drums but just playing bits of it right now and on a quick listen I couldn't tell for sure. But I'm sure someone can.

If it's confirmed to be a drum machine I'll be so bluffed. 27 years thinking it was a live drum on a song I've listened to hundreds of times

.

I think it's based on drum machine but has some real drums on it too (toms for example).

Kares said:

databank said:

I'd always assumed it was live drums but just playing bits of it right now and on a quick listen I couldn't tell for sure. But I'm sure someone can.

If it's confirmed to be a drum machine I'll be so bluffed. 27 years thinking it was a live drum on a song I've listened to hundreds of times

.

I think it's based on drum machine but has some real drums on it too (toms for example).

Mmmh, thx, it makes sense.

OK, I'm bluffed

Supposedly Prince took ICNTTPOYM out of the Vault in '86 and re-recorded it, according to The Vault. Then he was recording with live drums all over the place, ususually on top of wickegly inventive drum machine loops/beats.

I wouldn't be surprised if the 1982 version is widely different - more stark, more robotic, more "punk".

soladeo1 said:

This is my current Holy Grail Unreleased Track (HGUT).

The version released in 1987 has got to be a complete re-recording.

For one, it's got live drums on it. The music that Prince was laying down in 1982 in the studio was almost exclusively Linn Drum/Drum Machine-driven.

Has anyone here heard it? What's it sound like??

i haven't but I thought from the first time that i heard it that it was in the same vein as "when you were mine" so it didn't surprise me that it was written in that era.

soladeo1 said:

This is my current Holy Grail Unreleased Track (HGUT).

The version released in 1987 has got to be a complete re-recording.

For one, it's got live drums on it. The music that Prince was laying down in 1982 in the studio was almost exclusively Linn Drum/Drum Machine-driven.

Has anyone here heard it? What's it sound like??

The released version is still the Linn LM-1, but with the high-tuned snare, the Fairlight, and other percussion elements on top of it. I haven't heard the basic tracks either, but, it could've still been that same foundation. It could likely sound similar to "Let's Pretend We're Married".

databank said:

cb70 said:

Um, that's not live drums on the 1987 version. Drum machine all the way.

I'd always assumed it was live drums but just playing bits of it right now and on a quick listen I couldn't tell for sure. But I'm sure someone can.

If it's confirmed to be a drum machine I'll be so bluffed. 27 years thinking it was a live drum on a song I've listened to hundreds of times

It's a drum machine. No doubt at all. Not even a little. As someone who has worked with drum machines from the TR-808, LinnDrum, all the way up to more modern things as well as being an actual drummer, this is a drum machine. There's a 4 bar pattern that repeats endlessly aside from the bridge where the snare track is muted. The hi hat never changes in sound, volume, or part. It's steady, open hi hat in quarter notes. The drum pattern never changes (though a very drum machine-sounding floor tom is intriduced in the pre-choruses). The verses are 4 repetitions of 16 bar phrases. This works great for the drum pattern. The pre-choruses are half as long. The chorus, however, is 2 repetitions of 16 bars followed by 18 bars. This lenghtened section causes the simple 4 bar drum machine pattern to stop repeating in the same places it did in the first verse. This is no genius move, this is Prince programming a basic pattern and letting it run. He played the song over it and it all worked out. The Earth isn't flat, climate change is real, and the drums on ICNTTPOYM aren't rea;.

databank said:

Kares said:

.

I think it's based on drum machine but has some real drums on it too (toms for example).

The toms are fake, too.

steakfinger said:

databank said:

I'd always assumed it was live drums but just playing bits of it right now and on a quick listen I couldn't tell for sure. But I'm sure someone can.

If it's confirmed to be a drum machine I'll be so bluffed. 27 years thinking it was a live drum on a song I've listened to hundreds of times

It's a drum machine. No doubt at all. Not even a little. As someone who has worked with drum machines from the TR-808, LinnDrum, all the way up to more modern things as well as being an actual drummer, this is a drum machine. There's a 4 bar pattern that repeats endlessly aside from the bridge where the snare track is muted. The hi hat never changes in sound, volume, or part. It's steady, open hi hat in quarter notes. The drum pattern never changes (though a very drum machine-sounding floor tom is intriduced in the pre-choruses). The verses are 4 repetitions of 16 bar phrases. This works great for the drum pattern. The pre-choruses are half as long. The chorus, however, is 2 repetitions of 16 bars followed by 18 bars. This lenghtened section causes the simple 4 bar drum machine pattern to stop repeating in the same places it did in the first verse. This is no genius move, this is Prince programming a basic pattern and letting it run. He played the song over it and it all worked out. The Earth isn't flat, climate change is real, and the drums on ICNTTPOYM aren't rea;.

But were those machines available in 1982? They sound mid mid 80 drum machines and patterns. Way too warm for 1982-era tech...

soladeo1 said:

steakfinger said:

It's a drum machine. No doubt at all. Not even a little. As someone who has worked with drum machines from the TR-808, LinnDrum, all the way up to more modern things as well as being an actual drummer, this is a drum machine. There's a 4 bar pattern that repeats endlessly aside from the bridge where the snare track is muted. The hi hat never changes in sound, volume, or part. It's steady, open hi hat in quarter notes. The drum pattern never changes (though a very drum machine-sounding floor tom is intriduced in the pre-choruses). The verses are 4 repetitions of 16 bar phrases. This works great for the drum pattern. The pre-choruses are half as long. The chorus, however, is 2 repetitions of 16 bars followed by 18 bars. This lenghtened section causes the simple 4 bar drum machine pattern to stop repeating in the same places it did in the first verse. This is no genius move, this is Prince programming a basic pattern and letting it run. He played the song over it and it all worked out. The Earth isn't flat, climate change is real, and the drums on ICNTTPOYM aren't rea;.

But were those machines available in 1982? They sound mid mid 80 drum machines and patterns. Way too warm for 1982-era tech...

87!!

soladeo1 said:

steakfinger said:

It's a drum machine. No doubt at all. Not even a little. As someone who has worked with drum machines from the TR-808, LinnDrum, all the way up to more modern things as well as being an actual drummer, this is a drum machine. There's a 4 bar pattern that repeats endlessly aside from the bridge where the snare track is muted. The hi hat never changes in sound, volume, or part. It's steady, open hi hat in quarter notes. The drum pattern never changes (though a very drum machine-sounding floor tom is intriduced in the pre-choruses). The verses are 4 repetitions of 16 bar phrases. This works great for the drum pattern. The pre-choruses are half as long. The chorus, however, is 2 repetitions of 16 bars followed by 18 bars. This lenghtened section causes the simple 4 bar drum machine pattern to stop repeating in the same places it did in the first verse. This is no genius move, this is Prince programming a basic pattern and letting it run. He played the song over it and it all worked out. The Earth isn't flat, climate change is real, and the drums on ICNTTPOYM aren't rea;.

But were those machines available in 1982? They sound mid mid 80 drum machines and patterns. Way too warm for 1982-era tech...

He acquired the prototype for the Linn LM-1 around 1981. The 808 was out since 1980, and the LinnDrum was released in 1982.

scorp84 said:

soladeo1 said:

But were those machines available in 1982? They sound mid mid 80 drum machines and patterns. Way too warm for 1982-era tech...

He acquired the prototype for the Linn LM-1 around 1981. The 808 was out since 1980, and the LinnDrum was released in 1982.

.
It wasn't a prototype – the LM-1 came out in 1980 and several of them were already sold before Prince bought his first.

Errr ... Prince?

Sorry, couldn't resist when I saw the thread title.

Kares said:

scorp84 said:

He acquired the prototype for the Linn LM-1 around 1981. The 808 was out since 1980, and the LinnDrum was released in 1982.

.
It wasn't a prototype – the LM-1 came out in 1980 and several of them were already sold before Prince bought his first.

There were early versions of the machine that were shopped around and sold to musicians who could afford it at the time. Prince was one of them. A slightly altered version was put out on the market later on.

steakfinger said:

databank said:

I'd always assumed it was live drums but just playing bits of it right now and on a quick listen I couldn't tell for sure. But I'm sure someone can.

If it's confirmed to be a drum machine I'll be so bluffed. 27 years thinking it was a live drum on a song I've listened to hundreds of times

It's a drum machine. No doubt at all. Not even a little. As someone who has worked with drum machines from the TR-808, LinnDrum, all the way up to more modern things as well as being an actual drummer, this is a drum machine. There's a 4 bar pattern that repeats endlessly aside from the bridge where the snare track is muted. The hi hat never changes in sound, volume, or part. It's steady, open hi hat in quarter notes. The drum pattern never changes (though a very drum machine-sounding floor tom is intriduced in the pre-choruses). The verses are 4 repetitions of 16 bar phrases. This works great for the drum pattern. The pre-choruses are half as long. The chorus, however, is 2 repetitions of 16 bars followed by 18 bars. This lenghtened section causes the simple 4 bar drum machine pattern to stop repeating in the same places it did in the first verse. This is no genius move, this is Prince programming a basic pattern and letting it run. He played the song over it and it all worked out. The Earth isn't flat, climate change is real, and the drums on ICNTTPOYM aren't rea;.

Spot-on analysis, I love reading nerdy music stuff like this

Thx guys for your expertise

So it is a drum machine, damn!

scorp84 said:

Kares said:

.
It wasn't a prototype – the LM-1 came out in 1980 and several of them were already sold before Prince bought his first.

There were early versions of the machine that were shopped around and sold to musicians who could afford it at the time. Prince was one of them. A slightly altered version was put out on the market later on.

.
The LM-1 went through 2 major (and several minor) revisions while it was produced. Afaik the initial machine have been sold to several musicians (most notably Stevie Wonder who insisted on having serial number 1, but apparently his machine wasn't really the very first, but Roger Linn still made him one with that serial number), before they contacted Prince and told him about the others who already have one. At least this is the info I gathered from various sources, but of course I'm not Roger Linn.