Not sure if this topic has been covered, but would like fan input on what 5 records you think Prince spent the most time on or struggled to complete. My picks for the albums that may have caused him the most duress:

1 Emancipation- For the sheer length of this recording, so many songs to write, and edit down to 1 hour per disc

2 For You- Well documented Prince spent a lot of money using studio time to perfect his debut, guessing he was feeling the pressure, and was exhibiting perfectionistic tendencies

3 Purple Rain- Input and collaboration may have slowed down his work, but also this record sounds so perfect, obviously tons of songs were recorded for project, was going for it and did not want anything not half brilliant

4 Sign o the Times- different configurations, back and forth with the record company, a lot of songs, again setting bar high for quality tracks and a nice flow to the record

5 Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic- getting quite a few guest spots arranged, lots of songs, feeling pressure as 1999 could have been another fab Prince year, this one even sounds laboured, doubt the songs came to him as quick as usual

Honorable mention - Art Official Age- A more conceptual record, a unusual amount of time between this and his previous released material, again very solid material

I guess I could do thread for top 5 releases which came together quickest, think this would be an easier task, but will see how this thread goes over first

runningbear said:

Not sure if this topic has been covered, but would like fan input on what 5 records you think Prince spent the most time on or struggled to complete. My picks for the albums that may have caused him the most duress:

1 Emancipation- For the sheer length of this recording, so many songs to write, and edit down to 1 hour per disc

2 For You- Well documented Prince spent a lot of money using studio time to perfect his debut, guessing he was feeling the pressure, and was exhibiting perfectionistic tendencies

3 Purple Rain- Input and collaboration may have slowed down his work, but also this record sounds so perfect, obviously tons of songs were recorded for project, was going for it and did not want anything not half brilliant

4 Sign o the Times- different configurations, back and forth with the record company, a lot of songs, again setting bar high for quality tracks and a nice flow to the record

5 Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic- getting quite a few guest spots arranged, lots of songs, feeling pressure as 1999 could have been another fab Prince year, this one even sounds laboured, doubt the songs came to him as quick as usual

Honorable mention - Art Official Age- A more conceptual record, a unusual amount of time between this and his previous released material, again very solid material

I guess I could do thread for top 5 releases which came together quickest, think this would be an easier task, but will see how this thread goes over first

I am sure he felt pressure to have "hit" albums, but all of these albums were released in a year's time of it's predecessor, so I don't think he spent the quality time on them, say like MJ, 5 years between Thriller and Bad. ... Particularly with "Rave" lots of pressure for that being a hit...which it wasn't. For You had to be stressful, his 1st album with all the creative control for a 19/20 year old.

thedoorkeeper said:

Your conclusion being what?? That long gestation resulted in...???? Or do you even have a point?

my point is some records were certainly came quicker and easier than others...Batman soundtrack, Dirty Mind are albums that comes to mind...irrelevant is how how much critical acclaim or sales these records generated.

Sometimes in all our lives things seem easier, other times we make have to work harder to generate a result, can apply to anything, but sports would be a good example, often frame of mind is a factor.

My conclusion was considering all the factors in Prince's life at the time, and the pressure of not really having a record company behind him, and wanting to release a very lengthy record, that he would tell the world something like he was born to make this 3CD set, perhaps recording Emancipation was a tough process.

I was thinking others may have different perspective.

You can ignore if you feel the topic is irrelevant

I can't speak for what happened after "Purple Rain" but Duane Tudahl documented that Prince spent way more time on the song "Take Me With U" than he had with any other song,ever. Part of it was getting Appolonia's part right; part of it was that he kept changing and adding stuff to the song.

Amazingly, 10 years later he made one little change to the bridge. The man just never, ever quit thinking about how to make stuff better.

RodeoSchro said:

RodeoSchro said:

I can't speak for what happened after "Purple Rain" but Duane Tudahl documented that Prince spent way more time on the song "Take Me With U" than he had with any other song,ever. Part of it was getting Appolonia's part right; part of it was that he kept changing and adding stuff to the song.

Amazingly, 10 years later he made one little change to the bridge. The man just never, ever quit thinking about how to make stuff better.

I thought Baby I'm A Star is the one he worked on the most? Doing overdubs and overdubs for a good 2 weeks?

PRNelson said:

RodeoSchro said:

I can't speak for what happened after "Purple Rain" but Duane Tudahl documented that Prince spent way more time on the song "Take Me With U" than he had with any other song,ever. Part of it was getting Appolonia's part right; part of it was that he kept changing and adding stuff to the song.

Amazingly, 10 years later he made one little change to the bridge. The man just never, ever quit thinking about how to make stuff better.

Interesting. What was the change he made in recent years? Thanks. Love that bridge.

Originally the first two lines of the bridge were over an Fma7 chord. In the early '90's he changed it and broke it up into two chords - Fmaj7 and G/A (a G chord with an A note added).

So, on the "Purple Rain" album it's

F Maj7
I don't care if we spend the night in your mansion

And then it became

F Maj 7
I don't care if we

G/A
spend the night in your mansion

Same thing with the "I don't care if we spend the night on the town" line.

The first time I noticed that, I literally fell out of my chair. Who in the Sam Hill makes one little change to the brdige if a non-hit song he wrote 10 years earlier?!?

Listen to the "Purple Rain" version and the "One Night Alone" live version (or really, any version played after 1994 or so) and you'll hear what I'm talking about.

runningbear said:

3 Purple Rain- Input and collaboration may have slowed down his work, but also this record sounds so perfect, obviously tons of songs were recorded for project, was going for it and did not want anything not half brilliant

A number of the basic tracks were done live, so it would be more about the writing and arranging, and then maybe the edits. He was working quickly in those days too.

Batman sounds like it was a lot of work.

RodeoSchro said:

Listen to the "Purple Rain" version and the "One Night Alone" live version (or really, any version played after 1994 or so) and you'll hear what I'm talking about.

I just listened to it for that sake. To say you're overreacting is a bit weak. The right reaction would be 'get a life'. You acted as if he just blew Mozart out of the water.

runningbear said:

Not sure if this topic has been covered, but would like fan input on what 5 records you think Prince spent the most time on or struggled to complete. My picks for the albums that may have caused him the most duress:

1 Emancipation- For the sheer length of this recording, so many songs to write, and edit down to 1 hour per disc

2 For You- Well documented Prince spent a lot of money using studio time to perfect his debut, guessing he was feeling the pressure, and was exhibiting perfectionistic tendencies

3 Purple Rain- Input and collaboration may have slowed down his work, but also this record sounds so perfect, obviously tons of songs were recorded for project, was going for it and did not want anything not half brilliant

4 Sign o the Times- different configurations, back and forth with the record company, a lot of songs, again setting bar high for quality tracks and a nice flow to the record

5 Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic- getting quite a few guest spots arranged, lots of songs, feeling pressure as 1999 could have been another fab Prince year, this one even sounds laboured, doubt the songs came to him as quick as usual

Honorable mention - Art Official Age- A more conceptual record, a unusual amount of time between this and his previous released material, again very solid material

I guess I could do thread for top 5 releases which came together quickest, think this would be an easier task, but will see how this thread goes over first

As a fan for quite a while before Purple Rain, I have to say that even though I liked it, the material on Purple Rain at the time came across as "thin" sounding compared to tracks like DMSR on it's predicessor. Same with Ice Cream Castles: LOVED that album, but back then I could tell that the material was VERY THIN compared to those albums that came before it.

[Edited 1/27/20 7:09am]

RodeoSchro said:

I can't speak for what happened after "Purple Rain" but Duane Tudahl documented that Prince spent way more time on the song "Take Me With U" than he had with any other song,ever. Part of it was getting Appolonia's part right; part of it was that he kept changing and adding stuff to the song.

Amazingly, 10 years later he made one little change to the bridge. The man just never, ever quit thinking about how to make stuff better.

And Prince's bodyguard Chick said in an interview that Prince wrote that particular song in FIVE MINUTES.

TheFman said:

mydrawers said:

at the time came across as "thin" sounding compared to tracks like DMSR on it's predicessor.

Huh? DMSR was just a generic disco funk party track. He touches on a lot of signatures (some even cliche) of dance music, and funk breakdowns, and does it better than anyone, but it's the definition of thin for me, the lyrics are secondary to a party chant. It could be 3 minutes long instead of 8. If DMSR was your jam, then Purple Rain would have been alienating for sure, he was writing songs not just break downs, and transitions.

RodeoSchro said:

TheFman said:

I just listened to it for that sake. To say you're overreacting is a bit weak. The right reaction would be 'get a life'. You acted as if he just blew Mozart out of the water.

Did Mozart ever change the bridge of one of HIS songs?

He didnt have to and neither did P in TMWY (not that it's a bad turn but the original was good as it was)

lavendardrummachine said:

runningbear said:

3 Purple Rain- Input and collaboration may have slowed down his work, but also this record sounds so perfect, obviously tons of songs were recorded for project, was going for it and did not want anything not half brilliant

A number of the basic tracks were done live, so it would be more about the writing and arranging, and then maybe the edits. He was working quickly in those days too.

Batman sounds like it was a lot of work.

In the promotion for Batman it was claimed he completed the entire album in three weeks. That may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but I think it is generally accepted that he pumped that one out pretty quickly.

A weird factroid from Duhdal's book...

Prince spent like THREE WEEKS on the track TAKE ME WITH U....

He really spent a huge amount of time on it...versus the length of time he spent on most tracks...

TheFman said:

RodeoSchro said:

TheFman said: Did Mozart ever change the bridge of one of HIS songs?

He didnt have to and neither did P in TMWY (not that it's a bad turn but the original was good as it was)

That's the point! Prince DID tinker with it, and for no discernable reason other than he was a genius who never quit thinking about how to make better music.