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Reply #30 posted 09/07/20 11:15am

Hamad

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SantanaMaitreya said:

Hamad said:

Prince reminds me of Duke Ellington, in the sense that he treated his instruments like characters as opposed to eminent objects. There's a human element to them, sometimes even a conversational quality to the way he played. Duke came at a time when piano virtuosos such as Willie 'The Lion' Smith, Fats Waller, Art Tatum & James P Johnson were his contempraries, they ecplised him technically and had more vocabulary in their playing than he ever did, but he dug within his imagination and brought something infinite from his own limitations that resonated with listeners globally. Prince couldn't play the guitar like Eddie Hazel, or bass like Bootsy Collins, or drums like his own drummer John Blackwell, or the keyboards like Bernie Worrell or Herbie Hancock, but what he lacked in their techincal skills, he drew many worlds with his imagination that made everyone of them tip their hats to him. Composionally, his music could range from simple to somewhat complex/abstract, moreso the former which to me is what made listeners resonate with his music.


Yes, all the musicians you mention may have been better on their instruments than Prince, but... John Blackwell didn't play guitar. Bernie Worrell didn't drum. Bootst Collins didn't dance. Herbie Hancock wasn't a songwriter. The great thing about Prince is that he was all of those things. And just like Duke Ellington or Sly Stone or George Clinton, sometimes I think that the "instrument" that he played the best was his band.


We’re saying the same thing smile
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Reply #31 posted 09/08/20 9:30am

lurker316

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Marc Mann (Jeff Lynne's guitar player) thought he was going to show the world what it means to be a true instrumentalist at the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Awards with his mastery of Eric Clapton's solo from My Guiitar Gently Weeps. How could Prince compete with that?

We all know how that turned out...








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Reply #32 posted 09/08/20 9:34am

daingermouz202
0

thebanishedone said:

I start this tread to be a comparation not competition based.there are lot of Purple Rain vs.Thriller discussions.Would you say that musicianship displayed on Purple Rain is inferior compared to an all star studio pros?



I'm more of a Prince fan but I've always considered Thriller to be overall better than Purple Rain and that's even if you remove the songs Human Nature, Billie Jean and The Girl is Mine.
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Reply #33 posted 09/08/20 10:27am

misiu

lurker316 said:


Marc Mann (Jeff Lynne's guitar player) thought he was going to show the world what it means to be a true instrumentalist at the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Awards with his mastery of Eric Clapton's solo from My Guiitar Gently Weeps. How could Prince compete with that?

We all know how that turned out...










Well back in the day i showed this one to a couple of musicians...they were not really impressed by it. They simply didnt like what he was playing...Not everyone likes it...
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Reply #34 posted 09/08/20 10:34am

misiu

daingermouz2020 said:

thebanishedone said:

I start this tread to be a comparation not competition based.there are lot of Purple Rain vs.Thriller discussions.Would you say that musicianship displayed on Purple Rain is inferior compared to an all star studio pros?



I'm more of a Prince fan but I've always considered Thriller to be overall better than Purple Rain and that's even if you remove the songs Human Nature, Billie Jean and The Girl is Mine.


I see it the same way. On mj records u hear perfection. He hired always the best musician und u can hear it...
This guy has so many funky melodic bass lines, simply great. I also think orince records are rather simple...feelS often like some loops...no bass at all or just some simple slaps here and there..
In the 90 it got better..still love prince!
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Reply #35 posted 09/09/20 12:40pm

SantanaMaitrey
a

misiu said:

daingermouz2020 said:




I'm more of a Prince fan but I've always considered Thriller to be overall better than Purple Rain and that's even if you remove the songs Human Nature, Billie Jean and The Girl is Mine.


I see it the same way. On mj records u hear perfection. He hired always the best musician und u can hear it...
This guy has so many funky melodic bass lines, simply great. I also think orince records are rather simple...feelS often like some loops...no bass at all or just some simple slaps here and there..
In the 90 it got better..still love prince!

Jackson hired the best musicians... Because he could afford them! I always have this idea that Jackson did it just to show off. Let's hire Jimmy Smith for an organ solo of a few seconds! Let's hire Slash for a guitar solo!
And when Prince was recording When Doves Cry, he made the creative decision to remove the bass. Less is more.
If you take any of this seriously, you're a bigger fool than I am.
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Reply #36 posted 09/10/20 10:11am

misiu

SantanaMaitreya said:

misiu said:



I see it the same way. On mj records u hear perfection. He hired always the best musician und u can hear it...
This guy has so many funky melodic bass lines, simply great. I also think orince records are rather simple...feelS often like some loops...no bass at all or just some simple slaps here and there..
In the 90 it got better..still love prince!

Jackson hired the best musicians... Because he could afford them! I always have this idea that Jackson did it just to show off. Let's hire Jimmy Smith for an organ solo of a few seconds! Let's hire Slash for a guitar solo!
And when Prince was recording When Doves Cry, he made the creative decision to remove the bass. Less is more.


Well, musically speaking, when doves cry is boring...i mean, the sung melodie repeats the whole time, no real chorus. The whole song feels like a loop. And the removed bass-line is replaced by drums...is this really spectacular? So those who replaced real bassguitarS with synth-bass made history? Dont think so...

But still the song is the bomb! I remember hearing it for the first time...realising that it sounds like pray😉
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Reply #37 posted 09/10/20 10:24am

jaawwnn

"musically speaking When Doves Cry is boring"


interesting take.

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Reply #38 posted 09/10/20 10:57am

RJOrion

jaawwnn said:

"musically speaking When Doves Cry is boring"


interesting take.

only at the org, would someone fix their fonts to say WDC is "boring"

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Reply #39 posted 09/10/20 12:51pm

thebanishedone

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jaawwnn said:

"musically speaking When Doves Cry is boring"


interesting take.

i dont think it weas meant as a critic.i think what fellow orger wanted to say that

its sparse ,lot of space,not too many things going on

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Reply #40 posted 09/10/20 12:59pm

misiu

RJOrion said:



jaawwnn said:


"musically speaking When Doves Cry is boring"


interesting take.






only at the org, would someone fix their fonts to say WDC is "boring"



Is it exiting to u as say little red corvette?Did u ever try to Play it with a band? where is the challenge? HAHAHA, almost the whole band can go for a walk. Theis almost nothing to play...


I love that song, the idea/creation is great, but lets be real, musicallyits a big loop

What carries the the song are the voices..maybe thats why he rarely played it live..because there is lot of space to fill (musically)
[Edited 9/10/20 13:06pm]
[Edited 9/10/20 13:07pm]
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Reply #41 posted 09/10/20 1:07pm

RJOrion

misiu said:

RJOrion said:

only at the org, would someone fix their fonts to say WDC is "boring"

Is it exiting to u as say little red corvette?Did u ever try to Play it with a band? where is the challenge? HAHAHA, almost the whole band can go for a walk. Theis almost nothing to play... I love that song, the idea/creation is great, but lets be real, musicallyits a big loop

WAY more exciting than LRC...melodic or rhythmic complexity doesnt always equate to a better or more "exciting" song... sometimes simple songs that keep a steady groove and melody, that has a kick ass pocket, is just as funky and exciting as anything else ...if not moreso...WDC and Letitgo are perfect examples of that... the only thing 'exciting' about LRC is Dez's solo

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Reply #42 posted 09/10/20 1:16pm

misiu

RJOrion said:



misiu said:


RJOrion said:





only at the org, would someone fix their fonts to say WDC is "boring"



Is it exiting to u as say little red corvette?Did u ever try to Play it with a band? where is the challenge? HAHAHA, almost the whole band can go for a walk. Theis almost nothing to play... I love that song, the idea/creation is great, but lets be real, musicallyits a big loop



WAY more exciting than LRC...melodic or rhythmic complexity doesnt always equate to a better or more "exciting" song... sometimes simple songs that keep a steady groove and melody, that has a kick ass pocket, is just as funky and exciting as anything else ...if not moreso...WDC and Letitgo are perfect examples of that... the only thing 'exciting' about LRC is Dez's solo



...a loop that runs for 5 minutes (just drums and some little synths) doesnt bore u... and the song goes almost nowhere...okay.

Still - musically boring. Not much going on. But the whole creation is still great as a song. Are now Satisfied?
[Edited 9/10/20 13:19pm]
lol
[Edited 9/10/20 13:21pm]
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Reply #43 posted 09/10/20 2:59pm

RJOrion

misiu said:

RJOrion said:



misiu said:


RJOrion said:





only at the org, would someone fix their fonts to say WDC is "boring"



Is it exiting to u as say little red corvette?Did u ever try to Play it with a band? where is the challenge? HAHAHA, almost the whole band can go for a walk. Theis almost nothing to play... I love that song, the idea/creation is great, but lets be real, musicallyits a big loop



WAY more exciting than LRC...melodic or rhythmic complexity doesnt always equate to a better or more "exciting" song... sometimes simple songs that keep a steady groove and melody, that has a kick ass pocket, is just as funky and exciting as anything else ...if not moreso...WDC and Letitgo are perfect examples of that... the only thing 'exciting' about LRC is Dez's solo



...a loop that runs for 5 minutes (just drums and some little synths) doesnt bore u... and the song goes almost nowhere...okay.

Still - musically boring. Not much going on. But the whole creation is still great as a song. Are now Satisfied?
[Edited 9/10/20 13:19pm]
lol
[Edited 9/10/20 13:21pm]


oh, im good...nothin personal, chief...i was just taken aback by the notion of WDC being boring... different strokes different folks.. im just always fascinated by how different people can have such differing opinions on the same subject...it leads to compelling interaction
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Reply #44 posted 09/10/20 3:18pm

Hamad

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It’s taken for granted because it was his break out hit maybe? But only Prince could use the drums as the voice behind the bass (in terms of popular music at least). Compositionally, the song is a masterpiece and hearing different other artists do their spin on it - whether they’re good at it or not - display how strong the melody is and how it could be configured in a different way depending on the artist’s style. For example, Mia Doi Todd’s version made me go back to the original and gain a new level of appreciation for it.
Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QLH82
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Reply #45 posted 09/10/20 4:08pm

thebanishedone

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RJOrion said:

misiu said:

RJOrion said: Is it exiting to u as say little red corvette?Did u ever try to Play it with a band? where is the challenge? HAHAHA, almost the whole band can go for a walk. Theis almost nothing to play... I love that song, the idea/creation is great, but lets be real, musicallyits a big loop

WAY more exciting than LRC...melodic or rhythmic complexity doesnt always equate to a better or more "exciting" song... sometimes simple songs that keep a steady groove and melody, that has a kick ass pocket, is just as funky and exciting as anything else ...if not moreso...WDC and Letitgo are perfect examples of that... the only thing 'exciting' about LRC is Dez's solo

I agree its a more exciting song than LRC .And its not true that a band would not have

what to play on When Doves Cry.

First that intro is hard to pick up by ear because Prince plays all kind of crazy stuff

but i did see people on youtube who played the same like Prince but its very rare .

Oberhaim string line at the end is very fast and precise and it will be a challenge for a lot of

keyboard players to do it the right way.

Im not sure if Prince maybe recorded that part at a slower tempo and than speed the recording.

LRC is a more conventional pop rock song but i think it would be interesting for any band to play

not because of instrumental virtuosity but because of great arrangment ,way everything builds up in a song.

Maybe Prince songs are not that hard to play or they are simple as separate elements but to replicate the song to sound like original is not easy at all.

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Reply #46 posted 09/10/20 4:20pm

masaba

daingermouz2020 said:

thebanishedone said:

I start this tread to be a comparation not competition based.there are lot of Purple Rain vs.Thriller discussions.Would you say that musicianship displayed on Purple Rain is inferior compared to an all star studio pros?



I'm more of a Prince fan but I've always considered Thriller to be overall better than Purple Rain and that's even if you remove the songs Human Nature, Billie Jean and The Girl is Mine.

So

Wanna Be Starting Something
Baby Be Mine
Beat It
Thriller
PYt
Lady in my life

Is better than Purple Rain? Are you cracked? And I love Thriller. But that album is carried by its great production. Beautiful Ones and Darling Nikki and Doves Cry... just a different level of creativity.
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Reply #47 posted 09/10/20 4:23pm

masaba

misiu said:

RJOrion said:



misiu said:


RJOrion said:





only at the org, would someone fix their fonts to say WDC is "boring"



Is it exiting to u as say little red corvette?Did u ever try to Play it with a band? where is the challenge? HAHAHA, almost the whole band can go for a walk. Theis almost nothing to play... I love that song, the idea/creation is great, but lets be real, musicallyits a big loop



WAY more exciting than LRC...melodic or rhythmic complexity doesnt always equate to a better or more "exciting" song... sometimes simple songs that keep a steady groove and melody, that has a kick ass pocket, is just as funky and exciting as anything else ...if not moreso...WDC and Letitgo are perfect examples of that... the only thing 'exciting' about LRC is Dez's solo



...a loop that runs for 5 minutes (just drums and some little synths) doesnt bore u... and the song goes almost nowhere...okay.

Still - musically boring. Not much going on. But the whole creation is still great as a song. Are now Satisfied?
[Edited 9/10/20 13:19pm]
lol
[Edited 9/10/20 13:21pm]
try and make a good song with that much space. You won't be able to you.
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Reply #48 posted 09/11/20 1:12am

jaawwnn

misiu said:

RJOrion said:

only at the org, would someone fix their fonts to say WDC is "boring"

Is it exiting to u as say little red corvette?Did u ever try to Play it with a band? where is the challenge? HAHAHA, almost the whole band can go for a walk. Theis almost nothing to play... I love that song, the idea/creation is great, but lets be real, musicallyits a big loop What carries the the song are the voices..maybe thats why he rarely played it live..because there is lot of space to fill (musically) [Edited 9/10/20 13:06pm] [Edited 9/10/20 13:07pm]

Would I be right in saying that in any band you've been in you're the guy who insists on soloing all the way through every tracK? How else would someone know you're a musician if you're not playing at 100% at all times, right?

Everyone loves that guy.




[Edited 9/11/20 1:13am]

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Reply #49 posted 09/11/20 2:58am

thebanishedone

avatar

jaawwnn said:

misiu said:

RJOrion said: Is it exiting to u as say little red corvette?Did u ever try to Play it with a band? where is the challenge? HAHAHA, almost the whole band can go for a walk. Theis almost nothing to play... I love that song, the idea/creation is great, but lets be real, musicallyits a big loop What carries the the song are the voices..maybe thats why he rarely played it live..because there is lot of space to fill (musically) [Edited 9/10/20 13:06pm] [Edited 9/10/20 13:07pm]

Would I be right in saying that in any band you've been in you're the guy who insists on soloing all the way through every tracK? How else would someone know you're a musician if you're not playing at 100% at all times, right?

Everyone loves that guy.




[Edited 9/11/20 1:13am]

jaawwn what u wrote is very funny but i dont think you understood RJorion .

What RJOrion meant is that not too much is going on on LRC except the solo

in terms of craftmenship .But there is a lots of things going on in the arrangement .

LRC is a very good song but its very standard compared to WDC.

But on the other hand Little Red Corvette is one of the first rock songs

feauturing a drum machine so maybe the importance of LRC is underrated compared to hoewWDC is seen

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Reply #50 posted 09/11/20 3:03am

thebanishedone

avatar

lurker316 said:


Marc Mann (Jeff Lynne's guitar player) thought he was going to show the world what it means to be a true instrumentalist at the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Awards with his mastery of Eric Clapton's solo from My Guiitar Gently Weeps. How could Prince compete with that?

We all know how that turned out...








I dont think Marc Mann had those intentions,but one thing is certain.nobody at the stage knew what Prince is going to play because during the rehearsal Michael was cutting

on Prince by playing second solo during the rehearsal.

The organiser was pissed and he thought Prince would be upset but Prince was like

dont worry let him do his thing and i will play at the end.

What Prince did at the end is nothing special in terms of what

he can do on guitar * check Whole Lotta Love indigo nights* but it was special in terms of vibe and energy ,you know those special moments that make palm of your hand sweat .

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Reply #51 posted 09/11/20 3:31am

jaawwnn

thebanishedone said:

jaawwnn said:

Would I be right in saying that in any band you've been in you're the guy who insists on soloing all the way through every tracK? How else would someone know you're a musician if you're not playing at 100% at all times, right?

Everyone loves that guy.




[Edited 9/11/20 1:13am]

jaawwn what u wrote is very funny but i dont think you understood RJorion .

What RJOrion meant is that not too much is going on on LRC except the solo

in terms of craftmenship .But there is a lots of things going on in the arrangement .

LRC is a very good song but its very standard compared to WDC.

But on the other hand Little Red Corvette is one of the first rock songs

feauturing a drum machine so maybe the importance of LRC is underrated compared to hoewWDC is seen

It was Misiu not RJorion but anyway,

"not too much going on in terms of craftmenship" - come on man, there's a lot going on. Without master craftsmanship that song could be a busy mess, everything that's going on is happening in the decision making process rather than in your face playing.

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Reply #52 posted 09/11/20 4:49am

thebanishedone

avatar

jaawwnn said:

thebanishedone said:

jaawwn what u wrote is very funny but i dont think you understood RJorion .

What RJOrion meant is that not too much is going on on LRC except the solo

in terms of craftmenship .But there is a lots of things going on in the arrangement .

LRC is a very good song but its very standard compared to WDC.

But on the other hand Little Red Corvette is one of the first rock songs

feauturing a drum machine so maybe the importance of LRC is underrated compared to hoewWDC is seen

It was Misiu not RJorion but anyway,

"not too much going on in terms of craftmenship" - come on man, there's a lot going on. Without master craftsmanship that song could be a busy mess, everything that's going on is happening in the decision making process rather than in your face playing.

what i meant was not too much going in terms of actual playing but read the other stuff i wrote.

i give praise to arrangement and innovation in terms of being one of the first songs in rock to use drum machine

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Reply #53 posted 09/11/20 5:00am

jaawwnn

thebanishedone said:

jaawwnn said:

It was Misiu not RJorion but anyway,

"not too much going on in terms of craftmenship" - come on man, there's a lot going on. Without master craftsmanship that song could be a busy mess, everything that's going on is happening in the decision making process rather than in your face playing.

what i meant was not too much going in terms of actual playing but read the other stuff i wrote.

i give praise to arrangement and innovation in terms of being one of the first songs in rock to use drum machine

I've read the other posts, perhaps we have slightly different definitions of "craftsmanship" which are leading to a misunderstanding. I already gave my opinion on the issue in general in post 34.

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Reply #54 posted 09/11/20 10:43am

misiu

thebanishedone said:



RJOrion said:




misiu said:


RJOrion said: Is it exiting to u as say little red corvette?Did u ever try to Play it with a band? where is the challenge? HAHAHA, almost the whole band can go for a walk. Theis almost nothing to play... I love that song, the idea/creation is great, but lets be real, musicallyits a big loop



WAY more exciting than LRC...melodic or rhythmic complexity doesnt always equate to a better or more "exciting" song... sometimes simple songs that keep a steady groove and melody, that has a kick ass pocket, is just as funky and exciting as anything else ...if not moreso...WDC and Letitgo are perfect examples of that... the only thing 'exciting' about LRC is Dez's solo



I agree its a more exciting song than LRC .And its not true that a band would not have


what to play on When Doves Cry.


First that intro is hard to pick up by ear because Prince plays all kind of crazy stuff


but i did see people on youtube who played the same like Prince but its very rare .


Oberhaim string line at the end is very fast and precise and it will be a challenge for a lot of


keyboard players to do it the right way.


Im not sure if Prince maybe recorded that part at a slower tempo and than speed the recording.


LRC is a more conventional pop rock song but i think it would be interesting for any band to play


not because of instrumental virtuosity but because of great arrangment ,way everything builds up in a song.


Maybe


Prince songs are not that hard to play or they are simple as separate elements but to replicate the song to sound like original is not easy at all.




Oh yes, this is treu. Our man had lot of problems to recreate the sounds live...and mostly failed unless The sound came from a tape
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Reply #55 posted 09/11/20 10:51am

misiu

jaawwnn said:



misiu said:


RJOrion said:





only at the org, would someone fix their fonts to say WDC is "boring"



Is it exiting to u as say little red corvette?Did u ever try to Play it with a band? where is the challenge? HAHAHA, almost the whole band can go for a walk. Theis almost nothing to play... I love that song, the idea/creation is great, but lets be real, musicallyits a big loop What carries the the song are the voices..maybe thats why he rarely played it live..because there is lot of space to fill (musically) [Edited 9/10/20 13:06pm] [Edited 9/10/20 13:07pm]

Would I be right in saying that in any band you've been in you're the guy who insists on soloing all the way through every tracK? How else would someone know you're a musician if you're not playing at 100% at all times, right?

Everyone loves that guy.




[Edited 9/11/20 1:13am]




...no...
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Reply #56 posted 09/11/20 11:30am

misiu

masaba said:

misiu said:



...a loop that runs for 5 minutes (just drums and some little synths) doesnt bore u... and the song goes almost nowhere...okay.

Still - musically boring. Not much going on. But the whole creation is still great as a song. Are now Satisfied?
[Edited 9/10/20 13:19pm]
lol
[Edited 9/10/20 13:21pm]
try and make a good song with that much space. You won't be able to you.



...his so called sparse-songs with that much space ( i call it use of Extreme reverb lot of drum fill-ins, effects etc) are Great on record But are hardly recreatable live...thats why he and the band had to rearrange the songs (kiss, when doves cry, the everlasting now...) for live-shows.
Why are people raving about his live - stuff and when they hear the actual song on record , most people are disappointed...
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Forums > Prince: Music and More > How well did his musicianship stand against other popular acts?