Yes I'm absolutely stone cold crazy for SOTT Deluxe and have always loved how he used horns so I'm lusing for that Parade Deluxe!!

funnily enough i was just thinking that while it doesnt need them, those horns on dorothy parker on SOTT deluxe are so, so good.

but then i was also thinking i dont think his horn arangements were ever better than in the mid to late 80s.

def some good soloists with him in later years, but on the whole, his use of horn sections didnt always feel necessary. he just loved having a big band.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

funnily enough i was just thinking that while it doesnt need them, those horns on dorothy parker on SOTT deluxe are so, so good.

but then i was also thinking i dont think his horn arangements were ever better than in the mid to late 80s.

def some good soloists with him in later years, but on the whole, his use of horn sections didnt always feel necessary. he just loved having a big band.

I agree his use of horns was methodical and added more emotional depth in this period. Not to mention songs like Mutiny which to me will always belong to Eric Leeds.

However, songs like Let's Go Crazy never needed horns, yet the horns on When You Were Mine from Lovesexy Live just adds to the fun to the song. It's always a hit or miss for me no matter the players.

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I also have a deep love for the Hornheads/NPG Hornz. Their arrangements are damn good and added a lot to songs that I'm not sure I would like, most notably The Flow. Their arrangement on Billy Jack Bitch would have to be my favorite (I'm talking about the full 8 minute version )

mmm I was thinking the horns on the Ballad of Dorothy Parker and understand why I'm glad it didn't happen.

Some parts on the Cocoa Boys didn't need to happen

Some songs like Little Red Corvette on the SOTT tour took the electricity out of the song, and made it sound sappy

There are places where it was too much

Less is more.

Prince always made the right choices with horns. His use of keyboard horn lines during his first few albums really helped his future arrangement skills IMO.

Love the horn charts on New Power Soul album btw.

LoveGalore said:

Love his sparing use of horns in the mid to late eighties. Every solo was unexpected and twisted, every horn line was supportive, not starring. There are very few horns in harmony. Most moments are doubled notes. This was a great idea.

I even enjoyed how he used them in the early to mid 90s, even as they sounded derivative of James Brown.

But his increasing reliance on horns later in his career, especially live, was too rich. It was like a favorite dessert spoiled by too much sugar. Tons of stacked notes with each horn playing a different note. Too much going on.

Certain songs like 1999 and Let's Go Crazy have always sounded especially atrocious with horns. Replacing maybe the coolest synthesizer hooks ever with an easy-listening Vegas sound never worked.

This is a good example of how Prince actually made less exciting decisions the more "expert" he became. Early on, lacking the resources / knowledge to hire and arrange big bands, he used synths as substitute horns. Those synths are incredibly important to his patented Minneapolis sound. I wish he'd stuck with them more than the horns, and kept the horns as decoration rather than main ingredients.

paraded said:

Love his sparing use of horns in the mid to late eighties. Every solo was unexpected and twisted, every horn line was supportive, not starring. There are very few horns in harmony. Most moments are doubled notes. This was a great idea.

I even enjoyed how he used them in the early to mid 90s, even as they sounded derivative of James Brown.

But his increasing reliance on horns later in his career, especially live, was too rich. It was like a favorite dessert spoiled by too much sugar. Tons of stacked notes with each horn playing a different note. Too much going on.

Certain songs like 1999 and Let's Go Crazy have always sounded especially atrocious with horns. Replacing maybe the coolest synthesizer hooks ever with an easy-listening Vegas sound never worked.

This is a good example of how Prince actually made less exciting decisions the more "expert" he became. Early on, lacking the resources / knowledge to hire and arrange big bands, he used synths as substitute horns. Those synths are incredibly important to his patented Minneapolis sound. I wish he'd stuck with them more than the horns, and kept the horns as decoration rather than main ingredients.

Thats what i don't understand also,it feels like Prince went from a fearless electro funk alien to a James Brown impersonator.

I always dug The Greatest Romance live with horns.