thebanishedone said:

I actually quite disliked Prince using the cloud guitar on everything in the 1987-1989 period. That guitar, while visually adorable, had a weird tinny, screechy sound, no depth.

Even going back a little bit, the "Purple Rain" solo was on the Hohner, and it sounds great in the concert and on record. But then he pulls out that cloud guitar and it's waaaahhhhhhhhhh horrible. The other guitar had such great tone and depth to it, but the cloud just rakes my nerves sometimes.

Even later in the Sign O The Times movie, the solo for "ICNTTPOYM" is good, but feels like it could use more. It's probably the least annoying sounding use of the guitar in that movie.

Don't even get me started on "The Cross" with that goddamn thing.

Every other guitar he's used sounds great. The had a certain velvet roughness to it that was just great. He could rock out on that thing in "Endorphinmachine" or "Gold" or "Right The Wrong." He could make it funky on something like "The Jam."

Batman sorta saw him tone down the cloud screech a bit. Soloing on "Electric Chair" worked, because it was bombastic in parts, no holds barred.

Then he uses it in "Cream" on Arsenio or trying to play "Let's Go Crazy" on the Lovesexy tour and it's just like... bruh, no.

So I can't fully judge his abilities and peak status during some of those cloud days. The guitar itself is distracting. HOWEVER, assuming he used the cloud during the Trojan Horse show, that was pretty great. Not sure why that sounds so different compared to other things.

I think some of his peak era was the mid 90s on the guitar. He used it (and abused it) for everything. He didn't have a guitarist to fill the gaps. He was the guitar dude, and you watch him on something like The Ultimate Live Experience tour, and he's just at one with his guitar.

thebanishedone said:

I used to think that Prince improved on guitar in thecpost 2000 period but when i listen to his playing from 1988 i think that his tone phrasing and overall lead playing was at his peak. It seems like even though Prince played great stuff latter on he kind of lost that sophisticated creamy tone from the 1988 period.

i agree.

when you see that Dortmund show and he rips into the end solo of LGC while just calmly walking across the stage, you know that he knows the guitar sounds great.

So smooth and powerful

masaba said:

thebanishedone said:

I used to think that Prince improved on guitar in thecpost 2000 period but when i listen to his playing from 1988 i think that his tone phrasing and overall lead playing was at his peak. It seems like even though Prince played great stuff latter on he kind of lost that sophisticated creamy tone from the 1988 period.

Tone was outta this world in 88. Had that out if control, punch you in your face, fuck everybody energy as well.

His peak guitar work was in the 00s, starting with the Rave Un2 the Year 2000 concert and ending with the LotusFlow3r album, 2009. But as a melodic guitar player, that came long before. And you have to hear a lot of the bootlegs, plus SOTT deluxe version to get just how strong he was on guitar with the lyrical, melodic style. 1988 was when he maybe tried to be more of a virtuoso, but I don't think he hit his peak there, listening to the Lovesexy Hague aftershow.

[Edited 7/10/21 3:52am]

TrivialPursuit said:

fortuneandserendipity said:

masaba said:

thebanishedone said: Tone was outta this world in 88. Had that out if control, punch you in your face, fuck everybody energy as well.

His peak guitar work was in the 00s, starting with the Rave Un2 the Year 2000 concert and ending with the LotusFlow3r album, 2009. But as a melodic guitar player, that came long before. And you have to hear a lot of the bootlegs, plus SOTT deluxe version to get just how strong he was on guitar with the lyrical, melodic style. 1988 was when he maybe tried to be more of a virtuoso, but I don't think he hit his peak there, listening to the Lovesexy Hague aftershow.

[Edited 7/10/21 3:52am]

That's the first time I've heard anyone talk about Rave 2000 as part of Prince's guitar playing peak. Personally, I loved what he did in the Blues Medley, and on She's Always in My Hair (although much prefer what he did with 3EG on that one).

leecaldon said:

fortuneandserendipity said:

His peak guitar work was in the 00s, starting with the Rave Un2 the Year 2000 concert and ending with the LotusFlow3r album, 2009. But as a melodic guitar player, that came long before. And you have to hear a lot of the bootlegs, plus SOTT deluxe version to get just how strong he was on guitar with the lyrical, melodic style. 1988 was when he maybe tried to be more of a virtuoso, but I don't think he hit his peak there, listening to the Lovesexy Hague aftershow.

[Edited 7/10/21 3:52am]

That's the first time I've heard anyone talk about Rave 2000 as part of Prince's guitar playing peak. Personally, I loved what he did in the Blues Medley, and on She's Always in My Hair (although much prefer what he did with 3EG on that one).

Yes, it was the Blues medley I had in mind. One of his best solos. I also really like She's Always in my Hair 3EG live version, 2014 chat show if that's what you mean. He also aced it with the guitar on Another Love.

fortuneandserendipity said:

leecaldon said:

That's the first time I've heard anyone talk about Rave 2000 as part of Prince's guitar playing peak. Personally, I loved what he did in the Blues Medley, and on She's Always in My Hair (although much prefer what he did with 3EG on that one).

Yes, it was the Blues medley I had in mind. One of his best solos. I also really like She's Always in my Hair 3EG live version, 2014 chat show if that's what you mean. He also aced it with the guitar on Another Love.

The Arsenio performance of She's Always in My Hair was great, and similar to all the live performances of the era - but it's only half the song. I love the second half just as much from that era.

fortuneandserendipity said:

percy28 said:

thebanishedone said:

jfenster said:

thebanishedone said: