My girlfriend, Pandora, was recently exposed to Prince's non-chart music for the very first time.

She is already familiar with the usual suspects ('Purple Rain', 'Around The World In A Day' and 'The Black Album'). Unusually enough, she particularly loves 'The Undertaker' which she quickly declared to be her all-time favourite album by Prince so far!

Pondering this turn of events, last year I sent her personalised CDs of both the 'Parade' and 'The Family' albums. Two months ago I received the following e-mail from her from the other side of the world, and this is what she had to say about them both:

"31st March 2003

Hmmm... A very significant date indeed...Parade is 17 years old today!!! It was first released on 31/03/86. Did you know that you were flying to Colombia on such a momentous occasion? (no, I didn't!) Wow! And as such, I felt I finally had to do it the justice it so richly deserves...


1.Christopher Tracy's Parade - Love the opening, and the trumpet heralding the arrival of Christopher Tracy's Parade. It couldn't be more perfect. It's just like the tale of "The Emperor's New Clothes" (lol!). Wonderful, fun, strawberry lemonade, streamers, dancing girls, balloons and happy simling faces..."Everyone, come behold Christopher Tracy's Parade..."

2.New Position - A lesser favourite of mine on the album, but still sooo good. "Let's go fishing in the river of life"... "I can make you H-A-P-P-Y" (makes me smile every time!). Very INXS though, don't you think??? The 'New Sensation' INXS song just HAS to spring to mind with this one. I really am surprised that you never mentioned this similarity to me. Except I can't really imagine Michael Hutchence pulling off: "Come on let me do ya, do ya...I'll do ya, do ya like a big man should". That cracks me up...Prince, that oh so BIG man from Nordstrom's Boys Dept!

3.I Wonder U - Hey, this is sooo adorable! Awesome STRINGS here, and really cute bass in the intro. "I, how'd you say, I wonder you?". Though you are far, I wonder you, you're on the mind". One of the best-ever short tracks! And I hope it makes you think of me too!

4.Under The Cherry Moon - oh, oh, oh! And I LOVE THIS, so dramatic...You know that I am a big one for dramatics, tinkling piano, phantom-like organ, strings and somewhat measured drums. oh, sooo much atmosphere. "I guess we'll make love under the cherry moon...I'll die in your arms under the cherry moon"...Who could think of a more brilliant ending for a song?

5.Girls & Boys - This is such a poppy little tune...Pure unadulterated pop at its best. The triangle player in my right ear cracks me up, and the sax in the left ear (sounds more like an oboe, though). Once again I must comment on Prince and his delight of the French language. You may recall I asked you after listening to The Black Album if Prince actually speaks French. You said that you didn't know. I assume by the way that he must have fluent Spanish, really? After all, he's had so much to do with the tongue of natives(!!!) The guitar sounds almost like one of those duck whistle things (like the ones used for duck hunting). Maybe the reason for: "It started raining, baby, the birds were gone, oh oh oh" (which happens to be my favourite vocal segment of the song by the way). I really do like thistrack because it makes me laugh a lot.

6.Life Can Be So Nice - Along with 'New Position', one of my lesser favourites overall on the album actually, but you have to love this: "Scrambled eggs are so boring...for you're all, all that I want to know. Kisses never lie..." "No one plays the clarinet the way you play my heart". I do also adore the hi-hat drumming and percussion...even the old cowbell gets a hit on this track! This is probably the best drumming track on the album. Kind of breaks out of the drum machine genre of so many of the tracks on here. Musically very tight.

7.Venus De Milo - Oh gorgeous. Do you not love this??? It makes me think of the sun coming up over a beautiful Alpine mountain range...all orange and full of rays on dewdropped leaves, and then there's an eagle flying out of a tree and off into the distance...This will definitely be a song for us to snuggle to.

8.Alexa De Paris - You love this, don't you???Guess what - me too! I do strongly feel that it does have a pronounced 80's aura. It is the sort of music that belongs on a film soundtrack...oh hang on, it IS from a film!!! (Hah!). I picture young lovers with bad eighties perms and stonewashed jeans rollerskating at the local rink in some mid-western backwater town. When the music slows is when they are doing big twirls and stuff in their ugly white skates. (this has completely ruined this song for me! - g). It also makes me think of latino guys driving muscle cars down San Francisco streets at sunset, cruisin' with the top down low...

9.Do U Lie? - Very adorable this track. The continental accordion is wonderful...it is sooo French Riviera. This is one of my favourites! "Goin' down" - I'm sure that those lyrics must appeal to you! Great vocals on this track, I love Prince at the end when he goes all deep and sexy.

10.Kiss(extended version) - Oh, oh, oh!!! MY FAVOURITE TRACK ON THE ALBUM! (No surprises there, huh...considering it's also my very favourite past time!) One of my long-standing (i.e. before you enriched my ears so much) all-time ever Prince tracks! You know that this is just my kind of thing sooo much. Don't you think it's strange that there is no bass? It's always struck me as not quite finished because of that, although I think it's part of the reason that I love it! Inexplicable. But I think that it's incredible what you can create with a drum machine, a synth and a guitar. Oh yeah, throw in the occasional sax for good measure. There is just not enough good things to say about this song. "I want to be your fantasy, maybe you could be mine. You just leave it all up to me, we could have a cool time"! Yeah!!! My absolutely fave vibe is this: "Women, not girls, they rule my world" - I just love the timing and the vocals right here! The sax breakdown is very cool. I lurve it! Thank you so much for the extended version of this!!! "Is he the strangest looking thing you've ever seen, or what" Hah!

11.Anotherloverholenyohead - Wonderful intro, almost Moroccan in feel...makes me think of La Alhambra. Anyway, "I gave my love, I gave my life, I gave my body and mind"... I understand that so much... my brain lives in his body! This song is AMAZING...it reminds me of another song by an artist in late 70's or early 80's, but I can't for the life of me what it is or whom it is by. (Maybe you can help me out...it will come to me one day, i know it)(Stevie?).I am 100% certain that you knew how much I would love this song. Thank you!

12.Sometimes It Snows In April - Oh, sad, sad, sad. This devastates me so much. I don't know why, but it really is sooo sad, and even the off-key whining in the intro really is too beautiful for words. It's just so heartbreaking. "I used to cry for Tracy coz I want to see him again..." The acoustic guitar is so gorgeous in this...I love it. "Always cry for love, never cry for pain"... oh, so heart wrenching. Prince's vocal on this track is definitely one of his best ever, ever, ever!!! Not over-produced for once, but just pure and lovely. It really is wonderful. This is one of our songs for together listening late at night in the dark, ok?

13.Mountains (extended version) - "Hey you, get out on this dancefloor!" And I have to admit that it makes me bop and sway! It's a bit of a disco number, isn't it? I can see the "Solid Gold" generation getting down to this one. (Maybe you didn't have that program in London? It was a very entertaining American variety show). Pretty funky, and I love the breakdown with the mock thunder in the back. I really think that this track is fantastic, and was the perfect choice to finish off the album. (well, it was the finale to UTCM!)


General Album Comments: I think I prefer this album to 'Purple Rain'. The strings are great (Clare Fisher, am I right? I always think Carrie Fisher!) on 'Parade', and 'Kiss' and 'Anotherloverholenyohead' are true masterpieces!... But 'Purple Rain' has got 'Darling Nikki' (and you know what this song means to me!), as well as 'Purple Rain', so it's a really hard call... One I'm not sure I'm prepared to make at this stage. It changes with the day. I may just whip 'Purple Rain' out tonight and have a good listen... and change my mind all over again! Well, the jury may still be out on that one, but I did prefer 'Under The Cherry Moon' to 'Purple Rain'(the film - although I haven't seen 'Purple Rain' for YEARS, so it will have to be one of our priorities). I do love the album 'Purple Rain' sooo much, but there is a bit of the annoying gimmicky feel to some of the tracks. Wendy & Lisa: they were decent enough songwriters (she's already quite familiar with Wendy & Lisa's work - g) and their imput was probably one of the most significant in Prince's career...but PLEEEASE...Honestly, they didn't even know 'When The Saints Go Marching In'... that's an unforgivable sin from where I sit!

Prince looked so beautiful during the 'Parade' era. I think physically he was at his best during this time, his arms were so cut and big (am I correct in thinking that he was doing a lot of drumming around this era??? Maybe that explains the bigger than normal biceps...or perhaps steroids for the runt! HAH!)...And that YUMMY flat tummy!!! Yes, definitely very hot! He can have my extra time and kiss whenever he wants, that's for sure!

I reada snippet recently on the org that Kristen Scott Thomas said about "getting her first real break" working on UTCM. She was so flattering and full of praise towards Prince and the whole production. She really is quite a lovely person. She was in the film 'Life As A Hose' that I saw last year, with Kevin Kline. Great film, you should see it. (Not quite 'High Fidelity' or 'About A Boy', but a good serious sad one... I know that you're not really into sad movies, though, are you?). It made me cry, actually.

Okay, not really related at all to 'Parade', but since it isa Prince track, it rates. Well, I read a discussion between BorisFishpaw & Anji (the diplomat, how I love him...), re: 'Empty Room'. They were talking about the "updated '94 version that was played on video screens pre-concert during "The Gold Experience" live shows". Now, I thought that you had told me that it was played for the first time ever LIVE during the ONA tour. Am I to assume then, that it was only showed on the video screen, but not actually played live during the Gold Experience shows? I wish so much that I was at the concert to see that with you!!! An opportunity that will never come again ("those kind of cars don't pass you every day")

I shall be going straight into The Dream Factory, I'm sure it's an album that kicks ass! I can't wait to revoiew that one for you tomorrow!

'til then...Night, Tubby!

awww, that's awesome!!! glad she loves the album!

fascinating. thanks for sharing mate!

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

She's a great fan of yours too!

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giotto said:

what a great, well thought out response she had. makes me wanna put parade into the player tonight

G, that was absolutely hilarious! I've got quite a few comments to make but they're mainly about the author of this email, so we better leave them off this thread.

By the way, has Pandora got a sister?!

giotto said:

Anji said:

Indeed, she has an older sister and what a babe she is! Unfortunately she's taken (and expecting her second baby around October this year)

I'm sure they'll both get a chuckle out of this, though... can't wait to tell them...


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Handclapsfingasnapz said:

well, who isn't a fan of dansa's?

By the way, how are Around The World In A Day and The Black Album usual suspects, or at least in the same commercial category as Purple Rain? I better stop the musical analysis here.

Anji said:

I guess one could argue those two albums easily fall under the "notorious" category.

But you're right. Let's stop the musical analysis right here, lest I begin to get seriously flamed

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giotto said:

Yet again, I shall attempt to refrain from further comment.

Anji said:

Ever the "diplomat", Anji


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Brilliant analysis, if she loves Parade I bet that she will love the Jill Jones PP album + All My Dreams, Splash, Miss Understood....
Parade is 17 years old today!!! It was first released on 31/03/86 :nostalgia:
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[This message was edited Mon May 5 14:08:03 PDT 2003 by jn2]

This was an amazing read, especially coming from someone who isn't fluently versed in Prince's music.

The great thing about knowing Ps music so well is that I didn't have to be listening to the album to know and feel exactly what she said

Interestingly, G, Boris made an extended version of this album too. Here it is, as I'm sure you'll be interested.

Prince And The Revolution: Music From The Motion Picture Under The Cherry Moon

01 An Honest Man (1.11)
02 Christopher Tracy's Parade (2.10)
03 New Position (2.20)
04 I Wonder U (1.36)
05 Mia Bocca (2.50)
06 or $ (6.50)
07 Do U Lie? (2.39)
08 Alexa De Paris (4.52)
09 Girls & Boys (5.29)
10 Life Can Be So Nice (3.12)
11 Venus De Milo (1.52)
12 Under The Cherry Moon (2.56)
13 Kiss (6.59)
14 Anotherloverholenyohead (7.03)
15 Old Friends 4 Sale (3.27)
16 Mountains (9.31)
17 Sometimes It Snows In April (6.49)

Anji said:

Great selection. Boris is not a man to do things by halves is he?

A few points to make with regards to Boris' selection, though:

personally, I just can't stand 'An Honest Man', as featured on the 'Crystal Ball' set. I'm still a huge fan of the 'film' version of this, and what a beautiful piano piece that is.(Now where the hell did that one go? And why wasn't THAT released as a b-side or something???)

I tried to tailor my 'Parade' CD to more or less what went on in 'Under The Cherry Moon', hence the extended version of 'Mountains' as the clincher.

As for 'Love or Money', somehow, I felt this song was out of place in my selection. I much prefer the demo version of this track (which is mo' funky, IMO. Have you heard this???)


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Great post!

I purchased the "PARADE" album the day it came out and I was not only in love with the gatefold album sleve and artwork but also, with the MUSIC!

It's one of my favorites from his 80's era! FUNKY, WHIMSICAL and OUTRIGHT AWSOME!

I remember Boris telling me that An Honest Man was originally scheduled to open the Parade album, hence its inclusion on his take. To be honest with you, I can barely remember Under The Cherry Moon (the movie) so I don't recall the piano version. And as for Love Or Money's demo version, I don't think I've heard it it.

Anji said:

NOOO!!!

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giotto said:

"Encore, B flat."

giotto said: