Hey folks. You ever listened to any of Weather report stuff???

Well i have just been listening to two albums of theirs, 'Black Market' and 'Heavy Weather' and all i can say is that princes new musical style as displayed on N.E.W.S seems quite similar.

the main difference i would say is that princes use of electric guitar which weather report didnt use.

Anyways my main point is that In comparing N.E.W.S with music done in the same vain it holds up really well. He is, in my humble opinion, holding his own in this fusion, world music, jazz.

just a thought

I see nobody cares for weather report huh?

read below
[This message was edited Mon Jul 7 8:47:22 PDT 2003 by LaMont]

Well, the dilemna will be that most of Prince's audience doesnt have the musical breadth to appreciate or even know anything about fusion or jazz in general. Prince has been many things in the past: funk, soul, rock, R&B, pop, even folk and carribean music - but with the enlightening Rainbow Children album, Prince forging into new territory with a serious agenda. He surrounded himself with musicians that have the pedigree and chops to play this new kind of music. (Do you think any of those players from the Revolution could have gotten the sound on TRC or Xpectation?).

As Prince grows and matures - and begins to age - his perspective begins to broaden. He has all at once managed to look back (old school funk) and look forward (progressive free form jazz) while maintaining the unique genius that is Prince. For this reason, I submit that Xpectation is one of the most exciting Prince albums for fans that have taken the funky multi colored journey that has been his career since Soft n Wet. Not only is it the first all instrumental Prince album, it shows a true understanding of the jazz genre by an artist that is not consider to be a jazz artist. It shows us yet another level of his musical brilliance that was never revealed before now.

In this way, we - the supporters of independent music - have seen and heard the fruits of his "emancipation" from the industry. We would not have any of this material that Prince gives us if he was still tied to a record company. Let's face it - jazz has never sold alot of records. Jazz enthusiasts and musicians know this. Thus, it truly is more about the music than getting a video in heavy rotation on MTV, a "cash-in on the popularity" movie deal, and knucklheaded hip hop materialism with moral degradation.

Compare NEWS to Weather Report and then go get a Weather Report album - and while youre at it pick up Wayne Shorter and Miles Davis and even Pat Methany. See why the direction that Prince is moving in muscially is one that is quite necessary and timely.

bankrobberman said:

Hang on, you gave us less than an hour to respond ??? Some of us have lives you know !

Personally I'm a big fan of weather report but to compare a single guy to a band that changed around its talent base for years is no point of comparisson.

And LaMont - could you be any more patronising with the "Well, the dilemna will be that most of Prince's audience doesnt have the musical breadth to appreciate..." comment ?

freakyfeet said:

So are you saying that you disagree with the statement? How many Prince fans know the genre or any artists in it?

hey Lamont-

You are taking this all a bit too seriously man. i do agree that princes stuff is still holding its own these days though.

i do have several Weather Report albums and also Miles Davis, plus herbie hancock and others. i am sure other people do know who these people are.

and freakyfeet-

i was merely offering an opinion that the music was similar. the comparison ended there. i know very well that the fact prince is singular and that weather report had a varying line-up over the years. i am not making a comparison with regards to the overall effects of their music on the music scene, just that they are in the smae vain, style.

Yo i think i opened a can of worms in relation to music snobbery here. LOL.

LaMont said:

Madhouse's "8" is more Prince than "Xpectation" man...

Neversin.

I have only ever heard the "Heavy Weather" album of weather report, I think that it gears a lot more towards the mainstream than N.E.W.S. Altough it is not mainstream as such, the songs are shorter than a lot of jazz pieces and it makes it far easier to listen to for someone who isn't really into jazz fusion. If you like Weather Report then you should give Jaco Pastorious's solo album "Jaco Pastorious" a listen, he is one of the best if not the best Bass player in the world, I bought the album after being recommended it by a fellow orger a few months ago. Jaco pioneered the fretless bass and is far greater than Larry Graham.

LaMont said:

Wow, and I thought I could be condescending.
[This message was edited Tue Jul 8 11:32:20 PDT 2003 by Universaluv]

IT'S RAINING MEN!!!

oh,wait... that's the weather girls

cborgman said:

LOL

Soon as I can, I'll get N.E.W.S. So until then can't comment on comparison with Weather Report. But...

Weather Report was a mighty fine project and they shared management with P, also on p74 of Possessed, "And percussionist-drummer Sheila E. introduced him to contemporary jazz-fusion artists like Weather Report."

I saw Weather Report at the Rainbow in Finsbury Park London and they were awsome. I've got all their albums (yes, I'm a completionist, got nearly all P too) and they're a great influence on my own music.

Stand and deliver. Looking forward even more to N.E.W.S. if there's a taste of the weather.

thanks SWIFTYWEB. I think i will check out Jaco Pastorious.He first played on the BLack market album and i am loving what he did there. He certaibly is a far better player than Larry Graham. Maybe larrys moustache just gets in his way. lol.

I like the timbales on "Rhumba Mama". Hope I've spelt it right--if not, assume it is a deliberate mistake

bankrobberman said:

He certainly WAS a far better player than Larry Graham.

Didn't he commit suicide some years back ?

freakyfeet said:

He is dead but I don't know how. He may have killed himself. Probably a tortured genius, they all die young. Jeff Buckley and Tim Buckley, Lennon they all go far too early.

Well i have just been listening to two albums of theirs, 'Black Market' and 'Heavy Weather' and all i can say is that princes new musical style as displayed on N.E.W.S seems quite similar.


just a thought [/quote]


Actually, in a few interviews, Prince actually said he DISliked the bass player's style from Weather Report. He preferred Larry Graham's bass style over Weather Report's bass player's.

I love Heavy Weather. I play Birdland song every so often, I totally recommend anyone getting it. Their stuff is more jazz fusion, not really jazz. Same with Prince, his is more of a funk/rock/jazz fusion when it comes to Xpectation.

bankrobberman said:

Ah mate,

Now we're talking. Awesome band all the wonderful musicians that were with them, Jaco & Omar Hakim are just a few of my favs.

I love the way that weather report make music that doesnt try to insult your intelligence & many more artists should follow suit.

freakyfeet said:

Jaco was killed by the door men of a night club in a late night drunken brawl

rudedog said:

I remember him saying that he went off Rhonda Smith's playing & got into larrys cos when she plays a bass line she goes for the jaco approach.

Still though, if Jimi Hendrix played bass, Jaco is what I expect he would have sounded like