for the zillionth time someone has started a mike vs. prince thread in the non-prince music section. normally, this thread brings you nothing new; all the old rumors, opinions and facts resurface once again before they get old again and vanish in the archives to await the next time somebody feels the need to ask one those magical questions like:

-do mike and prince really hate eachother?
-have mike and prince ever recorded together?
-were mike and prince ever on the same stage?
-who's the better dancer?
-who's the better singer?
-who's the better entertainer?
-who's the better musician?
etc.

but this time i stumbled upon something i did not know. it could be that many people have posted it before. i've just never noticed it. according to davideye prince performed mike's 'the way you make me feel' a couple of times as part of the 80's medley from his lovesexy shows. now, my question is: does anybody have a recording of this? i'd love to hear prince play a jackson-tune! i know prince ones played a funky rendition of 'billie jean' at a one nite alone tour rehearsel. are there recordings of this performance? could anybody help me out with this? thanks already.

Yes, the 80's medley included "The Way You Make Me Feel" tongue-in-cheek. You can hear it on the Lovesexy Rehearsal tape.

I can tell you in a first hand "one on one" conversation I had with Femi Jiya (the paisley park recording engineer) at the last celebration, we were both talking about how amazing "Butterflies" is, and Femi said he couldn't even get Prince to really acknowledge it or listen to the album... at least in front of him.

jsb23nc said:

Didn't it also include Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA",Terence Trent D'Arby's "Wishing Well" and a few other songs?

i have this,its from a Lovesexy rehearsal.

some songs per4med on the horns especially:

Love Bizarre
Born In the USA (P sings it)
TWYMMF (P sings it)
Housequake
Beat It

they r the ones i can make out.

yeah, but he's not really getting into the songs. he's singing a line or two from each song. sounds like he's just fucking aroud.

AndreCrabtreeIII said:

yeah just fuckin around,but pretty tight fuckin around.

& yeah,u get like,not even 3 seconds of each song.

From "Slave to the Rhythm" by Liz Jones:
In 1997 he spoke affably on VH1 with Chris Rock about the supposed rivalry.
When he was 18 or 19 he asked to go to the studio where MJ was recording, but once there he wouldn't say a word.
"The propensity of the media to mention Michael Jackson and Prince in the same sentence never failed to irritate Prince, who never felt Jackson to be a threat. Indeed, when Jackson named his son Prince in 1997, he was only deemed barmier than ever. 'I've never heard Prince mention Michael Jackson once,' says close friend Robin Power, sometime backing singer, who would get a bit-part in Graffiti Bridge. 'When Jackson signed with Pepsi, Prince was offered Coke but turned it down, even though it was a huge amount of money. He didn't want to be compared with Jackson in any way; he felt he should be compared with Miles [Davis] or [John] Coltrane.'
Jackson's Victory album had been eclipsed by Purple Rain's sales. He was 'incredibly jealous'(the words of a friend) of Prince, especially of the Oscar Prince won for the movie, something Jackson longed to win. On a break from the Victory tour, he sat in on a Warner screening. How did someone who wore more make-up than he did have such a reputation for being such a hot-blooded male? On September 4 1984, in response to rumors, Jackson gave a press conference denying he took hormones or had had plastic surgery, and insisted that he planned to get married and have a family. Not long after, he invited Prince to his home in Hayvenhurst for dinner with his sisters LaToya and Janet. They exchanged a few words, although Prince made several less than subtle passes at LaToya.
What about the rumored duet between Prince and Michael Jackson on the 'Bad' single? 'The first line of that song is "Your butt is mine",' says Prince. 'I said, who's singing that to whom? 'Cause you sure ain't singing that to me. Right there we got a problem.'"

purpleone said:[quote]

-do mike and prince really hate eachother?
-have mike and prince ever recorded together?
-were mike and prince ever on the same stage?
-who's the better dancer?
-who's the better singer?
-who's the better entertainer?
-who's the better musician?
etc.

quote]

IMHO:
I think Michael is jealous of Prince and Prince doesn't really care about Michael.
I don't think they have ever recorded together.
I doubt they were ever on the same stage. We would have heard about it most likely.
They're both good dancers but I think from at least a technical viewpoint Michael is better.
They're both good singers- I prefer Prince's voice for his range and the emotions he conveys. Then again I haven't heard more of MJ than his top songs on radio and TV.
Both very strong entertainers, my personal preference is Prince. I think of him as more of an artist, Michael is just a pop singer in my mind (sorry MJ fans don't get mad at me).
I think Prince is far and away the better musician. For the instruments he plays, for the lyrics he writes, it just comes from a deeper place in my estimation.
Anna

conch5184 said:

yes, they have been...three words: james brown, '83.

hahahaha!! thats just too funny. where did you hear that from?

I hadn't heard about that ClapperSnapper.
That was all in the book "Slave to the Rhythm" by Liz Jones.
Anna

A few more things to consider...


***In 1988,Prince was in Paris for the "Lovesexy" performances.He got pissed when a European magazine put his face on the cover next to Michael.The photo of Prince was decidedly "less flattering" than the MJ picture,and Prince was really pissed.He refused to do any interviews to the press.I remember Kurt Loder (MTV) reporting this story.

***In 1991,Prince hired Michael's former manager Frank Dileo to help with the promotion of the "Diamonds and Pearls" singles.Prince saw that MJ was having multiple hit singles from his albums ('Bad' generated an impressive seven hit singles),and hoped that he could do the same,with MJ's manager assisting the promotional team at Warners.

btw,the "Slave 2 The Rhythm" book is crap.

Yeah it is. Anything recent that's better?
Anna

I actually came across this quote randomly yesterday:
"Michael Jackson's album was called 'Bad' because there wasn't enough room on the sleeve for 'Pathetic'". -Prince
Anna