I think the most remarkable thing is how much he conveys with so little. He's very minimalist, and I think that practically nobody pulls that off. That's what sets him apart.

If Prince is not a "musical genius" then I would be hard pressed to find someone in the last half of the 20th century who would qualify under that heading. His sense of harmony and integration of different styles within a single song makes him a genius to me. Which song? I don't know, pick one, his catalog is littered with examples of that kind of thing.

the3rddoctor said:

But he doesn't "write" the music. He doesn't read sheet music, so he can't "write" it. He does what alot of musicians do. He plays around and comes up with something and builds upon it.

With the exception of playing a shitload of instruments, I can do the things he can. And I do it all at home by myself. I do not consider myself to be a musical genius. I just like to make music.

***

Thanx for someone finally posting a great thread. Appreciated, and you're are commended.

Prince is a musical genius, however to what extent is surely known to those who've worked with him.

Why? Oh boy...

Creativity. Output. Production. Writing. Vocal range. Dancing. Skill level -- some words that come to mind.

His creative goal, that no song sound the same, is well-respected. He's constantly coming up with original work, reinventing, musically morphing. Sure some of the music is just fun throwaway stuff -- no one is going to write serious songs all the time and be sane.

Now match this with his intensity. He's been known to work all day and nite non-stop in the studio, with rotating sound engineers. Nonstop inspirational stamina. Most bands (as in 5 people normally) complete a project in ohh, 5 months. Prince can do that in days. More on this later...

Couple the creativess of the music with his writing prowess.. the pop "hook". The rhthym of words he incorporates for a song, ie the main tag line or chorus "Raspberry Beret",etc. He's using images, he using all kinds of writing techniques and skill to create an immediate impression in one's mind. Very original, very catchy. Of course sometimes he doesn't and goes abstract. It sounds easy to write his lyrics, but it's not. It has to take alot of quiet time/reflection. Take the speech he does in I HATE YOU from Gold Exp. He admits in interviews the amount of detail he puts into a song can take it to the next level.

Next is the production, he's in control of everything of course whereas some have producers guide them or others add tidbits, etc (Hey Steve Vai is such a control freak he edited his recent DVD release himself! And he now does his own mastering on the albums!) It's often not realized the amount of work this entails -- one has to come up with a blueprint of what tracks will be panned, which in stereo, the layering of vocals, instruments, etc. All the studio techniques to make a great production.

Besides arranging, he's a performer. How many guys have his vocal range? Put Prince on American Idol and the judges would shit their pants.

His skill level with guitar/keys/bass/etc, etc. is profound in comparison to the average musician.

Dancing as well. Everyone knows on this board some of the things Prince does cannot be taught or learned. It's something engrained. Prince has the moves. He's gifted with dexterity onstage, his body motions, timing are something that add to the magic. This is recognized in many performers, it's often unsaid because it's hard to explain.


Now back to creative streak...It's my understanding he can come up with 2 or 3 songs a day. All I can give you is what I've read. It's my understanding most of the time he hears the music in his head before it's recorded. So logically, it's going to take less time to record. My question is...can he hear 24 tracks in his head and get that out? I believe he can, but also...

I understand where you're coming from when you say you build up your tracks in you're home studio. Your layering over things, finding out what works, it's not that hard, I have experience in it. You can come up with things simply experimenting with no direction, I also believe Prince does this...

There are certain songs take IN THIS BED I SCREAM from Emancipation or any song where, there just crazy dramatic time changes, instruments coming in back and forth where I believe this isn't prearranged in his head. I mean, can anyone come up with that in their mind? Can they musically hear all the nuances and bring that down on tracks? Perhaps. But I believe some of his complex stuff is simply laying tracks down he can build over with no clear direction. Usually a drum track, lay that down, change some things here, or there (cut, paste) and play over it. I'm sure many would love to know more about Prince and how he works.

But overall, yeah many believe he's a musical genius. That's my take.

gman1966 said:

I guess I can see your point...

357Magnum said:

Yeah, I guess by the definitions here, he is a genius. I experiment like crazy, myself. I made an instrumental track called "Cybernetic Orgasm" where I took a real shitty piece of guitar work that I did, reverbed/flanged the hell out of it in Cool Edit Pro, and added a drum machine beat to it along with sound effects.

The result was much better than I figured it would be.

Maybe I'm just too damned cynical, like Roger Waters from Pink Floyd (been reading a book on them, he's cynical as hell).

I have lost that feeling where artists are just so great.

You know. That innocent/naive feeling...