Okay, I've seen the show, heard the new album and, yes, Prince is doing his thing. But, why are the horns bugging the hell out of me? Don't get me wrong, I ain't hating because I give each brass playing member of the NPG their props. They are each formidable talents in their own right. I actually have Candy's Sax-a-Go-Go album and like several songs on it.

But, it just seems like the horns are overpowering songs instead of complementing them. Is it just me that feels this way??? Does Prince not hear this or does he really prefer this incarnation of his horn section?

This morning, on the drive to work, I had the top down and was listening to the extended versions of U Got the Look, Housequake (7 minutes mo quake), and La, la, la, hee, hee, hee.
(I think these remixes show Prince at his funkiest best). And it hit me that the horns, Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss, are playing throughout these songs but they add another layer of sound rather than distract from the rest of the song.

Oh, ain't the saxophone, trumpet, and guitar solos in 7 minutes mo quake DA BOMB??!?!?!
Them fools was grooving, when I hear it all I can do is nod my head, hard.

Eric Leeds always gets off on any track he's on but it's not shrill or distracting like it seems now. At the concert and on Musicology, the horns are not seemless or blend in with the rest of the song. What do you folks think???

So, my picks are Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss.

I've been listening to the Stockholm Revolution show from 86, and I totally agree. Eric and Atlanta served it up, but good. It wasn't all horns, all the time.

SCNDLS said:

You´re a 100 % right ! Eric is THA MAN ....all the others are cool in their own right, Maceo is a legend and I love Candy, she´s been down with Prince since ´89 or even longer, but something about the horn section sucks...OK, the old NPG HORNZ / HORNHEADZ sucked more and ruined the sound even more...but why doesn´t Prince notice this ? Strange, for someone who almost hated horns in his early days...
Also check out the other threads about Eric Leeds and/or Maceo.
And , not to disrespect Greg Boyer, but sometimes his long solos make Prince sound sooo old ..I don´t know what it is, but the whole vibe suring some of his solos sounds like the soundtrack to a senior´s meeting.
[This message was edited Fri Apr 16 16:47:27 2004 by KoolEaze]