All of that was dramatically rethought at lunchtime (or as
it turned out, on Friday morning). I
headed out to a nearby shopping strip to buy my lunch and started to cross the
road and strode towards the trees near the shops. I made a mental note to duck
underneath a low lying branch ……. and 5 seconds later realised I hadn’t ducked
low enough. Reeling away, I touched my
scalp to find a gash and lump, assured witnesses that I was OK, bought and had
lunch and returned to my desk. That
afternoon I seemed to work a little slower than usual; I then cancelled my
commitments for the rest of day, rang “M” and continued home. She then sent me to bed where I basically
spent about %75 of the next 36 hours asleep. I returned to work on the Friday
and worked at a slow steady pace.
Thus, over the course of these three days (or more
accurately, Wednesday and Friday) I listened to a total of five albums released
by that little purple genius from Minneapolis, Prince. (And even then, due to forces beyond my
control, I wasn’t able to play what many people see as his best album Sign ‘O’
The Times.) I’ve already written a bit
about this man, marvelling about his work rate and potency as a live act. To this, I would add that he an underrated
songwriter able to write music in a variety of genres, possesses the ability to
play a range of instruments and, although he tries to hide it, is a master of
the electric guitar. Due to the skill
set he possesses, I’ve never subscribed to the view that he has lost his muse
or can no longer produce great music.
Over the last 15 years or so he has explored musical areas that his
potentially vast audience would prefer he not explore but I’m reasonably
confident, and his live shows provide
some evidence of this, that he will eventually produce an album or two that
would recapture his glory days.
(# 659) Prince – 1999
(1982)
This was his fifth album, originally a double vinyl and,
after the Controversy single, the first to bring him any real success in
Australia. Today the album just fits
onto a single CD which makes it easier to listen to in a single sitting
although a rearrangement of the running order might have been warranted. Nevertheless, it starts off brilliantly with
its two best known tracks, the party anthem title track and the infectious
ballad Little Red Corvette, giving way to the infectious Delirious. D.M.S.R. (or, I believe, Dance Music Sex
Romance) is an effective dancefloor instrumental which is pared beautifully
with Automatic. Something In The Water
(Does Not Compute) is suitably manic, Lad Cab Driver an unsuitably sleazy but
brilliant funk workout, All The Critics Love You In New York harks back to
D.M.S.R. and International Lover is a grand ballad to end the album.
(# 660) Prince And
The Revolution – Parade (1986)
This album was the soundtrack to Prince’s awful movie Under
The Cherry Moon. The music, though, is a
different beast overlaid, or so it would seem, by a simmering layer of polish
that at no stage threatens to overwhelm the basic sound. The opening track,
Christopher Tracy’s Parade is a wonderful psychedelic delight that would not
have sounded out of place on Prince’s previous album Around The World In A Day.
A pair of sparse gems, New Position and
I Wonder U, makes way for the grandiose 1920s sound of Under The Cherry Moon
with an extravagant piano sound that is quite at odds with funk attack of Girls
& Boys and the psychedelic Life Can Be So Nice which follows. The extravagant Venus De Milo sounds
distinctly out of place especially as it leads into the exciting funk with
gospel number Mountains. Another 20s
period type ballad Do U Lie? again sounds out of place leading into the
minimalist acoustic funk of hit single Kiss which is superbly appended to the
wonderfully fluid Anotherloverholeinthehead which incorporates piano, strings,
vocals, backing vocals, and only snatches of electric instruments to absolutely
brilliant effect. Sometimes It Snows In
April is a majestic piano and acoustic guitar track on which to end this
incredibly underrated album.
(# 662) Prince – The
Black Album (originally released and withdrawn 1987/released 1994)
This is the controversial album that was withdrawn on the
eve of its release but not before a number of copies had slipped out. This led to the production of a number of
bootleg copies becoming one of the first big selling bootlegs on CD. I actually spent part of a day in New York
City in 1990 visiting CD shops before I came across one specialising in black
music that sold me my copy. And it was
thoroughly appropriate that I did so; the album is an almost wall to wall funk
attack that has stood the test of time well.
(The only non funk track was the ballad When 2 R In Love and was included in the album that replaced it
in 1987 Lovesexy.) Le Grind is a
memorable opener with lyrics that don’t require explanation. Cindy C which follows it is an homage of
sorts to supermodel Cindy Crawford and, once again, no further explanation is
necessary. Dead On It appears to be a
funk attack on gangsta rappers and Bob George comes close to being an attack on
the listener. On this, Prince
disembodies he voice to the point of being unrecognisable, assuming the
character of Bob George a foul mouthed individual who clearly represents people
in Prince’s life that he dislikes intensely. Why he needed to include it here is a
mystery. The final three tracks are
uniformingly brilliant enough to have justified the album's reputation. Superfunkycalifragisexy utilises sped up funk with
strings overlaid by sleazy lyrics, leading into the largely funk/jazz instrumental work out 2 Nigs United For West
Compton, an inspired jam. (Please note
that the track with this title on the Prince One Nite Alone box set bears
almost no resemblance to the original.) The X rated lyrics continue with Roackhard In
A Funky Place a solid number at a less frantic tempo. The bootleg version usually has two other
tracks appended which are not on the official version that was released in a
very limited edition in 1994.
(# 661) Prince – The
Gold Experience (1995)
This was one of the albums released during Prince’s “Slave”
period when he wanted to be released from his record label and attributed
albums to a symbol. Containing a number
of tracks from the project the record company refused to release triggering the dispute,
this album contains music that is superior to any album of his released in the
few years before and after including Diamonds And Pearls and the symbol
album. P Control is a filthy heavy funk
number that would have perfectly slotted into The Black Album and gets the album off to a flying start. The first of a series of non-musical interludes then
gives way to the thumping Endorphinmachine, a gigantic rock number with a
brilliant mix highlighting guitars, percussion and keyboards at appropriate times. Possessed of
one of Prince’s better guitar solos and one of the best screams ever
captured on tape, it is in my book, one of his best ever tracks. My guess was that it was specifically
recorded for the album as a one fingered salute to the record company
especially when the female interlude voice appears at the end to declare “Prince
esta muerta”, or in English, Prince is dead. Shhh which follows is basically Prince
impersonating Carlos Santana, The Most
Beautiful Girl In The World is a lavish over the top ballad, the rocker Dolphin
and funk of Now tops anything on Diamonds & Pearls, and 319 provides a modern rock container to house a track that
harks back to the Contraversy/1999 era.
But almost the best track is reserved for the end. Gold is clearly another attack on the record
company with lyrics basically inferring that the relationship has reached the
end of its natural course, each chorus ending with the line, All that glitters
ain’t gold. To underscore the point, he
unleashes at its climax a guitar solo that harks back to Purple Rain implying
that (like Endorphinmachine) he can produce this stuff – i.e the “gold” the
company wants - whenever he feels
like. In other words, let me release my stuff and you'll eventually get your gold. As if to underscore this point, by
the time the track, and an era, has ended, the female voice featured in the
interludes congratulates the listener on becoming a member of the New Power
Generation.
(# 663) Prince – The
Rainbow Children (2001)
I distinctly remember the first time I heard this. I was in a JB record store when this was
being played over the in house PA system.
A woman returned to her partner and I heard her say to him, “Believe it
or not, this is by Prince”. I suspect
this might very well by the case for anyone familiar with Prince but unfamiliar
with the music on this album. On this
Prince threw a real curve ball, supplementing his by now, usual funk/rock
attack with a liberal helping of jazz.
It is immediately apparent on the epic 10 minute title track with
Prince’s voice disembodied in the same way he did on The Black Album’s Bob
George. But Prince’s guitar work here is
extremely jazzy but no less distinctive.
Muse 2 The Pharoah which follows employs a approach that’s practically
identical to Frank Zappa’s instrumental jazz work outs. These two tracks basically set the tone for
the rest of the album until the final track, Last December an extremely
uplifting gospel based number.