Takign Sides: Prince's "Sign O' The Times" vs Bryan Ferry's "Sign Of The Times"

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So – a spare, one-man, death-haunted skitter or a heady, caffeineated, L.A.-sessioneered. commentary on itself? Two elegantly wasted singers at a crossroads in their recording careers. Which one?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:43 (twenty years ago)

Could someone do a Prince Taking Sides that is not against Prince that is a difficult choice?

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:47 (twenty years ago)

Prince by a mile and I'll let Michelangelo, donut or Dan explain why.

So that said, let me explain why I love the Ferry song very very much anyway. It's the song from The Bride Stripped Bare I heard first, thanks to the Street Life comp back in 1989, and so familiarity helps there. But also, I now suddenly realize, because it sounds a bit like the equivalent of Lindsey Buckingham in between Rumours and Tusk -- all the frustrated "ARRRRRRRRGH!" romantic angst tempered into a song that aims for the aggressive of ye olde punque-and-what-was-after but of course could never solely *be* a punk song. It's strident, cutting, brawling, and Ferry seemingly gliding over the top of it is more like someone trying to make sure they don't fall.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:48 (twenty years ago)

Queensryche. Or the Belle Stars. Or maybe Night Ranger, I'm not sure which.

― xhuxk, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:49 (twenty years ago)

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=17:1385251

Petula Clark MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:51 (twenty years ago)

Well said, Ned. I first heard it on "Street Life" too, where it immediately stood out. It's strident, loopy, and quite desperate. The Tusk comparison is apt.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:51 (twenty years ago)

God knows what the Europe song sounds like.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:52 (twenty years ago)

Fez. Handclaps rule.

― dame Aunt Sally (dameauntsally), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 18:06 (twenty years ago)

Prince. I've never been able to get into the Bryan Ferry song.

― Ian Riese-Moraine: exposing ambitious careerists as charlatans since 1986. (East, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 18:52 (twenty years ago)

Ferry — and I love Prince. But in addition to what Ned sed, I should add that this one takes on poignancy by being his bid adieu to the 70's, really. It's like the last time there was any sense of urgency in his music at all, despite being Waddy'd out and all...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:41 (twenty years ago)

Ferry. That song is harmonically complicated as hell, devouring those 4ths and 5ths until you don't know where the fuck the tonal center is anymore. Those studio whizzes playing on it probably had to go through the changes about 12 times before remembering how the fucking thing was supposed to go, imagine somebody normal trying to figure it out.

― dave q (listerine), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

Belle Stars!

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

Um. Keeping in mind that I haven't heard the song, fourths and fifths (along with octaves) are aurally the simplest, most basic intervals in music.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:59 (twenty years ago)

He's talking about the circle of fourths thing the song has going on...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:05 (twenty years ago)

Great lyrics on the Ferry tune too, for those who care about that sort of thing.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:07 (twenty years ago)

Not that the lyrics are anything remotely close to bad on the Prince one.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:07 (twenty years ago)

The circle of fifths is an extremely basic 3rd week of introductory music theory concept. Any session musician who has even a passing knowledge of music theory would get it with no problem.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:09 (twenty years ago)

But in doing so, Dan, it sounds like it's modulating constantly. That's what Dave was getting at — though I agree that the likes of Waddy and Benchmont or whoever else was on this probably had little problem getting it on the first take or two.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:13 (twenty years ago)

The circle of fifths is quite easy, but was still abandoned in modern music to such an extent it did sound different when Roxy Music did it.

Today, with dance music (particularly acid house and rave) using a lot of fifths, they sound less strange than they did back then.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:15 (twenty years ago)

That's the cool thing about the circle of fifths! It's balls-easy to understand and play but it sounds completely insane to the casual listener. I can't tell you how many new composer pieces I've heard that wank all over the cirlce of fifths in order to fool the audience into thinking they are geniuses.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:15 (twenty years ago)

The Circle of Fifths.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:17 (twenty years ago)

If "cirlce" isn't a rude word, it should be.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:18 (twenty years ago)

A Perfect Circle of Fifths

In which Daniel Perry Esq. sings "Judith" over Danny of Tool's beats to a counterpoint chorus of "PROG!" (As sung by The Crazy Frog Castrati)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:22 (twenty years ago)

Roger Nichols and His Small Circle of Fifths

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 21:34 (twenty years ago)

haha I haven't heard the Ferry song so it's not really fair for me to say PRINCE PRINCE PRINCE like I usually do on these things.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 00:11 (twenty years ago)

Ferry. The Prince lyrics sound just so horribly dated to me, and it never struck me as one of his funkier grooves.

― Hutlock (Hutlock), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 01:42 (twenty years ago)

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