Prince = guitar faker "lipsync" artist?

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http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/david1974/oldskool_prince.jpg
ihttp://img213.echo.cx/img213/5152/various119ub.jpg

I'm sure those are too big to display here, so click the links:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/david1974/oldskool_prince.jpg
http://img213.echo.cx/img213/5152/various119ub.jpg

You will notice there is nothing plugged into his guitar jack.

― I Hate My Boss's Mother Who Calls Everyday And Is Crazy, Monday, 13 February 2006 15:15 (nineteen years ago)

but what a jack it is!

― bendy (bendy), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:22 (nineteen years ago)

I loved that bit on SNL last week where he started squaredancing after the tape of his guitar solo went awry.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:23 (nineteen years ago)

but what a jack it is!

"Jack — you off!"

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:25 (nineteen years ago)

but did you REALLY like prince for his guitar playing?

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:26 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I was gonna say - the real action in that photo is about 10 inches stage left of the offending jack.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:29 (nineteen years ago)

just watched his 1985 grammy performance last w-e on youtube. what a killer final...

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:29 (nineteen years ago)

but did you REALLY like prince for his guitar playing?

it's true that most of the times it's pretty corny-look-all-the-notes-i-can-play. but sometimes, it's good.

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:30 (nineteen years ago)

and about the pics i gues it's from tv performances with playback.

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:31 (nineteen years ago)

right - i mean, im not saying its terrible or anything, but theres like 50 things to like about his music that are better than his guitar playing.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:38 (nineteen years ago)

Corny? Man, you crazy. His solos were tasteful. And, yes, his guitar is a major reason I like Prince. His rhythm guitar, too.

― I Hate My Boss's Mom, Monday, 13 February 2006 15:41 (nineteen years ago)

Corny? Man, you crazy. His solos were tasteful

well, the thing is i hate long full of notes solos. i rarely find them necessary. it's just muso wanking most of the times for me (on the other hand, i really like rythm/lead guitar a la richards/marr/butler).
so yeah, i love many things in prince's songs. but rarely his guitar solos (even the purple rain one is both great AND corny to me !).

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

Seriously, if he's going to wear a speedo on stage he can at least have the decency to get a bikini wax.

― Killer tomato cartoon, Monday, 13 February 2006 15:46 (nineteen years ago)

How did he get that powerful squealing sound, though? Shit! Is that just like 5 pedals at once?

― I Hate My Boss's Mom, Monday, 13 February 2006 15:49 (nineteen years ago)

Seriously, if he's going to wear a speedo on stage he can at least have the decency to get a bikini wax.

-- Killer tomato cartoon (kf...), February 13th, 2006.

you do NOT get it.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

that was such a crazy "stage costume"...

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:51 (nineteen years ago)

the "purple rain" is totally beautiful - so is "the cross" solo. a ton of his rhythm parts are great and well-conceived, but his actual playing is sort of forgettable, i think. if someone else played them (true in some cases, i think), i wouldnt care one bit.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:53 (nineteen years ago)

that last post should start "the 'purple rain' solo..."

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 15:54 (nineteen years ago)

the "purple rain" [solo] is totally beautiful - so is "the cross" solo. a ton of his rhythm parts are great and well-conceived, but his actual playing is sort of forgettable, i think

I don't get this. So, he conceived the guitar parts and, if they're great, as you say they are (I agree), then how could they be "played" any better? The funky little weird guitar on Dirty Mind is what makes it cool and it was played that way due to the guitarist that conceived it that way. I understand if you mean his music isn't front-and-center guitar-driven, but to me that doesn't make it forgettable.

― I Hate My Boss's Mom, Monday, 13 February 2006 16:09 (nineteen years ago)

What else I'm not getting: I remember some model who dated Prince said he had a biiiig dick. I'm not seeing it in that bikini photo above.

― I Hate My Boss's Mom, Monday, 13 February 2006 16:12 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, the speedo doesn't reveal anything big... but maybe it'ds the perspective !

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Monday, 13 February 2006 16:16 (nineteen years ago)

I fell for Prince after some of the solos on Sign o' the Times, lyrical and fiery stuff. As I recall, the video was even better.

― Mitya (mitya), Monday, 13 February 2006 16:22 (nineteen years ago)

So, he conceived the guitar parts and, if they're great, as you say they are (I agree), then how could they be "played" any better?
right, this is fair. ill agree. i love a lot of his guitar parts, but with rare exceptions (the cross, purple rain), i dont love any prince songs primarily for the guitar parts. oh, the rhythm part on "when u were mine" is another example of a great part.

I understand if you mean his music isn't front-and-center guitar-driven, but to me that doesn't make it forgettable
i would never call his music forgettable, but i just feel like the guitars come across as an afterthought in many cases. i guess its the same way i feel about my bloody valentine's lyrics, or can's lyrics (although the VOCALS are super-important in both of those cases) - theyre fine, and even awesome in parts. theyre never what i think of first, though.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 16:34 (nineteen years ago)

actually, i guess a lot of 1999 has some awesome rhythm parts, too.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 16:37 (nineteen years ago)

I remember having a conversation with a kid at summer camp around the time of the The Who's It's Hard farewell tour, about how they were a great rock band who played "real" music. This kid derided "fake" artists who used synths and just pushed a few buttons to make a song. His example of the latter was Prince. I think this kid grew up listening to WRIF. It was like my intro to rockism.

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 13 February 2006 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

I think I know what you mean. The guitar is treated as a means to an end in many cases and often feels like it is just there doing what a guitar is supposed to do. Later, much of his music would center around a horn section that does what it's supposed to do. Everything has a unique flair and his music is filled with little surprises, but nothing, not even Sheila E.'s drum breaks or the show-stopping Purple Rain solo, ever seem to show off enough to overshadow the flow of the song.

― I Hate My Boss's Mother, Monday, 13 February 2006 17:14 (nineteen years ago)

i agree with that - most instrumental solos in his stuff come off a little lame, i think. the intro to "u got the look" and the guitar/synths in "computer blue" are more exceptions.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 17:24 (nineteen years ago)

Obviously you guys have never heard "I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man."

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 13 February 2006 17:26 (nineteen years ago)

oh yeah thats good too

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 17:29 (nineteen years ago)

but actually, i could totally be happy if the single version were the one on SOTT. i dont really care about the breakdown/solo portion that the single version omits; it sort of dilutes the awesome impact of the song.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 17:30 (nineteen years ago)

Right, but this thread is about axemanship; and that breakdown shows some serious skillz.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 13 February 2006 17:39 (nineteen years ago)

it makes me think of "can't you see me knocking at your window" actually. and yeah, i wouldn't like it less if there wasn't the breackdown...
another good exemple of how not essential his solos are is "when doves cry". ok, it's there. fine. but if it wasn't, it wouldn't affect the song.

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Monday, 13 February 2006 18:03 (nineteen years ago)

Prince is one of my five favorite guitarists of all time.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Monday, 13 February 2006 18:53 (nineteen years ago)

whoa! he's my favorite musician of all time, and he's probably not even in my top 25 guitarists.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:02 (nineteen years ago)

I just really like his style of playing. It appeals to me.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

cool - on which songs, especially?

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:12 (nineteen years ago)

how did this thread get so far with no mention of "Let's Go Crazy"?!

I love Prince's lead guitar work, mostly because it borrows super-heavily from Eddie Hazel (which, sadly, is a rarity in post-80s r&b)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:20 (nineteen years ago)

Lovesexy is chock full of great guitar playing : melodies, solos, little frills here and there, U name it. He can be great but think he's at his best as a live guitar player.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:26 (nineteen years ago)

Isn't Chaos and Disorder supposed to be his "guitar album"? I think I owned it for about ten minutes when I was digging through all his stuff in the late-90's.

If I'm correct, there's also a concert video from that time where he just shreds for an hour.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:28 (nineteen years ago)

i feel like he only takes the shreddy stuff from hazel, and misses out on the heavy acid rock shit.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:35 (nineteen years ago)

His Ani-inspired "The Truth" acoustic album is pretty great.

― Viz (Viz), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:38 (nineteen years ago)

The Truth is good - Joni Mitchell love def. shines through there.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:39 (nineteen years ago)

hmm, I'm tryin to come up with "heavy acid rock" type songs from Prince and am admittedly comin up short (but there MUST be a couple!)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:41 (nineteen years ago)

I don't even believe those pics are of Prince. They look like an impersonator.

― regular roundups (Dave M), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:47 (nineteen years ago)

"the cross" is psych-y and heavier than most prince songs, but definitely isnt heavy psych.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:49 (nineteen years ago)

Around The World In A Day is called "psychedelic" very frequently, but I can't remember if there's Hendrixy acid guitar in there.

― I Hate My Boss's Mom, Monday, 13 February 2006 19:49 (nineteen years ago)

I don't even believe those pics are of Prince. They look like an

Looks like the early Prince to me:
ihttp://www.nostalgiacentral.com/images_music/prince_montage.jpg
http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/images_music/prince_montage.jpg

― I Hate My Boss's Mom, Monday, 13 February 2006 19:52 (nineteen years ago)

Around The World In A Day is called "psychedelic" very frequently, but I can't remember if there's Hendrixy acid guitar in there.

"America" and "Temptation" have got some.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:54 (nineteen years ago)

ugh, "america" gets on my nerves. maybe my least-favorite song on any of the albums b/w s/t and SotT

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:56 (nineteen years ago)

It's one of my least favorite Prince albums, period – but I don't wanna hijack the thread.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 13 February 2006 19:57 (nineteen years ago)

there's nothing very "psych" about "The Cross" except the sitar, which isn't the same thing.

I've said this about 80 zillion times on ILM but anyone who wants to be convinced by Prince's guitar playing needs to hear the cover of "Just My Imagination" he did live at an Amsterdam after-show Aug. 18, 1988.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Monday, 13 February 2006 20:54 (nineteen years ago)

and I'm going to here that obscure gem where...?

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 13 February 2006 20:55 (nineteen years ago)

there's this thing you may have heard of called the Internet

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Monday, 13 February 2006 20:56 (nineteen years ago)

Matos OTM (again). In fact, that entire after-show is worth seeking out.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Monday, 13 February 2006 20:58 (nineteen years ago)

i dont know if thats sitar on "the cross," matos - sounds somewhat like it, but more like richard thompson guitar tone to me.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:07 (nineteen years ago)

read the liner notes. it's a sitar.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:08 (nineteen years ago)

there's one on "Strange Relationship" too.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:09 (nineteen years ago)

Someone posted this on the Youtube thread, but Prince is pretty great in this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/w/Tom-Petty%2C-Jeff-Lynne-%26-Prince--While-my-Guitar-Gently-Weeps?v=oDxzdpcUaNg&search=prince%20guitar%20gently%20weeps

I don't really care much for "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", but I like Prince's solo. It starts about 2/3 of the way into the video.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:11 (nineteen years ago)

i know lisa plays it on "strange relationship" - do the notes credit instruments by song?

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:11 (nineteen years ago)

i do understand that you wrote a good book on the album, btw. i just always heard it as thompson-y guitar.

anyway, it sounds psych-y to me.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:13 (nineteen years ago)

you know, it's probably a guitar since it was just him by himself. I'm kind of talking out my ass--I was thinking of "SR" rather than "The Cross" when I made the liner-notes crack. I'll have to look again when I get home.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:25 (nineteen years ago)

the "guitar as sitar" thing seemed like a fairly common trick in the 80s

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:28 (nineteen years ago)

anyway, can we all agree that prince rules?

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:32 (nineteen years ago)

I can!

― Dan (MORE PRINCE PRAISE PLZ) Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:33 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think that was ever really in question.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:36 (nineteen years ago)

hmm, I'm tryin to come up with "heavy acid rock" type songs from Prince and am admittedly comin up short (but there MUST be a couple!)
-- Shakey Mo Collier

"Bambi"!

Also, there was a video for a live version of "Take Me With U" around '85 with some extended soloing - but I only caught it once, and only the second half of it; so I don't know how extended it truly was...

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:37 (nineteen years ago)

Has nobody heard of a wireless guitar set-up?

I think the company that made guitar 'sitars' was called Coral. I used one for a spell. They're really convincing if you play the right scales.

― Ian in Brooklyn, Monday, 13 February 2006 21:58 (nineteen years ago)

Has nobody heard of a wireless guitar set-up?

Yeah, wireless guitar set-ups generally use the jack like in this picture:

ihttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v28/Housequake/Musicology%202004%20Tour/Musicology_tour_02.jpg

― I Hate My Boss's Mother, Monday, 13 February 2006 22:05 (nineteen years ago)

So he CAN play guitar!

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 01:10 (nineteen years ago)

to me the logical conclusion is that those early photos at the top of the thread are stills from video shoots.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 01:13 (nineteen years ago)

Apparently, it is impossible to find early photos of Prince with a plugged in guitar even during live shows. Or so the challenge has been put to the general public to find such an image. So, the logical conclusion is not always right.

― I Hate My Boss's Mother, Tuesday, 14 February 2006 01:22 (nineteen years ago)

I think the 2nd pic may be from the "Controversy" video.

― Englebert Humperdinck Fan Club President (R. J. Greene), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 06:44 (nineteen years ago)

three months pass...

Holy crap people!! It's called a WIRELESS SYSTEM... it's been around for YEARS and yes, Prince was one of the first to use it extensively.

― FunkyOne, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 12:08 (nineteen years ago)

Indeed, of FunkyOne, and it involves a little box that is nowhere in this picture.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 12:34 (nineteen years ago)

See 7 posts up. I believe the point is made clearly that wireless systems use a jack like in this picture here: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v28/Housequake/Musicology%202004%20Tour/Musicology_tour_02.jpg

― Hi dere (Uri Frendimein), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 15:20 (nineteen years ago)

Google strikes again!!

― pleased to mitya (mitya), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 15:43 (nineteen years ago)

E-DUBS!

― ((((((DOPplur)))n)))u))))tttt (donut), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 16:07 (nineteen years ago)

don't you people have anything better to do than put down a great musisians like prince. your all loosers and you probably like dave matthews or jewel.

― purp (dave225.3), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 16:56 (nineteen years ago)

wait, that's too perfect.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 16:59 (nineteen years ago)

in case anyone cares:

the hohner tele had a cavity hollowed out in the back, with the wireless unit duct taped into place. there are some photos with this exposed, but i'm not going to go dig for them. there are PLENTY of concerts documented from that period with ferocious live guitar by your boy.

ps: anyone who claims the solo on snl was prerecorded is sniffing glue.

― kevin king, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 17:11 (nineteen years ago)

the hohner tele had a cavity hollowed out in the back, with the wireless unit duct taped into place.

No it didn't.

― Liar (Uri Frendimein), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 18:33 (nineteen years ago)

(I like Prince for the guitar playing.)

― Sundar (sundar), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 19:39 (nineteen years ago)

What else I'm not getting: I remember some model who dated Prince said he had a biiiig dick. I'm not seeing it in that bikini photo above.

erm,maybe it was cold where he was playing.

― drone/a/sore (drone/a/sore), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 21:58 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

Prince Guitar - jack or no jack, i'd like to be Prince's Guitar

― dazzle67, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 19:41 (eighteen years ago)

psst, here's a link that works: http://www.princes-guitar.co.uk/

― StanM, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 19:44 (eighteen years ago)

Ah, thanks StanM, i tried to make sure i did it right and was about to kick myself when, you kindly stepped in to the rescue. x

― dazzle67, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 19:48 (eighteen years ago)

No prob. what IS this supposed to be, by the way? Verrrrry strange.

― StanM, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 19:50 (eighteen years ago)

This is the most disappointing thread I've ever read on ILX. Prince is a badass guitarist, and amazing live.

― Matt Armstrong, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 21:16 (eighteen years ago)

Prince could stand a little manscaping.

― milo z, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 22:15 (eighteen years ago)

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