Wednesday, July 20, 2005
This week I re-read Matos's brilliant book on Prince's Sign 'O' the Times, so I've been fairly Prince-obsessed, in both listening and thoughts. With that in mind, today I emailed Alfred, another major Prince fan (whose own recent re-perusal of the aforementioned book prompted me to do the same), with the following query (things rolled on from here, as you'll see):
From: Thomas A. Inskeep
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 12:19 PM
To: Alfred Soto (E-mail)
Subject: a vs. b, Purple Edition
"Do Me Baby" vs. "Adore"
1999 vs. Purple Rain
Chaka's "I Feel For You" vs. Sinéad's "Nothing Compares 2 U"
"Sugar Walls" vs. "Manic Monday"
Sheila E. vs. the Time
"U Got the Look" vs. "Sexy MF"
Vanity vs. Apollonia
The Revolution vs. The N.P.G.
"Erotic City" vs. "Gett Off"
Crooked Fingers' "When U Were Mine" vs. Cyndi Lauper's "When U Were Mine"
*
From: Alfred Soto
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 12:22 PM
To: Thomas A. Inskeep
Subject: Re: a vs. b, Purple Edition
My picks:
"Do Me Baby" (Matos will hate me, but "Adore" moves me as a virtuosic exercise, no more)
1999
"I Feel For You"
"Sugar Walls"
"U Got The Look"
never heard Vanity (solo) or Apollonia
The NPG are a better band, but far less adventurous. If Wendy and Lisa were in the NPG, I'd pick the NPG. So - The Revolution.
"Erotic City"
Cyndi's "When U Were Mine"
*
From: Thomas A. Inskeep
To: Alfred Soto
Sent: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 12:23:28 -0700
Subject: RE: a vs. b, Purple Edition
I want explanations! I want defenses!
*
From: Alfred Soto
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 2:45 PM
To: Thomas A. Inskeep
Subject: RE: a vs. b, Purple Edition
Favorite underrated tracks from the Symbol Album: "The Morning Papers," "I Wanna Melt With U," "Blue Light," "The Continental."
I love "Do Me, Baby": Matos is right about it being possibly Prince's greatest performance. He gets a terrific warmth from that Yamaha electric piano (at least that's what it sounds like). His vocal is lubricious, yearning, and exposed, sort of a dry run for "The Beautiful Ones."
Chaka's "I Feel For You" is a stunning production, about which you were eloquent and true on Rock Me Tonight. I won't besmirch your ode by attempting my own.
"Manic Monday" is a yummy confection, if overexposed (especially since the Bangles themselves wrote some wonderful album tracks on Different Light which are just as good if not better). "Sugar Walls" isn't my favorite Prince donation, but it's Ms. Easton's best showcase till "U Got The Look."
Cyndi Lauper's "When You Were Mine" just kills me. Placed just before "Time After Time" on the first flawless side of She's So Unusual, it's the hurt at the end of the party, when the guests have all gone home and you've watched your lover flirt with another man all night. The synthesizers sound incredible, and when the guitar kicks in at the end it's like she just slammed her hand against a wall.
The NPG could sound awfully schlocky, no? Listenign to The Symbol Album, I was struck by the cheesy keyboard programs and rote drum parts (then again, drums were by then so rare on a Prince album that just hearing them again felt novel). With apologies to Ms Rosie Gaines and Levi Seacer, Jr, the band sound like sideman happy to be asked along. Wendy and Lisa (and, to a lesser degree, Dr Fink) pushed and prodded him; a lot of the tracks off Parade are arguably first drafts of W&L solo work, which I'm surprised no one's remarked on.
Maybe if Sheila E drummed for The Time, the clamor from her no-nonsense sex cymbals would have shut Morris Day the fuck up. Too often his amusement at his own whimsy ("The Oak Tree," my ass) just made you feel sorry for the guy; what chick would give it up to a preening frontman who wears too much makeup and squawks every other word?
As for Sheila: oh oh oh oh oh oh Sheila. "The Belle of St Mark" is the aural equivalent of getting kissed after your lover's mouth had just been in some tasty vanilla ice cream; it's some cold, unexpected, erotic shit. "A Love Bizarre" doesn't do anything for me. The 12" mix to "The Glamorous Life" might be the best indentured-Prince production ever.
"Gett Off" doesn't get me off. It's remembered as a bigger hit than it actually was; besides, Natural Selection's "Do Anything," which very close to hitting number one, is a far better homage to Prince-like signifiers (falsetto, drum programs, Sheena Easton-esque backup singer). And, hell, "Cream" tears a new one into "Gett Off" anyway (nothing on radio sounded like "Cream" in the fall of '91).
"Sexy MF" is ok, a likable attempt to write another eye-opener like "Gett Off." Let's face it, "7" and especially "The Morning Papers" are more representative of the underrated pleasures of the Symbol Album.
*
From: Thomas A. Inskeep
To: Alfred Soto
Sent: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 15:36:56
Subject: RE: a vs. b, Purple Edition
"Do Me, Baby": what you and Matos said. Just stunning.
1999 has better weirder stuff, I think. As we've discussed, to me the second disc has forever been classically underrated: "Lady Cab Driver," "All the Critics," "International Lover," "Something In the Water" (possibly my favorite non-single of his, ever). Genius! Purple Rain is of course more consistent, but the highs for me are higher on 1999.
Yeah, "I Feel For You," of course, though Sinéad's "Nothing" trumps Prince's like crazy. (Chaka's trumps his, too, but differently.)
"Sugar Walls" is so delightfully, appetite-satingly dirty - but in a still-safe-for-FM-radio-play sense, and was such a fine squealing-tires left turn from the Scottish lassie. And she sells it! Whereas "Manic Monday," like you implied, isn't even the best track on Different Light (that'd be "Following," in my view).
If I have to choose between Sheila E. and the Time, I'll choose the Time, based solely on the records they made. Those first 2 albums in particular are atomic bombs which made them look like Prince's biggest threat; the overpraised Ice Cream Castles, not so much, but they'd already established the beachhead by then. "Cool"! "The Walk"! "777-9311"! Amazing. With Jesse Johnson's hot licks and Jimmy and Terry (pre-Jam and Lewis, as it were), they couldn't miss. Sheila I loveloveLOVE, but her records are a bit more hit-and-miss, and you're so right about the 12" of "The Glamorous Life," which is potentially life-changing. I love "A Love Bizarre," too, especially for Prince's weirdo cooing/scatting all over the background (I practically expect him to bust out the MJ "sha-mo"s!), and I love your take on "St. Mark" more than the song itself. Of course she's par excellence as a percussionist/drummer, too, but recorded output-wise, the Time win. (Plus, have we discussed the brilliance of their Pandemonium! comeback? One of the greatest comeback albums ever.)
"Sexy MF," if only because it's the greatest JB track ever, including those recorded by JB.
Vanity, because she was more foolish, and seemed unafraid to do so (cf. the unreleased "Vibrator").
The Revolution smoked much moreso than the NPG who, yeah, at points largely sound like session players. Parade is an album of astonishment and wonder, my second-favorite (after SOTT, duh), and that's due in no small part to their (esp. Wendy & Lisa's) contributions.
I've never quite gotten the appeal of "Gett Off" - it sounds like autopilot Prince to me, always has. "Erotic City," meanwhile is a place I never cease wanting to visit. And if Ms. Escovedo wants to make babies or time, well, even I could probably be persuaded.
My "When U Were Mine" vote goes to Crooked Fingers, because their version is even more heartbreaking to my ears. Accompanied by just banjo and cello, it's hard to listen to, so naked and alone.
*
Feel free to add your $0.02.
From: Thomas A. Inskeep
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 12:19 PM
To: Alfred Soto (E-mail)
Subject: a vs. b, Purple Edition
"Do Me Baby" vs. "Adore"
1999 vs. Purple Rain
Chaka's "I Feel For You" vs. Sinéad's "Nothing Compares 2 U"
"Sugar Walls" vs. "Manic Monday"
Sheila E. vs. the Time
"U Got the Look" vs. "Sexy MF"
Vanity vs. Apollonia
The Revolution vs. The N.P.G.
"Erotic City" vs. "Gett Off"
Crooked Fingers' "When U Were Mine" vs. Cyndi Lauper's "When U Were Mine"
*
From: Alfred Soto
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 12:22 PM
To: Thomas A. Inskeep
Subject: Re: a vs. b, Purple Edition
My picks:
"Do Me Baby" (Matos will hate me, but "Adore" moves me as a virtuosic exercise, no more)
1999
"I Feel For You"
"Sugar Walls"
"U Got The Look"
never heard Vanity (solo) or Apollonia
The NPG are a better band, but far less adventurous. If Wendy and Lisa were in the NPG, I'd pick the NPG. So - The Revolution.
"Erotic City"
Cyndi's "When U Were Mine"
*
From: Thomas A. Inskeep
To: Alfred Soto
Sent: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 12:23:28 -0700
Subject: RE: a vs. b, Purple Edition
I want explanations! I want defenses!
*
From: Alfred Soto
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 2:45 PM
To: Thomas A. Inskeep
Subject: RE: a vs. b, Purple Edition
Favorite underrated tracks from the Symbol Album: "The Morning Papers," "I Wanna Melt With U," "Blue Light," "The Continental."
I love "Do Me, Baby": Matos is right about it being possibly Prince's greatest performance. He gets a terrific warmth from that Yamaha electric piano (at least that's what it sounds like). His vocal is lubricious, yearning, and exposed, sort of a dry run for "The Beautiful Ones."
Chaka's "I Feel For You" is a stunning production, about which you were eloquent and true on Rock Me Tonight. I won't besmirch your ode by attempting my own.
"Manic Monday" is a yummy confection, if overexposed (especially since the Bangles themselves wrote some wonderful album tracks on Different Light which are just as good if not better). "Sugar Walls" isn't my favorite Prince donation, but it's Ms. Easton's best showcase till "U Got The Look."
Cyndi Lauper's "When You Were Mine" just kills me. Placed just before "Time After Time" on the first flawless side of She's So Unusual, it's the hurt at the end of the party, when the guests have all gone home and you've watched your lover flirt with another man all night. The synthesizers sound incredible, and when the guitar kicks in at the end it's like she just slammed her hand against a wall.
The NPG could sound awfully schlocky, no? Listenign to The Symbol Album, I was struck by the cheesy keyboard programs and rote drum parts (then again, drums were by then so rare on a Prince album that just hearing them again felt novel). With apologies to Ms Rosie Gaines and Levi Seacer, Jr, the band sound like sideman happy to be asked along. Wendy and Lisa (and, to a lesser degree, Dr Fink) pushed and prodded him; a lot of the tracks off Parade are arguably first drafts of W&L solo work, which I'm surprised no one's remarked on.
Maybe if Sheila E drummed for The Time, the clamor from her no-nonsense sex cymbals would have shut Morris Day the fuck up. Too often his amusement at his own whimsy ("The Oak Tree," my ass) just made you feel sorry for the guy; what chick would give it up to a preening frontman who wears too much makeup and squawks every other word?
As for Sheila: oh oh oh oh oh oh Sheila. "The Belle of St Mark" is the aural equivalent of getting kissed after your lover's mouth had just been in some tasty vanilla ice cream; it's some cold, unexpected, erotic shit. "A Love Bizarre" doesn't do anything for me. The 12" mix to "The Glamorous Life" might be the best indentured-Prince production ever.
"Gett Off" doesn't get me off. It's remembered as a bigger hit than it actually was; besides, Natural Selection's "Do Anything," which very close to hitting number one, is a far better homage to Prince-like signifiers (falsetto, drum programs, Sheena Easton-esque backup singer). And, hell, "Cream" tears a new one into "Gett Off" anyway (nothing on radio sounded like "Cream" in the fall of '91).
"Sexy MF" is ok, a likable attempt to write another eye-opener like "Gett Off." Let's face it, "7" and especially "The Morning Papers" are more representative of the underrated pleasures of the Symbol Album.
*
From: Thomas A. Inskeep
To: Alfred Soto
Sent: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 15:36:56
Subject: RE: a vs. b, Purple Edition
"Do Me, Baby": what you and Matos said. Just stunning.
1999 has better weirder stuff, I think. As we've discussed, to me the second disc has forever been classically underrated: "Lady Cab Driver," "All the Critics," "International Lover," "Something In the Water" (possibly my favorite non-single of his, ever). Genius! Purple Rain is of course more consistent, but the highs for me are higher on 1999.
Yeah, "I Feel For You," of course, though Sinéad's "Nothing" trumps Prince's like crazy. (Chaka's trumps his, too, but differently.)
"Sugar Walls" is so delightfully, appetite-satingly dirty - but in a still-safe-for-FM-radio-play sense, and was such a fine squealing-tires left turn from the Scottish lassie. And she sells it! Whereas "Manic Monday," like you implied, isn't even the best track on Different Light (that'd be "Following," in my view).
If I have to choose between Sheila E. and the Time, I'll choose the Time, based solely on the records they made. Those first 2 albums in particular are atomic bombs which made them look like Prince's biggest threat; the overpraised Ice Cream Castles, not so much, but they'd already established the beachhead by then. "Cool"! "The Walk"! "777-9311"! Amazing. With Jesse Johnson's hot licks and Jimmy and Terry (pre-Jam and Lewis, as it were), they couldn't miss. Sheila I loveloveLOVE, but her records are a bit more hit-and-miss, and you're so right about the 12" of "The Glamorous Life," which is potentially life-changing. I love "A Love Bizarre," too, especially for Prince's weirdo cooing/scatting all over the background (I practically expect him to bust out the MJ "sha-mo"s!), and I love your take on "St. Mark" more than the song itself. Of course she's par excellence as a percussionist/drummer, too, but recorded output-wise, the Time win. (Plus, have we discussed the brilliance of their Pandemonium! comeback? One of the greatest comeback albums ever.)
"Sexy MF," if only because it's the greatest JB track ever, including those recorded by JB.
Vanity, because she was more foolish, and seemed unafraid to do so (cf. the unreleased "Vibrator").
The Revolution smoked much moreso than the NPG who, yeah, at points largely sound like session players. Parade is an album of astonishment and wonder, my second-favorite (after SOTT, duh), and that's due in no small part to their (esp. Wendy & Lisa's) contributions.
I've never quite gotten the appeal of "Gett Off" - it sounds like autopilot Prince to me, always has. "Erotic City," meanwhile is a place I never cease wanting to visit. And if Ms. Escovedo wants to make babies or time, well, even I could probably be persuaded.
My "When U Were Mine" vote goes to Crooked Fingers, because their version is even more heartbreaking to my ears. Accompanied by just banjo and cello, it's hard to listen to, so naked and alone.
*
Feel free to add your $0.02.
# posted by Thomas : 9:15 PM
Comments:
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I don't know nearly enough about Prince to really _comment_, but if someone wanted to send me Cyndi Lauper's "When You Were Mine", I'd be eternally grateful...
"Do Me Baby" vs. "Adore"
"DMB" is his greatest vocal but "Adore" has so much more going on and in it; the greatest nonexistent A-B single in history. "Adore" by a nose.
1999 vs. Purple Rain
1999, also by a nose
Chaka's "I Feel For You" vs. Sinéad's "Nothing Compares 2 U"
Chaka, no contest
"Sugar Walls" vs. "Manic Monday"
"Manic Monday," easy. "SW" isn't one of Prince's best outside productions.
Sheila E. vs. the Time
the Time, though "Belle of St. Mark" is one of my five or six favorite Prince tracks ever
"U Got the Look" vs. "Sexy MF"
"Long Look"!
Vanity vs. Apollonia
Vanity--MUCH better singer (not saying much, is it?) and more of a presence
The Revolution vs. The N.P.G.
"With this band, I can play 'Baby I'm a Star' all night! The Revolution were a different kind of funky, more electronic and cold." (Rolling Stone, 1990)
Exactly. Revolution by a mile.
"Erotic City" vs. "Gett Off"
"City"
Crooked Fingers' "When U Were Mine" vs. Cyndi Lauper's "When U Were Mine"
Very tough choice, love 'em both. Can I vote for Mitch Ryder?
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"DMB" is his greatest vocal but "Adore" has so much more going on and in it; the greatest nonexistent A-B single in history. "Adore" by a nose.
1999 vs. Purple Rain
1999, also by a nose
Chaka's "I Feel For You" vs. Sinéad's "Nothing Compares 2 U"
Chaka, no contest
"Sugar Walls" vs. "Manic Monday"
"Manic Monday," easy. "SW" isn't one of Prince's best outside productions.
Sheila E. vs. the Time
the Time, though "Belle of St. Mark" is one of my five or six favorite Prince tracks ever
"U Got the Look" vs. "Sexy MF"
"Long Look"!
Vanity vs. Apollonia
Vanity--MUCH better singer (not saying much, is it?) and more of a presence
The Revolution vs. The N.P.G.
"With this band, I can play 'Baby I'm a Star' all night! The Revolution were a different kind of funky, more electronic and cold." (Rolling Stone, 1990)
Exactly. Revolution by a mile.
"Erotic City" vs. "Gett Off"
"City"
Crooked Fingers' "When U Were Mine" vs. Cyndi Lauper's "When U Were Mine"
Very tough choice, love 'em both. Can I vote for Mitch Ryder?
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