Prince RIP

One of the things Prince does amazingly well – so well that no one really notices – is make songs that don’t have chords. Each instrument plays its own little thing and they come together to make the song, but there isn’t necessarily a piano or guitar leading you through a harmonic pattern.

Was listening to Sign O' The Times on the way to work this morning and thinking about exactly this. Like, "U Got The Look" is basically just a I-IV-V variation in B, but the guitar arrangement (until the solo and outro) is so sparse that it leaves room for so, so much

man I had the same thought driving into work this mornin listening to "U Got the Look," i.e. "What is going on here? It's so damn spare."

he irony is, to me who was born in the 90's and didn't really get to experience him as a vital artist outside the odd time Diamonds and Pearls or The Most Beautiful Girl was on mtv, he never quite felt real; like, how could this guy exist?

A student at our uni radio station who interviewed me admitted she was born in 1994, the same year as Prince's last top five smash, and knew Prince because her dad would explain the passages "that sounded like jazz" and from summer road trips.

"When Doves Cry" does have chords, but they're implied rather than performed.

Oh, and until someone says otherwise, I'm assuming pneumonia.

The last six CDs he bought on Record Store Day sum up his aesthetic pretty well
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/04/21/prince-last-cd-purchases-at-electric-fetus

I'm finally getting my head around his passing.
Prince has been inspiration, joy, influence and frustration for me since I was 12 and I bought the "Controversy" 45- along with EWF's "Let's Groove" - with my newspaper route money. These were the first two records I bought on my own.
He's found his place in Heaven I'm sure. I hope it's fun.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/04/22/prince-dead-stevie-wonder-full-intv-ac-cooper.cnn

please let stevie wonder live forever at least

prince's production manager in the 80s is on the current right now, telling stories

peak period, mid-80s german outdoor show with 80,000 people ready to see prince. prince finds out that a building on the grounds was an SS headquarters. he says he won't perform while looking at the building. german promotor somehow employs a club of hot air balloon enthusiasts to sail their balloons to the concert grounds and land them in front of the SS building, blocking it from prince's view so the show could go on.

http://stmedia.stimg.co/08-411072+25PAISLEYrjs042216.JPG?h=400&w=637&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces

Man I wish I was home right now

(Even setting prince aside, my mom is recuperating from a broken ankle in Roseville so man I sure wish I was there)

if you want a good cry this morning here's Q Bear and Shed G from the North Minneapolis community station KMOJ
Q Bear grew up with Prince on the Norhtside and remembers him growing up...."It's okay to cry"

http://video.startribune.com/at-kmoj-radio-it-s-ok-to-cry/376647871/

that CD list is too perfect! it's like a magic formula to create Prince.

yeah i know! it was so cool to see, Swan Silvertones Gospel Greats + Best of Missing Person haha who else?

1) Stevie Wonder, "Talking Book"

2) Chambers Brothers, "The Time Has Come"

3) Joni Mitchell, "Hejira"

4) Swan Silvertones, "Inspirational Gospel Classics"

5) Missing Persons, "The Best Of Missing Persons"

6) Santana, "Santana IV"

You'd think he had most of these already.

Then again, might be lendies.

Didn't he once say Hejira was his all-time favorite record by anyone? Or was it The Hissing of Summer Lawns?

You'd think he had most of these already.

Then again, might be lendies.

― Mark G, Friday, April 22, 2016 8:48 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

"Oh man is this Carlos's band? I should really listen this stuff instead of always being 'good show' when I see him."

i could somehow imagine prince cracking open a brand new copy of hejira every time he wanted to listen to it tbh

Actually, the fact that he went to the Fetus something really just struck me that maybe won't translate to people outside of the Twin Cities...way more that Westerberg, Dylan, any of the other big names from town, Prince was "one of us" in the way those others aren't.

I'm reminded of the stories New Yorkers told about Bowie encounters over the yrs, like literally everyone I know in Mpls, from punks to my parents have a Prince story.

"Yeah yea Carlos....cool,good to see you...looked like you guys were having fun up there"

Actually, the fact that he went to the Fetus something really just struck me that maybe won't translate to people outside of the Twin Cities...way more that Westerberg, Dylan, any of the other big names from town, Prince was "one of us" in the way those others aren't.

totally, like he hosted that party for the Lynx when they won the WNBA champtionship, him and Jimmy Jam were big MN sports guys, like maybe Westerberg digs the Twins but it's not like Dylan is watching Vikings games and shit

Like I've never seen Westerberg out and about (even though he lives like blocks from my parents) but I've seen Prince around.

Prince and Grant Hart (not together).

i could somehow imagine prince cracking open a brand new copy of hejira every time he wanted to listen to it tbh

lol otm

Man I wish I was home right now

― scarcity festival (Jon not Jon), Friday, April 22, 2016 8:36 AM (23 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

a friend (the one who got me into Prince in a serious way) went to the First Ave block party last night, looked like a hell of a scene from the pics/videos.

i have to hold on to the idea that at some point grant hart and prince have hung out and had the most loony conversation

"Oh man is this Carlos's band? I should really listen this stuff instead of always being 'good show' when I see him."

― chr1sb3singer, Friday, April 22, 2016 9:52 AM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

"Yeah yea Carlos....cool,good to see you...looked like you guys were having fun up there"

― rockpalast '82 (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, April 22, 2016 9:56 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

irl lol, but Santana was his favorite guitarist.

(also: "Hey Carlos! Good job!")

i imagine has about 50 copies of every joni album ever.

"The Hissing of Summer Lawns"

he said this was his favourite album of hers.
and secret life of plants was his favourite stevie album.
around the time of around the world in a day though so he may have decided they were his favourites after people were giving him shit for not making purple rain 2.

Dammit Prince, making me resubscribe to Tidal

Tidal is an illuminati plot...

oddly on amazon uk his cds seem to be pretty much the same price (unless they were cheaper than £5 before today), but under the cherry moon is now about £30-50 on DVD lol

KODE9 on twitter:

‏@kodenine
That bit in vibrator when vanity goes next door to ask prince for some batteries 😂😔

friend on FB:

"I guess he finally let the elevator break him down"

is there a good spotify playlist anyone has found of the songs he wrote for other artists? (manic monday, sugar walls, glamorous life, etc?)

friend on FB:

"I guess he finally let the elevator break him down"

So many people get this lyric wrong. It's "Are we gonna let de-elevator bring us down"

The de-elevator being Satan of course.

I’m sure he used whichever restroom he damn well felt like.

Men's, the one time I stood closest to him in a club. He was right ahead of me, his bodyguard Big Chick stopped me from following so Prince could finish his business in private.

something about the rhythmic flexibility and eclecticism of "hissing of summer lawns" really does recall prince, doesn't it.

still in disbelief this morning.

one thing that's kinda funny re: min-80s mpls is that the guy in panties, high heels and fishnets ended up being a jehovah's witness with some problematic conservative sexual views and the everydude flannel & jeans hamms guzzling rockers in husker du were gay

Something in the water does not compute.

xps thank you! I never knew that lyric was so well disguised

man oh man this is a tough one

The greatest thing about Prince was that he was such an enigma, but at the same time you might see him at the grocery store buying kale. Also I love that all the best Prince stories are basically him being kind of a dick, but he comes off as totally endearing anyway.

was gonna do manic monday at karaoke tonight but now i feel mildly weird about it. not that this particular friend group is even likely to make the connection.

something about the rhythmic flexibility and eclecticism of "hissing of summer lawns" really does recall prince, doesn't it.

those swooping multitracked Joni harmonies too

where's tuomas?

He posted this morning

one thing that's kinda funny re: min-80s mpls is that the guy in panties, high heels and fishnets ended up being a jehovah's witness with some problematic conservative sexual views and the everydude flannel & jeans hamms guzzling rockers in husker du were gay

― rockpalast '82 (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, April 22, 2016 10:17 AM (33 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

love this

is Fox News wall to wall Lonnie Mack and Chyna coverage today? or are they wrestling with their purple demons.

well, here's NRO's obit: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/434418/prince-rip

Damn, I hadn't even heard about Lonnie Mack. 2016 seems like it's gonna be a long, sad year.